London Tourist - rediscovering home: 5 places to see in London

It's too easy to forget what's on your own doorstep; the old adage 'out of sight out of mind' is irrelevant in travel - it's quite the opposite. 

With 15 years beneath my belt being a vilified Londoner I seem to have forgotten the beauty of a city that has ranked number one for global tourist destinations. Following nearly five years of "campaign London" starting with the Royal Engagement, Royal Wedding, Queen's Jubilee, Olympics and recently ending with the new Prince the spotlight has even helped me reinvigorate the love for the capital and rediscover my environment.

1. Stepping onto Portobello Road for the first time in over 10 years, while it's much smaller than I remember, much less Bric-a-Brac and significantly more chain stores - and it has lost its historical edge, what it doesn't lose is the backdrop of Victorian Britain. The beauty of the colourful streets reimagine life here over a century ago when horse and cart were commonplace and the market was the centre of all refinery and wealth. Today, other than marvelling overly priced antiques it's the remaining independent stores that take my fancy. 

We stop in a burger joint for the biggest baddest burgers and fresh lemonade that I haven't had in an age - the prices mediocre as costs in the capital have continued to soar over the past decade, I assure you that there's no stopping them and finding a bargain is next to near impossible. 

2. Then just a couple of weeks before Christmas the city is ablaze with fairy lights and the festive dusting covers the city as I flit between the quirky - Vauxhall Tavern for its sing-a-long cabaret night and I show a visiting blogger around London's gay night life being reminded that fun can be had on a weeknight without much expense nor heavy head next day. 

3. And a visit to Winter Wonderland was perhaps the biggest spectacular surprise I've experienced as a Londoner for a number of years. This mammoth indulgence in Christmas brought the spirit and the excitement alive as thousands squeezed into Hyde Park and meandered around the fairground, markets and food stall supping on Mulled Wine and local beers.

4. Next stop Camden, the last time I visited this infamous destination I was a student. The place was quirky, historic, shabby, with drugs being sold on every corner; shop fronts bulging out onto the road, litter strewn across the streets, rats scurrying out of view and a multicultural diverse community of hipsters, punks and tourists. Today the place has been gentrified, very much middle class Britain with its cultural heritage diluted and the magic essence that made it Camden (like Carnaby Street was once the backdrop to 1970's Britain) pretty much evaporated,

The streets are clean and free from exploding shops, the markets are now laden with European imported goods, extravagant food stalls and the same groups of tourists that inhabited it many years ago. The hipsters and punks have all but gone and now any well to do respectable citizen will proclaim to having spent the day In Camden. For me, the walk was pleasant on a slightly frosty day as the winter sun spilled into the alleys and courtyards of the refurbished market but the touch I remembered had vanished.

5. My London finale was a trip down Oxford Street shopping with Mum for Christmas, the still not pedestrianised road is becoming more treacherous as the years go on, but the remarkable festive magic goes from strength to strength as the large stores of Selfridges,  House of Frazer, Debenhams, John Lewis, et al all put on spectacular visual displays in their shop fronts. Escape the crowds by eating In the side alleys but always go early to avoid the crowds.

London 2013 still works for me, but the changes have stripped places of the individuality they once owned and still there are changes that should take place. Perhaps my biggest disappointment about London, as one of the leading capitals and number one choice for tourists is its gay Pride event - whether it being marred by financial difficulties the fact remains that one of the most progressive countries in the world fails to deliver a first class pride precession baffles me, and even more so that financially burdened Spain can put on a show three times it's size in Madrid. Which incidentally spurs me to continue travelling, appreciate London for what it is - home - and that my doorstep is the world.  

Gay Guide Lisbon – discovering the gay scene

Arrive in Lisbon during daylight and the city is discrete, there’s very little to suggest it is gay welcoming, but there’s nothing to say that there will be a problem for gay travellers. In fact I felt incredibly welcome wherever I went and look closely – people watch – and you will begin to see quite a large gay population.

