Slovakia Tank Ride!
Left Zakopane. Stopped over at former communist Slovakia. Rode a tank through mud, river, and steep slopes! Had Palinka on a cruise at the Danube River in Budapest. Cuban restaurant for dinner, but with Hungarian food. Checked the Budapest night scene.
Edgy Start
I woke up very early to check the status of my accommodation in Croatia. I got replies from both my CS requests, both already full with surfers. The music festival was a big event that’s taking up every single accommodation option I’ve got. Worst case scenario I planned for was just to leave my luggage in storage, party all night in Split and then go straight to the airport to catch my morning flight back to London!
Getting ready for the tank ride!
Breakfast was pretty decent. Took the edge off a bit.
Slovakia and Tank Ride
The moment we crossed the border, I could already tell we were in a different country. The rooftops were not as sharp as those in Zakopane. The town we stopped by, felt a bit more sanitised. No other tourists in sight. Some of the lampposts have speakers on them, a legacy of the communist era. To this day, they still use those speakers, mainly to announce what’s happening in town and also sometimes, to play music.
I never quite like roller coasters as they make me feel sick. However, the tank ride had the adrenalin excitement of a roller coaster without the vomit potential. It was pure fun! The tank went through really steep terrain, almost 90 degrees! It went through mud and river… pretty rough, but the rougher it was, the more fun the ride!
…and the tractor ride.
Cruise at the River Danube
First stop was a cruise at the Danube. Not good timing for photography when the sun is still quite high at 6:30 PM. I ended up being the paparazzi taking photos of the group. The first time that I’ve done good portraits. Love it!
Joe, our Hungarian driver, gave us a surprise “gift”. It’s Palinka — Hungarian traditional spirit. He gave us a home-made version, 5 yrs old with 80% alcohol. Didn’t do much for me within the first few minutes. Then it hit! I nearly died! My head was spinning. I could still think straight, but it took some effort to maintain a decent appearance of balance.
Had great views of Buda on one side, and Pest on the other side. The River Danube runs through nine European countries. It served as a vital commercial trading route in Central Europe. It starts from the Black Forest in Germany and goes all the way to Ukraine. Maybe someday, I’ll take a complete Danube River cruise!
Try my home-made palinka!
Second stop, dinner at Cuban restaurant. Well, hello latin band, dancing, and performance! Loved that they played a mix of dance hall, bachata, cha cha, and salsa. I danced with one of the performers (guy) bachata and salsa. He was quite delighted at how good I was with the Bachata. I was thoroughly enjoying myself! I think I sweated all the Palinka out of my system! The dinner was ok, the desert of apple-cinnamon strudel topped with very smooth vanilla ice-cream completed it for me!
Third stop, a really cool club with a market concept. Abstract art pieces adorned the walls. the center was a jungle of plants. The place was filled with both locals and travelers. There was a hisha joint. Was tempted to have one — but that needs to be shared.
I really wanted to go to another club: Corvinteto. I just needed at least one person to go with.
After an apple juice with vodka, I was ready to split. One of the Aussie guys offered me a Palinka (flavoured vodka shots — I had the sour cherry). Asked him if he might want to join me… he said we join the group for a while…
We all went with the group led by one of the Aussie girls. Getting loud and rowdy, one of the locals from the tall building threw a bucket of water at us! Nobody got hit though! We weren’t getting anywhere, having hit a dead-end with pretty dead clubs. Finally, Mr. Aussie followed my lead… split from the rest and headed to Corvinteto. Someone insisted it’s a gay bar, well we both didn’t care. I was after the view.
We were both so glad we came. Climbed all the way to the top terrace — and we were rewarded with the most fantastic view of the city! We can see the night-lit castle on the Buda side of Budapest. Sheer magnificence! The best way to end the night really.
Got back to the hostel 1:30 AM. I spent half-hour searching for accommodation in Split, and got lucky to grab the very last bed available in a dorm room decently located near the center.
I still look forward to hanging out with the CS guys. Need a local experience.
