Suggestions for destinations outside Thailand

[Guest wabearseeksgam]

I've been visiting Thailand for um.... "a while" now, and would love to find a few alternate destinations. Is there a place an older man can still meet much younger guys without it being a financial relationship? I don't mind taking care of a new friend, but it's getting pretty bad, especially in Bangkok. I appreciate any tips, stories, or pictures

 

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[Guest lvdkeyes]

I've been visiting Thailand for um.... "a while" now, and would love to find a few alternate destinations. Is there a place an older man can still meet much younger guys without it being a financial relationship? I don't mind taking care of a new friend, but it's getting pretty bad, especially in Bangkok. I appreciate any tips, stories, or pictures

 

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I have been to Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur recently and, after making contacts through websites, I have met some very nice young guys who have real jobs and do not expect to be "taken care of". They have all insisted on paying for some of the meals and entertainment and not one of them has asked me for money for anything.

[Guest Oogleman]

Taiwan has hordes of sexy gay guys - and haven`t met a poor one yet!

[Guest Bryan1938]

made a short visit to Vietnam and met some very friendly guys in the capital, several of them were out of work but apart from asking for a western style cigarret & a beer, they were happy to play free and easy.

[KhorTose]

I would have loved to check this out, but this is what happened to me when I tried to get a visa to travel to Vietnam this year. I mailed my passport by overnight registered mail, along with the requisite money and information, to the Vietnamese Embassy asking for a visa and expedited service. When I did not hear from them in five days I contacted the embassy by Email (Their phone lines are always busy), and received a phone call from an unidentified man who said they did not receive my passport. I went to the the post office and received the tracking data, and a signed receipt that showed a Mr. Chin had received the passport the next day at the Vietnamese Embassy. I immediately called the number back that called me and all I got was a mumbled I did not get it, call me back this afternoon. Since then I have been unable to contact that number and the embassy does not answer my emails, or even a direct letter to the Ambassador, Mr. Nguyen. I have since been told by others that you must hand carry your passport to them or hire an agency to do it for you. Needless to say, this has cost me hundreds of dollars and delayed other trips while I await a new passport. I had heard that corruption was rampant in Vietnam and I am sadly reporting that it even extends to their state department.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Why in the world would your mail your passport anywhere? I have been to Vietnam three times and have gotten my visa online. They e mailed me a letter which I presented at immigration in Vietnam and was directed to a counter where I paid the fee and got my visa. An alternative is to go to a travel agency and they will obtain the visa for you. I found that doing it online was a bit cheaper.

[atri1666]

Recently stayed in KL and i liked it very much. Lots of free sex with horny young men. No need to pay. Also stay often in Singapore and never needed any money to pay for sex.

I also never would send my passport anywhere.

[KhorTose]

Why in the world would your mail your passport anywhere? I have been to Vietnam three times and have gotten my visa online. They e mailed me a letter which I presented at immigration in Vietnam and was directed to a counter where I paid the fee and got my visa. An alternative is to go to a travel agency and they will obtain the visa for you. I found that doing it online was a bit cheaper.

 

I was having someone pick me up at the airport and I did not want them to wait on me, and yes I do wish I had gone through a travel agency. See reply to Atri 1666.

[KhorTose]

I also never would send my passport anywhere.

I probably never will again, but I guess I got spoiled. I had to send my passport to the Burmese embassy to get a visa for extended travel in Burma in 2002 when this was the ONLY way to obtain a visa. No problems. I also sent my Visa to The Thai Embassy to get my 0-A visa to retire in Thailand. No problems. I just found it hard to believe that once a Visa arrives safely at an Embassy it can "disappear." What it really rude is the complete lack of response to my asking them to track down what happened to my visa once it arrived at their embassy. If they can ignore the fact they signed for it, what makes you think that they can't deny you handed it to them and steal yours also. What are you going to do if they do just steal it? Start a war?, call the police?, shout I am an American you can't do this to me? If they steal one way they can surely steal another.

[KhorTose]

I also never would send my passport anywhere.

 

In wonderful hindsight, I guess I will never send my passport anywhere again. I guess I just got spoiled as I had to mail my passport to the Burmese Embassy in 2002 to get a visa for extended travel in Burma when this was the ONLY way to obtain a visa to visit Burma. No Problems. I also mailed my passport to the Thai Embassy to get my 0-A visa to retire in Thailand. No Problems. I guess I just could not believe that once a passport reached an embassy it could "disappear". What is really surprising to me is their complete lack of response to my request to track my passport once it reached the embassy. Just out of curiosity, if they can steal my passport once they have signed for it, why would your passport be any safer if you hand carried it to them? All they had to tell you after you wait several hours is they do not have it, just like they told me. What are you going to do? Call the police? Make a scene and shout you can't do this to me I am an American (European, etc.). Ask you government to declare war on Vietnam? The truth is if they steal passports delivered to them one way, they can steal them delivered to them any other way.

