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As I am writing this, I am now in Day 13 of my 130 days here in Da Nang - so I can give a preliminary comparative assessment. I have not yet experienced: getting a haircut and getting my hair colored - as this is a frequent activity for me - so I would like this to be in the final comparative analysis - to be fair about the true cost of living here in Da Nang, visiting a massage shop - this is still on my list of things to do - as I give a preference to "ordering in" my massages - but I think that this is an important economic detail, gogo bar equivalent - in Cebu there were 2 - of which I visited 1 and reported on it, whereas here in Da Nang I am not aware of any gogo bars. I have already reported on my visit to Q Bar here in Da Nang. I believe that there are 2 other gay bars here in town for me to visit. Excluding the above, I can say the following preliminarily: Condo rental: I already made a comparison in my Cebu report at: So, I can now expand on this above comparison with the reality of Da Nang: Rentals in the huge 41 floor condo building where I am currently residing go on average for 12,000,000 VND (around $462 USD) per month. When comparing this with Jomtien and Cebu on a sqm basis, we can see that Da Nang is clearly the winner: Da Nang = $462 per month / 70 sqm = $6.60 USD per sqm Cebu = $777.53 per month / 44.6 sqm = $17.43 USD per sqm Jomtien = $834 per month / 98 sqm = $8.51 USD per sqm So, Da Nang (from a condo rental point of view) is 22% cheaper than what I pay for back in Jomtien. A bare bones (in your condo room) massage can be had for 800,000 VND (around $31 USD) - but the true average cost for a good massage (in your condo room) costs between 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 VND (around $39 USD to $46 USD). Whereas, back in Jomtien I pay between 1,500 baht to 2,000 baht for a good (in your condo) massage (around $46 USD to $61 USD). So, Da Nang (from a massage point of view) is 33% cheaper for a massage. When eating only Vietnam food versus only Thai food - my comparator is my daily Da Nang breakfast costs me 80.000 VND (Bo Ne + salt coffee) = around $3.09 and in Jomtien a similar breakfast, "Boss Breakfast" + cappucino, costs me 405 baht = around $12.30 --> again, Da Nang is the cost winner, at 4 times less than what I would pay for the same equivalent back in Jomtien. From the beach point of view, Da Nang's beach wins over Jomtien's BIG time, because: the seawater is much cleaner, the beach promenade is awesome and landscaped in a beautiful daily manner, the zones where you can rent a lounge to lay out on the beach are intentionally not crowded and the loungers that you lay on have thick mattresses and are luxurious, the restaurants and bar cafes are situated directly on the beach sand in an esthetically appealing manner. So, Da Nang from an economic and beauty point of view is a clear winner over Jomtien. Additionally, renting a motorbike and having access to the nearby mountains and nature - and the ease of only 15 minutes you are out of the city is truly very appealing. Also, I feel safer when I drive my motorbike here (even though the traffic can be more intense - because they fear to exceed the 40kmh speed limit) than when I drive my motorbike back in Pattaya - because the Thais just drive in a very crazy hi-speed reckless manner. However, when it comes to integrating with the locals - Jomtien is still the clear winner. Because Pattaya and Jomtien have so many gay venues; Boyztown, Jomtien Complex (aka Supertown), and the Dongtan gay beach - it is very easy to have gay contact and have gay entertainment. Unfortunately, here in Da Nang, it is quite difficult to make gay friends and to have the luxury to meet a gay (even if you pay him) to accompany you out for a night out. I sense that the local Vietnamese guys that I have had contact with in my 12 days here - they would not be open to walking around the city together or to go to bars and restaurants. Even when I visited the Q Bar here in Da Nang - the few Vietnamese customers were sitting together and all of the farangs were sitting with other farangs. I did not see the mixing that we have back in Jomtien / Pattaya. Could I live here full-time - YES - but I condition that YES on being able to integrate myself more with the local Vietnamese gays who are not afraid to be seen with an older farang out on the streets of Da Nang. The Vietnamese are VERY family oriented and it seems that as a consequence, very much in the closet. Perhaps, that would explain why so many hot sexy Vietnamese guys come to work as escorts in Thailand and NOT here in Vietnam. In closing, I still have more than 100 days here - so a lot can change - and that is why I do not like answering these questions too prematurely.....