Lisbon actually has an incredibly vibrant gay scene and there’s plenty of places to visit, just don’t attempt – like I did – to try to do it during the day. There’s nothing to see and you will find it hard pushed to find the gay venues listed. I walked both the Rato and Bairro Alto, gay map in hand, and struggled to find the bars and nightclubs for the following nights’ escapades. Yet, by night, the shutters were flung open, the lights on full glare and the music popping onto the streets.

By night, the city comes alive. Bairro Alto is full of party atmosphere and it is now hard to distinguish revellers from the gay and straight bars. You shouldn’t think of going out before 9pm, but 10.30pm is a better start to your evening. Grab some food around 8.30pm and you can casually enter the nights’ events.

All the gay bars were recognisable in the Rato area. And simply follow the lads from joint to joint. My itinerary for the weekend nights is below. The great thing about Lisbon is the cost – it is so cheap for beer and cocktails. The atmosphere is electric, and welcoming. The people are friendly and chatty with nearly all of them speaking English. It is also an international city, so you are likely to meet Europeans from England, France, Spain, Italy, as well a Americans visiting on cruise ship.

Book flights and accommodation at least four weeks in advance and it can work out to be a cheap break:

Flights, EasyJet (my favourite airline): London – Lisbon; £110 return

AirParks car park: £26.99

Uneasy Hostel (2 nights): £60

Travelcard: €15, enough for 4 days

Meals: €12 – 20 for a good two-course dinner, 1 x beer, 2 x wine, 1 x coffee

Make the most of your time there, especially if you want to party by hiring an apartment:

www.homeaway.co.uk

www.airbnb.com

Thursday

Chapito, 30 Anos: multi-use bar, club, social meeting spot.

A circus shop will make this place stand out. Go through the shop, down the stairs to the large courtyard – if you’re not in the middle of a circus training session hang around for some beers. Otherwise, head to the loft house restaurant. Now this has to be seen. We hung here all afternoon supping on Green Wine, a Portuguese delicacy J

From the restaurant you can over look the city and watch the sun set. It’s a spectacular scene and the colours of the fading evening Lisbon sun fill the sky with purples, oranges, greens, reds, and pinks, framed by a city with 200-year architecture (following the great Earth Quake in the 18^th Century).

Friday

Bairro Alto

-       This is the place to start. It’s where the city comes together by night and especially at the weekend.

-       Wonder the streets, beer in hand and soak up the atmosphere, the music and the people watching

Les Marais

Rua de Santa Catarina 28, 1200 Lisboa

Open: M-Th 5.30pm-2am F/S 4am, Sun 1 – 11pm

We started in this sudo-French bar, the gay venue was recently purchased by new owners and had decided to maintain the name. Which with the gay market is the best idea, since we all follow maps that could be years out of date. I found this through Spartacus, after chatting to the owners who promote the bar on Scruff (great technique).

Shirtless Tuesdays – gives patrons the chance to receive free shots for taking off their shirt….not a bad deal!

The barmen were real lovely, and created a fun atmosphere. There really was no dull moment, even though when we arrived there were only about 8 people in the bar. An hour later, around 11.30pm, the bar had about 20 people. This is no bad thing, it’s well decorated, the drinks are good too. It’s brilliant if you’re in a couple and want to take it a bit easy, or in a group and all want a seat. I can imagine that on some days this places has a fantastic party.

From here we walked up to Bairro Alto past

Baliza

Rua de Bica de Duarte Belo 51-A, 1200-054 Lisboa

Open: M-F 1pm-2am, Sat 4pm-2am Sun Closed

We walked up through the streets to stop in

Portas Largas

Rua de Atalaia 105, 1200-038 Lisboa

Open S-Th 7pm-2am F/S 7pm-3am

This is a mixed crowd, I didn’t know what was straight and what was gay – the live music was infectious, the bar was packed – solid! People were all across the street at this crossroads. It was a great place to soak in Bairro Alto. Only recommendation, leave before 1am – it get a bit messy by 2am!

