“A man who rides Peruvian paso horses is referred to as a “chalan” – not to be confused with a “chalon” – that’s Peruvian gay slang for a guy with a huge dick!”
Our Peruvian buddy Aaron from Lima is always keen to show off the highlights of his country.
Tourism in gay Peru has exploded over the past decade and alongside this, it has been one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Peru has historically been a very conservative society and quite hostile to its LGBT community.
For example, there are no laws in place for gay couples to enter into civil unions, let alone gay marriage. On top of that, laws meant to protect public morals are often used against gays and lesbians: a protest called Kisses Against Homophobia over the Valentine’s weekend in 2016 was brutally and violently interrupted by the police showing the government’s lack of progress in protecting its LGBT Peruvians.
However, fast forward a year and there is hope for change. More Peruvian politicians are slowly coming out to support the LGBT community. The Civil Union bill was reintroduced into Congress in late November 2016 with strong backing from President Kuczynski.
Then in January 2017, the same President issued a decree prohibiting all forms of discrimination and hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Very slowly, Peru is evolving and getting ready to take her place in the pink limelight.
By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys
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On an early September evening in the Aegean, some- where between the Greek island of Lemnos and the mainland, seven gay men and everyone’s new bestie, singer Abigail Zsiga, are literally hanging out over the bow of a gorgeous clipper ship. We are tanned from the day and tipsy on mai tais, laughing and taking pictures as we zip over the deep blue toward the horizon under fiery slashes of an orange and pink sunset. We’re hanging on tightly to our smartphones, as there’s no going back for anything that falls through the thick rope net that holds us up over the flashing sea 30 feet below.
This moment is exactly the kind I’d hoped the trip would offer. I didn’t think twice when offered the chance to board that dramatic SPV Royal Clipper again—it had provided immea- surable relief to my polar-vortex doldrums in the Caribbean in 2014—and this time it was for a Brand G cruise from Istanbul to Athens, with Turkish and Greek ports, on the mainland and islands, for an entire week.
The trip featured a ton of upsides: an all-LGBT cruise (nearly all gay men, one lesbian couple), a truly romantic tall ship (based on the Preussen, a famous German five-mast wind- jammer, circa 1902), ports of call including some significant sites of antiquity, a relatively small passenger manifest ( just 227 at maximum), and ports that the big cruise ships don’t have access to, making the experience more about sailing and the destinations, and less about cruising.
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Take a break and relax in the peaceful mountain town of Pine just below the Mogollon Rim.
Staying at the Beeline Guest House gives you a sense of Arizona’s history, with an early settler’s dwelling and old barn on the property located right in the village.
The rooms are nicely appointed and our guests enjoy a delicious full hot breakfast.
Phew, where do I even begin? Let’s start with the good news: I won the lottery! No, I didn’t win a million dollars, but I won a green card.. i.e. permanent residency, the right to live in the US. Did you know that you can win green cards? Chances are that if you are from the US, you aren’t aware of the fact that your country gives away 50,000 immigrant visas through a lottery. Or at least most Americans that I told I won a green card didn’t know that this was possible.
And most foreigners I’ve met in the past few months who I told about my green card win had heard about it but didn’t think it really existed, they thought it was more of an urban legend. But yes, the US have an amazing initiative called The Diversity Visa Program, which was introduced in the early 1990s to attract immigrants from countries with low immigrant quotas.
You can enter every year (it takes place in October, running all month), and it’s completely free of charge. The only requirement to qualify for the DV lottery visa? You must have a high school diploma or its equivalent; or within five years of applying, at least two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years’ training or experience. Some countries – those that sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants (those issued green cards) to the US – aren’t eligible to participate, but millions of people from all over the world enter the lottery every year hoping to make their ‘American Dream’ come true : to emigrate to ‘The Land Of Opportunity’.
Pisco Sour is the national drink of Peru and one of our all time favourite cocktails. It’s a mix of Pisco (a grape brandy), lime juice, egg whites and sweetened with syrup.
The famous Peruvian Pisco Sour was invented in the early 1920s at Morris Bar in Lima by its owner, Victor Vaughen Morris who came up with the idea of adding Angostura bitters and egg whites to Pisco.
Morris Bar used to be located at 847 Calle Boza but it closed down after Victor passed away in 1929.
Pisco Sour has become an institution in Peru and in 2003 it got its own official government holiday: Día Nacional del Pisco Sour (National Pisco Sour Day) is celebrated on the first Saturday of February.
In Lima, we met local boy Aaron, who also goes by the nickname The Pisco King. Aaron sat us down and showed us his recipe for making the perfect Peruvian Pisco Sour cocktail…
Catedral de Avila or Avila Cathedral is the first Gothic cathedral in Spain. Going inside was the first thing I did when I arrived in this city known for its ancient fortress.
Instead of joining a tour, I opted to do it alone because, as you can guess, I abhor to be rushed. And besides, a lot of the Spanish descriptions on objects and icons aren’t really that hard to understand. I survived with my limited Spanish without any difficulties.
Avila Cathedral has a long name – Cathedral of Christ the Saviour of Avila. It is a UNESCO Heritage Site.
Always remember to have fun when traveling, meet new people and talk to everyone!
TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD is written by Donald Pile and Ray Williams, Award-winning, Celebrity travel columnists who write for gay publications from coast to coast (And now legally married).
Proud members of the IGLTA. You can email them at 
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
The Anchor House Dublin is regarded as one of Dublin’s most charming City Centre Bed & Breakfasts.
This former 1790’s home is located within a few minutes walk of Dublin’s popular tourist attractions, which include Temple Bar, Grafton Street, Henry Street, Trinity College, The O2, Dublin Convention Centre, Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Guinness Storehouse, Stephen’s Green, Dublin Castle, Croke Park Stadium, & the Aviva Stadium on Landsdowne Road.
The Anchor House B&B is perfectly situated in the city centre, 200 metres from The Central Bus Station Tram Stop, to the rear of Gandon’s Custom House.
The easiest & most economical way to reach us from Dublin Airport is by using the Dublin Bub No. 41. It may be better to use the Dublin Bus Airlink No. 747 with heavy baggage. A Taxi will cost 20 to 25 Euro, which might best suit a group of 3 or 4.
If you have the chance to watch the sunset in Avila (Spain), make sure to be on top of a hill to enjoy the view from up there. You can’t miss the hill with a ruined shed as you enter the town wall. There’s even a fat chance that you see tourists taking thousands of selfies on this hill overlooking the tiny city of Avila.
Avila is a medieval town that personifies ancient Spain. At sunset, the town turns gold. Like this.
Greece has been, without a doubt, one of the biggest trends in global gay travel for the past three years. The mind-blowing beauty of the country, in combination with welcoming Greek hospitality, has made Greece a beloved destination for the global LGBTI community. Not only for its mainstream destinations, but for its alternative choices as well. Here, Destsetters, in collaboration with Gay Star News, gives exclusive advice for your most memorable gay holidays in Greece.
Unofficial Gay Beaches Are the Top Attraction
Beach and sun are by far the main characteristics of Greece that spring to mind for all travelers — and naturally for gay men as well. But what could be a better combination than an idyllic beach with sexy Greek men to flirt with? All around Greece, you will find unique, local, unofficial gay beaches; these are usually unorganized beaches (mostly nudist) which have become gay hotspots for locals and tourists.
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