Life is picking up bit by bit here at The Point Arequipa. While three guests was considered a busy day in January and February, we're averaging between six and ten these days. Business is still slower than we'd like, but we try to keep our glasses half full. I also need new bar staff. While I didn't end up firing Carlos which I thought was a little harsh without suggesting some ways for him to improve, he has decided to leave and continue on his travels. He's got a bus tonight to Ica, Peru where the attraction is sandboarding. Elsa, my adorable French bartender is leaving me April 3rd to also do some traveling. Elsa is studying Spanish at the University here in town and also speaks Italian. She can often times be found flirting with the very attractive Italian chef and owner of the Pizzeria 4 doors down from the hostel where the crust is baked in a brick oven. I tasted it once just so I could recommend (or not) the pizza shop. So Elsa is leaving April 3rd and I will officially need brand new bar staff. Forty five minutes after placing a sign in the bar that reads 'Bar Staff Wanted, talk to Lauren =)' , I was approached by a couple from New Zealand- Tom and Yovani (who was born in Serbia) asking if I would take bar staff for a week. After declining the initial offer from them and telling them I needed a two week minimum commitment, we came to an agreement that Yovani would train today at 8pm and when Elsa leaves in a week, Tom can then begin bartending and begin to take advantage of the perks that come with bartending here; free accommodation, breakfast, lunch, and 10% off of alcohol, increasing each week of work. So after 3 weeks, they would get 30% off, maxing out at 40% for bartenders and 50% for me, the bar manager! This all happened yesterday. I woke up at noon and wandered into reception to claim my clean laundry and was quickly approached by the reception manager who excitedly told me that a young Scottish man had inquired about bartending and is willing to stay for 3 months. Well now i'm in a pickle! Of course I need to place priority on the backpacker who can stay longer so I had to talk to the Kiwis (New Zealanders) and told them I can only take on one of them. And if that's the case, I don't know how keen they'll be on just hanging out while one of them works for free room and 1/2 of board. Being a manager is teaching me a kind of responsibility I hadn't learned before and I like it!
On another note- I had a wonderful day. I went to lunch with 2 Swedes, and an Englishman. I took them to Don Pollo- a delicious restaurant where I go to eat Pollo a la Brasa- Peruvian rotisserie chicken. For 8.5 Soles (10 if you want a soda included) you get the soup of the day, 1/4 of the juiciest, most flavorful Peruvian chicken, french fries, and salad! We all ordered the same thing except Justin, the Englishman who asked for no soup because he doesn't eat beef and I made sure to ask what kind of animal was used to make the broth. The server insisted that he could bring the soup without any beef in it but he didn't seem to understand that because there was cow in the water with which the soup was made, he wouldn't consume it. Peruvians just don't understand this concept. So while Justin asked for extra fries instead of soup, the waiter still insisted on bringing Justin some soup to try because apparently he makes delicious soup. The gentleman in Justin unwrapped his silverware and dipped his spoon into his soup then placed it back on the napkin never letting the soup part his lips so that the waiter would think that he had tasted it. The boys were pleased with lunch and we went back to the hostel so I could prepare for my afternoon shift. The afternoon was mellow and Matt from Scotland showed up at 8pm so I could brief him in the workings of the bar. I hired Matt the second he told me he could stay for three months and that he has worked in bars for three years. Plus he has an awesome sense of humor so I think this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship! During my afternoon shift, I had the pleasure of entertaining a Brazilian and two Chileans and they even taught me a few new words. I asked if they needed any recommendations for places to go for dinner and they then asked me where the closest supermarket was so that they could buy ingredients to prepare an asado- a south american barbecue with lightly seasoned meat using just salt and sometimes pepper. I excitedly asked if I could take part if I made a financial contribution to which they were ecstatic that I wanted to join them! When my shift ended at 9pm, I was greeted by three handsome latinos preparing three different salsas- one with onion, cilantro, oil and vinegar, another with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and vinegar, and the last with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, garlic, and aji- a Peruvian hot pepper. Delish!! Now if you're reading this and you sort of know me, you know that cooking is one of my passions in life, especially cooking for other people. But having 3 attractive latinos cooking for me was an entirely new experience and boy did I enjoy it! They cooked enough food for a small army and I spent the evening sipping on beer, scooping salsas, laughing, and eventually eating lots of meat! One by one the hostel stayers and staff made they're way up to the rooftop terrace to see what was going on, have a chat, and ultimately eating food with us. I was a bit annoyed when I asked the Chileans who I should pay and how much I owed, that they wanted exactly 1/4 of the total bill making my contribution 25 Soles when we ended up feeding nearly the entire hostel. In the end, you can't put a price on good food and even better company so i sucked it up. I have a Skype meeting at 11:30am (technically this morning) with the owner and the Marketing Director to discuss my job and how things have been thus far and I think they'll be pleased. And today is officially the 5 week mark for my return home. Get readyyyyy!
