Boys will be Boys: Stories from Lebanon, Syria & Pakistan

I have travelled around the world at least four times in my life so far, and have met many people and enjoyed many experiences along the way. Although cultures, religious beliefs, different politics and a plethora of many possible options could occur which would attempt to “separate”, I believe that, in most cases, when guys bond closely together, there aren’t many boundaries any longer and as the two sayings have it, ” people are people,” and, in many cases, “boys will be boys.” I personally concur most on the boys will be boys bit.

Lebanon

I stayed in a Beirut Christian neighbourhood called “Ashrafieh” with my Lebanese friend who was of the Druze faith. We all piled into a car with his Christian boyfriend and also with two Muslim guys, one who was a true “diva”, and went to a beach in South Lebanon, not far from the border with Israel, in Hesbollah controlled lands. We enjoyed and laughed together like a boy family. We reached a road check where there were two handsome guards who demanded our IDs. All around us were Hesbollah flags and also Iranian flags. Posters of Ayatollah looking guys, and Hassan Nusrallah were pasted in prominent places.

Imagine the faces of the two handsome guards as a bunch of guys dressed ready for the beach, and a “diva” all sashaying out of the car, each showing some kind of ID, (until my “Hawaii” ID was shown which I knew he couldn’t read). Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed our swim, as ostentatious at times, as our “diva” had a bath towel around his head and had a collection of “Clinique” products lined up on the beach table, spraying and trying them out on us.

Due to the character of Lebanon with all the precarious political, geographical and social digressions which keep the region rather unstable, the people have, in my feeling, a fatalistic attitude in which they try to live their lives to the fullest; no matter what had happened in the past, nor what might be happening at the moment, nor what might possibly happen in the future. I also embrace this attitude myself which, I suppose, makes me feel a bit Lebanese myself.

Damascus, Syria

Some years ago, I took a Turkish bus from Istanbul through Turkey to the Syrian capital Damascus. I was going to stay with my Syrian friend Abdul at his family’s private home. I met on the bus along the way two Jordanian guys who were also travelling to Damascus and later back home. Arriving in Damascus at 0300 in the morning, we all rented a flat for the day and night. I vividly recall the posters of Ayatollah Khomeini pasted on the walls and graffiti which read, “we will cut off the hand that feeds Israel” (the hand being the USA). I recall enjoying with my Jordanian friends the best tasting falafel ever, and wandering around the old city. The next morning my Jordanian friends continued the journey home and I went to see my friend Abdul. He lived in a traditional Syrian home and I experienced wonderful hospitality, as well as meeting his friends who lived in the small winding back alley ways where small shops were also hidden. When night came and it was time to go to sleep, we all climbed in and all shared one bed together. I remember so vividly how comforting and wonderful that experience was, just to have guys on each side of me in bed that I slept very well.

Unfortunately, Syria is currently experiencing horrible civil unrest and destruction. My heart aches badly for Syria and Syrian people. I wonder what my friend Abdul’s life is like now and if he is safe. I pray that peace will come to Syria and that the Syrian people will be free—NOW!

Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Pakistan

When my friends came to know of my trip to Pakistan they warned me about an “eye opening experience”. They were absolutely correct! I was a guest of my Pakistani friend Hamid and stayed with him in the male part of his Pakistani home, where he was a gracious host. Together we went around on an adventure experiencing truly wonderful local food like “kulcha” and “chaat”—a savoury spicy pastry which is eaten in Chaat shops, dizzying rides around lively cities like Rawalpindi and Lahore which I love, and a mysterious feeling frontier town, Peshawar. Near Peshawar I saw the madrasa where the Taliban were training in, and I stayed in an ominous feeling hotel where there were only men, and shared a pepsi and conversation with an Afghan businessman and his very flirty male assistant.

An exciting evening in busy and lively Lahore, my friend and I shared a rickshaw where the driver’s skills were so awful that we felt like we were on a ride in an amusement park. Going at dizzing speeds and swerving each way, our rickshaw had a near hair-raising collision, with us sitting right at the front. I truly let out a loud scream which blended in with the rest of the din of other vehicles and city sounds as our rickshaw just missed hitting the one in front of us, with that passenger being a very handsome looking man smiling and laughing when seeing me scream. Flirting with us and us with him, he convinced my friend Hamid and I to stay overnight with him at his friends nursery school. It was the first time I ever negotiated a space with crayons and school tablets, having a guys slumber party together! I absolutely want to return and experience different regions of Pakistan to meet more beautiful and kind Pakistani guys again.

