“Stefan look: it’s Cusco gay pride – rainbow flags everywhere!!!”
Seby wasn’t wrong. One of the first things you notice arriving in Cusco are all the Inca rainbow-like flags flying proudly all across the city. But to Seb’s disappointment, it has nothing to do with the LGBT community. This is the Inca flag, which has an extra blue stripe added.
Cusco is famous for being the historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 1200s until the mid 1500s when the Spanish invaded. It’s now Peru’s most popular draw, with 2 million visitors every year. It’s a must on everyone’s Latin America itinerary as well the base to visit Machu Picchu.
This is our gay travel guide to Cusco including gay friendly places to stay, gay bars, hangouts and things to do.
CUSCO GAY MAP
Although Cusco is a small city, it has a handful of gay hangouts, especially around the central Plaza de Armas square and in the San Blas neighbourhood.
By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys
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Are you ready to cruise the Mekong River?
Southeast Asia is a place of incredible contradictions. Urban megalopolises like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with their stunning French architecture and millions of motorcycles exist in a sort of awkward harmony with the ancient traditions of the villages along the lush Mekong Delta.
And then there’s Angkor Wat – a 400 acre temple site that might have had Liberace going, “Do you think it’s too much?” Built in the 12th century, Angkor Wat is a selfie heaven, with its pine-cone turrets and scores of red-robed Buddhist monks.
But traveling to third world nations where English is only sparsely spoken and whose infrastructure isn’t always on point can be daunting. The ideal way to see Southeast Asia is via a combination of land tour and a river cruise on the Mekong.
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and Hanoi have excellent five-star hotels which provide a fabulous respite from the cacophony below; but villages along the Mekong like Angkor Ban, Tan Chau, Sa Dec, Cai Be and even Phnom Penh don’t exactly have a Four Seasons. Having a five-star river cruise ship to return to each day provides the best of both worlds: the ability to effortlessly tour these charming towns and learn about cultures that have barely changed in hundreds of years, and the ability to LEAVE that culture behind at night and come back to a gorgeous floating resort.
I mean, come on!
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
TouVelle House Bed & Breakfast is ready to welcome you with a gentle, serene environment where you can relax knowing that all of your needs have already been anticipated. TouVelle House combines modern comforts with understated elegance and leisure.
Restful gardens, feather-soft bedding, home-made breakfasts and bountiful amenities create a luxurious retreat from the day-to-day. This Craftsman estate sits atop a knoll and is set well back from the street. The house is draped in an acre of lush landscaping and is open to a variety of local fauna.
A short walk will take you to the heart of Jacksonville where you will find ample opportunities for shopping, dining, wine tasting and pampering.
Historic guided tours offer insight into Jacksonville’s gold rush days or we can provide a pocket guide to explore on your own.
Feeling like getting out beyond the Rogue Valley? Crater Lake National Park, the Oregon Caves and the California Redwoods National Park are each a short day-trip from TouVelle House. We offer a sack breakfast option if you want to head out early but don’t want to skip a meal.
We post a daily breakfast menu of three courses. If the menu doesn’t suit you, we offer a selection of alternatives that satisfy most dietary restrictions and allergies. We happily accommodate gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets with advanced notice.
As former military and law enforcement officers ourselves, we like to recognize and thank others in the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. Mention your service and we’ll be honored to offer you a ‘thank you’ discount.
We look forward to having you as our guests. Please let us know how we can make your visit to Southern Oregon extra special.
Are you planning a trip to Hyderabad anytime soon? If you are, then you surely are in for an incredible treat. Well known as the ‘pearl capital’ of India, Hyderabad is a culturally vibrant city. The capital of two states namely Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, it is also well connected by air to most parts of the country. It is regarded as a highly popular tourist spot thanks to its mouth-watering cuisines, care-free lifestyle, famous spots and much more.
While the city boasts of several luxurious five-star hotels, it also has its share of relatively less expensive yet equally comfortable options. Booking your hotel with OYO Rooms can easily get you great rooms at unmatched prices. You can utilize the saved bucks on the sumptuous eateries or splurge on a pair of authentic ‘Hyderabadi Pearl Earrings.’
So for instance even if you are looking for OYO hotels in Banjara Hills Hyderabad – an upscale area of the city.
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
“Don’t worry”, Federico said, “We will find the perfect horse for each one of you.”
I quickly moved to the back of our group. We were a motley assortment of tourists from different counties—Finland, England, Australia, Tobago Trinidad and the United States—some singles, some couples, of different ages ranging from 28 to 75.
Like me, most were both excited and nervous about the upcoming horse back ride across the expansive grounds of this Argentinean estancia on the outskirts of Bariloche.
Out of our 13 member group, Chris was the only avid horse back rider. She actually owns a horse back in England. So she was the first one to get a horse, and her horse was probably younger and more spirited than the others. Next up was her husband, Roger, who was the only other person in our party to have significant riding experience, although he doesn’t love riding the way that Chris does.
I think the last time that I had been on a horse was probably 20 years ago at a Club Med.
