“Socializing and clowning around came easy with this indica buzz. ”

Part of the reason why I wanted an easygoing high for this pilgrimage to the home of folklore’s most famous vampire is that I was expected to understand the confusing public bus system in order to get there. This would not be an easy task, as most modes of transport in Transylvanian Romania are not generally known for their efficiency—or even accessibility. I needed a clear and focused mind for this.

I hit this Race Fuel OG in the courtyard of my parents' place. This took me back to sneaking joints in the backyard of my childhood home in NJ. I soon set off towards the village center and was struck with a very upbeat and chill vibe. The sound of rain coupled with the crow of a rooster in the distance induced a very old world state of mind. In some ways, this high made me feel like I was traveling back in time. And in many ways I was—no cell phone service, unpaved roads, whole families riding horse buggies, and fish-scale tiled roofs adorning centuries-old homes. By the time I reached the bus stop, my anxiety for getting lost in the Carpathian wilderness had abated, and it was replaced with a keen sense of curiosity and healthy indifference.

Riding this diesel-engined bus, I didn’t know if I was smelling the exhaust or what was left of my joint. When I got to the medieval town of Bran, the rain had picked up, and the top half of the castle was obscured by a heavy fog. This high lent itself nicely to the ominous tone of the whole place. One could almost make out a deathly pale figure adorning a cape and standing on the precipice of some stone gargoyle. So it was that I found myself staring through the fog up towards the drawbridge-like entrance until it was clear that I was the only stoned gargoyle around.

“You’ll forget about bills and workplace problems and nagging injuries.”

I met up with my cousins near a row of souvenir stands. We tried on different vampire-related ephemera and sampled wooden knickknacks shaped by local artisans. While it was a soothing high, it was also a fun one. Socializing and clowning around came easy with this indica buzz. By the time we were inside the castle and darting down its many secret pathways and courtyards, we had gone into full Dracula mode. Immersing ourselves in the mythology and sharing a lot of laughs along the way. Being that tourism was yet to get back on track, we were the only visitors around. When you're virtually alone in a castle once inhabited by one of history’s most blood-thirsty princes, it’s raining buckets outside and you're high—well folks, that has the makings of a good time.

Race Fuel OG turned out to provide very balancing effects that would work well to combat stress and help you unwind yourself from head to toe. It was like a low-key, choose-your-own-adventure that elicited both laughs and frights. And somewhere along the way, you’ll forget about bills and workplace problems and nagging injuries and world hunger and deforestation and inequality and greed—and you just lose yourself in a vampire story with friends and family. Sometimes that’s just enough, and you’ll have plenty of fuel for a quick mental getaway with this stellar strain.