Asia- Where Have You Been?

[Lucky]

I am toying with the idea of taking the President's lead and visiting Yangon. It's a convenient 90- minute flight from Bangkok, and, as a tall white guy, I would be the focus of fascination by those who see few of us. (This happened to me once in a small Chinese town. People rode their bikes up and down the street just to have another look at the strange foreigner.)

It makes me wonder which of you has gone where in Asia. I started with Bangkok, Pattaya, Singapore and Tokyo in 1987. My repeated trips to Thailand allowed me to see much of the north, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and the border town Mae Sa, where I did walk across the border into Myanmar on one of the rare days the border was open to foreign tourists. All we could do then was walk around, but the people were very friendly and happy to see us.

In Chiang Rai, I went with my all-time favorite bar boy.We stopped at his home, where he no longer lived, but kept a bedroom. It was filled with gifts from other farangs like me, mostly clothing. But, unlike those other farangs, I got to go to the temple with his mother, where she had me dancing with her in some kind of festival. You should see the picture! All of this after spending the night in bed with her son.

Since I have gone to Phuket, taking the boat tour of the exceptionally beautiful Pang Na Bay,where the James Bond island is. No doubt the Muslim fishing village we visited was washed away in the tsunami. (It was built on stilts over the water.) Another tour I took from Bangkok was to the ruins of Ayuthya, and another trip to the river Kwai.

In Singapore it is not that hard to see much of the country. But I was so bored. Gay life then was suppressed. But I did make a day trip into Malaysia, so, technically I have been there too.

In Japan I visited Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima, riding the famed bullet train there, and getting to see Mount Fuji on a day when it chose to appear. The Peace Park in Hiroshima is very impressive, with a ruined building remaining and a room-sized scale model of the city after the bomb showed the widespread destruction. I didn't like the way those little Japanese kids looked at me afterward! Kyoto looks beautiful in the pictures, but in reality is a cramped and crowded megalopolis- or so it seemed.

Hong Kong is fascinating, although I was there pre-1997. But it's a neat place still, no doubt. From there I took a hydrofoil over to Shenzen, then a bus tour to Guangzhou, stopping in the village where I was such a celebrity, albeit briefly. The bus had stopped at a restaurant enclosed from the village, but I didn't like the food, so took my walk.

What's left? Oh, Vietnam, but not as a soldier. We went to Ho Chi Minh City,then flew to Co Mau and took the boat ride I described in another thread.

And then there is Siem Reap, in Cambodia, which fascinated me. It's the home of Ankgor Wat. Another place with friendly people, unless they were killing each other. The village is quite interesting too. My last night there I finally cracked the secretive gay life. They do have a gay-friendly bar, but it was always rather empty and showed no signs of being gay other than that familiar rainbow.

But return trips always involve Bangkok for some reason. I think I have been all over that city.

And you? Where in Asia have you been?

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

Does Montreal's Chinatown count?

[AdamSmith]

Or NYC's The Web?

[Lucky]

I titled the thread on the apparently mistaken assumption that I was among some traveling folks here. A least, travelers to Asia. So, if I could type the headline again, it would be Places I Have Enjoyed In Asia. (hint)

I have been to Montreal's dismal Chinatown, and I have been to the Web, but back when it was truly geared to Asians and their fans. However, each Asian person you encounter counts a bit toward having been to the land he came from, no?

[TotallyOz]

I have been to Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Burma and Laos. I love them all. I have not been to Vietnam but want to go and spend time there.

I think Thailand is one of the most beautiful places on earth. For me, it is paradise.

Cambodia is great as well but about 40 years behind Thailand if that is possible. The main city is great and the boys are fun but outside the city is very very country-like.

I have not been far inside Burma but I'd love to do that as well. I like the Burmese people and have many friends from there.