Travel destinations

[hank75]

Inspired by CurtisD’s wonderful trip report to Myanmar, I thought I would continue the spin off discussion as to where one could travel with a boy companion to mutual enjoyment. I’m interested for any recommendations or suggestions within Myanmar as I’ve only been once to Yangon and don’t recall it as being easy to navigate particularly with a Thai boy in tow who has a specific palate. 

Philippines or KL are not for me as I find neither city charming, few sights, and if going to the beach, Thailand’s beaches are equally beautiful with the bonus of, well, being in Thailand with the food and language familiarity. So I guess I’m looking for either an easy adventure or a nice escape from the daily grind.

Singapore, Bali and Hong Kong are all good suggestions. If anyone has successfully planned a trip there with your Thai companion I’d be keen to hear about it. 

[Londoner]

I've been to Bali twice with P.  Very gay friendly (there's a gay travel service called Bali Friendly if you need transport around the island)  but we didn't sample the gay life. Usually tucked-up in bed by the time it got going!

The problem is the congestion on the roads around Kuta, Legian and Seminyak.  But for a gay couple I cannot think of anything negative to mention. P. loves Bali and feels comfortable there.

The other successful foreign visits have to been to Laos; Luang Prabang twice  (highly recommended) and Vientiane (dull). No discernible gay life but full acceptance of us wandering around hand- in- hand.          

I can offer more personal advice, if required.

 

[reader]

Hanoi would be one recommendation. Going there with a Vietnamese friend would be ideal (I went there twice with my regular guy), I think anyone you’d meet in Thailand would enjoy it because it’s so unlike Bangkok, HCMC, KL and Singapore.  The French influence is heavily felt in its architecture and food, and it has an intimate feel about it.

It’s not unusual for some guys from certain parts of Laos, Cambodia and Thailand to have some familiarity with the language and vice versa. So communicating shouldn’t be a big issue. English, of course, is spoken in the hotels and most restaurants.

It’s a very young city, which I think is among the reasons guys from other ASEAN countries travel there (as Divine Madman points out in another thread) on their own for a quick getaway. And it’s less expensive than bkk and Sinapore. Flights there are frequent on Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet (both our of BKK) and Air Asia out of DMK.

The best time to go is on weekends when the area surrounding a small lake (Hoan Kiem, aka Sword) on the edge of the Old Quarter becomes a pedestrian mall (locals refer to it as the park). Performers of all types appear anywhere around it. Young and old, locals and visitors, share the space. You certainly won’t feel out of place.

I found that although my friend was familiar with the layout of the town (his sister works there), he was wholly unfamiliar with its cultural attractions which abound. Over the course of a few visits we covered all of the major museums and historical spots. I was taken aback by his enthusiasm to learn more about the real history of his country and its culture. (Divine Madman was kind enough to provide us a list of spots he thought we’d both enjoy and my guide followed it scrupulously!).

There’s a huge range of accommodations to fit any budget. Although public transportation is the city’s weak spot, the bus system is improving and a BTS-like rapid transit is in development. The airport is easy to navigate and, unlike most, the food options are inexpensive and satisfying.

You’d have to try hard not to enjoy yourself—and your partner—in Hanoi.

[CurtisD]

Hank, thanks for this thread. Great idea.

I am very interested on anyone's experiences taking a friend to Japan, Hong Kong/Marcu and Taiwan.

Also, if there are natural points of beauty / adventure anyone can recommend. Bangkok Guy is keen on nature. One of his holiday pics is he and friends riding a small whitewater stream on what look like pieces of bark.

[hank75]

10 hours ago, CurtisD said:

Hank, thanks for this thread. Great idea.

I am very interested on anyone's experiences taking a friend to Japan, Hong Kong/Marcu and Taiwan.

Also, if there are natural points of beauty / adventure anyone can recommend. Bangkok Guy is keen on nature. One of his holiday pics is he and friends riding a small whitewater stream on what look like pieces of bark.

Based on my personal experience mixed in with tips from friends, these can all be very successful holidays with a little advance planning. Taiwan is a great gay destination, especially during pride week. No problems at all if you choose to hold hands in public. Lots of cultural sights, night markets which he may enjoy to compare to Thai night markets, and some good but easy hiking just a short commute from the city. If you’re willing to plan an overnight, there are hot spring resorts an hour or two drive. Meals may require some advance thought but shouldn’t be an issue. 

