I'm currently taking some time off from work and find myself bouncing around Australia at the moment. Melbourne was quite fun with all the international college students. I just arrived to Sydney. I'm hoping to get some recommendations for make the most of my experience here. 

I will be going to Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

Online, I am only reading fabulous stuff in terms of meeting the locals.

Has anyone been?

There’s definite potential on the apps here, though, as usual in India, you have to navigate a sea of fake photos and profiles before you find genuine guys. Still, patience paid off — I met a couple of nice locals, and Piyush, who’s been traveling with me for the last nine nights, kept things lively. We enjoyed the hotel, the city views, and a few relaxed nights in.

I also visited the Hard Rock Café Pune, which was my 97th Hard Rock worldwide — and unfortunately, the first one that actually tried to scam me. After paying my bill, they produced another one claiming the first charge was only for the souvenir glasses and not for the food and drinks. They even said the prices on the menu were outdated! Needless to say, I didn’t pay twice and have already emailed my corporate contacts about it. Waiting to see what they say.

Despite that hiccup, Pune itself surprised me —  friendly, and easy to get around. I’d return someday just for the hotel experience. One of the hotel staff was on Grindr, but he's not allowed in the rooms so we would've had to go to a motel or something nearby, too much work for me, lol

Took an Uber Intercity car a 3.5 hr ride to Mumbai, where I am now in a premium larger vehicle, $40usd.

5 Months Solo in Southeast Asia -- A Trip Report (Pt 1)
by u/TheLeopardMedium in solotravel 

5 Months Solo in Southeast Asia -- A Trip Report (Pt 2)
by u/TheLeopardMedium in solotravel

someone tried Gomez House or dickman resort in negombo ?

i’m planning travel in Sri Lanka. 
 

I stayed at the Lalit Great Eastern Hotel and is VERY gay friendly...I later found out that they have drag queen story book hour and my 2nd night a gay community Halloween party, which was so much fun, My Indian friends said I'd be popular because I'm a white foreigner, which I assumed because it's happened in so many places.

I wasn't prepared to what extent here....I felt like I was a movie star, Tom Cruise or Harrison Ford, age didn't matter...was amazing yet weird... I was the exotic guy in the bar, lol

So, the non-drinker guy tried to keep up with me, which didn't end well for either of us...him vomiting in the bushes, sleeping on the bathroom floor and me in bed alone typing this trip report  😂

I met a guy, a little thicker (chunky) than I like, but very manly and my type otherwise.....we have plans for tomorrow, will see how it goes.

These pics are from the party and bushes, to give you an idea how it was....I've been planning my March trips, waiting to see how I liked India, I will include other cities in the itinerary in the south of India, as they aren't as hairy as the north, I'm told.


 

Two nights in Mumbai, staying at the Hilton near the airport. No big upgrade this time — just the Executive Floor, which Diamond status already includes — but credit where it’s due: they drove Piyush to the airport for free and gave me a 7 PM checkout without charge. Small gestures go a long way.

As for the city… Mumbai is massive, messy, and not exactly pretty. On our first night we went to Juhu Beach, which is the best time for me at a beach — Even at night it was packed as it was a Sunday during the holiday time of Dawali, with rubbish scattered all the way to the water line. But hey, I did get my first look at the Arabian Sea, so it wasn’t a total loss.

The apps here were on fire — nonstop messages — but also full of fake pics, time-wasters, and profiles that weren't my type. Still, there were bright spots. One cute guy with plenty of Twitter videos quoted me $100 USD at first, then offered to come for free; he stayed about four hours, refused payment, but I gave him $30 anyway. Another 29-year-old Marriott guest, smooth and young-looking (easily could’ve passed for 19), invited me over. Let’s just say his 🍆 size was “Ibis” sized, but we had fun — even if he finished in under 2 minutes, which seems to be common in India, a German friend of mine commented the same thing.

Lots of other pending chats worth exploring next visit, but for now I’m heading to Manila tonight via Singapore Airlines Business Class, A380 BOM–SIN with a tight connection in Singapore.

The one weird part: they made me take my aerosol hairspray out of my checked luggage and carry it on. On domestic flights it apparently has to be in carry-on, while international was the reverse. Indonesia keeps you guessing🤷‍♂️

I was not even planning to come back to Surabaya. It is another big, ugly city, maybe even less visually appealing than Jakarta, with an even more religious feel, and it is Indonesia’s second largest city, so it is not exactly some hidden gem. I came back for one reason: dick. More specifically, a guy I had met on a previous trip who gives me really good sex. I even brought him the little gifts from Mexico he had asked for. Honestly, I could have happily spent every day with him and been perfectly content. Also, because Indonesia is mostly Muslim, the abundance of clean-cut cocks is a nice change of pace from Mexico, South America, Thailand, etc.

