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Sunrise at Bali’s Mount Batur

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Mount Batur at Sunrise - Keep Calm and Wander

My adventurous trek to Mt Batur volcano to watch the sunrise was all worth it! 

“Sunrise trek to Mount Batur? Why not? Ok, sign me in!” Those were the words I uttered when a tour agent asked if I’d be interested. Of course, I paid the tour right away without qualms. You see – I love a mountain climb. I always do. At my age right now (I’m not really that old hag yet), I know, I’d be slower than I used to be.

For me, it’s all about proper breathing when trekking/climbing/hiking a mountain. And of course – keeping a distance from the person you are following with. I find that if I hike closer behind someone, I’m pressured/forced to keep up – and I won’t enjoy the journey anymore. So, I want to be the last one in a group.

Mount Batur Volcano Trek Tour

Based in Ubud, I was picked up at my accommodation at 2:15 AM. Then, they served us a pre-breakfast food: banana pancakes and coffee/tea. Right after that, we’re off to the base of Mt. Batur. When we arrived there, two guides met us (a group of 9) and briefed us about safety. They then each gave us a small flashlight for the trek.

At 3:40, we started our trek in the darkness. Under the star-filled skies, the adventurous climb was off to a good start.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Bali Gay Travel Resources

Gay Panama – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Panama - The Nomadic Boys

…and God said, “Let there be sexy people”, so he created Panamanians!

Wise words from the Bible itself according to our gay friends Luis and Mario from Panama City…

Panama City is often nicknamed The Dubai of Latin America because of its immense economic growth in recent years and impressive dense skyline. But unlike Dubai, this mighty Latin American metropolis has a far more welcoming gay life, in a country where although culturally conservative, is constantly striving for LGBTQ equality.

Most will associate Panama City with the famous canal, which is a reason alone to visit. The city is also the gateway to some gorgeous tropical beaches within gay Panama, like San Blas and gay friendly Bocas del Toro. We stayed in Panama City for a week and loved it. It’s full of things to do, plenty of trendy bars, but most importantly, we left with a thirst to return for more. It’s also a useful destination because it’s one of the major transport hubs in Central America.

This is our complete gay guide to Panama City following with a focus on the gay scene, our pick of the most gay friendly hotels, our favourite things to do, and more.

Is Gay Panama safe for travellers?

Overall, yes, Panama is safe for LGBTQ travellers, but assuming you stick to the touristic areas of Panama City, Bocas del Toro and San Blas. If venturing beyond, into more local areas, we recommend taking extra care and avoid all PDAs.

Panama is a very conservative country. It a strong influence from the Catholic Church. Any attempt by the government to pass any progressive LGBTQ laws in Panama almost always gets blocked! As a result, Panama does not recognise same-sex unions and has no anti-discrimination laws to protect the LGBTQ community!

For example, a 2018 Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling required Panama to recognise same-sex unions and allow gay couples to adopt. Sadly, the response was a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage by the Panamanian National Assembly in October 2019. The LGBTQ community of Panama has quite a long road ahead of it…

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Panama Travel Resources

Malaysia’s Petronas Towers – Keep Calm and Wander

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Malaysia's Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers are identical towers that are synonymous to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. They’re the most iconic skyscrapers and architectural wonders in the city’s skyline. No visit in KL without a glimpse of these silver-colored twins.

The first time I saw them eons ago, I thought they resembled a rocket, ready to launch in space. 😉

Standing at 1,483 feet, the towers have 88 habitable floors. They are finished off with a pyramid-like structure topped with a thin steel spire.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Malaysia Gay Travel Resources

Cabo With Kids – 2TravelDads

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BLOG - Cabo With Kids - 2TravelDads

We’ve been to Cabo San Lucas with our kids load of times, like, we’ve spent the equivalent of three months in Cabo as a family. You could say it’s our favorite family destination in Mexico. Since we’ve done it so much, we’ve decided it’s time we share our best tips for visiting Cabo with kids.

I’ll say this right away, Cabo with kids is mostly about relaxation and swimming vs digging into Mexican culture and nature. There are lots of opportunities for that, but Cabo San Lucas really has built itself into a luxury destination more than adventure.

Getting to Cabo San Lucas

For those traveling from the west coast, getting to Cabo San Lucas is pretty easy. There are direct flights from Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Diego. Denver and Dallas also offer direct flights, so know that even east coasters should be able to find a good flight. When flying into Cabo, the airport is SJD (San Jose del Cabo), Los Cabos International Airport. The airport is actually quite nice now (thanks Hurricane O’dele) and as long as you arrive early in the day or in the early evening, customs is pretty fast and smooth. Thinking about Cancun instead of Cabo? Check out our detailed comparison of Cabo vs Cancun!

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Baja Sur Gay Travel Resources

The Colors of Singapore’s Little India – Keep Calm and Wander

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Singapore's Little India - Keep Calm and Wander

The colors of Singapore’s Little India are as vibrant as its culture. No, I’m not talking about the colors of turmeric powder spices, but the whole neighborhood. It is alive with cultural excitement from its murals to its historical and colorful houses.

