Aux1010

Without bothering with anything like an actual trip report, I will just share some snippets about Siem Reap and Phnom Penh from my time in those places over the last couple of weeks.

SIEM REAP
Bars
G*D (Gays on Display) no longer has go go boy shows. I have no idea when they stopped them but now it is drag, drag and more drag, which is a bloody drag. The only redeeming feature of this bar at the moment is the prominent FUCK ISRAEL graffiti on the ceiling. The bar was largely quiet during my time there. Not that I really care.
Barcode had sizeable crowds practically every night. Again, forget about the occasional boy shows that it used to have. It was drag, drag and yet more drag. Needless to say, I found it a fucking drag – but I’ll say it anyway because it deserves to be said. The highlight of these shows was when I said to one of the waiters, “too many ladyboys”. His sympathetic response? “Yes! No girls :(( ! “ That wasn’t entirely true, though. There were quite a few bloody fat girls in the bar on some nights – fag hags, the lot of them. Still, it’s a decent place to go, even if the crowd is shit. I have my favourite waiters there.
I didn’t bother with BBall and Rendezvous

Massages
The Sovan Man Massage which was a stone’s throw away from Rambutan closed down, seemingly somewhere in early or mid-August; and the shop is now for rent and they are no longer responding on Telegram. That’s a shame because it had some rather nice guys. That comes on the back of the Man 168 Massage closing more than a year ago, which I consider a real loss because it had precisely the kind of guys I like. Their Man 168 Facebook page has recently come back to life, but that is being operated by just one former worker, offering his own services. That leaves Sanmai Massage as the only full-on man for man massage shop in Siem Reap, as far as I am aware. Sanmai, however, is populated by gay masseurs in whom I have no interest.
The massage shops on 2 Thnou Street do have male masseurs, but they are usually hidden in a backroom somewhere, presumably to avoid scaring away the sort of regular customers that those shops attract. Ask, if you want a male masseur. What you may actually get really depends on the masseur, though - some will offer a little more, some won't. Don’t go with expectations of anything more than a massage and you won’t be disappointed. They are, after all, officially and largely, legitimate massage places.
Cham Nan Temple Massage: “I am an Izz-ray-lee and I am the worst!” the bloody disgusting old thing declared as I walked into the shop. “And right now I am enjoying with my new boy!” He had heard me request a male masseur and probably thought I was going to engage with him as a fellow conspirator. I glanced at his masseur, and it was, indeed, a very unattractive femboy/ladyboy who was massaging him. I ignored the disgusting old bastard.
“Where are you from?” asked the disgusting old “Izz-ray-lee”. I ignored him and carried-on with booking my massage. “What? You don’t speak English?” he demanded in an irritated tone. I shrugged and ignored him. He made some filthy, frustrated noise in his disgusting pseudo-native language, upset that I would not engage with him; but I was there for a massage, not to have a chat with some old pervert tainted by association with genocide.
Cham Nan Temple Massage is smack in the centre of town and it is a very decent place to go if you are looking for a real massage and can’t decide which of the myriad shops in central Siem Real to choose. It is clean, central, and nicely done; and I prefer it to the ones on 2 Thnou Street. They currently have only two male masseurs: a younger, golden-skinned guy named Virek, who is the owner’s son; and an older, more built guy in his early 40s named Piset. I can vouch for the quality of Piset’s massage. Both of them speak good English. I had asked Piset how many guys they currently have and he said “two…maybe three boys…but that one not really. That one…”, he trailed off, looking in the direction of the femboy.
As I exited the shop, the disgusting old “Izz-ray-lee” was sitting outside, surrounded by the female masseurs. “How was the massage?”, he asked with a leer on his face. I ignored him and walked off. He swore at me. Good. Fuck him and fuck “Israel”. Chamnan is near the Starbucks.
Note that in addition to working at the shop, Virek drives a remorque and is available for the monument tours etc. That is an option to consider if you would like a young, pleasant, pleasant-looking, English-speaking driver for the day.



Dining
Khmer Taste remains my favourite local cuisine place in the city. Inevitably, I return to it after trying others. The food here is authentically Khmer, my local friends assure me; and here you will find locals dining alongside the tourists. Prices are low and the food is good. The waitresses aren’t particularly smiley, but service is good and the girls will chat if you engage with them. Khmer Taste lies just a little bit outside the core tourist zone around Pub Street, but it is easily walkable from there. If you aren’t familiar with the location, just take a Grab there the first time you go. You should have no trouble finding it on foot the next time.

Attractions
Siem Reap has recently added yet another tourist attraction: some big monument or theme park called "Angkor Wat", which is, apparently, a great place to go and take selfies. You may want to visit it while there.
Separately, Kbal Spean was at the most beautiful that I have ever seen it on this trip. It is now the rainy season, which locals often call the Green Season, and the hills were wonderfully lush. However it has rained less than it usually does at this time of the year, which means that while there is abundant water flowing over the lingas in the river, the river is not so swollen that the carvings are hidden. You can see it at its best right now – the way it is meant to be seen. It just reminded me of why I love that place so much. While Kbal Spean is a little bit further out, it is always worth the trip.


PHNOM PENH

Rambutan Resort
The old order changeth, yielding place to new…
The long-running and much-loved Rambutan Resort in PP is no more. It is now the Sonitori Boutique Hotel. The Dutchman sold it to a Jap about four months ago and the new owner has spared no time in ruining it. Gone is the lush greenery around the pool that delighted the eye; gone is the canopy of vines above the pool that shielded you from prying eyes; the pool itself is now full of big floats to encourage family fun. No more in-house massage option either. Gone also is the old manager who knew exactly what the Rambutan’s patrons wanted; and in are several new female front office staff. Fortunately, many of the old staff remain and will welcome you back warmly if you are an old guest. Apparently, it was sold for just $50k, as the Dutchman wanted to get rid of it and focus on the Rambutan in Siem Reap – but that only included the business and building. The land is leased from a local. Still. $50k is bloody cheap and had I known it was for sale at that price, I would gladly have taken it

In years past, it was balls of an entirely different type that were played with in that pool.

On the plus side, the new owner has been slow in setting things up online – the hotel still uses a gmail address and Tripadvisor only provides booking options through Agoda. One consequence of that currently low visibility, coupled with low season prices is that rooms at Sonitori now cost practically nothing , especially when you consider the excellent made to order breakfast that they still provide. I paid $25 per night for my room; and they can’t possibly be making money at that rate. Homos who are fond of the old Rambutan should perhaps launch a coordinated, low-cost invasion to keep it queer-ish.
The pancakes at Rambutan PP continue to be much better than those at Rambutan Siem Reap.

Bars
Space Hair Bar: Space has lost its lustre for me. Long-time star and all-time favourite, Smey (ReakSmey). has left the bar. Smey’s acting and modelling career has finally reached the level of success that I always wished for him. He is earning well now and has neither the time nor inclination to sit around being groped by strangers till 6 a.m. every night. Boys came and went in that bar, but Smey stayed for ages and only became more handsome as he matured – he was already 30-ish when he won second runner-up in Mr Cambodia. Smey was also sort of ringleader in that bar. Without him there to egg the boys on, the place is now much more subdued and holds much less attraction for me.
The number and quality of the boys there at the moment also doesn’t quite stack-up with previous years. Nonetheless, I opened my wallet generously as it is low season, the bar nearly bereft of customers on weekdays and some of those boys there are “friends”. On that note, Pahlin (Polin) is still there and was talking about opening an equivalent bar in Siem Reap, as he notes that there is a dearth of muscle bars in Siem Reap. My complaints about the number of drag shows simply confirmed his belief that a Space-style bar in Siem Reap would work, but he is still going to have to find the money for it. Pahlin is an intelligent fellow - he was formerly a property agent – and anyone looking to pursue that opportunity may want to drop by space and speak to him.
AsianCam: The AsianCam bar has moved from Street 222 to Street 224 into larger, nicer, digs. I mention that here because Grab had not updated the address as of the week before, sending people to the wrong place. Gone are all the macho boys who were working there last year. All femboys now, bar a single, new straight boy who began work there recently.
Toolbox was as boring as ever since moving to its current/”new” location. Being in that place feels rather like being entombed with a bunch of old queens. Not much going-on there on weekdays, unless you want to drink with the regular crowd whose arses appear to be glued to their seats.

Dining
The service at La Croisette is now officially shit, which is a shame as nostalgia occasionally takes me back there. La Croisette has been around since the 90s. The food is decent but not amazing and the view from the top floor terrace over the quay and river is no longer the best offered by any restaurant in the city. Still, it’s not a bad place for a date and there is a good ice cream parlour downstairs. Service is shit, though.
Half the food stalls in the PP Night Market were closed. Rainy evenings and the lack of tourists at this time of year mean that there probably isn't enough business for all of them to stay open. Still, I enjoy eating there sitting on the mats and talking to the boys who work in the market. They have more time to chat in the low season than they do when the market is packed.
Fans of the durian may also want to take note that the rainy season is a bad time to taste that fruit in Cambodia. Too much water makes the fruit that ripens in the rainy season rather tasteless. Don't waste your money and torture your taste buds with watery durians at this time of year. They are best eaten before the rains start.

I’ve landed in the mountains. After living like a monk with no bedroom action all week in Koh Samui, I’m definitely planning to partake in some fun here in Chiang Mai. I know the opportunities will be far fewer than Bangkok but after a week of beaches, temples and elephants on Koh Samui, I’m down for some fun.
Most of my time here will be spent exploring apartments and neighborhoods during the daytime. For those who haven’t followed so far, I landed in Bangkok. Been researching a move to Thailand for about a year. I know far too much about healthcare, visas and the tourist do’s and don’ts. But before I made the big commitment I wanted to come over here for two months to see if I really like it as much as I thought I would.
I didn’t really anticipate Bangkok being a contender in terms of where I’d want to live in Thailand. It was really just where I planned to land. I wanted to have naughty fun in Silom since I’d always heard about it. But when I booked this trip, Ko Samui and Chiang Mai were my two big contenders of where I’d want to live. Samui will definitely not be it. Bangkok… we’ll see. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. It’s all of the positives of a big city without the negatives I’m used to in the United States.
Wrote about my trips to the Bangkok bars and massage spots over on the Bangkok board. I’m going back in two weeks. If Chiang Mai doesn’t do it for me, I’ll do some apartment visits and see more parts of the city. And of course, try to squeeze in some fun at night.
But for Chiang Mai, the number of options to explore seems far more manageable. Anyone with suggestions on particular massage spots or go-go bars to visit… Feel free to drop a reply. Adam’s Apple seems to be the big gogo bar. Probably gonna check that out tonight. The massage spot that seems most enticing at first glance is aqua cnx. I’m mostly a twinks and twunks kinda guy btw.
For now, though, just watching the daylight disappear from the rooftop infinity pool of my Airbnb.