Of course, thanks again to my brilliant planning, I only got to see him two days because he had also been out of town for Eid. Note to self: next time maybe check the calendar before building part of a trip around a hookup 😏

Unlike Jakarta during the holiday, the apps here were busy. A German friend of mine always says, the stricter the religion, the hornier the guys are. Surabaya did not exactly disprove his theory.

The other couple of times, I met up with a 23 yr old guy from Grindr who spoke perfect English and seemed like he had traveled more than I have. My first guess was family money or sugar daddies. After talking to him more, I think probably family money, but who knows. When he first walked into the lobby, I would have bet a thousand dollars he was a total bottom. He said he was a top. Credit where due, he was telling the truth 😝. Average dick, but very solid performance. He also drank as much as I did, which is rare for a Muslim, but as he put it, he is Muslim only in religion and a whore everywhere else 😁

He was also just fun to be around. Great conversation, funny, not shy, easy in restaurants, easy company. He paid once, I paid once, which felt odd 🤔

Walking around with him definitely got attention. He looked different enough already, and then add the fact that he was with what felt like the only white foreigner we saw, and people noticed. On the street we got a lot of looks. In restaurants and at the hotel, though, there were clearly plenty of gay workers and customers around, plus a few lesbian couples, so it did not feel as shocking there. He told me it is illegal to have gay sex, not illegal to be gay, which is one of those distinctions that makes absolutely no sense, but welcome to Indonesia 👍

Next time I will plan better around the guy I originally came to see, because I really like him and I really like the sex with him and his big headed 🍆

Off to Bali next, which feels like my second home at this point. But I am getting ready to go to Delhi this morning, so the Bali report will have to wait. I also need to think a little more before writing it, because I met someone there I really liked. Then again, how is a whore like us supposed to suddenly settle down and be with just one guy 🙄

I stayed in Jakarta partly because there was a guy from the apps I wanted to see again. Really good top, big dick, definitely worth building a few days around. But I had no idea what Eid al-Fitr even was, let alone that it was happening while I was there. For anyone who does not know, it is the major holiday marking the end of Ramadan, so people travel, go home to family, and a lot of normal city life slows down. In my case, that meant the guy I wanted to see was out of town visiting family until the exact day I was leaving. Great timing 🥺

Because of the holiday, Jakarta felt more than half empty. The traffic was almost nonexistent, which in Jakarta is basically a miracle, but the downside was the apps were dead compared to other times when your phone would be blowing up. The hotel was also full of local families doing staycations. Indonesia definitely does not seem to have a population decline problem.  Every family has like  five kids 😝

So Jakarta started with a different guy. A little chunkier than what I usually go for, not fat, just thicker, but he had a thick cock and was a very solid top, so no real complaints there 👍

Then a guy I had taken to Bali with me two years ago spotted me on Grindr and we ended up meeting again. He still fucks like a rabbit. Slim swimmer build, six-pack, and almost Brazil-sized dick. The kind of guy who doesn't like to have sex in the same spot twice, so I was especially glad the hotel upgraded me to a suite because it gave us more options to work with, lol.

Jakarta itself is not exactly overloaded with sightseeing. For me it was more about the hotel than the city. The pool and lounge were great, and the whole place felt like an oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle. Not a city I’d visit for tourist attractions, but for a comfortable hotel stay and the right company, it worked out better than it started 😉

Two weeks ago I got back home from a very nice trip to Dubai (before the war started) and Thailand and I want to share my experiences with you. 

I will write a separate trip report for my time in Thailand. This one only covers the 5 days I spent in Dubai. 

It was my first time in Dubai and it had never been too interesting to me to actually visit, but for this trip I just wanted to explore a new destination for a few days and Dubai seemed to be the right choice. 

I arrived on a Sunday morning and took the metro to my hotel. I specifically picked a hotel close to a metro station as that usually gives you quite some budget friendly and quick transportation options without having to use taxis/grab/bolt/etc. all the time. 

I did a bit of sightseeing and of course also had a look at Grindr and Romeo. Using a VPN, it was no problem to access the apps. I was surprised about the amount of guys using face pics. There were lots of Filipino and Indian guys, a few Arabs, and a few Africans. I had not specifically planned to hook up in Dubai but one guy from Senegal had gotten my attention, and I couldn't say no to that African twinkish jock, who was in his mid twenties. We chatted for a bit and I asked to meet him the next evening. I was really nervous how things are at hotels in Dubai. The elevator/stairs of my hotel were opposite of the reception and there was always a security guy present. Mister Senegal asked for my room number and name, in case he needs to register, but I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to share that so I didn't and suggested to meet in front of the hotel. About 20min before our date I went outside of the hotel for a cigarette and waited next to a couple of other guys just sitting and smoking. He arrived on time and looked very handsome. We chatted a little and I used my very rusty French (language) skills. The profile pics definitely didn't lie and he was indeed a French speaker so Senegal could definitely be his country of origin. I felt a little anxious when we walked towards the hotel entrance, just totally unaware if anyone would stop or question us. No one did, we quickly got in the elevator and went to my room. He wasn't particularly shy and we had a pleasant time together. He certainly tasted good 😋. I didn't have much local currency on me, so I had offered him 50 Euros when we were chatting before, which he was happy about. He told me it was only his second month in Dubai and that he was looking for a job in a hotel. Once we were finished he left and I was very satisfied. 

