Leaderboard

Not sure if its the same boy but... Yes he is tall, yes he is muscular, and he has some tattoos, but not full of tattoos. He also doesn't want anyone knowing he is a GP. More on this later, when I write about him. Haha. Well it's still nice to get the temperature of the room. My trip reports are too long, too detailed, and too rambling even for me. Thanks for the more than ample encouragement. Some of you, privately, took umbrage with the fact that I wrote these three words, signifying that I was starving for attention. My intention was to footnote every “Day 0: Setup” post with this “Continue or no?” question, as more of a flourish or rhetorical question that it is a call for votes to see if I am popular or not. It’s always nice to get feedback, but that’s not the main reason why I write my drivel. I write about my adventures primarily because I enjoy writing, and it helps me to take stock of what just happened, especially because these Brazil trips are always super intense and always somewhat life changing. Every. Single. Trip. Traveling alone is a sort of punishment you give yourself. You willingly thrust yourself at the mercy of strangers, in a strange land, with strange customs, and sleeping in a strange bed, eating strange food, and speaking a strange language. But it does change you, always, for the better, because, as the saying goes, “adversity builds character.” So guys, for the few who are reading, I hope you enjoy the trip report!

Tomcal you should open a Brazilian style sauna there!

I originally planned on spending 12 days at my house in Mexico in mid January with my favorite guy from Sao Paulo who had been there last may. first a little recent history! I met him through a sauna guy i had known for 3 years, but he had never worked in a sauna. when I was in Sao Paulo a few weeks ago I asked him what he wanted to do and he said "could we go see lagoa?" I answered yes so fast I think I scared him! He is 25 and lived in SP his whole life but never been to the sauna! Since it was the weekend by the time we got there at 6:30 it was very busy We ran into a guy I knew from Rio and met two other guys I knew and I asked him if he was interested in going with any of them? He said Yes but only with you....so the 5 of us went up to a room and had a really great time, part of it was due to the fact we knew each other. the next night we repeated going to Lagoa again and met up with different guys. So when I was there I arranged for him to come to Mexico in January. it turns out he is good friends with the Brazilian who works in the travel agency in Cancun, who used to dance at the Boardwalk in Ft.Lauderdale and who I met 3 years ago! So he asked if he could come over for a week when we are there and given that he is gdlkg, and has a 9" thick dick, sealed the deal! So we figured the 3 of us would have a great time, then 4 days ago a Guy I met last year in Rio and was only with one night but we hit it off and have stayed in contact when he moved to Barcelona earlier this year! He called to say he was coming to Cancun but wanted to know if he could stay with us in Merida for a week when we are there? so I shared his photo with the two other guys and he got two thumbs up! and everyone said the 4 of us will all fit in a King size bed! Then tonight I got a call from a Mexican guy who lives in Mexico city and met at a party I had when I first got the house 2 years ago. He had a BF at the time but he was a pretty wild guy, he called to see when I was going to be in Merida and when I told him the date but said there were 3 Brazilians staying with me and he goes "great! are they hung?" lol I told him that while there are two master bedrooms everyone was staying in the one and there wouldn't be room for him this time. He goes "I can fit!" I said I would ask the 3 Brazilians and see what they thought...they all said "Its going to be 10 days of parties! we can put 4 more guys in the other bedroom!"

The point of both sites has been and always will be to encourage gay male escorts to make money and a place for men who hire them to have a safe place to talk, chat and learn. I think we have both accomplished that over the years. I have always been glad there were multiple sites devoted to the love of escorts. It is one of my passions and thus why I will be around doing this for the long haul.

This used to be a quiet respectable town.....

I did not put this in the political forum as I do not think it is political. If you have not seen the video of Bob Dole saluting Bush's casket, please view it. It is very moving.

That day I am moving to Merida.

