The Ganges River in Varanasi is everything to the Hindus who live in the city. They consider it holy but they don’t treat it like one. It’s murky and polluted. For a visitor like me, I see the flowing river crying for help. Strolling along the banks, I saw a lot of things that’s not normal in many ways. I guess, it’s just the foreign eyes in me, eh?
There were things that crept me out. But,one particular incident was when I saw a dead body wrapped in a cloth floating in the river. The boat man pointed this to me and I was mortified! Why? Because few meters from us were people bathing and swimming like it’s the most natural thing to do in the world.
Ok, well, it’s a very natural thing to do for them, at least, right? I talked to my fellow travellers at the hostel – and they, too, have seen a floating body or two. One guy told us that he saw a dog devouring a human hand. “I could never unsee that in my lifetime,” he said.
By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander
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For an hour, a day, a night or maybe more … enjoy our customized services in a renovated 1930’s building, in the refined and chic Boeung Keng Kang (BKK1) district.
Let yourself be transported by its ideal location 2 minutes’ walk from famous Pasteur Street with many shops and restaurants and 5 minutes by tuk tuk from Central Market, the National Museum, the Royal Palace or Sisowath Quay along the Mekong River.
Let yourself be amazed by the seventies design of our ten large themed bedrooms each with a view, from 27 square meters (290 square feet) to 43 square meters (463 square feet) each tailored to meet your every desire. Our rooms bear the names of mythical gay couples who give free rein to your fantasies.
At Arthur and Paul hotel (A&P), feel free to sleep late as long as you want after your night on the town and have breakfast throughout the day as well as check-out at any time.
And when it comes to bedding, Arthur and Paul hotel wins even the toughest comparisons. Indulge yourself with a touch of luxury thanks to our Egyptian cotton bedding sets. Beautifully soft and exquisitely crafted to offer ultimate comfort whilst you rest, Egyptian cotton is an essential ingredient for a perfect night’s sleep, providing a soothing place to rest night after night. Exuding softness, Arthur and Paul’s Egyptian cotton bed sheets are wondrous for a luxurious nights rest and give the most indulgent slumber.
Hotel amenities include also the following (non-exhaustive list):
The intense gay life of Thailand makes this Far East dream an attractive reality for LGBTI travelers.
Gay Thailand is one of the most open-minded and welcoming countries in the world, with the gay community completely accepted and welcome. The country presents a rich and organized gay scene, that even the big metropoles of Europe and US would be jealous for.
With exotic destinations that make you instantly fall in love, like Phuket, Ko Samui and Pattaya, and with one of the most fascinating capitals in the world – Bangkok – Thailand has become one of the top destinations for gay travelers from across the globe.
Destsetters, in collaboration with Gay Star News, takes a deep dive into the Thai world and presents the the top things to know about gay travel in the country…
From Gay Star News:
One of the most surprising destinations in the world is 
I stopped in Vientiane on my way to Malaysia after a tour around Cambodia and Southern Laos in December last year. I arrived in the big Laos capital after spending a few days in the beautiful area of the 4 thousand Islands in the Southern part of the country, where I chilled and relaxed while enjoying its beautiful outdoors!
Vientiane lays on the big, beautiful, and quite Mekong river, as quite as the life of the city itself. You can spend plenty of time walking along the Mekong, sipping a drink, stopping for a cafe in one of the many bars and restaurants facing the riverside, having an ice-cream, and still not getting tired of it! As you can imagine, due to its position, Vientiane is a very hot city during the day, which makes this kind of refreshments even more enjoyable!
The best moment to enjoy the Mekong river is the sunset: find a nice spot along the riverside, possibly further from the chaos of the city center, and enjoy the best moment of the day! The sun sets down just in front of the river, such a romantic view!
Every year over 2 million tourists choose to spend their holidays in the Heaven Island of Langkawi… so how could I miss out?
Langkawi is a big island in the Archipelago of Malaysia (Pulau in the local language means Island) on the Andaman Sea: the archipelago counts 104 islands, of which only 2 are inhabited, one of them being Langkawi! The island received the Global Geopark status by UNESCO in 2007 for its diverse and astounding geological heritage.
In all honesty I didn’t know Langkawi was a Heaven Island, so popular! It looks like in the recent few years an increasing number of Indians and Southeast Asians are choosing its heavenly beaches for celebrating marriages, Bollywood style, and in general to spend their holidays.
I can confirm that without any doubt! I realized it just as soon as I arrived to the pier of Penang, where I had to wait the ferry to reach the Heaven Island of Langkawi: I was surrounded by ordes of youngsters heading to Langkawi to celebrate New Year’s Eve in this beautiful spot.
