Vietnam/ Cambodia

[+ Lucky]

We don't see much here about Vietnam or Cambodia, and that's probably because gay life is not nearly so open there as in neighboring Thailand.

 

Vietnam is a mess of a country. In Ho Chi Minh City, they have motorbikes running the streets like cockroaches. Pedestrians have absolutely no rights at all! We flew down to a small town in southern Vietnam and then rented a speedboat with our hosts and visited many villages that hadn't seen an American since the war! Kids came and sat next to me just to look at the hairy white guy. We did visit the George W. Bush memorial and the palace, home of so much intrigue. Ho Chi Minh City was very nice downtown, but when we went out to Chinatown, it was pure disaster. They are not at all clean, and, as I mentioned, the motorbikes rule. There were no sidewalks and we were in danger just looking because you had to concentrate on the motorbikes. We would never go back. The shopping in Vietnam was sad compared to Thailand, just junk for sale imho. One popular item you see everywhere is whitening cream...not for the teeth, but the skin! Being darker is frowned upon and women go to great lengths to avoid the sun. We do recommend the restaurants at the Park Hyatt, which were fantastic...one being the nicest looking I have ever seen. A worker there is lucky to make $300 a month, which is about the nightly rate for a room.

 

I did talk to a local man who informed me that there is still quite a bit of discrimination in Vietnam and that being gay was best kept to oneself. Bars frequented by gays, and I didn't go to one, are apparently mostly mixed, especially as gay men don't want to be seen as gay, so they want to have girls around.

 

We loved the Cambodians, even though they were killing each other, or did. It was so hard to reconcile what happened there with the nice people we met. Besides that, there were a bunch of ruined temples. Siem Reap is actually a pretty neat place...with all of the young tourists and their backpacks, I could feel once again what it felt like when I did that through Europe. Never again, though. I need my warm shower.

 

There is a bar there called Linga which has a gay flag at the entry, but even that place, I am told, is only about 40% gay. The few times we passed, it seemed more like a Palm Springs bar with older white men inside. We did meet a local waiter who told us, more of a whispered to us, that there were many "like us" in Siem Reap, but that you had "to have an eye for them." He suggested the Linga Bar and I got the impression that it was better late at night when everyone else had gone to bed. Unfortunately, I went to bed too and never checked it out. The waiter did offer to introduce us to his friend, who he said was tall and very handsome, and only went with westerners. Since we were leaving in the morning, we didn't get to meet the friend. I'll leave it to one of you to explore further.

 

So now I have spent more time in Vietnam than George Bush, and I hope you got the joke above.

[fedssocr1]

I had a great time in Cambodia. I think that gay people are still not really out for the most part. The country is still very poor and socially conservative as most of Asia is. However, I agree that everyone I met there was exceedingly nice and friendly. After all the hell that country has been through you can't help but hope that they find a way to get themselves out of poverty.

 

There is a gay bar in Phnom Penh as well called Salt Lounge. I was lucky enough to be there in November for the bar's 3rd anniversary party. Lots of adorable Cambodian guys. The bar set up a big stage more or less in the street. All of the neighbors were peering in around the patrons and over the fence to see what was going on. They had a show that consisted of mainly bad drag and some Filipino style macho dancing and wax dripping. For me it was rather quaint and not all that exciting but for all the Cambodians who had never seen such a thing it was quite a happening. It sort of helped put things in perspective for me and I felt almost honored to be present to celebrate with them. I didn't exactly understand this bar when I was there the night before. My guide basically said here's the gay bar, go pick some one up if you want. I couldn't tell if it was a host bar or whether it is just a bar where the PP gays hang out. I did have one guy hit on me who wanted to go back to my hotel. He was very sweet but not really my type so I had to turn him down. There was one guy who I had the hots for but it just didn't seem possible to make contact. Many people there speak English pretty well, but many do not speak English at all so communication can be a little tough.

 

The temples in and around Siem Reap are among the most astonishing and awe-inspiring things I have ever seen.

 

The young men there are stunning. I think it may have to do with the mix of Indian genetics with the East Asian genes that goes back centuries. They don't age very well, probably due the hard living conditions and sun exposure.

 

I am planning to spend some time in Southern Cambodia this year.

[kjun]

Though Lucky gives short shrift to Angkor Wat and the other ruins near Siem Reap, I was amazed by them. Though I have never seen the pyramids of Egypt, I cannot imagine that they are more spectacular than the ruins of Cambodia. Seeing them is a life experience.

 

the Cajun

[+ Lucky]

Kjun, I saw too many temples in three days. I have been to the ruined city of Ayutthaya in Thailand . On another visit to the River Kwai the guide took us to old Cambodian ruins since they once controlled that area.

 

So I did like Angor Wat, but it was not as impressive as I had expected after having already encountered some impressive temple ruins.

[hekili98]

Laos

 

Another country that deserves attention is Laos, specifically Luang Prabang. Yes, it's a country town but with lots of French-styled buildings and the daily walk of monks. There are beautiful sights from waterfalls to the Mekong river. And then there are the people...truly friendly, open and inquiring. The Red Cross offers massages, sometimes with happy endings, and you can easily meet a friend or two in the very small sauna. There had to be 20 beautiful men in there at one time! And there are a couple of gay bars. Great place for 3 days.

[fedssocr1]

RE: Laos

 

I am planning to spend a week or so in Laos this year. I am really looking forward to it. I think it will be nice to spend some time in quieter places as well as busier BKK.

[+ Lucky]

RE: Laos

 

fedssoccr1, I hope you will tell us all about it. If I go back to the region, I will definitely include it.

 

Here is some info:

http://www.utopia-asia.com/tipslaos.htm