What were we thinking?
DAY 28, KM 1979, Dunafoldvor, Hungary
Monday 10 September 2007
17 °C
What were we thinking? This is a question that we have asked ourselves many times while standing in the rain, alongside a road with heavy traffic. The campings are usually closed, the weather has been bad, our clothes are all wet, it's hard to find the food that we're used to, etc... We often talk about how great it would be to be on one of those package vacations with old people and nice hotels. However, when we are not pedalling uphill in the rain, with no food, we are often really happy, without a care in the world, and completely sure that this trip was a fabulous idea. It is a rollercoaster.

So far in Hungary, we have found that some people speak a little german, so that has been a tad bit helpful in trying to find food, a camping spot, etc... but mostly you just ask someone something and they will go on and on in Hungarian, even if you tell them that you really don't speak their language, they just continue on for a long while, until you are just nodding and smiling and hoping that they'll go away soon.
More and more we stay in little rooms that locals have for rent. It's always a challenge to negotiate a good price when you don't understand each other...

Like Slovakia, there are not a whole lot of highways, so a lot of the small roads are heavy with traffic. Instead of risking our lives, we try to find little roads to go on, which are often muddy or grassy, or full of potholes. However, we don't want to die, so this is okay, just really really slow.









When Helena told me you were going to China by bike, I thought it was a joke. But that was not the kind of joke I would expect from Helena; so I thought, wow they are really going to do it, travel by bike eastwards. And even if you don't get all the way to China, already to Hungary is quite an adventure, as you say you are currently experiencing!
If by any chance you get in Budapest, let me know, I have some colleagues from work who live there and might provide some help. Also in Romania, and later on in Russia there are some possible friendly hosts, you never know.
I've never been in these regions where you are and it speaks to my imagination biking around there, even though it is probably less romantic having all the logistic stuff to worry about, of course.
Nevertheless, enjoy and see you soon back home!
Monday 10 September 2007 by U41364