“We will give the rest of you horses that have been specially trained for inexperienced riders,” Federico reassured us.
Two gauchos were helping out. As a gaucho brought a horse forward, he pointed to the person that he felt was a good match. I was relieved to see that the gauchos also helped the selected person to mount the horse.
Sometimes when we visit a town we wish that we had read more about it before going. Such is the case with Santa Fe, New Mexico where we have visited many times over the past 30 years. We visit all the really great places and shrines and churches and really appreciate the architecture, etc.
When we visited last year we ran across a new published book about Gay Life in the Santa Fe Arts Scene written by Walter Cooper. It is a great history of Gay Life in Santa Fe particular in the art scene.
Walter was born in New York, got his B.A. in American Studies from Hobart College and worked in New York City and Tokyo for 10 years as a copywriter. but yearned for more out of life. He then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the early 1970’s and as they say, the rest is history and what a rich life he has had in Santa Fe.
Like many of us, he enjoys “people” in all forms, shapes and sizes. Walter’s artwork has been exhibited in major galleries and private collections. His work in graphic design includes opera posters, book and record album covers, wool rug, greeting cards and postage stamps. He is the author of two previously published books.
Santa Fe has always been a haven for artists and writers, poets and sculptors and the rest of the arts including their famous Santa Fe Opera which has become a world renown Opera. It is located just to the north of Santa Fe in the high mountains and draws thousands of visitors each year. Santa Fe has it’s mountains and scenery and chapels and architecture but it is PEOPLE that makes a community and Santa Fe has had a very colorful history of people from all walks of life.” Why be like everyone else” would be a good description of the people in Santa Fe ?
Walter Cooper’s book of more than 250 pages, including over 80 photographs, tells about most all of the people that he has met in his many years living in Santa Fe. And what colorful characters he has met and partied with ! From Grande Dames to artists, writers, entertainers, and just people who live there. Often it is those people who are most interesting to be with.
He tells his readers about his social life as well as his personal life with the different lovers that he has had. He tells readers about the dozens and dozens over extremely interesting characters that has met and become friends with. Readers will really get involved with his stories and wish that they were there enjoying the life as he has lived and continues to live. You will be introduced to so many VERY interesting people. This is certainly a book that when you start reading, you cannot put down until the ending.
The one thing that readers need to take home with them from reading his book is that one can have the life that he has had anywhere that they live. One just has to enjoy people and get involved with people on different levels of life. Being ‘different’ is a good thing !
Walter Cooper has now lived in Santa Fe and he and his partner of many years, Doug live in the countryside near Santa Fe. Many book stores sell his books or you can purchase them from 
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Xaviera Hollander’s Happy House Bed&Breakfast is a perfect “lovers hideaway”, in other words “A home away from home”… where you are most welcome.
Your hostess is Xaviera Hollander, the well known author of the Happy Hooker and she and her darling husband Philip, who is a terrific chef, will gladly cook you and your friends a delicious meal. Xaviera will even, on request do a workshop on “How to Become a better Lover!”
Xaviera’s Happy House is the ideal bohemian place to stay at in Amsterdam for a few days, no matter why you come here: for a naughty romantic weekend, a congress at the Rai or simply as a tourist with wife and or kids. When looking for the perfect hostess, nobody compares to Xaviera.
This is your opportunity to spend some time at a real diva’s house…one with flair for hospitality. It is located on the South side (gold coast) of Amsterdam, close to Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, colorful street markets and elegant Beethovenstraat with dozens of great shops and trendy restaurants and … what’s more it is also just around the corner from the famous RAI Congress Center.
In the rooms there is wifi, TV, coffee and tea maker, hairdryer and in Goliath a fridge as well. It is a majestic house with quiet rooms even though we are not that far from the hustle and bustle of the city. A charming host and hostess Xaviera and Philip also offer private meals cooked by Philip who used to be a professional cook. The two of them speak each 5 languages and are most entertaining story tellers.
Cancun gets all the attention in Mexico. She’s the sophisticated older cousin with the glitziest hotels, name-brand malls and an over-abundance of casinos. Isla Mujeres is quieter, less mature when it comes to glitz but older and wiser when it comes to gracious hospitality. She’s more like your best girlfriend who loves spending time with you, sharing meals that stretch on for hours, strolling and Isla Mujeres, Cancun, Mexico
Isla Mujeres, Cancun, Mexico
The island is 8 miles (13 kilometers) off the northeast coast of Cancun, serviced every half hour by ferries from pre-dawn to midnight. The Spanish graced it Isla Mujeres – Island of Women –because of the many goddess images left there by the Mayans who viewed the island as the sacred home of Ixchel, goddess off childbirth and medicine. Coincidently, it’s also the shape of a mermaid.
To the east of the island lies the Caribbean sea, rough and windy and the best place to view consistently spectacular sunrises. To the west is Cancun, which can be seen clearly on good-weather days. For visitors to Cancun, it’s the perfect day trip. For those who want to escape the glitz and see and be seen atmosphere of Cancun, it offers charming hotels, delish restaurants and exquisite beaches.