Colombia

Bogata Gay Bars – The Nomadic Boys

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Bogata Gay Bars - The Nomadic Boys

We will never forget the gay scene of Bogota!

One minute, we were dancing under the disco lights to Cher’s ‘Believe’, the next, we were in the adjacent room, getting down to some Latino-infused techno. Moving between 13 rooms of music, each with a different style or atmosphere, we had a baker’s dozen worth of experiences in a single night.

This is Theatron – a mega-club built from the ruins of an old cinema; where most of the Bogota gay boys end their Saturday night and party until the early hours of Sunday. After paying a visit to it, you know nothing else you do that night can top it!

But where do all the gay boys of Bogota head to before congregating at the mother of all gay clubs? After all, Theatron doesn’t really get busy until after midnight.

We found the gay scene of Bogota to be full of many excellent bars. There is something for everyone, no matter what you’re into. In this guide, we’ve put together some of the best gay bars in Bogota to head for a drink before partying the night away.

Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

South American Gay Beaches – Travel Pulse

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South American Gay Beaches - pixabay

With wintertime approaching here in the Northern Hemisphere, what’s a gay beachcomber to do? Why not flip the seasonal script and head south of the equator, where summer will be here before you know it? Here are six fun options for the beach-loving queer traveler to consider checking out in the coming months.

1. Punta del Este, Uruguay. The scenic coastline in this small South American country is a popular short trip from Buenos Aires, located a short flight or a ferry ride away. Queer travelers have been drawn to this well-to-do area of the country for years, but they also head west to the quieter Playa Chihuahua beach, located not far from the airport. This is also a nude beach, a testament to the open-minded society here (Uruguay legalized gay marriage back in 2013). And check out the male-only gay hotel located here, Undarius, if you’re looking for some fabulous lodging.

2. Praia Mole, Florianopolis, Brazil. Florianopolis, located between Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, is a stunning island hugging the southern Brazilian coastline. The city is legendary for its nightlife and its beaches. Praia Mole may be one of the most beautiful — and while it’s not an exclusively queer beach, it’s a very popular gathering spot for the local LGBTQ community.

By Paul Heney – Full Story at Travel Pulse

South America Gay Travel Resources

Latin America Gay Pride – The Nomadic Boys

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Latin America Gay Pride - The Nomadic Boys

During our travels in Latin America, we went to some pretty awesome gay pride events, particularly in Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay.

The most famous is of course in Sao Paolo, which is the largest in the world – these guys sure know how to put on a decent party. Here are our top gay pride events we discovered in Latin America during our travels, which you also need to check out.

São Paulo Pride in Brazil

In all lists about the largest gay pride events, the “Parada do Orgulho LGBT de São Paulo” always comes out top: it is famous for having the largest gay pride festival in the world, with estimates of around 5 million people attending – simply incredible!

It all began in 1997 as a modest political march by the LGBTQ “Paulistas” (local nickname for the people of São Paulo). Today the São Paulo Pride has mushroomed into one mammoth colourful pink event, whilst still retaining a strong political stance, particularly in light of the high levels of homophobic violence across the country.

São Paulo Pride takes place in June. We recommend checking their Facebook events page for the most up-to-date information about the next event.

We got excited when one of our favourite Netflix shows, “Sense8” used Sao Paolo pride for sexy Lito to come out, then publicly kissed Hernando in front of everybody. The cast even attended the 2016 parade and had their own raunchy float.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Bogota – New Now Next

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Gay Bogota

The latest issue of gay travel mag Elska presents the Colombian capital as a “stunning, modern, cosmopolitan, and safe city full of open and positive people.”

Each issue of Elska magazine introduces us to gay men from a different city. Past issues have focused on Brussels, Tapei, Cardiff, and even Mumbai.

But the latest issue, shot in Bogota, Colombia, is the first in Latin America—and the one editor-photographer Liam Campbell says he’s the most eager to come back to.