[hank75]

13 hours ago, Londoner said:

The other successful foreign visits have to been to Laos; Luang Prabang twice  (highly recommended) and Vientiane (dull). No discernible gay life but full acceptance of us wandering around hand- in- hand.          

Interested to know what made Luang Prabang more enjoyable than Vientiane? Never been to either 

[pong]

Start with the basics; your THai guy must have a passpt (many dont, as the need for that did not arise yet) and can then visit ANy ASEAN memberstate for either 14/15 or mostly 30 days without any visa etc-that you may need (myanmar, laos, VN).ONly some provinces of Laos bordering TH can be done with Thai ID for a tiny sum and for a max of 3 or 5 days.

From my own exp. if asking them in a neutral way (without any hint of taking them) to go where, they say SINgapore and Hongkong. SIN is ASEAN but is quite strict about who they admit in, esp. single Thai guys (or ladies), but in tow with a farang its mostly no problem. HKG may for farang be a bit unsure for now, but Thai are mostly completely ignorant about the issues. Macao is only gambling-now half empty due to the Chinese ban on corruption. Taiwan is indeed a very good replacement for both, but NOT ASEAN.

MOst of the Thai guys you meet are from Isan, often simply already named lao=same langauge so they are able at guiding you around, but the script is different and unknown to them.

Its quite some time ago since Ive been there last, VTE is the dull communist-reigned officialdom capital with the impression of a small Thai provincial town, LP is like ´Chiang Mai in the good old days´-they speak also like the Kam Muang (=people from the north) and are delightful easygoing. BUT recent reports tell its now overflwoing with French and Chinese. They make even the morning alms collecting rounds from the monks into a touristy circus. Laos is currently also the building site for the new hi-speed railway the Chinese built to connect their middle Kingdom with the sea in TH.

Burma=Myanm suffers from generally inedible food, a real disgrace for any decent Thai. They also can neither read nor speak the lingo-except for the Shan/Karyen hilltribe guys, of whom there are quite a few-but mostly they will simply refuse to go there as they fear the ThatMadow.  For them doublecheck exactly what type of ID/nationality they in fact have.

For nature thrills Vnam is probably best in general-but expect extended long trip times to reach it.

Not on any list seems to be Cambodia-there is some unspoken idea by most Thai that this is to be avoided, too poor and too derelict. Thats nonsense (Burma is likely more that) but Thai dont think-they parrot. Plus that the main tourist town is Siem reap, which means ´we sieged over the Thai!´ so thats humble pie too.

[DivineMadman]

5 minutes ago, pong said:

but Thai dont think-they parrot. Plus that the main tourist town is Siem reap, which means ´we sieged over the Thai!´ so thats humble pie too.

I think they just want to go someplace far away and more exotic.  That's all.  No reason for it turn into the tedious Thai-bashing.  They're just normal people.

I don't understand why anyone with such contempt for the Thai people comes to Thailand.

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, hank75 said:

Interested to know what made Luang Prabang more enjoyable than Vientiane? Never been to either 

Luang Prabang is very compact , packed with dozens of temples and did not land on UNESCO list for nothing.

Not far from the city itself there are scenic cascaded waterfalls and 1000 Buddhas cave , accessible by very scenic boat  trip on Mekong. One can spend easily 4-5 day there without getting bored - see samples. 

[DivineMadman]

2 hours ago, hank75 said:

Interested to know what made Luang Prabang more enjoyable than Vientiane? Never been to either 

If your schedule can work out, a visit to Luang Prabang for the end of Buddhist lent (Ok Phansa) - usually in/around October - is a truly wonderful experience.  Each neighborhood prepares a boat, the temples are decorated with lanterns and candles and there's a lovely procession with the boats and village groups in the evening and launching the boats/floating krathong in the river, followed by boat races.  

There might be more of a time-imperative to visit Luang Prabang as a railway being built by the Chinese will stop there, so there is some legit concern that the current loveliness of Luang Prabang is in peril.   

 

[DivineMadman]

13 hours ago, CurtisD said:

Also, if there are natural points of beauty / adventure anyone can recommend. Bangkok Guy is keen on nature. One of his holiday pics is he and friends riding a small whitewater stream on what look like pieces of bark.

