Travel, Rod Fleming's World

09/06/202620/06/2026

The Ladyboy Trap: What to avoid in dating

Originally posted 2021-05-04 12:13:25.

Well, so there you are. You find yourself with an attraction to ladyboys, traps. transsexuals, whatever. These are not your Western fetishistic transvestites a la Bruce ‘Caitlyn’ Jenner.

This is about ladyboys, or in Latin America and southern Europe, travestis. They are amongst the most gorgeous girls you’ll ever meet and while they do have their foibles, are generally easy to deal with, as long as you avoid the Ladyboy Trap.

We’re talking about sex crazy, man-obsessed homosexuals who live as girls — and are more beautiful than most. They are wonderful, gorgeous, so sexy that just watching a ladyboy walking down the street will get your dick hard. And they are the Ladyboy Trap. Yes. Those ones right there.

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10/06/2025

Happy New Year 2017 from the Philippines

Originally posted 2017-01-09 07:18:45.

Well, a belated Happy New Year to everyone and my apologies for the long hiatus.

I came here to the Philippines in early December after three months of flat-out work, to the point of exhaustion. I achieved a lot but I think regular readers would have noticed that my focus was not on the blog here but on other things, notably my new books — of which, more later.

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10/06/2025

Philippines 2016: Markets and Mountains

Originally posted 2016-07-21 12:30:35.

The Philippines has become very important to me over the last four years. It’s now the focus of much of my life and I want to spend more time there. The winters in France are just too cold for me now.

When you visit a country for longer periods, months at a time, as I do, you can’t do quite what the holiday tourist does. It’s partly to do with budgets but also with burnout. You have to learn to chill and take it easy.

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10/06/2025

Philippines Diary: Jeepneys

Originally posted 2015-01-28 14:52:34.

Most people have at least heard about jeepneys, the ubiquitous, colourful and incredibly noisy backbone of the Philippines public transport system. For those who have not, you’ll catch up.

The first jeepneys were in fact modified Willys Jeeps that the Americans left behind. The enterprising pinoys lengthened the chassis and fitted seats. Now they are custom built with stainless steel, all-enclosed bodywork and diesel engines.

Most jeepneys are 20-seaters; 18 in the back and 2 in the front, guv. This makes them unquestionably the friendliest form on transport on the planet, because actually there’s only enough room for 16 in the back and we are talking kitten-hipped pinoys here.

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10/06/2025

Peggy Reeves Sanday: life in a Modern Matriarchy

Originally posted 2020-10-05 15:00:16.

Dr Peggy Reeves Sanday is best known for her work amongst a tribal people called the Minangkabau who live in Indonesia. They are also called the Urang Padang and are the largest ethnic group on the island of Sumatra, whose traditional homeland is the west-central highlands. While these are notionally Muslim, they actually follow what is locally called an ‘adat’ which is a tribal set of beliefs, permitted under the local form of Islam. There are many of these.

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10/06/2025

Ladyboys by the Sea and Botticelli

Originally posted 2017-07-22 00:16:22.

Beach beer and paddling with ladyboys in the Philippines. I wonder what the collective noun would be here? A delight of ladyboys? Pictures made in 2016.

Jelly and I went to the beach to relax and drink beer with some ladyboy friends. Two, Azumi and Icey, paddled around in the water and I photographed them. Icey reminded me of Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’. She had amazing – dyed of course – auburn hair that fell in cascades around her face and adopted a perfect contrapposto, holding a towel over her head to keep off the sun.

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10/06/2025

Kabaklaan: the performance of beauty

Originally posted 2020-04-29 18:49:58.

Transwomen in the Philippines are classified locally as ‘gay’. The specific word used might be ‘bakla’, ‘beki’, ‘bayot’, ‘bading’ or any one of several others, depending on location and dialect.

Note that here, ‘gay’ does not mean what it does in the West. It means you are male but not a man; that you have ‘green blood’. In Luzon, the most popular local term is ‘bakla’. Their lifestyle is called ‘kabaklaan’ and it is centred on the performance of beauty.

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10/06/2025

Subic in July with Sam

Originally posted 2019-08-12 12:37:51.

Subic beach trip in July 2019 with Sam. Excellent stuff. Here’s the video.

10/06/202511/03/2026

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Originally posted 2017-01-15 06:00:48.

Some time ago I visited Bataan, here in the Philippines, for the first time. I was amazed by the scenery, which is remarkable; beautiful mountains, beaches and sea views, amongst everything else. What a richness this country has! Anyway, the highlight of the tour was when a friend suggested going to Las Casas de Acuzar at Bagac.

Bagac is south of Olongapo on Subic Bay and is accessible by bus. Once again, the scenery en route is spectacular.

I was expecting a beach and maybe a nice old village — my friend and guide, Belgie, said ‘There are old houses’. I wasn’t even slightly prepared for what I saw.

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10/06/2025

Hairy is not an option: attraction and revulsion

Originally posted 2019-01-06 07:22:45.

Women should not be hairy. Not if they want to attract men, anyway. I mean feminists have fuck all chance of attracting a man anyway, so for them, who cares? But for all other women, being hairy is a real no-no; well, it is if they want a man.

I’ll admit to being averse to hairy. I find it very offputting. Once, years ago, I was dating — in between relationships, having as much fun as possible; and believe me when I tell you, a single man can have a lot of fun in Manila — when I was approached by a femboy. A short-hair bakla, that is. He suggested meeting for coffee at a place near my condo so I couldn’t refuse. Jeff, he was called.

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