Girls, Girls, Girls

Karen and I went out with some ladies from RiverPlace Friday night and it turned into more of a cultural experience than I anticipated. Our evening began down by the Asian Civilisations Museum at a restaurant called Timbre. A dozen of us enjoyed adult beverages and some of the best pizza I've had here. It was a great "let your hair down" evening with the girls and it's always fun to combine American, Australian and European women over drinks and food.

Brian and Jason were having their own guys night out and later in the evening, they invited us to join them at Khazana Lounge, located in the Boat Quay area. I was intrigued by Karen's description of the lounge featuring Indian belly dancers, so we opted to meet them over there. Since they were right across the river, the distance we needed to travel was a bit far to walk in our dressy heels but ridiculously short for a taxi so I was delighted when a friendly rickshaw driver approached us. I had never taken a rickshaw before, but suddenly it seemed like the perfect time to ride in a 2-person carriage attached to a bicycle to get to our destination. It's really not the safest mode of transportation since they're cycling down city streets but we were feeling brave.

We made it to Khazanas unharmed and the lounge felt like a seedy topless bar, without the topless women. 8 dancers performed with a live band playing Indian music to an all-male crowd (yes, Karen and I stood out a bit). A couple of the dancers were really talented and they all wore beautiful clothing from head to toe while revealing their mid-sections. And unlike the Asians I'm accustomed to seeing, these women had curves.

What I found fascinating was how suggestive the dancers could be while clothed and also how much the men participated. These guys weren't passive. They sang and danced with the women (no touching, please) and that helped create a festive atmosphere that was downright entertaining. Even the American men briefly joined the action. Just imagine Brian in the middle of a crowd of Indians wearing shorts, running shoes and his Ragweed tshirt - a classic Brian move. Of course, it's not every day that one can dance with Indian belly dancers, so it's important to take advantage of those rare moments.