Ninth Best

I can now say that I’ve danced at the ninth best bar in the world. That’s right, Singapore is home to Zouk, one of the top ten bars worldwide. And I’ve not only been there, I’ve danced there, too.

At Zouk.

Every Wednesday night is Lady’s Night so girls get in free and guys pay through the nose. Of course, by the time you’ve paid taxi fare, the evening isn’t cheap, even for girls, but in comparison to the $30 cover charge the guys have to pay (and that’s before drinks), girls have it pretty good.

After all, Zouk is more than a bar, it’s an experience. I didn’t order any drinks, but I didn’t have to. The music was far too good to require any sort of substance to lower my dancing inhibitions. Lights, the shapes of open eyes, hung from the ceiling like modern chandeliers. The bar displayed an inlaid mother of pearl backsplash displaying dozens of liquors. The dance floor was a confusion of hips and sways, drinks and music. Umbrellas almost flew into people’s drinks, as they were prepared at lightning speed.

The interior of Zouk.

Bar tenders handed me a red masquerade mask and lay as I passed them, and I quickly added them to my costume. In the dim light which cast a whitish glow over much of our clothing (and some of our hair), the accessories almost accented my gray dress and blue-green beaded necklace. 

People ordered drinks: rum and cranberry juice, mint juleps, flavored spritzers, and a few of us even tried to order Shirley Temples (but the prices kept the Maraschino cherries safely behind the counter). Then we headed onto the dance floor. My favorite room played hip hop music. We got into the room early and danced until around 12:30 when the room got so congested you couldn’t move for traffic. Then we pushed our way into the mambo room where dancers took the stage to walk us through hand motions to older songs. Just as I was getting the hang of the waving arms and gesticulating elbows, my “dry” group decided to head back to the dorms. I was secretly relieved as I’d caught myself yawning in the middle of the YMCA. But I’m glad I went.

Now, I can say that my first bar ranked ninth in the world. I don’t plan to visit another bar unless it is ranked at least number eight. That means that the next time I’m at a bar, I’ll be in Manchester (#1), Berlin (#2), or, outside shot Lisbon (#3).