I arranged a second date with him for my last night in Dubai. Same procedure with meeting in front of the hotel. This time I wasn't that anxious, considering how easy it was the first time. This time, the security guy interfered though, when we wanted to get into the elevator and asked if he was registered as a visitor. Pure awkwardness on my side in that moment but Mr. Senegal didn't seem to bother and just quickly showed his ID at the reception who typed in something on her computer and in about 1 minute we were good to go. It was pretty obvious what was happening, but the hotel staff stayed discreet and I might have even noticed a little smile from the muscular Arab security guy. I wouldn't have said no to him either... I still had a bit of a bad feeling if the visitor registration would cause any issues when checking out from the hotel. Anyway, we went up to my room and I enjoyed the time together with Mister Senegal once more. It was equally fun as the first time and once we were done and he had left, I started to prepare my luggage for the departure the next day. At checkout, there was no mentioning of my visitor or any extra charge, so I was relieved and glad that I took the opportunity to add Senegal on my list of nationalities I had sex with. 

My flight left Dubai on February 26 around 6pm towards Kuwait, where I had a connection to Bangkok. Considering the tension between the US, Israel and Iran the weeks prior, I was glad that my stay in Dubai was unaffected. Only short after my arrival in Thailand did I realize how lucky I actually was to still get out of the Gulf region just in time, when I read about the start of the war the next day. 

My next trip report will come soon and focus on the fabulous time I had in Jomtien and Bangkok. 

Cheers, Tom

So this Jakarta stop was part of a bigger play… I booked a roundtrip business class ticket originating in Asia because, as many of you know, fares can be way cheaper starting out here. That part worked and this was the return part of that trip, also earned enough frequent mile points almost for a free 1-way business class ticket.

What I didn’t factor in?

Eid- Marking the end of Ramadan , I thought I missed a bullet by avoiding Ramadan and also "Quiet Night" in Bali, but totally unaware of this one 😬

Specifically mudik, when half of Jakarta disappears back to their hometowns. In 2026 it hit March 21–22, with the exodus starting around the 18th… and yeah, I landed right in the middle of it.

Result?

The city empties… but the hotels fill up with families doing a staycation.

My hotel was absolutely packed with families. Kids everywhere. Screaming, running, having fun. At one point I thought I’d accidentally checked into a daycare center with room service 🥺

Meanwhile, the guys I actually wanted to see?
All back in their villages. Returning… the day I leave. Of course 

Apps were quiet too. A few “back Thursday” messages on Romeo. Thursday = my departure day. Perfect timing.

Lesson learned: these local holidays matter. A lot. Now the question is how the hell you keep track of all of them 🤷‍♂️

Hotel life: still worth it

On the upside, I got a suite upgrade. Staff remembered me, knew my preferences in the lounge and restaurant, everything and everyone welcoming. That part of Jakarta always feels easy.

Just… screaming children this time.

And honestly, looking around, every family had like 4–6 kids. I had a moment of reflection: no alcohol + lots of free time… yeah, lot's of fucking going on, trying to move into 3rd place for most populated country, lol

The “quiet apps” still delivered

Despite the slow scene, one familiar face popped up.

A guy I’d seen 2 years ago spotted me on Grindr. Still hot (better than before actually), still great body, still loves to talk. Came over, and we ended up spending hours just hanging out… drinks, conversation, a massage that turned into crazy sex… 500k IDR (~30 USD).

He even stayed overnight, which is not usually my thing, but he wanted to experience the breakfast here, so OK 😏

Another long-running global trend continues:

Guys who were “strict tops” on previous trips?
Versatile this time around.

I’ve seen this for decades. Never fails. @Keithambrose have you already been converted?

Backup plan turned surprise highlight

One night he had to go pick up his sister at the airport, so… backup plan.

Another guy from Grindr. More average looks, nothing that jumps off the screen.

But wow.

Great massage. Even better sex. And it just reinforces something I’ve believed forever:

The best-looking guys are not always the best sex.
The average guys? They work for it.

Less opportunity, more effort, better results 🍆

Seeing him again tonight, last night in Jakarta.

