Karaoke and so much more

Last night was Tiffany and Ida's final night in Hong Kong, we decided that drinks and karaoke were on order. We heard that CEO in Tsim Sha Tsui was the nicest place and one of the few karaoke establishments that had American songs. But when we arrived we balked at the high price - $20US per person not including any drinks. We spotted another karaoke place across the street, so went to check their prices. After traveling up three stories and down several halls we got to the entrance. A sign outside read, "Members only." Several ladies stood at the desk and we tried to ask if there was any way we could still get in. As we walked forward the attendant held out her arms and yelled at us to stop. Then they began discussing something among themselves and scurrying around. Finally, one of their managers came out and gestured to us to come in. He told us, "Yes, members only, but you are special. Come right in. This is special, only for you." We tried to ask him the price, but he told us, "Don't worry, it's taken care of, just come in. Just sit down and order some drinks." Being savvy travelers, we refused enter until we had established pricing. Finally after ten minutes of discussions in broken English and Mandarin, the intervention of two different managers, some hard ball negotiation, and lots of scurrying about by various attendants, we established that we would not have to pay for the room at all but only for drinks and a platter of fruit. The manager told us, "If you get the bill and you think we cheated you, then just walk out." We were still on guard, but with this assurance we decided it was time to sing. We entered the room, ordered a round of drinks, and tried to figure out how to work the karaoke machine. As we began, David started musing that this was probably a front for the mob. He suggested drinking slowly in case they were trying to drug us and steal our money. After several minutes of listening to David, Tiffany became terrified enough that she called one of her Hong Kong friends and told her, "I'm just calling because we're at this really sketchy Karaoke place across from CEO in Tsim Sham Tsui. If tomorrow the police discover our bodies stuffed in some back-alley dumpster in Kowloon, please tell them that this is where we were last." OK, maybe those weren't Tiffany's exact words, but by that point I wasn't listening. I had already downed my beer, found the karaoke microphone, and broken out into song. We spent the next hour singing the best of the Beatles, Bon Jovi, Back Street Boys, and Spice Girls (selection was pretty limited). David shot some video with his digital camera, but they will not be posted on this blog. At one point the manager came in and asked us how everything was. An attractively dressed woman accompanied the manager. The manager introduced her to us saying, "This is my friend from Shaghai." After a minute of chit-chat he and the woman left. I now felt completely relieved. So that's how they made their money. They're not trying to con us with exorbitant prices, nor drug us and rob us. They were just a brothel. That also explains why they had so much trouble figuring out the pricing. "What is the cost? Cost of what? Cost of karaoke? You want to sing karaoke??" We sang a few more songs, and then finally decided to call it a night. The only irregularity on the bill was that they had charged us $10US for mixed nuts. They had told us the nuts were free. We argued and they removed the charge. Altogether we each paid $11US for an hour of karaoke and drinks. Not bad at all. As we walked out, we saw that a few police officers were paying a visit. They must have gotten word that this establishment was offering a lot more than karaoke. We exited out into the night, and began to laugh at our adventure. The Hong Kong interns, happily singing karaoke in the middle of a brothel. On the left, Ida and Selena. On the right, Tiffany, Elliot and David, posing for the photo Asian-style.