Plans for Budapest

Two weeks today I shall be in Budapest with Sveta. I just booked the tickets. That has pretty much wiped me out financially but thats ok, Im going to start paying myself this month and so things should get a little easier.

Its so long since I have seen Sveta, its so long since I have had a holiday and I will have never been away from the business as long as this before. All three factors are going to require some mental adjustment PRIOR to going on holiday. I suspect that the worst thing that I could do is just go on holiday as it will take me about 3 days to relax, during which time I shall be completely unbearable

At the moment we have little idea what we are going to do in Budapest. Actually that may well be untrue. I know that Sveta has been studying carefully what there is to see and do. I know I want to go to the baths a lot. I'm getting far to into this whole "baths" thing but i have to say that I find it incredibly relaxing and unwinding; just wallowing around in hot mineral water like a health conscious hippo seems to suit me.

I also want to eat well. This is normally something of a problem for us. We normally rent apartments, buy in the supermarket and cook for ourselves. Thats ok up to a point....when Sveta was a veggie life was even harder but she still, ever the Ukrainian, expects to see potatoes on her plate.

I shall also get fairly drunk on a couple of occasions. I'm fed up with being the only sober person in the pub. It worries me slightly that I want to do this. I remember that, during life in Pakistan, I would occasionally make sure that I had a stop-over in Dubai, when returning from Dubai and drink myself into a stupor. I'd sit at the bar of the hotel, ignore the hookers, wide boy oil men, lecherous Saudis and drink myself blind. I once had a fascinating conversation with this Russian guy who ran the only motorcycle repair shop in Grozny, Chechnya. He was also on a stop-over and, like myself, very intent on getting blind drunk. Of course, a chap who lives in Grozny and is Russian has a quite different perspective on what constitutes blind drunk and I had to retire to bed a little earlier than he thought appropriate. Happy days......:p

Malev Airlines have kindly sent me my first intorduction to the Hungarian language

"Kérjük tartsa magánál a kinyomtatott elektronikusjegy-igazolást az utazása alatt! Ez az elektronikus jegy nem átruházhat"

Im sure it can't be important or they would have written it in English, right?

Comments

[Patrick]

It say's congrats you are going on holiday. We are proud to be the ones flying you to your location. We serve beer, wine and mixed spirits on the plane. We also heve hard bread and the meat and cheese taste like wax. We also hope you relax in the mineral baths in Budapest. PS. Don't get in the wrong line at customs. Our long legged blond customs officers with 9mm may shoot or yell at you for sure. Oh, BTW if we loose your bags forget about being paid in euros, we pay in forint. LOL, all you can do is not like it.
Thank you for flying Malev Airlines..

[Drew]

If you are now a fan of Budapest you might like to check out Hungary’s first English language podcast:

www.budacast.hu

[Desert Cowboy]

Hey,

Saw, your picture of Farah airport. I was stationed there in 2004 & 2005. Just wanted to let you know that things were getting better there. Our group was the first group of Americans there and we did a lot of work trying to help the community. Sometimes I really miss the people and the city. Just wondering what you did there. Media? Global Security? UN? Anyway nice to see the picture of the airport (my old home). Take care,

The Desert Cowboy

[translator]

To make things clear...

"Kérjük tartsa magánál a kinyomtatott elektronikusjegy-igazolást az utazása alatt! Ez az elektronikus jegy nem átruházhat"
means the following:
"Please have the printed e-Ticket certification with you durig your trip. This e-Ticket can not be assigned to anyone else."