I have set myself a mission to relax: do some yoga and journal, so I have booked 5 days at my favourite hostel in Malaga, Spain for some sunshine..

I guess I hadn't quite expected it to follow with moonlight, good times and boogie...  but hey, I'm here for it.

Sadly, readers, this is not a tale about rest, relaxation and discovering ones inner peace. Nope. It's a tale of sheer ridiculousness with an old friend, new acquaintances and copious amounts of alcoholic beverages.

It begins up on the hostel terrace, as I am sat enjoying some sunshine and serenity (making a half arsed attempt to work at my laptop.) My short lived zen is shattered by the sound of footsteps coming up the hostel stairs.

To my surprise (and sheer delight) it's none other than my mate Sander, from The Netherlands, whom I'd met here two years previously, can you believe it?

After condensing two years of life into 10 minutes, we crack open some beers, as he introduces me to his new friends: Phoebe (from Wales) Mario (from Bosnia) and Michaela (from Scotland).

I am unaware that these are soon to become the hostel amigos I never knew I needed. I have no idea that we are shortly to embarrass ourselves royally on the Malaga city streets, in our very own version of a pub crawl - A 'Pub Walk''. This is essentially a disordered, informal pub crawl of our own design.

I have unwittingly stumbled into three days of carnage in Malaga.

It's easy to understand how easily one can do such a thing. I have now clocked up a record 13 visits to Lights Hostel in Malaga. It has a magical rooftop terrace and bar, where friendship flows like the free sangria... can you see where I'm going here?

Our new crew has colonised, what is affectionately known as The ADHD Corner' of the terrace.  This is a cosy, sun trap of a corner, complete with power supply and shaded from the Andalusian sunshine by sails. It's the perfect spot to people watch and enjoy a cold beer, where the neurodivergent seem to flock like birds. over a box of fish and chips.

And this is where the carnage began. An evening of bar hopping, concluded by skilfully re-creating Malaga's statues.

My personal low light: a re-enactment of the virgin Mary and baby Jesus mural with Sander. In case there was any vestige of doubt that I had booked my space in hell, my fate is now sealed.

I'm not sure why all roads seem to converge back to Lights Hostel. Perhaps it's the homing pigeon instinct in me?

You don't know that sometimes you need to just let your hair down and embrace your inner silly person. As Phoebe would say some 'good wholesome fun'. And yes, one evening was spent scooting Phoebe around the common area on an office chair, much to the disapproval of the hostel staff!

The truth is we all need to be utterly ridiculous sometimes.

And yes, I have well and truly failed to rest, relax and recuperate. There's always a next time right, Sander?

**UPDATE**

Well.. if you needed further proof at how small the world is - my new bessie Aussie mate Cherie and I have a mutual friend, Ari, who I met back in 2015 in Athens!

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