I have similar feelings, which I am sure also stem from my parenting as a child to not waste food or money. It really irritates me when: - I take someone on a date, where I am paying, to a restaurant and they order tons of food, which they do not finish (at least 50% please) and say to me - oh I am just so full = อิ่มแล้ว 👿 - you call down a guy to sit with you and he orders a drink which he does not finish and gets antsy if you are not going to off him. Well at least finish the drink that I am paying for... It makes me feel used and not appreciated - as if I am wasting my time. - the person you are with is on social media almost the entire time. Why are we even spending snytime together? Fuck off and do your social media on your own time and don't waste my time = thank you!!

Wow, after reading this I have just now realized that the TOPS have it much easier - as perhaps the only pre-meeting requirement may be (if required) to pop a blue pill 30 to 60 minutes before sexual activities begin.

I think that they prefer the safety of the "walled garden" --> to avoid the fear of what is beyond and on the other side. The other thing that I don't like about the "walled garden" approach is that there is an inference that I am not intelligent enough to navigate the world outside without having my hands held. I want the freedom of, "the world is my oyster..."

What I saw in Twitter (X) was a meme supposedly published by someone from the Thai military and it sent shivers down my spine and I feared for Mr. Chamber's life. If this meme truly originated from a Thai military official it is quite alarming in my opinion.

perhaps it was a kiss from Optimus ?

Day 11 in Da Nang – 4 May 2025 I wake up to an email from my ex-Thai boyfriend where he shares with me some pictures of his new fruit salad shop in one of the Pattaya food courts. I was impressed, as it looks like he did a good job in creating his new business. He asks me to unblock him in , but I am not yet ready for that – as I need more time to heal. I follow some controversial Thai bloggers in Twitter (X) and they posted some opinion pieces about what is currently happening to the American university professor, Paul Chambers and related Thai military feedback. I won’t say anymore – but I find this entire issue fascinating as it reveals the inner dark workings about Thai politics. Around noon, I go over to eat my usual Bò né and salt coffee breakfast. Today is really hot and since I rented my motorbike for 3 additional days, I try to force myself to ride it in the heat. So, I decide to ride along the Han riverfront towards the HSBC ATM that has high withdrawal limits (10 million VND instead of 2 million VND). Unfortunately, as it is a Sunday, the ATM machine is out of physical bank notes – so I instead use nearby EXIMBANK ATM machine and I limited to a 2 million VND withdrawal (around 77 USD). I drive back to my condo and I visit for a refreshing cold coconut coffee with a decadent pandan coconut pastry. As it is still too hot to drive around on the motorbike I return to my room to relax a bit. Around 4:30pm, I venture out on the motorbike to get a good spot for the sunset up on the Son Tra mountainous hillside that overlooks Da Nang. Unfortunately, mother nature was not cooperating, as there are too many clouds in the sky to capture a breathtaking sunset. In the upper right you can barely see the Lady Buddha and the nearby Linh Ung Pagoda. The good news about today’s trip up into the mountains is that Da Nang has returned to its calm normal self (which makes driving a motorbike pleasant and enjoyable) – as the majority of the gazillions of people who were here for the 50th anniversary of the National Reunification celebration, have by now returned home (i.e., HCMC or HaNoi). This is when Da Nang is at its best – and I can say the same for Pattaya / Jomtien – because when there is a big holiday weekend, too many people venture out of smog filled Bangkok to come out to the seashore and then Pattaya / Jomtien suffers from all of the Bangkokian traffic that they bring. As a beautiful sunset was not going to happen I decide to venture up to near the InterContinental resort – where the road ends – as the views from that vantage point are also breathtaking. The air is fresh with a nice sea breeze sweeps the mountainside. I head back into the city before the darkness takes over and I pick up 2 Banh Mi baguette sandwiches to enjoy as my dinner later on. A friend sends me the blasphemous photo that President Donald Trump has posted on his Truth Social account, and so I decide that tonight is the appropriate evening to watch the film, Conclave: I truly enjoyed this fictional papal thriller with all of its illuminating discoveries along the way. As the movie progresses you do not know what surprise is lurking yet to be discovered. And the ending is truly shocking but so apropos. The acting in my opinion is superb. Did any of you see this film? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Furthermore, after living in Rome for 12 years, anything about the Vatican I almost always find fascinating. I moved to Rome in May 1999, and the local gay community was in a state of agitation with the Vatican because of the prior year’s 1998 murder of one of the Swiss Guard, his wife, and the suicide of one of the new Swiss Guard recruits – as it was covered up by the Vatican to hide the fact that these murders were related to a gay love story. As a newbie to Rome, I was so intrigued by what was going on with the regular gay protests that were occurring near the border with Vatican city on Via della Conciliazione. The below book, City of Sins, published in 2003, delves into this amazing coverup gay love story. It is a short easy to read fascinating book. Afterwards, I call it a night. End of day 11 in Da Nang – 4 May 2025

