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A minaret is a distinctive architectural feature of mosques and this one was taken outside the great Blue Mosque in Istanbul today! The others are from the Blue Mosque as well. I went on a tour inside. It is still an active Mosque so you must take your shoes off before you go inside and there are those that are praying. It was a beautiful Mosque!

Looks like he took Martha's advice and is already practicing for Prison ?

That's what the attorney representing six Kentucky gay couples said today about the state's brief defending its ban on gay marriage. Governor Steve Beshear says that "it isn't discriminatory because it bars both gay and straight people from same-sex unions." Wonder if we should be looking forward to some kind of absurdity olympics as the contenders beef up. All we need is a host city.

Is it later yet?

I have eaten at many places including a fish place near the bridge and a restaurant called Platinum near the old city and it has a glass floor that you can see the caverns below. very cool. But, for photos, here is one place I ate outside the palace that I liked the kabob's.

I have always been fascinated with the ancient Ottoman Empire since hearing about it in high school. I have always wanted to visit Istanbul. My trip is not so much boytoy or moneyboy related but more of a cultural photo perspective. I am not Tomcal and I don't have tons of boy photos. I am not Firecat and have tons of sex adventures. But, I am enjoying my time in this magical land and I hope some of you will enjoy the photos and the adventure as well. Day 1: Spice Market The Spice Market, or the Egyptian Market, is one of the coolest places to go in Istanbul. It is one of the larger markets and inside you will find tons of spices and places that make Turkish Delight. Naturally, I had to buy a box or two. It was originally called the New Market as it was next to a Mosque that was built from taxes from the Egyptian treasury. There was a big crowd there today but still it was enjoyable to see.

mvan1- Thanks for all your posts. There is no such thing as too much detail if it is a subject about which I wish to learn. Many "technical" subjects intrigue me, such as this thread. Please continue any time as you please. I admit to being a frequent hijacker or at least co-conspirator but never with malice aforethought. Only humor, implied or actual. Best regards, RA1

Thank you for your very reasonable response to my copying your question then my using your question for the basis to start a new thread about cell phones in Brazil. I hope that you will have an easy time when you decide which telephone carrier to use while in Brazil. Considering the high probability that you will not find a telephone employee that knows English, be sure to prepare a translation in Portuguese requesting a prepaid SIM card then bring that translation, along with a copy of your passport, to the phone company outlet that you choose. Your having these documents will make it easy for you to accomplish the objective of getting a working Brazilian SIM card. If you get a working SIM card for Brazil, please report back and let us know how things went. There will be others who might also want to obtain a Brazilian SIM card. Your experience will be an additional guide to those folks.

Hi Mvan, I couldnt have thank you more for responding in details and properly move my question to new thread, I am still learning the forum. and thanks to others helping other solo travellers like me ...I will do the same. :-)

Well, for a rsponse from someone who lives here: 1)There are already two BRT lines completed in the metro area with a third nearing completion and the fourth under construction but planned not to be ready for the Olympics. 2) The two-level Elevado Joa which runs from Barra to Sao Conrado is being doubled with a second structure and tunneling as well as a separate smaller tunnel for bicyclists and pedestrians. 3)I've been here for the World Youth Journey in 2013 and the World Cup in 2014 and things seemed to run pretty smoothly. Except for the flooded field past Recreio in 2013 where the final celebration was to be held and then moved to the beach in Copacabana. One thing they did during the World Cup at the Maracana and I assume that they will do again for the Games, if you didn't have a ticket you didn't get within a great distance of the stadium. So I have my doubts that if tourists are planning on coming to Rio for the excitement and not plnning on purchasing tickets, they wil not be getting close to the venues. 4)In 2013, some of the Peregrines were being housed out past Sao Goncalo in rental bedrooms, and even by me we had pilgrims from one of the Baltic states. 5)That many new hotel rooms, I doubt. For Reveillon, there are usually around 6 or so cruise ships docked at the Praca Maua, so maybe they can squeeze in a few more or even more at the naval base or at the container port further west, 6) I was quite surprised at how well organized things seemed in both 2013 and 2014. So I think it could be a pleasant surprise at how well things might run. And if one has been to Copacabana for Reveillon, it is a marvel at how quickly the city government can move a million people to the north and away from the beaches. 7) Biggest problems will be the complaints about the water for the events in the ocean, Guanabara Bay and Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Really filthy all around. The politicos have been dragging their feet and lining their pockets for nearly 25 years. 8) I just got back from a month in Europe. Having been at the airports in London T-5, Amsterdam, Brussels, Barcelona and Madrid - Barajas T-4, I fear that the substandard facilites at Galeao will be a nightmare.