Bangkok
Day activities:
A visit to the Mahanakhon skyscraper. The view is impressive, as is the skywalk. bicycle tour by night. Great experience, but I prefer the day tour.  Bars:
Fresh boys: great selection of boys and I loved the show (only one ladyboy lip-syncing act). I invited #19 and #28 to sit with me. #19 was very cute but top only. I would have taken #28 if it was any cheaper (asked for 3000 baht). Not sure if that's normal practice, but the papasan said that I had to pay the full amount to the bar, including the tip for the boy (?). Maybe I misunderstood.   Good boy: good selection of boys but I arrived just before the show started.  I lran away after three kathoey acts. Golden Cock: The door was open, but the bar was empty. No one in sight. I left after 5 minutes. Super A: I was the only customer. Drinks are 200 baht and the off fee is 500 baht. The guys are fully clothed, one of them attractive. I invited him to sit with me, and he immediately unbuckled his belt to get a better look at his goods. He's straight, but "can do anything." I put that to the test, and we went to the hotel, and what a surprise... The best sex I've had all week. He's an enthusiastic kisser and loved being fucked. He asked for 1500, but I gave him 2000. Sometimes you find what you're looking for where you least expect it. Massages:
Avalon massage: A cute guy comes up to me and says, "Massage, please, sir." I can't resist (massage 685 baht). I really enjoyed the massage. Then came the question I was hoping for: "Would you like something extra?" We discussed the details and the price (a 2,000 baht tip), and he undressed. He insisted we be very quiet, as there were other customers getting a massage in the same room (seperated by curtains). I really tried to be quiet, but I think I failed miserably. It was very enjoyable, anyway. oneSpa (saphan kwai): I chose "Min" a guy from Myanmar who could bottom. Special offer, 1 hour 499 baht. Minimum tip 1000 baht. Luckily, I paid an extra 100 baht for the VIP room, because if that was a VIP room, I don't want to know what the regular rooms look like. The massage was better than expected, with a pleasant body-to-body massage. As soon as I turned over, the real fun began. Min turned out to be a very enthusiastic bottom. We showered together at the end. From start to finish, 70 minutes. Highly recommended. Grindr:
Probably a coincidence, but the money boys were much more responsive than in Pattaya. I got one boy into my room within five minutes of our conversation. I ended up meeting two boys, paying them 1,200 and 1,500 baht respectively. Both were okay.
----
I had a wonderful trip to Thailand. It was great to be back and see how things have changed. Some for the better (Jomtien Complex), some for the worse (Sunee, Boystown).
After visiting Colombia often over the past five years, it was good to have a change of scenery.
Will I go back? Definitely, but my next trip will be to Colombia again.
Thailand has so many advantages over Colombia. It's very safe, the food is great, the hotels are cheap and high-quality, you can get a good massage, and it's very easy to find a money boy...
But what I miss most in Thailand is what they call "morbo" in Colombia. It's hard to describe, but the sex is just hotter, more intense, more passionate. And there's a lot of kissing (more than half of the guys in Thailand didn't want to kiss). I also miss the long conversations, having drinks together, going out together,... With guys from South Asia it's just more difficult, because we don't speak a common language and I don't like using translation apps all the time.

 

For the first time in five years, I visited Thailand again, albeit for only nine days.
The first seven days I spent in Pattaya, the last few in Bangkok.
I stayed at the Zing Resort in Pattaya and at The Raya in Bangkok.
The Zing Resort is a simple but pleasant hotel. The staff is super friendly, no problem with guests and it's always nice to have a pool.
The Raya: I was unlucky enough to have a room on the fifth floor (where the reception is), but they don't even bat an eye when you go up to your room with your boyfriend of the day. The room was very nice (with a naughty shower), but I didn't like the bed: a mattress on viagra, rock hard.
 
Pattaya

I took the airport bus to Jomtien. Even though I didn't have a reservation, I only had to wait 20 minutes for the next bus.
Grindr had a good selection of guys, but it was difficult to make appointments (no or late responses, guys who didn't show up, etc.). I ended up meeting three guys, only one of whom was memorable.
On average, I paid 1,500 baht for bar boys and 1,000 baht for guys from Grindr.
 
Daytime Activities:
Ramayana Water Park with a Grindr contact (free, but I paid for admission, transportation, and food). A bit pricey (999 baht admission), but great slides and lots of fun. The guy loved it. Koh Larn with a guy from M Bar. We went to Tien Beach. It's still one of my favorite beaches on the island. A sexy photoshoot among the rocks on the other side of the island was the highlight of the day. Trip to Bang Saray (by Songthaew/motorcycle taxi). Strolled around town for a bit. Bars & Massages Jomtien Complex:
M bar: My favorite bar in Pattaya. The guys are cute and the show is entertaining (the fuck show in black and white!). I've offed three guys from Laos (technically, I only offed one, since the others joined me after closing time). One night, a big spender got all the guys drunk. One of them fell asleep on my lap. Another asked if he could sleep at my place because he lost his keys. Of course, I didn't mind and the next morning he proved that having sex is a perfect remedy for a hangover. Gus bar: The guys are very twinky. The "sexy boys" show is just energetic dancing, but I enjoyed it. The cashier came to my room after closing time, and we had a great time. Peter bar: I enjoyed a game of pool at this bar. The location is great. You can watch the comings and goings and see the various shows. I assume they employ freelancers, because I offed a guy from the bar and didn't pay an off fee. Sunee bar: I met two forum members. They were both lovely guys   MV Massage (one of two massage parlors near the bakery "O Delices"): A very cute twink caught my eye. The massage started with him fully clothed and he stayed that way throughout the session. His massage skills were non-existent, the worst massage I've had in a long time. Not that I expected a good massage there, as long as there was a sexy part. But alas... nothing. After 45 minutes, the session was over. I considered how much to tip him and thought 200 baht would be more than enough, even generous. He looked at me as if he was very offended by my tip and even ostentatiously turned his head the other way as I walked past to leave. Well, they won't see me again. Jomtien Health Massage (near the entrance to Jomtien on the Thappraya): There are both men and women working there. My expectations were rather low, but one of the men was cute. He gave me an excellent massage and halfway through asked if I wanted extras. After a brief chat, he jumped out of his clothes and we had a good session. I think I was lucky I was the only one on the top floor, as the massage tables are only separated by curtains. Afterward, I showered alone.  Bars & Massages sunee plaza:
Everything is closed except Nice Boys, Winner Boys, Diamond Bar (lights on but empty) and that bar on the corner.
Nice boys (or whatever they are called nowadays): only one Myanmar guy on the stage, the rest are Thai. All boys in jeans / long trousers. I had a chat with the owner khun beer. He tells me that they had no choice, he couldn't pay the tea money for the BiB anymore with the profits of the bar. I miss the old Nice Boys. For old time's sake, I started a cum contest for 300 baht.  Most of them wanked frantically and one of the boys won in less than 10 seconds.  Winner boys: a couple cute twinks, friendly atmosphere and you can have some hands-on fun with the boys.  Bars & Massages boystown:
Toy Boys: Nice mix of boys, I counted 12 boys. Papasan told me they expect 2500 baht tip for short time, no pasarán.  Cupidol (or whatever it's called now, the go-go bar next to Panorama): lots of cute twinks. One guy immediately caught my eye, but he was top only. 
 

Massage Spots
Ah Ram Massage
Not much buzz about this place on this forum, but it delivers on the essentials. Solid selection of boys, mostly twunks with a touch of variety and decent massage skills. It’s clear, though, that the real emphasis is on extras. Rooms are large, private, and all en suite, which adds comfort to the overall experience. Quietly reliable.
A&P (Arthur & Paul Hotel)
Undisputed highlight. Located within the boutique Arthur & Paul hotel, this is where you go for an actual massage that also happens to be sensual and beautifully done. Fewer boys to choose from, mostly lean twunks, but all high calibre. Upscale, clean, and discreet. Prices are higher, but worth every riel.
Paradise Massage
Skip the foot massage unless you like being lightly patted for 30 minutes. Technique was minimal at best. On the plus side, the place is clean and fairly priced, and the 1-hour oil massage looked far better—most clients come for that. Boys are mostly twinks, friendly but young and inexperienced. Choose wisely.
Hatha Khmer
Classic behind-the-glass setup. Tucked-away location, a bit sketchy but intriguing. Massage quality is secondary—it’s more about the boy you pick. And that choice really matters: experiences here range from disappointing to excellent. It is possible to find gold, but manage expectations. Don’t bother booking more than 60 minutes—sessions often end early regardless.
Bars & Nightlife
AsianCam
New on the scene (around 6 months old). Host bar vibe with no stage show, slightly away from the main cluster. Boys are polite and polished, but the place feels a little quiet unless you come with a group. Still finding its crowd.
Space Hair Bar
Popular haunt for hunk lovers. Mostly Cambodian hunks, very host bar energy. Great fun if you lean towards more masculine local types. Definitely not subtle, but always lively.
Toolbox
Come for the boy dance show at 10:30pm, it’s the main draw. The rest of the night can feel slow, especially during low season. Crowd is a mix of twinks and local expats. Drinks are fine, vibe is low-key. Worth your time.

Hotels

Novotel
New and good upscale option. Suites are great with fantastic views. Close to a cluster of restaurants and some night life. Not fat from the gay spots. The bar «mob» nearby is popular among the youngish crowd and you might consider taking your date there.  

Sun and Moon Urban Hotel
Economical option that is right in the middle of the action. However it feels a bit worn down now and could use a face lift. Very guest friendly hotel, but will insist on registering your guest with their ID.

Tl;Dr
Phnom Penh offers a relaxed, slightly unpredictable gay scene. If you’re after polish, go to A&P. If you’re after adventure, try Hatha. The bar scene is small but varied, with some new players worth checking out. It’s not Bangkok or Rio de Janeiro, but then again, that’s kind of the point.

The new airport is very clean and a huge upgrade from the previous airport. However, the airport is too big at present for the volume of traffic to PP so expect to walk for a long while until you reach immigration. I am conflicted, I miss the convenience and intimacy of the old airport but recognise the need for a change and upgrade.

Day 64 (2 March 2025) – End of trip report
 
Today is my last day in Cebu, as I return to Thailand tomorrow afternoon.
I meet with Mr. B. for lunch today in the Ayala mall.  As it is a Sunday, and lunch time, it is very crowded and we need to eat in a restaurant that neither of us is familiar with.  It’s name is: BadBoys Swingz  .  As this is my last full day in Cebu, I want to try something different and this dish with the name = Pork Dinakdakan – looks yummy, as it looks like some kind of cream sauce on top of a pork chop ?
I start to eat it and I realize that I do not like it and later on thanks to Mr. B., I get the below picture to understand why I did not like it.  Yuck – it is not really my type of cuisine that I like.  I ordered it by only looking at its photo on the menu that did not contain the below description.

https://www.facebook.com/BBWINGZ/
After I attempted to eat a 1/3 of it, I then call over the waiter and I attempt to order a cheeseburger (now I wanted to play it safe) but he replies, “the chef cannot make you a cheeseburger because there is no cheese today – are you ok with a normal hamburger?”  I reply, yes.
I tell Mr. B., this is another perfect example of a typical experience that I have had numerous times here during my 60 days in the Philippines.  Mr. B. makes me understand that this is normal.  I tell him that I have personally been in many Thai restaurants where the dish that you requested is missing a key ingredient and I saw with my own eyes that the restaurant does one of the following 2 things:
Sends one of the staff to go and buy the missing ingredient – often I have seen them in 7-Eleven buying the missing and/or run out of inventory item, or, they ask you if the missing ingredient can be substituted with something else. Mr. B. makes me understand that this would never happen – as the staff are NEVER allowed to leave the restaurant to go to the nearby 7-Eleven (they are everywhere here in Cebu just like in Pattaya) or nearby supermarket to buy the missing ingredient.  Furthermore, the chef is only allowed to prepare the dish in accordance with the strict recipe.  I explained to Mr. B. that this is a big difference than in many other countries that I have been in – where they are empowered to improvise – in order to keep the customer happy.
By the way, my hamburger was very good and Mr. B. enjoyed his meal.
While we were eating, Mr. B. teaches me about another Filipino idiom regarding AFAMs.  That is to say, “escape from poverty….”.  To put it into context, if some Filipinos see a Filipino person walking with an AFAM (farang), as they pass by, the Filipinos who are observing them may say, “escaping from poverty….”, in such a way, in the local language tagalog, so that the Filipino person hears it and the AFAM does not understand it.  Everyone has a good laugh and the AFAM does not have a clue.
I tried to find a Thai equivalent – as I have heard the money boys back in the Jomtien Complex – Supertown laugh and giggle when one of them “hits the jackpot…” – as in they found a farang who has money - dtee sua (ตีสัว).
So, this is another similarity between Thailand and the Philippines.
Afterwards, we go to my condo so that I can give Mr. B. the promised luggage with the 5 new towels and 1 set of dark grey sheets.  As I see that there is still some spare room in the luggage I show him the many drinks that were in my refrigerator that I will not consume before I fly back to Thailand and he agrees to take them and I am super happy about that.
We sit and chat for a while and reminisce about our many trips that we did together and how our wonderful friendship developed in these 60 days.  We are both sad that we will not see each other unless I return again to the Philippines or if Mr. B. comes to Pattaya.  As Mr. B. is ambitious and wants to move abroad to have an out-of-country work experience – I am not sure if we will ever see each other again, but we agree to keep in touch via WhatsApp.
Mr. B. leaves with the luggage and I am truly sad.  But, unbeknownst to Mr. B. I snuck a surprise within the towels that he will discover after he opens the luggage back in his boarding house room.  Sure enough, about 1 hour later, he discovers my surprise and he is truly overjoyed, especially with the kind words that I put in the card, some surprise pesos, and a little black book for him to keep notes about his to-be worldwide adventures. 
Mission accomplished, as he only discovered his surprise back in his room, because any other time that I have tried to reward him, he ALWAYS pushes back on anything that I try to give him – as he is such a kind and modest authentic non-greedy Filipino person.  He will make someone an excellent partner.

