so long budapest

budapest has changed a lot since i was there 12 years ago. mcdonald’s and subway sandwiches are everywhere, the price of everything has gone up dramatically and the locals don’t look as happy. still, i love this city. it’s a romantic place with stunning architecture. i like how you can see the many different influences from different cultures manifest in various ways whether it’s the gorgeous mosaic in the turkish baths, austrian-style pastries or lingering traces of austerity from the communist era.

i’ve always romanticized budapest in my mind as an intellectual’s city and the abundance of reading material confirms it. there are about as many bookstores here as there are duane reade drugstores in new york. also, the people love to play chess. any society that embraces board games is all good in my estimation.

i will miss budapest. i’m in a new country now. more on that later. click here to view photos.

have you ever watched M*SH?

my phone call to western union in budapest…

man (or woman with very deep voice): something i couldn’t understand in hungarian.

me: hello? do you speak english.

man (OWWVDV): yes.

me: how much is it to send money from korea to hungary?

man (OWWVDV): where are you sending it from?

me: korea

man (OWWVDV): silence

me: south korea

man (OWWVDV): yes, what country?

me: south korea is a country.

man (OWWVDV): i don’t see it on my list.

me: maybe it is under “republic of korea?”

man (OWWVDV): no.

me: check under “land of morning calm?”

29-day kimchi deprivation ends today

“seoul house” in budapest

kimchi jjigae with “banchan”

talk about finding your oasis in the desert, i discovered a korean restaurant in budapest! it’s on a quiet street a block away from the danube on the buda (west) side. the waitstaff is hungarian, and like most people in budapest, they speak excellent english. the cute young waiter i had today even pronounced “kimchi jjigae” perfectly.

guess who i saw in budapest today?

i sat down at an outdoor cafe and was seated next to none other than austin scarlett from project runway season 1. a few hours later i ran into him again in another part of town. dang, he be skinny!