Budapest

Wow, what a city that is. I am soooo going back. So yeah, lets even try to start to begin with what I did there. When I got to my hostel I don't think I have ever met more friendly people in my entire life. My entry came completely with a shot of Palinka (which I am in love with now), and alot of great recommendations on things to do. So the first night I got there, I chose not to go out, but to stay in and just relax, and I got to know Anikol the gal who was working the night shift at the hostel. We played darts with a guy Mark from Canada, and another guy from Tawian until about 3 am. It was a good amount of fun.

Then the next day was time for a great three hour walking tour of the city. Our guide adam was a pretty neat guy, though hard to understand at times. We got to see alot of the city and get some great stories about the city. Here is a good little tid bit, did you know that the Teliphone as the machine was invented by Thomas Edison, but the people who helped connect two phones together were Hungarian tecnitions that Edison had brought to New York to help him. And the common greeting 'Hello' means can you hear me in Hungarian, so when they would pick up the phones to see if they worked they would say hello back and forth to see if they could hear eachother and it is something that just caught on that you say hello when you answer the phone :).

After the tour I met these two very nice gals one was from Australia (Micky) and the other from San Diego (Brit), and we went wondering around chatting through out Budapest. Then dinner and a couple drinks. They were amazing people and I was very glad to have met them!! I have found I have met some of the greatest people on this trip, and unlike back home where I will meet say 10 people and about 7 of them will be worthless and about 3 would be cool, out here 9 people are cool and only one will be annoying or useless.

Then the next day I ventured out to the natural thermal baths which are world famous. It was really nice to go and very relaxing, but I have a feeling it would have been better on a cooler day. They have pools (half of an olympic size pool) that the water is 36 C (about 97 F) so it was hot outside and hot in the pools, but man did it make my back and legs feel better after all the walking I have done :). I also got to go in a sauna that was 100C (212 F), and i am sure that is what hell feels like. I lasted about 7 mins in there before I had to leave because I thought I was going to die. But outside there, there is a pool you go in to that is 15 C (60 F), to cool off afterwards. I met a girl there who was laughing at me as a cursed because it felt soooooo cold. I now forget her name (I am a bad person I know), but she was an ex-pat (ie used to live in the states now lives overseas perminatly) and works in Switzerland and has for the past 10 years. So that was a fun chat, but sadly I had enough of it and needed to go back to the hostel.

Then on monday, it was time to do a little caving!! Wow it was sooo intense and extreme lol, well for me anyways. Mark the Canadian came with me, and it was a blast except I was almost too big width wise to go in there. And I found out why at one point when I was stuck for about 15 seconds. Most frighting 15 seconds of my life. But over all I made it out alive and it was a crazy fun experince that I am happy I got :).

Ok there is more to the stories, but it is 1 am here, I need to get some rest and I will add pictures later..... geez just so much to do that it is hard to keep it all down, but I am doing my best :). Hope everything is well back home and I wish you all well!! Cheers!