Kochi is an appealing delight for visitors and natives with its high-rise modern buildings on one side (Ernakulam) of its large shipping port and many historic charming European-style buildings and markets on the other in the Mattancherry colonial district. The old European buildings and ambiance attract many tourists. Vasco da Gama was originally buried here
India – Goa-Palolem Beach
Palolem beach in southern Goa offers a respite from the heat and congestion of southern India. The beach is largely unspoiled and is inhabited by both local fishermen and by foreign tourists who live in shacks along the shore. It is about one mile (2km) long and is crescent-shaped. One can view the whole beach
India – Old Goa and Panaji
Old Goa is the former capital of the Portuguese colony on India’s west coast. Once a thriving city, it’s only remains are numerous impressive churches and cathedrals that are World Heritage Monuments. Panaji is the modern capital of Goa, a city of 100,000 with busy a shipping port in nearby Vasco da Gama town and
India – Mysore Palace and City
Mysore is a medium-sized city of about 750,000 people. Before India became independent from England, the ‘state’ of Mysore was ruled by the wealthy Maharaja of the Wodeyar dynasty whose stunning and immense Mysore Palace is now a museum. His descendant family still live in relative splendor in a private wing of the palace (photo
India – Country Life
Driving through rural India offers a wide spectrum of poor and simple life, manual labor, friendly people, slow transportation and even a new airport near Hospet, which accommodates visitors to the great ruins of Hampi and to the huge steel plant adjacent to the airport. This gallery takes us through the areas of Colva in
India – Train Travel
India’s train system is one of the most extensive in the world, with thousands of train departures and arrivals every day. It operates about 9000 passenger trains and daily transports 17 million people across twenty-eight states and three union territories The levels of comfort range from the regal to the ragged. Check out this Youtube
India – Jaipur-Fatehpur-Agra
Agra achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal emperors from 1526 to 1658 and remains a major tourist destination because of its many splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. (photos 1-10) Fatehpur Sikri is a fortified city; it was the political capital of India’s Mughal Empire under
India – Bombay-Delhi-Khajuraho
Mumbai is formerly Bombay and is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. (photos 1-21) Delhi has been continuously inhabited since at least 6th century BC. (photos 22-31) Near Udaipur are the the Nagada temples at Sas Bahu with some erotic carvings. (photos 32-36) The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a
India – Udaipur-Varanasi
A visit to the beautiful Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur and to Varanasi on the Ganges River with the ghats for burning corpses. Read the stories about gay India
India – Buddhist Monastery
An hour west of Mysore is the impressive Namdroling Buddhist Monastery and School where 5000 monks and students from many areas of India and southeast Asia come to teach, pray and study ancient scripts and modern science. Read the stories about gay India
Gay Indonesia–Jakarta 2002-08
Intro: In 1998, a magazine declared Indonesia as “descending into madness”–government instability, economic liability, racial attacks, religious violence. But an individual is not a label and a country is not a headline. I added Indonesia to my journey because that country of 14,000 islands swarms with beauty: flowers, mountain rainforests, ancient temples, artwork, architecture, exotic
Gay Indonesia-Bali: Perennial and Tranquil
A week in sun-drenched Bali can be very seductive for anyone. Despite the bombings in ’02 and ’05, Bali continues to be a place of calm repose, swaying palms, restful beaches, green forests, friendly faces and master wood carvers. Bali is also home to a small resident lesbigay community that lives calmly among the easy-going
Gay Indonesia-Sumatra (Medan)
Intro: Far from the economic and political vortex of Jakarta, the city of Medan (and its environs) hustles and bustles with the business of a major metropolis. It is Indonesia’s third largest city with a population of about 2.2 million, The Asian gay travel site Utopia-Asia playfully suggests "that’s about 90,000 Utopians" (gay people). Perhaps.
Indonesia – Java and Bali
Random images from two islands in Indonesia – Java and Bali Java is an island of Indonesia and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. Once the centre of powerful Hindu kingdoms and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, Java now plays a dominant role in the economic and political life of Indonesia.
Indonesia – Sumatra – Lake Toba
The village of Tuk Tuk on the eastern shore of Samosir Island in the middle of Lake Toba is a real getaway place that hardly exists. A handful of shops, hotels and eateries cluster along the water’s edge offering little to do but breathe in the beauty of nature. At the small Juwita cafe Hedi
Indonesia – Sumatra – Bukit Lawang Village
In northern Sumatra lies the village of Bukit Lawang, known for its laid back lifestyle and rustic beauty along a mountain river. It is home to an orangutan ‘orphanage’ where abandoned or injured orangutans are healed and sheltered before returning to the jungle. In addition, the orphanage has a feeding station in the hills where
Indonesia – Sumatra – Parapat Mkt
Located on the eastern shore of Lake Toba, Parapat village is home to various handicraft shops, cafes, several hotels, friendly people and a weekly market at the harbor. From here boats travel across the lake to Tuk Tuk village on Samosir Island and to west shore villages. In Parapat live Batak Toba and Batak Simalungun
Indonesia – Sumatra – Medan City
Medan city is the capitol of Sumatra and Indonesia’s third largest city with about 2 million people. Although it has few attractive tourist sites it is a bustling commercial city with international companies and countless mom-and-pop shops. The two most handsome buildings in town are the great Raya Mosque and the former sultan’s palace, now
Indonesia – Sumatra – Road Scenes
Along the rural roads of Sumatra life in many forms happens every day of every year, from small children carrying their bookbags from school to the local coffin maker displaying his wares. Markets, motorbikes, monuments… and more. Read the stories about gay Indonesia
Indonesia – Bali – Kuta Beach
Indonesia – lifeguard try-outs on Kuta Beach enliven an already busy social gathering place for natives and visitors. not far from the Hard Rock Hotel south of Legian Beach. (My insincere apologies for the many repetitive photos of lifeguards!) Read the stories about gay Indonesia
Indonesia – Bali – Kuta Bombsite
In early October 2002 terrorists exploded a huge bomb outside two popular nightclubs in Bali killing nearly 300 young people, mostly vacationing Australians. These images were taken two weeks later on a day that (then) President Mrs. Makawati Sukarnoputri visited the site. She is shown wearing a peach-colored outfit and with a rainbow-colored umbrella held
Gay Life in Japan 2009
Two Guest writers reveal the obvious and hidden delights, differences and frustrations of living and visiting in modern gay Japan.
Gay Laos: Lost and Found 2000
Intro: For a week in the capital of communist Laos, Vientiane, I met a small circle of lesbigays whose lives centered around restaurants, friendships and different relationships that were romantic, poignant yet cheerful. Also see: Story: Gay Luang Prabang 2010 Story: Gay Vientiane 2010 Gay Laos News and Reports Laos Photo Galleries By Richard
Vientiane 2001
After a period as a French protectorate, Laos gained independence in 1949. A long civil war ended officially when the communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975 but the protesting between factions continued for several years. Private enterprise has increased since the late 1990s when economic reforms including rapid business licensing were introduced.
Gay Malaysia: Modern Kuala Lumpur
Interviews with modern Malaysians introduces us to the shadows and reliefs of gay life in that culture. Not great but not bad, for now. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality Gay Malaysia News & Reports 1999 to present Gay Muslim Reports By Richard Ammon Updated April 2011 The Accidental Informant In the shadows of the