FunFifties

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.