The situation has probably changed with time. I have mentioned several times boytoy at the other site, without any consequences. My honest opinion is that Daddy's is the best resource for American escorts related issues, and Boytoy has that place for international escorts. This opinion has been shared multiple times without suffering any consequences. I even recommended everyone to come and sign up here during the closing. It is true that over there there are not only admin but also members with a negative attitude towards boytoy, and viceversa here. However I think time is healing the wounds. I started my connection with our subculture through Daddy's, and was always intrigued by that animosity. I finally joined here to research the history and found everything somewhere in the sandbox. Sad. I am glad I was not involved in that situation. Otherwise, I would probably be in the same situation many friends are now, unable to move on. We are a very small community, stigmatized even by many LGBQT friends and always at risk of being targeted by law enforcement and policy making. I think it is time to move on and work together for our common goals. We should be looking for outside allies to lobby for a more sex positive, and sex work positive culture and legislation. Instead, we are bitching against each other. I am sure I have been guilty many times, but I promise I will try to make a better job.

If you mention Boytoy at the other site, you risk being banned. That's been the case for a long time.

First ForidaRob moved there 4 years ahead of me so that started the slide in to debauchery!! well it all arranged! 3 of us are arriving Thursday within a 1/2 hour of each other all on different airlines(Merida is a small but international airport!) the other guys arrive the next day! I told the cleaning staff to do their work thursday and then don’t come back for 2 weeks!(all of these guys are very neat and no one leaves their shit laying around), i am actually the messiest! the one i am actually close to being in love with(but not yet)! But he is already planning out the 12 days we are there since he already has visited and knows the venues!

I have had multiple posters email me asking me not to remove this thread to the Sandbox (even visible to all participating members). I disagree. But, I'll let it stay on the main forum for a bit with the understanding that any attack on another poster will incur a penalty. Play nice. Stay on topic. As you can see from the above, this turned into a pissing contest. STOP!

Salve Divino Tomcal!

I liked Maureen Dowd's article. Quiet moving at times. Service was beautiful.

The M4M forums have a long history of uneven moderation. So you can mention boytoy now. Great, but who knows if it will change again tomorrow? Maybe the future there is all rainbows and unicorns. Maybe we'll get another round of biased bans after the next tidal wave of nastiness rolls through. I think the track record makes the second more likely. Personally, I'm of the "fooled me once" school and am not interested in re-engaging over there. But, if you find them valuable and enjoy them, then have at. Nobody is stopping you (well except the random monthlong shutdown...) I do think it's legitimate to warn people about this history over there though, because history does tend to repeat. People who have really been on the receiving end of that uneven moderation and bias are likely to be more vocal about that distaste.

I wonder why you bother answering to him. For a very long time, he hasn’t been a member of M4M, yet he claims to know what is going in there better than us. Sure, RH, you know and we don’t, sure. We are stupid and you are not. Also keep writing to me in this long winded style, as if I have time to actually read it. You are getting everything right!

I've been fascinated by the coverage. It's very dignified and respectful, which I find refreshing and mature. The family entered today unannounced, to meet and greet the visitors. I saw Dole. I agree it was very moving. And then there was beautiful Sully, Bush's service dog. James Baker has been making the rounds, and his personal friendship story is amazing. Baker was a Democrat and changed his party affiliation to work for and support his dear friend. Now that's friendship. Most amazing to me, and it got a lot of buzz this week, was Maureen Dowd's very personal piece in the NY Times. They had an ongoing friendship for many years, which he often kept from family members to keep the peace. He would meet with her privately and lie about it. Many secrets were revealed in the article, and it made me wonder how the family deals with that emotionally. I love reading about these truths after someone dies. And, supposedly, Bush viewed Bill Clinton as another son. He was bedside with Hillary after Bill's open heart surgery. Fascinating.

Nice. There is a whole site that he started. Check it out: http://hooboy.com

Oh my! You football fans are so butch! I like the smooth swimmers and divers SO much more!

