Gay Asia

Japan can often seem a strange country – and with good reason. Its language is difficult to speak and even more so to write (there are three different forms of the written language, and the characters are often all mixed up). Its surface formality and politeness often masks an aggressive interior. The fear of losing face means that when asking Japanese for directions to your hotel or a specific store, you are likely to end up miles from your destination. Giving wrong directions with a smile is infinitely preferable to admitting they do not know! For entertainment, we know about the thriving sex scene, with its gay bars, host bars, escort services, saunas and the much …

Indonesia has recently been making consistent efforts to improve its international image and become more tourism friendly. For some years, the national carrier Garuda was banned from European airspace, and a spate of crashes highlighted the lax regulation of the host of start-up budget carriers. That has all now changed. But the LGBT community has again come up against state censorship in the predominantly Muslim country. (The island of Bali of course practises its own form of the Hindu religion). http://www.iglhrc.or...lease/1481.html Since 2010, the Communications and Information Ministry has ordered local service providers to block access to pornograph…

Vietnam hosted its first ever GLBT Pride parade without incident as the government begins to explore the idea of marriage equality.

Hey, men, although I have some time to begin researching, I'd like to know about the escort/masssage scene in China. I hope to take a 3wk tour next September, and during my free time, I desire to explore another side of China, that of escorts and masseurs as well as additional cultural components. What sites should I consult other than www.rentmen.com? Let the info flow, please!!!!!!!!!

I have stayed at this hotel well over 200 nights over the past 10 years and I never hesitate to stay there when I am in Thailand. The staff is simply incredible. From the time you walk onto their property you are treated like you are respected and appreciated. The staff goes out of its way to make customers welcome and to make sure they have a fabulous experience. I am a Platinum member with Marriott and the VIP staff always welcomes me and takes great care to be sure I have a good room and everything I need to have a successful stay. The swimming pool is the best that Pattaya has to offer and would give most hotels in Asia a run for their money. The pool bar has happy …

Mumbai is a great city. The Thai boyfriend and I had time for a visit recently and really enjoyed ourselves. We took a tour of the city and we also hired a private guide to give us a tour of the slums that Slumdog Millionaire was filmed in. We saw everything we could from the Gateway to India to the Billion Dollar House to the Hanging Gardens to the local spice market. The city is crazy. The traffic is nuts. I have never seen anything like this in my life. It was dangerous only in traffic. I felt very comfortable everywhere we went. I had zero issues with safety and don't think anyone would worry there. I loved the look of the old taxis and the bicycle taxis as well a…

Two weeks ago, the happiest place on earth got a whole lot happier. Tokyo Disneyland, in a move that surprised and delighted thousands across Asia, announced their support of gay marriages . . . Will Gay Marriage Ever Be Legalized in Asia? http://www.bigthink....galized-in-asia

Seems as if we have lots of trips planned by my fellow posters to Brazil and other points south. However, what about all of you guys who used to hit Thailand once twice sometimes three times a year? Has the novelty worn off? Is it due to some of the recent political issues in the country? Is it simply finances? Just a wondering Thai boy lover here who really miss all those awesome reports

well except for the female part "I get my kicks above the waistline sunshine" hmmm

Hi i will visit Padang and Medan soon. I'm looking look for information on gay meeting places (bars, discos, cruising places, etc...) Thx for your help!

Would be very grateful for the wisdom of the crowd on this... I'm headed to Bangkok on March 29, for my first time. Was considering getting a guide for a couple of days, to make sense of the boy scene, among other things. Good idea? Any recommendations? Thanks for your counsel.

So I'm visiting Bangkok March 19th to 25th. I am engaging purple dragon (the gay tour agency) so that I can have somebody show me the sights. Any recommendations for unexpected must-sees? Anybody in Thailand want to have dinner? Any general advice for a relative new traveler there?

This appears to be a very informative web site about travel to Gay Asia. I especially like the maps. Nearly every conceivable gay destination seems to have a map. This is an excellent resource. Includes information about special parties, events and discount offers. Very well laid out and easily organized. Has an intuitive interface and strikes me as very professional in its overall design and development. Very impressive and definitely worth a look. http://www.travelgayasia.com/ Just out of curiosity, I randomly checked some of the links to Agoda's rates for the accommodations they had listed. I could not believe how cheaply one can stay at some of these hote…

Is it still the official policy of China that gays aren't welcome? I was surprised to see in here that there are some gay escorts available for hire in some places, which made me wonder if I had the wrong impression...? If I were to one day get the chance to go there for work, what could I expect? Is there any danger to seeking free or paid gay sex in China? Are local gays persecuted, or are they starting to manage pride parades/etc? If there's another post about this already a link would be fine...