Over 10,000 people turned up in pink at Pink Dot Hong Kong, the city’s LGBTI festival and largest diversity event, to celebrate diversity and love equality on Sunday.
Co-organized by BigLove Alliance and Pink Alliance, and supported by Covenant of the Rainbow, the third edition of the annual event was held this year at Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Nursery Park. Organisers chose a different venue this year, as compared to the first two years at the city’s Tamar Park, in order to ‘accommodate more activities for everyone, young and old’.
This year’s event was also largely supported by various entertainers, celebrities, corporate sponsors and diplomats – and was officiated by the Equal Opportunities Commission, an independent statutory body which commissioned a study last year to look into the need for anti-discrimination legislation on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status.
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
ABOUT US
Dynamite Travel, LLC was founded by Dr. Terika L. Haynes in 2008. Our goal is to assist all customers with creating unique travel experiences. Over the years Dynamite Travel’s LGBT client base has grown and with new laws being passed we are excited to work with couples not only on vacation planning but also destination wedding planning as well! Dynamite Travel is a company dedicated to creating unforgettable vacation experiences and the team at Dynamite Travel has the credentials, experience, and expertise necessary to make sure that your travel adventures are a blast! At Dynamite Travel we are committed to providing personalized service to each customer.
WHAT WE PROVIDE
Dynamite Travel works with clients to plan their vacation while keeping them involved in the planning process. We provide vacation planning assistance services for vacation packages, cruises, tours, destination weddings, honeymoons, group travel, and more! We also assist customers with excursion planning, dinner reservations, and anything else that will make their vacation experience unforgettable!
OUR MISSION AND VISION
Our mission is to provide high quality travel planning assistance to each client, ensuring that they have an unforgettable vacation experience.
Our vision is to become a leading travel consultancy for clients around the world.
Innovative craft cocktails, hip vintage shops, authentic Neapolitan pizza, futuristic shopping centers, fourth-wave coffee, efficient sky rail and subway lines, and talented drag queens; we’re not talking about Los Angeles, Seattle, or London here: this is gay Bangkok! I’ve been to this city at least a dozen times since 2005 and its evolution of late reminds me what happened to Shanghai: a proliferation of shiny modern buildings, developments, and efficient infrastructure, at the cost of heritage sites, old-time character, and historic districts.
Gay Bangkok’s world-famous street food strip, Sukhumvit Soi 38 (a handful of Thai restaurants around the world, including in Washington D.C. and Adelaide, Australia, are named after it) saw most of its longtime hawkers forced to evacuate in March when a new condominium tower began construction. Pak Khlong Talad flower market, a centuries-old institution, was largely cleared out in April, and May signaled the end for night market stalls along famed gay nightlife destination, Silom.
“I have mixed feelings about the development,” admits Stuart, a college friend who moved here about 13 years ago when he fell in love with Thailand and a beguiling Thai lawyer. “On one hand, progress and modernization has its benefits, but I also miss the quirkiness, local ingenuity, and sense of community the old markets represent. Soi 38 was hot and sweaty, but it was delicious, cheap, and customers came from all walks of life, from movie stars to construction workers. Same for the now- demolished old Sam Yan market, which sat on top of a MRT subway station.”
I didn’t know Thailand was such a great place for trekking! I found it out when I first touched the Thai soil. In October 2015, on my first trip to Southeast Asia, soon after arriving in beautiful Bangkok, I started organizing a few excursions around Thailand. As I was not sure on how it worked, I asked help to a touristic agency, licensed by the TAT (the official Tourism of Thailand Association).
I followed the recommendations of my tuk tuk driver around Bangkok and he put me in good hands! The agency planned everything for me: flights around Thailand, train tickets for short ways, accommodation, trekking excursions… After, I learned that I could have avoided to book the excursions in advance: once arrived in Chiang Mai, the starting point of most trekking trips, it is easy to arrange a few days of exploration, as there are plenty of agencies willing to help!
I flew into Chiang Mai, the second largest city of Thailand, located in the northern plains. Chiang Mai is a pleasant, 700 years old city, which is a beautiful place to visit on its own. If you have time, I’d suggest you to reserve one full day (or at least one afternoon) of your trip to visit the ancient Buddhist temple of the city.
I had chosen a 3 days (2 nights) trekking excursions: the perfect length to explore the amazing green scenery Thailand has to offer! Luckily enough, I was put in a very nice trekking group, all around my age (or younger): a good bunch of 12 guys and gals! We bonded and we are still in contact!