In all Western countries. Thank GOD Thailand does not put a 200% or 300% tariff on their illegal product that we all desire and cherish.

I think that he has 2 (two] "girlfriends". 🤩

Well here on the ground in Da Nang there are many Chinese, Indian, Russian, and European tourists. I asked AI the same question and it gave a different distribution picture. It states that there are many Koreans, but I don't sense that. When I was in Cebu, Philippines earlier this year, the South Koreans were everywhere, and they were the number 1 tourists in the distribution count. However, there were almost no Chinese in Cebu, because of the ongoing hostilities between China and the Philippines over the disputed islands in the South China Sea. Ironically, there is a similar hostility between China ad Vietnam over some islands, but yet there are many Chinese tourists here. Below is what the AI said about tourists in Da Nang:

When I lived in Italy for 12 years, I found the pronunciation of foreign (non Italian) cities interesting - especially when it might involve booking an airline ticket. For example: Monaco - as in the country, Monaco - as in the city in Germany known as Munich. so, you want to be quite sure which one is your true destination.

Day 10 in Da Nang – 3 May 2025 Eat the remaining Banh mi baguette sandwich as my breakfast. I am feeling a lot better and there is no more diarrhea. Later on in the morning – I could not resist to eat another Bò né and enjoy a salt coffee, that I head back to AN Food At the suggestion of forum member, @tm_nyc, I head over to the Museum of Cham Sculpture. Thank you TM. The museum is very easy to locate as it is just across the road from where the tail end of the Dragon Bridge ends (not the head of the Dragon) on the Da Nang city side. The fee to enter is 60,000 VND (around 2.31 USD). I had never heard of the Champa Kingdom prior to visiting this museum. The Cham people habitated the central and southern parts of today’s Vietnam. They thrived in this area from the 2nd century until the 15th century. They started out as Hindu and Buddhists, and then later on embraced Islam. The museum was very busy, as there were many French tourist groups visiting with their Vietnamese guides who were speaking fluent French. I would imagine that this museum is popular amongst the French because it was built by the French architects, M. Delaval and M. Auclair in 1915, based on suggestions by Henri Parmentier. The original name of the museum was, “Le Jardin de Tourane” – when in that time period, Da Nang, was known as Tourane, during the French colonial times. Here is a good article about the history of the artifacts in the museum: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnams-oldest-museum-home-of-cham-cultural-treasures-post221518.vnp I was there for about 2 hours and afterwards, I walked over to the nearby APEC Sculpture Park. The grounds leading up to the park are beautiful with lots of interesting vegetation and it is manicured very well. Venturing underneath the park there was an artworks exhibit, which I truly enjoyed, with many artistic photos on display of many interesting, not known areas of Da Nang, which captured the local people in their natural being. It was well done. https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/1694225/artworks-of-da-nang-to-display-at-apec-park.html There was also an exhibit of all of the construction sites that are coming on line with some of them receiving architectural design awards. What was scary about this exhibit is to know that sleepy Da Nang will soon become a mega metropolis – stylish – but I am sure that it will start to become more expensive to live here – as I can truly say that Da Nang is still cheaper than Thailand (Pattaya / Jomtien ) and the Philippines (Cebu). I drive over to the nearby Vincom Plaza mall for a healthy mango avocado salad lunch. Afterwards, I return to my room for a nap, and when I wake up I am horny, so I fire up the apps and I find New_Call_BOY27 in the Heesay (formerly BLUED) app and we agree to meet at 7pm for a massage. We move our conversation from Heesay over to Zalo – as it is easier to send location details. But, around 5:30pm, there is a knock on my door and