Any trip to the Orient begins with super long flights, My trip began at 3:30 in the morning, when after 3 hours of sleep I left for the local airport. I had a 3 hour layover in San Francisco, then two very long flights.. The first was 11 hours on All Nippon Airways. They would not provide seat assignments until 24 hours before the flight. So, when I booked the ticket, I called and explained that I was very tall and could not ride across the Pacific in a middle seat. So, when I checked 24 hours before the flight, I was pleased to see that I had an exit row seat. That gave me lots of legroom, but nowhere to put the things I wanted access to on the flight. But, I liked th…

The Nation, the Bangkok newspaper that has been at my door these last few days, has two articles on gay subjects today in its entertainment section. One is about gay marriage, and is titled Brave Hearts in Trang, the other is about a gay movie being shown in Vietnam, an apparently historic event. My guess is that many here would be interested in both articles, but it is the one about Vietnam I found most interesting as their attitudes on gay subjects seem quite behind the times. One viewer of the film says that he cannot be openly gay as it would do "unimaginable damage" to his family. So, being still a learner on the Ipad, I can't make a link for you. But the website i…

The NY Times is reporting Friday that the American embassy in Bangkok has, since the new year, been investigating threats of terrorism against Americans in Bangkok. One arrest has been made, but only on immigration violations, as there was not sufficient evidence of the terrorism involvement by the arrested person. "Foreigners" are allegedly involved in the terrorism threat, presumably as opposed to Thai involvement. Americans are particularly at risk in areas of high tourism. One American reached by MER News stated that he is lucky to have avoided planned attacks against United Airlines planes in 1993, but does not wish to push his luck. The American, who requested that…

Can someone please describe exactly how the boy clubs work? Starting when you enter the club until the point when you leave the club or "finish" with the boy...kinda a step by step "how to hire a thai boy from one of the clubs" ... thanks in advance for helping out a wanna be newbie such as myself. I am sure there are many others who are curious as well..

If an email I received today is any indication, recent flooding in Bangkok has caused hotel occupancy rates to plummet. The Sofitel Silom is now available for $84 a night. Last year I paid $125 a night without breakfast. The Ibis Riverside Bangkok starts at $22 a night. The Grand Mercure Park Avenue starts at $34. The Novotel on Siam Square at $57. The brand new Novotel Platinum, opening this month, starts at $54. It goes on and on, so pack your bags! The sale email I received is from Accor Hotels, and is available worldwide.

So I took the metered taxi and still got ripped off! The hotel said the fare should be 500 baht, but this guy took the long way and ran it up to 650. Today I taxied back to the airport and the guy wanted to avoid the meter. He offered to drive me there for 500 baht! I took his offer. So, after hideous flights from the US, (The first Delta flight way late so that I barely made my connection to BKK) I arrived at 1 am to my hotel in BKK. Very nice and comfortable. They honored the last 2 nights of my Priceline reservation, so now the Delta insurance should pay the rest of my out of pocket loss caused by the first delay. Some people on the 2d flight had left the day before- …

I guess everything truly does happen for a reason. If my personal situation hadn't gone down the shitter, I would be on my way to Thailand right now.. And as anyone who watches world news (or reads the boards here) knows, Thailand is suffering from a major flood right now. My prayers are with all of the people over there for safety and health. I still hope to make it to Thailand eventually, but it has just been set back for awhile..

With the new government in Myanmar I am hoping things will continue to progress. I hope to spend a few days there next month. Does anyone here have any direct knowledge on what that might be like...I mean either real experience or knowing someone who has such. I have walked across the border in northern Thailand into Myanmar, but they only let you go so far. The people kept their distance, but smiled and waved at me. It was like stepping back into the fifties. I'm excited to think I might see more. Years ago a tour bus I was taking from Shenzen to Guandong China stopped in this little village for a lunch at a restaurant which was behind a wall. I took one look at the f…

Has any person used priceline for their airfare from the states and for hotel in Bangkok? If so please share your experience.

Much discussion in the media and on many blogs about the state of Bangkok for the visitor, one word. GO, Please (ok two words) My third trip to Bangkok in the same number of months. Arrived Thursday evening and whisked myself via InterCity Airport Train (45BHT), then quick taxi to Crowne Plaza Hotel. One the quickest and least expensive ways from airport to/from city center. Total of 110BHT compared to 300-500BHT on taxi. Crowne Plaza (have stayed 2 out of three times), great location, friendly staff, rooms are good size and value. Many Japanese tourists stay here and they are very intriqued by older gentleman with two cute guys with him at breakfast, the ladies g…