First hangover in Abu Dhabi

It was this weekend when I went with Beng - a colleague from Pekanbaru who come here for a course. We spent the day in Marina Mall, trying to get something to satisfy his pickiness (well, he's Singaporean.. I can't expect too much for -not-being-too-picky from him, eh?:p).

When we're about to go back home, he said that 2 of his classmates headed to the mall as well, so we decided to wait for them.

So, we met them.. now we were: 1 Indonesian girl, 3 guys, Omani, American and Singaporean. Very normal if you are working for Schlumberger (and UNO as well, I guess:) ).

So, they finished eating and invited if I want to join them.."where to?" I asked.. and they, with their usual guy-ness replied " well, everywhere, we'll check each nice spots". What they meant is to do bars-hopping.

So, the Omani guy, Ahmed drives a car, and we stopped a moment back in my place to change and to their place to change as well.

So, because before, I heard this bar called "Rock Bottom", I told them as one of the idea and we headed there.

This bar located in Al Diar Capitol Hotel, in eastern Ring Road. The bar is crowded and quite big, although still full with people. It is combined with a restaurant as well. The choice of songs are good and nice for dancing, but the band was not really good with his shrieking voice and actually the the DJ session is better compare to the band session. Only the "girls" who were dancing on the floor, so it was not really enjoable for me, since I came with 3-veggie guys who didn't want to move and having "not drunk enough" as the reason and no girlfriend to dance together. Couple of time I tried to scoop in and dance in between the people, but I felt not so comfortable and moved back in to join the guys around the bar table. To get in, each of us need to pay 50 dhs, for 2 free drinks, quite a good deal (compare to another stuff price here - since I need to remind myself not to convert each price into rupiah, or else I will live like a monk:p). The crowd is more to arabs/indians and guys-who-I-can't-identify, not so many "bule" here. One guy tried to tease me, guess he's drunk, I just ignore and look the other direction. Here I really feel midget, since everybody else at least 1-half taller and bigger than me... so, not really nice to be swerved around and also can't be seen.

Good thing here is just the song, and oh yea, the Foster beer and Corona I took (after more than 4 months I didn't drink).Finished with the drinks, the guys decided to move to another bar, I was hesitated for a moment, but hell, I wanna see the other place as well.

So we went to Crowne Plaza Hotel, actually just beside my office, and nearby my apartment. It has "Heroes" pub, which the guys went the day before and they promised me that "everybody on the floor". So we went in, no-cover charge or entrance fee.. which is a bit surprise since this was weekend night, but it's good for us anyway. The place is a bit packed and smaller than the first one. The dance floor was small as well. The crowd is more all bule and almost no ayam around. The bad was good, with a lady bassis who played like crazy but very good. Only the choice of songs are very american-rock stuff which was not really comfortable to dance, unless you want to do head banging in every songs. The guys were standing in front of me and I sat in a bar table, when suddenly somebody grabbed me from the back, when I turned my head to see, it was the guy in red shirt, who I already noticed from before, noticed in a way since he was clearly drunk and passed out. I politely hold his arm to restrain him to go closer and asked if he was okay. He didn't answered only smirk and point out his tongue and saw my friends. Too bad actually that he's drunk, since he was kind of cute:).

Then we moved to the seat beside the stage, the band was singing all rock songs. I was watching the screen which was showing sport games, since it looks like this place is a sport bar. Ahmed got me another drink, Corona, actually I asked for water, but dunno why he came back with Corona. Or maybe because I was too tipsy and said corona instead of water?

The red-shirt guy danced in front of the stage and suddenly he (as what Kelli said in his own word) locked me in his sight, by making some move 2 fingers pointing his eyes and then pointing to me.

I was laughing *sigh*..too bad that he's passed out already:)

It was around 2:15 in the morning and the bar will close in another 15 min, so the guys decided to go out and check this bar,in the hotel called Howard Johnson, Kelli said in US this is wellknown sleazy place. So we went out and walked to teh hotel, were stranded a bit before I finally can see the hotel name from afar. We went in, but too bad (or good?) that it was closed. This place is so indian from outside, so I asked the guys if they really wanted to go, but anyway we didn't make it.

So just walked back and they set me off in front of my apartment.

The story hasn't ended yet, the morning I woke up with a very very very bad headache and this nauseous feeling in my stomach. Herlina called to go together for lunch, so I was thinking that I should have something to eat, which turned out to be a bad decision, since:

- The morning when you have hangover, never see the sun.. you are a vampire. The light will kill you .. literally

- Never set a date, especially a date which involve eating or much movement

-Don't see anybody, since you don't want to hurt somebody's feeling in a way since you can't respond well to his/her friendliness and kindness. The hotel waiter was so friendly and generous, giving us free soup and dessert, yet I can't finish them altough it tasted very good, not only I can't finish them, but I can't touch them at all.

- This headache... this is the reason why there is a symptom called headache, it is meant to punish the hangovers:)

Fortunately after we went back home I can puke.. and after that the headache gone and now it feels like I have a beast inside my stomach with this big appetite:)

So, my second weekend here and my first time hangover.. and still has a lot of work to do:)

To ndutty: I wrote this during my hangover, guess that already is an apology:p