it is the cleaning lady (I had scheduled for the cleaning to be tomorrow) and she asked if she could do it now. I say yes and within 45 minutes she is done and gone. She left me an abundance of bath towels – hmmm, what is she trying to tell me? 7pm I go down to the lobby to meet Tâm – he looks a little bit older than 27 – but he is manly and guys in their 30s turn me on. He can barely speak English and I offer him a drink from the fridge and he goes out onto the balcony and just stares and says, WOW!!! Yes, a 33rd floor view of the amazing Da Nang shoreline does wow everybody. We both get naked and he gives me a kind of amateurish massage – hmm – and then after like 20 minutes he starts a body-to-body type of massage – but the intention is not massage but instead sex. I make him understand to keep massaging and I turn over and then he went kind of crazy by overly excitingly licking my nipples and giving me a blow job – so I understood that the massage was terminated. It was not quite what I was expecting but I went along and eventually I got off – as I was happy for it to end so that he could go. He is a sexy guy – but not a masseur at all and I did not really enjoy very much that type of non-massage-edging experience. So, I won’t be calling him back to my room. When I open the door to let him out, on the external door handle is a plastic bag with a mango and 4 mango flavored yoghurts – even Tâm was surprised. I write thanks to the landlady on WhatsApp and she replies, “oh, one of my team must have done that…”. I say thanks and for her to enjoy her evening. I never had AirBnB landlords do this before. On my arrival she gave me 2 coconuts. The other night there were 2 more coconuts outside my door and tonight a mango and 4 yoghurts. Amazing hospitality. Chat with some friends, browse the internet and call it a night. End of day 10 in Da Nang – 3 May 2025

And that would be a true "happy ending" 😍❤️😍

Day 9 in Da Nang – 2 May 2025 Wake up with an incident of diarrhea and intestinal cramps. I usually have diarrhea every time that I reside in a new country. In my trip to Cebu, Philippines, I had a bout with diarrhea on day 17 of my trip and now in day 9 I am having an episode of diarrhea here in Da Nang. I strategically packed the extra Diatabs that Mr. B acquired for me in Cebu in my luggage. So, I pop one of those Diatab pills and I take 2 times throughout the day, two 6mg of Ivermectin – the wonder drug. So, I remain in my condo for most of the day, and I focus on preparing my 5 best movies list as requested by @PeterRS. By the early evening, I am starving, so I go to leave my condo, and when I open the door, there are 2 coconuts on the ground in a bag – left for me to drink by the ever so friendly landlady. But, with the way my intestines are feeling – the last thing that I want is to drink fresh coconut juice – so I put them in the refrigerator. I walk over to and I eat a nice gumbo soup with rice, as my primary meal for today – as I was craving a meal with lots of white rice. The motorbike rental guy sees me and we chat for a bit and I decide to extend my motorbike rental for another 3 days – as my current rental will expire at 12 noon tomorrow. Before heading up to my room, I buy a couple of Banh mi baguette sandwiches to have on the ready in case I get hungry later on in the night. As posted by @Pete1111 in the 5 Best Movies thread, I watch the 1997 film, Happy Together, which I was able to rent on Google TV and cast onto my condo TV. Having recently broke up with my ex-Thai boyfriend before departing for Da Nang, I definitely could empathize with the character, Yiu-Fai (Tony Leung), as I found many parallels with his character and my toxic relationship with my ex. I truly enjoyed the film, and I am glad that Yiu-Fai was finally able to overcome his dependency (for love) from Po-Wing (Leslie Cheung) and to finally realize his dream in Brazil, by himself, and to be able to return back to Hong Kong to start a new life with fresh hope and inspiration – which is also my personal goal. So, thanks @Pete1111 for suggesting this film. Eat one of the Banh mi baguette sandwiches and head off to bed – already feeling much better. End of day 9 in Da Nang – 2 May 2025

