Before I arrived, Amanda told me that she and her friends liked to frequent a hostel bar called the Llama. So, a few days after my arrival, we perused into the bar one day, but I was still to out of it with altitude sickness to really absorb the people and atmosphere. When weekend number 3 arrived, I was fully recovered and fully introduced to this bar that became a second home in Arequipa.
The Llama, now known as the Wild Rover, is a meeting ground for gringos from all over the world. It never ceases to amaze me that I meet interesting people there everyday. Sitting in a quirky hostel bar, you instantly feel a friendship between you and the random person sitting on the stool next to you. Whether they are from Australia, England, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Argentina, Germany, the US, or anywhere else, you have something in common. You are a nomad. You love to travel. And you want to learn something from each other.
I can now go to the pub and sit alone and enjoy a meal and a drink, always confident that I will in fact not be alone. Rather, another regular will be in there who I can chat with, and my friends will be working so I can sit and enjoy their company for hours. Some time ago, Claire came in search of me at my house. And when she could not find me at home, she knew I would be at the Llama. Sure enough, two hours after my arrival, she walked in, and we sat for hours enjoying the Sunday.
I love the people I have met in the Llama. I love my stories from the Llama. And trust me, there are a wide variety of stories. Recalling these stories, I wonder…
What do the locals actually think of us gringos? I’m pretty sure on the weekends the city adds extra security the streets within the center because they know that the gringos are out to terrorize this conservative Catholic community.
One weekend in Peru consists of more absolutely ridiculous crazy antics than 6 months worth of strange events in Arkansas combined. And it’s so easy. For instance, one weekend, us four girls went to the Llama to have a movie night in their TV room. Dressed in casual clothes, no makeup, and messy hair, we stayed there for 5 hours. And stayed out until 6 am. It’s a place where the unexpected happens…but it happens everyday. I know you want real stories, but that would take hours. But to summarize…
It’s not uncommon to find Claire and I doing an interpretive dance to Bohemian Rhapsody at the pub. It includes me sliding on me knees across to her during “MAMAAAAAA….DIDNT MEAN TO MAKE YOU CRY….” You get the picture.
It’s not odd to find Amanda and I on top of the bar dancing awkwardly and doing weekly routines to our favorite songs. And this all occurs before midnight. After I have won a limbo contest (being the tallest person in the room). Then, you might see one of us pouring a bottle of water on Matt, Miguel, or Fiona’s heads as they work. For some reason, us girls think that is an acceptable thing to do. And it is here. It’s never strange to be hit on by a Peruvian who can’t speak English but is so under the influence that all he can do is call you Princess and spill 5 beers all at once, all over you and your friends. Sometimes, you can find me and Miguel wrestling outside in the common area. Or Amanda and I Indian leg wrestling on the ground outside in the common area. It’s completely normal to see the bartenders walking around in leopard print fur coats, trash bags, guys wearing women’s lingerie, or some other form of a crazy costume…it all depends on the theme that night. All this might make me sound a little crazy...but don't get me wrong...I just like to have fun. :)
On Friday nights, there is a pub trivia quiz. A quiz of 40 questions. Our team consists of…me, Amanda, Claire, Sabah, Verena, and Mick. We win every time. Mick’s enthusiasm and competitiveness is a great start to the night. We cover our papers immediately so no one around can see the answers. Mick walks around telling everyone that we are going to win. He yells out, YESSSSS, every time we get an answer correct. Which is all of them. After two weeks of winning, everyone knows that they can’t beat us. Our prizes are always appropriate considering it’s a pub. Two pitchers of rum and coke for the team.
Sometimes, the 4 of us girls go to a bar that has no name, but apparently is infamous. We call it the Red Bar. Because the walls are painted red. You know the instant you walk in for the first time that it will be an awkward visit. It is full of only men and no one can decide exactly what kind of bar it is. As we sit down with a pitcher to split between the four of us, we always decide to drink fast and get out because the staring is just too awkward. And before we can comprehend what is going on, a 5 year old walks into the bar and tries to sell us something. But eventually, we are used to this. After all, children have helped Peruvian nights run smoothly for a long time. Then, Bohemian Rhapsody plays on the speakers. And the four of us put on a show of air guitar, piano, drums, and singing. And then we run away, out the door, ignoring the comments…Chicas lindas, hermosas, etc.
After this, we all go to Frogs, the reggae club Kibosh, Déjà vu, La Raja (where the bartenders look like pirates so we call it the Pirate Bar), Mono Blanco (the French bar), etc. The security guards line up at the doors when they see us coming. At Frogs, they wont let Sabah in because she has a bottle of water in her purse. A fight almost ensues and we are all kicked out. Normal. We head to Déjà vu. They wont let us in for free (we have attempted the “but we are tourists please let us in for free” act for months) because by now they know us. So, one of our local friends licks the bouncers face. She probably won’t remember this the next day. And they let us in for free. Normal. We go to Kibosh where there is a private party. But somehow we get in anyways. The group has dwindled. You have been yelled at by friends. You have yelled at friends. Laughed 5 minutes later. Run into your students. Run away from your friends. Chased after you friends. Turned a quiet bar into a dance party. Walked home at 4 am. Inside your room you decide that you want to go back out. So, at 405 am, you go back to Déjà vu. Because this is completely normal. The next day, we all start waking up around 1 or 2 pm. And the second we see each other, we start to laugh, because something stupid has happened the night before.
We love the weekends. And while there is no time to tell stories of why gringos are crazy, just know that…
When your night begins like this…
What else can Arequipa expect?
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