In January 2014, I flew from China to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat. On the way from the airport to the hotel by taxi, I noticed the dilapidated buildings along the roads in the suburbs near Angkor Wat. This Southeast Asian country is much poorer and less developed than China. However, the ancient and magnificent temple complex of Angkor Wat opened my eyes during my second trip abroad.
That morning, the sun was particularly bright, giving a summery feeling. When I paused in front of an old, beautiful building at Angkor Wat, I thought it would be nice if someone could help me take a photo. I turned around and saw a handsome guy at my age with tan skin walking towards me. He asked in English, "Can you please help me take a photo here?" I agreed, as I also needed someone to take a photo for me.
After chatting for a bit, I learned that he was also Chinese, working in Russia, and had just returned to China for a family visit before traveling around Southeast Asia. His name was NI. I liked NI at first sight but wasn't sure if he was gay.
We ended up exploring Angkor Wat together. Before arriving in Cambodia, I had booked a river cruise project near Angkor Wat, and I invited NI to join me for free. In the tuk-tuk, we started talking. He mentioned that he had just arrived from Bangkok and had gotten drunk at a bar the night before, sleeping on the street until he woke up early morning.
I asked which bar, and he said DJ STATION (a famous gay bar in Bangkok). I was pleasantly surprised; he was subtly coming out to me. I said, "So you're gay too? I am as well." He replied that he had already seen me on the gay social app.
NI knew the address of my hotel, and unexpectedly, he came to find me at my hotel the next afternoon without any prior notice. I was staying in a very basic hotel to save money, and I felt particularly awkward when he arrived at my room.
Later, we went to his hotel, which was much nicer. In the hotel courtyard, I asked him if he wanted to have sex with me before he left, but he said he had a Polish boyfriend and politely declined. Although I was disappointed, we still spent the next few days together exploring. On his last night before leaving, he treated me to a fancy dinner.
Afterward, he returned to Russia, and I decided to travel to Bangkok overland. In the following days, we occasionally chatted on WeChat, but as time went by, we stopped talking with each other.