It is very moving indeed, but it is hard to say it is not political. We are mourning the Republic, it seems.

It is so enlightening the way this conversation turned. Welcome to the Sandbox. (For you newbies out there, the Sandbox is the place we sent threads that I won't delete but only members can see and thus they die a quick death)

I was lucky to stay in Colombia in April 2018. I had visited Medellin, Cartagena, Cali, Barranquilla and Pereira, staying in each city for 5-7 days. Colombia is a beautiful county and the people are generally very nice. Grindr works wonders in every city. Following is my brief report, in a logical way of writing per se. First of all, three warnings: 1. Underage problem: In Grindr and on the streets, I had seen some (while not a lot) under age boys contacting gringos. Some of boys would say straight that they are 16 or 17 years old while some pretend to be 18 or 19 years old but without a valid ID. Never put oneself in a compromised situation because having sex with under age boys or girls is a major crime in Colombia (illegal in most countries as well). While I had not seen fake IDs in Colombia, be very careful and smart. (when I was in Havana，I saw quite a few fake IDs, particular from men of Santiago de Cuba). 2. In Medelline, there are quite a few homeless-looking drug-addictive young men selling candies and approaching gringos. They are regulars of Metro Barrio and Park Bolivar and they could be dangerous in many ways, sometimes they getting violent. Better stay away from them and completely ignore them. 3. Policemen in their twenties are very cute and very attractive in Colombia. hmmm, is there a way... or not? **** Medellín: more the abundant men to meet, from Grindr or from the streets (in particular, Metro barrio and park Bolivar). The price of a massage, typically ranges from 50 thousand Colombia pesos to 100 thousand, but it could be as low as 30 thousand (11 dollars). The men are more of twink-type, cute and slim. There are many motels for hourly rent in the center (around Metro barrio and park Bolivar) with a cost between 8000 pesos to 15000. The city of Medellín is quite beautiful, so called a city of eternal-spring. It often rains a lot in late afternoon or at night in April. The living cost of Medellín is very low, a good meal for 10000-20000 pesos and a nice apartment for 100-200 thousand pesos per night. It is generally safe in Medellín but it is advised not to walk in the center at night. **** Cartagena: more the abundant men to meet, mostly from Grindr . The price of a massage, typically ranges from 100 thousand Colombia pesos to 150 thousand. The men of Cartagena are from many other cities such as nearby Barranquilla and Bogota and Medellín. They are usually more muscular than Medellín. There are many motels for hourly rent in the old town (walled city) with a cost between 10000 pesos to 20000. The old town of Cartagena is very charming and has a colonial feel to it. Cartagena is a great place to visit. The old town is also very safe. It is of no problem to walk at night in the old town alone. there are also lots of international tourists in the city. The weather is a bit hot during the day in April, but cool at night with breeze from the ocean. The living cost of Cartagena is higher than Medellín, probably 30-50% higher. **** Barranquilla: abundant men to meet, mostly from Grindr . While Barranquilla is close to Cartagena (only 2 hours of driving), Barranquilla is a lot more conservative than Cartagena. For example, men from Grindr here are more cautious to communicate and tend to cover their faces in the profile photos. It is also a lot harder to find a motel in the city. (There is a motel called "secretos" on Cra. 53# 68-204 in the center, with a hourly price 16000 pesos). The price of a massage, to my surprise, is somewhat higher than Cartagena. Barranquilla is an industrial city and I did not find any place particularly interesting to visit. The living cost of Barranquilla is higher than Medellín. **** Pereira: abundant men to meet, mostly from Grindr. Pereira is a smaller version of Medellín. A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia, including the part of the Andes in Colombia. The main cities of the Paisa region are Medellín, Pereira, Manizales and Armenia. There are quite a few motels in the center around plaza bolivar. The price of a massage is from 100 thousand pesos and 150 thousand. Similar to Medellin, Pereira is also a city of eternal-spring. The surrounding mountains and cafe areas are spectacular and relaxing. The living cost of Pereira is probably 20% less than Medellin. **** Cali: more the abundant men to meet from Grindr. The price of a massage, typically ranges from 100 thousand Colombia pesos to 150 thousand, but once I was quoted at 150 US dollars! It surprised me because it far exceeded the average living cost in Cali. The men in Cali are very attractive, handsome and muscular. There are some motels for hourly rent in the area of San Antonio（for example, there is one called “Diosa Del Amar”）. The city of Cali is beautiful but I didn't find any place particularly interesting to visit. The weather is very nice in April, neither hot or cold. The living cost of Cali I feel is higher than Medellín. I think the people of Cali is the most attractive (twink-ish face with muscular body) in Colombia and Paisa come in a second. But over all, I would rank Medellin 9 out of 10, both Cartagena and Cali 8 out of 10, Pereira 7 out 10 and finally Barranquilla 6 out of 10. Again it surprises me that the cost of play in less touristic cities like Cali and Barranquilla is higher than that of more touristic cities like Cartagena and Medellin. In conclusion, I have had a great time in Colombia during the one-month travel. In particular, all the men I met had been courteous and respectful. I am looking forward to my next visit to Colombia, and my visit to cities of Santa Martha, Leticia (amazon), and Bucaramanga.

