Alcoholic peanut

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06-DEC-2007

The first thing I hear from beneath the covers in the morning is Tahmeena mentioning something about Oliver and I getting on pretty well and all I could say was "Apparently I'm dizzy". I sit up too quickly. Hate it when that happens. I did NOT want to move and really couldn't be bothered with breakfast. I finally managed to crawl out of bed 5m before we had to be downstairs to go the Potala (most famous monastery in Tibet). My stomach and head are in such pain, but I am now used to it. It appears as though my supposed 'altitude issues' have conditioned me for drinking in Lhasa. Everything happens for a reason people!

The Potala was absolutely amazing and elaborate, but we couldn't wait to get outside and into the sunshine. You learn to soak it up at every possible opportunity. On the way to get food, Oliver and I required an emergency toilet stop. There were no toilets. It was a trough separated by a single 2 foot high concrete wall. So if there happened to be anyone else in there at the same time as you, they sure as hell knew what you were doing. I'm SO LUCKY I made it without interruption.

Oliver and I are both experiencing the same the gut-wrenching debilitating stomach cramps, toilet issues, and head problems. But at least we have one another to commiserate with. Makes things a bit easier. We stop for food at this Tibetan place where you point to the dish you'd like. Eliminates the confusion of the language barrier. It should be like that everywhere. I luck out with the food and end up with a tasty bean sprout mixture with rice. I am so dehydrated! It is such a gamble eating regular food with an unreliable tummy. Oliver has a bit of a close call at lunch "I didn't know if it was going to come out of my stomach, bum, or both!". Haha, classic.

There is a unanimous decision to track down a coffee place, preferably somewhere warm where we can relax and take it easy for a bit. On the way, I eye up all the shops I'd be needing to visit later since I am in serious need of a new winter coat. The baby blue just isn't cutting it for me anymore. For anyone that knows me well, I don't typically do blue, let alone pastel colors. Double vomit. I'm much more a fan of brights and darks. And blue is a bit too popular for me. Bandwagon syndrome, I suppose. Well this is certainly the place to get it done, as it seems as though 9/10 shops sell women's coats. Looking forward to it!

I score majorly and pick up this grape juice that tastes just like the fresh vine grapes we'd pick at the Antiques Show in Lewes. Oh, nostalgia. We go for coffee at this immensely posh coffee shop with toasty heaters and lounge about for a while. Just what I needed. Perhaps not the $4 price tags, but I can't say it wasn't completely worth it.

While the others took care of some shopping, Oliver and I head out for drinks to keep the ball rolling. We desperately crave bloody marys but we are out of luck. After scouring the menus of 4 bars, we come to the conclusion that they don't make them in China. We concede defeat and hit up this cute dark bar with low ceilings constructed completely of logs. We each ordered the "Alcoholic Peanut" on the menu because it sounded like a risk worth taking. Thumbs down. 5 minutes later we are each presented with a plateful of peanuts. They tricked us bad. The only thing we could come up with was that perhaps the peanuts were intended for alcoholics because there sure as hell were not alcoholic.

After a couple handfuls each, we book it out of there for something a bit more substantial. Next door, we treat ourselves to porridge anddddd margaritas. We resolved to have a singular margarita each to help us feel better since the bloody mary hunt was a complete bust. But we all know how that goes... they were really good. I order some banana pancakes but end up getting those damn fried bananas again (they are EVERYWHERE!), but Oliver's worms (Chinese spaghetti) were AMAZING. Seemed as though everyone else was too good to hang out with us and opted for the large table that could never have been as comfortable as that couch. When you run into a proper couch out here, it's extremely hard to let go. And there was running water IN the charpi (squatty potty), as well as a nice clean sink with soap!! I actually waited outside of the toilet for about 10m before realizing that no one was in there. I thought someone was just (as the saying goes) 'pissing like a racehorse'. That's one big bladder!

So for a quick debriefing, the relations between same-sex friends over here is in vast contrast to how it is at home. Guys who are friends with one another typically walk with their arms around one another or holding hands, and sit with their hands on one another's legs. Same goes for girls. And it is completely acceptable and no one bats an eye (except for the shocked tourists).

So the others turned in for the night, while we headed to another one of those mingmars where I had the priveledge of being molested by a Tibetan girl. It started out innocently enough with her giving us beer and her asking me to dance to the traditional Tibetan music, but ended with her having a death grip on my right hand, groping my leg and kissing my cheek. I am not sure if this is typical behavior; she seemed to be pushing the line as far as I was concerned. So at the end of the evening, we made a move and bolted when her and her friend were not paying attention and broke out into a run once we were out the door. We heard them calling for us, but we just ran faster (I envisioned a cheetah on my heels) and hid in an alley until we knew they'd passed. Straaaange.

I really had to go to the bathroom, but all further alleys on the way back to the hotel were gated and locked, so I conceded defeat and pulled a nature girl move once the coast was clear. Past all the closed porn shops, we finally made it back to the hotel in one piece.

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