The rabbit-hole

I recently needed some adventure and tourist activities in Budapest, so I went on a caving tour. It was close to masochism, but such a great and unforgettable experience that I’d like to write about it.

We were a group of thirteen people, a colorful mix of nationalities. When I pulled on the outworn caving overall, my hands already felt dusty. We entered the cave through a little metal door in a hill that didn’t look spectacular at all, more like a storage room. Behind there was a low tunnel and then we were in the cave. 

Reddish, chalky rock and clay. Walking upright from that moment on was impossible.

Beirut on a Budget

Where to Eat

Mezzo di Pasta

Very frequently I go to Mezzo and get their large combo meal for 12,500 lires (or $8.33) and that is usually enough to last me all day.  True story.  For the large combo you get a big helping of their fresh pasta, a small, delicious chocolate crepe & a drink.  Also pita bread if you know to ask for it.  They have a wide range of pastas and sauces.  My personal favorite meal is to get the Indy sauce with cheese, which results in a spicy, delicious, almost curry-like mac & cheese.  They're open late (until midnight every day, at least at the Gemmayzeh branch) and they also have excellent 'Happy Hour' meal deals between 4 and 8.

Feyy

In Gemmyzeh, this restaurant actually shares the same building as Mezzo, which is how I found it.  Cheap middle eastern & mediterranian

sandwiches & deserts are available, and they too have excellent 'Happy Hour' deals.  Their food ain't half bad either.

BarBar

Everyone knows this one, but still, it has to be mentioned...cheap & open late, it's a great choice if you're in the Hamra area and craving a snack.

Random Mankoushe Stands

Mankoushe (prounounced Man-a-eesh for singular or Man-u-shee for plural as far as I've heard) is a type of middle eastern pizza.  Like with pizza, you can frequently get a variety of toppings, but unlike pizza in the US, it will only cost you a few bucks for a whole one.

Where to Stay

Hotel Al Shahbaa

Ok so it's pretty much run by the Lebanese version of Michael Scott (and I mean that in the nicest way possible.  Like Michael Scott, the guy has a heart of gold.  But he can also be strange, to say the least and he will awkwardly try to flirt with you).  If you stay here, you won't have a ton of privacy, the other people running the place frequently walk around in very little clothing and there isn't air conditioning.  Why, you might ask, should you then stay at Al Shahbaa?  Well like I said, the guy running it is very nice.  I had a simple, but large room to myself for only $20.  Dorm beds only cost $12 and if you're ever in dire straights the guy will work with you to find someplace to sleep, even if you have little or no money.  You'll also get free tea or coffee in the morning.  But best of all, there's free access to more-than-adaquete internet.

Talal Hotel

For $13 you get a "dorm" bed in a room with only 3 beds *AND* you get air conditioning.  The people are pretty nice here, and let me store some bags overnight for free when I wasn't staying there.  They might or might not give you free tea or coffee, but it's certainly more comfortable than Al Shahbaa.

The Mayflower Hotel

For those with larger budgets or who just want to have a treat (like I did on my birthday), you may want to stay at The Mayflower.  It's renowned for its former guests- Graham Greene, Russian spies & foreign correspondents during the war- than its service, but it's nice.  I wouldn't say it necessarily deserves it's 4 stars, but it's a still a pretty nice find for $70 (as it often is on booking.com's website).  The breakfast buffet, nice bathrooms, air conditioning, & free excellent internet probably make it worth it alone.

Hotel Amada

Located a 30 minute walk away from Byblos, this gay-friendly hotel & hostel is worth staying at if you want to spend more than a one night exploring Byblos without emptying your wallet.

Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is always of great benefit to adventurous travellers on a budget.  Be careful though!  I've found there is a higher-than-average number of creepy males lurking on Lebanon's.

Where To Go

AUB

This campus is lush, and definitely worth a visit for it's free archeological museum & the nearby street art that famously surrounds it.

The Pigeon Rocks

Gorgeous, and for less than $10 you can score a boat ride around them.

