First Time in Vietnam! Photos and Stories from Hanoi

In November 2025, we took a 12-night Southeast Asia cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore. It was a gay cruise chartered by Atlantis Events on the Celebrity Solstice. We have been to Hong Kong before, so we arrived only the day before the cruise, stayed at the Airport Regal Hotel, then took a cab directly to the cruise terminal.

Our first stop was Halong Bay, the port closest to Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. Hanoi is 160 km inland from Halong. Our bus tour lasted over 12 hours, including a two-hour drive each way. The weather was gray and overcast all day, and it rained in the afternoon. Still, Hanoi was a beautiful, interesting city. We’re glad we got to experience it.

The first stop was the Hoa Lo Prison/Museum, where American POWs (including John McCain) were imprisoned during the Vietnam War. It was nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton.”

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High-fee Credit Cards and Airport Lounges: Are They Worth It?

[Commentary by Dave]

When we began our two years of travel in May 2025, I thought it might be nice to wait for our flights in an airport lounge, rather than in the always-crowded passenger boarding area. I had fond memories of business-class travel for Intel 25+ years ago, which included the privilege of visiting the airport lounge for first- and business-class ticket holders. Back then, the lounges were nicely decorated, quiet, not crowded, and offered a nice assortment of food and beverages.

After researching the various options and reading several online articles comparing various credit cards and their perks, I decided to apply for the Capital One Venture X card, which includes membership in Priority Pass, a network of over 1800 airport lounges worldwide. The Priority Pass membership included access for one guest. The Venture X card had an annual fee of $395, but since this more than covered the cost of a Priority Pass membership (according to the rates on their website), I figured it was worth it. I estimated we would probably consume at least $395 worth of food and beverages during our travels, and the calmer atmosphere would be enjoyable.

Still, this was sticker shock to me. I have never paid an annual fee for a credit card before. As it turns out, it was well worth it.

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One More Trip to Paradise

For many years, gay vacation company Atlantis Events booked out an entire resort in Puerto Vallarta for its customers. Initially, it was the Palace Vallarta resort; then Hard Rock bought it, renamed it, upgraded it, and added rock paraphernalia throughout the property. Either way, it was a wonderful, all-inclusive, all-gay experience. 

We first went in 2006. We returned every year, except 2008. To us, it was the perfect vacation: a beautiful resort, sunshine, good food, plentiful beverages, friendly staff, fun entertainment, relaxation, indulgence, and – most important – people like us. Each year, we made several new friends whom we looked forward to seeing again in subsequent years. Many returned year after year, as we did. It wasn’t just a bunch of people at a resort; it was a community. It was Gay Summer Camp (in late October).

We looked forward to this week all year long. We assumed there would always be a “next year” – until there wasn’t. (more…)

Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary in Vancouver

On August 13, 2005, we held our ceremonial wedding in Mesa, Arizona, with 75 family members, friends, and work colleagues in attendance. Everything was perfect, except one thing: No marriage license.

At that time, the only state in the US where same-sex couples could get legally married was Massachusetts, but same-sex marriage was legal throughout Canada. So five days later, on August 18, 2005, we were legally married in a small ceremony at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver. 

We returned to Vancouver on our 10th anniversary and again on our 20th. Here are some photos from our visit to Vancouver from August 16 to 20, 2025.

Here are a few photos from Queen Elizabeth Park. We couldn’t find the exact spot where our ceremony took place twenty years ago. The park has changed over the years. 

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There’s an M.C. Escher museum in The Hague, and it’s awesome!

Dave has been a fan of the works of Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher since college, when Escher paintings were sold as dorm room posters and many people displayed them in their rooms. 

Therefore, we were delighted to discover that there was a museum devoted entirely to M.C. Escher’s life and work a few blocks from our apartment in The Hague. The museum lived up to its potential and was well worth our visit.

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Asian Fusion Food Porn from The Hague, Netherlands

In The Hague, we stayed at 348 Suites, a building of apartments designed mainly for extended-stay business travelers. On the ground floor, there are two restaurants: Vapiano, an Italian restaurant where we ate pizza our first night, and Umami, an Asian fusion restaurant which came highly recommended by Tom, the friendly staff member who checked us in to our apartment.

There are several other restaurants in the square where 348 Suites is located, and we ate at two others during our stay.

One chilly, rainy evening, we chose to eat at Umami, which was mere steps from the entrance to 348 Suites. It was absolutely the most exquisite, memorable dinner of our trip.

We chose their Social Dining menu – a three-course dinner where we each picked two items from the menu for each course, which we shared. We opted for a wine pairing with each course. It came with dessert, as well. (more…)

A Rainy Day in Rotterdam

During our stay in The Hague, our final destination for this European vacation, we took a day trip to nearby Rotterdam. Actually, the weather was nice in the morning. The rain didn’t come until the afternoon. But it made for a catchy, alliterative headline.

We were impressed! It’s a modern, beautiful city with lots of unique, eye-catching architecture. The train station is a good example.

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Five Hours in Antwerp

While we were planning this trip, we considered which of the four most-visited cities in Belgium we would visit: Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, and/or Ghent. We decided to visit Brussels and Bruges and spend three nights/two days in each.

But the trip from Bruges to our next destination, The Hague, was only three hours, and Antwerp was on the way, so we decided to split the train ride into two 90-minute segments and spend about five hours in Antwerp.

We had several options for places to visit, but most were similar to places we had already visited in other cities. So we decided to visit the Museum aan de Stroom, a history and culture museum located on the waterfront.

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