SALSAJAY RULEZ: Closer To Home

I am supposed to post this article some time ago but due to unforeseen commitments, it was delayed and I am posting it now (err..... actually ........ I am just being lazy .... there ! I said it ...)

Anyway, it all started with this message I received on my mobile phone a little while back. I believe it was early March ... and the message reads ..

"New Salsa Club in Eastin Hotel. Grand opening on 3rd March 2007"

I thought to myself ... Wow ... cool ! Viva is re-opening again. I re-read the message again, and it says the club is called Divan. I don't recall hearing a club in Eastin Hotel with that name so I guessed it's probably a new one. I was curious and so was the rest of the gang. It's a good opportunity for the newbies to try-out this new club and also their dancing .... perrrfecto !

On d-day, I was running a little late as I had to attend to some personal matters back home. Anyway, equipped with my faithful digicam, I headed out towards Eastin Hotel. As if being late is not bad enough, I actually took a wrong turning and was heading downtown .... I cursed myself for being such a !@#%& and took a HUGE u-turn and headed back towards Damansara.

Finally I caught sight of Eastin Hotel from afar, evidently recognizable via the huge.. red.. neon light of "The STAR" paper (Gee, how could anyone miss that signage?). Arriving at Eastin Hotel, I drove past RUSH Bar & Club ... previously known as Viva Dance Club. Memories flooded my mind ... recollecting the early Salsa days. Viva Dance Club was one of the more "happening" place for salsa dancing particularly for PJ folks like me. And I was just starting my Salsa lessons back then. I was starting to get the fun of salsa at the clubs ...

Then it closed down.

Well, Viva did not exactly "closed shop" ... they just discontinued Salsa nights. And my theory was ... ? There's just not enough patrons for the club owner to make ends meet. Well .... I do believe there's certain amount of truth in that. Back then, men dancers were rare ... (ha ha .. as if it's any different now ...)

Alrighty, back to my story. I parked my car ... and rushed upstairs to the Divan ... and of course, when almost arriving the entrance ... my paces slowed down ... (I have to look cool, don't I ...)

And there it was ... finally ! Divan Club ... or more accurately known as The Cigar Divan. Later, I found out that this place is actually a Cigar den ... oops, sorry about that. And here's more details ..(ignore this, I am just posting it for the sake of ... err.. just it la!)

Fitted with a gallery displaying an array of Cuban history, walk-in humidor, an island bar and plush furnishings, The Cigar Divan is one of the premier cigar and wine outlets in town. Complementing the cigars are an exquisite collection of wines, liquors, non-alcoholic beverages and delectable snacks. The outlet carries famous wine brands such as Chateau Lafite De Rothchild, Chateau Mouton Rothchild, Chateau Latour and Paulilac.

Operating Hours
3.00 pm - 1.00 am (Mondays - Saturdays) * Close on Sundays & Public Hols

Now, that aside .... let's get back to the club. At the entrance of the Divan, I was greeted by 2 lovely ladies ... Jennifer and Michelle (peeewitt!). And standing next to them was Richard ... this friendly dude whom I initially thought was some sort of 'bouncer' for the club ... but eventually, I found out that he runs the Club. (paiseh)

And Jennifer .. his fiancee. So, that made clear .... hands off, you "would-be" predators.

I also found out that I need to cough up RM25 to enter the club (oww!). 2 drinks for RM25 ... well, that could pose a little obstacle for some salsa-addicts out there. I mean, RM25 + RM5 for parking .... you do the math. Richard, the manager is well-aware of the issue and is currently working out with the hotel management to cut down that portion. Last I heard, after swordfights and whip lashes with the hotel, he managed to bring down the price... to RM18.00, I think (yayyy..). Quite a breather for us, don't you think ? CHEERS !

Well, that wasn't the only issue during the opening night. The moment I stepped into the club, the first thing I notice was .... sticky dance floor (bad for dancing) and the place is steaming hot! I mean, sweaty hot .... not passionately steamy hot. And there were tables and chairs cluttered all around, not exactly an ideal environment for dancing, especially Salsa. Correction... especially MY Salsa. Although the opening night was packed, some of us went home with an unpleasant experience. So did I, but of course not before providing the feedbacks to Richard.

We were there again last weekend, on Saturday (17th Mar, 2007) and I was pretty impressed with the improvements as promised by Richard. Of course, the turnout wasn't that pretty ... with the general salsa crowds dispersing to different venues. Havana Estudio had a studio party on Saturday, and others were at Salsa Havana. The crowd here were mostly SalsaJayers with a handful of cigar smokers around but that doesn't stop us from burning the dance floor.

The airconditioning worked out great and the floors were nice and smooth (a little slippery but it was alright). And there were more space to dance ... with the extra tables and chairs removed. DJ Xavier was there spinning the night with grrrreat Salsa tunes although the songs were a teeny..weenie..long. (my knees and legs were aching the next day...cough, cough). Generally .... we couldn't ask for more, except for cheaper drinks, right ... Richard ?