Had a bus in the morning at 7am. I am getting used to these early and late night travel times. It was a 3-hour bus ride from Budapest to Bratislava the capital of Slovakia and once again I let my first impressions get the better of me. After thinking 'what a dump'. But of course I had only driven though the outskirts and into the suburbs when it was raining. I asked a few locals to point me in the right direction to the hostel zigzagging my way there instead of the direct route. Finally I saw my hostel over the road but before I could get there I was 'pounced' on by a local women telling me it had been closed for a year. In turns out it was actually closed but she had rooms that she rented out. I was a bit suspicious but then she hijacked another two backpackers so I thought I'd check it out. I ended up staying. It turned out she was learning English and this was her only way of making money. She went on about hating communism and loving the western world.
I spent the day in Bratislava, which had now improved my views on the city. It had some inspiring architecture notably in the centre and Bratislava castle, which has been rebuilt overlooking the city. Later that night I cooked a dinner amid a dirty spider infested kitchen and then watched MTV. The next day I paid up the women for the accommodation and headed to the bus station again.
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