Alcohol

There couldn't have been a more able representative of fair Ireland, to grace our Salkantay hike group, than Dave. Dave showed up on day 1, having had zero sleep and gallons of alcohol the night before; and the first thing he did was down a large Cusqueña, "to keep me going fer the day". And, amazingly, keep him going it did.

Tonight at Loki, we had a fancy dress party, and the theme was "nightmare". I walked into the bar this evening, and I must say, the place did look pretty hellish. Black gloves, ghostly-white dresses, and death-white faces everywhere. I wasn't planning to dress up for it; but I ended up putting on a black t-shirt (inside out), and getting my face painted white. Just so that I could fit in with tonight's freaky crowd.

Tonight, Gaz and myself popped in to one of Ayacucho's local pubs — arguably a cantina. We were just planning on having a few quiet pints; but we ended up sharing some beers, some strangled conversation, and some laughs with the locals there. The locals were very friendly, very welcoming, and absolutely goddamn #?!%-faced. Also, one of the locals was a German Shepherd named Sasha.

There are plenty of fun people staying here at the Flying Dog, but the only really crazy person here is one of the staff: John. Speaking a little of every language on Earth (including Hebrew), always quick with a wild greeting or a joke, and eager to party and to get drunk with the guests, we've all come to think of John as "one of us", not as a staff member.

Tonight at the Green Tortoise, I played my first-ever game of Beer Pong. The aim of this game is simple: throw a ping-pong ball in one of the cups at the other end of the table from you. If your team gets a ball in one of the cups, then the other team has to drink the beer in that cup. If your team breaks any rules, then you have to drink the beer in one of your own cups. The first team to empty all the other team's cups wins. The better you do, the longer you go without getting completely drunk. My team (of 2) managed to get through the first round (knockout tournament), but we got beaten in the second.

This is a great bar in the centre of San Cristóbal, with a talented live band, with the 2-for-1 cocktails that seem to be so common around here, and with energetic dancing as the night wears on. A british girl named Billy, who I bumped into this afternoon — I met her about 2 weeks ago in Valladolid — recommended it to me, so I brought my Aussie mate Sean (from Posada Mexico Hostel) along and checked it out. This is the place to go at night in San Cristóbal.

At Don Muchos tonight, I decided to order myself a little Margarita after I finished my dinner. I don't know what the hell they put in that drink, but it must have been damn strong; because that was the only alcoholic beverage I had tonight, and it put me right out like a light bulb. I didn't even make it back to the hammock: I dozed right off at the dinner table, and I missed most of tonight's juggling show.

This place is arguably the best nighttime hangout in Tulum, and it's where I went, with various friends, for four nights in a row. Tonight was my final night there, and it was a big one. Live band, intense dancing, and the usual deal of 2-for-1 Cuba Libres until 11pm. The bar is also conveniently located across the road from The Weary Traveler.

Chris, Erica, Laura, and myself went to a big disco party that was happening on the beach tonight, at a place called the Mezzanine bar. Plenty of drinking, plenty of dancing, and plenty of good times. The Austrian guys and Wahi showed up as well.

This afternoon was a rainy, dreary affair. Instead of hanging out at my new beach retreat in the cold and the wet, I returned (as a "trespasser", for the first of many times) to The Weary Traveler, and hung out with Chris, Erica, Laura, and Emily (another Aussie, from Dubbo). Laura taught us all a crazy card game called Irish snap, which kept us drunk and occupied for quite some time.