“I did a bit of research on LGBT rights, availability of queer spaces, and also just talked to people from the region, and Bogotá seemed to come out as the gayest city on the continent,” says Elska editor and chief photographer Liam Campbell. “So that’s why we decided to make Bogotá our first venture into the region, and it really turned out to be a great decision. It’s a stunning, modern, cosmopolitan, and safe city full of open and positive people.”

By Dan Avery – Full Story at New Now Next

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

It’s All About Gay Colombia – The Nomadic Boys

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gay Colombia - The Nomadic Boys

Most people will have heard about Colombia because of the Narcos Netflix series about the drug cartels that brought the country to a standstill in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

The country has since undergone a massive transformation to become an incredibly safe place to visit, especially for gay travellers. We spent 4 months here during our big trip in Latin America, visiting mainly Cartagena, Medellin and the big capital city, Bogota. We discovered a very diverse country, with some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.

These are our 10 interesting facts about Colombia, a country which completely fascinated and captivated us.

gay Colombia - The Nomadic Boys

The Heart and Soul of Latin America

All our friends across Latin America agreed that if you want to experience the true essence of the Latin soul, then you need to visit Colombia. The Colombians love to party. Music is at the heart of everything they do, and they are good at it. Some of the most famous Latino singers are Colombian, like Shakira, Maluma, Juanes, Carlos Vives, J Balvin and many more.

The Colombians also know how to move. Everyone, male and female, all ages, will know how to bust out a few salsa, champeta and cumbia moves. Each region has its own dance specialties, usually with a large festival to celebrate it. The most famous and talked about is the salsa festivals of Cali, which starts on Christmas day.

Other popular music and dance festivals that take place in Colombia, which are worth planning your visit around includes the big carnival in Barranquilla in February/March and the Flower Festival in Medellin in August. Watch our vlog about the Flower Festival to learn more about it.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Gay Colombia Travel Resources

The South American Top Ten – The Nomadic Boys

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South America - The Nomadic Boys

South America is a destination that will make you fall in love with life. The Latino soul is addictive, with music and dance so deeply ingrained at the heart of everything.

After our big trip in Asia, we spent a further 15 months travelling in South America and absolutely loved it. We found it an enthralling destination, with something to capture everything we love when travelling. Most countries are extremely gay friendly, with places like Bogota in Colombia having the largest club we’ve ever been – Theatron, and Sao Paolo Pride attracting over 3 million people making it the largest pride event in the world.

As foodies, we loved the culinary scene of Argentina and in Lima, Peru. For culture, indigenous traditions can be seen everywhere, particularly from the Incas in Bolivia/Peru, as well as the Maipuche Indians in Chile. And finally, for trekking adventures, Patagonia is a must. These are our 10 favourite highlights from South America following our big trip there in 2016/2017.

#1 The Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

The Galapagos are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, around 600 miles (1,000km) from Ecuador’s coast. This is one of the few places in the world where you can get so close to wildlife. There’s also a rich underwater world to discover – we saw sharks, rays, turtles and many tropical fish each time we went snorkelling.

The islands here also have some very dramatic landscapes, which are crying out for a space in your Instagram gallery. We loved the Galapagos Islands so much, we visited twice during our big South America trip. Check out our video from our trip here:

#2 Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (Peru)

For us our Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was a definite highlight of South America. It’s a tough 4 days trek through the Sacred Valley, reaching altitudes of up to 4,215m (13,828 ft).

The Inca Trail is one of the most famous treks in the world. It is 27 miles (44km) long, and was initially part of a highly advanced network of around 40,000 trails built by the Incas to connect the distant corners of their kingdom. It also had religious and ceremonial importance to the Incas as it was part of their route of pilgrimage to Machu Picchu.

The real highlight of course is on the final day when you finally reach Machu Picchu.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

South America Gay Travel Resources

Famous Colombian Foods – The Nomadic Boys

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Famous Colombian Foods

Colombia has a rich and diverse cuisine with a strong influence from the highlands as well as the Caribbean.