Day 0: The Setup So I can’t claim the term “newbie” anymore, as this would be my fourth trip to Brazil in 10 months. I do feel that I am not an expert yet, compared to some of you here. But I have gotten over my initial hang-ups with Brazil (dangerous, language barrier, samba overkill) and can honestly say that I am thoroughly comfortable with visiting the country and mixing it up with the locals. To clarify my three hang ups above: dangerous – I still think it is still pretty fucking dangerous, but one can manage the risks when one gets there; language barrier – Portuguese is still a difficult language to learn for me, but I am getting along faster than I thought I would at this stage; samba overkill – this has changed, it is now “funk” overkill, like what reggeaton is to Colombia. This trip was different from the three other Brazil trips I’ve had so far. Those other trips were planned well in advance, with fares bought many months beforehand, and hotels and AirBNBs booked before the good options were snatched away. This trip was spontaneous in comparison. Because of all the fun that was had on the previous trip, I just had to book the next trip as soon as I got home, and only 3 weeks before the actual start of the next trip. My usual preparation: 1. The journey, not the arrival, matters As one would expect, booking less than a month away from the start of the trip yielded far less trip deals ($1000 to $1500 RT) from California. So I buckled down and did a hybrid booking on two separate tickets: I cashed in 25,000 Avios points on my British Airways account from Miami to Sao Paulo on LATAM, and another 25,000 Avios points from Sao Paulo back to Miami, this time on American. And then I paid $350 for a roundtrip from California to get to Miami on American to hop on these Brazil flights. Since these bookings are separate tickets, there was always a danger of missing and losing flights if my first flight from and back to California was delayed. But $350 and 50,000 points were better than $1000 at this point. 2. Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future If you remember last trip, Diego, the garoto de programa who left me and my friends in a sauna for actual paying customers: After the trip I gave him the last 500 reals he needed for him to be able to leave his pimp, and he promised to stay with me (us) on my next trip. After I booked my flights, I confirmed with Diego, and Diego then asked me to buy him his tickets from Rio to Sao Paulo. $88 later, he was set, ready to stay in Sao Paulo with me (us) for 5 nights. As for other companions, Leo, the hairdresser extraordinaire, will be available to hang out with me again. He said he is contracted to work on a TV show the majority of the time I will be there, but will hang out when he can. Alex, Leo’s cousin who is a programmer, said he would be available for the whole time I am there, but will have to see if he can get time off. Hanging out with friends during a sex tourist trip is tricky. On the one hand having local friends can be advantageous with finding out where to go that’s beyond the tourist traps, help with the local language (though I’d rather learn the language too and having friends who speak for you is kind of a double edged sword), and filling out the time in between sauna trips (beaches! Nighclubs! Random orgies!). But traveling with friends meant having to get a consensus on what to do together. Which is like herding cats sometimes. 3. The sky’s the limit if you have a roof over your head With the flights reserved, there was the question of lodging. With my stay in Sao Paulo, I had options. Leo and Alexandre offered their homes up. Leo lived at a house near Guarulhos with his mother and pets. Alex lives in Tatuape, which is situated somewhat in between Guarulhos and Ave Paulista, so it was closer to the action. I tell them to decide for me with whom I’d stay. As we all talked about my week-long stay in Brazil, we determined that staying in Sao Paulo the whole time would be boring. Since Diego was flying back to Rio on Day 6, Alex and I thought that it would be good to also go to Rio the same day (same flight) to spend a few days there (sem Diego of course). So I booked an AirBNB in the middle of Ipanema and Copa (near Aproador), with a sofabed so Alex can stay there as well. AirBNB’s of a certain caliber (24 hour security, full kitchen, washer with gym and pool access) are still less than $50 a night, so not too bad. I paid for the AirBNB, as a thank you to Alex for letting me stay in his house. 4. Variety is the spice of life Finally, as much fun as my newfound friends were, I needed to mix it up. I wanted to see the other people I’ve met in Brasil in the past. So I enlisted the services of Thiago, my find in Belo Horizonte: When he has a break in studies, he tries to take the bus to either Rio or SP to work at the saunas there. While he has had a steady stable of customers in BH, he goes to the bigger cities at times if he needs more money and to mix it up. He stays with friends while in RJ or SP, and charges a little bit more for his programas than he would in the smaller and cheaper Belo Horizonte. He happened to be in Rio the same week I would be. So after my stay with Alex in Rio, I offered to fly Thiago to Sao Paulo from Rio to stay with me for my last night in Brazil this trip. He would take the bus from SP to BH from there in time to be home for his classes the next day. Our terms were simple: he won’t charge me anything to stay with me, in return he would be able to work at Lagoa, the sauna in Sao Paulo, at the same time I was in the sauna hiring boys. Seems like the perfect scenario to me: having someone available during all non-sauna hours, and during sauna hours, having the same person earn money while with me, while I sample for Brazilians. A win-win. No time for Gabriel this trip. I have moved on. So next up, the nightlife in Sao Paulo with Diego, Leo and Alex. Continue or no?