From here, sharp 10 – 15 minute walk to Rato. Aim was Bar 106 but by the time we got here it was closed, so I went onwards to clubbing

NOTE: Unfortunately on the night I was in Rato I was attacked by a group of lads who were trying to mug me. Fortunately, two guys who run the gay bar on the corner of the street, disturbed them and saved me from harm or loss. (I’ve been told that this activity is NOT common, but just don’t walk alone if possible) Please visit their bar:

Ursus Bar

Praça das Flores, 41-43 - Lisboa, 1200-192 Lisboa

ADD https://www.facebook.com/ursus.bar.lx

A new bar, only recently opened. It’s got a lot of style to it. While it may seem small it packs a punch in the ‘cool’ stakes. The hosts are really friendly too.

Trumps

Rua da Imprensa Nacional 104-B, 1250-127 Lisboa

Open: F/S 11.45pm – 6an

10€ including 2 drinks

The big gay club in Lisbon. One room uber-pop music, the other more Dance-Pop. The audience is young, think 20’s. The bar staff are sexy. The music in the dance-pop room was excellent, especially with a live violinist onstage adding his flavour to the tracks. The people were really friendly and welcoming too.

Saturday

I stopped by Bar Cru (Rua de Sao Marcal 170), but it didn’t appeal to me. Entry charge at 12 midnight was not what I wanted and it felt too early for any of that. So next stop further down the road

Bar 106

Rua de Sao Marcal 106, 1200-44 Lisboa

9pm – 2am

This place is pretty smart. People are smoking outside and inside. Shots are being knocked back and there’s a lot of introductions. Something tells me this is the meeting place – prior to the clubs. It’s a good starting point.

WoofLX

Rua de Palmeira 44B, 1200 Lisboa

10pm – 4am

Now this seemed more sort of thing, I had stopped by on the way to Trump the night before, but at 3am it was pretty dead. So arriving at 1pm was a good chance to check out the lads. The barman (later to be the sexy dancer in Construction) handed out free entry tickets to the club.

It’s a bear bar, and it has many bears! And cubs! And otters! And admirers! Of course!

Tr3s/ Tres/ 3

Rua Ruben Antonio Leitao 2A, 1200 Lisboa

4pm – 2am

Sports themed bar and most people were outside, but it was well themed and would make an enjoyable indoor experience too. Everyone was hanging around waiting for the clubs to get busy, this was the atmosphere, it was apprehensive, sat in expectation, impatient, yet chatty and friendly.

Construction

Rua Cecilio de Sousa 84, 1200 Lisboa

11.30pm – 6am

This is the end of the night, it’s one large two-leveled dance club with a darkroom on the third floor. The more mature crew hangout here, so generally 30yr+ and there were quite a few women. It was a fun cruisey atmosphere with excellent music!

Gay Guy Goes Gay China - discovering Gay Beijing

Gay China

Gay China is much more apparent than I expected, but with an internal population of over 1 billion people it really is obvious to understand why there is a hive of homosexual activity.

I had the chance to visit three gay venues while in Beijing, I also discovered how people keep in contact. It is worth downloading and accessing a couple of social applications for China; grindr, jack’d, and WeChat. The most popular gay chat device is definitely Jack’d. These weren’t limited to access through a VPN either.

What’s important to note, is that most of the Chinese live outside the central centre to Beijing, but there are a couple of gay venues worth visiting:

Destination

7 Gongti Xi Lu

Subway - Dong SiShiTaio

Next to walkers Stadium, past Asia Hotel

Great on Friday and Saturday. It has 1 dance floor - where everyone faces the DJ booth and Pole Dance Station, very weird, and has a further 7 bars and several chill out rooms that are well air conditioned.

Check out Bear Bar - with Teddy Bears – intended for their own Chinese variety of gay men bears.

