Hungry for more Hungary

OK, I know, that pun has probably been used about 10000x by various backpackers, but I could not help myself. I apologize for the delay since my last post, but things have been very busy here in Budapest. I arrived on Sunday after an 8 hour train ride from Prague. There was apparently air conditioning, but I certainly did not feel it. Along with 60 kids from Miami University (in Ohio), I went through Bratislava and then finally on to Budapest. It was rainy and dark when I arrived and someone on the street tried to exchange my currency, saying Western Union was ripping me off. While he was certainly right about Western Union, I didn't have too much faith in him not just taking my remaining Czech crowns and taking off into the darkness. I also faced my first Hungarian geography challenge as my printed directions had been cut off and it didn't say which metro stop to get off at. Luckily, the hostel I'm at is on one of the busiest streets in Budapest, so it was easy to find. Upon arriving at Tiger Tim's place in Budapest I met a bunch of Americans, Danes, Australians and other backpackers. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and my stay here has been extended from 2 days to probably the entirety of my visit to Budapest.

The next morning I woke up to a beautiful day in Budapest. I grabbed a langos (a pastry, fried with sour cream, cheese and ham... aka heart attack for 3USD) and while waiting met a group of Americans from University of Georgia. I proceeded to hang out with them for the next few hours. Some had been in town for over a month so we wandered around Margaret Island (thought of you mom) and I had people to take pictures for me! I've attached one here that was taken from the Margaret Bridge looking north towards the Parliament building (on the left) and Castle District (on the right). After that, I returned to the hostel to join a group of people going caving under Budapest. Best 18USD I've ever spent! We explored the caves for 3 hours, including some intense crawling sections and even saw a few seashell fossils. I didn't have my camera down there, but will upload some pictures when they are tagged on facebook.

Tuesday I had my first interview, with a venture capitalist. We had a great discussion of the business environment in Hungary and he put me in touch with quite a few other contacts. After that, I met up with someone from Couchsurfing and had a pleasant evening listening to a gypsy band and sipping local beer on an outdoor terrace.

Today I woke up and did a few errands (bought sunglasses, bought more phone credit, etc.) and then went to my 2nd interview, with the chief editor of HVG Online (the Hungarian equivalent of the Economist). He had some great views on the situation in Hungary and gave me some insight into the political parties here. Apparently, the Socialists are like the American Republicans and Young Democrats are more like America's Democrats. I chuckled to myself that Socialists and American Republicans were being equated... what would Rush Limbaugh say! Conveniently, his brother also worked for the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency. I had tried to get in touch with them a few months ago, but had no luck. Amazing how much easier it is when you're actually in the city!

For now, I'm off to a cafe to listen to some jazz and then meet up with the crowd from Georgia. The weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse at some point, but that'll give me a good excuse to explore all the museums that I've been neglecting.

Hope everyone is doing well!