Thoughts of a Nomadic One

"Those two in the corner are SO having sex", said Shaffy, a fellow Canadian (N.S.) who was also my new roommate. The four of us looked over at the couple mentioned above and our responses ranged from denial to incredulity. The hypothesis was confirmed after observing the couple switching to the doggy position and one of the Western University girls swam over and noticed a lack of bottom swimsuit on the adjoined couple. The reaction on her face when she turned around was priceless; a mixture of astonishment, humour and shock.

On my only full day in Budapest (due to schedule conflict), I decided to join Shaffy and Vincent (Ottawa) for the famous Szechenyi baths in Budapest. The natural spring water was incredibly relaxing and warm. There, we met two Canadian girls who Shaffy had met on the train. They just graduated from Western (so my Western jokes did not really impress them though dead baby jokes did and they had a remarkable arsenal as well!).

At the baths, the craziest coincidence occurred. We met two Canadian girls at the entrance and after some discussions in the baths, we realized that we had all gone to Queens and visited Martin in Munich one weekend apart! I actually knew they looked familiar however I didn’t want to be that creep that asked, "You look familiar, where do I know you from?"

So, the four of us had dinner at a Hungarian restaurant recommended by Let's Go called Fatal. We realized, however, that the recommendation was not fully accurate when the server said, "NO!" to Shaffy's requests and half the menu. Although the portions we received were big, as described by Let's Go, the experience cast considerable doubt on LG's food recommendations.

Later, while Shaffy and I wandered about town semi drunkenly, we stumbled on a discussion about why we travel. Our conclusion was that we don't do it to check off destinations off our list but rather for the journey itself. For me personally, it is to make me feel a myriad of experiences life has to offer. It is to place myself in uncomfortable situations and see how I react and feel. To force myself to socialize with complete strangers, something that I hate doing since I'm naturally an introvert. It is to learn and exchange experiences with locals from all over the world and the nomads who explore them.