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I am a bit razzled at the moment after the last two days here, but having survived relatively unscathed I thought you might enjoy two fairly shady episodes I experienced here in Romania.

First some background. Romania is dirt poor (also unbelievably cheap for the traveler) and petty crime and theft is rampant, as are professional scams most notably by gypsies or unscrupulous taxi drivers. Having been forewarned well by the travel book (my trusty Lonely Planet guide), I was at first extremely cautious and conservative, which was quite difficult when I arrived into Bucharest at nearly midnight on a Saturday night and therefore had limited information and transportation options from the airport to a hotel (of which I had no reservations). I survived that hurdle quite successfully (I negotiated a taxi rate of $12 which was less than half the going rate - and I managed to get the driver to take me to the hotel I requested and not one which was owned by any potential shady associates). So, after a few uneventful days in the capital, I felt the cautious reputation was a bit overblown (though I did get nickel swindled nominal amounts of $1-2 a few times in restaurants) and my guard must have been lowered a bit as I thought I was aware of all the pitfalls (it seemed fairly easy to avoid the gypsies, though they worked in packs and tended to eye tourists a great deal).

Hello again.

I have had to change my plans and skip Russia on this journey, as the Visa was to have taken 2 weeks and I do not have that much longer here. The Russians diplomatic services are so beurocratic and archaic that they will not accept faxes like the rest of the world. You have to pay someone in Russia to courier a “letter of invitation”, then you have to go to the Embassy and fill out the Visa form with photos and the letter, which has to be couriered to Moscow and back. I am sure that if they could have found a way to make it slower, they would have (perhaps couriered by turtle back)… It would have been difficult to?get it before I left because the dates must be set in stone, but in hind sight that would be better than nothing. Oh, well. Next time…

The travels are all good, though Winter is very near. I was wearing shorts up until 8 or 9 days ago when I arrived in Prague. There has been a fair amount of fog and a bit of rain, but nothing too troublesome. I did not plan so well for cold weather, though, so will definitely have to buy a few essentials (hat, scarf, gloves, thermals) before going to Russia in a few days (provided I am ever able to get my Visa docs settled before then). I have developed a bit of a cold, but I’ll live, I’m sure. I had a couple of crazy-late nights (4-6AM) in Krakow with this American kid I was staying with and my body is clearly protesting with sickness…

I am in a trailer - down by the river. Of course, this river is in Krakow, Poland and a trailer might actually be a step up from the place I am staying in tonight. The landlord is a really creepy lurch-type-dude and I think that he lives in a coffin within a crypt, under the house.?A fellow American?and I?plan to buy some garlic and find some wooden stake before?we return after a few beers…Prague was killer, though it has become almost overbearingly touristy over the past 10 years since I was last there with Barf, Yunker and Sutton. Budapest is my new favorite city in Eastern Europe (actually, the new politically correct term is “Central Europe”, now). I took the hydrofoild out of Budapest up the Danube to Bratislava, Slovakia, which was interesting, but not nearly as comfortable as Prague or Budapest. I highly reccomend anyone going?near to Vienna to take this hydrofild down to see Budapest (Bratislava is 1 hour from Vienna). Unfortunately I got stuck in Budapest a bit longer than planned (my camera was stuck in customs for 1 week), so was not able to see some of the smaller, quant Medieval towns in Hungary and Czeck Rep., which I hear are awesome, but I will just have to come back some time. Now I will spend the next 8 or 9 days in Poland, before heading to Russia (hopefully my Visa will come through by then).

Surprisingly, the first internet cafes that I have found with the ability to download digital photos and write them to CD have been in former Eastern Europe (now the politically correct term is, “Central Europe”). At least now that my pictures are backed up to CD I am not so paranoid about the memory cards.

After an extended stay in Budapest, I finally hit the road again (technically the river). Today I took a 5 hour hydrofoil up the Danube river to Bratislava, Slovakia. [For anyone with plans to visit Vienna, I highly reccomend you take this hydrofoil down to Budapest and spend 3-5 days there also.] Slovakia is kind of a trip. It seems to still be trying to discover it’s own identity, unique from that of the Czeck Republic, since their separation of thier republic (formerly Czeckslovakia for thos who need a play-by-play) in ‘93. Slovakia has also been much slowever to embrace capitalism and democracy than both Hungary and Czeck Rep., which is good in the sence that it is not?inundated with Pizza?Hut and KFC and it is still cheaper than its counterparts, but it is also bad in the sense that it is quite less developed than either. Bratislava used to be the center of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire during the Turkish occupation of Budapest in the 17th/18th C. So it?also?has a?fair amount of history .

Budapest is awesome. The Danube river waterfront is amazing, with many extremely ornate medieval bridges and castles that are all lit up by night. The architecture through the city is very ornate also and the main walks are all cobblestone and everywhere is very clean. The city is very cosmopolitan, with very entertaining arts (I have already been to both the ballet and the symphony if you can believe it…). Hungarians are for the most part the nicest and most friendly people ever. Most people under 35 speak English fairly well, and often another language or two. As I said, the women are unreal (tall, skinny, high cheekbones, top-heavy - for the most part, smmmoookin’!!!). I met lots of cool travelers and American grad students studying over here (International business/law). The food is awesome, too. Basically, all is good here. This is now one of my new favorite European cities. Definitely two thumbs up.

As for my future destinations, I fear Bali, India and Nepal may be sketchy in the wake of the new attacks on Afghanistan. I will have to wait and see how things are in another month when I plan to head East. I have been keeping track of the travel advisories on the US state department web site and will continue to do so. Only time will tell…

I have always loved M?nich, but never been to Octoberfest before. This is perhaps a similar feeling I have had for enjoying New Orleans, but without ever going for Mardi Gras or Jazzfest (though I no longer have much desire to visit the Gras). You get the feel and enjoyment of a wonderful city, filled with fantastic cuisine, excess of every flavor and cultural charm, but with the fullest experience of the best that the city has to offer. Well, thankfully I have finally made it to M?nich, Bavaria for Octoberfest.