I have not been to Manila for about 20 years.
Is Club 690 in Quezon City (?) still in operation?
It used to have very handsome dancers in the past.
Does the Manila area have similar clubs now--clubs with handsome, athletic "macho-dancers" that are available to off?
I'd love to know the definitive answer to that too! I used to go there 30 years ago when they had a fantastic manager named "Bunny" at 690 Retiro. Great club. In many ways, Manila was one of the greatest destinations in Asia before Marcos fell. By comparison, Thailand was a shitty bore!!! After Marcos the country descended into the pits where it remains to this day. I had heard that 690 Retiro fell victim to one of the many "morality crusade" purges which became common in the post Marcos era.
Just Google Club 690 and go to the TravelGayAsia website for current info.
Most of the gay action is around Malate, the location of the Robinsons mall. You could meet a GayRomeo guy at the mall and/or invite him to your Malate area hotel.
These days Manila is not the safest place and there are people who find it quite easy to make life difficult for sex tourists (scams, being set up in ways that require police involvement).
Gay boys in the Philippines have come out in numbers and ways that were unimaginable in the past, but there is still the religious factor to contend with.
I also remember Bunny, very helpful and so different from the Thailand pushy mamasans [plus the fact that he was neither a transexual, tranvestite or even remotely effiminent, actually quite ugly but with an engaging personality, and the boys hanging around were just local kids looking for a bit of 'play' money. But I agree that Manilla in the late 70's was very special, the clubs with sensational young singers [some of whom were available if you became friends first], and a walk on the city golf course late at night if all else failed [many post midnight 'holes in one'], or a late night massage in the 24 hour parlours [all the boys were from the provinces supposedly students earning money to live]. It just all happened, day and night, and mostly for mutual fun, only very minor if any money transactionsOriginally Posted by Thai Dyed
I also remember 690 club, well worth the taxi drive from Roxas Blv. Another couple spring to mind: Coco Banana, Firehouse, Library... I'm sure a few more will come to mind.
Of course 30 years ago I was much more active. Happy memories. I was on a cruise ship a couple of weeks ago and asked one of the Philippino chefs to make me Chicken Adobo, which also brought back more memories.
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