Yes, the illustrious #17 = he is hot stuff and very popular in this forum.

Damn - the edit button is already expired, so I canno fix the duplication of text. Not sure how that happened. Anyone here in this forum know why there is this rule that we cannot edit our own posts after 15 minutes? It is very annoying....

Day 8 in Da Nang – 1 May 2025 Before going to have my usual late Bò né breakfast place, I am chatting in the apps and I book a 2 hands massage with Shjn from Grindr at 3:30pm. I can eat these Bò né everyday without getting bored - like Vinapu with Chicken with Cashews After breakfast, I take a walk on the beach promenade and I see this perfect sales truck that would be great for @Olddaddy to open a beach side business here in Da Nang. He does not even need to change the name of the business. What do you all think? Business opportunity for our @Olddaddy ?? 🤔 🤑 Shjn (the massage guy) and I, we later on move our conversation from Grindr over to Zalo, and I give him the address of my condo and we meet in the lobby. He looks more or less like his Grindr profile picture, which is good. We enter my condo and he drinks some water and we chit chat for 5 minutes. He really likes my 33rd floor view and he is updating his social media from my balcony. I get naked and he massages me only in his underwear. His massage is very good – perfect medium strength with nice kneading stroking movements. When I turn over, he takes off his underwear and he is now completely naked. Unfortunately, his attributes were not very appealing, so I just closed my eyes and let him perform the 30-minute slow edging session that I pre-negotiated. I caressed his nice body and nipples. I have to stop him 3 times – as us edgers – we don’t like fast orgasms. Moment arrives and all is blasting everywhere – it has been too many days without an orgasm like this. I think that all went well because this is the first time in like 1 month where I did not cry in silence due to the break-up with my ex Thai boyfriend. Hopefully, this is a sign of more good fun to cum… He cleans up and leaves. I shower and as it is now 5:15 pm, I jump on my motorbike to go up the mountain coastal road – as I want to try to catch the sunset. Unlike Jomtien, the sun sets behind the city – as opposed over the sea – as the East Sea (aka South China Sea – but NEVER say this in Vietnam – as you will be chastised) is facing east and the sun sets in the west. As we are still in the 5 day long weekend holiday of the 50 year National Reunification celebrations, the beach road is literally blocked. It is like a mass pandemonium – as everyone is trying to find parking and run onto the beach sand or into the sea. It is like this for 5km, until I get to where the city limits end and the road narrows and starts to go up into the mountain. It was very stressful driving – but in slow motion – as it is quasi gridlock. I read in the local news that local Da Nang hotels are close to 90% occupancy for this 5 day weekend – amazing. Shjn and I, we move our conversation from Grindr over to Zalo, and I give him the address of my condo and we meet in the lobby. He looks more or less like his Grindr profile picture, which is good. We enter my condo and he drinks some water and we chit chat for 5 minutes. He really likes my 33rd floor view and he is updating his social media from my balcony. I get naked and he massages me only in his underwear. His massage is very good – perfect medium strength with nice kneading stroking movements. When I turn over, he takes off his underwear and he is now completely naked. Unfortunately, his attributes were not very appealing, so I just closed my eyes and let him perform the 30-minute slow edging session that I pre-negotiated. I caressed his nice body and nipples. I have to stop him 3 times – as us edgers – we don’t like fast orgasms. Moment arrives and all is blasting everywhere – it has been too many days without an orgasm like this. I think that all went well because this is the first time in like 1 month where I did not cry in silence due to the break-up with my ex Thai boyfriend. Hopefully, this is a sign of more good fun to cum… He cleans up and leaves. I shower and as it is now 5:15 pm, I jump on my motorbike to go up the mountain coastal road – as I want to try to catch the sunset. Unlike Jomtien, the sun sets behind the city – as opposed over the sea – as the East Sea (aka South China Sea – but NEVER say this in Vietnam – as you will be chastised) is facing east and the sun sets in the west. As we are still in the 5 day long weekend holiday of the 50 year National Reunification celebrations, the beach road is literally blocked. It is like a mass pandemonium – as everyone is trying to find parking and run onto the beach sand or into the sea. It is like this for 5km, until I get to where the city limits end and the road narrows and starts to go up into the mountain. It was very stressful driving – but in slow motion – as it is quasi gridlock. I read in the local news that local Da Nang hotels are close to 90% occupancy for this 5 day weekend – amazing. At the overlook point that I had in mind, it is already packed – but there is still enough room to park my motorbike and I start to take some pictures and some selfies, when this young Russian guy, Nikita offers to take my pictures. Nikita is cute in a kind of Russian way. He tells me that he is able to sustain himself in Da Nang on only $1,020 USD per month – I am impressed. Sunset from Son Tra mountain coastal road – too many clouds made the sunset hazy Nikita is super friendly and he is alone here in Da Nang. He is madly in love with his girlfriend (he shows me some pictures of her – and she is absolutely beautiful) but she only wants a friendship with him. We talk for quite a while, but it is getting dark and I want to get back into the city, as I don’t feel comfortable driving in the dark mountain roads with my motorbike. I forgot to mention in yesterday’s trip report update, that while I was at the Lady Buddha temple grounds – I was trying to take some selfies of the city view when this very sexy young Italian guy from Verona, who asked me to take his pictures – which I did – but only if he reciprocated the favor. I had a strong feeling that this guy was a possible “friend of Dorothy” (i.e., gay), but he was with a tour group and when him and I were becoming super friendly, his tour guide called him away from me. Also, I was pretty much focused on my mother’s birthday yesterday – so I was not in the right frame of mind for some fast cruising. I head back to the city and the pandemonium is still underway – but now in the reverse with a gazillion people trying to leave the beach and randomly crossing the 6 lane beach road (3 lanes each way) to get back to their cars, hotels, or over to the other side of the Han River into the proper Da Nang city center. I manage to get the motorbike back to my condo but my nerves are frazzled and I head over to my favorite place for dinner, and I order my favorite dish, the Houston Platter, with an ice cold Saigon beer. Afterwards back to my room and after about 1 hour I am already sleeping. End of day 8 in Da Nang – 1 May 2025

