The Tarouga Trip
Nights to Be Remembered
"Rich, young, and stupid. They come here looking for fun, hoping for an experience they can never forget. Now, the first word there? That one gets you quite the service here if you know where to find it. But that last qualifier... yeah, they never find it."Tarouga, the Free Port, is known as a place where people can go for all sorts of pleasures should it be desired. For young noble scions and others who can afford a trip across the sea, the tales and myths about what happens there sometimes stirs the imagination. In recent decades, there has been a tradition among young people seeking a few nights of debauchery without having the details become known locally. Everyone would know they did go to Tarouga, of course, but what happened there would be a mystery.
At least, that is what they would say about it if questioned. For many, there is an alternative reason which was much simpler in nature. They want to go somewhere "exotic" to find whatever desired intoxication can be received, and Tarouga is known as the place for it. Many establishments closer to home could offer comparable service, or even products, and be paid well enough to make arrangements for a secret visit as opposed to a Tarouga visit being known. It is about the expense for the exotic, the cover of uncertainty, and chasing the reputation.
The tradition is rather simple, though every person has their own version of doing so. Many just want to go to a tavern in particular suspected to be "the best" (or "the worst" in some instances) in order to test the legends. Some want to make the trip about sampling all the places where one can get a drink or other pleasures, with a specific list or order in mind. All of these matter less than doing so in Tarouga. Those who are not inclined to do a "Tarouga trip" see it as a sign the individual in question is not to be trusted on moral grounds.
"Frankly, hiding a trip like that is quite difficult. It also leaves an indelible mark, you see. Everyone knows why you went, everyone knows you couldn't be bothered to hide it better, and yet you seemingly still expected to dodge the consequences of such knowledge. If you're going to do something you believe is immoral - and you obviously did believe it to be - then why not hide it better? You're now immoral and an idiot."
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An interesting look at party locales that I can definitely see being analogues to places like Vegas, Hawaii, Fire Island, etc. I do like how the article stresses that it isn't the specific locales or sources of "debauchery" that're unique, it's the sense of exoticism from them, and it seems like Tarouga is the subject to something like IRL Tiki culture