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21:08 08JAN09 Some Country Club, Budapest, Hungary
This is the look of frostbite
So I've been in Budapest now for roughly two weeks. Over this time, something has dawned on me. I've completely lost touch with the entire reason I set out on this journey. Travelling is all about cultural experiences, self-discovery and extraordinary epiphanies. Not only did I want these things but I also had a goal to teach myself how to live on the fly and extremely cheap.
I think I kept up with my goals for the first month. Setting up a budget for myself. Never being a glutton, CouchSurfing for free accommodations, pulling scams and learning to adapt to each new setting. Ultimately, to be able to live feral.
Well, something happened. And I'm not sure I could say exactly what it was but it seems that my intentions have passed me by and I've been on this never ending vacation. I've been hopping from one major city to the next, staying in hostels instead of experiencing local culture and rarely giving myself the opportunity to be one with my surroundings.
It is time for a major reality check. I need to get my head back on my shoulders and start waking the fuck up. If I want to be true to myself, I need to stop playing this 'elitist backpacking' game and start living life to its fullest potential. I've decided to head out of Europe as soon as possible. I need to get to Greece in order to fly out but hopefully by February I will have made it to Asia.
Backpack Guesthouse: The one place that has felt like home and where I felt like I had family
So Sarah has arrived. It has been great having her here and I'm really excited that she decided to come. We moved from the Backpack Guesthouse (BPG) into a Country Club. The move was really hard because the BPG was one of the best places I've ever stayed. Extremely welcoming staff and great friends (see below). I'm thankful I had the opportunity to experience it but it was time to move on I suppose.
Her time share is a country club situated in the hills of Budapest. We have our own cabin complete with a sauna. The scenery is beautiful but it is kind of a pain in the ass to get into town. It is either about 60 min by public transport including one bus and two tram changes or 4000 HUF ($20) by taxi one way.
We haven't really done too much in the city so far. However, we did take a day trip up to Eger. It's a small town about 2 hours away and is supposed to have wonderful wine. The village was cute and quaint but was freezing so we didn't discover any vineyards. We did however find a castle but it was closed by the time we got there. Boo.
Sarah freezing her ass off at the Eger Castle
We got these Eurorail Passes that give us train rides from Hungary to Slovenia to Croatia so we are going to head out next week to see some cities. Our temporary itinerary includes going from here to Ljubljana, then to Rijeka, Split and coming back up to Zagreb. From there, I'm going to see about getting to Cairo before I leave out of Crete. I'm not sure how feasible this is but I'll look into it.
And now for a look at all things Backpack Guesthouse…
The BPG is not one of those places you just go for the night. It is an experience all in itself. It is set up like a house with rooms containing multiple beds. There is a full kitchen (minus an oven), a living room (complete with a guitar and hookah), a backyard that has a meditation area, and a Yurt full with hammocks. Most people in the house are very friendly and it is easy to make friends and share stories. Some people stay for days on end. Upon my arrival I met a fellow named Eric who shared a room with me. He was from Florida and had already been there for several days. Apparently it was his intentions to leave a few days before but hadn't yet. Every day I was there, Eric would wake up, announce that he was leaving the following morning and demand that we party for his last night. And each morning, we would ask Eric if he was leaving today. His reply? Maybe tomorrow.
I also got the opportunity to meet Jai and Pat. Some backpackers who ended up staying to work at the hostel. They were more than amazing and filled each night with love and laughter. Ok, I'm sick of writing for the time being…enjoy some pics.
The lounge area
The Italian lover...there were 4 of them running around in their skivies but I managed to only capture one for a foto
Gotta love the Love Shack...unfortunately its on lockdown unless you purchase the room
Pat aka Kurt Cobain aka Staff member from Aussie
Andrea, another staffer and a sweetheart
Eric, the guy who never left...from Florida
Jai, a staffer from Wales and your modern day Casanova
Liam, Jai's friend from England
The bathroom
This is the look of frostbite
So I've been in Budapest now for roughly two weeks. Over this time, something has dawned on me. I've completely lost touch with the entire reason I set out on this journey. Travelling is all about cultural experiences, self-discovery and extraordinary epiphanies. Not only did I want these things but I also had a goal to teach myself how to live on the fly and extremely cheap.
I think I kept up with my goals for the first month. Setting up a budget for myself. Never being a glutton, CouchSurfing for free accommodations, pulling scams and learning to adapt to each new setting. Ultimately, to be able to live feral.
Well, something happened. And I'm not sure I could say exactly what it was but it seems that my intentions have passed me by and I've been on this never ending vacation. I've been hopping from one major city to the next, staying in hostels instead of experiencing local culture and rarely giving myself the opportunity to be one with my surroundings.
It is time for a major reality check. I need to get my head back on my shoulders and start waking the fuck up. If I want to be true to myself, I need to stop playing this 'elitist backpacking' game and start living life to its fullest potential. I've decided to head out of Europe as soon as possible. I need to get to Greece in order to fly out but hopefully by February I will have made it to Asia.
Backpack Guesthouse: The one place that has felt like home and where I felt like I had family
So Sarah has arrived. It has been great having her here and I'm really excited that she decided to come. We moved from the Backpack Guesthouse (BPG) into a Country Club. The move was really hard because the BPG was one of the best places I've ever stayed. Extremely welcoming staff and great friends (see below). I'm thankful I had the opportunity to experience it but it was time to move on I suppose.
Her time share is a country club situated in the hills of Budapest. We have our own cabin complete with a sauna. The scenery is beautiful but it is kind of a pain in the ass to get into town. It is either about 60 min by public transport including one bus and two tram changes or 4000 HUF ($20) by taxi one way.
We haven't really done too much in the city so far. However, we did take a day trip up to Eger. It's a small town about 2 hours away and is supposed to have wonderful wine. The village was cute and quaint but was freezing so we didn't discover any vineyards. We did however find a castle but it was closed by the time we got there. Boo.
Sarah freezing her ass off at the Eger Castle
We got these Eurorail Passes that give us train rides from Hungary to Slovenia to Croatia so we are going to head out next week to see some cities. Our temporary itinerary includes going from here to Ljubljana, then to Rijeka, Split and coming back up to Zagreb. From there, I'm going to see about getting to Cairo before I leave out of Crete. I'm not sure how feasible this is but I'll look into it.
And now for a look at all things Backpack Guesthouse…
The BPG is not one of those places you just go for the night. It is an experience all in itself. It is set up like a house with rooms containing multiple beds. There is a full kitchen (minus an oven), a living room (complete with a guitar and hookah), a backyard that has a meditation area, and a Yurt full with hammocks. Most people in the house are very friendly and it is easy to make friends and share stories. Some people stay for days on end. Upon my arrival I met a fellow named Eric who shared a room with me. He was from Florida and had already been there for several days. Apparently it was his intentions to leave a few days before but hadn't yet. Every day I was there, Eric would wake up, announce that he was leaving the following morning and demand that we party for his last night. And each morning, we would ask Eric if he was leaving today. His reply? Maybe tomorrow.
I also got the opportunity to meet Jai and Pat. Some backpackers who ended up staying to work at the hostel. They were more than amazing and filled each night with love and laughter. Ok, I'm sick of writing for the time being…enjoy some pics.
The lounge area
The Italian lover...there were 4 of them running around in their skivies but I managed to only capture one for a foto
Gotta love the Love Shack...unfortunately its on lockdown unless you purchase the room
Pat aka Kurt Cobain aka Staff member from Aussie
Andrea, another staffer and a sweetheart
Eric, the guy who never left...from Florida
Jai, a staffer from Wales and your modern day Casanova
Liam, Jai's friend from England
The bathroom