Hello experts! I'm planning a trip to Colombia in March. I've read most of the Colombia or Bogota or Medellin specific threads here and most people recommend planning ahead and engaging the boys from Chaturbate ahead of time. Some details, and success stories, have been mentioned but I'm hoping to know more. I hope you guys can help. And apologies in advance if some of my questions sound stupid! Ideally, I'd like to know the following: 1. How to approach (public or private?) 2. How much to tip initially to get conversation started? 3. How much is the projected investment on Chaturbate coins and length of time to strike a deal? Can you strike a deal in one chat session or must one invest time on it? 4. How much should I propose to pay them for the meeting in Colombia? 5. Watch outs / Risks / Things or Situations to avoid 6. Recommended boys and their Chaturbate usernames. I'm bottom and I prefer hung young guys under 30. The lean/toned/muscular type. Not really into twinks or body builders. Thank you very much for all your help!

Perhaps. It is possible. I was just pointing to the facts.

@Latbear4blk I'm glad you have not felt any "obvious" repercussion. That does not mean your "promotion" posts go unnoticed by certain individuals. I would argue suspicious eyes are watching you.

I mostly agree with your post. Just let me point out to this fact: I have mentioned boytoy several times, link included, without suffering any consequences. I do not remember whether or not I capitalized it, so I may not be meeting your high expectations. However, I mentioned this forum (link included) in a complimenting way several times as an unchallenged resource for international escorts, I linked to the reports on my last trip to Argentina, I linked last week recommending everyone to join right now.

