First Night In Prague

I was sharing the room with two South Korean girls, who were friends, and a Chinese girl who was travelling on her own. They were all lovely. I thought I would feel a bit strange sharing a room with girls I didn't know but it was fine to be honest. No awkward silences, no need for forced conversation. I felt comfortable.

I sat in bed wondering if I should go out and brace the cold. The temperature at night went down to minus ten. I only had two nights in Prague so I didn't really want to waste any time. I took out my phone and searched for the best cocktail bars. Cause if you know me, you know I love a good cocktail.

I got my mirror and started applying lip-liner, and realised that the Chinese girl, her name was Hebe, kept glancing over at me.

'Where are you going?'
'Just going to go sit at a bar'
'Oh.. Okay..'

She started fidgeting, as if she wanted to ask something but couldn't quite get her words out.

'You wanna come?'

Her face lit up. A smile spread across her face. She was a petite girl with small features. I thought she couldn't be any older than 22. She spoke in broken English with a strong Chinese accent. I wasn't really in the mood to have any company or to make conversation, but she looked really bored and was eating sliced bread on its own. Just plain bread, with nothing on it. She needed saving.



She jumped up and quickly put her jacket on, still grinning. We left and walked to Bugsy's Bar. The place had really good reviews online and the cocktails looked top-notch. I fancied something with Tequila so I ordered Bugsy's Design Margarita. Hebe stared at the menu, flicking through the pages but it seemed like she didn't know what she was looking at.

'You need any help?'
'Yeah, erm, I don't know what to get.'
'Okay, what kind of spirits do you like? Then we can go from there.'
'Spirits?', she sounded confused.
'Yeah, you know like what kind of alcohol? Do you like whiskey, brandy, vodka, tequila?'
'Umm... I don't know'

Okay, so maybe she's not much of a drinker. I tried again.

'Alright so how do you want your drink to taste? Would you prefer it to be sweet, sour or bitter?
'I like sweet'. Now we're getting somewhere.
'Okay would you like your drink to be strong? Or don't you want to taste the alcohol?'
'No I don't want strong.'

I called the barman over and told him that she wants a sweet cocktail and doesn't want it to be too strong, and to make her something special.

When she got the drink she got so excited she spilt a quarter of it over herself.



'I'll be honest with you, I've never been to a bar before'.
Oh god, I've just given alcohol to a minor. The bouncer outside didn't ask for ID. Well done Ads.
'What? How old are you?'
'Nearly thirty.'
'And you've never been to a bar?'
'No, it's not very popular in China. Not with my friends anyway'.
'Well, how do you like it? Do you like your drink?'
'Yes, it's very nice'. Every time she took a sip of it, she gave me a big smile. It made me really happy to see her enjoying herself so much.

She was a cutie. She told me about her life, and how she travels alone because all her friends have kids. She was travelling to a couple cities around Europe and tonight was her last night in Prague.

'Tonight has been really special, you're so kind. I'll always remember you', she said as we were finishing off our drinks.

My heart melted. Before we came to the bar, I reluctantly asked her if she wanted to come. I only asked her because she looked so bored on her own and I felt bad. But seeing her beaming face made my night. I do believe that some people are just meant to cross paths. We were meant to meet that night. Maybe I got sent to her for a bar experience, but she got sent to me for something much more heart warming. Showing kindness to strangers is good for the soul, it made me feel like I had a purpose that night. It was one of the highlights of my trip and I have her to thank for that.



When we walked out she burst into giggles. She put her hand to her chest.

'My heart is beating so fast!'

I laughed and thanked the alcohol Gods that we only had one drink, otherwise I probably would have had to carry her back.