About the author

Jim is the author of Vagaybond.com. Vagaybond travel journeys show you the extraordinary lives of our gay community, their supportive family and friends with blog highlights about culture, food, drink and experiences that celebrate life.

Small Island with Big Parties: Tenerife as a Gay-Friendly Hotspot

There’s something special about a visit to the Canary Islands. Far enough away from Europe, but still popular for European holidays, the islands aren’t just for short weekend breaks but rather more suited for a proper holiday. The kind of holiday where you might spend a few days lounging on the beach, evenings in the clubs and the occasional day trips for museums, hiking or other sporty activities. Popular though it is with its beautiful beaches, you can also spend your holiday in Tenerife mountain biking, hiking or maybe just chilling out at some of Tenerife’s wineries (this is still Spain, you know?). The island’s interior is as lush as its coast is sandy!

For gay travelers, the Canary Islands offer up plenty of good travel opportunities. Tenerife Island, the perfect holiday destination, has many options available for every type of tourist. Whether getting a tan on the beach or hiking in the hinterlands, Tenerife is just large enough to accommodate, while still being small enough to have that good ol’-fashioned island mentality.

Gay Tenerife

To get the most of Tenerife as a gay traveler, you’ll find most nightlife in the northern part of the island, especially around Playa de la Cruz. One of the more established gay-friendly resorts in Puerto de la Cruz is the Playflor which has helpful information for gay tourists on their website.

Elsewhere in Tenerife, the capital city of Santa Cruz also has a gay scene—though much more local than the heavily touristed areas in the north. Santa Cruz is also hoVisit Las Americas for beautiful beaches and sunny weather in southern Tenerife.

Tenerife Carnival

During Carnival in February and March, expect Tenerife’s colors to really shine. Flamobyant drag queens and outlandish costumes grace the streets of Santa Cruz Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife during Carnival. It’s the island’s biggest party and the world’s second largest Carnival celebration after Rio de Janeiro’s. The annual event often sees upwards of 250,000 spectators so if you do plan to attend, plan EARLY. Accommodation books up quick!

Halle, Germany: Experiencing Life in a Baroque Town

I had a six month living experience in Halle, Germany. Halle is a town in the former DDR, German Democratic Republic near Leipzig and just a few hour train ride from Berlin. I had a freelance job teaching English as a Second Language position here. I had been in the DDR when it was still divided from West Germany, and in the Checkpoint Charlie days. I was curious to see how and if there had been changes since the wall came down.

Halle is a town famous for the birthplace of Handel, the great Baroque composer. Wandering through the old town and the narrow streets in Halle puts one in the mood for Baroque. There is a music festival in Halle, but the cost for that festival was unfortunately above my budget.

I rented a cozy room about a half hour walk from the school, which had a bathroom with modern fixtures, and a small kitchen which was fully furnished with pots, pans, cutlery, and the like. Upstairs was my colleague from Brno, Czech Republic who also taught at the same school I did, and a bunch of guys, which I gathered due to the licence plate on their lorry that they were from Belarus, sharing the basement below. A heavy cigarette cloud always bellowed near and around their door.

In my classes I had the responsibility to teach the “arbeitsamt” clients, those who were preparing to return to the work force after being unemployed, and realise they needed English for their new job.

I had a group of three students who were over 60 years old for English conversation. The class was 4 hours a few times a week. After the second class they always managed to bring in a bottle of nice champagne and a nice chocolate ( they learned that I could easily be bribed using any form of chocolate, and it worked!) cake or other kinds of nice cakes. Those were the most fun and memorable classes! The champagne improved their English conversation as well as my classroom presence for each class and the four hours flew by quickly each time. I had a 60 year old German man dancing around the room showing air guitar gestures, and one 60 year old having a conversation with another 60 plus student continuously asking the question: “How long have you been wearing that wonder-bra?” Many times it was so challenging to keep a straight face in those classes with them.

Another class I had with a young woman who had an ambition to open a new wine shop in Leipzig had to make a presentation in English about her new wine shop. She brought in many bottles of wine to demonstrate the different kinds of wines she might be selling. She had a wonderful presentation and all of us ended up floating out of the classroom that day, luckily it being my final class for the day!

As far as meeting other guys while living in Halle, Germany…I had only a few special friends. I met one German man (his name will be kept anonymous!) who came to my flat from time to time. He was not a student of mine but I became a student of his rather.