Part of Martha Stewart's bit: ...When she took the podium, she said she was there to give Justin some tips for when he "inevitably ends up in prison." After offering to teach him how to make a shank, Stewart advised Justin to settle down and find a powerful, rich girl who's "a player in the boardroom and a freak in the bedroom." And with that, she quipped, "So Justin, my final piece of advice is: Call me." BOOM. http://www.mtv.com/n...-central-roast/

I hadn't heard him before. He's quite handsome. Here's his breakout hit Budapest.

Well theoretically I'm 3 different people here, so I should have 3 times as many "likes" as everyone else. Hey, it's only fair.

Do ya think we can get away with it? It's totally ridiculous! Yeah but can we get away with it? . . . . .

AdamSmith likes MsAnn Not anymore!

"In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread." Anatole France Lookin, while such a law might at first glance seem to have a slightly disparate impact on gays, that doesn't necessarily mean there was any intent to discriminate on the part of the Kentucky legislature.

Hopefully! Just went back and grabbed a bunch of yours. Pretty soon I should have a couple thousand back in the kitty!

The Hagia Sophia was a Greek Orthodox Church and then a Mosque and now a museum. It portrays many beautiful mosaics from the New Testament and it very lovely to see. It also tells a lot about the value that the Turkish placed on historical buildings. It is a example of Byzantine architecture and it was the largest domed church in the world for nearly 1,000 years. The church was converted to a Muslim Mosque when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople and many of the Christian symbols were destroyed but the building itself stood tall. Today was rainy and wet and messy and there was a line around the block. My driver told me at least 2 hours. I was not willing to wait. But, a guy approached us and said for an extra 3USD he would take me to the front of the line and get me in. I was doubtful but agreed. It worked great and no wait time. He did the same thing for the Cistern an hour or two later. I tipped him both times and he followed me saying “my friend, my friend.” LOL But, I think I pissed off more than a few who were waiting properly with umbrellas and rain gear.

I moved your question about phones into a new thread because your question does not related to the price of garotos at dinner or overnight. It is called "hijacking" to bring up a new topic in an established thread. Provided your telephone is truly "unlocked" from your carrier, you should be able to buy and use a SIM card in Brazil. You can buy SIM cards on the street but I would advise against that . This is because you have to register the SIM card and you will not understand what is being asked of you while registering. Also, you probably do not have a CPF number which you would need if you try to register a street purchased SIM card. Alternatively, you can go to the telephone companies of the various telephone providers in Brazil and they will sell a SIM card to you and register it for you using your passport number. Therefore, be sure to make a copy of the data information of your passport so that you can bring the copy with you to whichever phone company you select. Don't bring your original passport. Remember to bring your telephone with you to the phone company so that the agent can get the SIM card up and running. I personally use TIM as my Brazil telephone carrier. TIM coverage is not as good as some other carriers in Brazil, but it is okay in most areas. You must tell the telephone company that you want a "prepaid" or "prepago" plan. A prepaid plan costs about R3. daily on days you use the phone for data use. If you call other telephone numbers that use the same telephone company provider you use, there will not be any charge or the charge will be only twenty-five centavos for the entire call up to one hour in duration. If you call to other cell numbers with different providers, you will pay as much as R$1.59 each minute. Considering you plan to use a translator with the SIM card, you definitely need a data plan. Try to make this clear to the person at whichever telephone company you choose. Don't be frustrated if the people at the phone company do not speak English. You can "wing it" and get the SIM card working in less than an hour from the time you first buy the card until it is functional. Good luck

BIG HACK NEWS -- I found that you can UNLIKE old posts that you had Liked, and the liberated Likes immediately become available for you to use again, on any post! Go way back to old posts though, so that whoever posted the thing you just un-Liked will not be looking that far back, and get offended by your un-liking them.

For those not interested in sex, can anyone share any experiences hiring hot Brazilian guys for massages with mutual touch, or strippers for private dances with touching? Do the go-go dancers at clubs allow touching for tips? I'm not interested in escorts who will massage or dance if asked, but rather the boy next door straight types who may not go as far as an escort, but would allow their muscles to be explored for the right price.