The entry is 80 RMB entry including one drink. Drinks 30 RMB for cocktail / 35 RMB for a beer (at time of print)

There were very few westerners, about 10, when I was there but the place gets packed. Destination used to be the number one club but with the opening of Funky it's not as popular but still the best by all accounts.

Mix with the locals and dance, watch the locals drink and play dice games. It is a little hard to start conversations with them but once engaged they really are quite sociable.

Destination is an excellent mixed and diverse crowd that shows the new China and not that we see in the West in gay bars.

Open until 5am

Take a taxi back to the hotel and ensure it goes by a meter. Do not take a private taxi as it will work out more expensive.

Just two roads away from the main Bar street, next to the Workers Stadium

Kai Club

3^rd Floor,Tongli Studio, Sanlitun (on the east side of the alley connecting Sanlitun Village and Opposite House), it’s just by Mohito Man (ask a backpacker and they will know this)  Take the stairway up to the entrance on the 3^rd floor. This is really a very simple bar with dance floor and DJ every night of the week. It tends to attract a slightly younger audience.

Watch the boys order huge quantities of drinks and spend hours knocking them plus shots back.

- Popular on week nights though packed at weekends and overspills to straight bars

- Vodka red bull 10rmb though don't expect high quality drinks

- Gets reasonably busy post 11.30pm

- Good pop and dance music

- Smokey bar

- Largely a young crowd of 20 - 30 year olds

Funky

Apparently opposite Destination.  Although could not find it, above Coco

6 floor, 8 Gongti Xi Lu

This I was told is one of the best to visit on a Saturday.

Mesh

The Opposite House, 1 Sanlitun Bei Rd, Sanlitun.

This is an upmarket bar in a upmarket hotel that is popular with a gay crowd on a Thursday. It is largely middle-class and tourists/ expats. The drinks are 3 – 4 times more expensive than those on a regular street bar.

Gay Guy Goes North Korea - what's gay about DPRK?

Gay Korea

North Korea is not an open country and it is impossible to fully interact with the locals, however what is interesting is that there are many gay tourists who visit the country. When I was there in my group alone there were 3 (at least :-) among 20. Tour groups often meet one another at different tourist sites and there is only 2 hotels therefore its easy to interact with other travellers. Certainly in the few days I was there I met at least 7 other gay travellers. 

So if you're looking for that unique experience in a country that seems off limits to gay, especially internally, you will be glad to know that there are ways to meet gay people easily and safely.

North Korea’s position on homosexuality is unknown, Wikipedia states:

Due to tradition in Korean culture, it is not customary for individuals of any sexual orientation to engage in public displays of affection. As a country that has embraced science and rationalism, the DPRK recognizes that many individuals are born with homosexuality as a genetic trait and treats them with due respect. Homosexuals in the DPRK have never been subject to repression, as in many capitalist regimes around the world. However, North Koreans also place a lot of emphasis on social harmony and morals. Therefore, the DPRK rejects many characteristics of the popular gay culture in the West, which many perceive to embrace consumerism, classism and promiscuity.^[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_North_Korea

GlobalGayz officials said, 'The concept of same-sex attraction hardly exists in the minds of people. Even with people who feel this attraction, there is ignorance about what it means or how it can be expressed in behavior.'  http://www.sgn.org/sgnnews39_51/page1.cfm

It's not recommended you get too close to the Korean/DPRK locals however if they choose to get close to you, that will be their choice that you will need to wait for. They are urged not to interact on that level. Certainly on two occasions homosexuality in North Korea was apparent, once when I was dancing in the park and met one guy who was incredibly enthusiastic - as my gaydar set ringing. The second was watching a close intimate bond between an American tourist and a Korean guide...

Halloween - from Gaytravel.com

Guest post: By Sophie Needelman

Editorial Coordinator, www.gaytravel.com


Halloween is nearly here, but it is never too early to do a little ghost hunting! Spirits do their haunting all year-round, so regardless of when you get your travel on there are always ghoulish ghost towns to visit. Many of the country’s top travel destinations feature their very own ghost crossings, rich in history and haunted-ness! You might even be lucky enough to have a ghost sighting of your own.

