Planning a Trip

For me, planning a trip is like choosing a college. Everyone went about choosing a college a bit differently, but here’s how I chose mine:

1.     Fun Factor

2.     Rowing Team willing to give me money/decently good

3.     Big enough so I could change my major if needed (which I did multiple times)

4.     Good reputation

5.     Safe city

6.     Distance from home

7.     Cost (but refer to #2)

Last week I went for a short trip to Prague and Krakow. For those of you wondering what Krakow is, it is a city in Poland. A lot of people go there to visit Auschwitz –Birkenau, and then drink away the feelings that their day trip to Auschwitz brought on within them. I chose these cities the exact same way I chose my university, and I thought it was interesting enough to warrant a blog post.

In 2004 Wisconsin was consistently at the top of the Party Schools rankings. You know what Prague and Krakow are known for? Yep, you guessed it – the nightlife. Upon arrival at the hostels you even get a free beer, so apparently they appreciate day drinking as well. My kind of places! Prague is also known for its beer. Hopefully it is better than Czeckvar, which I used to (try to) sell.  Fun Factor is high.

In lieu of finding a rowing team to pay for my trip, I’ll have to fund it myself. Therefore, I’ll mix #2 and #7 and just make it about cost. Although nowhere in Europe is as cheap as Southeast Asia, this is Eastern Europe and not London or Madrid. Recently I discovered that a three-hour train trip from Barcelona to Madrid is $150. The same distance in Italy is about $40, depending on precise locations. Needless to say, the 9 hour, $70 overnight train from Prague to Krakow seemed like quite a steal. Then to hostels. One night in a top hostel during the cold low season is around $15. Yes, I will share a room with 8-12 other people, but that is how you meet life long friends and have incredible nights out. You’ll never be at a loss for company!

Although I will not be changing my major on this trip, I need a city big enough to give me many opportunities for sightseeing, eating, and drinking. Sure, I could pick a city because it has the most bars per capita (wait, what’s that Wisconsin?), but I also need to consider my sightseeing opportunities. I want a nice balance of potential landmarks, museums, historical sights, and of course a UNESCO World Heritage site or two.

Both Prague and Krakow have a good reputation and are relatively safe. Like I’ve told a few people who expressed worry about this trip; if I can travel alone in Thailand for a month, I can handle a week in Eastern Europe. To my great excitement, I’ve also discovered that I know a group of guys heading to Krakow the same weekend. A nice coincidence indeed!

Finally, I had to contemplate the distance from home. Using one of the cheapo airlines here in Europe, I managed to secure a ticket for $30 from Venice to Prague, therefore turning a long train journey into a two-hour plane ride. Although I love myself a good train ride, and I am greatly looking forward to the one from Prague to Krakow, I will concede that it is convenient to hop on a plane in one place, and hop off not too long later at your destination.

I had a wonderful trip to the Czech Republic and Poland, and I'll post my photos and talk about some adventures later this week. In the meantime, I challenge you to think about where you would go if you had an opportunity to travel anywhere. Don't worry about money, it is your dream so you can be a billionaire if you like. Or you can be on a budget, so waste some time playing on hostelworld.com. Whatever floats your boat. 

One last thing - if are in need of some good reading material and would also like laugh on every page, I highly recommend The Ridiculous Race by Steve Hely and Vali Chandrasekaran. It's about two friends who decide to race around the globe in opposite directions, without using planes. If you want a good read, but will forgo the laughter, then read Bel Canto by Anne Patchett. A team of terrorists capture 50 something hostages at a diplomatic party in South America. The book is about the resulting 4 months of hostage/terrorist relationships, and was inspired by the 1996 Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis in Lima, Peru. It's incredibly well written and is truly as melodramatic as an opera (and that's your only hint!). Happy Reading :)

*Budapest*

I’ve spent the last few days trying to figure out how to tell everyone about my trip to Budapest. Every time I sit down to write, I just get stuck. I decided the problem was that just too much happened and it was too much fun. So I’ve split up the post into two parts: Sightseeing and Partying. Read one, or read them both!

Budapest Part #1  Sightseeing

Budapest is an old city. People have literally been living there since the 1^st Century A.D. It has a long and interesting history, and I promise not to show off my History degree here and explain it all to you. I should just say that it is an old city with amazing architecture. Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest (pronounced Pesht), with one on each side of the Danube River. Considering we had to sightsee in approximately 15F (-9C) weather, as well as get it done between hangovers, we had to be thoughtful and efficient with what we chose to see. If it had been a bit warmer, and I had had a few more days, I probably would have traveled all over town to see the museums, markets, and just get lost in the city streets. As I couldn’t feel my toes and hot wine tended to splash on my gloves when I shivered too hard, I settled for the big sights and the “must dos.”

Must Do #1  Eat and Drink as the Hungarians Do

I ate Hungarian sausage at the Christmas Market and Hungarian goulash every chance I had. The sausages were massive, and oh so, so, so tasty. The goulash was amazing, and everywhere you went it was just a little bit different. Hungarian goulash (apparently it is the original goulash, Americans stole the word to mean any old type of stew) is a spicy broth with chunks of potato, carrot, and beef floating in it.

My mouth is watering just looking at this stack of spicy sausages...

Let me tell you about Hungarian desserts. My favorite was the Beigli, a poppyseed roll that Hungarian friends at home told me I must try in Budapest. It did not disappoint. I’d probably fail an opium drug test (anyone seen Seinfeld?) but it was worth it. The best thing about Hungarian desserts is that although they look like they will be sickeningly sweet, when you take a bite absolutely nothing is overwhelming. Pancakes (different from American pancakes, these are more like crepes) drenched in chocolate sauce, have delicate flavors reminiscent of chocolate soufflés, allowing you to eat it without a resulting stomachache. The flavors balance out so nicely that you involuntarily make a mmmmmmmm sound.

My absolute favorite thing to do in Budapest though was drink the hot wine. Apparently this is not specific to Hungary, but in the states it is 100% illegal to set up a booth on the street and sell hot alcohol to people of all ages, therefore this was my first experience with hot wine. The Hungarians call mulled wine forralt bor, and apparently it is quite easy to make at home. Mental note for all future holiday parties. Or Sundays. They heat up wine, toss in some yummy spices like cinnamon or clove, add some orange or lemon slices, and sell it to you for about $2 a cup. It’s the same idea as hot apple cider in Wisconsin; the drink warms you inside and out.

Enjoying muddled wine on Vaci utca

Must Do #2  Use Public Transportation

Ok, this is probably not every tourist’s must do. However, for me it is. Ever since my trip to Asia I have become obsessed with using public transportation in foreign cities. Conquering foreign public transportation systems is like earning a badge of honor for me. I remember the first time I rode the Bangkok Skytrain, I was freaked out and fairly unprepared. I survived – and arrived at my destination for much, much, much cheaper than a taxi ride. Using the Budapest metro was on my list of must do’s and actually, was a bit of a have-to-do in the end. Everyone, from tour books to Hungarians themselves, tell you never to hail a cab on the street. I have a personal rule: If the locals will not do it, you should not do it. Here are some concrete examples: If locals are avoiding a yummy smelling street food cart, you should as well. If locals go through the trouble of calling a cab and waiting on a cold street corner, you should as well. So we called cabs, or actually, had Hungarians call cabs for us since Hungarian is a very, very hard language to attempt. We found it was easier to navigate our way on the Metro, therefore saving taxi rides for late-night return trips to our apartment.

I won’t babble too long about using the Metro, but I do want to mention that it was at our stop that I rode the fastest, tallest, most dangerous escalator of my life. It kicks the butt of every escalator in America. We went about a mile underground, wind billowing my coat up around me. Also, I found out later that this underground railroad line is the second oldest in the world! It was originally built between 1894-1986 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Must Do #3 Explore the Sights of Buda

My Husband and I joined up with another couple (they are AWESOME) and because of the insane cold we did the tourist thing and jumped on a sightseeing bus. This turned out to be a great decision and we tooled around both Buda and Pest for the better part of the day. In Buda we took photos from Gellert Hill, overlooking the Danube and Pest. Unfortunately it was foggy, grey, and cold, so our photos were not as fantastic as those you can find online. We also walked around the Castle District, exploring the grounds of the former Royal Palace, as well as viewing bullet-ridden buildings that stand as reminders that Hungary was once part of the Eastern Bloc. We saw the world famous view of Parliament, a beautiful building inaugurated on the 1000^th anniversary of the country in 1896. Again, our pictures were a bit on the sad side, so I’m going to steal one offline and I bet you’ll recognize it from movies:

http://www.cityhotels.hu/eng/cityhotels_gallery/11_budapest/65_parliament_budapest_hungary.html

Must Do #4 Explore the Sights of Pest

Although I didn’t get to do nearly everything I wanted in Pest, I did get to enjoy the Christmas Market, walk around Heroes’ Square, marvel at the Great Synagogue, play at 

Vajdahunyad Castle,

 and soak in the famous Széchenyi Thermal Baths.

I knew beforehand that the Christmas Market was primarily for tourists. My Hungarian girlfriends sat and drank hot wine with us by the enormous Christmas Tree and told us that they only heard foreign languages, that the only people speaking Hungarian were the vendors! Oh well, it was on my list and fortunately our apartment was only two blocks from the square. I bought some hand painted ornaments for the equivalent of $2, and a small bottle of Hungarian Plum Grappa. I searched for something fun to get my best friend’s son, but it was much too touristy and there didn’t seem to be any great Hungarian presents for a one year old. I pretty much just ate my way through the Christmas Market; tasting spicy sausage from nearly every stand to choose my favorite. My mouth is watering just thinking about it….

I saw Hősök tere, or Heroes’ Square, during both night and day. I have to say it was more beautiful at night with all the lights on the statues. While looking at this photo you may think, “Where have I seen this before?” 

The answer is in Michael Jackson’s video: HIStory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c93o05SrWzE&feature=related

I think the ending is a bit strange, with a gigantic statue of Michael replacing the famous statue of Archangel Gabriel holding the crown of St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary. A bit blasphemous, but I’m sure Michael had his reasons. 

The Great Synagogue was also a nice sight to check off the Bucket List. It is the second largest synagogue in the world, behind Temple Emanu-El in New York City. Most of my college friends know that I am fascinated with Jewish history and one of my favorite courses in college was the History of Israel. I didn’t have a chance to walk around inside the Great Synagogue since My Husband wasn’t quite as excited as I was about it, but I did take my time walking around outside and considering the  synagogue's history. Originally built between 1854-1859, it suffered severe structural damage during WWII. In the 1990s it was restored and is again home to the largest Jewish population in Europe. 

Vajdahunyad Castle was one of my favorite sites in Budapest. Located in City Park, it is reportedly one of the castles used to create the iconic castle in Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty.” I now want to live in a castle - only if it has a turret and a drawbridge though.

I’ve saved the best for last. The absolute most wonderful thing I saw and did in Budapest was relax in the Széchenyi Thermal Baths. The baths were built in 1913 and are heated by natural hot springs that run about 171F (77C). The water is cooled to manageable temperatures and there are numerous baths inside and out where you can soak. We had to wait about 30 minutes to get inside, but it was more than worth it. We wandered around inside for a while; the changing procedures, locker assignments, and towel rental is quite confusing. Eventually everyone was swim-suited up and ready to Jacuzzi the evening away.

We started inside because at night it was around 10F (-12C) and I was dreading the inevitable barefoot walk across cold concrete. Eventually we did brave winter and were handsomely rewarded with one of the best 2 hours of my life. Not only do you get to sit in 95F (35C) water, staring through steam at your friends and forgetting about the frozen world around you, but you also get to do this while drinking Stella Artois or sipping hot wine. I cannot think of a better concept for a winter evening. 

I absolutely loved my time in Budapest. One of the most wonderful parts of the trip was the incredible warmth I felt from the Hungarian people. I’ve found that kind-hearted people often populate countries that recently experienced hardships, and that they are eager to change the images of their countries. The Soviet Era left scars on several aspects of Budapest, but the majority of people I spoke with were helpful, patient, and nice. Beside crazy taxi drivers (as my Hungarian friend calls them – I had a different, more inappropriate name for them), I had an extremely positive experience and I cannot wait until I return to Hungary. I just hope that Americans are as nice to foreigners in the states as Hungarians were to us in Budapest. Absolute strangers helped us call taxis, vendors corrected our change when we misread large bills, and transit workers pointed out routes on confusing maps. If you can, travel to Budapest. You will not regret it. 