Sorry about all of the cake postings in both the Philippine and now Vietnam channels. I have a weakness for yummy cakes and delicious ice creams. So, I cannot resist - as attested by my ever growing belly....

Great list guys. One of my all time favorites was also the "Egoist" - so I did not include it in my list of 5 favorites. 2022 – The Blue Caftan A hidden heterosexual – bisexual Moroccan love story – with the blessing of the husband’s wife. Well done – with all the intricacies, denials, and difficulties of male-to-male love in Morocco. This film is difficult to find with English subtitles – I believe that I was able to see it from either Amazon Prime or on Apple TV. 2013 - Are We Okay? (Tamam mıyız?) A very moving and wonderful Turkish film about the difficulties of 2 men and how their lives intertwine to help each other with the MOST difficult decisions in their lives. It can be watched for free with English subtitles at: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x93h07k 2024 - Cabrini As this was a true story it blew me away on the struggle of this nun, Francesca Cabrini for the children of Italy and the betrayal by the Vatican. A very moving story. This film can be seen in Amazon Prime or in Apple TV. 2023 - Fireworks (Stranizza d’Amuri) A beautiful youthful Italian love story based on an awful true event that happened in Sicily in October 1980, known as the Giarre murder event. Having lived in Italy for 12 years I found this film very realistic about what gay life is like in rural Italy and the related homophobia. Film can be watched here for free in YouTube with English subtitles: 2012 - Silver Linings Playbook A very bizarre and comical love story about revenge, 2 crazy people, and love found in the place least expected. I watched this film in the Google Play library – I see that it is also available in Netflix.