Next stops and patterns I’m starting to see

Normally I’d go straight to Bali from here, but switching it up:

Surabaya for 3 nights, then Bali.

A guy I met there 2 years ago started messaging me again while I was planning this trip… and that was a sign to make a stop there. Some experiences are worth repeating and the places and things we do for a night or 3 of "fun"

Hotel upgrade already confirmed there too, so no complaints, I knew they'd upgrade to a cool suite so I factored that into stopping here, not just for the sex 😁

Indonesia… still underexplored (for me)

I’ve only done 4 cities here so far, which feels like nothing for a country this big.

I have a German friend who goes deep into the smaller towns and villages and always comes back with stories that sound… unbelievable.

Me? I’m still very much a big city guy.

But there’s a new category:

Size queen… but geographically.

Big cities only. For now 😝

The reason is a result of recent remarks in parliament by Japan's new right-wing and China-hawk Prime Minister that a military response from Tokyo might be necessary if China were to invade Taiwan. Previous Prime Ministers have always maintained a policy of "strategic" ambiguity over the Taiwan issue. 

Chinese tourists to Japan have risen to become second in number only to Americans. If Chinese numbers quickly fall, even by a relatively small amount, the tourism industry in Japan may have to resort to lowering prices to attract others. That will be my hope, anyway.

What are your favorite LGBTQ+ travel spots in Asia, and what makes them special to you?

1. Jimbōchō, Tokyo
2. Mullae-dong, Seoul
3. Nakatsu, Osaka
4. Nguyen Thai Binh, Ho Chi Minh
5. Former French Concession, Shanghai
6. Bencoolen, Singapore
7. Kemang, Jakarta
8. Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
9. Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur
10. Mehrauli, Delhi
11. Poblacion, Metro Manila

The "Coolest Lists" seem aimed primarily at residents and concentrate on quality of life, including bars and restaurants, book stores, trendy art galleries etc. How they are selected beats me. The only one I know well is the older area of Sheung Wan in Hong Kong. Click on that location and almost all you get is a list of trendy restaurants and a few bars. Sheung Wan also has several gay bars, but not one is mentioned. And it strays off the Sheung Wan beaten path by listing several places further up the hill in Hollywood Road which is categorised as being in Mid-Levels, not Sheung Wan. 

Nothing here for gay visitors unless you are a foodie, sadly.

Similarly, the French Concession in Shanghai is an extremely pleasant place to visit, and no doubt to live if you can afford it, but there really is not much here for the tourist apart from visiting Sun Yat Sen's house which is located here.

https://www.timeout.com/asia/news/these-are-the-11-coolest-neighbourhoods-in-asia-in-2025-100325

I went through the archive, and learned 3 things:

Most saunas don't like westerners.

There's this brothel   http://www.kocnet.jp/english/index.html

and this one   https://kids-jp.com/en/tk/s/

Can anyone contribute any kind of updated tips?

Anything on Kyoto?

Thx

(-:

It opens with a charming and cheery tone: the celebrated Irish poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh makes regular trips to Nepal. He loves the exotic and simple life there, and over the years he has acquired many young men as friends who dote on him. But as the film maker follows him around, she captures scenes that raise many questions. And like the ominously dark monsoon clouds that come rolling in over the valleys of Nepal from the south, the tone of the film changes.

The Irish police undertook an investigation starting from 2006 (see https://archive.ph/20130217192154/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/boys-were-damaged-by-sex-trysts-with-poet-1286378.html) but nothing came of it. Apparently there was no investigation by the Nepali authorities since no complaint had been filed and all the boys were reportedly of legal age.

One problem for Bhutan was its only international airport was at Paro and the arrival through the hills and mountains so tricky that few pilots were certified to land there. Now Bhutan is catching on to the wellness travel concept and is constructing an entirely new wellness town with a much larger airport at Gelephu close to the indian border. Its new airport will have a capacity of 123 flighs a day, compared to Paro's five - all from short haul destinations. 

Artist's rendition of new Bhitan airport: Photo BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group

Hopefully the new mass influx of tourism will not spoil the country as they have parts of Bali. As I discovered Bhutan is one of the gems of Asia and deserves to be seen and enjoyed. Hopefully once the new airport opens, the wealth of incoming visitors will trickle down to the poorer parts of the country.

Paro Airport

The Tiger's Nest Monastery percehd on a rockface 3,120 meters above ground level, the symbol of Bhutan

A monk outside paro monastery

Morning view

Phallic Images are common in the countryside, often painted on the outside of houses

The majestic Phunaka Dzong at the confluence of two rivers

Monk descending monastery stais

Wonderful artistic images adorn all monasteries

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/14/travel/bhutan-gelephu-international-airport-intl-hnk/index.html