Friday, March 14, 2008

Sinners ARE Winners

So, I've been looking through my 'drafts' list.... Glastonbury, Rome, my school disco birthday, Spain and Portugal, Christmas.... the list goes on. Without proof I must say that the intention to complete these blogs is definitely there. They're half done in most cases!

It was a combination of reading back over what was started as my 'summer holiday' blog when Dylan and I today came up with the idea of Friday cocktails... which lead to contemplating the shooters menu (yes, this is going somewhere) which took my mind back to a little bar called Whyte's in Lagos....

It was July 15 (from what is now a distant and extremely hazy memory). Our last night in Lagos where most of our mates from London had caught us up. It was a hot afternoon. Hell. They all were. We went in search of refreshments and found a bar serving steins of cocktails. Our saviour.

Upon being served we spied a leaderboard of sorts above our heads pertaining to 'The 9 Deadly Sins Challenge'. I, not being one to back away from a competition enquired. This is what I found.

Now. Half of me thought, "Don't be ridiculous. You're taking a 2 hour train ride tomorrow to catch a plane to Madrid from a town you don't know. We promised our body we wouldn't get drunk the night before travelling after what happened in Lisbon...". The other (much more powerful half of me) thought, "Why are we even contemplating this? Get your name on the effing board!!".

As a big group of us had gathered, we'd been talking about the challenge for a good 2 hours. It was time to put up, or shut up.

As I approached the bar Brooke lent me her headband - this would prove vital to saving my hair later. Leigh on one side and Corey on the other (my trusted sidekicks all the way from Lisbon), people started chanting. This is where I started doubting every DECS drinking session I'd ever spearheaded.

I strategically lined the shots up from 'least potential to make me throw up' to 'most potential to make me throw up'. Somewhere between shots 6 and 7 one involving bourbon (satan's drink) would not go down the hatch and Coreys shoes wore a shot or two. I thought this ended the competition but I looked up and the bar chick was waving me on to finish up. The final two were down the hatch and I completed the round in 21 seconds (earning the nickname, 9 in 21). Disgusted that I let it all go heywire, my mates couldn't have been more proud (I'm sure Mum would have slapped me).

I walked away with my free t-shirt and a cocky sense that none of the alcohol had hit me. It was then we thought about starting a collection to have a second round. Luckily we did not, as the night wore on a quickly forgot I was flying the next day or even where my hostel and friends were....

(Unbelievably, this is NOT the time I got mugged. God must be watching over me).


Before

(Note the advertisement asking 'Are you brave enough?'... more like stupid enough)

After




And slightly after that



(hey, it was Hilltop Hoods baby!)

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