My fault @Tartegogo, I should have been more explicit. I had asked many of the guys who massaged me in Cebu if getting an orgasm was possible in any of the local massage places. Often they cited the @infinity_spa_ph chain as the place to get some action. When I replied with my Twitter (X) query suggestion - I did not state the above. - sorry about the confusion. Below is one quite explicit review in Twitter from a user (customer) of a specific type of massage that he had at one of the @infinity_spa_ph affiliates.

Day 7 in Da Nang – 30 April 2025 Wake up to the 50th anniversary of the NATIONAL REUNIFICATION DAY (1975 – 2025). The vast majority of the Vietnamese citizens are dressed in the national flag t-shirts – especially at my An Food breakfast place. Above generic photo from the internet – I regret that I did not take some photos at breakfast – they were all dressed like in the above photo but without the salute. It was truly beautiful and patriotic. I eat my usual Bò né yummy breakfast with my usual salt coffee. Today is the BIG day that I go to make merit to my mom, as today would have been her 80th birthday. So, I look in front of my condo for the guy that I rented a motorbike from last year – but there is now a construction site where he was located 1 year ago. I see someone that looks like him descending into the hotel garage and I wait to see if he would come out. He did and I introduced myself and he remembered me. So, I rented a nice red Honda Vision 110CC automatic scooter from him for 150,000 VND (around 5.80 USD) per day for 3 days (as I still need to decide what I shall do in day 4). He wanted to keep my passport and I told him no, and we instead agreed that he could keep my Thai car driving license in lieu of my passport. In this way, I can keep my passport and drive with my Thai motorbike driving license accompanied with my IDP (International Driving Permit) issued by ITA, where the signatories agreed to the 1968 Vienna Convention of Road Traffic – which is valid here in Vietnam. The version of the IDP that I have is valid for 3 years. My International Driving Permit (IDP) I had to wait quite a while to obtain my motorbike and when it arrived, I understood why – one of his cute Vietnamese assistants had just finished washing it so it looked spanking new. He fits me to a Vietnamese helmet – these are midget helmets when compared to their Thailand counterparts – but we are not allowed to drive more than 40km/h here in Vietnam – which is strictly enforced and 99.8% of the population wears a helmet – so I am much more relaxed about driving here in Vietnam than I am back in Thailand, where the Thais drive at any speed they choose and without helmets. My freedom motorbike Of course, at that price, the gas tank is empty and I go and fill it up for 80,000 VND (around 4.85 USD). My riding itinerary for today As it is 12noon when I depart, it is super hot and my head is boiling. The journey out of the city limits is uneventful but the traffic is intense due to the 5 day holiday. I arrive at the Lady Buddha, where I hire a photographer to take my picture with the Lady Buddha in the background and me holding a picture of my mother and I, as well as her funeral rites card. If you have never visited the Lady Buddha and Linh Ung Pagoda grounds – they are well worth it. The grounds are enormous, with many temples to visit, beautiful landscaping, and amazing views of the Da Nang city skyline. https://ahoyvietnam.com/lady-buddha-da-nang/ This YouTube video is more or less what I experienced today After the photo process was completed, I walked to the back of the grounds so that I could be alone and pray to my mother and make merit to her – as part of the reason as to why I could retire early is that she left me a small inheritance. Before she died, she implored that I protect her assets to respect her wishes – so when the Thai government decided in 2023 (effective for the 2024 tax year) to start to tax us tax residents of Thailand when we transfer funds into Thailand – this is the primary reason that I decided to implement a tax minimalization plan to allow me to honor my pledge to my mother before she died – as it was not foreseen when she died in 2021 during covid, that the Thai government would change its tax regime. Hence why I am in Vietnam – so I was proud to tell my mother that I am still doing everything in my power to honor her last wishes. After about 1.5 hours here I decide to continue up the mountain coastal road to where the road ends at the InterContinental resort. There are great views here and even wild monkeys running around. View of Da Nang looking back from the hills of Son Tra Actually, the road does continue, but only for more powerful motorbikes that are not automatic – there is a security guard there to block the road – as it is too steep for automatic scooters and motorbikes. Maybe I can find a butch macho Vietnamese guy to take me beyond - so that I can see the very end of the Son Tra peninsula one day. 🤞🤩 I head back to the city and park my motorbike at my condo and then I walk over to to eat my dinner, which was a plate of delicious rice, beans, and sausage. Before returning back to the condo, I stop at the bakery to pick up 2 desserts: Melon cake and Tiramisu I peruse the internet and munch on my melon cake and then call it a night. Today is the first day that I am starting to get out of my heartbreak funk – as today was dedicated to my wonderful mother. End of day 7 in Da Nang – 30 April 2025

yes, unfortunately. Matters of the heart take time to heal. The last time that I brought a guy into my bed here, I started to cry and the same was also occurring back in Pattaya. It is quite embarrassing for me to have to explain why tears start to flow out of my eyes when I start to be intimate with someone who does not even know me. So, I prefer to go it alone, to avoid that embarrassment, until I feel that my heart is in a better condition. How long? I do not know. Is there a pill to speed up the broken heart process?

One of my favorite heterosexual YouTube bloggers in Pattaya is Trevor from Buzzin Pattaya - and he and his organization, they organize "Bar Crawls" which act as a "Welcome Wagon". https://buzzinpattaya.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/discover/buzzin-pattaya-pub-crawl I have personally met Trevor when he started his YouTube video series, "I can't Get it Up So What Can I Do?". Trevor is a great down to earth personable guy. It would be really nice if we had a "Welcome Wagon" equivalent in Pattaya / Jomtien for us gays.

Day 6 in Da Nang – 29 April 2025 Eat breakfast at home and hang out in my condo during the morning because at 2pm I will attend the Social Samy meet-up at 2pm. at the Aussie Bistro https://www.facebook.com/people/Aussie-Bistro/61565831309808/ The Aussie Bistro is a popular sports bar that is frequented by the local expat community. It is quite large, has big TVs to watch the games, and a big pool table. In attendance, we are about 10 people, all foreigners, except for Samy’s wife, who is Vietnamese. Each person orders his/her drink and/or food – I order a watermelon drink with a cheeseburger with egg to eat. It is an enjoyable meeting where the focus is to mainly discuss where to find what each person was querying about in Da Nang and to get to know each other. Some people were from Australia, USA, and Europe. Also, a big topic of conversation was the recently increasing prices for rentals – as Da Nang is gaining as an expat destination, due to all of the positive press that Da Nang is receiving from the many YouTuber bloggers that are here promoting Da Nang. To date, I have seen 5 distinct YouTube bloggers just walking around in my My An / My Khe neighborhood. Around 4:30pm I leave and I grab a take-away salt coffee (yes I am addicted) and go back to my room for a nap – what else do retirees do all day? Hahahaha Later in the evening I return to my favorite BBQ restaurant, and there is another concert already underway as part of the ongoing 50 year National Reunification celebrations. So, I got to enjoy good food and good music. While eating I have a very LONG chat with one of my Thai friends back in Pattaya about the break up with my ex-Thai boyfriend. These chats are good for me from a healing point of view. I can vent my frustrations and disappointments with someone who knows my ex very well. Afterwards, I take a walk along the beach promenade and I see that the bars are full of patrons drinking – as Da Nang is now very full of people for the long 5 day weekend. Back to my room and I call it a night. End of day 6 in Da Nang – 29 April 2025

When I was in Cebu for 62 days many of the guys in the apps would talk about the fun that they had in the various Infinity Spa branches. Try the below query in Twitter (X) and you will see many sexual fun comnents. I did not try the 1 small branch that is in Cebu.