I had been living in MacPherson for a few months now and was ready to explore the nightlife.
I had heard about a local pub that was popular with the locals, so I decided to go and check it out.
When I walked in, I was overwhelmed by the scene in front of me. There were at least a dozen hostesses, all wearing skimpy clothes and heavy makeup speaking mandarin but with a Vietnamese accent.
They were all vying for attention from the numerous older men in the bar. Most of the men were in their fifties or sixties, and there were some even older than that.
I felt out of place, to say the least. I was in my twenties, and the age gap between me and the other patrons was huge. To make matters worse, some of the men seemed to be making inappropriate comments and gestures towards the hostesses.
I felt extremely uncomfortable and wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Just as I was about to make my escape, several of the ladies started shouting: “Handsome come in, don’t go!”
I guess anyone who is young will be called handsome in that place…
At that moment, I decided that it was time to leave. I quickly made my way out of the pub and back to my home, feeling relieved to have escaped the uncomfortable atmosphere.
The experience at the pub left me feeling unsettled. It showed me just how different the nightlife can be in a small pub, compared to Clark Quay.
I was shocked to see the way those older men were behaving, and I was glad that I had the sense to leave when I did.