Singapore 360 - Day 28: Shiraz Belly Dancer

Shiraz. Two things come to mind when I encounter the word: the variety of red wine that's powerfully flavored and full bodied, and the city in South Iran that's also been called the city of gardens.

That changed a few months ago when I finally took note of the name of the bar in Clarke Quay that occasionally features a belly dancer shaking and grooving to a lively beat. Whether I like it or not, I knew my brain would associate belly dancing with Shiraz from then on.

We'd normally pass by the bar as part of the Clarke Quay tour we give to visiting friends. On one particular day, the couple we were showing around was in luck. So was I, for I had brought my camera with me.

It's not surprising that everyone within a 10-meter radius of the bar turned their attention on her: first, the curious glances; then the bedazzled stares; next, the suddenly ubiquitous flashes and staccato clicks of the cameras; and after the performance, the applause.

Just a few days ago, when we were on our "tour of duty" for another visiting friend, there was no belly dancer doing her thing in Shiraz. It seemed, at least for me, that the whole of Clarke Quay was a little less lively.

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