Sun 21:10 Well, I got a beer and a table on the terrace. It could be worse. I feel like a right lemon sitting here on my own, as if I had "talk to me, I'm lonely" tattooed on my forehead. There's something about hostels. Drinking on my own in a regular bar bothers me not one iota (it's practically my hobby back in London :-) ). The music bites - they are playing some even-more-dancy remix of that "trying to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful" song, which gets on my wick even in the original. To be fair, since the long drum machine only sections have no lyrics, the remix is probably an improvement.
Well sod it. I'm going to sit here and read a book on my phone and if anyone has a problem they can swivel.
Oh, when I ordered a beer "in Spanish" (if "un litro de Quilmes por favor" counts) the guy came back at me in English. I shouldn't care but that always fucks me off. I am not super fluent but I do have a level above ordering a beer and I always feel someone who does that has set the "useless English tourist who doesn't speak the language" bit on me. This is just me being an overly sensitive arse I expect but there you go.
Oh, the beer bottle (they only do 650ml bottles, not litres) is so cold it's painful to hold. No bad thing in itself, but I note it for atmosphere.
21:40. Just got another beer. The barman has something tattooed on his fingers (not quite on the knuckles) but as it's in some pseudo-gothic font I couldn't read it...
22:20. Third beer. Still a bit uncomfortable but either the beer or time are slowly doing their work. The beer should be working faster but there you are. Am yawning a little bit, which makes no sense really, I must have had at least seven hours sleep (although I was woken during it thanks to the door banging) and I haven't had a remotely strenuous day.
As I checked in some rank song about "if you liked it you should have put a ring on it" (doubtless an innacurate quote) was playing. What's odd is I could swear I heard some joke or saw some comedy sketch which played on that line from that song relatively recently, yet I can't think how the hell I could have done.
23:00. Time and/or the sweet brown liquor have done their work, I am myself again. That is to say, a somewhat bitter and reflective loner, but with a modest degree of composure. :-) The music, or my view of it, has improved, it's hardly great but acceptable.
I keep glancing up at the sky and seeing tiny bits of light reflecting off the higher leaves on the palm trees and thinking they are stars.
I asked some random barstaff guy in English where the toilets where. He didn't understand so I asked in worse than usual Spanish (that's normally a stock phrase I reel off perfectly) and he understood but replied in English. Maybe he just wants to practice, but it still rankles a bit.
(No one drinks at the bar here, incidentally.)
To get a bit descriptive, although it was a bit busier earlier, I am sat on one side of the bar door (all the tables are sort of around the pool on a lower terrace) and there's a group of about 7 people at a table on the other side of the door on the terrace. There are probably a few people inside but the place is built on spacious lines and they are not overly obvious.
A cat just wandered up towards the bar door, I tried to entice it over but it sat there for a minute then doubled back down towards the pool.
Oh, when I visit google.com from the wifi here it redirects me to the Brazilian site. Geographical location of IP addresses being what it is I'm not totally surprised, though to my naive mind I would expect ISPs to be nationally bound and hence it to be a little smarter. But I am very close to being in the Land Of Terror (TM) so it's not totally surprising.
23:15. Just got another beer. There might be 15 people (miles from the bar) inside in two groups in some horrible sofa-type arrangement. (No small tables, I couldn't drink there even if I wanted.) I ordered the beer in English and was understood (why swim against the tide?). I content myself with saying 'cheers' and 'ta' in the hope of slightly confusing the bar staff. I shall have to see if I can dredge up some more obscure slang or dialect. (Oooh, I could use "what's the damage?" if I ordered something I didn't know the price of. Or, to be honest/a git, even if I do, maybe on my first beer tomorrow when I can pretend to have forgotten.) I wish I were Glaswegian at this point. :-) "Take that you bastards, speak Spanish to me or I'll really confuse you."
00:05. Had too many beers but what the hell, at least I am a short stagger (not that it's that bad) from my room. I really do need to be up early so I can navigate
02:50. Well this is a strange world and no mistake. The previous paragraph was interrupted by Kev who I met at Loki La Paz. We chatted considerably and he introduced me to various guys. He said, and I had in fact ignored, he had said 'steve' to me earlier on. Regardless, have passed a reasonable night with him and some of his acqauitances after he left. I find this deeply freaky if quite cool.
But regardless I need to be up early tomorrow and I doubt my ability to do it. So, let's make an effort and to bed.
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