Karaoke bust

Well last night we had a comedy of errors… while in town we’d seen a club with a sign that said “Steps Karaoke Bar.” With my ambitions of singing karaoke in every major city I visit, I insisted Alan and I go on Friday night. So we got cleaned up after our kayak adventure and hopped in a cab to check it out.

We arrived to a somewhat dodgy scene – a gated entry with about 5 large Fijians wearing screen printed t-shirts with the club name. We paid $2 Fijian to get in and were led by one of the men into the club, where it was clear only locals were patronizing the place. People were dancing, it was dark and smoky and the bar had a glass wall like a bank! The drinks were stiff and we were pretty much body-guarded by the big guy. There was no sign of Karaoke. It was just a night club. We danced a couple of songs (nervously), then snuck out to see if we couldn’t find some actual Karaoke around here.

An older Mercedes cab picked us up on the street and the first thing the driver says is “Do you need anything?… Marijuana?…” And we just laughed. No thanks. As if the Kava and cocktails aren’t drug enough! We asked the guy, “Where do people actually do Karaoke tonight in this town?” and he knew just the place: the Ice Bar. Okay, take us there.

Of course, we get there, pay a cover, buy a couple of overpriced margaritas, and look around to see it’s another dance club with a few pool tables and a patio looking down on the street, half full with tourists.

We concluded that the word Karaoke must mean something very different from what it means in the states.

However, between the drug-dealing cab driver, seeing the locals in their native state, and a nice buzz from the stiff cocktails, it was a great night.

Alan woke up this morning with a crazy sunburn from gathering shells on the beach yesterday. I got some odd pattern burns where I missed the sunblock. Now we’re just kicking back on the veranda at our resort, relaxing before our early flight to Christchurch, NZ tomorrow morning.

Bula bula,
Michelle

Tags: Drugs, Fiji, Karaoke