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is a relatively new city, but it definitely has its fair share of haunted hotspots. Cemataries and hotels around the city have a plethora of stories that live up to their spooky reputations. The Capitol Building, Lake Highlands High School, and the Lawrence Hotel are all known for their hall-roaming ghosts. Many of these haunted hotspots are also the best-kept secrets of Hollywood royalty. Spirit tours around the city offer both indoor and outdoor options, so whatever time of year you visit you can get your haunted fix.

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio’s history dates back to colonial times, so it has plenty of ghost stories to offer visitors and locals alike. The Alamo was the site of the bloody and epic battle for Texas’ independence, and its historical significance keeps the ghosts coming back for more spooking! Spice up your visit with a trip to the haunted stomping grounds of spirits like Mission San Jose, the Menger Hotel, and of course The Alamo!

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is known as one of the most haunted cities in America, and its history is rich with ghosts and terror. According to the legends, New Orleans was used by Native Americans as a sacred burial ground because of its location on the Mississippi River. The city itself was built by prison inmates sent over from the then-King of France. Between the crime and various weather catastrophes that have struck the city over the years, New Orleans is a prime ghost town! Hotel Provincial, the Omni Royal Orleans, and the Wyndham Bourbon Orleans Hotel are a few of our haunted favorites.

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is known for being the birthplace of coffee, but it is also home to many ghosts and haunted spirits. Famous Pike’s Place Market is one of the most haunted places in the state because it was built on a Native American Tribal Cemetery. Seattle also has its share of spirit-inhabited bars and theaters. Jules Maes and Calamity Jane’s are two of the city’s oldest bars and have acquired many other-worldly visitors. The rainy weather in Seattle only puts the icing on the cake for this spooky town!

San Diego, California

San Diego is one of the most haunted cities of the West- and for good reason, too! The Hotel Del Coronado not only has its own share of ghosts, but is a beautiful place to spend an evening regardless of the season. The Whaley House is also one of San Diego’s most notorious haunted stomping ground located in the cultural Old Town district. Various other theaters and hotels around town are known for being frequented by spirits, so take some time out of your sunny visit to this beautiful coastal destination to pay homage to these haunting hotties!

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah has a wonderful elegance full of historic charm, friendly, locals, rich southern comfort food and pleasant Georgia weather. But peer behind the curtains of Spanish moss dripping from any beautiful oak and you’ll find a sure ghost town. From the slanted sidewalks framing the Gothic Revival architecture to the hallways of a haunted bed-and-breakfasts or Savannah’s many spirited cemeteries, this Southern city has plenty of scary sites to offer.

Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon has the reputation of being most haunted city of the Pacific Northwest thanks to its strange history and large number of ghost sightings throughout the years. The city’s most famous haunted houses is Pittock Mansion, where visitors have claimed to see apparitions and heard footsteps coming from empty rooms. In addition to the Pittock house, other Portland haunted places include the Bagdad theater which is a movie theater built during the roaring 20s that supposedly houses a number of spirits. For outdoor enthusiasts, Willamette River is home to a phantom rowboat that makes an appearance from time to time. Check out all of Portland’s gems, haunted and otherwise!

The big Gay World Rainbow Hotels website won Best Hotel Website award - Whoop!

World Rainbow Hotels (WRH), www.worldrainbowhotels.com, the world’s leading collection of gay & lesbian-welcoming hotels, was named as the best hotel website at the Travolution Awards travolutionawards.co.uk www.travolutionawards.co.uk in London on October 17 2013.

The awards are unique in recognising companies, brands and individuals who excel in the fields of online travel distribution, digital marketing and technology. Judged by a panel of proven business leaders, experts and entrepreneurs, they are the UK travel industry’s highest accolade for innovation and excellence online.

