FunFifties

Helpful indeed. Would you share the name of the hotel you were in here on the board or in a message? Hope you have interesting encounters to report on when you visit Morocco. I wil be visiting Egypt in a few weeks and hope to be able to share similar experiences soon.

I have never been to Koh Samui, but I made similar observations when I visited Koh Chang a couple of years ago. I felt like I could have been on a resort anywhere in the world. Beaches were nice, air and water was warm so it was an ok place to relax for a few days. But overall it was quite a boring place to visit as a solo traveller. I have also visited Koh Tao. It has more of a backpacker/outdoors adventure vibe. I did a diving course there, so had something to do and people to interact with. I also met up with a friend who introduced me to some of his buddies so I had company to explore bars and parties with. Like you, I also get a lot of attention in Bangkok, and I tend to savour that and go for the non-transactional hook-ups and boyfriend/holiday flirt experience. I usually accept offers for extras at massage places though - I am only human

I am not much of a drinker. Usually just beer and the occassional glass of white wine with a meal. Red wines are wasted on me - I can appreciate the smell, but in my mouth, all I get is tannins. On rare nights out, maybe a cocktail or two, but almost never shots and definetely not of the bitter variant like Jagermeister. I absolutely agree that is a disgusting drink 🤢

I made the journey from Siem Reap to Battambang by boat crossing the Tonle Sap Lake and then up the Sangker River until it became too shallow to navigate. We were then transferred to pick-up trucks for a 30 minute drive into town. Motorbike is probably the fastest way, but I enjoyed seeing the floating villages along the water way.

I probably wouldn't do it. Not so much because of the anticipated discomfort, but because I would miss out on my usual stopover in Bangkok where a nice two hour massage at S'Sense is my usual remedy to cure sore and stiff joints caused by the 11 hour flight from my city

I copy/paste pics, seems there is also an option of dragging files or choosing files.

If you are going to Kanchanaburi, consider staying a full day to visit Erawan National Park with its 9 (I think it is 9) waterfalls. It is a nice little hike past all of the waterfalls to the top one. Some of the falls have little pools where you can bathe and where little fish nible at the dead skin on your feet.

I visited Battambang for a few days early last year. I really enjoyed it and would have been happy to stay a bit longer. It's a charming little city or big town with some nice French colonial architecture.. Highlights were the circus school, the bamboo train, and a bicycle tour with an outfit called Soksa Bikes. As far as I recall food and drinks were noticably cheaper than in Siem Reap, so perhaps this translates into lower rental prices?

Hi @donJ I was in Vietnam for three weeks early this year and had a really good time. People I met also reccomended the Ha Giang Loop and I think I will do that next time I visit. Vietnam is easy on the wallet and people are very friendly. I also really enjoyed the food and coffe. The only negative experience was the high levels og smog in Hanoi. I am not someone who goes out late, but there were plenty of opportunites in both Hanoi and Saigon for someone who enjoys that.

Enjoy! I hope you will share some impressions of what it is like to live a more settled life in Thailand for a 2-3 month period. It is something I hope to do on a regular basis in a not too distant future, so would appreciate your thoughts and experiences in that regard.

I am not sure if Uber operates in Bangkok, but I know that Grab does. There is a pick up point outside the terminal where you wait for your ride if you booked a Grab or similar, so it should be pretty easy. Not sure what it costs to go to Pattaya from the airport.

Yes Leipzig of course. Thanks

Is your upcoming trip your first time travelling together? In that case, I would say you are still in the -getting to know each other- phase of exploring a relationship. Spend some of the time travelling together by talking over your mutual expectations for a relationship. I would not expect a long distance relationship to be monogamous, but I know others may have other expectations or assumptions, so it's important to be open about how you look at these things. Enjoy your trip and hopefully your relationship will develop in the direction you hope it to go.