I was also always intrigued by this anymosity too, and found out in some history in various places. I hope we can also move on. Especially we need to move on from stating untruths like “mentioning boytoy on M4M gets you banned”. Maybe it used to, but it doesn’t now. I have done it several times. I personally don’t feel any loyalty towards Guy Fawkes: whenever he writes, I find it dry and not particularly endearing (I never see him as one of us, tbh, just a necessary authority). That is very different from Oz, whose stories and interests make him very much a punter that I can relate to, and also Oz is always being a nice guy (how do you do that, Oz? I can, for some time, but not forever!). In any case, trashing the other site here or there just because it feels good to do so won’t raise my opinion of the person doing the trashing, quite the opposite.

Indeed he was not perfect and I have never been a fan, but we should judge him for more than his alleged homophobia. The man presided over the end of the Cold War. With someone else in office, we could be still cleaning up nuked cities. As many commentators are pointing out, what makes Bush's life and contributions more meaningful is the contrast with the current commander in chief. Bush's death could mark the end of a political era, or could be the inspiration to return to common sense, rationality, and bipartisanship. Let's see whether Mueller may add some condiments to the momentum.

I'm not a fan and of course he had his faults but the man exemplified a class and dignity that is so lacking in today's politics so I can honor & respect him for that and the free day off

It shouldn't be either/or. Why not both? I've learned late in life to appreciate big, athletic men running into each other and trying to grab each other's balls. I never used to be a fan, but picked it up in my late 40s. Football, however, is the only such team sport that has captured my attention to date....

Are you blind? There is this thread and right next to it a thread on his reviews going up. This thread is about the closing of the site, not Hooboy. Why not start a thread memorializing Hooboy? I'd like that.

And I piss on his casket. The man was a homophobe who stayed silent with Reagan all 8 years, then only late in his one term presidency did much about helping people with AIDS, years after gay men started suffering and dying. How many men died because of the homophobia of Bush and Reagan. Closing down the government tomorrow for this one term travesty is a travesty in itself. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/us/george-bush-hiv-aids.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=US

“Daddy” is such a creepy moniker.

There was the Review section and there was the Message Center (MC or forum). For many years, I had the Review section bookmarked. I checked it everyday as part of my morning routine. I was hiring regularly in those days. I wouldn't call the forum a "chat room." AOL made those famous, and the forum was nothing like that. The forum was extremely chatty, however. It was not moderated well, or at all. HB was most definitely a pioneer. One of the first (it may be the first) sex worker review sites began in 1999 by David Helms. He created the site because of an unpleasant encounter with a "call girl." It was a review site for heteros and the their female escorts. Many banks were not online in the early 2000's. I don't know the date that HB launched, but I believe it was the first review site for gay men or any men who hired male escorts. And the forum was the first for male customers to openly discuss their encounters with male escorts, among many other subjects. It took a brave, determined visionary to pull this effort off in the early days of the internet, and HB fully succeeded. He deserves much credit and many of us customers are and will be forever grateful.

I appreciate that people feel passionately, but I have to call nonsense on this. There have been gay chatrooms since the 80s that far, far, FAR exceed the scope of Hooboy's site. Hooboy made a forum for people who hired male escorts. It was interesting and unique, but it wasn't a 'major gay chat room' and certainly wasn't even remotely close to first. See slate article on soc.motss for perhaps the most influential early forum. Personally, I was on Hooboy's for a while and left. Too much nastiness. (just like the epeening on this thread. give it a rest folks). Never met the man. Heard he was a hoot, and sorry I didn't get the chance. I have some sympathy for Daddy having inherited the nastiness those forums always generated. Not enough to go back or support it though. It never struck me as a sustainable business venture, and I think Daddy has ridden that horse way too long already anyway. I visit his forums but I am not registered and have no desire to participate again.

