So, yeah, going to bed early

It's ten to six and I just got home. Met some locals down at that bar next to the hostel and although I didn't understand everything (and I didn't help that the woman I first met kept shoving in when I was talking to other people) it was cool to be doing it. My plans for an early night went out the window but I can't help thinking I came here to practice my Spanish and hanging around in a bar with locals til 6am counts as practice.

At first made a bit of desultory conversation with woman sat next to me, ended up talking to her and a bloke called Tesa and that was quite cool. She insisted on dancing with me a bit which I did in my usual naff way, but it's all good.

While dancing later on a bloke called Sandro, who was a big heavy metal fan, sort of introduced himself. He was pretty cool but slightly odd. I had bought the other guys a drink earlier in a genuinely matey way after I'd been speaking to them for an hour. I bought him a drink too - hell, it's cheapish - but he was a bit strange. When we left I walked the three or four paces to my hostel and he asked me for money in a subtleish way. in the end I gave him 20 Bolivianos - hell, what's two quid? - and it was all cool, but as I rang the bell to my hostel and the burly doorman answered he seemed to be asking for more, although I didn't catch what he was saying. The doorman more or less shut the door in his face. Perhaps for the best. And if by some freak chance I do meet him again he can hardly complain, I mean, I did give him money even if I had no reason to.

Still, although I'm far later to bed than I planned, a good night. Good English conversation down at Oliver's Travels and then the unplanned bit down the bar next to the hostel was genuinely pretty cool. Don't get me wrong, I was talking to Tesa and that woman for an hour or so before I bought them a drink, and even the bit with Sandro wasn't too mercenary until we left the bar. I didn't understand a lot of what was said and did a bit too much 'si, si', but it was still pretty cool. As I said, and thought at the time, this kind of conversation practice is one of the reasons I am here in South America, so well worth breaking my early to bed resolutions for.

I will ask at reception if I can extend for another day but not overly optimistic. The way I feel now I may even try another hostel, but I'd rather not have to.

Oh, the woman I met right at the start of the second part of the night was clearly (and quite blatantly) looking for drinks, but I don't think she was anything more than a bit cheeky.