I love making surprises
I start packing for my return to Thailand and then I call it a night and I set the alarm so that I will wake up in time to finish packing and to check out and get to the airport in time.
 
This is the end of this trip report series to learn if an elderly gay retiree can live ok in the Cebu city area in the Philippines.  After 60 days here, I have determined that the answer is YES, and for my retiree living requirements – the place that I would choose is:
--> The MegaWorld Mactan Newtown township over on Mactan island at the beach <--
--> As it offers a lifestyle that is the closest to what I have back in Jomtien in Thailand <--
--> And the condo complex that I would choose would be - One Pacific Residence  (OPR) <--
--> note that 3 additional condo complexes are currently under construction - so, these would need to be evaluated to understand if OPR would remain as the number one choice  <--

 
In second place would be the CBP Cebu Business Park, and in third place would be the Cebu IT Park.
 
Thanks for coming along on my 60+ day adventure, and I hope that you enjoyed the journey with me.
 
My next trip report will be in late April and from Da Nang, Vietnam, and since I will be there for around 130 days, I am thinking to just do weekly updates – as these daily updates are a killer.  Also, I will have my Thai boyfriend with me – so I will have less down time.
 
Day 64 (2 March 2025) – concluded – End of this Trip Report.
 

Day 33 (30 January 2025)
Up until now, the previous 2 AirBnBs have been very small.  The first one (in CBP) was 24sqm with a tiny balcony, and the second one (in IT Park) was 26sqm without a balcony. The first building, Cityscape Grand Tower was slightly upscale and the second building, Avida Riala Tower was middle working class for the locally employed BPO people.
Now here in the Jomtien of Cebu = Mactan Newtown, a MegaWorld township project, the current condo building that I am in is luxurious and the rooms are standard normal size (not HongKong style) from a Western point of view. My unit is a large studio with 41sqm.
The main entrance is elegant:

Pool area on the 4th floor bridge is ample with plenty of loungers, showers, bathroom and attendant. There are also tennis courts on the 4th floor.

The unit that I rented is listed as a studio – but it is more layed out as a standard 1 bedroom with ample space of 41sqm.

In the photo above of the living room behind the couch is a sliding glass wall that separates the living area from the sleeping area.  Behind the plant is the doorway out onto the balcony - I already showed that photo in yesterday's trip report update.
Unfortunately, there is no office desk, but the dining room table is perfect for working on my laptop.

And the bedroom, which is truly lovely.

So, out of the 3 AirBnB’s this one here in Jomtien (Mactan Newtown) is my favorite.
I prepared the below table to compare these 3 condos from an AirBnB vs. monthly rental point of view.
Condo
sqm
AirBnB
price per
night
Non-AirBnB
rental price per
month to rent
Cityscape
24
€ 700.37 / 20 nights
= €35.01 per night
~ 2,122.12 pesos
https://homes.trovit.ph/
listed at 25,000 pesos
~ $427.97 USD per month
Avila Riala
26
€ 440.16 / 11 nights
= €40.01 per night
~ 2,425.57 pesos
https://rentpad.com.ph/
listed at 22,000 pesos
~ $376.58 USD per month
OPR
41
€ 314.12 / 6 nights
= €52.35 per night
~ 3,173.67 pesos
https://homes.trovit.ph/
listed at 30,000 pesos
~ $513.51 USD per month
** I apologize for the use of the Euro – but as I used my EU based Skrill card for everything the invoices were prepared in Euro.
I have not yet compared the above analysis to what I am paying back in Jomtien – as I am not quite sure how to make a fair comparison.  I pay 28,000 baht (~ $828.65 USD per month) for a large 98sqm 1 bedroom condo in front of Dongtan beach with amazing Gulf of Thailand sea views.
Anyone got any ideas how I can make a fair comparison?
  --> Perhaps I should do it at the sqm level ? so it would be apples for apples ?
Thanks
 
Ok, back to my daily grind as a retiree – I eat breakfast in my room and work for a little while on my laptop.
Around 2pm I return to the Mactan Alfresco outdoor food court and eat a great lunch there.

 
After lunch I walk over to the Mactan Newtown transportation center that has these nice buses that can take you into Cebu city, where the destination is IT Park.  It only costs 50 pesos (~ $0.87 USD) one way, but can take between 1 hour to 1.5 hours.  Unfortunately, this bus into the city does not stop at my preferred destination, CBP (Cebu Business Park), where my favorite Ayala mall is.
 --> So, my original idea to find the Jomtien of Cebu and to compare it to our Jomtien in Pattaya – fails in the sense that the transportation time back and forth is just too long.  It is more like I would be living in Bang Saray instead of Jomtien.  The Grab car takes 1 hour (depending on traffic) from Mactan Newtown to Cebu city.

Then I go to explore the only primary street of this new township, Newtown Blvd., and I see underneath the 8 Newtown Blvd building, that there is a tiny “mall”, that has 2 ATMs, 1 barbershop, 1 luggage storage shop, fitness center, small grocery store, etc.  I visited the X10 luggage storage shop to inquire about using their services when I will go for 5 days to Boracay with Mr. B, as I don’t want to drag my 62 day steamer trunk with me. The rate is 2.000 pesos (~ $34.25 USD) for up to 7 days.
https://luggagestoragecebu.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TUFBarbershopMactan/
Then I walked next door to the TUF barbershop and got one of my best haircuts in my life.  The guy was great and sexy, and the cost was reasonable, at 380 pesos (~ $6.51 USD) – now I have a nice military style Bart Simpson square cut.
Below is the Mactan Newtown township Master Development Plan, which I would say is about 50% completed.  So, it will be very exciting over the next few years to see how this place transforms into what it will become – which I believe will be an eventual GREAT retirement destination in like 3 to 5 years time.

It is a beautiful afternoon, so I decide to walk to the official beach of Newtown Mactan. 


It is about an 8 minute walk and the beach is private and you must pay to enter if you are not a condo owner within the Newtown Mactan township or hotel guest at the Belmont and Savoy hotels.  Also, entry is free if you are renting a condo long term (you have a rental agreement for more than 6 months).
Price list:
1,088 pesos (~ $18.62 USD)  – on a weekday 1,288 pesos (~ $22.05 USD)  – on the weekend Entrance fee includes access to the infinity pool, sun bathing, and buffet lunch which is served between 11am to 2pm.
I found the day use price to be expensive, as a day trip user, but it is still cheaper than when Mr. B and I, we went to the 5 star Shangra-La resort where we paid 2.000 pesos per person, and NO lunch buffet was included – however the Shangra-La grounds are better than this Mactan Newtown private beach.  By the way, the border of the Shangra-La grounds touches the fence of the private Mactan Newtown Beach.

Here are 2 short TikTok videos of the Mactan Newtown beach grounds so you can get a sense of what the experience is like.  The water is cleaner than our coffee brown water back at Jomtien beach in Thailand – but it is FREE to gain beach access in Thailand.  Also, I did not see anyone who might be gay at the beach. Hope is eternal.
 
Getting dark so go to buy some dinner to eat back in my room and then I fire up the apps to see if there is any gay life out here on Mactan island.  I was quite surprised – the apps were busy and within 20 minutes of chatting with a local kindergarden teacher we meet outside in front of the 7-Eleven as he wanted some beers.  He checks in with his ID card with my new security team (they don’t bat an eye even though this area is a bit Hi-So).  We go up to my room and we try to open the beers and realize that there is not a beer bottle opener in the condo.  So, he puts the beers down and gets undressed and before you know it we are edging each other on my bed.  In the chat session he was reluctant to do edging because he told me that his dick is hypersensitive and he would cum within 5 minutes. I told him that I was an edging pro and I knew what to do to make him last at least 30 minutes.  When he would get near to exploding – like in 4 minutes, then I would stop and he would edge me for like 12 minutes when I asked him to stop so that I would not explode.  Then I would do it to him and he actually lasted 10 minutes as he was now more calm.  Then he finished me off and it was great.
After our showers, he said to me, have you eaten at Jolibee yet?  I replied no.  He was shocked – 30 days in the Philippines and you have not yet eaten in our McDonald’s = Jollibee.

I eat some fried chicken that was served with pasta that had like a watery ketchup taste to it.  It was ok – the chicken was better than the pasta.  The guy insisted that I eat a mango tart which was also good.
After dinner, he took me for a walk in the immediate neighborhood which is outside of the Mactan Newtown township perimeter and it is truly “night and day”, where the minute you step outside there is intense traffic, crowded jeepneys in transit beeping their horns, many people walking in the street – as there are no sidewalks. 
As the Mactan Newtown township has not yet built their promised mall, he took me to the nearby  LG Garden Walk 2 floor mall – which is great, as the township still does not yet have good places to go shopping.  This mall is diagonally across the street from the main entrance to the Mactan Newtown township.
https://www.facebook.com/lggardenwalkmactan/
Now I am tired and I want to go back to my room to chat with my Thai boyfriend, as he knows that I am out and about with a “new friend”, which can make him apprehensive.  All is good when I tell him what the meeting with the guy was like and he is calm and relaxed.
 
Day 33 (30 January 2025) concluded.
 

Day 32 (29 January 2025)
My brain woke me up at 3:30am – so that I could execute the Wise transfer to my boyfriend ( as it was now officially the day of the Chinese New Year ), as the Thais do love receiving those red envelopes. 

As it was only 2:30am in Thailand, my Thai boyfriend is still awake and is ecstatic that:
I remembered him for the Chinese New Year, That I still followed through with this surprise even though we argued during the previous day. Then he asks me the question – how can you send me this lovely Chinese New Year surprise and not help me with my sister’s educational needs?  So, I have to tell him that he put me in a difficult predicament when I only had available liquid funds in Thai baht outside of Thailand for one or the other and that I chose the Chinese New Year surprise over the needs of his sister.  He was very appreciative – but I could sense that he would have preferred that I took care of his sister instead of him – but I did not agree.
My brain finally allows me to go back to sleep with peace of mind.  Thank God!!
I wake up at 8am, eat breakfast, and pack my bags, as today is the BIG move from Cebu city (IT Park) to the Jomtien of Cebu, known as Mactan Newtown, over on nearby Mactan island.

Now in Part 3 of this trip at my AirBnB #3 at Mactan Newtown

I perform the required check-out activities at 11:50am with the owner of the IT Park AirBnB.  Cart my luggage and towel bag downstairs and request a car in the Grab app for Mactan Newtown.
Elapsed time was 45 minutes for a total cost of 709.67 pesos ( ~ $12.17 USD) arriving at 12:48pm.  I added a 100 peso tip as the driver was really good and he helped me to get my steamer trunk out of his trunk and up the few steps onto the marble walkway into my new chic condo building at the beach.
With this new AirBnB condo owner I asked for an early check-in of 1pm, but she could not get the cleaning from the previous person completed until 3pm.  So, I gave my new security team a 100 peso tip to store and watch my luggage for 2 hours while I walked around my new neighborhood and went to get lunch.
There is only 1 main street in this Mactan Newtown neighborhood as everything is new and there is still major construction going on as they expand this new mini-city complex.  I notice that the main street is full of Korean people and I am quite surprised as I did not see many Koreans back in Cebu city.  All of the restaurants are jammed packed – mainly with Koreans.  So, I walk to the main entrance into the Mactan Newtown complex where there is an open air food court, which is not packed.  It’s name is:  Mactan Alfresco.

https://www.facebook.com/MactanAlfresco/
I can report that there is a good assortment of food and beverage choices and I have a feeling that I will be eating here a lot in these next days.  I need to kill 2 hours so I eat very slowly.
Back to my condo and now the security team allows me to go up to the room.  The complex is huge and consists of 4 towers, where if you are not in the tower where the main entrance is, you need to take a special shuttle elevator up to floor 4, where the tennis court and pool are and then walk to your appropriate tower and use those elevators from level 4 to get up to your condo room floor.  Rather complex and requires lots of walking – but it is ok as this place is truly very nice.
The owner of this AirBnB also had an electronic key access system and to access the room you need to install an app on your phone.  I tried to do that back in IT Park but the app registration could not be completed for me because I could not switch the phone number country code from the default of +1 to +66 (or any other country code).  Consequently, the cleaning lady had to leave the door unlocked where the physical metal room key was on the kitchen table.  I love old-fashioned access – hallelujah!!  And I love physical metal keys.
I un pack and enjoy my balcony view that overlooks the Magellan Bay.