Troll, much like Trump, repeating a lie as often as possible doesn't make it truth. Like Martha Stewart, I save all emails.

I've had several fun afternoon/early evenings at Thermas. Definitely worth a visit every time you're in Barcelona.

Some of you guys have a real knack for diverting a thread to your own desire to just talk.

Perhaps they actually were too many visitors! Quizás tú eres muy puta, m'hija!

I never thought I would see someone in the Oval Office who I would just detest. The man has lowered the opinion of the United States, hurt many families, and disrespected our Armed Forces. His term cannot end soon enough! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. I wish for The Retired.

Today is November 23, exactly one month before my arrival to Salvador. Can I get now officially excited?

On notice, there are many gay guys (or at least gay friendly muscle guys) going to porto da barra ... If you look like a foreign tourist some guys (or girls) may insinuate to you they are available to a programa. Just keep your smarts on, keep the minimum with you. I always remember the first time I stepped on Porto da Barra and a ripped hot capoeirista immediately came up to me to shake hands and asked in english "where are you from? USA? europe? want Marihuana? Girls?"... I was so timid and nervous that I just answered in portuguese... "no thats not the kind of fun I like" and walked away. He made a face to make me sure he got what I was meaning and said "what you need just come up to me". I regret not coming back that day... but had my fun at the saunas anyway. On a side note, Salvador is a super early city... I had the best time when arriving early at the beachs and at the saunas. Planetarium 11 was less busy last time I was there, but always had someone of my liking. Fox is a bit more upscale, have fewer options, but I've met gorgeous guys there. Go early in the afternoon... like 4 pm.

If you decide to go there (it’s a trek from Barra), then post your opinion on the place. You’ll be the first.

This has been asked by others and answered by me several times and a search would give you the results you need. Planetario 11 is the most popular rentboy sauna in Salvador, followed closely by Fox. Persona is now closed down. Olympus is AYOR. No one has yet to report on visiting the new sauna, Thermas Club 13.

There are enough gays that go TO Praia do Porto da Barra, and there might even be an area where many of them congregate (closer to the north end). But, again, to be clear — it isn’t a “gay beach”! Not in the Eurocentric notion of what “gay” is. I am just repeating this because there seems to be a lot of dumbasses on this board (not necessarily you), and I don’t want you to end up getting your head cracked open. It is more “gay friendly” than most other beaches in the Bahia. And there is even a pousada / aparthotel across the street that hangs a rainbow flag (the owner is a gay European or American). And there is some discreet (or not so much) hustling going on in and around the area. But it’s not as “openly” gay as, for example, the beach between Postos 8 and 9 off Farme in Rio. There is also a gay-friendly (mostly lesbian) patio restaurant / bar closer to Praia do Farol da Barra (perpendicular to Praia do Porto de Barra), and a sometimes-open, sometimes-not gay club / disco right next to it that is boring as all hell. This is not very far from the non-rentboy sauna in Barra, Sauna Paraíso (Paradise — which it’s not. That title belongs to the rentboy sauna Planetario)!

If you are staying in Barra, there are several good and relatively safe ATM machines to use near the beaches, as long as you try to use them before dark and plan accordingly. My recommended one is inside a supermarket (that recently became affiliated with Wal-Mart for some reason) one block off Praia de Porto de Barra, but there are a few others.

Fernando is openly gay. He will do a night life tour (gay or straight) if you just ask. He will also do a sauna tour if you feel you need one. A bit of a heads up: Salvador gay nightlife isn’t Rio’s or São Paulo’s nightlife. There may be only one mainstream gay club or bar still in existence. If you’re not in the know with locals from the various hoods, your nighttime experience will probably be (and should be) restricted to mainstream well-traveled places.

I’m going in June will suss out and report back. About 7yr sho went to sauna Olympus in barrra no garoto sauna - was amazing. Was only white guy in the place which I loved lol. Would be interested to hear any more recent feedback on this place.