Magic Lamp is no more

I'm surprised it took this long, but the Magic Lamp on Middle Road is suddenly no more. I went there a few times. At times it was great. Other times it wasn't. Their prices were too high for this market, which isn't supportive of things even slightly exotic. I dropped like $20 plus for lunch for just me once, and I wasn't having lobster or anything. I think it was just a chicken kebab, which was great. I went again for the same thing and it was terrible. The dinner and lunch kebab were the same high price, which doesn't work here. Tourists didn't know about them. It was at least an interesting place that a few people will miss.
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I asked someone in the know about all the construction going on given the tons of empty space already here, and he said it was a rush to beat federalization and the rising minimum wage. Plus, land lease prices are so depressed it is a buyer's market. I have to wonder if all this empty space will just rot away unmaintained like La Fiesta Mall right now. Based on visual evidence alone, what investor is going to see all the dead space on island and be encouraged to invest here. Garapan is a similar situation. I seldom find myself there, and if I am it is at Godfather's so I'm not in the thick of it, but I was there a few weeks back walking around for one of the few times and the message that place sends is is that it is all about hostess bars and scantily clad women enticing karaoke patrons. Garapan is decidedly not family friendly. This is not to say that these places shouldn't exist somewhere, but the heart of the tourist district is just not the place.

Are these karaoke bars just straight up prostition rings or not? Do people see a young woman in the high heels and miniskirt and promptly say, "I sure would like to sing with her," and then leave happy only having exercised their vocal chords? I find that hard to believe.