Entering EXIT Festival Serbia

My first day in Budapest was accidentally long. The fact that I only got a few hours sleep the night before (no, not for THOSE reasons) is a probable explanation why I made the following decisions and ended up in Serbia... I contacted a guy from couchsurfing.com to meet up for a drink and discover some secret photogrpahy places. Enter the Ukranian vodka, enter the absinthe shot (with thujone), exit the rational thinking. The next morning he was leaving for a music festival in Serbia with some Croatians that he didn't really know, and suggested I consider coming along. The lure of The Prodigy, the Beastie Boys, and LTJ Bukem sat in my subconscience. Thinking this was an interesting possibility, I returned to the hostel before midnight to get some sleep, and decide in the morning.

The hostel which had previously been somewhat of a ghost town, was now occupied by a few guys drinking and listening to music... in our dorm room. Sleep was an impossibility, and I was eager to see as much of Budapest as I could. I surrendered to whatever the evening had in store which ended up being an outdoor dance club down by the Danube. The rising sun greeted me harshly as I walked back to the hostel, realizing that sufficient sleep was not in my immediate future.

This is how the next day evolved:

Thursday July 12
10:00 am - wake up after only 3 hours sleep
11:00 am - check email. Jason is going to the festival... hmmm...
11:02 am- decide to go to Serbia for the EXIT festival. Where is Serbia? Figure that out later...
12:00 pm - arrive at Jason's, madly pack a small bag, jump a subway and bus to the train station
12:45 pm- uh oh. Huge line for tickets. Train leaves in half an hour.
1:10 pm - buy train ticket, scrounge my last remaining change for fruit and sandwiches
1:15 pm - jump on train. Not sure I fully realized this was a 7 hr trip and it is standing room only
1:45 pm - random girl offers me a seat she was saving for her friend! What a savior!!
8:30 pm - in Serbia. Cell phone doesnt work, can't get hold of the people with accommodations
9:30 pm - buy Serbian SIM card, chill for a beer, have faith.
10:32 pm - call comes in, accommodations settled, meet new people, and leave for concert.

The EXIT Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, is held on the grounds of an old fortress. The lineup included The Prodigy, Groove Armada, Trentemoller, Green Velvet, Richie Hawtin, The Beastie Boys, Danny Tenaglia, Basement Jaxx, Snoop Dogg, Roger Sanchez, LTJ Bukem, and many more... pictures and experience to come soon!!