[Gaybutton]

The truth is if they steal passports delivered to them one way, they can steal them delivered to them any other way.

I can understand them misplacing it and not bothering to try to find it, but I doubt they intentionally stole your passport. Why would they?

 

I think it's much more likely that it got lost in the shuffle and they're just not bothering to try to find it for you.

 

Either way, you're best bet is to try to find alternatives to using the mail system.

[KhorTose]

I can understand them misplacing it and not bothering to try to find it, but I doubt they intentionally stole your passport. Why would they?

 

I was told when I applied for a new passport that there is a market for American Passports and they can sell them for thousands of Baht. I have no idea how they can be of any use to any one else, but apparently they are.

The best advice I have received and the only one that makes a lot of sense is to buy insurance when you part with your passport. Something I will do the next time. I have a feeling if the package had been insured for $1000 there would be someone with real power demanding its location. Not just me or some travel agency.

[Gaybutton]

I was told when I applied for a new passport that there is a market for American Passports and they can sell them for thousands of Baht.

Maybe so, but a few years ago when I had to replace my own passport, the chief of the American Citizens Services section of the USA embassy in Bangkok personally told me that once an American passport is reported lost or stolen, it is useless to anyone.

 

Maybe they stole yours, but that just isn't making any sense to me, not only in light of what I was told, but also in light of the fact that if they were stealing people's passports, then complaints would have been publicized long before now. It doesn't make any sense to me that they would have had a reason to single out yours. The 'lost it and won't bother to try to find it' idea makes much more sense to me.

 

But no matter what happened, nothing alters the fact that it's gone and you had to go through a lot of hassle and expense to get a new one. That should serve as a warning to anyone reading this thread.

[KhorTose]

I can understand them misplacing it and not bothering to try to find it, but I doubt they intentionally stole your passport. Why would they?

 

I think it's much more likely that it got lost in the shuffle and they're just not bothering to try to find it for you.

 

Either way, you're best bet is to try to find alternatives to using the mail system.

 

You have turned out to be correct. They did lose it and they found it today. Of course, almost one month has passed since they signed for it and I have already replaced my passport with a new one at great expense. They are sure a fun group to deal with.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Getting back to the original subject of this thread - Suggestions for destinations outside Thailand - Part of our trip to escape songkran this year will include Singapore to visit Universal Studios new theme park at Sentosa. The website looks like it is much the same as the park in California. I am sure my BF will enjoy it.

[atri1666]

Singapore was always a good idea to go there with my boyfriend. Many things to do and to see and to explore. Lots of free sex + good cheap food and very good public traffic and cheap taxi.

[KhorTose]

Back to Vietnam. They did not have the 1200 Bht I sent with the passport, that was stolen. The man I talked to at the embassy was so slimy he made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Many of my friends and members of this board have had a good time in Vietnam, but complained of the corruption. It is obvious to me that that corruption even extends to important government agencies.

[KhorTose]

Singapore was always a good idea to go there with my boyfriend. Many things to do and to see and to explore. Lots of free sex + good cheap food and very good public traffic and cheap taxi.

 

I am interested in Singapore. Can you be more specific about the things to do and see? Not interested in the sex as I am traveling with my BF

[Gaybutton]

Not interested in the sex as I am traveling with my BF

Well, I am interested in sex and I would appreciate details.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Sentosa has many attraction, the newest one being Universal Studios Theme Park. We will spend two days there. There is also the giant Ferris wheel. Great food, especially Chili crabs. Check out Singapore websites.

[Guest fountainhall]

Referring to Oogleman's comments back in 2006, I agree entirely. In many visits to Taiwan over the last 25 years, for me Taiwan guys are in general the most gorgeous in the region. I was just in Taipei for 3 days at the end of last week, and had another wonderful time, partly thanks to a young man I met on fridae.com.

 

The one point to remember about Taiwan is that most gay guys are 100% in the closet and are really afraid of coming out. But things are improving, albeit slowly. There are now more saunas, including one which, according to the utopia-asia website, is as good as Babylon in Bangkok. The same site does have a few comments about the "attitude" of some of the younger crowd, but that's not a new experience for us older, less in-shape guys. I only had time to revisit one of the older establishments, Hans Mens Sauna, and had no trouble in attracting a beautiful young student. (I have not given directions or more detail because you can get these, maps and much more detail at www.utopia-asia.com)

 

Thanks to my new friend, I did have one new experience - a visit to an all-male 24-hour hot-spring just outside the city where all the guys walk around totally nude. No small towels like in Japanese hot springs, and no embarrassment whatever about showing your assets or your lack of fitness! We were there between about 22:00 and midnight. In that time, there were never less than 50 guys, and at one point I estimated there were more than 80. I reckoned the age range was basically 20s - 40s and many of the younger ones were in very good physical shape (after all, Taiwan still requires all young men to go through 2 years of rigorous military service). I was certainly the oldest guy there, but no-one gave a damn. My friend said about 80% of them would have been gay. Many go with a small group of gay friends.

