Day 4.5 An Arabic Strip Bar

Let me preface this that in my motel the only place i can get internet access is the lobby. So i write these blogs in there. The night before I noticed quite a few Saudi's going into what looked like a club. You can tell they were Saudi's because their gutra (headpiece) was red checkered, which is distinctive in only Saudi Arabia. All others wear white...with the exception of maybe Palestine where they are black checked (think Yasser Arafat).

So I was curious. So tonight when I was writing in the Blog, there was a Bahranian also in the lobby smoking, drinking, and talking loudly on his cell phone. Arabs are standoffish at first, but once you make the first move in terms of communication they are extremely friendly and hospitable. But again, you have to initiate the conversation. So asked what was the deal with all the Saudi's. He went onto explain that the Saudi's come to the club and drink and drink and drink. He said they drink beer and whisky like water. Perhaps its because they can't get alcohol in Saudi that when they come over to Bahrain where alcohol is readily available, they binge drink. So I explained i was a little intimidated because the front desk clerk (Indian) told me the night before that it was a club for Arabs only. Adnan invited me in the club as his guest. So I went inside and it was empty. It was still just 9:00 and apparently the nightlife (even on a work day) doesn't get started until 12:00 A or 1:00 A. That tradition goes way back in culture. Because it is so hot here (upwards of 130 degrees in the Summer) everyone stayed inside during the day and only came out at night when it was cooler.

So i wasn't really sure what to expect. i was enjoying the conversation with my new friend. There was a singer on the stage with a three keyboards and guy looking like he was playing some sort of bass. They were rocking out with Arabic music. It was all quite enjoyable. Suddenly five girls emerged from the back stage. The stage was in the center of the club. They formed an X with one girl dancing in the middle and started dancing. Could this be? I was at my first Arabic strip bar. i had no idea what i had gotten myself into, but i didn't want to be a rude guest. Adnan had to leave as he had a 6:00 am appointment the next day. Before he left, he instructed the Maitre D or bouncer....im not sure which, to make sure that I ordered anything I wanted and to send the bill to him. i was quite touched by his generosity to a stranger he just met. But that is Arab hospitality for you. They are famous for it.

So back to the girls. Remember this is an Arabic strip bar. Where "showing some skin" usually means showing some ankle. So the girls were dressed up in the equivalent of prom dresses. I had also met Adnan's friend, a Jordanian...he was very friendly and apparently he was the headline singer of the evening. So the girls danced and slowly more and more Saudi's trickled into the club. Now when i say danced, i mean they lifted their heels off the ground and shifted on their toes a bit. It was all stationary. Absolutely no clothes came off...not even a hint of it. Then the some Filipina waitresses came out with Flowered lays. The patrons would order the lays, and the waitresses would put the large body sized lay on the girl's neck. This is the equivalent of a lap dance. Sometimes the girls would hold hands and dance (shift on their toes) in front of the guy that bought the lays, sometimes they wouldn't.

OK...i wanted to take a picture of my Jordanian singer friend so i could send it all of you. Apparently that is a big no-no. The bouncer/Maitre'D got really upset. Suddenly i was a bit uncomfortable. He demanded i delete the pictures immediately. So I took him outside and said ma salaama Habibi. Which means Im sorry friend. Fortunately Adnan was outside. i think he might have owned the club. i deleted the pictures and all was well. So i went back inside to listen to a few more tunes. They brought out the piece pipe...which is a type of giant bong where they smoked cherry tobacco. Many of the Saudi's were on their way to getting blitzed. But it was just amazing to see their reactions to the girls. They were really getting worked up. Im thinking...the girls aren't that pretty (in my eyes) and they are in prom dresses...how could you get worked up over that? Than I thought...wow...Im such a desensitized American. It just shows you we all have different levels of arousal/lust points/sin. As more and more Saudi's made their way into the club, i thought it would best that I leave sooner rather than later. Keep in mind I feel completely safe in Bahrain, but with Saudi's its a little different. They are much more conservative and hardlined than the rest of the Middle East. (9 of the 12 terrorists on 9/11 were Saudi's). i hope im not perpetuating a stereotype because that is what im trying to dispel by being here. But with Saudi's they are different than all the other Arabs. If they were going to get drunk and worked up, it probably wasn't the wisest place for a westerner to be. Consider it like being a Denver Bronco fan sitting in the Black Hole at the Oakland Coliseum during a Raider game. Legal yes...smart no... Still...i feel safer in a room full of Saudi's than i ever would as a Bronco in the black hole.