During our trip in Colombia, we spent the majority of our time split between the tropical coast in Cartagena, the Eternal Spring city of Medellin, and in the cooler highlands climate of Bogota. Each serves up its own unique dish, from the coconut inspired dishes from the coast, to the rich homely soups from the cooler regions.

These are our 10 favourite drinks and foods from Colombia you need to try.

Bandeja Paisa: the Colombian heart attack

The bandeja paisa is the signature dish of Medellin and the surrounding Antioquia region. People from this area are referred to as paisas, and bandeja means a tray in Spanish. The bandeja paisa is a large plate with a hearty mix of rice, ground beef, red beans, chicharron (pork rinds), chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), fried egg, avocado, arepas and plantains.

Phew!

And all that’s just 1 person! The origins of this highly calorific meal comes from the days when the peasant field workers would consume it to provide them with a full day’s worth of energy and nourishment to keep them going throughout the entire day. One thing’s for sure, after devouring an entire bandeja paisa, you won’t feel like eating else for the rest of the day.

Gay Medellin, Colombia – Nomadic Boys

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Gay Medellin

Medellin used to be considered the crime capital of Colombia. However, over the past 10 years it has undergone a huge transition to become one of the safest and most advanced places in the entire country.

Medellin is also a very gay friendly city. The paisas (people of Medellin) are very welcoming and there’s also a large gay scene here. What impressed us the most was a public sign we spotted, which sets out the various police fines you can get: one of them was for homophobic abuse, which carries a fine of 657,000 Colombian pesos ($224). Whether this is actually enforced is another matter entirely, but the very fact that this is even in place speaks volumes!

We spent 4 months in Medellin, using it as a home base during our big trip in Latin America and loved it. This is our gay guide to Medellin featuring our favourite gay bars, clubs, gay friendly hotels to stay things to do.

Gay Bars in Medellin

Poblado is the main touristy heart of the city, with all the best restaurants, bars and hotels. In the evening, around Parque Lleras, it’s an extremely fun place to be, full of life, atmosphere and a few gay bars.

Bar Chiquito: this was our favourite gay bar in Medellin. It has yellow twin flamingo statues outside to welcome you. The staff are gorgeous and extremely friendly here. They also make delicious cocktails and have a large outdoor terrace. We loved coming here for evening cocktails before heading to one of the gay clubs in Medellin. Bar Chiquita is open on Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm till 2am and is located at Carrera 37 # 10-37 Local 205.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

Gay Colombia: Interview With Jesus From Barranquilla – Nomadic Boys

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Gay Colombia

Despite its sordid history with the drugs cartels, Colombia has undergone a huge transformation to not only become one of the most gay friendly countries in Latin America, but in the world.

Catholicism is still strong here and society largely conservative, but despite this, same sex marriage was legalised in April 2016, with the first gay wedding taking place in Cali on 24 May 2016. In addition, Congress passed a law banning discrimination on sexual orientation in 2011, adoption was legalised in 2012 and the right to change legal gender has been in place since 1993.

Bogota and Medellin each have a thriving fun gay neighbourhood, especially Chapinero in Bogota where you can find the mega-club Theatron – the largest gay club in Latin America. As a gay couple travelling in Colombia, we were so pleasantly surprised by how gay friendly Colombia is. We felt extremely welcome and never had any problems anywhere.

In Cartagena, we met Jesus, who is an artist and a guide, who told us more about his gay life in Colombia and what it’s like growing up by the coast in Barranquilla.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

RECIPE: Colombian Limonada di Coco – Nomadic Boys

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Limonada di Coco

Colombian limonada de coco is a popular drink throughout Colombia which we loved and ordered with every meal when eating out.

It’s a lime/coconut smoothie, which is particularly popular by the coastal Caribbean region in places like Cartagena and Barranquilla. Our recipe for Colombian limonada de coco is extremely simple to make, using only 4 ingredients and a blender. This serves around 3-4 people.

Ingredients for Colombian limonada de coco

400ml (1 can) of coconut milk
3 limes, squeezed for the juice
4 tablespoons of sugar
14 ice cubes

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources