Day 6: What is going on? Does anyone speak English?

9:20 am: What the hell have I gotten myself into? I boarded the train at 6:50 and we set off for Budapest. My guidebooks warned that train travel in eastern Europe can be problematic but I thought there would be no problems. The train ticket inspector asks to see my ticket and sees that I'm going to Budapest and tells me that I need to get off the train at 9 am at Pragasko station and get on a bus. This was supposed to be a direct train trip all the way there. I thought he must be mistaken but he keeps saying to get off the train at 9. His English was minimal and offered no other information although he did seemed concerned at how terrified and confused I looked. So I was faced with the dilemma of getting off the train like this guy said and possibly be stranded in the Slovenian countryside where NO ONE speaks English or I take a chance and stay on the train and it takes me who knows where. I was really starting to freak out and there wasn't anyone around me that spoke english. 9:00 comes around and the inspector comes to me and tells me I'll be alright and to get off the train here. I ended up trusting him since this was his job and I grabbed my backpack and got off. He pointed to a bus down the street and I went and tried to ask the bus driver what was going on. he obviously didn't speak English (of course not) so I just said Budapest over and over. He nodded, grabbed my bag and threw it in the bus' luggage compartment. So I just got on this random bus and put my faith that it was going to Budapest. 5 minutes into the bus ride I heard someone speaking English. It was music to my ears. I pride myslef in being able to cope fine in non-English countries. My french is better than most, I understand quite a bit of Italian and I can recognize and speak the basics in Spanish and German but Slovenian and Hungarian is a totally different ball game. I followed the voice to the back of the bus and there was an old British couple there. I asked what was happening and they explained that the railroad was under construction and so we had to travel by bus until we reaches a part where the tracks weren't dug up and then get on another train to Budapest. I decided I was just going to follow these two for the rest of the journey. i wonder how late we'll be. They better not cancel my hostel reservation. I've had zero luck with trains so far on this trip. Train travel here is difinetly not as consistent and reliable as in western Europe.

10:00 am: I feel like I am in the twilight zone. The bus driver put on a Slovenian pop cd and apparently its a really popular one because everyone on the bus is dancing and singing along. This is something straight from a movie. I'm sure I will look back on this and treasure the experience but now I'm just hoping we get on the right train.

12:20 pm: Got off the bus and made it onto the train for Budapest. Hopefully no more surprises. I just asked someone on the train and apparently we're only going to arrive an hour late so that's good. I am sufficiently parched. It is hot as hell and there is no food or drink cart on this train.

8:00 pm: Arrived in Budapest around 5 pm. As soon as I got off I was a bit overwhelmed. Its a huge city but without the English that I am used to in other cities. The metro was easy enough to understand and I got to the hostel with no problems. It is ridiculously hot and I arrived at the hostel in a big sweaty mess. The staff here are all extremely friendly and most are Brits or Aussies. The one guy gave me a map and circled all the places I should go and wrote down tips for me. He told me there was no way I could get the full Budapest experience in just a day and a bit but I'll just do my best. Unfortunately I won't have time to try the famous thermal baths but that gives me another reason to come back one day. I checked in and did some exploring in Pest (Budapest is divided into Buda and Pest). I saw the Terror House, the Great Synagogue, and St. Istvan's Cathedral. I walked to the Parliament buildings and to the Danube river. I walked along Vaci Utca, the main shopping drag. I did a lot in a few hours. The map was great so I had very few navigational problems. When I was reading about Budapest in my guidebook it warned of a tourist scam where women approach lone men and ask where they're from, start chit chatting with them and invite them for a drink at a bar of her choice. once there, the unsuspecting guy gets a bill for thousands of dollars and is surrounded by a bunch of thugs who demand payment or else the guy gets beat up and jumped, or worse. Of course as I'm walking around someone comes up and asks for directions. I tell her I'm not from here and she asks where I'm from. I told her and she said she had friends in Montreal. We chat a bit and then she asks if I want to get a drink because she knows a good place. Immediately I clue into what is happening. I looked her right in the eye and forcefully say leave me alone and walk away. Thank god for my previous research. I'm back at the hostel now getting ready because the hostel staff is taking us out to a karaoke bar in an hour. I need to go get food now since the only thing I ate today was some pringles for breakfast. I've met some great people here already (mostly Americans and Aussies as per usual). Definitely looking forward to tonight.