Although garotos in Brazil might find your request unusual from requests made by most clients, remember, you are the client. If you select a garoto and limit the garoto to non sexual activities, I don't think you will have a problem. If you hire a garoto solely for purposes described in your post, I suggest that you remain in a sauna while you are engaged with the garoto rather than inviting the garoto to your hotel. Your description of what you prefer is common in the U S and while hiring some escorts from internet sites. However, in Brazil, sex does not come with taboos found in the U S and in many other countries. Therefore, if you invite a garoto to a cabine in Brazil, the garoto is going to expect that you will engage him for sex and might think you are joking with him about not wanting sex. If you make it perfectly clear that you want the garoto solely for the purposes you described, I suggest that you have a Portuguese speaker explain your request to the garoto you select prior to going to a cabine. Thus, the answer to your questions is, yes. You can hire a garoto for massage with mutual touch. Most garotos would likely be a bit puzzled why you would not engage him for sex but most would go along with your request. As I wrote, you are the client. The garoto can say "yes or no" and you go from that point. As to finding strippers for private dances, I have not encountered that in any of my many trips to Brazil. If you are intent on "tipping" a garoto but not engaging the garoto for sex, all you need do is visit most saunas. In the saunas you will find the type of guy you described. Many garotos walk around the sauna wearing only a towel. There is no rule against your tipping a garoto while you both engage in mutual touch.

Oz, I just got back from 4 weeks in Europe. At the Casa Mila in Barcelona, Alcazar in Seville and Alhambra and Generalife in Granada, I paid the extra 3-5Euros to go to the head of the line with a guide.

Actually 18 as Sybil herself had 16 personalities.

:rofl:

I "like" this, but reserve my right to retract it at any time and for any reason.

+1 to Zipper for finding that quote (if it's not real, it should be ). I think the Beib's "come to Jesus" moment at the end would have come off a lot better if he had had his spiel memorized rather than reading it off a teleprompter. Also the Beib as lesbian meme went on & on & on & on...& on...& on... & on... & on... And of course we all know the pretty boy is straight so that makes the faggot jokes even funnier, right?

LOL, RA1 probably favors the aspirin method of birth control, too.

Damn, Oz: Is this coincidental or what? Just this morning I canceled the trip to Spain and Portugal in 2016 and have now opted to travel to Turkey to Istanbul and to the places mentioned by Ms Ann. Haven't decided on a specific date, for the tour is greater than a year away, but I am excited anyway and will begin reading and planning. I truly appreciate your sharing the enticing photos which are brilliant on my computer screen.

Axiom, very happy we have corrupted you! More pathways to pleasure are always good.

I didn't see that special television presentation, but within the last six months "The Bieber" has begun to excite me. I've found him to be one of those guys who I'd love to lick all over, give one hell of a torrid, tongue bath, and slap that tight ass of his! I'm sorry to be venting the preceding, but I'd really like to work him over lovingly and nicely and have both of us bask in as many "afterglows" as possible! [i've never been interested in "Twinks" or "Minks," so to speak, until coming to this website and to certain forums, reading and viewing what others have written! Thanks, guys!]

There, I gave you one of mine. BIG SECRET HACK -- I found that you can go back and UNLIKE old posts that you had Liked, and the Likes immediately become available for you to use again! Hopefully whoever posted it will not be looking way back at old posts and get offended by your un-liking them.

I also loved Steven King's response: @StephenKing Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration act is gay discrimination, pure and simple. You can frost a dog turd, but it's still a dog turd. As for this thread, I love the topic but hate personal attacks. Please stick to the topic.

Sure wish I could have stood with you under the dome in the Hagia Sophia! A few weeks ago, there was an interesting program on Nova trying to figure out how that amazing structure, huge and open as it was, could stand solidly for 1500 years in earthquake country. They also used some high-tech gizmos to peer behind the centuries of changes to see what some of the original Christian adornments looked like. Apparently, no shortage of gold in those days!

WOW

My first night I did meet a taxi driver that was very cute. He had manicured hands, clean shaven and designer clothes. I asked him where the gay bars were just to find out if he was gay and he told me. He and I chatted. It was a bad chat as he speaks no English. But, i did take him to dinner that night. He was very sweet and taller than me (I'm 6'2"). I have another meeting with him on the trip and he will take me back to airport when I leave.

Thank you! I did see them. Wonderful! I also loved the Harem Room. I have been in the EU side as I am at the Intercon and it is adjacent to Taksim Square. Great area and easy to get everywhere. But, traffic is horrible. I did a Turkish Bath as well. LOVED it! More to come on that later. Thank you. I will try on next trip. I only have one more day and I have a tour in AM. And, Ephesus is 9 hour driver away.

Fascinating city. I remember taking the ferry across to the Asian side of the river, just so I could say I have been on the Asian continent. Hope you get to try out a Turkish Bath.

Love this Oz. great photographs. Hope you enjoy Istanbul. Do not miss Ephesus, it is a must see, as is the Temple Basilica of St. John.