I take a nap and then I go to eat at this independent type of food truck that is on the main road but is located all by itself on the opposite side of the road where there is a small field.

https://www.facebook.com/andaleeats
I eat this wonderful box set meal = Cebu Chorizo Shawarma that was truly yummy.  It takes them a while to prepare your food – but it is well worth the wait.

I ask someone why there are soo many Koreans here in Mactan Newtown and they reply:
It is the Chinese New Year - wow I felt so dumb, There is a BIG English language training center here, Koreans love these luxurious type of condos that are at the beach instead of being in the urban city Afterwards, I go to the nearby 7-Eleven (which is full of Koreans) to stock up my refrigerator and I call it a night.
I wonder if I will be able to get some Korean action this trip ?  I had a great time 10 years ago in Seoul - so why not?
No massages or extra-curricular activities today.
 
Day 32 (29 January 2025) concluded in my new Jomtien like home:

To be honest - at first I did not like it here.  The poverty in your face and culture shock was somewhat over-bearing - but as with all new countries - you start to "normalize" and accept what you see with your own eyes as being what is accepted here.  My initial few days here were somewhat in a fear mode - as my vision of what is normal - being Thailand culture, Thai version of poverty, beggars, etc. was being altered - and when you get old - change is sometimes hard to deal with - so you need to challenge yourself to push forward.
Now I am in day 33 of my stay in the Philippines (CEBU) and I am liking it and I feel comfortable here with my new normal  of Philippine culture, their version of poverty and beggars, etc.
Tourism here in the Philippines is no where near the level it is in Thailand --> so consequently the people (boys) are much less jaded and are truly down to earth, naive, kind, and not yet jaded.  However, there is a stark difference between the Filipino guys who work in the trade versus those who do not --> where those who work in the trade as their primary source of income are very jaded and on par with the trade that is available in Pattaya.
Living in Pattaya your daily contact with the guys is that the majority are in the transactional camp
Whereas, here in Cebu, your daily contact with the guys is that it is very rare to find someone who is in the transactional camp - which is nice and refreshing.
Having said that, if you are addicted to transactional sex by living in Pattaya full time - it is hard to go somewhere where this is not the norm - especially when you feel horny.  In Pattaya it is all around you and easy to get - here you need to work harder to get it.  Different game with different norms and rules.

Day 27 (24 January 2025)
Today I have my FIRST experience getting my tourist visa extended at the main Cebu immigration office, as my initial 30 day tourist granted to me at the airport is set to expire.  Here is what I did:
1.       Watch this short 3 minute YouTube video of a guy who recently extended his tourist visa in Cebu:  
 
2.       Take Grab car (or any other suitable transportation to the GMall (aka Gaisano Malls)) and go to the 2nd floor, and you will see the Bureau of Immigration (BI) office.  This BI office opens at 9am – even though the mall does not open until 10am.  You just tell the security guard that you need to enter the mall to go to immigration and they will let you in.  When you get off of the escalator you will see the BI office off in the distance – ignore the left side of the BI office – as that is the exit side and walk to the extreme right side so that you are in front of the Information Desk.  If you approach the office on the left side, you may encounter some opportunists (fixers), who want to help you for a fee, and will ask you to give them your passport.  I strongly suggest that you don’t do this.
3.       The Information Desk will give you an Extension of Temporary Visitor’s Visa form for you to complete over at one of the sit down areas that are nearby in the mall.  You will need your own pen.

If you want to see the form in advance, here is a direct link to the BI web page – valid as of 28-Jan-2025:  https://immigration.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/IRD04.QF_.004-CGAF-FOR-EXTENSION-OF-STAY-OF-TEMPORARY-VISITORS-VISA-1.pdf
Note that on the application form in the Contact Information section it asked for a Mobile Number in the Philippines, which I did not have, as I bought the Airalo eSIM, which is a data only plan without a phone number.  So, I left this part of the form blank and the immigration people did not make a fuss or even ask any questions.
Note that the form will also ask you if you desire “Express” service – click this check box if you want your updated tourist visa within a couple of hours instead of some days later.
1.       Return to the Information Counter and show the BI person your completed form and passport.  He will stamp the extension form if all is good and tell you to go to the Assessment Counter where they calculate how much you need to pay and they will also take your passport and extension form from you and put it into their work queue.
2.       With the receipt given to you by the Assessment Counter you then need to proceed to the Cashier window to pay the fees – see below for fee calculations.
3.       You now wait for your name to be called so that you can then go to the Releasing window to pickup your passport and sign a register book that you are claiming your passport.
Note that you will not receive an additional stamp in your passport but instead an important piece of paper, “Official Receipt”, which now has printed:  VISA VALID UNTIL :  XX XXX XXXX    KEEP this document in your passport in the same page as the tourist visa stamp that you received at the airport.  Note that this first extension only gives you an additional 29 days, whereas, the original entry tourist visa that you obtained at the airport gave you 30 days.
I performed all of the above steps and I was in and out of immigration in just 1 hour and 20 minutes – not bad for someone doing it all by themselves.  Back in Jomtien, this would be a nightmare and that is why I always use an agent in Thailand to streamline as much as is possible when I need to deal with Thai immigration.

So, I left the BI office as a happy camper.
Ate lunch again at the Ayala mall and then returned to my room.  Now I was feeling horny so I hired a sexy macho straight guy for a 2 hands massage.  I should have known that trouble was brewing when he would not remove his underwear.  His massage was excellent as well as his edging skills.  I was very happy.  But, he became angry when it came time to pay him, as we agreed to the standard 3.000 pesos and I showed him in the app our chat transcript.  He became even more angry and insisted that I pay him 7.000 pesos because I touched his nipples during the massage.  He raised his voice and then I raised my voice and I showed him my pants pockets which only had another 1,200 pesos in random banknotes that he begrudgingly accepted as I showed him the door.  No violence occurred – as I felt that it was definitely heading that way – but the good news is that they cannot enter the condo complex without giving up their National ID card – so I would have ran downstairs to security should the situation have escalated further.  What is weird is that during the massage this guy was chatting and laughing non stop and it felt like the beginnings of a new friendship.  I would have definitely rehired him as he was near excellent in his massage and edging skills.  So, I just don’t understand this Dr. Jeckell and Mr. Hyde bad transformative behavior. 
Any ideas ?
This is day 26 and only my 2nd bad encounter out of around 13 encounters to date.
 
Day 27 (24 January 2025) concluded.
 

Day 23 (20 January 2025)
Woke up and ordered a Grab car to go back to CBP to the Ayala mall to:
Eat my usual scrumptious breakfast at the , Find a solution to block the sun from entering into my new condo room as the current curtains do jack shit to block the sun from entering at 6am.  I am hyper-sensitive to sunlight, so I need it to be dark.
Here in IT Park, there is a mini Ayala mall, but it is too small for the number of people who exist in IT Park and is more crowded than I like. As I needed access to a BIG department store (i.e., Metro) I needed to return to CBP.
After breakfast, I headed to the home furnishings section (floor 6) in Metro and I started to browse for the lowest priced DARK sheets.  A sales clerk comes to help me and I tell her that I need sheets to block the sunlight for my AirBnB condo – she looks perplexed, as she insists that I instead need to buy curtains.  I try to make her understand that I am an AirBnB guest and that I don’t own the condo so I need a cheap and easy solution.  So, she wanders off, as I have noticed that the store personnel here can’t deal with non-standard solutions.  Anyway, I find some cheap dark grey (black would have been perfect but there were none to be had) and I buy them.  After setting up the grey flat bedding sheet to the window curtain rod I can see that it is still not strong enough to block the sunlight, so I add the fitted sheet, but I need to attach it to the table legs and my suitcase to make the elastic stay at the floor level to be effective.  I can report that the following morning that I did not wake up at 6 am.  Hallelujah!!

Later in the night, I meet up with Mr. B so that we can go to the famous Sugbo Mercado food market that is famous here in IT Park.  As it is Monday, Sugbo Mercado is unfortunately closed.  Monday's are a strange day in Cebu - pools are all closed for maintenance and cleaning and also the biggest food market in all of Cebu is closed on Monday.  Please tell me why?  What is special about Monday?  What do pools and food markets have in common regarding Mondays ??

Instead, we walk around the IT Park grounds and then decide to eat in the 4th floor Ayala mall Food Choices food court.

Food was good, as was my time with the adorable Mr. B.  We planned a nice adventure for tomorrow.  Stay tuned.
No massages or extra-curricular activities today.
 
Day 23 (20 January 2025) concluded.
 

Day 22 (19 January 2025) – the BIG day = SINULOG parade

https://www.facebook.com/SinulogFoundationOfficial/
Finally, the big day has arrived.  I meet Mr. Lan in the lobby of my building at 8am sharp.
We easily get a Grab car (I expected worse – but in this case the early bird gets the worm) and then the driver and Mr. Lan get into an intense conversation in Cebuano about where is the best drop off point – as the city government has blocked off access by 1km to the roads around the parade route.  The negotiated drop off point was near the Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital, where we can easily walk the rest of the way to the Fuente Osmeña Circle.  We plant ourselves there and it is about 8:45am and we see them preparing the parade for its supposed commencement at 9am.   Hahahahaha.  It was partly cloudy so it was tolerable.

20250119_084537.mp4 Finally, around 10:30am, the parade starts to move – but ever so slowly.  I ask Mr. Lan – what is going on?  Is this normal?  He laughs and says to me, “Welome to Filippino time!!” and he has a BIG grin on his face and the many people near us who heard me ask him that question all smiled at me.  Unfortunately, by now the cloud cover moved away and by 11:30am the full sun is blasting us and there was no cover where we were.  So, Mr. Lan says to me, when the police were looking the other way, to slide myself underneath the rope barrier (that separates the spectators from the parade participants) and we take that opportunity to take some precious parade photos as we are right next to them and they are also dying in the intense heat with a snails pace parade movement.  We eventually work our way into the physical Fuente circle – where there is tree cover and remain there until around 2:30pm, when I just told Mr. Lan – ok, I have seen enough – let us go eat and drink some cooling refreshments.
Here are some photos:
 

This angel had to have his wings repaired
 
 
close up shots of me in my new SINULOG parade shirt - when we snuck through the police cordon
So getting to the parade route was easy peasy, as there were not that many people.  However, around 2:30pm, when we decided to leave via Fuente Circle into where Mango Avenue begins – it was near impossible – as it was so people packed like sardines – that process was very nerve racking (because if something would have caused a stampede – it would be extremely difficult to remain on 2 feet to avoid being stepped on and crushed).  We made it out to the Mango Avenue shopping center, where I asked Mr. Lan, for purposes of this forum, for us to stop at the supposed site of the new Alpha Massage spa.  We asked everywhere and no such spa existed in this place even though it was advertised as such in a Twitter (X) feed about gay massage spas in Cebu.  So, that was a disappointment.  Anyway, we find a shortcut out of the chaos on a side street and we could finally sit down and eat some Hungarian sausages and drink some cool and refreshing just made Brazilian lemonade.  As I lived in Budapest for 8 years I asked the owner, are these really Hungarian sausages?  She blushed, and told me that no one from Hungary had visited her shop, and she told me that it is fake.  She said that in the Philippines that it is common practice to put an exotic foreign name on something and then the local people want it even more.  Anyway, I ate them and they were good but tasted more like the local lechon pork meat commonly found here in Cebu.  So, it made me wonder if the Brazilian lemonade that I was drinking (which was very good) was really Brazilian – but I was already way too tired from standing at the parade for 6 hours now to care to ask.

