...and then I got horribly sick...

The rest of Budapest was excellent. I feel like I can claim the award for "most slack traveler" since I really didn't do anything except hang out, eat, and drink. Thats a pretty amazing way to spend an entire week in my opinion.

I think I left off stating I was going caving. Well, on the brochure, it mentions that you will be on your hands and knees, crawling through holes, etc. An overall suit and helmet (with headlamp) was going to be provided. WELL, for some reason, that didn't really register in my mind. I always imagined a guided path to walk along, maybe lit the majority of the way, and definitely something with a hand rail to guide visitors along. BOY was I surprised! Lets just say, I feel like I experienced some REAL caving. For 2.5 grueling hours, I was crawling through TINY holes, worming through rock "slides", scrambling up and down large boulders, and using muscles I never knew existed! I feel the brochure should start using some bold font when explaining that you will be crawling, ohh...about 75% of the time! But regardless, I went with a group from the hostel, and it was an incredible time shooting the shit and laughing in there even though I was scared I was going to fall into some unknown crack and get stuck forever. To top it off, one of the girls that came along was clautraphobic, and KNEW it ahead of time, but she tackled those caves like it was no ones business.

Eventually, Budapest came to an end, and I moved onto Vienna, Austria. Ended up that three other people from Budapest were also making way to Vienna so we all became an improv posse and hung out in two different countries. If thats not ballin', I don't know what is! About the night before departing though, I hung out with a bunch of hostel people and just about all of them had some sort of cough going on. I'm come to grips with this, but my immune system sucks. By the end of the night, I start to get the sniffles, by next morning...a slight runny nose. By the end of a three hour train ride into Vienna, I feel a full on cold developing. I'm thinking, "well, nothing you can do. I'll just drink lots of fluids, pop a few Advil, and life will go on". Unfortunately, by mid afternoon, I start getting a bit of a temperature and decide to take a nap before going out to explore. I know something is wrong after I wake up and have sweated through my sheets though, but by this point in time, my temperature feels normal again. The group (from Budapest) minus one girl who had to leave decides to go to the Opera House and catch an opera or ballet show. I probably should not have gone but decide this is one of the MUST DO items in Vienna, so I tag along.

The ballet performance was very unique and cool, and well worth the experience. Tickets were cheap also, running us only 3.50 each for the standing section. I obviously have no clue how long a ballet takes, and assume it CANNOT be longer than 1.5 to 2 hours. Long story short, by the end, I'm feeling like absolute shit, hungry, and exhausted. The ballet was called "Manon" and about some love triangle scenario. I was in a half delerious state near the end, and all I really remember was that the main woman was supposed to die (I read the synopsis between the acts), but she kept on fake dying, getting up, prancing around, rinsing and repeating! It was near maddening to see her get up repeatedly. I was thinking, "DIE ALREADY SO I CAN LEAVE". Finally, she dies, the play is over, and I'm about to leave. But of course, now there is a 10 minute curtain call process where everyone stays and claps. Since I'm with the group, I stay and clap...blah blah blah, finally, we leave.

After I get back, I crash almost immediately and sleep 12 solid hours. Next morning when I wake up, I somehow manage to feel WORSE. Now I'm definitely running a temperature, I feel extremely dehydrated, and I can't hold ANY food or water down. Long story short, I spend the ENTIRE day in bed in a state of extreme dehydration, exhaustion, profuse sweating, runny nose, massive headache, runny shits, and the whole 9. I honestly can't remember the last time I got sick that bad. I felt like I was going to die at one point!! About midway through, I somehow stumble to the pharmacy and mutter to the attendant that I need some fever medicine. Whatever he/she gave me was incredible and made me all better by the next morning! In the end, I feel I have learned an important lesson. Lesson being, don't eat kehabs, drink beer, and wash it all down with a McD's ice cream for lunch...followed by a huge Hungarian dinner, beer, and more ice cream...concluded by more beer. The human stomach cannot handle that much stress and will quit on you at some point in time (that time, I figured out the hard way, is roughly one week).

Basically then, I saw just about none of Vienna except the inside of my dorm bed. I made it out this morning and took a brief walking tour with the one remaining Budapest friend and made the most of the day. I think I will be eating bland foods for the next week, and drinking ZERO beer to give my system a little time to refresh and reset.

I have already left Vienna and now arrived in Bratislava, Slovakia. I would have never came except that I watched Eurotrip and it sort of inspired me to give it a try! All I have to say on first impression that it is somewhat similar (in terms of dirty)...but yet very different (in terms of price). They grossly exaggerated when they only had $1 and lived like kings. For f*ing sake, the hostel costs 17 Euro a night!! To top it off, right when I got off the train station, I saw a large group of homeless people chilling out, followed by a dude pissing on the bus stop pole, FOLLOWED by a homeless woman popping a squat at the intersection! Luckily I found my hostel relatively pain free because I was starting to freak out, and it was NEAR sun set!

I'll check in soon...if I don't get killed in Bratislava!!