Leipzig is called Hype-zig by those who claim that this is where creative and artistic types have moved after gentrification has priced them out of Berlin. If that is the case, they forgot to tell the gays There are few gay venues in Leipzig and their opening hours seem restricted to around weekends. Still Leipzig is a nice university city with a small historical centre, museums, and monuments. The highlights of my sightseeing were the Grassi Museum’s applied arts exhibition and a nice walk to the Südfriedhof (Southern cemetery) and the nearby monument to the battle of Dresden (Napoleon’s first defeat). Hook-up wise, I met an early 30’s Filipino bottom and a late 20’s muscular Vietnamese top in my hotel room. Both were very nice. I also tried my luck at the local sauna on a Friday night. Place is called Stargayte Sauna, so I was expecting gay, but it was a mixed night with many straight couples and a few single ladies, and a few mtf trans who hadn't done bottom surgery. The place is very big, several saunas, jacuzzi, pool, big steam room, play areas on two floors, a nice bar and generally clean and well maintained. I did play a little with a couple of guys, but I think the gay and bi guys there including myself were a bit inhibited by having a female audience. I really enjoyed my trip. In Europe, the university cities that are not capitals, are often overlooked by other tourists, but they still have life, culture and places of historical interest. Also, their high streets have not yet been fully claimed by the international retail brands and fast food chains that are making European capitals look more and more similar. As for hook ups, I think there is a “big fish in a small pond” dynamic that works well for me as I seem to get more attention on Grindr in the smaller cities than in the bigger ones. What is your favourite city that is not a capital?

I enjoy your reports. This one as well as the one about Hurghada. I am also wiilling to admit that I am jealous of your youth, your stamina and your dare devil approach to hooking up in exotic places. But please dont let my jealousy put you of your reporting. Hope to read more of your adventures @Connor2025

From Krakow I boarded a train bound for Prague and then I had to make a change in Ostrava. The little I saw of that city didn’t excite me enough to put it on my list for future destinations. Brno is smaller than Krakow, but equally old and home of several universities. So what you get here is the atmosphere of an old university city, but with considerably less other tourists than Krakow. On the evening of my arrival, Saturday, I decided to visit Las Palmas, the local gay sauna. It's a noticeably old place. But clean and with the facilities you expect. Lockers, showers, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, and cruising area with 4 rooms where you can find privacy. Cash only, so you need to get hold of some koruna. The crowd was hardly a crowd, I think a maximum of 10 guests including myself. I wasn’t really interested in any of the other guests and noone approached me for any funny business, so unlike the sauna in Warsaw the previous Sunday, there was neither eye candy nor action in this place. I went back to the hotel, the Continental, a nice place that is supposedly a prime example of Czech mid-century modern architecture. On Grindr I chatted with a late 20’s Iranian recent graduate from one of the universities and we agreed to keep in touch for a possible meeting the next day. The next day the weather was absolutely gorgeous, almost summery. I took a tram to the dam at the edge of Brno and hiked around the Western bank of the lake to Veveri Castle and back via the Eastern bank. If I were to do it again, I would choose the Eastern bank both ways as it was much more quiet and scenic and reserved for only bicycles and pedestrians. Btw, the trams in Brno are super modern and easy to use. You just tap your credit or debit card as you enter and exit the tram. If you forget to tap on exit, you are only charged for a one hour ticket. When I came back from my hike, I had a very nice hook up with the Iranian guy. I also use Tinder, but it doesn’t update locations as frequently as Grindr, so it can be a bit tricky when you are on the road. I matched with a nice early 20’s Ukrainian student, and I spent most of my second full day with him in my hotel room and on a nice walk around the old city. After we parted I visited the Capucine Crypt. It contains around 40 mummified monks and patrons of the monastery. The bios of the monks and patrons also tells the story of the monastery and some of the History of Brno. I found the place fascinating. On my third and final full day, I visited the labyrinth under the Vegetable Market in the city centre, climbed the tower of the cathedral of Saint Peter and Paul, and walked up to and around Brno Castle. In the evening, I hooked up with a mid 20’s Czech student of Vietnamese descent, whom I met via Grindr. It was another very nice hook up. I think I may be going back to Brno in the future. It’s a lovely place with interesting and not very crowded sights and enough young men from the universities to keep my afternoons and evenings busy. From Brno I took a train bound for Berlin and changed in Dresden for a connection to Leipzig. I hope to get around to the last and final installment on Leipzig in a few days.