Enjoying a relaxing moment eating and drinking with sexy Mr. Lan
If I had to do the SINULOG parade again what would I change?
Don't wake up so early to get a good place to watch the parade - because you will be disappointed with having to wait for more than 2.5 hours for the parade to even begin and to then only move 100 feet. Perhaps come later around 2pm - and instead of going to the starting point go to the ending point. Why? Then you can have more energy for the after-parade craziness when: the people start dancing and partying, they run around and start painting each other's faces - kind of like what they do back in Thailand during Songkran, more of the gays are out and about on Mango street having fun. Around 4pm I was already back in my condo room exhausted.  There were scheduled fireworks at 7pm back at the parade site, and at 9pm over in nearby CBP - Cebu Business Park.  So, I took a nap, thinking that I would wake up by 8pm to run over to CBP to watch the fireworks.  Well, my 63 year old body just said no and I woke up at 9pm when I heard the firework explosions outside of my condo window - but because I am facing northeast and not south - I could not see them.
 
Day 22 (19 January 2025) concluded.

Day 14 (11 January 2025).
I am a BIG time user of the UK Skrill prepaid card  – since like 10 years already.  I love their top-up options and it has worked very well for me wherever life sends me.  Well, during this trip I was frauded by someone who was able to use my Skrill card in Dubai on some transactions before both myself (freeze my card) and the Skrill team were able to intervene (inactivate).  I have no idea how my data was compromised, as I never use this card at the ATM and I only use it to book AirBnBs, airline tickets, and shopping. Consequently, the fraud investigation team requested that I complete a fraud case document – which I did this morning.  I was also required to complete a 6 hour antivirus scan of my laptop (which I will do tomorrow) and provide the results to Skrill.  So, this was my morning activity for today = yuck!! 
I then had to research for an internet café, which Mr. B. helped me to locate one in the Ayala mall – but after an extensive search of the entire mall complex and asking various security guards – we discovered that the information that Google was presenting to us was old and such internet café was long gone.  In fact, I believe that internet cafés went the way of the Blockbuster video rental stores.  It was suggested to me that I go to a co-working space that are used by today’s Digital Nomads and I would find what I needed there (printer and scanner).  This would become my Monday 13 January’s project.
I hate when these unfortunate life events happen but since one of the MAIN purposes of this trip is to discover if Cebu can be a proper retirement destination – it is good to have these kinds of problem solving tests.
As Mr. B was free today during the day time, so I asked him to take me to the SINULOG parade route so that we could do a calm walking simulation.  The local TV and media are saying that up to 4 million people will invade the city to participate in the various SINULOG events and Mr. B, as he works in a hotel that will be FULLY booked for SINULOG, won’t be available on the parade day – so I will need to man-up and do it by myself.  We successfully walk most of the parade route – it was easy as it was a normal Saturday.  However, when we got to Colon street (at the bottom of the map), it became super packed with people.  They say that Colon street was the first street in Cebu when it was founded back in 1565, and is named after Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colon_Street
To be honest, I found this street to not be very attractive, as it had the characteristics of a not well maintained street from the 1960s with lots of poor people milling around and you had to stay aware of pickpockets – as the intensity of the crowds in some parts was where people were almost on top of you.  We did not experience any danger or pickpocketing – but the hairs on the back of my neck did stand up.  I decided that on the actual SINULOG parade day that I would stay away from this area.

Since we were near the ports, where the gazillions of boats depart for the many nearby islands (the Philippines is an archipelago made up of more than 7,000 islands), I asked Mr. B to take me to the departures terminals – because as a retiree with a lot of time on your hands you may one day want to jump over to one of these nearby islands.

We were not allowed to venture into any of the departure terminals due to security restrictions - you can only enter with a ferry ticket in your hand - so no internal pictures.


To find out more about departures, visit:   https://getbyferry.com/en/port/cebu
No massages or extra-curricular activities today.
Day 14 (11 January 2025) concluded.
 
Day 15 (12 January 2025)
Lazy morning and somewhat horny, so I fire up the apps and I see in Grindr that there are many guys who ran in today’s early morning AIA Cebu Marathon.

https://cebumarathon.com.ph/
A guy who flew to Cebu from Manila starts chatting with me and we agree to meet in the afternoon – as he tells me that he ran the 12km run which started at 4:30am and he needed to take a rest as his legs were cramping up.  That was perfect for me which allowed me to have my favorite salmon eggs benedict over at the Abaca Baking Company in the Ayala mall.

Afternoon arrives and Mr. Jay shows up very athletic looking – a runner’s body.  He was a bit uptight so we went out on the balcony and chatted for a while about my trip to Cebu and he was very intrigued about my purpose to compare Cebu to Jomtien as a possible retirement destination for us elderly gays.
Jay tells me about this acronym that I never heard of that Philippine people use to describe us from the west who visit the Philippines in search of a possible partner – similar to how the Thais use the word “farang”.  This acronym is:  AFAM – “A Foreigner Abiding in Manila”.  He explained to me that the use of this acronym originally started in Manila but is now used throughout the entire country.
Furthermore, this phenomena has really taken off that over in Siargao, they changed the name of the existing Catangnan Bridge to now be “AFAM Bridge”, where you can find love (or a 1 night stand) with its sexy foreign visitors.  Mr. Jay told me that many young filippinos head to Siargao to find luck.  Sounds familiar to what we see in Thailand ?
So, after Mr. Jay shared this AFAM Bridge with me I told him that it was time for us to have some AFAM fun and a huge smile came on his face and we moved to my bed for some “bridge” action.  This was a freeby meeting thanks to this AFAM phenomena – as I was Mr. Jay’s first farang (AFAM).  I was happy that I could help him to realize his dream.  By the way, he is quite talented in edging – so I was a very happy camper.
I close out today’s forum update with this hot Youtube video of the HOT foreigners (AFAM) who are having fun at the AFAM beach in Siargao.
 
Day 15 (12 January 2025) concluded.
 

Day 10 (7 January 2025).
Get out of my bed in the morning and I step on a loose screw and nose pad from my new OwnDays glasses.  I look at my glasses and I see that in fact the nose pad had indeed fallen off.

Every morning I go over to the Ayala mall for my breakfast so I can definitely pass by the OwnDays shop to get these repaired.
But hunger rules and I decide to go first to the SBC – Seattle Best Coffee shop  and have their scrumptious Corned Beef Skillet with eggs dish:

The thing with Philippine food service (which I read about prior to setting foot in the country), is not to get too dependent or passionate about your favorite meals.
Why?
If one of the required food components is not available then the complete dish gets cancelled.  The above breakfast dish (my favorite) was cancelled for 1 week due to them running out of corned beef.  The concept of “substitution” is unheard of and they are super resistant to any ideas that you may put forward to substitute food item x with food item y.  Whereas, in Thailand they are so flexible, and are willing to customize food dishes as to how you want them.  Philippines = NO!!  This inflexibility will be noted in the eventual retirement destination summary.
Finish my breakfast at SBC and walk over to the OwnDays store and they were very accommodating to “repair” my glasses and were overjoyed that I came with the nose pad and screw.  They inserted it and cleaned my glasses for free.
Perhaps the lesson learned is that the price was incredibly low and the turnaround time was probably too quick, and perhaps the quality assurance in the assembly of the glass frame was not thorough enough.  Anyway, as the price was 4 times less expensive than in Thailand, I was still happy with my OwnDays glasses purchase.
By now, my previous hair coloring is already fading – especially after our day over at the Shangra-La beach resort with Mr. M.  I find this hair salon, Bangs Prime Salon, and I asked them if they can cut and color my hair.  They say yes and without any delay I am seated with a Korean hairdresser (also one of the founders of the salon) and like in the movie, “Edward Scissorhands”, he is spinning and tossing the scissors around in a circus like manner to cut my hair.  Amazing to watch and experience – but I was often thinking that perhaps an earlobe might be cut off during the show.
  
Price for color and haircut was 3,000 pesos ( ~ $51.11 USD), whereas, back in Thailand I pay 1,200 baht + 300 baht tip = 1,500 baht ( ~ $44.08 USD).  So, here is my first example where it is cheaper in Thailand.  But I suspect that there are cheaper places, to be discovered, because I paid such a high price because of his notoriety and Edward Scissorhands show.
Go back to room to relax and then back to the Ayala mall for an excellent dinner at the Hussam Middle Eastern Cuisine restaurant, as I love hummus, falafels, and grilled kebab beef and lamb = yummy!
https://hussam.ph/
No massage tonight – just relax and then go to sleep.
Day 10 (7 January 2025) concluded.
 
Day 11 (8 January 2025).
Today starts out in a boring way – cleaning the floor of the condo (I am a clean freak), and then out to breakfast.
A hot sexy masculine guy (Mr. Lan) from Heesay contacts me and we agree to an afternoon 2 hands massage.  I don’t have his permission to share his sexy photos but if you look in the Heesay app in the Cebu area, look for a profile that starts with the name = “adonis….” and you will find him.  He originally quoted me, 3,500 pesos ( ~ $60 USD), but when I told him that I was not looking for sex – just massage + a slow sensual happy ending for the both of us and some oral from me to him – as he has a very nice yummy cock and a hairless tone chest.  He then lowered his price to 3,000 ( ~ $51.14 USD).
He is a great guy and we had a great long conversation about the history of the Philippine culture from the pre-Spanish discovery, through the transition from the Spanish being forced out by the Americans, up until now, 2025.  He is very intellectual and well informed about politics, culture, and religion.  He will become an important part of this trip in a future segment – stay tuned.
He told me to go check out the 8th Avenue Comedy Bar, which I have yet to check out.  It has many gay performers and he often sings there.   I will tell Mr. M. so that we can go there.
https://www.facebook.com/8thAvenueComedyBar/

 
When it rains it pours.  Two guys chased me on Grindr to give me a 4 hands massage today.  OMG, at my old age how can I have 2 distinct massage meetings in 1 day?  I am not the super hero KFC, who has the stamina of a bull!!
I agree to meet them but ONLY if we go to dinner first.  I needed to get out of my condo after my hot meeting with Mr. Lan.  So, we agree to meet in the lobby of my Cityscape condo and walk over to the famous, House of Lechon.  This is now my second attempt to meet there and guess what?  It is fully packed again and they turn us away.  So, we walk over to the Ayala mall and eat at Gerry’s Grill  – a Filipino restaurant chain and the 2 guys order for me so that I can taste genuine Philippine food (many people complain about Philippine food but I find it enjoyable – but I cannot eat it every day as it can be too fatty).
I used the excuse for us to eat in a restaurant (I paid) as a way to recharge my sperm cells – because at my age I need lots of time to recharge.
We go back to my room and they make me a great 4 hands massage (my first in the Philippines – these are hard to organize as many of the massage guys dread the idea of being exposed with another guy for 4 hands – because their thinking is that nobody can know about these sordid activities – there is lots of shame in the Philippines).  Everybody gets an orgasm, and they take slow turns switching hands to give me an excellent prolonged edging explosion.
During dinner they shared with me that they have a comedy/travel blog where they share their global adventures with their followers.  Here it is:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Tony-and-Jerick-Vlogs-100088910303566/
They are based out of Manila – and if you want to meet them then you can contact them via FB. They also travel all over the Philippines and Asia.
By now I am completely exhausted – good night.
Day 11 (8 January 2025) concluded.
 

Day 8 (5 January 2025).
Slow day.  I had my usual walk through the Ayala mall and surrounding neighborhoods.
I note that the city is moving away from New Year celebration stuff to the upcoming 2025 SINOLOG festival, which will start on 18 & 19 January.
You are made aware of this by:
Loud “I love Cebu” music is starting to play all over the city, https://youtu.be/CkgVnIgqTXo?si=MQr3wdHibIESfG1I  
At first I did not enjoy this song much – but after 3 weeks of hearing it everywhere in the city it grows on you and now when I hear it I get happy and emotional.
Similar to when I hear the Pattaya Pattaya song =  https://youtu.be/ulfn3bQNcdU
Music for me creates emotional bonds to a place, friends, and experiences. 
Shops throughout the city are starting to sell SINULOG merchandise,
There is a festive sense of happiness in the local people for the arrival of SINULOG. Today I learned that CEBU, is commonly referred to as the “Queen City of the South” – how apropos.
Later in the evening, I chatted with a cute masculine guy, Mr. Jon from PlanetRomeo and he comes to my room for a good 2 hands massage + safe edging, oral, and edging fun. 
Day 8 (5 January 2025) concluded.
 
Day 9 (6 January 2025).
Day begins in a frustrating way when I returned to my room after my breakfast to find out that the digital electronic key entrance system to my room is dead. So, I contact my AirBnB owner about the problem and after 2 hours of waiting a technician arrives.  The problem was that the battery within the electronic device went dead and consequently the lock device could not respond to my electronic key nor my keypad secret code.  The technician had to remove a type of secret panel and then insert into a keyhole a type of Allen wrench key that allowed him to turn the tumbler with great force to allow us to enter the room.  He swapped out the battery, sprayed some W-40 into the tumbler – to make it have less friction.  He left me with this manual key in case it would happen again – but I am happy to report that from that point forward the electronic digital system worked perfectly.

Can you imagine if I had a guy with me that I rented for 2 hours ?  Would we do it in the hallway outside of my room?
Later in the night, we finally go to visit 2 gay places with Mr. M. in the evening.
First stop is the famous CENSORED gay bar.   
https://www.facebook.com/xcensored2020/
It being a Monday night, it was quite dead, but we still had fun. We ordered some beers and some light food snacks and took some photos.

me standing in front of the CENSORED bar
If you want to get a feel for this place, enter this in the X (Twitter) search box and then look at the gazillion search results. . 
Some are X rated responses, as the local Cebuanos talk about their prey that they picked up from CENSORED and what they did to their prey, or what the prey did to them.
This is probably the most frequented gay bar in Cebu – as it is just off of the main road = F. Cabahug street (as shown in the below Google map) in an alcove that has many other open air bars there.  Consequently, there is tons of space for the guys to congregate, drink, be social, and be crazy.

 
Second stop is to one of the few male go-go bars here in Cebu.  So we visit:
Club X – MenXiest Entertainment Bar:   https://www.facebook.com/clubxcebu/


me at the Club X entrance - full of anticipation
https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/2097477327211294/club-x-male-entertainment-bar/
https://www.tiktok.com/@clubxcebuph/video/7296162474628254982
Located over in Mandaue – which is right next to Cebu City.

This place was a blast.  As it was a Monday night, there were not many customers, so we got most of the attention. There is the very elegant ladyboy mamasan who came and sat with us to explain how everything works – which we learned that it is somewhat similar to how it works in Thailand:
You can invite a gogo dancer down from the stage to sit with you with a 1 drink minimum, where his drink will always cost 600 pesos even if your beer costs 200 pesos.  The gogo boy accumulates 1 point, at a value of 50 pesos for each drink that the customer buys for him. 300 pesos per person in your group is added to your bar tab as the entrance fee. Waiters are not allowed to drink with you – but we were eventually allowed to break this rule – when it became evident to me that Mr. M. was smitten with our assigned cute and fun waiter, All of the male staff that we saw up on the stage are straight.  The mamasan explained to us that gays are not allowed to be hired as a gogo boy dancer.  I inquired as to why and she said, management policy with no further explanation. Off fee to bring one of these gogo dancers with you was 5.000 pesos (~ $85.35 USD) payable to the bar PLUS the fee that the guy would want – based on what you ask him to do with you – sliding scale.  No quotes were given by the mamasan, as she stated that the bar has no influence on what is negotiated between you and the “straight” gogo guy. So, the guys start doing their gogo dance routines (some in bikinis, boxers, and pant shorts).  The astute mamasan is noticing that I am intently in awe of one of their dancers who is quite good in his black boxer shorts.  She tells me that he is their newest dancer and has only been with them 1 month and he is from a nearby remote island.  She calls him down to sit with us and he is VERY tense and heterosexual – almost trembling, but at the same time very masculine.  I put my arms on his shoulders and start to caress him.  But he needs to drink like three 600 peso drinks before he finally calms down.  Then we start talking and he opens up to me, and by now I have my hands on his legs, which I am caressing.  He is quite apprehensive, as all of his “straight” colleagues are watching him.  I find out from the mamasan that I am the first person in his new month at the club to invite him to sit with a customer.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1003988561451289

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1077555116908058
 
By this time, I had already bought the mamasan a drink, I ask her again if the cute waiter could sit with us so that my friend Mr. M. could have some fun also.  She agrees to break the rule – as there are not many customers that the waiter needs to attend to – so he sits next to Mr. M. and I see a lot of sexual positive energy between all 4 of us now and I also see that the mamasan is very happy – of course – it is a dead Monday night and my wallet is good for business.
My guy tells me that he will go back onto the stage to do a solo dance act.  I ask, when?  He says at 4:00am.  It was only 2:30am and I was already very tired, so I told him that I would need to leave by 3am.  He runs away to the DJs booth and then comes back so excited and says, that the management will rearrange the solo dance lineup so that he can dance for me within the next 15 minutes --> IF <-- I agree to pay 1.000 peso to change the dance lineup fee.  Wow, this place really knows how to milk their customers.  But I was really into this guy and already buzzing from the alcohol so I agree.
Then the DJ announces him and out on the stage he is all alone dedicating his dance routine to me – it was great.  So, I could not remain seated, I heard the voice of @vinapu, my Jedi Master, in my ears, and so I ran to him up on the stage and did the necessary = I planted a 1.000 peso blue note into his black boxer shorts.  The small audience and ALL of his "straight" gogo colleagues erupted into applause and shouting – as I learned that my new friend was now officially initiated into the warm gogo boy family culture of the Club X – MenXiest Entertainment Bar.
The mamasan made me understand that this passing of the torch into having his first customer was important for them to keep him – as it was already 1 month that they invested in him without any requests to sit with customers or offs. 
By now he was so estatic.  I told him that he is already so sexy and an excellent dancer – but that he needs to buy a proper sexy bikini like the other more senior already successful gogo guys.  I put another 1.000 pesos into his pants and told him this is for your bikini fund.
We then asked for our bill and drum roll please – it came to around 11.000 pesos (~ $190 USD) = outch – but it was a GREAT night out to see and experience the Philippine version of a gogo bar and my first time to see my cute and adorable Mr. M. get up close and personal with our sexy waiter. They exchanged numbers.  Unfortunately, I could not as I only have a numberless eSIM and I don’t have FB.  It is ok, as I probably would have regretted taking my guy home with me since I have my boyfriend back in Jomtien.
Here is a nice write up by a local blog here in Cebu: https://sugbo.ph/2023/cebu-club-x/
Day 8 (6 January 2025) concluded.
 

Day 7 (4 January 2025).
Disaster strikes – my boyfriend back in Thailand has a serious motorbike accident where he collides with a ladyboy back in Pattaya while I was sleeping.  Her injuries are kind of serious and she is sent to the hospital, as she has a fractured arm and some bruises.  Thank God she was wearing a helmet, as her injuries could have been much worse.  My boyfriend received some slight scratches and damaged his friend's motorbike that he was driving.  The ugly news is that he is desperate to help the ladyboy with her expenses, because if he does not agree to pay for the ladyboy’s injuries, hospital bills, damaged motorbike, and 2 months out of work to recuperate, she will press charges.  I agreed to help out, and this was definitely NOT pre-budgeted in my financial plans, but I do not want him to be put into the monkey house (jail).
Can I be sure that it is not a hoax?  I believe so, as I told him that I will only start to pay the various bills after I see the hospital invoice, have me meet via LINE the ladyboy in the hospital, see pictures of her smashed up motorbike, etc. – and I can see with my own eyes that it is all too real.  He stays all night with her at the hospital and ironically, he creates a friendship with her – as this is his common trait – that he can make friends with almost anyone and is super popular in the Supertown complex in Jomtien, as well as on soi 4 and soi 12.  I told him that when I return to Jomtien that I want us to take this ladyboy out to dinner, as I now feel to be intertwined in this strange new friendship.  Outch $$ it hurts to be in love.
Now back to Cebu.  I meetup with Mr. M after our breakfast in the Ayala mall and he sees that I am quite upset.  He calms me down and says to me, let’s do something relaxing.  I was intrigued.  He says to me, I remember that your 3rd destination in your Cebu odyssey will be the Mactan Newtown – he says, let’s get a day pass to the Shangri-La resort over on Mactan island.  I was like – YES – I need this.  So, we take a taxi over to the resort for 528 pesos (~ $9.10 USD) and is a 45 minute ride. 
It being the weekend of the 2025 New Year, the resort is extremely busy and there is a lot of chaos at the main entrance.  At first, they do not want to let us have a day pass – as they state that since they are already operating at full capacity, that it would be unfair to the paying guests to have non-guests using the already crowded facilities.  Well, Mr. M., he works in a hotel and starts to talk in tagalog and there is a lot of back and forth between the security team and the facilities management and with someone on the phone.  After about 20 minutes of back and forth, Mr. M. convinces them that we are not your ordinary low life day trippers and that we will not disturb or upset any of the 5 star guests and wahla – they let us in.  I am going to say it a million times – this Mr. M. find in Grindr as a result of my tour guide ad is worth 3 times his weight in gold.
We were guided to an area where we could pay 2.000 pesos per person (~ $34.30 USD each) and then receive our complimentary lounge chair towels as well as arm bands that identified us as “day use” clients.  The resort is huge and Mr. M. asks me what do I want to do first and I say that I want to lounge on the beach and take a swim.

I was now happy as a pig in mud.  Finally, my first Philippine beach experience in wonderful white sand with clear turquoise water.  We both went for a swim and then relaxed for a while underneath the grass kabana.
Not knowing what to experience at a Philippine beach, I did not pack my wallet in my backpack and I only brought 10,000 pesos with me and we already spent 4,000 pesos to gain access to this wonderful place.  So, I was kind of reluctant to offer Mr. M. lunch at the resort because when I saw the prices I became afraid that we might not have enough money to return back to Cebu city.  It was truly a pity, because I have plenty of money – but being afraid of the unknown I was not prepared to bring more money.  I told Mr. M. that when we return to Cebu city that I will take him to dinner because with the remaining 6,000 pesos in my pocket that is more than enough money back in the city.  I was quite embarrassed – but even when I go to Koh Larn off the coast of Pattaya, I never bring my wallet, and I just put some cash in my pocket for a day at the beach.  This is my security tactic so that if someone steals my stuff while I am off swimming – it won’t be the end of my life.  With all of the security measures and type of rich clientele that I saw at this resort, there is NO way that anyone was even interested in pilfering our stuff.
After about 90 minutes at the beach, I asked Mr. M. what did he want to do and he asked if we could move to the pool side.  I said yes and we relocated over there underneath a shaded area and then we both jumped into the pool for a swim.  It was truly lovely and refreshing.

Before heading back to Cebu, we took a walk around the grounds of the resort and we were quite impressed.  There was even a heliport that was right next to the golf course for the 5-star arrivals.  For more information about the resort, visit: https://www.shangri-la.com/cebu/mactanresort/sports-recreation/
Lastly, the next complex on the southbound part of the resort is Mactan Newtown, where I will move into at the end of this month – as this is the area that I have given the pseudonym of Jomtien to.
We took a taxi directly from the resort back to Cebu and the fee was 550 pesos  (~ $9.40 USD) and we exited at the SM J Mall in Mandaue (city next to Cebu) to eat dinner at the American Kenny Rogers Roasters franchise.  This is what Mr. M. craved for his dinner. Then a Grab car for 230 pesos  (~ $4.00 USD)  to drop off Mr. M. at his hotel living residence and then me back at my condo at Cityscape Grand Tower.
As it was only 6:30pm, I fired up the apps and I met Mr. Nor from Grindr for a nice 2 hands massage at 9pm.  All was good – not fantastic but not poor.
Day 7 (4 January 2025) concluded.
to be continued in the next few days.....
 

Day 6 (3 January 2025).
Breakfast at Ayala (Abaca Baking Company – excellent salmon Benedict breakfast).
Meet Mr. M. for our Cebu historic center tour.
First stop was to see the Heritage of Cebu Monument, which was initiated in 1997 and completed in 2000.  It was constructed by the award-winning artist, Eduardo Castrillo, which is made of brass, bronze, concrete and steel. It is located in Parian Park, which a long time ago, was the site of the Saint John the Baptist church which was demolished in 1875.  It is a monument that represents Cebu’s long history, since its founding in year 1521, by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, under the Spanish forces of that time.

For more information, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_of_Cebu_Monument
Admission was free.
Our second stop was the Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu, which features a collection of exhibits related to the Catholic faith, some dating back to the 16th century, which provided us a walk down memory lane to learn how religion has shaped the country’s culture and people of today.  Learn more here at: https://cebuinsights.com/explore-cebu/museums/catholicism-cebu-cathedral/

Admission was 100 pesos per person (~ $1.70 USD each).  I paid 200 pesos to include the entrance fee for Mr. M.
Our third stop was to see the Magellan’s Cross, which is the MOST visited tourist site in Cebu, as I believe that it is the oldest site from Cebu’s founding in April 21, 1521, which represents the birth of Christianity in the Philippines.  The original Christian cross planted in Cebu in 1521 by the Spanish expedition, is housed inside this structure.
We need to remember that the original capital of the Philippines was here in Cebu, until the year 1571, when it was then moved to Manila.

For more information, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan%27s_Cross_Pavilion
Admission price is free.
Our aborted fourth stop, was to see the nearby MOST important Basílica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebú.  Unfortunately, I was wearing shorts, which are prohibited.  I asked Mr. M. if there were any vendors (like there are at most Catholic sites where shorts are required) that would allow me to wear wrap around pants.  Mr. M. looked at me as if I was from Mars – I had to explain to him that this is a common money making practice in many countries.  He said that such a thing here would be sacrilegious and would never even be thought of.  I told him that in the Catholic headquarters, The Vatican, that this practice is very much alive. Another hint as to why the Philippines is kind of stuck in time and has not evolved as much as its other Catholic peers; Spain and Italy, due to the Philippines super adherence to religious discipline.
Additional information can be seen at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_del_Santo_Ni%C3%B1o
Our fifth stop was to visit the National Museum of the Philippines – aka Malacañang sa Sugbo.  Visiting this place was literally very REFRESHING, as it was the only place on this historic center tour with amazing airconditioning.  This museum features five galleries, which displays exhibits on Cebuano culture, maritime history, World War II artifacts, and archaeological treasures.  I being a map lover, enjoyed all of the maps of how the city of Cebu progressed into what it is today.

Amazingly, admission to this wonderful museum is FREE.
For more information, visit: https://suroy.ph/national-museum-of-the-philippines-cebu/
Our sixth stop was to discover, Fort San Pedro, which was founded by the Spanish conqueror, Miguel López de Legazpi in 1561.  Originally made of wood, it was then converted into stone in 1738.

The fort is right next to the primary harbor for the many ferries leaving for the nearby islands.  Consequently, when you climb up onto the upper portion of the fort structure you have a great sea view of the port as well as a nice salty breeze.
The entrance fee is 50 pesos per person (~ $0.86 USD each).  I paid 100 pesos to include the entrance fee for Mr. M.
For additional information about the fort, visit: https://suroy.ph/fort-san-pedro/
Our seventh stop was to enjoy the Cebu Ocean Park.  It is the only marine-themed park in Cebu and its main feature is the Deep Tank Lagoon, which allows for you to walk through a 360-degree viewing tunnel.  I’ve seen these in other parts of the world and the Cebu one is one of the better ones. 

I truly enjoyed the special exhibit that they had for the penguins
and then the “Birds of Prey” show, which truly engaged the audience – as there were stray pigeons flying around which were tempting the birds of prey to not follow their choreographed program, but to instead attack and kill the pigeons – so sometimes during the show it became intense.
Another cool feature of this place is the Aqua Dining, where an entire wall is in glass with complete high wall views into the Deep Tank Lagoon – truly amazing.

The entrance fee is 650 pesos per person (~ $11.13 USD each).  I paid 1,300 pesos to include the entrance fee for Mr. M.  It was good value for money and worth the visit.
Our eighth stop, by now I was very exhausted, was to quickly visit the SM Seaside City mall, as it is directly across the street from the Cebu Ocean Park.  It was important to visit it, because in the Philippine culture, MALLS are a very important part of their daily life.  Since this trip report is to present retiree life in Cebu this is a salient point to be aware of.  The SM malls are the main competitor to the Ayala malls.  It is a huge 5 floor mall that was constructure in a giant circular structure (like the Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California).  The top floor offers amazing views of both the city and of the port and an upclose view of the famous CCLEX Cebu-Cordova bridge.

Admission was free.  You can visit the official FB page at: https://www.facebook.com/smsscitycebu/
Our nineth and last stop was to eat dinner back at the outdoor Street Food by Sugbo Mercado located right outside the back of the Ayala Mall in CBP.  Note that there are more than one Sugbo Mercado – in various parts of Cebu city to avoid confusion.
Mr. M. and I, we both ordered a healthy plate of Lechon (roasted pig) after a long day of touring the historic center of Cebu.  I paid for Mr. M. – but I do not remember the price, as it was peanuts when compared to what we pay back in the west.

For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/SugboMercadoCBP/
Once home hot & sweaty, I took a quick shower and jumped onto the apps and I found Mr. Ren on the Grindr app.  To date he was one of my HOTTEST massage guys, he is 22 and in the Police Academy = WOW!!  He needs extra money to support his student life.  He only wanted 2.000 pesos (~ $34.30 USD).  When he left I gave him 1,000 pesos more as he was so worth it as he had great massage and edging skills, a nice cock, and super manly.
What a great ending to a long and fun day.
Day 6 (3 January 2025) concluded.
 

Day 5 (2 January 2025)
Since Mr B had today off, we agreed to meet in the Ayala mall at my favorite cake/coffee shop to start our first tours.
Cebu is a city on the seaside, but behind Cebu there are hills and mountains with stunning views and gardens.  Today we set out to discover these together.
Our first stop via Grab going up into the foothills was the :  CEBU Taoist Temple

Nice view of the city in the background from the Temple, as it is located in the part of Cebu that is referred to as:  Beverly Hills – with nice large homes that overlook the city and sea.  It was built in 1972 by the local Cebu Chinese community.
Fee to enter is free – but donations are welcome for the maintenance and upkeep of this wonderful place.
Having Mr. B with me as my real filipino tour guide, he was able to negotiate with the Grab driver to take us off meter and to allow us to hire him for a fixed price for our journey.  This strategy is very handy when you don’t want to interject yourself into an official tour company and to instead have a private tour with your own dedicated Grab driver.  What the driver did is to settle our trip at the Cebu Taoist Temple site via the app, and then to drive us for the rest of our itinerary for a fixed price of 3.000 pesos (~ $51.30 USD).  Not bad and good value for money in my opinion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu_Taoist_Temple
Our second stop going further up into the foothills was the:  Temple of Leah

Nicknamed the “Taj Mahal of Cebu”, Temple of Leah is a humble Roman-style shrine built in 2012 by Teodorico Soriano Adarna in honor of his late wife, Leah Villa Albino-Adarna. It has a Pantheon in Greece feel to it with Doric columns and arches, it is a sanctuary symbolizing a husband’s undying love for his wife.  It also has amazing views of Cebu City and the sea.

For more information about the Temple of Leah, visit: 
https://suroy.ph/temple-of-leah/
The entrance fee is 150 pesos per person (~ $2.60 USD each).  I paid 300 pesos to include the entrance fee for Mr. M.
Our third stop was at the : Sirao Gardens, aka, Little Amsterdam.  As these gardens are on the other side of the foothills and into the mountains, there is no longer a view of Cebu City, but instead the sense of fresh mountain air and the fragrance of many types of flowers.  Truly a large garden to enjoy.


Find out more here at: https://www.facebook.com/siraogarden/
The entrance fee is 100 pesos per person (~ $1.70 USD each).  I paid 200 pesos to include the entrance fee for Mr. M.
It was now late in the afternoon, and Mr. M had to go to his hotel job and I was hungry for an early dinner over in the Ayala mall.  I wanted to pay Mr. M 3.000 pesos today for his EXCELLENT tour skills and lovely company, but he would only accept 2.000 pesos (~ $34.20 USD).  Truly good value for money.  He said to me, look these 2.000 pesos are 4 days of work at my hotel (daily minimum wage is 501 pesos).  This guy is gold.  I told him that he is worth much more but he is a very modest and down to earth guy.
I organized a 2 hands massage with Mr. Rom who I found in Grindr.  He was a good masseur but I found out that his ulterior motive was to sit on a western cock.  I kept telling him that I am a SIDE and to stick to the agreed program – but eventually, he found a way to rapidly just sit on my cock and ride it and not before long he was climaxing.  We cleaned me up and then he finished me off with a slow edging.  Sneaky sneaky, Mr. Rom.  Price was 2.500 pesos (~ $43 USD).
Day 5 (2 January 2025) concluded.

Day 2 (30 December 2024)
I broke the frame of my glasses on the night before my departure for Cebu, consequently, there was no time to get them repaired so I had to wear a very old pair for my flight to Cebu. Therefore, I used this day to find a good eyeglass solution, which I found at the Japanese OwnDays franchise shop in the CBP Ayala mall.  I was very impressed as I had an almost immediate eye exam, which was performed by the in-house optometrist.  I then chose my frames and then they told me to return in 20 minutes.  I thought that they must be crazy.  So, I went to have a nice lunch and returned in 1 hour and my new glasses were ready and the nose fitting had to be adjusted, which took 5 more minutes and then I paid and I was out of the shop.  Cost was 10,990 pesos (~ $188 USD), which I found as extremely good value for money, because my previous glasses that I bought back in Central Festival in Pattaya cost me around 28,000 Thai baht  (~ $822 USD) with imported metal frames from Germany.  So, I saved around 440% - so I was quite pleased as this will be one less task that I would need to do back in Pattaya with more money in the bank.
Casual non-eventful day exploring my local CBD neighborhood and starting to create my daily routine – as part of the purpose of this trip is to simulate retirement life in Cebu and if I would be pleased with it.
Later in the evening back on the apps, this time on Heesay a massage guy wrote me and I agreed to let him meet me in my room.  He was not your typical guy, in the sense he was a bit tense.  Massage went well and when we moved to the afters, he still had his underwear on and I asked him to remove them, and I started to fondle with his cock but it never got erect.  He gave me a nice edging and then when it was time to pay him, 2.500 pesos, he became aggressive and started yelling at me that I need to pay him 5.000 pesos because I touched his cock and tried to put it in my mouth.  He argued that I did not put all of these minute details in my Heesay request and therefore I needed to pay him extra.  He was definitely hardup for money because during the massage he told me his poverty story and his need to feed his 2 children and him being abandoned by his wife.  I told him that I would NOT be paying him this exorbitant amount and he refused to leave my room and I opened the door and got near him to assertively ask him to exit my room.  He saw my Armani watch on the table that my ex-Thai boyfriend gave me, and he grabbed it and said that the 2,500 pesos plus the watch would suffice.  I aggressively grabbed the watch back from him – tearing the leather band from its metal hinge and pushed him out the door and slammed it closed.  That was tense and not a fun experience.  I did not want to go downstairs and complain to the security team because this was only my day 2 of my 62 day trip and I still wanted to have the right to have additional visitors.
Day 2 (30 December 2024) concluded.
 
Day 3 (New Year’s Eve - 31 December 2024)
Routine day with my time hanging out in the CBP Ayala mall – it is becoming addictive – this Filippino way of life.  Also, got overloaded with the gazillion of app requests for action, meetings, tours, etc.
Arranged a massage with a guy from Heesay who works in the BPO building in front of my condo.  I paid 3.000 pesos (~ $51 USD) for his massage. He is a great masseur and after the massage we agreed to go and have dinner together as his partner of 8 years is busy with family NYE stuff and they supposedly don’t know that my massage guy is the partner.  We run over to the CEBU famous, “House of Lechon” restaurant to get some dinner but it was completely full and furthermore, they were completely sold out of their house specialty, Roasted Pig = Lechon.  By the way, this restaurant is the MOST famous for Lechon in ALL of CEBU and it was only 2 streets away from my condo.   https://www.facebook.com/HouseOfLechonCebu/

So, we ended up eating in a Chinese restaurant outside of the Ayala mall complex and we were the last customers allowed in.
This massage guy, let us call him Mr. R, shared many interesting stories about life in Cebu, such as:
The primary occupation for many young gays in Cebu is to work in one of the many BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) centers spread out all over Cebu with a high density of them in CBP and also over in IT Park.  The starting salary is between 12,000 to 14,000 pesos per month ( ~ from $206 to $240 USD per month ).  He told me this is why many of the gays working in these BPOs are also selling their services “for hire” on the apps, to supplement this dismal salary.  But, he told me that his partner of 8 years, holds a more senior position in one of these BPOs and earns 30,000 pesos per month ( ~  $514 USD per month ). He told me that the minimum daily wage in Cebu is 501 pesos ( ~ $8.60 per day), versus the minimum daily wage in Pattaya, which is 400 baht ( ~ $11.80 per day).  Consequently, Thai workers command a 37% premium over their Filippino neighbors.  This will become evident throughout this trip as we will see that the daily cost of living for a retiree in the Philippines versus Thailand is cheaper. He told me that the gay life in Cebu is mostly underground and/or hidden, as a consequence of the very conservative values found in the Filipino culture and Catholic religion.  I pushed back when he told me this, as I told him that I lived in Italy for 12 years and they are the hosts of the Vatican and even Italy has progressed forward with gay rights, even though the Vatican is in their backyard.  I further told him that Spain, a very Catholic country, has leapfrogged forward with gay rights.  I told him that I was quite surprised to learn this as I had thought that with the Philippines being so far away from the Vatican that it would be more free to move forward – but instead the opposite is true. He told me that in Cebu there are a couple of gay bars, 1 to 2 go-go boy bars, some cruising parks, 3 massage saunas, and 1 to 2 mixed disco clubs.  He said that the primary way gays meetup nowadays is via the apps that I already listed above. So, I learned a lot from him during our pre-NYE dinner.  We said our goodbyes and I headed back to my room so that I could sit outside on my 32nd floor balcony to watch the fireworks over the sea and I was able to celebrate NYE twice, at 12 midnight in Cebu and again at 1am in Cebu with my Thai boyfriend via a LINE video call where it was 12 midnight back in Jomtien.  After the countdown completed, I told my PMB (Primary Money Boy) the magical words that I rarely express in my life = “I love you”.  We have been seeing each other for more than 6 months now and for the last 2 to 3 months he has been constantly telling me that he loved me.  I just was not ready to say those words until now because:
I wanted to allow for the completion of the jinx that I received 1 year prior when my previous Thai boyfriend denied me my first NYE kiss and I had to vacate Pattaya in distress – so I surprised him by appearing in his birth town down in Southern Thailand and I instead kissed the iconic seaside mermaid.  With this current NYE countdown of 2024/2025 I was able to allow that jinx superstition to expire – so I felt safe to give my heart to my PMB, I wanted him to hear these words from me in the actual new year 2025. I have to say that I was also influenced by the love stories shared here in this forum by fellow forum members; @jason1975 and @Min, as they both shared their love for their PMBs – and it gave me inspiration that love can be found with PMBs, when I had previously believed that it is a HUGE mistake to give your heart to a PMB.  If I have in fact made a HUGE mistake, at least I am in good company with Jason and Min. Day 3 (31 December 2024) concluded.
 
Day 4 (New Year’s day 1 January 2025)
Since the Philippines is a super religious country, today EVERYTHING (other than 7-Eleven) is closed.  So, it was a boring day eating 7-Eleven food in my room.  I took the time to find my next AirBnB condo room, which will be in the CEBU IT Park.  Unfortunately, I failed at finding a room with a balcony.
The remainder of the day I chatted on the various apps and I found someone who will become my primary, go-to Filipino guy to help me out (in a non sexual way) with tours and miscellaneous things as they arrive.  He is still in the closet, and is a young 25 year old who works in the hotel industry.  He is a true gem and a rare find.  For me, his character is truly adorable and when I pass time with him I feel really good.  For purposes of this trip report let us call him, Mr. B.
Some background.  I transformed all of my existing 5 app profile text to read as follows:

In some of the apps, certain words are considered as non compliant with the T&C, so you can use alternative substitutes to get your message across.  Some of the local tagalog + Cebuano words to use are:  masahe, masahista, maxsage, masaj, hilot à which I noticed that the app AI compliance checkers were not checking for any prohibited words that are in any of the local dialects.
This is how I found both Mr. B and Mr. R discussed previously.
This was a non-massage day, so prior to the commencement of the NYE activities, I watched the wonderful Thai movie = “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies”.  I HIGHLY recommend this heart warming very original Thai film. Title of this film in Thai is, "Lahn Mah" หลานม่า which literally means "Grandma's Grandchild". I found the film culturally enriching as it gives the perspective of death in Thailand from the Chinese-Thai point of view.  Film is available on in Netflix, as well as in Google movies.

It has been nominated for the Oscars international shortlist.  Read more about it here:
https://variety.com/2024/film/news/how-to-make-millions-before-grandma-dies-oscar-shortlist-thailand-1236256031/
On 2 March 2025, we will be told if it has won the actual Oscar award.
Day 4 (1 January 2025) concluded.
 
 
 

I spent a week in PP catching up with a Canadian friend and we visited a lot of the specified places together. I have tried to be as factual as possible and I’d like to thank FloridaRob, vinapu and Harrystiilees for the info they gave me before my trip.
A few general observations: Since my last visit 10 years ago, the traffic seems to have increased dramatically and certainly the car is king here. Be very careful crossing roads as some traffic do not adhere to traffic lights and pavements in many parts of the city are non existent. I felt safe wandering around the city but do ensure that you have enough lower denomination dollar notes as higher denominations can be difficult to spend. Tuk tuks plentiful and $2-3 dollars seemed to be the standard fare. 
Bars
I visited Space Bar which was next to my hotel (Sun and Moon) twice. I met the owners, one of whom is from Spain and their adorable dogs that are friendly and in the bar. The waiters/hosts are incredibly fit and hot and tend to be more muscular and they will sit with you if you buy them a drink. Some guys spoke reasonable English and got very playful as the evening progressed. Some guys took their shirts off after midnight and were quite touchy feely. Very flirtatious but it ended there. The drinks were of a very good quality and it was. Fun place to visit with an interesting mix of local boys and visiting tourists and expat locals. I visited again and the same host guys I talked to on the first visit tended to monopolise my table despite the fact I was interested in talking to some of the other guys. It is the luck of the draw if you choose guys to sit with you who can’t really communicate except by translation apps. Around 12 host guys there when I visited. I would certainly recommend this friendly and laid back bar as a fun start or end to your evening. Fantastic eye candy.
We spent a great evening at Toolbox bar. Doug the owner is a lovely, approachable guy and was happy to chat and give advice about PP. We went around 9pm on a Fri and there are about 20 host guys and 6 customers but the bar got busier with visitors from 10pm onwards. It was a great atmosphere especially as the boys did a number of interesting dance routines on the pool table! Very much a party atmosphere and the music was varied and fun. The boys are certainly of the twink variety and they were  friendly, good looking and tactile. Drinks of a great quality and the bar also serves a selection of hot food. This was the bar that we enjoyed ourselves the most in PP and we stayed around 4 hours. Well worth a visit if only to see the beautiful boys there.
We visited Blue Chili which seemed to be a large venue but didn’t stay as we were the only customers there. When passing again on a Friday evening, the place seemed completely packed and people were queuing to get in. It seemed to have a mixed crowd and we were told the busiest nights are Friday and Saturday.
Massage 
I had some variable experiences during my time in PP. I visited Paradise Massage which is above the POC bar. Only one guy available to give massage and he was a young twinky type. Massage ($15 for an hour oil massage) was quite poor with little technique and expertise. I ended the massage early as it was not enjoyable. The premises look quite run down and general cleanliness was an issue. I would not recommend this place.
I visited Hatha Khmer twice and I was delighted by the massages there. There were around 15 guys to choose from when I visited and you choose your guy from behind a window where they assemble, a bit like arena in BKK. A good range of guys that would satisfy most tastes. The first massage was an hour’s oil massage ($10) and the guy certainly was experienced and knew what he was doing. An excellent, firm massage and the $30 dollar tip was well deserved for the many extras he provided. The second massage was an hour and a half oil massage for $15 and the different masseur was good but not as firm or experienced as the first guy and this showed in his massage technique. The invariable fun that followed was prolonged and unrushed and a $30 tip was well earned. He even offered to bring another masseur into the massage room for fun if I wanted that. I was very happy with the venue which was clean and well decorated, the choice of hot guys as well as the quality of the massage and the extras. Well recommended. 
Saunas
I visited 2 saunas during my stay. Love Spa is just around the corner from Hatha Khmer massage. It was $3 entry and it was quite busy at 5pm mid week. As far as I could gather I was the only Western guy there and the guys were primarily Cambodian. When changing, it was a bit disconcerting to have around 5 massage guys watching me and asking constantly if I needed a massage. Certainly the most aggressive approach I came across in Cambodia. The thing about this spa is that the spa areas and corridors are completely dark and it is like walking in a darkroom. For me, this was quite dangerous as I tripped over as I couldn’t see where I was going. I decided to leave as for me, it was an accident waiting to happen.
My friend was staying at Arthur and Paul hotel. I visited on a Saturday night to go to the spa and it started to get busy after 9pm. $10 entry fee. The bar area is spacious and lovely and the pool area is a good place to relax, swim and talk to other guys. There seemed to be a lot of younger Cambodian guys in attendance. Again, the issue for me was the lack of light and the spa area and showers were too dark for me to walk around safely. Guys are friendly around the bar, pool area and changing room and this is a great place to link up with cute Cambodian guys. My friend, who was staying at the hotel enquired about the darkness level and one of the Cambodian guys stated that Cambodian guys are quite shy and don’t want to be seen having sex in a spa! As an addendum, my friend loved staying at A and P and raved about the breakfast, staff and massages which he deemed to be excellent ($20 for an hour plus tip). The staff here are good looking guys who will look after you if you decide to stay at the hotel. 
Apps
I got lots of messages from guys on the usual apps (Grindr, Hornet and Heesay) but did not manage to hook up with anyone due to time constraints.
I hope you find this info useful. I’m back to Thailand now for a Christmas and a break! Happy Christmas!

So gone are the days when I would spend a week or two in Thailand, but I will be in Thailand for a few days next week.  So if people can help a long-time poster out with some questions, I would be grateful!
1. Anyone in Bangkok the same time who want to meet up? PM me.
2. I'll be staying in Pattaya for a few days, and not looking to stay close to where the action is, and I am looking to more upscale hotels that have beach access. How does one get around Pattaya if I am staying at the Intercontinental or the Hilton? I've always stayed close to Boyztown so never really thought about how to do this.
3. Are there any good beaches in Pattaya? Is that a stupid question? LOL
Thank you!
Incidentally, I was in Bangkok earlier this year for a few days, and I had two amazing short time sessions from a boy in Dream Boy and another from Hot Male. I paid 2500 baht for both. Dare I say it, but the Dream Boy sex was reminiscent of how the Brazilians do it, so it was particularly memorable.

Georgetown, Penang Island was a wonderful place to visit and I could have easily spent several days more exploring the island, eating wonderful food and hooking up with cute local talent.
 
I stayed four nights. First night I arrived late. The very long and dull bus ride was longer than expected due to some kind of accident related traffic jam on the way. So the first night was uneventful. The next couple of days and nights were delightfully busy. I did a food tour with a guide who was also very knowledgeable about local history, culture and economy, hiked through mangrove forest in the small national park on the northwestern part of the island, visited Chinese gangster’s/merchant’s mansions, enjoyed British colonial buildings, had lots of tasty food and no less than five hook-ups.
 
Hook-ups were all Grindr induced and took place in my hotel room. Again there was no issue bringing guests to my room. I stayed at the Cititel Penang - the one close to the Blue Mansion. I met one of them for a drink before coming back to the hotel and the others I met in the hotel Lobby. From my anecdotal experience and Grindr ressearch I would assess that Indian and Malay Malaysians prefer to top and Chinese Malaysians prefer to bottom, but I am sure there will be exceptions to confirm this rule. 
 
I would reccomend Malaysia to anyone who likes food and quickies with regular guy-next- door types in their 20s or 30s. I hope to go back sometime in the not so distant future, but my next Asian adventure will be Thailand (second time) and Cambodia (first time). 
 

Happy to report I visited Phnom Penh recently to get a haircut and  visit Space Hair bar 2 nights in row. Both nights I was only customer between 9pm  and midnight, only then some customers arrived and sat till close at 2 pm. 
So not unpleasant task of entertaining all 7 bays present each evening fell on me. I did it with pleasure and expense was worth it. 
Best thing about Space Bar is absolute lack of pressure to buy drinks or/and dispense tips. 
knowing what question everybody wants to ask, answer is : no this time I did not get lucky, not for lack of trying. Thing is with no other customers it's hard to get that discreete moment when crucial questions can  be asked.
Still it was worth time and expense. 

or Classrooms