My One night stand in Brussels (with details)

If you are reading this hoping for some juicy details of copulation then just stop there. Shame on you for thinking such a thing, get your mind out of the gutter! Actually I could not decide on a title for this posting I was debating between “Friends for a night” and “One Night Stand”. Hopefully you have figured out which one I chose.

My last night in Brussels I headed down to the backpackers bar in the hostel for a drink, I got so much more. I was greeted by a boisterous crowd. Turns out they have karaoke and two for one beers from 8-9. Not sure if that was a good choice of combinations there guys. I pulled up a seat at the bar buoyed by a text message from Matt telling me to get over it and go have some fun. When asked if I wanted the single looking glass or the double sized one, I understood the two for one policy. You just get a bigger glass for the price of the smaller one. I of course chose the bigger glass. OOPS! Turns out I got two of the bigger glasses. Oh golly this is going to be an interesting night.

I interjected myself into a conversation next to me and instantly we were all best friends. This guy introduced himself as chow fu. He was from the Philippines. I had a strong suspicion his name was fake because, why would a Philippine person have the name of a movie kung fu master? He began his life story which culminated on the idea that social networking was the way to success in the ivy league educational system (A system of which he was not yet a part but, he desperately wanted to be). He seemed to be stuck on this one for about 90 minutes until he was escorted out of the bar and to his room. I gave you the condensed version here and be thankful at that.

Some of the highlights of the conversation included karaoke in ASL to no one who could understand me. Lots and lots of singing, not always the same words that were printed on the screen. I found out his brother is in jail for selling crack. Interestingly he was an ex crack dealer as well. Talk about intimate details from a complete stranger. I felt like I should close my eyes or something, or at least have him buy me dinner before accosting me with his private things.
He left finally and I noticed the bar had become very empty except for a few locals. Keep in mind this was a bar in the hostel so it was not like some street bar where I feared for my life or anything like that. I asked my new friend, a different guy, if all the people here now are locals or employees or what. He said they are all locals except for

the two sitting in the corner. I waited for the other shoe to drop, it never did, so I gave it a nudge. I asked him “so does that make me a local?” He stammered a bit then said something like oh right, you’re not a local are you. I guess he and I were close now. Wow for me; two in one night.

The bartenders and a couple of other people sat with me. We all talked and reminisced about our pasts together for the rest of the evening. It was like being in an orgy of conversations. I never even got their names. Maybe I did get their names, but after you are friends with the bartender the drinks just appear as if by magic and money never seems to be exchanged. By the time I headed up to my room (ALONE you pervert stop thinking like that) I was exhausted from my series of one night friends. I wonder if the rest of my trip will be similar to this; transient friendships at the deepest most uncomfortable level then a cavernous void until the next hostel friendship.