The 1,200 hotels in 129 worldwide destinations displayed on the website have all been put through a rigorous set of screening criteria, including analysis of their current involvement with the LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender) community, compliance with non-discrimination policies and same-sex benefits for their staff.

Member hotels are encouraged to undergo LGBT-welcoming training and required to put together an “Out & About” information guide providing tips about their local gay & lesbian scene, which can be downloaded from the hotel’s profile on WRH’s website.

Sharon Wimborne, eCommerce Director, said, “We are delighted to have won Travolution’s Best Hotel Website award. We feel we have developed a unique online proposition as well as some innovative ways for the LGBT community to share experiences and contribute to the assessment and suitability of LGBT-welcoming properties around the world.”


Nicolas Wijnants, WRH Brand Director, said, “We understood that LGBT travellers needed more than just a web-listing of gay-friendly hotels and events. It was essential to build a strong community of hoteliers, customers and travel agents where they could share information, advice and travel tips relevant to the LGBT community.”

[Oh and in a side note - I also worked with them  - great team!]

Top Travel Websites - part 1 (some are gay too)

Gay travel information websites – getting the low-down part 2

Following publishing my favourite gay travel websites, I have been inundated with requests to add more to this list. And it is true, that list was surely only Part 1. So on Part 2, we expand our selection slightly.

Some of them gay, some of them just helpful if you are an independent traveler. So enjoy the list and let me know any others I should be visiting when planning.

Budget Travel

Some excellent advice and resources for the budget traveler. It covers a wide range of Destinations, as well as providing some guides on best travel and what to look forward too.

http://www.budgettravel.com/#!

Guiajando

This is for the Spanish, a great website with plenty of detail on destinations, each with their own pages. I know the editors and they are so passionate about providing quality content, that from this service they have achieved funding for Itinerium, which means if you can’t be bothered to do the planning yourself – one of their editors will do it for you.

http://www.guiajando.com/

PurpleRoofs

If you’re looking for gay travel, and help with all your accommodation needs, check out Purple Roofs selection of Bed&Breakfast, Inns, Hotels and even get your entire holiday booked with their referred Travel Agents and Tour operators.

http://purpleroofs.com/gay-travel-events.html

Shermans Gay Travel Blog
It’s all thing travel, but its great to see some articles featuring gay travel. It’s all pretty generalistic, but handy to get some ideas for your trups.
http://blog.shermanstravel.com/gay-travel

New Gay Travel Guide

Dedicated news service for gay travel, giving updates on where to go, where to be careful and loads of advice too. Good for reference material.
http://www.newgaytravelguide.com/

Gay Travel Information Blog

This is more advice for gay travel and good as a resource for when deciding the destinations you are heading.

http://gaytravelinformation.com/

Dream Euro Trip

Full of personality and truly focused on Europe and delivering quality advice. So check out his destinations, get an idea of the cost and travel as frequently as you can across Europe.

http://www.dreameurotrip.com/

Revisiting Greenwich Market

It's my favourite market in London and it's set in a quiet town, with a fantastic park - with views of the city. It leads up to an old London village overlooking London town. This is Greenwich.

There's always to much to see, the stalls are fascinating with entrepreneurs trying their hand at selling their quality products. The food market is always bustling. I never really usually eat here, but today I gave in. It was much needed, as I tucked in to a tasty burrito.

We stopped at a traditional Greenwich pub for a couple of pints of lager, and a packet of crisps, as we sat and watched people, gossiping about the people around us.

This time we also explore the Maritime Museum which was free entry, it's definitely fun for kids. Or stop at the Cutty Sark.

Walk through the Park, visit the Observatory, and enjoy some real British bangers, as a snack

Want something Gay? Go to The Prince of Greenwich, and sometimes you will find that the Rose & Crown can get pretty gay, as it was previously a gay pub, but now it is more mixed.

Remember to Check out Greenwich Market when you're in London.