Krakow is a wonderful city with a fascinating historical centre and the youthful vibe of a University city. I spent four nights there in a studio apartment. On my first night I hooked up with a mid 20’s Azerbaijani student, who spent the night. He was of stocky build with a nice meaty ass. Cuddling, conversation and copulation with him were all good. The next morning we went out for breakfast and he took me to a view point/mound, Kopiec Kraka, with a nice view of the city. We went back to the city and parted ways, but agreed to meet again the next day. During the day I had a few chats going on Grindr. One was an early 20’s Ukrainian who I met for a late afternoon hook up. Another was an early 30’s Indian who I met for drinks and joined me in my apartment afterwards for a nice round of sex. On my second full day, the weather was agreeable for a hike, so I walked to the Kopiec Kosciuszki, another and bigger mound inside a 19th century fortress. From there I hiked to the Benedectine Abbey in Kotiec where I had a late lunch in a place nearby. I took an Uber back to the city and met with Azerbaijani guy for another walk around the old city, a round of sex at the apartment, and a late dinner in the historical center. On my third and final full day, I visited the Czartoryski museum. It has a great collection of artefacts from Polish history and an impressive art collection with a Rembrandt and a Da Vinci painting. I had lunch at a Georgian restaurant and met Azerbaijani guy for a late afternoon sex and dinner date. After dinner we parted, but as I prepared to go to sleep, I got a message from the Ukrainian asking for another round. I happily agreed and he came by. Krakow exceeded my expectations, both in terms of regular tourist activities and availability of young men, so it is definitely on my list of places that I would like to return to. My next stop was Brno, Czechia. I will probably report on that tomorrow.

It was the best of times, it was the…well actually pretty good times all in all 🙂I recently spent two weeks travelling by train in Central Europe and visited Warsaw, Krakow, Brno and Leipzig. The first and shortest stop was Warsaw where I spent two nights. I arrived on a Sunday early evening and decided to try my luck at a sauna.. I chose “Sauna the Fire” since it was closest and had decent reviews and was open until 2 am. It is a small place on only one floor, but it has the basics; lockers, bar, showers, jacuzzi, dry sauna, steam room, and a cruising area with a handful of private cubicles. The place seemed clean and well maintained. When I arrived around 8 or 9 pm it was packed. Most of the crowd were both younger and fitter than me, so I wasn’t sure I would be getting anything except for eye candy that evening. I did find a couple of guys to play with. One late 30’s average build guy and one early 20’s tall and chubby guy both found this early 50’s tall and reasonably fit guy worthy of a roll in the cubicles. The next day, I walked a lot around Warsaw. It was my first visit there and the weather was lovely, so I did my best to cover as much ground as possible. I also joined a ww2 themed walking tour. Ate Zurek for Lunch and borscht and cherry pierogies at a Ukrainian restaurant for dinner. I was tired after a long day so my efforts to see if I could hook up via Grindr were a bit halfhearted. I did get a couple of propositions from moneyboys. One was from a local or perhaps Ukrainian early 20’s who asked for 200 PLN (around 50 €) and another was from a late 20’s African who asked for 800 PLN plus transport. I didn’t proceed with either of the offers and got a good night's sleep instead. Next stop was Krakow. Hopefully I will get around to reporting on that in a day or two.

Not so small if you ask me I would struggle with more than two regulars both in terms of stamina and attention span, but happy that you are enjoying it. And thanks for great reporting on massage places, so do keep your calendar open for those.

Thanks for the Chaicahana review @jimmie50. I noticed some very handsome young men outside that shop when I was in Bangkok last month and was considering giving it a try. Now I definetely will next time I am in Bangkok.

Yes 3100/3500 was the price when I was there three weeks ago. It was my first time at Senso and a very enjoyable experience.

I found Hoi An most charming in the mornings and evenings when the day trippers from Da Nang and coastal resorts were absent, so you are right that it is too busy during the day to really appreciate any small town charm.

This place, Cao lầu Không Gian Xanh, has tasty cao lau https://maps.app.goo.gl/gjYm9heFcWG7dUM97, As far as I remember, it was the only dish they made. They close a bit early, 830 pm.

