Breaking Through to Budapest, Hungary

This leg in Budapest proves to be a breakthrough leg for Adrian and Collin, who were able to finally reach first to the Pit Stop.  Of course, when I told them to reread their clue and complete the task correctly, they weren't such happy campers.  Fortunately for them, they were able to park their car at the correct location and still arrive first even though I was beginning to wonder Marc and Rovilson would catch up to them. 

Obviously, this leg showed that socializing with your fellow competitors can be quite distracting.  While Marc and Rovilson were busy conversing with the girls, Adrian and Collin carefully checked into any earlier trains to Budapest...and actually found one!

Here's a shot of the ancient castle across the site of the Road Block with the Flying Fox.  Sometimes, I rush to these locations and can't shoot anything because there's too much background sound such as construction so we have to quickly think of another location.

The picture below is of my cameraman Yves and me at Pit Stop waiting for teams to arrive.  People always ask me, "What do you do when you're waiting around?"  Honestly, I don't do too much because I can't.  Our crew can never leave the Pit Stop for too long because we never know exactly when teams will come charging in.  And as you've probably seen, I sometimes get to wait a long time.  That's not too fun.

Of course, when the last team has finally checked in, we're all smiles and relieved we can finally vacate the Pit Stop premises.  Here are a few of the girls that make TARA happen:  Sharon, Priscilla, and Wait...Is that Zabrina, the winner of the first season of The Amazing Race Asia??

Yes, It is!  She loved the entire TARA experience so much that she offered her time and "expertise" on the other side of the camera for this second season.    It was great having her on board with us once again, and she really enjoyed it.  However, I think she probably still prefers racing and winning, huh??

It was yet another long, hot day in Eastern Europe, but we were all smiles to know that the teams had all arrived.  Luckily for Paula and Natasha, this was a Predetermined Non-Elimination Round so let's see if they can gain some valuable time back in the next leg.

I plucked this shot of Budapest off the internet.  Isn't it stunning?  With its stunning architecture and rich cultural history, the capital of Hungary has been nicknamed the "Paris of Eastern Europe."  And rightly so.

Agghh...another day in the "office" for me, and it's always nice to enjoy the sunset from another part of the world.  Tomorrow we race again so let's see how your favorite teams fare this time!  I'm actually really psyched about it because I even get "stoned" too!    Find out what I mean  after the next episode!

Well, I'm all wrapped and done with this movie project in China so now it's time to start making preparations to return home so catch ya later!!