ymmot73

Hey all my Lgbt ft's..
I am heading to Bali next year. Will require a layover in either Bangkok or Singapore. My thought is to spend some time in BKK and maybe make it over to Seam Reap in Cambodia if I can.

Unless someone can explain why I would have a better time in Singapore.

I am am a mid 30's experienced traveler. Gay and like to experience new places. Not a huge partier but can enjoy going out and seeing the gay scene.

Thoughts?

WillFlyer

The scene in SIN is pretty quiet during the week. If your layover is Monday- Thursday and your decision is based on nightlife, I'd recommend BKK.

Friday - Sunday can be fun. SIN is also interesting if you like to do a lot of shopping.

tenniscraze

BKK.. however the locals are basically potato queens. My friend got the eye from the locals while dancing with his friend who's white. It's pretty much the same in Singapore but the gay scene is not infested with white guys.

wiredboy10003

Potato queens? Infested?

MegatopLover

If you will only have a few days for your layover, doing BKK and Siem Reap is way too much, particularly when you factor in additional travel time (short flight, but checkin, immigration, security, etc.). Assuming this would be your first trip to either place, to really do BKK justice, you need a minimum of four days, and a week is really better, while you need a minimum of two solid days for SIN, and four would be better.

BKK has more gay nightlife than SIN, but SIN certainly has some to entertain you at the weekend if that's when you'll be there.

I love both BKK and SIN. I'd be content in either place on a Bali-bound layover. On the whole, though, I'd say that SIN is the better place, because it's more digestable than BKK in a short stopover period and the kinds of cultural activities you would do SIN (exploring the heritage neighborhoods, mall shopping, orchid garden, cutting-edge restaurants) are more unlike Bali than the kinds of activities you would be likely to do in BKK (temples, palaces, street food, cultural or natural souvenir shopping).

I've finally managed to convince a couple of friends from New York to go with me and Mr. Megatop (who is Thai) to Bali, this Thanksgiving. Singapore is our stopover point for a few days, and we're pretty content with that. Trying to do a stopover in BKK instead, for one friend who's been there before and another who hasn't, would be just too much.

I'd save BKK for another trip when you have more time and you can combine it with a Thai holiday spot (Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Samui, Hua Hin) or Siem Reap.

palermo

Another vote for BKK. I would even go for Kuala Lumpur as a second choice where the scene is smaller than BKK but the crowd is extremely friend.

BKK vs SIN, BKK has a lot more bars/clubs. It is way cheaper (drinks are very expensive in SIN), the scene is relatively concentrated for a city that big. Also- If you are into it, it has what is arguably the best sauna in the world (Babylon) which has also a nice hotel and restaurant.

Henwurst

MegatopLover has a very good point that Singapore provides more of a contrast to Bali than Bangkok would, but in case you are looking for an exciting night life you should definitely go for Bangkok.

As for combining the city with side trips there is no obvious winner since there a plenty of beautiful spots in southern Malaysia. If you are going to Siem Reap I strongly recommend flying and then it is only a matter of 1+ hour extra to fly from Singapore (and it may even be cheaper).

IndyDavid

ymmot73, I really recommend making the effort to visit Siem Reap and see the Angkor ruins. They're simply astounding architecturally & historically, and the town of Siem Reap is much more fun than BKK IMHO.

You hear about the sex trade in BKK, but visiting really shows you how prevalent it is. Not just in the seedy parts of town, but all over the subway at any time of night. Dismissive imperialist white guys with teenage Thai girls or boys. The scene is often "Let me take another picture of you" because it doesn't require talking. The gay Thai guys at the bars we went to were uniformly effeminate "ladyboys" too. Being out & about with my husband in BKK just made us feel uncomfortable. Bartenders also have no idea how to make mixed drinks, so you're stuck with warm beer.

On the other hand, the one gay bar in Siem Reap (the cleverly named Linga Bar) is a delightful getaway. They have good music, a seemingly mixed crowd of expats and locals, superb cocktails, and attentive service from attractive young men. (Who knows if they're gay?) We became regulars by going back 3 nights in a row. Siem Reap is also more manageable, less expensive, and less oppressive than BKK with plenty of good restaurants, hotels, shopping, spas, etc. And don't forget the vanished civilization whose ruins are all around you.

If I could, I'd go back to REP before either BKK or SIN and I'd stay at the One Hotel (www.theonehotelangkor.com), whose owner has a FlyerTalk connection if I recall correctly. See this thread for more: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/glbt-...days-asia.html

Enjoy your trip! Feel free to PM me if you want to see pictures. [Not those kind of pictures! ]

David

djjaguar64

What exactly are potatoe queens? Just curious.

peteropny

asian guys into caucasian guys.

djjaguar64

And so who are the rice queens??

peteropny

The opposite :P (Caucasian guys into Asian guys).

MegatopLover

I think the term "rice queen" came first, and "potato queen" is a back-formation. Speaking as a rice queen myself, that is.

Just to close the loop, asian guys into asian guys are known as "sticky rice," or simply "sticky."

You can see the divide in Bangkok, for example at Bangkok's two biggest saunas: Babylon and Chakran. Potato queens (as well as sticky guys) typically go to Babylon, whereas not so many potato queens go to Chakran. Hence, caucasian guys are likely to have greater success in finding someone who'd be interested in them at Babylon. The same goes for bars and clubs. Potato queens often head for those in the Silom area, whereas those in the Langsuan area tend to be more sticky. For the bars and clubs, you have the added dimension of language issues-- patrons in Langsuan will typically speak Thai, whereas Silom is fairly anglophone. Not so much talking required at Babylon and Chakran.

tosteve

There's actually a book called "The Rice Queen Diaries" - it's alright, nothing spectacular. But it's an interesting read if you want some insight into 'rice queendom', lol. Who knows, maybe there's even a book out there called "The Potato Queen Diaries"

tenniscraze

And white guys who like other white guys are called "mashed potatoes", haha