Nasawiya

This lovely feminist cafe takes payments in donations only.  They're also currently selling 3 t-shirts for only 10,000 lire (approx. $6.50!).  They frequently hold cool movie screenings & events and they have an excellent library.

Wine music

Wine music is amazing composition made purely out of wine. Yes wine. Playing on wine glasses, using barrel as drum. All that you can find in Tony’s creation. Music truly from wine and wine only. It was created in 2006 and contains 11 unique songs.

Here’s link where you can see how it’s actually made

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxbykVn-Hm8

LGBTQ film festival next week

Hi All!

Welcome to G Spot, where you can learn more about the gendered Budapest. In my section I bring you info on gender, sexuality in general and on some current events happening in Budapest related to these topics.

I will start by telling all of you about the LGBTQ film festival coming up between Oct. 26^th and Nov. 3^rd (LGBTQ stands for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual Queer. If you want to know more about these sexual orientations go watch the awesome YouTube videos linked below). The Budapest Pride film festival first took place in 1993 under the name Hungarian Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and was held at the Toldi Theater, as it is this year as well.

Old man

Every day I go out, I see an old man. He is sitting on a small chair, on one of the crossroads I pass. I don’t see him straight away as he is hiding behind the house wall. Always when I approach the crossroads I look left and right to see if I can pass the road safely. Then I see him. Just in a reach of the arm. There he is. Old man sitting on a chair. Despite the weather, despite the time. Seems like he’s always there, all the time. What he is doing. Who is he?

Sleeping around. My opinion about Couch Surfing.

What is Couch Surfing I don’t need to explain, do I? OK just a quick revive to make sure we are on the same page.

Couch Surfing is an interned community driven website witch connect people around the world. So called host and guest. Basically hosts offering place to stay for guest, usually from another country, without expecting payment. Or at least payment in currency.

How to Turn a Really Poor Night Into A Really Good One

We hadn't gone out since we come to Budapest. Of course I could find plenty of reasons for that, but the bottom line is that this Saturday night out is our first one since our first step off the bus a few weeks earlier.

Invakanz

“Is there actually a word for this kind of inner conflict that overcomes you when you plan to go on a longer journey, but still have the possibility not to do it? The spirit seems to split in two parts: A courageous and youthful part of the brain that boldly, curiously and adventuresomely wants to break out of familiar conditions. And a risk-averse, convenient and matured part, that would rather anxiously stick to the familiar surroundings. But shortly after I decided to name this self-conscious wanderlust ‘Invakanz’ it disappeared with every step in fresh air like a slight headache.” (Walter Moers: The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books)

Scavenging for goods

As it is Friday, I wanted to work little bit on this blog, before I will go to our usual Friday meeting of editors and contributors.
Do you have those days sometimes? When you want to do something but there is something else to prevent you from doing that? I think we all have those days, probably every day. But this time it wasn’t the release of my favorite TV show or anything like that. More like hardware problems. My mouse broke. I’m using a laptop so I could switch to touch pad, but somehow I don’t like working on touch pad. I prefer an old fashioned mouse, or rat as I call it.

I decided to make a quick trip to a local game shop. Maybe they will have a computer mouse I could use, I thought. Unfortunately they didn’t. Well it is a game shop but you never know. What surprised me was all that junk laying around the streets. But not like rubbish after usual Saturday night in the city center. I’m saying authentic piles for all sorts of stuff. Chairs, wardrobes, bottles you name it. Some of it was actually good stuff.

Audiences And Cultures With A Performer's Eye (or: What Is It With Hungarians?)

You know how we say that music is the universal language, but we never mention how many dialects  there are. Not only that the users can be very different but there are many types of receivers as well. I know that very well, having been a performing artist for 12 years and having lived and performed in 3 countries it always strikes me how different audiences are.

How to travel to Budapest from Poland

There are a few good ways to come from Poland to Budapest, or to Hungary in general. The best starting place is definitely Krakow (Cracow). There might be a possibility to occasionally get a better price from other main cities of Poland but only on rare occasions and usually by flying only.

So let’s see what our options are.