In 1998 Nigel Paul arrived at Budapest after spending 3 weeks in Bosnia living in a tent. He was a tour manager for a USO show. They spent 14 hours in a bus that had standard European bunks (very small) and a lounge that could fit no more than 4 people at a time. They arrived at the Forum hotel in Budapest around 10 PM, with the concept of a beer in a civilized place definitely on the cards.

The walking street (Vaci Utca) is a place where no cars are allowed and is filled with stores, bars, and restaurants. Very much like the River walk in San Antonio - but without the river of course.

So Nigel found a bar that had a few tables and a standard bar counter. It was a slow night and the only other customers in the place were a table of 6 people. He ordered a beer and read his magazine. After he'd ordered his second beer he got a bill  that was for about 600 US dollars, itemized for all types of drinks. He called the waitress over to clear up the confusion. She told him that there was no mistake. At this point all the other customers had left. The waitress went away with the bill, and Nigel started to wonder what was going on.

This time a man approached Nigel and asked if there was a problem. Nigel explained and the guy told him that there were other people drinking with him earlier and they had left. Now Nigel knew something was up. At this point a few other guys showed up wearing blue anoraks and carrying Motorola radios. One of them locked the door while a guy sat down on either side of Nigel. It’s getting close to midnight.

Nigel explained once again that he would be more than happy to pay for the two beers that he had drunk. He started to think about how he could get out of this place. He looked at the window that faced the street. Could he throw a chair through it? And could he actually get that far with the two meatheads next to him. If he could get into the bathroom he might have a chance of escape. So he told them he had to go to the bathroom. As he stood up they pushed him right back down in the stool.

They threatened to call the cops, Nigel agreed. They realized this threat wasn’t going to work, and the next thing Nigel knew a menu 8” wide and very thick was slapped across his face.

They grabbed his wallet and took out his cash. What may have helped Nigel was the military ID they gave him for the USO tour. The card identifies him as a colonel. All Nigel had was about $200 in Hungarian currency. They told him that they would go to an ATM machine for the rest of the money. Nigel told them that that wasn’t going to happen since he would yell as soon as they got outside.

Now it’s getting towards 2 AM and other bars and restaurants are starting to close. Nigel knew that they had to make some sort of decision soon. 2 cops show up, an older one and a younger one. There was definitely some sort of connection between Nigel’s new friends and the cops. The younger policeman spoke English and asked him why he didn’t pay the bill. Once again he explained the tale of the two beers. The older cop explains that if he didn't pay he would get arrested. Nigel puts out his hands for the handcuffs. This would at least be his escape.

They put Nigel in the back without being handcuffed. Once they left the bar the cop turned around and asked him where he was staying. They dropped him off at the hotel and told him not to leave his room, answer the door, or go to the walking street. As he entered the lobby he saw some of the guys from his group. As he was telling them the story the clerk at the front desk overheard him. He explained that this is happening a lot, but they aren’t allowed to tell the guests about it.

The best advice is to go in groups and look for areas that aren’t empty. As with anything, if it doesn’t feel right then it probably isn't!

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