His father was a pastor of some church, and he found it horrible that I was so ignorant of the Bible, and I had to learn the writers of the Bible and the different chapters of the Bible in order, and for each time I had the chapter wrong I would get a spanking. We were having wine so I agreed to play this fun game.

Not having a good knowledge of the Bible, I had been over his lap, and my pants, then undershorts, down to my bare, stinging red behind knowing the shape of that guy’s hand! This man was my only local friend apart from my Czech colleagues from Brno living upstairs from me, A bible study group I went to from time to time (no this group didn’t spank me!) and a nice Syrian man whom I had met and went out for coffee a few times with.

I had a ritual of my own which I would on Sunday morning, wander through the old part of the town to a small cafe where I would have a hot coffee and chose a different cake, and join mostly elderly folk out to the outdoor tables to watch pedestrians, or when raining, a place in a booth inside the cafe somewhere.

In my opinion, from my experiences and observations, although Germany is reunited and socialist rule is gone from the Eastern half, the scars of the past are still visible. Many abandoned buildings and homes, high unemployment, and I felt that the locals were more standoff, suspicious, avoiding eye contact, and very much frosty shall I say, than their Western German sibling. I hope as the two societies continue to melt into one that the life in the Eastern part of country which I had called “home” for a while would see more sunshine and smiles!

About the author

Tel Aviv Gay Pride - What is there to look forward to?

When researching my previous post on the top summer destinations for gay travelers, I stumbled on the Flickr photography by Tom Giebel of Atomische. With his permission, I’m sharing some of his photos from the 2011 gay pride in Tel Aviv. Assuming the weather will be nice (and really—June in the Middle East shouldn’t be anything but warm & sunny), I should have an equally fun time at this year’s pride. I’ll be taking photos and videos of the event, so be sure you stay tuned and subscribe!

And just for fun, here’s a sneak peak of at least one thing I’ll be up to while I’m in Tel Aviv. Watch the video and see if you can guess what I’ll be doing with a suitcase full of Andrew Christian underwear.

Learn more about Gay Tel Aviv:

Gay-friendly hotel booking with Out in TLV
Luxury travel tours with Steele Travel
Alternative Guide to Tel Aviv

Why I want to visit Mykonos #sangiorgiolove

The San Giorgio hotel on Mykonos is hosting a blog contest. If you remember from my post a few days ago on the top destinations I think are going to be hot for travel this summer, Mykonos is one of my big priority destinations this year. Here’s my list of reasons why I want to visit Mykonos…

I love the beach

I’m a city boy through and through, but there’s something about the beach which always draws me in. If there were a perfect city in a warm climate, amazing nightlife and a beautiful city beach, I’d probably already be living there. There’s something special about the sound of waves crashing against the shore, of the stillness in the sand and the water (especially along the Mediterranean), of the sun and the sky. The horizon signals something beyond, and yet I’m often more than content on a beach.

I want to relax

From poking around the San Giorgio Hotel website (check out this photo!), it seems they are all about relaxation. With an on-site pool, hammocks and sunbeds, the hotel is apparently located farther from the other more noisy beach hotels. It’s also a member of Design Hotels, which is often the right style I look for when wanting a hotel getaway. While I want to explore all the different sides of Mykonos (including their legendary nightlife), I also ~~want~~ need to relax.

I want to have fun

As much as I need some chill time for relaxing, a visit to Mykonos wouldn’t really be complete (cliche, I know) without a visit to some nightclubs and beach parties. Luckily, The San Giorgio Hotel offers VIP access for all of its guests to one of Mykonos more legendary clubs: the Paradise Club.

With sun, sand and parties, I don’t think a trip to Mykonos could possibly go wrong!

* * *

After my intensive German language course here in Berlin I could use a bit of time sitting by a beach. While I’ve got plenty of beach trips planned for earlier in the summer, I’ve yet to ever visit Greece and it’s been on the top of my must-see destinations for years. Not to mention my strong ethos for responsible travel and desire to be a positive force on the economy. As a foreigner living in Germany, with the constant news of the Eurocrisis and European economics, there are a handful of countries I honestly believe could use my tourism money. And number one on that list is Greece. Please retweet this article to help my chance to win a free stay at the San Giorgio Hotel!

You can also enter the contest if you’re a blogger by choosing one of your favorite pictures from the hotel website www.sangiorgio-mykonos.com. Then write a new article on your blog describing why you would love to stay in the hotel, including a link to the picture from your blog. Then tweet the post with the hashtag #sangiorgiolove.