Great report! Nice with a longer term perspective on staying in Bangkok as that is something I am considering in a hopefully not too distant future. I recently stayed in The Quarter Saladaeng and got upgraded to a studio apartment. I would be happy to stay here for a month, as it had kitchen, lounge area with sofa and also a small desk. I do agree that it is not a proper 4 star experience. The lack of attention to details in the fitting of TV and showers is a good example of this. I also agree that the breakfast is not worth 300 baht. In my rate, the additional cost for breakfast was only around 100 baht, so I was ok with it. Egg station and fresh fruit with yoghurt is what I usually go for, but unless I get a good deal, I tend to not go for hotel breakfast at all. I also agree that the hotel staff is excellent. Perhaps it is my Nordic blood, but I found the pool temperature just right Also, for a hotel gym, I think the one in Quarter Saladaeng is not bad at all. I have also tried The Quarter Chaophraya. This place is much more aligned with what I expect from 4 stars. Better pool, a lot better breakfast, and room decor that doesn't lack attention to detail. I hope you enjoy your stay in Pattaya.

HCMC/Saigon I arrived by train from Danang. It’s an 18-hour train ride, but at least half the time I was sleeping and during daylight I enjoyed watching the scenery. I also got a decent meal and coffee along the way. If you have time and enjoy travelling by train, I highly recommend it. Arrival was around 730 in the morning, so my room at the Alagon City Hotel and Spa was not ready yet, but the receptionist directed me to the pool area, where I had a shower and a change of clothes. Thus refreshed, I consulted Grindr. One message was from an early 30s guy from Singapore staying in a Hotel close by. We had a nice quickie in his room and I set out to explore the city after that. On a coffee break I chatted with a 21 year old student and we agreed to meet at the cafe where I was sitting. We had a nice chat, then a nice walk and then lunch. After that we went back to the hotel. He was with me as I completed check-in and followed me to my room, so it seems the hotel has no issues with guests. We had no less than three rounds of great sex interrupted by cuddling and conversation. After that we went out for dinner and he returned home. The next day, I didn’t do much in the morning except enjoying the rooftop pool area and some reading. In the afternoon I visited Adam Spa (Nadam on google maps). It has excellent reviews on this forum and elsewhere. Well deserved as it must be the most aesthetically pleasing gay sauna I have ever been to (once my sight had adjusted to the dim light). There is a steam room, saunas and jacuzzi on the ground floor. On the next floor is a cruising area with several rooms where you can enjoy privacy. On the last floor is a warmish chill out room with an aroma steam room in the middle. I came around 4 pm on a Tuesday and there were some 12-15 other guests at that time. From late 20s to 60s. I had fun with 4 of the other guests during my two hour visit. Adam Spa is around 6 km from district one. I took 40 minutes to cover that distance by car during rush hour traffic, so next time I go, I will book a motorcycle Grab instead of a car. I had dinner again with the student from the previous day and we went to the hotel for another round of good sex and a couple of hours of cuddling and sleeping before he had to go home. On the third day I had an early afternoon hook-up. He came directly to the hotel. It was meh, and the guy didn’t quite look like his pictures, so I let it be a reminder to myself either to meet people outside first or have validated photos or a video chat before agreeing to hook up. In the evening, my fwb from Bangkok arrived, so for the next 5 days there was no need for saunas or Grindr. We had a good time visiting some of Saigon’s main attractions like the Independence Palace and the War Remnants Museum. We also did a day trip to the Mekong Delta and watched a show in the Opera House. It was dancing and acrobatics in the same style as the Hoi An Memories Show, but not quite as impressive. There was hardly any smog in Saigon and the city is actually quite walkable with wide sidewalks lined with trees and numerous little parks that also offer a bit of refuge from the otherwise chaotic traffic. Vietnamese food is really good, the coffee is excellent and prices are lower than in Thailand. hooking up via apps and in the saunas is easy, but judging from my one experience massages are probably not as good as in Thailand. All in all, I highly recommend a visit to Vietnam.