Gay siem reap
Patrick Winn
SIEM REAP, Cambodia — It wasn’t so lengthy ago that gay existence throughout Cambodia played out under a tree after nightfall. Or perhaps in the darkest corner of a public pool’s altering room.
In much of the country, it still does. “Maybe it’s by the river, maybe it’s in the park,” said Sopheara You, who is 38, Cambodian and openly homosexual. “Everyone knows the confidential places.”
But in Siem Reap, the fastest-growing city in this hardscrabble kingdom, the secret is out.
Once a dingy outpost, the town has built cachet as an emerging travel warm spot for gay men. And the influx of a Western-style gay scene, replete with cocktail bars and all-male bathhouses, is beginning to nudge the local gay scene out of the shadows of a society where Buddhist open-mindedness is tempered by societal concerns about marriage and reproduction.
Siem Reap’s appeal to gays and straights alike is its proximity to Angkor Wat, a 12th-century temple complex and jewel of the once-mighty Khmer empire. Jungled over for centuries, and more recently unreachable thanks to the murderous Khmer Rogue regime, the temples finally regained their mass tourist appeal in the overdue s.
The first wave were backpackers
Here's our guide to same-sex attracted Siem Reap in Cambodia with all the details on where to endure, eat, drink, things to do, and more.
Serving you Nomadic Boys Lara Croft realness…tight tank-top, cargo shorts, combat boots, black fingerless gloves, teeny backpack…(basically just another one of our Pride outfits)…
Angkor Wat is the reason why most people visit Siem Reap. This ancient UNESCO-listed religious complex dates back to the s and is regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world. It's a massive circuit of really impressive temples in the middle of a jungle where nature has taken over. The Ta Prohm Temple is most known thanks to Angelina Jolie sashaying her way through it as that legendary video game movie nature back in , earning it the nickname the “Tomb Raider Temple”.
Siem Reap is the base for visiting Angkor Wat. We stayed here for 1 week to allow us ample time to travel the magnificent temples as well as spend some time discovering the metropolis and the gay hangouts. It's super touristic, cosmopolitan, with plenty of restaurants, hotels, and even a small and fun homosexual scene based around the aptly named Pub Street.
In our
of Service to Asia's
Gay & Lesbian Community!
Utopia's Siem Reap listings are sponsored by |