A Traveling Memory

Cheers to amazing moments that only happen abroad! Below is my most memorable moment from my travels.

The Whirling Bath of Budapest

I hadn’t brought a swim suit with me to Budapest, Hungary but somehow my friend had convinced me that we had to visit the Szecheyi thermal baths and that going in my bra and underwear wouldn’t kill me. Of course, she had her bikini. We walked through the double doors of what appeared to be a castle, completely blind as to what we were about to see and experience. The place was full of pools: warm, cold, thermal, indoor and outdoor. It was the dead of winter but somehow we gathered enough courage to explore the outdoor pools.

The first pool had bubbles/jets coming out of the ground that were strong enough to sit on. We then noticed a circular pool in the middle of the big pool and saw what seemed to be people’s heads going around in a circle. It appeared as though this round pool had jets or a very strong current that was pushing people in a circle.

We decided to enter but in order to do so, we had to wait for a big enough opening. We stood at the space in the wall and held on so as not to get swept away as we waited for the right time to go in; just as you do when you’re about to start jumping rope. Suddenly, I lost all control of my body and was swept away in the never-ending circle. The only way it could end was if you accidentally got pushed to the side at the point where the small opening was. You’d get shot out to the calm water. For a few moments, my friend and I were in our own world talking and laughing hysterically. At one point we glanced around and realized that only one guy was reacting the same way we were. We looked at him and we knew he was a fellow American. We were instantly friends in the whirlpool of locals.

People of all walks of life were mixed up in that whirlpool; old hairy men as well as kids with bright orange floaters. There were even kids attempting to dive below the surface. The issue of modesty and touching other people flew out the window the moment we entered the whirlpool. Who knows what or who I grabbed. I even forgot that I was in my bra and underwear. The jets were so strong that I had absolutely no control of where my body went. Every twenty minutes the whirlpool turned off. I had just enough time to stop laughing and to gather my bearings before the next whirling adventure began. Out of all my adventures abroad, that whirlpool was the highlight. I’d give anything to be back there and to laugh so deeply again!