Day 2 The Bosphorus River Cruise The Bosphorus River runs through Istanbul. It is a legendary river that has been in many films and the mansions that were build on the River date back to the Ottoman empire. There was one that a sultan just purchased for 125 Million USD to renovate for his 2nd wife. The river gives you a nice view of beautiful homes, several bridges, the huge Rumelihisar fortress as well as tons of homes that fill the mountain tops of the river areas. The cruise was a great time but the weather was cold and taking photos in an open air boat got this New Yorker, really cold!

I have hired guides for my first 10 or so trips and loved it. For me, it was well worth the money. Back then, it was 100 USD per day. It was money well spent as I had a great guy that gave me advice and helped me to navigate the boys and the scene. I also used my guide to do the negotiating in the saunas and never once missed a guy I wanted as we understood everything up front. I have seen Tom in the saunas and he does not need a guide. (maybe one that slows him down) But, I found for me, that I loved it. Even when I was there with Tom on last trip, he talked to a few boys for me and IPHGuy talked to some others. Honestly, for someone so bad in understanding another language, this helped out a great deal! If you have a good guy recommendation, hire him and test the waters.

As a new reader I am glad that this was moved to a separate thread, otherwise I might have missed it...Having a phone that works in Brazil is something I am thinking about. Thanks

It is called helping other readers, but you apparently are incapable of seeing that. The person who made the unrelated post is new to the forum. He is excited about his upcoming trip to Brazil. I feel certain that he did not intend to hijack the thread. In this world, we have some people who like to help other people. On the other hand, we also have people who enjoy being difficult. If you were a traveler to Brazil, I think you might appreciate a thread on Brazil cell phones. I am puzzled why you are so worked up over this trivial matter.

Are you joking? There is a lot of discussion against hijacking threads. The post concerning cell phones had absolutely nothing to do with that thread concerning how much to pay garotos for dinner or overnights. I am puzzled why you do not see that. That is why I think you might be joking with your postings. The issue of a cell phone in Brazil interests many who travel to Brazil. Many readers will be helped by my information. Starting a new thread and moving the related question concerning a Brazil cell phone should hardly be the basis for such responses by you. Please tell me that you are joking!

You misunderstood. I said I moved his question, not the thread. The thread is titled - How much do you pay Garotos for dinner and overnight ? What does a cell phone have to do with how much to pay a garoto for dinner or an overnight? For those who actually travel to Brazil, it is useful to know how to obtain a working cell phone while there. Consequently, the topic of a cell phone deserves its own thread rather than the topic being buried with an unrelated subject. Oh, and it is NOT a "power" to copy a question and repost the question in a new thread.

Hello guys, This is my first post at this forum. Hope my previous experience could be of any help. Cuba is a paradise for meeting awesome men. I mean AWESOME. I have been traveling to Cuba in the last five years, about twice per year. I don't want to write a long post; just some advices: 1. If you want to meet a lot of Cuban men, DO NOT stay at a hotel. Use "casas particulares". You can find decent places for about 30 CUC (45 USD) very well located, and you can do anything you want. 2. Expect to pay about 20-40 CUC per man. Mulatos and black guys are cheaper. White and muscled, expensive. If size does matter for you, check it before close the deal. It is a myth that all the Cuban guys are well endowed. 3. If you want wild experiences, don't lock with a guy in particular. They are very territorial about their "yumas" (foreign customers) and you don't want a scene. 4. Having said that, you can go with confidence. It is one of the safest places in Latin America. Just use your common sense. You're not in a runway showing luxury jewelry, expensive clothes, etc. Don't temp them. 5. If you don't speak Spanish well, I highly recommend you hire a companion for the trip. Someone confident will be escorting you to the hot places, keep an eye in your belonging, helping with the restaurants, etc. It is one of your wisest investments. I still hire the same one since years ago, just to make everything easier. 6. I know a lot of people love the "local" places, the "paladares". Keep in mind some of these are really a scam. I have had very mixed experiences of these. If you want a decent (I said decent, not a 3-star Michelin experience) there are restaurants that, for about 20-30 CUC, you will have a different level of service. Yes, these are run by the government. 7. If you expect the typical shyness and service attitude found in other countries in Latin America, in Cuba, forget it. Most of the Cuban guys don't have a sense of prudence and they will ask for things without hesitation. In this sense, a local guide make all these things clear. 8. There are parties all the week long. Ask the guys where is the "fiesta" today. Anyway, if it happen you go to Cuba soon, let me know. It is in my short-term agenda!