...As for Ali and Dee and I, the fun we had this weekend had little to do with outside influences, and everything to do with three goddess sisters determined to add a bit of spark and shimmer to the Y. nightlife.
Here in this city somewhere in Asia, fun doesn’t arrive at your doorstep. There are no bookstores. There are no decent movies showing at cinema. There’s one, semi-decent night club in town still open. So, come Friday night, unless you want to stay home or go the same ole’ watering hole, you have to create your own fun. All it takes is a bit of creativity, a dash of daring, and willing accomplices. As for Ali and Dee and I, the fun we had this weekend had little to do with outside influences, and everything to do with three goddess sisters determined to add a bit of spark and shimmer to the Y. nightlife.
Word on the street said that the A. Frances was sponsoring a carnival party, so Dee, Ali and I met in the early evening to don our costumes and do our hair and make-up. Dee dressed as a Shan Princess: lovely silk, and a hair scarf that shimmered, and carrying a hand-woven basket. Ali came as a Tie Girl, which when spoken has another connotation: Thai Girl. Using old ties of various and sundry colors, she opened them up and sewed them together to make a colorful skirt. This, together with her tall physique and her tie hair piece, made her entrance to the various establishments we visited that night a smashing spectacle indeed. As for me: I donned the Egyptian kaftan, a present from Dr. N. The main dress was black, trimmed in gold. With it, I donned its accompaning black, sheer veil trimmed in golden, coin-shaped metal tassels. I wrapped the veil around my head to make a jingling turban. This, together with some gold jewelry and dark eyeliner transformed me into an Egyptian maiden.
What an entrance the three of us made at the A.Frances, only to realize that the hundred or so other people in attendance hadn’t worn costumes. Instead, they sat politely at the tables, eating their food so properly, and staring at us: the six-foot Australian Tie Girl, the German Shan Princess of medium-height, and the short, American Egyptian maiden. By the looks on their faces, you would have thought we were aliens walking onto the runway rather than three gals dressed for a carnival party. We were looking for festivity, fun, and frolic; instead, we got frumpiness and frowns. “God bless” the French. Though several of the city’s finest queens were in attendance and set to perform and two guys in drag were looking quite sexy, there was little hope for an evening of fun. All it took was one look at the crowd, and one look at each other to say in unison, “Let’s blow this joint!”
So, we did.
So, we were off the S, where our entrance was greeted warmly, primarily because the Friday night usuals were there. Before the night was over, several night owls asked for their faces to be decorated. So, with eyeliner and lipstick and lip liner, we carnival chicks added shapes and lines and third eyes to the faces of strangers and friends alike.
Then, it was off to the B.C., which was sponsoring a Country and Western night (we blew that theme, to be sure, in our ties and tassels and shimmer!) and then to the BME, where we danced to salsa and hip hop and techno, and my personal favorite song: “I Will Survive.” My veil came off and landed in Dee's basket. We closed the place down- and around 3 am, taxied home where we stumbled off to our respective apartments, a bit tipsy, and very happy.
Stay tuned for boas and The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and the dark, mysterious cosmetic corners of B. market.
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