Gay Club and Gay Bar in One

In Jakarta just last Friday night, my gay Indonesian colleague wanted to bring us out. As the gracious host of the night, he asked our group, composed of two girls and two gay guys (me and him) all at the age of late 20s to early 30s, what type of fun we wanted.

It was a Friday night, and naturally, I'd be in one of Manila's macho dancing gay bars. While I didn't want to broadcast to the whole group that I wanted to see some half-naked "macho dancing" men, I just suggested to take us to somewhere "sleazy."

The two tipsy girls, of course, giggled at the idea, as they were open to experience something new. My colleague thought I was joking. We've always gone out to enjoy the gay clubs during our business trips across various cities -- Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, Madrid. And he thought I'd enjoy these gay clubs like him.

So off we rode the taxi at 11 in the evening. He led us to this place where he knew all four of us would enjoy...

What it is, and how it surprised me, after the jump:

...Where The Boys Are!

(a personal Valentine's Day post)

"Saan ka pupunta? (Where are you going?)" asked by one beautician to his bride-to-be client in a scene in one of the gayest local films in 2010, Here Comes the Bride.

"Eh di sa beach (To the beach)... Where the boys are!" exclaimed by his gay co-beautician, who was magically trapped inside the body of the bride-to-be, played by Angelica Panganiban.

In the last 7 days, I've been hopping around the gay bars AND gay clubs of Metro Manila. Kingdom Come and Bed Club Malate in one night. Returned to Kingdom Come on another night. Home Base and O Bar Ortigas two nights after. Then returned to O Bar Ortigas last night.

These places were packed on those nights. Lonely gays, both old and young, in either the gay bar or the gay club. Some mature women in the macho bars. They may be looking for their last minute Valentine's date. Just how malls are packed a few days before Christmas.

As for me, my real reason to spend four nights inside gay-oriented bars: all in the search of boys.

My realization from all these. After the jump:

On Why I Prefer Going to a Gay Bar than a Gay Club

This post perhaps is an extension of what my gay high school friends and I discussed during dinner last night. I haven’t seen them for almost the entire year, as I was going to gay bars more, which I have kept secret to them since March. So earlier over dinner, I outed my new past time to them.

For the purpose of this post, I’d like to differentiate the “gay bar” as the bars with macho dancers or male strip clubs – like the ones in Pasay/Manila and Timog QC – and the “gay club” as the night club or disco (does anyone still use this term?) catered to gays – the ones in Nakpil-Orosa, Malate.



[Images from http://www.blingcheese.com/videos/3/marcellas.htm and http://www.myspace.com/hapenismusic]

The gay guys in my generation have been “getting it on” in gay clubs, where hooking up is way cheaper. I am the only one in my peer group going to gay bars – there’s no other gay guy in their 20s in these bars. I am as old as, or albeit slightly older than, the boys working in macho dancer bars.

So what enchants me in a gay bar that makes go there week after week, spending my time and moolah with straight boys?

The reasons, after the jump. Feel free and liberated to comment.