 

The facility is basically one large hot pool, with two smaller and colder ones. There is also a small steam room (unfortunately with a light) but it was always jam packed, naked bodies packed very tightly against naked bodies ). Heaven though this sounds, because the hot-spring is not 100% gay and gay guys are terrified about being known as gay, there was no ‘action’ as such. Just a little probing in the steam room and some eye-contact in the pool. I did notice that quite a few guys left together.

 

There are many hot-springs in this area just outside the city. Unfortunately, Taipei is not like most other Asian capitals in that there are not many signs in English; so it is far better to have a friend take you there. For those intrepid souls who like a challenge, though, it’s not that difficult. Take the subway to Shipai station on the Danshui line. When you get to street level, there will be taxis waiting. Just hop in one and show the driver the name card attached to this post. The driver will take you up a lovely windy road into the hills. As you start to smell sulphur, you will be dropped by a smaller road leading down to the right (taxi fare about US$4.50). Just wait there and a little golf buggy-type vehicle will come and take you to spring. Entrance is about US$6.50). In the changing room, place your clothes in a small locker, put NT$20 (60 cents) into a coin slot, close it and take the key with you.

 

The subway closes around 11:30 but the management will call a cab for you. The cost to get back onto the centre of the city was around US$10. Whilst I made no contacts there, it was a fascinating experience. I found it lovely just to watch so many good looking nude guys walking around!

 

As my budget is tighter than it used to be, I stayed in a mid-price hotel named Ambience at around US$135 per night (with free buffet breakfast and wifi). I had taken a recommendation from a couple of websites, and will definitely stay there again. It is a 3-year old 60-room boutique hotel in the middle of the city and a 10-minute walk from 2 subway stations. It is definitely gay friendly. Indeed, when I arrived around 20:00, both receptionists were cute, young and gay!

 

Last illustration about how “in the closet” most Taiwan guys are. On the subway to the hot-spring, a tall, slim and extremely handsome mid-20s guy entered and stood close to my seat. I gazed somewhat longingly at him and we made eye contact a couple of times, but he never responded, even with a smile. Then, as I was leaving, he suddenly gave me the loveliest smile along with a slight frown (indicating that he was sorry I was leaving? . . . wish I knew!). He then gave me a little wave and kept his eyes on me until the train was out of sight! Being a foreigner is definitely an asset in Taiwan if only because there are very few residing there.

 

I have also attached a photo of the cover of a magazine I found in the hotel. I assumed this was a gay guy (illustrating what with his fingers, I wondered??). In fact he is a straight baseball star turned entertainer who is about to get married. In Taiwan, though. almost everything seems to have a gay association!

 

I took KLM which has a really cheap daily flight. If you want pampering, its 747 business class with lie-flat seats and the usual business class trimmings is a steal at Bt.13,000 return - total!

[Gaybutton]

as I was leaving, he suddenly gave me the loveliest smile along with a slight frown (indicating that he was sorry I was leaving? . . . wish I knew!). He then gave me a little wave and kept his eyes on me until the train was out of sight!

Once you saw that I wish you had gotten right back on and got off with him at his stop. I would love to know how that story might have ended. I have a feeling that you wonder about it yourself.

[Guest fountainhall]

Once you saw that I wish you had gotten right back on and got off with him at his stop. I would love to know how that story might have ended. I have a feeling that you wonder about it yourself.

I am still wondering about it!! However, I was with someone taking me to the hot spring (as the train was full, we were not sitting together), and so I could hardly ditch him in favour of the newly discovered Adonis. Yet, if this guy had given any response at all to my earlier eye contact, I'm sure I'd have found a way to give him my hotel number, and then . . . who knows? Ah well, such is life!

[Gaybutton]

I'm sure I'd have found a way to give him my hotel number

I suppose we've all experienced "the one that got away." Damn! I hate when that happens. Too bad he didn't figure out a way to give you his number . . .

[Guest ethan1066]

bali in indonesia i found the most romantic and exhaustive place to spend your vacations there...i spent few days there with my partner and i just cant mention the luxurious hotels there...its a real paradise on earth...just have a visit there and feel the excitement...