Budapest, this is more like it.

Thursday

After arriving unrested and more than ready for a shower I began the
rediculouse process of attempting to find my hostel. The guy at the
info desk in the train station was semi-helpful.

I found a bank machine which gave me two tenthousand Ft notes. Which
is about twohundred dollarsish. Then went into the bank to have them
Brocken into smaller bills. They where very nice at the bank, so nice
intact that was distracted by how much nicer people are here than in
Athens that I left my map, with directions the semi-helpful info guy
gave me, on the bank tellers counter.

Good job Jenn. But I had a good idea of which direction to go in and
remembered the bus number he gave me. So away I went.

I asked a man with a big backpack on if he could tell me where I could
buy a bus ticket. I figured the backpack pegged him as a fellow
traveller. Nope, he is Hungarian. And was off on a survivour hike. He
gave me a card with a website about the hikes but I haven't checked it
out yet. He also gave me a bus ticket. Super nice. I really felt a lot
better here already.

I got off at what I thought was the right stop. It wasnt, but it was
close. And after asking a few strangers who couldn't help I found
another hostel and asked the receptionist there for help. She gave me
a map and checked on the computer for directions. It only took another
fifteen twenty minutes to find it. It felt like hours with my gigantic
backpack on my back.

There is no sign on the building to the riverside hostel. I walked by
it once then noticed the numbers on the building were getting too
high. When I found the right building I rang the buzzer number and it
rang and rang and rang some more. I waited two minutes and rang it
again. Nothing. Someone let me up the stairs. I found the right door
and knocked a few times. Still nothing. Back down the stairs. I was
nearing a breakdown. I rang the buzzer once more, then sat on the
steps and tried very had not to cry. The combination of being dead
sleepy, exhausted from carrying my bag in the heat, feeling disgusting
from not having a shower in days and being so hungry I would have
eaten a dayold bigmac had finally broken me. The tears came, and I
didn't even care if someone saw me cry.

I couldn't belive that this was happening again. First in Delphi and
now here. At least this place actually had people stating in it and
was not closed for the season.

About five minutes later a young couple came in and asked if they
could help. I told them I as staying at Riverside and there was nobody
answering the door. I told them that I had been traveling for days and
I just wanted to check in and shower. I was a mess.

They took me upstairs and waited with me for about ten fifteen minutes
until the reseptionist finaly showed. I had calmed down and wanted to
rip his face off a lot less than ten minutes before. Which was good
because he is actually very nice. I might buy one of those plastic
'back at' clocks for them before I leave as a parting gift.

I got settled in, showered and went to the nearest shopping centre and
ate a Buger King Wopper meal. Gross, I know, but I just wanted
something familiar.

I got back to the hostel just a two girls from Belgium where checking
in. They are working with a school exchange program in Romania and
came to Budapest for the weekend.

We ended up hanging out the entire time they where here and having a
complete blast. I will write all about it later.

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