I arrived in Budapest on Tuesday without any problems. I told the airport taxi driver where I was staying, and though he didn't speak English, his face said "No no... don't stay there!" But I came on this trip for some adventure so I headed on to the hostel which will remain nameless. (If you will be in Budapest and want to stay at the hostel, send me an e-mail and I'll tell you where it is!!) When we pulled up to the hostel, we could hear the metal/Goth music blaring from inside. I opened the door to hostel, and there was a man passed out drunk on the floor right in front of the doorway. After walking over him I passed a lady slouched over in her chair looking like she was ready to puke. Two midsized dogs were fighting violently in the middle of the room, while an third old dog looked on. I walked up to the bar (which also coupled as the the reception area!) and checked in. The entire hostel on the inside is covered in grafiti. People have free written on the walls for years, it really gives the place a unique atmostphere! After heading up 2 flights of stone stairs, I found my room. The bunk beds were on thin metal frames, and my bed swayed every time I had to scratch my back... which happened quite often, bed bugs perhaps? I don't think so... I looked closely and didn't see any. At midnight I was attempting to get to sleep. (I was the only one in the hostel trying to sleep before 3AM, unless you count that passed out drunk guy) At 2AM the big scare came... I partially awoke because I heard a light scratching sound in the room. I looked around and it appeared that no one else was in the room besides me. I went back to sleep, but soon after I felt what felt like someone tugging on my blanket. I woke up, but no one was there... But I did see my blanket move a bit near my feet. I sat up quickly (shaking the bed violently) and pulled my blanket and my legs back... but the furry thing ran up closer to me rubbing against my leg. I then saw a long, slender, black tail sticking out a foot from under the blanket. Just when I had convinced myself that I had a rat in bed with me, I made eye contact with the cutest little kitten I have ever seen. Of course, the open window in an area with stray cats didn't make me feel better. I dropped him on the floor and hoped that he would go away. He didn't. He stayed in room. He did come in handy later when one of the drunk guys passed out and snored loudly. The cat was curious about what was going on and stood on the guys chest staring at him until he stopped. I couldn't find it my heart to put him outside, so insted I put him outside my room into the hallway and I went to sleep. I woke up around 7AM with the cat curled up on me. That night after I returned to hostel, the cat was sitting on the bar... apparently the hostel has taken the guy in and he now lives there harrassing the new guests.
Budapest
Yesterday a penpal of mine, Eszter, showed me around Budapest a bit. I saw the huge parliment building, the castle, the square where Hungarian protesters were shot at (and hundreds killed) by Soviet Tanks in 1956, and a few other places with cultural significance.
Getting Used to the Hostel
As crazy as the hostel is, I will say that up until now it has been the friendliest hostel I've been to. The staff and guests have all been very helpful and friendly. I went out with a group of 10 or so staff and guests (British, Americans, Canadians, Australians, and Hungairians). Even though we had all just met, it felt like hanging out with old friends. We met up with a group of 5 Mexican girls who are students here and we stayed up most of the night crammed into their living room at their apartment.