A Trip to Luzon

As I am deathly hungover, I am too lazy to be creative. So I am going to recycle an email I sent to friends when I was in the Philippines last February. Just sit back and go on vacation with me!

If you ever do make it to Luzon (the main island of the Philippines) then do not miss Sagada. It is a great town with amazing things to see. We took the bus from Baguio to Sagada and I thought the bus was going to fall off the mountain a few times and once we nearly collided with another bus! We safely arrived however and checked into George's Guest House. We had our own little patio, which was nice because I did some laundry and could put it out to dry. I felt domestic. Anyway, we spent one day trekking through Echo Valley where you can see hanging coffins and some beautiful valleys. People in Sagada still hang their dead….the most recent was 2 months ago. 

We also climbed down some rice terraces to the "Small Falls" which turned out to be really, really small. Still, the rice terraces were beautiful but it was kind of strange to walk on the edges of someone's field and climb around in people's backyards. The next morning my friend wanted to go on a sunrise thing where he could take some photos but he had to get up at 4 so I didn't go. He serendipitously met up with this guide named Erwin, who then took us on more adventures later in the day. At 9am we started with an hour long hike down through a valley of rice terraces - beautiful beautiful beautiful - which ended in the "Big Falls." Now this was a real waterfall! We were early so we were the only people there and we jumped off big rocks into the icy water and swam for a bit.

Unfortunately, we then had to spend an hour climbing back up the rice terraces afterwards! We took a break for lunch then headed out to the "Big Cave." We ran into two Filipino girls who wanted to come too so it was the 5 of us in our group. We headed down into this cave and it got crazier and crazier! Erwin took us on the adventure trail (other ppl took a shortcut and missed out on some amazing stuff) and we slowly made our way through the cave. It is millions of years old - there are seashell fossils in the walls and this is all the way up in the mountains, about 4500 feet above sealevel! There were also huge stalagmites and stalactites which apparently grow at an inch every 10,000 years. We squirmed through small passages, slid down rocks, used ropes to get between caverns, waded through corridors (sometimes the water was up to my chest!) and ended at a small lake about 300 feet down in the mountain. Justin and I went swimming for a bit (the two Filipino girls thought we were crazy because they were cold) and then it was time to head back out. That took some time and more crazy climbs. We were soaking wet and muddy when we got out but it was AMAZING and one of the best experiences of my life.

After Sagada we went to Banaue, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We decided to do a 2 day hike that took us through Cambulo and into Bataad for the night. We stopped in Cambulo for lunch and it was an amazing place. No roads go down there and everything people need to build structures, use for farming or cooking, etc all had to be hand carried down the terraces and into the village. We continued onto Bataad and when we reached the viewpoint it was one of the most awesome things I have ever seen in my whole life. We took photos but they can never really convey the real scene. It was in the shape of a giant amphitheater and the terraces were so many different colors. It was honestly like sitting on the edge of a postcard.

Bataad, Philippines 

Myself and Jerich walking along the terraces

Another view of Bataad

The view from our guesthouse

We spent the night there, which was great because some other travelers and guides joined us at the guesthouse. Our guide, Jerich, played guitar while we all sang and drank beer deep into the night. In the morning we hiked down to another waterfall and swam there for a long time – and of course took more photos. Unfortunately we had to hike out again (never go down to a waterfall without enough water to climb out!) and then spent about 5 hours on a grueling hike out of Bataad back to Banaue. My friend loves hiking and I had decided to go on this trek pretty much because of the look on his face when the tour guide told us about it - but in the end it was amazing and I am so glad that I did it! I would do it again in a heart beat.

Bataad Falls

So that's the story of Sagada and Banaue. The best part of those two cities was that I did things that I never thought I could do. If you knew me before this trip, you never would have thought I would go cave diving or embark on a 2 day hike. Sure we stayed at a guesthouse but trust me, it was no hotel. After traveling to these two cities I really started to think differently about myself. Yes, I had decided to go to Asia for 6 months, but I still was a very safe person. After doing these things though, I felt like maybe I didn't have to be so scared to go out and try new adventures.