Bali is great for this.  (Or Bali and then head to islands further east if interests and budget allow.). I usually go to Bali every year but I'll confess I never go Kuta/beach area.  I always go up into the mountains and base myself (+1) in Ubud.  Depending on volcanic activity, there are almost always some smaller mountains to climb, river rafting and other outdoor adventure activities, and lots of instagram-worthy vistas and waterfalls.  The Instagram crowds are actually a bit of problem.  Maybe a good guide can get you to the less popular waterfalls or get the timing right to avoid some of the crowds.

[reader]

1 hour ago, pong said:

BUT recent reports tell its now overflwoing with French and Chinese. They make even the morning alms collecting rounds from the monks into a touristy circus. Laos is currently also the building site for the new hi-speed railway the Chinese built to connect their middle Kingdom with the sea in TH.

Burma=Myanm suffers from generally inedible food, a real disgrace for any decent Thai. They also can neither read nor speak the lingo-except for the Shan/Karyen hilltribe guys, of whom there are quite a few-but mostly they will simply refuse to go there as they fear the ThatMadow.  For them doublecheck exactly what type of ID/nationality they in fact have.

The French, the Chinese, the Burmese. You find them all wanting. And you haven't got much respect for readers with your contrived--and often incomprehensible--writing.

You cite "recent reports" without any attribution.

 

[Londoner]

I was in LP last year. My estimation of the tourists there  is that they largely consisted of two distinct groups; the elderly (UK readers will know what I mean if I call them Saga tourists) and the young backpackers.  This neatly fits in with the hotel accommodation available; there are plenty of cheap places like we find in Chiang Mai.

As far as the Chinese are concerned, on both occasion we were there, we saw coach-loads arriving at the National Museum in the early morning. They'd gone by the early afternoon. I didn't see many  (or any?) in the evening in the restaurants or the markets. Nor on the boats.

Responding  to the question about Vientiane, P and I agreed that it was the least interesting of all our Asian destinations. The Mekong, so beautiful at LP, is hidden from view by ugly vegetation stretching a hundred metres from the corniche. The markets are purely local- food, clothes, home supplies- and  we didn't find the restaurants  anywhere near Thai standards. A couple of taxi jaunts to the country were OK. Just.

In short, is is hardly a tourist destination. More of a commercial centre.

[CTCI8F]

10 hours ago, hank75 said:

Based on my personal experience mixed in with tips from friends, these can all be very successful holidays with a little advance planning. Taiwan is a great gay destination, especially during pride week. No problems at all if you choose to hold hands in public. Lots of cultural sights, night markets which he may enjoy to compare to Thai night markets, and some good but easy hiking just a short commute from the city. If you’re willing to plan an overnight, there are hot spring resorts an hour or two drive. Meals may require some advance thought but shouldn’t be an issue. 

And Taiwan does NOT require visas for Thais for a visit up to 14 days.

[Guest]

Top of the list of alternatives to Thailand should be Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  Worth about 4-5 days.  Satisfactory food and accommodation in town.   Can find boys on the apps with some work, but most of the willing ones seem to be in Jomtien.   More boys in Phnom Penh, but less to see

Bagan in Myanmar is second on my list.   Rent an electric scooter and spend 3 says cruising around the temples.   Very quiet tracks, so even I didn't worry about validity of insurance cover for it.    Food can be poor and accommodation badly built.   Not many boys available.  If you want that, head to Yangon and use the apps.

There are other sites that I intend to visit next time I go there.

Luang Prabang (Laos), is as Vinapu suggested worth a visit.  The nearby Kuang Si waterfalls must be seen.   Book your own tuk tuk to get there before other tourists. Note the new railway goes close to Luang Prabang, so depending on your priorities, visit before completion or try it out when completed.   Vientiane is quite small, but it's also a good place to chill out in.

Disclosure:

Cambodia 5 visits

Laos 3 visits

Myanmar, Singapore 2 visits

Malaysia 1 proper visit, plus a business trip and an overnight stay

Vietnam, Philippines 1 visit each.

(Note: The figures are not published as an ego trip, but partially as an indication of which countries have kept me coming back)