• Huashan: The Danger Trail

    Huashan: The Danger Trail

    On December 20th of 2006, I received an e-mail from my dad. It contained this Powerpoint file. The forwarding messages all included such phrases as: “I CANT EVEN LOOK AT THE PICTURES WITHOUT GETTING DIZZY!!” […]

  • A Different World

    A Different World

    Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to announce that this post officially marks the first time in almost two years that I’m actually writing about the country I’m in! Welcome, at long last, to Cambodia 😀

  • Golden Week 2: Archery

    Golden Week 2: Archery

    Picture yourself looking up at a blue sky peeking through a huge canopy of leaves on a perfectly clear day in Kyoto. As the faint sound of Japanese flutes recedes softly into the background, it’s […]

  • A Different Experience

    A Different Experience

    I’m here. In Tokyo. Finally. During my idle time on the flight over I kept on thinking, “what am I going to write to everyone once I finally get to Japan?” Most of you already […]

  • Dare to Dream

    Dare to Dream

    Somewhere around six months ago, I was sitting in my apartment talking on the phone with my mom. From just outside my window I could hear Buddhist monks chanting at Ninnaji, an enormous wooden temple […]

  • Kyoto Drift

    Kyoto Drift

    You know how I’m always seeking out new and interesting experiences? Well last weekend I went drift racing. One of my coworkers, Miki, is extremely into cars. He has a Limited Edition Impreza (one of […]

I was last seen 5 months ago in Los Angeles, .

All Caught Up

 Hungary, Public  1 Response »
May 272010
 
Budapest is full of these rickety old communist-era buses. Red, of course.Budapest is full of these rickety old communist-era buses. Red, of course.

Phew! As of this moment, I’m officially caught up on blogs.

Thank God.

I’ve spent most of the first two days in Budapest writing and looking longingly outside at the intermittently blue skies, wondering what kind of adventures await; although the forecast predicted showers the entire week, the weather has actually been alternating between “perfect” and “pouring.” And for as hard as those “perfect” moments are to resist, even when it’s pouring the air temperature has been fine, letting me keep the huge window to my room open for a nice breeze (one thing I forgot to mention about my room is that an entire wall is a window, so the amount of natural light is wonderful).
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Wednesday Night Out

 Hungary, Public  9 Responses »
May 262010
 
A photo taken around 5am, on my way home from the Corvintető nightclub.A photo taken around 5am, on my way home from the Corvintető nightclub.

As previously mentioned, my intention was not to do any “fun stuff” in Budapest until I’d caught up completely on blogs and work. It was going well for a day or two, it really was!

To keep myself sharp and focused, I usually pop outside for a quick lap around the block and breath of fresh air every couple hours. One such lap took place at 8pm Wednesday. I immediately heard the unmistakable beat of an outdoors concert in a park just across the road.
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Language Barrier Frying Pan

 Hungary, Public  9 Responses »
May 262010
 
Most every supermarket and convenience store in Budapest is full of delicious pastries, many of which are familiar from my childhood (my grandmother would often cook with “Lekvar,” so when I saw it on the shelves it was a very nostalgic reminder). To give you an idea of how cheap things are, the exchange rate is about 225 forints to the dollar – making these less than 0.25c each.Most every supermarket and convenience store in Budapest is full of delicious pastries, many of which are familiar from my childhood (my grandmother would often cook with “Lekvar,” so when I saw it on the shelves it was a very nostalgic reminder). To give you an idea of how cheap things are, the exchange rate is about 225 forints to the dollar – making these less than 0.25c each.

Even in countries where I can’t speak a word of the language, getting around isn’t usually too much of a problem. In South America a little Spanish goes a long way; in the Middle East and Western Europe everyone speaks English; and in Asia I can read the bulk of the characters. As I mentioned recently France did pose some interesting problems, but all in all I was able to manage. Budapest has been my first taste of total linguistic isolation in quite awhile – perhaps since Korea – as Hungarian really is in a language group all on its own. Even though it does use the same alphabet as English (plus accent marks), and even though I have grown up hearing it (my paternal grandparents spoke Hungarian), so far I’ve rarely had any idea what’s what.
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A Faulty Router

 Hungary, Public  5 Responses »
May 252010
 
Budapest Technical University, my home for the next few weeks, viewed from a bridge over the Danube River.Budapest Technical University, my home for the next few weeks, viewed from a bridge over the Danube River.

Since I’d awoken at 5am and spent almost an entire day in transit, I was so exhausted upon my arrival in Budapest that I opted to spend the remainder of my first afternoon indoors – despite the fabulous springtime weather. Although I’ve been having great fun with my friendly and diverse hosteling roommates, I must admit that it was a bit of a relief to at long last have a room all to myself; where I can leave my wallet on the shelf and not worry about it, loaf around in my boxers without embarrassing anyone, or kick up my feet and do some handstand pushups without feeling like a moron.
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