Hungary for More
Guhan Ramanan got kissed, got quizzed about the
Kama Sutra, and watched people bathe together...in the
wondrous city of Budapest.
T
he terse email read, “Please
reach Budapest. ASAP”.
Hungary—Budapest. The
connection in my mind was
automatic, from my childhood game of
Countries and Capitals. My first triangular
stamp was Magyar Posta. And I was
actually going to go there. I wondered if
they still had post offices.
Prepping for the trip, I learnt that
though widely debated, Hungary has
not yet adopted the Euro. Most forex
dealers outside Europe do not stock
Forint (Hungarian currency) either. So,
if Budpaest beckons, wait till you land
to exchange your money. On converting
$ for Ft, I saw 10,000 on a single note
40 Travel Secrets March-April 2015
(about $50, then) and fleeting desi notions
of feeling rich evaporated as I wondered
what inflation in the country felt like.
Budapest is actually two cities: Buda
(old city Obuda) and Pest (new city) hled
together by the beautiful Danube river.
Invaded by the Romans, the Huns, the
Turks, and more recently the Soviets, this
beautiful city is called the Paris of the
East and is strikingly different from usual
Europe tour suspects.
I landed into an office bustling with
twenty-somethings. Their advice was
unanimous: pálinka (Hungarian version
of tequila made from fruits) should be
consumed in large quantities. And I
should join them Saturday night at a bar,