The Plan - The Plan and Arrival

So knowing that I was somewhat disabled (eventually I need an operation), what was the plan?
Green: I accomplished
Red: No way accomplished
Blue: Somewhat accomplished

• Basically, not to waste $2500 + other expenses that I had spent in preparation for the trip.
• Use as much tech as possible: Audio, Video, Digital, Internet etc.
• Visit with all the discovered members of the Marafko family in Slovakia and Hungary.
• Visit relatives I already met in socialist Hungary, 1979 - I was 25 years old btw.
• Meet with others who knew of my family and expand my network for genealogical purposes.
• Give a talk to the Tallosi school for English students about Australia. This was pre-planned.
• Do research at the Magyar Országos Levéltár -  The Hungarian Archives in Budapest.
• Get some Soviet paraphernalia for my collection.
• Find and buy an Eastern European guitar - preferably East German make.
• Bring home some paprika, a Mak grinder and Nokedli sieve.
• Enjoy myself - And I went with the philosophy of being polite, uncomplaining and sharing.
• Experience everything I could - push myself.

Arriving May 4th: Vienna
My 2nd Cousin is Kapus Feri - or Feri who has his own business driving a Budapest Taxi. I've never met him except for calls on Skype and Facebook contact. He was so kind to my mother Olga whom he helped enormously in 2012. Olga is unstoppable - almost travelling every 2 years to someplace around the world. Ostensibly she is a dog judge and finds it exciting to go to various dog shows around the world or just visiting friends or places she finds interesting. A real wunderlust for the world, unlike me who likes to be house-bound.
In any case, he came to collect me in Vienna in his Budapest taxi!!!!

Me, Kapus Feri and his son Kristof at Vienna airport about 11pm.

By the time I get to Vienna, I'm pretty much in a waking coma. Why? Well I woke up on the morning of the 3rd, picked up by my uncle Louis who drove me to Sydney. Played darts that night and slept on his couch (the most comfortable position for me could only be on a couch with my legs at a 90 degree angle on my left side) for about 1 hour, woke at 2am on the 4th, check in at Kingsford-Smith Airport at 3am, no sleep for 23 hour trip and about 4 oxycodones + diabetic medicines + anti-inflammatories. Pretty much 40 hrs drugged up and awake.
I still managed to be coherent and communicated in my broken Hungarian till the early hours of Sunday. With about 8 hrs of relatively calm sleep I found myself here at Feri's home, suffering nothing but culture shock and a deep sense of peace.

Sometime Sunday morning in Kis Pest. Me with my pug T-shirt, a nice mug of coffee with Feri - the nicest host and the best guy ever.

A personal note: I lost 10 kg over the previous 2 months due to my illness. I was 82kg on arrival. Maybe you can tell by my thin legs. My diabetic condition does result in a bigger tummy than normal.