Day 5

Day started very early at 6.00am. By breakfast, 7.30am, the lads had slept for a whole two and half hours. Scooby and Co left the Oz bar at 5.00am having paid a drinks bill totalling 500 euros. This was after they had negotiated a special deal with Barry, one of the oz waiters, who did not charge them for bottle beers and provided a free 2 and 3 metre towers. The bar must have thought it was Christmas. My first thoughts were for the poor Australians they are going to stay with on arrival but Fe told me later that she couldn't get into the campsite launderette for very, drunk ozzie teenagers who had also thrown everyone's drying clothes out of the tumble dryers were also staying on the site while travelling around Europe with a company called Top Deck. Top Deck 1 Ozbus 0. I found out, even later still, from Viv, that the bar manager had approached Leighton about bringing future Ozbus partys' in the future. So much for my comments as we headed into the capital about high culture. In this world profit always takes precedent.

Breakfast finished and cleared away, bags all stored on the coach everyone's attention turned to the topside of the site where Sue was banging on a camper van and a tent and screaming in German at the Ozzie occupants who kept them awake until 3.00am. When one of them emerged from his tent she threw the contents of coffee mug in his face. All of this was done to clapping and cheering from the others whose night sleep had been destroyed but did not have the bottle to strike back. After two meetings between us and Top Deck I think it now stands 1 nil to the Brits.

Arrived at a rundown looking site in Budapest at about 12.30. Set up camp and headed in the centre. Budapest no different from every other city, because of the traffic it took an hour to negotiate our way to the slots besides Elizebeth Bridge. Spent a short hour paroosing the market while Leighton went off to source lunch.

Finally had dinner at about 4.00pm, every very hungry. Hungry in Hungary.
Had a reasonable meal of Goulash soup, chicken paparika and a beer. This was followed by a further pint in an unusual bar called For Sale. The roof once again like Hermies was absolutely covered with messages of kinds: notes on beer mats, business cards, tarjettes, cigarette packets etc, etc. The whole place was designed to be different and attractive to the kind of bohemian type of person and yet the waiters especially unwelcoming. After just the drink we all headed for another bar where the staff were completely opposite. Barman asked me where I came from and then said that McCabe had attempted to buy an some Hungarian team. Rest of the time spent drinking and talking. I bought two glasses of Unicum for the group to taste and with the exception of Ian (Kwok) who knocked it back in one all the rest found it foul. Strange that tastes can be so regional. After a trip up to the Citadel to take photos looking straight down the river and finding the battery in my camera was flat (no shots) we headed back to the campsite to park the bus and go for some more beer down by the river and just 10 minutes walk away.

Got off the bus last to find Mark cuddling Lucinda who was crying. As I made for my tent it became apparent that the tents had been broken into and possessions stolen. I was relieved to find ours was still in tact. Immediately there were shouts, flashlights in the wooded area of the site, shouting and the sound of people running. The 'party gang' led by Barry from Nevin was branding a rather large torch had disturbed the culprits and were in full pursuit without considering the consequences. I certainly would have thought twice about following a group of thieves into a dark wooded area late at night armed with one large torch. Amazingly to their credit they quickly found Lucinda's case with the belongings scattered along the path. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately they got away with Ted's rucksack which was locked. Mac lost his supply of condoms but not the wad of dollars he pulled out of the tent. The boys spent a good hour scouring the site for the sack. It became apparent the thieves were going to go through all the bags in the safety of the tents and left with Ted's bag because it was locked. Thankfully all they got was clothes and no one was injured in the pursuit. Ted, Leighton and few others still went to the pub (now 11.50) to try and cheer Ted up but surprisingly the heroes' of the night turned Leighton's offer of a drink instead going for a shower and a bit of boy bonding. I think the bridge between the Navan boys is reducing. Whlst we were searching the area for the bag I asked Barry why he'd brought such a large, heavy powerful torch. 'I didn't' was his reply. 'I had to spend all my spare useless Czech money on something before heading into Austria' He happened to see the torch in the supermarket the day before. While we were eating that beautiful garlic soup Barry was making the purchase of the trip so far and with the look on his face he new it. Barry 1 Leighton 0.

Before we managed to get into bed the heavens opened up and quickly followed by our first storm of the trip. I found it very easy to go to sleep even though Anne was worried about the lighting and our position under the trees. I was more concerned about having to pack a very wet tent away for two or three days. Even the good news that we are to spend the next three nights in Romania and Bulgaria in hotels was offset by tonight's incident and poor old Ted. This was the first night that the whole party went to rest feeling a little down. Hope tomorrow and country number six has better things to offer.