I was extremely excited to visit this city. Many travelers I met up with had said so many good things about it. They said the nightlife was incredible, the views were stunning and the bathes you could enter were unforgettable. I bet all of this was true. I would have found out for myself if it wasn’t for my stomachs severe discomfort and making innumerable trips to the bathroom while I was there. Yup, this is where “travelers diarrhea” hit me hard. I had just gotten off a twenty-three hour overnight train where my sleeping quarters were cramped and uncomfortable and all I had to eat was peanuts and water.
I remember following the directions to my hostel after exiting the train station and feeling slightly off. When I finally arrived, the hostel was pretty barren. I stayed at the Big fish hostel which was one of my favorites. It was extremely clean and very relaxing and had a perfect set up to meet people. It had a quaint kitchen and near it was a sort of living room with a big screen TV and a few couches. The receptionist was very friendly and signed me in. She offered me a little tour around the homey hostel and I got about half way through when I had to stop and say, “Sorry, could you show me where the bathroom is?” Let that question set the tone for the majority of my time here, seriously.
For the first afternoon I was alone in the 8 bedroom dorm. I napped for awhile and was soon woken up by three gorgeous British girls traveling together that had just arrived. Feeling sick, but still trying to be polite, I introduced myself. They told me they were going out that night and asked if I wanted to join. I told them I’d love to but I was just not feeling the greatest. I was so mad at myself for turning down the opportunity, but there wasn’t much I could do realistically. When I could, I took trips outside to get some fresh air and visit some parks. There was a small skate park I went to, but again, I wasn’t feeling too great and didn’t stay long. I walked across the chain bridge and took a few pictures of the Hungarian parliament building which was quite a site across the water.
Most of the time I would return to the hostel and spend hours in the bathroom either on the toilet or in the fetal position on the floor tiles. New travelers would enter our room and each time I would just be so disappointed that I couldn’t come join. I would always hear the bunch of them returning to the room after an epic night, loud and revelrous, yelling about how awesome their night was. It was rough to hear. An Australian traveler was actually nice enough to spare me some of his Imodium he had brought with him and even went out to the store to get me some soup to encourage me eat something. The girls had made dinner for all of us and I tried to join however I took one bite and it was back to the bathroom for me! Finally, after about three days of feeling disgusting, I started to get a bit better and decided to head out with the group for a night of clubbing. We took a far walk to a club called INSTANT and we had a really great time there. This place was just bustling with travelers from all over the world and had different sections with intense music. I danced up a freaking storm at this club like I never have before. It was almost as if doing this completely freed me of my sickness!
That night, somehow we all had the energy to go to this huge, huge event that was happening at a massive bathe. The dress code was strictly swim wear and I didn’t really know what to expect. The event was called the Water Circus and this place was unreal. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There were three huge bodies of water, all different temperature, surrounded by what seemed to be walls from the colossus in Rome. Lights were being projected all over the water with DJs blasting house music from balcony’s and drinks all around. There were acrobats, smoke, fire, the place was just a complete gong show of a party, a travelers dream.
Had it not been for those extremely accommodating and amazing people I’d met and the comfortable, quiet hostel, I would have had a terrible time in Budapest, but I didn’t. Sure I was sick for the utmost part of my stop through Hungary but at the same time I’ve never felt better in my whole life.
- Check out the Water Circus
- Walk across the Chain bridge
- Check out the bathes
- Go clubbing, anywhere
devonheckard 