And of course, the shopping scene here is one of a kind. However, we were not tempted to buy a thing. Not that we were stingy – it’s just that our closets still have clothes with price tags. Nope, we are definitely not hoarders. We are just waiting for the right time to wear those clothes.

In Singapore’s Little India, you will find not just cultural but also religious heritage. You’ll find Hindu temples, a mosque, and Buddhist temples.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Prambanan Temple – Keep Calm and Wander

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Prambanan Temple - Keep Calm and Wander

Is Prambanan Temple the world’s most graceful and most beautiful Hindu Temple? That’s the tagline that you see and read in tourism brochures in Yogyakarta, but without a question mark. Is it really? Ok, I’ve been to India where there’s a huge Hindu population and I visited some of the temples there – and I’d say that, yes, Prambanan Temple deserves that title.

At first glance, the architectural design made think of the Angkor Wat of Cambodia. 

While they might look the same, it is important to know that Prambanan is a Hindu temple while Angkor Wat is a Buddhist temple.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

India Gay Travel Resources

Gay Key West Resorts – The Nomadic Boys

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BLOG - Gay Key West Resorts - The Nomadic Boys

Key West is super gay! This small island in south Florida is a notorious gay mecca, with a whopping 30% of its 25,000 residents identifying as LGBTQ.

The island’s history as a gay destination dates back to the 1950s when well-known LGBTQ celebrities like Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal, Jerry Herman, Leonard Bernstein and Elizabeth Bishop have since made it their home. Subsequently in 1983, Key West became the first place in the US to elect an openly gay mayor (Richard A. Heyman), then in 2000, the island’s motto became: “One Human Family“.

We’ve visited Key West on several occasions and always had a blast, especially on the gay scene on Duval Street. There are so many things to do for gay travellers and with regards to to the hotels, it was never a case of ‘please can we have a double bed’, but more – ‘which of these many gay hotels should we stay at on this trip?’

There is an impressive number of different gay Key West resorts to pick from, so we’ve put together our 10 favourite, which also includes gay hotels and guesthouses.

Island House

Island House is notorious across the entire LGBTQ community of south Florida. It’s also one of the largest male-only clothing-optional resorts we’ve ever been to.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Key West Gay Travel Resources

Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon – Keep Calm and Wander

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Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon - Keep Calm and Wander

Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon is pure bliss in the morning. Its serenity and the murmuring whispers of prayers are calming to the soul. At least that’s how I felt because I arrived there at 4:15 in the morning – earlier than most Buddhist worshippers. And way too earlier than most tourists, too. I highly recommend that you go early in the morning, for an obvious reason: it’s not crowded.

Your visit to Myanmar’s capital city won’t be entirely complete without getting a glimpse of this golden pagoda. 

Shwedagon is the most iconic landmark of the country that used to called Burma under British rule.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Myanmar Gay Travel Resources

Gay Lima – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Lima - The Nomadic Boys

Lima – famous for its ceviche, Paddington Bear and the birth city of a very handsome chef (have you seen THAT video of Franco Noriega cooking in his boxers?!)…
The “City of Kings” is the transport hub and capital city of Peru – also rated by many as THE foodie capital of South America. And we can’t agree more! Lima is a melting pot of culinary creativity with a handful of world-famous top 50 restaurants including Central, Maido and Astrid y Gastón. Even venturing into a local market is a top foodie highlight in Lima such as the Festival Gastronomia every Sunday in the Plaza Municipal in Barranco.

Lima is also a pretty sweet base for gay travellers. There are around 9 million people living here. That’s statistically almost 1 million gay boys waiting to have a few Pisco sours with you. The gay scene of Lima is certainly exciting. On weekends, the gay bars and clubs are buzzing with local Peruvian gays (and their fans!) getting their groove on to the latest Latino beats.

We’ve been several times to Lima as part of our big trip around Latin America and loved it. It’s an inexpensive city to base yourself and also an important transport hub in South America. Most gay travellers to Peru will enter the country from Lima and spend a few days here.

We’ve put together this detailed gay guide to Lima from our firsthand experience with practical safety tips for LGBTQ travellers, the best gay hotels to stay, top gay bars, club, events, and more.

Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Gay Peru Travel Resources

Mexico’s Coba Ruins – 2TravelDads

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Mexico's Coba Ruins - 2TravelDads

We love all things history and nature. And Mexico. Although we spend the most time in Baja California Sur there’s something truly unique and wonderful about the Yucatan Peninsula and the state of Quintana Roo. In addition to the pristine waters, wildlife and cenotes, the magical attraction of the Yucatan is the concentration of Mayan ruins, and visiting the Coba Ruins is really a special experience, but you need to know how to visit.

The Coba Ruins are by no means the most famous or most popular ruins on the Yucatan, but they are the most awesome to explore, especially the site called Nohoch Mul, the great pyramid. A visit to the Coba Ruins is a lesson in history, an incredible demonstration in nature, and an intense workout. Of the several sites I’ve visited for Mayan Ruins on the Yucatan, the Coba Ruins was, hands down, the best.

Which is Better, the Tulum or Coba Ruins?

More people visit Tulum which is much more famous than are found visiting the Coba Ruins, but it is not better. In terms of the quality of the site and access to the many ruins, both sites are very similar.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Yucatan Gay Travel Resources