Jeepers !



Where did you spring from Jack? I thought we'd lost you forever! Where on earth have you been travelling since we parted in southern Poland?

Did you make it across the border of Mongolia by your birthday?

Did you travel along the coast of the Ukraine?

Which godforsaken retreat are you calling home now?

(And how did you manage to find an internet cafe?)



Alan

Where did I spring from? Here. Or my Mother. Depends upon your timeframe, really.



Robin went back, checked an old travelling email address and found messages from me asking for your email address (and that of your mate - Michael?) I wanted to say hi, and apologise to him for my unintentional greed in sending him home alone as I'd scored with both of those lasses. Didn't occur until well after you'd both disappeared and left me asleep on that bench outside the Stawberry!



I didn't get far to be honest. Went South to Zakopane, nearly fell in love, got food poisoning from cows milk from the cow that lived in the garden, hurt my leg, went to Slovakia, realised that my leg was properly fucked, went to a doc in Wien, went to Budapest to rest as told and messed up my rough schedule. So I'm spending the Winter in Central Europe, before heading off again in Spring.



So, I've been working in a hostel in Budapest for 3 or 4 months now, and plan to return after new year to my now beloved Poland (I talk like an obsessive about it despite only spending those 2 weeks there - it's become some sort of Shangri La to me). Anyway, plan to teach English there, howsoever I can - I've little experience and no qualifications - and also to learn a Slavic tongue. That's the new group of languages that will be of great importance to the EU; especially from 2004. From Polish it's only a hop, skip and a jump to Czech and Slovakian, and a couple more bounces and you're speaking Bulgarian, Slovenian Croation, etc. and that's a lot of people. So that's my plan. I've got a friend in Glowice, west of Katowice and Krakow, and so might head there. I plan to wing it.



Budapest is great; the people don't smile as much as they could, but there are reasons for it, as well as it just being a capital city with all that that entails, but they are warm and friendly once you get a little closer. The music is the best that I've encountered outside of the UK. The radio, in the form of Est.FM, is better than any I've laid ears to in the UK. Hearing music's one of the reasons that I travel so this place has entranced me somewhat.



And I'm wittering...I'll stop. I'll stick you on my travellogue adress list and email you, whenever I get my arse into gear (there shoud be one soon).



Where are you? Any plans to be back here?



Hostels in Budapest worth recommending:

Red Bus Hostel (where I work): RedBusBudapest@hotmail.com

* Clean (almost sanitary - it was formerly a clinic for 'men's problems', incredibly central, great beds, quiet (good policy of refusing idiots immediately at reception and throwing out the ones we miss), non-smoking spacious rooms, great kitchen, blah, blah, blah.

* Could be better in some ways, like breakfast (compared to some of the best places in the world, so I'm nitpicking, so still highly recommended)



Station Guest House (unsure of email address; check the net):

* Very different type of hostel to Red Bus; graffiti forms part of the great decor, fantastic staff, bar (24-7?), pool table, dog (EVERY hostel should have one!), and a fantastic vibe.

* I haven't stayed there, instead know the staff, and often send people there if we're full.



Basically, depends if you want a place for peace and quiet or partying - either way, I'd happily use and reccommend both to anyone.



Right, speak to you soon (and send Michael my apologies, but I really didn't twig at the time, and so it was especially great of him to buy me a bottle of much needed water to wake to; thank him)



See ya, I'm going to rest with Gore Vidal and cup of peppermint tea now,

Jack



Actually, you might be online as the little picture of you has changed and it mentioned something about chatting live... I'll stay online for a bit... Give you until about 16:45 GMT (Sunday)

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Replying to:

Jeepers !



Where did you spring from Jack? I thought we'd lost you forever! Where on earth have you been travelling since we parted in southern Poland?

Did you make it across the border of Mongolia by your birthday?

Did you travel along the coast of the Ukraine?

Which godforsaken retreat are you calling home now?

(And how did you manage to find an internet cafe?)



Alan

Jack!



Wow, thanks for all that stuff on Budapest. I'll be able to post it up fairly soon on attitude Travel Hungary.

I was sorry to hear about your leg though...



Do you have any photos of Budapest or Szentendre (or other towns on the Danube bend) that you would be interested in posting up?



Aside from that, keep us informed of any new drinking dens you find during any nocturnal adventures in Pest!

Ah, sorry but no photos... I've practically given up on taking them. I still haven't bought an SLR to go with the lenses I'm carrying, and my only camera is a Russian, funky, oddball (i.e. basically crap) Lomo camera. There's a bit of a cult following this camera and I won it, but I've only taken 6 rolls in the last 6 months; haven't developed any of them (Don't plan to develop film here, it's expensive) and most of my pictures are randomly shot pics of cool shapes and colours, not panoramas or life shots.



Right, the boss is here so I've gotta look busier than this.



Hello! (the way to say 'see ya' in Hungarian)

Jack

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Replying to:

Jack!



Wow, thanks for all that stuff on Budapest. I'll be able to post it up fairly soon on attitude Travel Hungary.

I was sorry to hear about your leg though...



Do you have any photos of Budapest or Szentendre (or other towns on the Danube bend) that you would be interested in posting up?



Aside from that, keep us informed of any new drinking dens you find during any nocturnal adventures in Pest!