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That site may make improvements -- cosmetic as well as substantive -- but it will never be what it was without me there!

"Hakuna matata" is a Swahili language phrase from East Africa meaning "no trouble". The word "hakuna" means "there is not here" while "matata" means "problems".

I don't know what Spacey will have to do to win back the confidence of the public. I'd hate to see us lose a very talented gay actor because he groped an 18-year old. But, just as in the MeToo movement, some people are out for blood. Nothing short of castration will satisfy them. For me, if he is convicted, he should serve his time, pay his fine, and make amends to the boys he offended. If did that sincerely, I would welcome him back into the theater. As for gay men, my guess is that many of us have acted inappropriately at times. There was an era when open gay sex was being celebrated, and we did just that. Numerous underage guys have hit on me. I politely resisted. I remember being at a party with a date and a thirteen year old kept begging me for sex. I said I was with someone. He replied, we can go do it and be back before he knows you are gone! Actually, no, we couldn't. But many teens had already come to grips with their sexuality. A lot sooner than I ever did. What were they expected to do for sex? The law says and said then that we cannot indulge them. It must be tough to have a teenagers raging hormones and no outlet but your hand.

First day (Sunday) I was finally in Salvador on scheduled time despite all the previous ordeal, Sunday morning. At the airport, I waited for Fernando, my local guide, for 15 minutes. By the way, I can recommend Fernando’s services with no hesitation. I am very thankful to all the friends here in the forums who directed me to him. Fernando is a sophisticated local guy, able to communicate perfectly in Spanish and English. Besides, being an educated man, his Portuguese is clear and well articulate, and so easier to understand if you are into learning the local language as I am. Fernando allowed me to share his contact information: Fernando Bingre. WhatsApp: +5571-9-9730-8999; Mobile 5571-9-9944-0612; email: fernandobingre@hotmail.com. His blog: www.fernandobingre-salvadortourguide.blogspot.com.br I did not explore the airport at my arrival, but I was struck by the lack of A/C. However, surprisingly considering that the temperature was near 30C, I was not suffering and not sweating. Soon Fernando was introducing me to his driver, Magno. Magno drove us through the beautiful avenue leaving the airport and around during my first two days in the city. He is a Black, very shy and soft speaking (I mean he almost whispers his words) young gay man. It was really hard to understand his Portuguese, my Portuguese is beyond poor, and communicating was a challenge every time we wanted to include him in the conversation. Nevertheless, we overcame the challenge and had fun since the very beginning. That is perhaps what is at the core of Brazilian charm, their natural passion for enjoying life. We laughed a lot since the very beginning making jokes with the double meaning in Argentine slang of the verb “chupar”. In Portuguese, as in English, it means to suck. In Argentina it also means to drink alcoholic beverages, from beer and up. Magno would move away from his whispering way of talking and laugh loudly every time we would play with variations of “vamos a chupar con los amigos”. They drove me first to my hotel, the Village Novo Beach, right at Praia de Barra, considered one of the best beaches in the planet. Check in was not until 2PM (we were at 10AM), so I left my bags at the hotel office and was able to confirm something I was expecting. The room upgrade I requested by phone was not possible because all of the rooms with balcony and a beach view were taken. I would not say it was bad news because I was ready for it. Once again, I was surprised at the lack of A/C in the hotel lobby and dinning room, and at the same time, at my comfort with the hot temperatures. It is good news when you learned that you have not been fully americanized, that you are still able to adapt and embrace the local ways. After dropping my bags and switching to tropical outfit in a bathroom, Fernando and Magno took me to my first field trip. We spent the morning and the first hours of the afternoon exploring the African Market and the famous Pelourinho. Fernando is very knowledgeable and tough me a lot about the local history. I am not going to try to describe the city, as the web is full of pictures and descriptions much better than anything I could attempt here. Perhaps you may be more interested in my personal experience. I suspect my impression may be quite different if we compare it against an American or European’s experience. When I researched Salvador during my prepping, most of the blogs and websites I studied were written by First World travelers, and they all seemed to be struck and fascinated by how exotic for them the culture was. Indeed I am charmed by the differences between my background and the specific religious and cultural syncretism you experience in Bahia, but at the same time I feel warmly welcome and captivated by the countless similarities between life here and my years living in the Argentinean northeast. Do not misunderstand me. Both cultures and geographies are very different and contrasting, but at the same time share core experiences and characteristics that make it easy to us to communicate at a profound level. Perhaps the strongest and deepest commonality is our mindset towards leisure, work, and enjoying life. If you have ever read Max Weber’s “Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism”, when you visit Brazil and Hispanic America you may have and insightful experience, gaining self knowledge from the contrast. Besides that core commonality, I was faced repeatedly with situations and sights that reminded me of my childhood and adolescence. The mix of smells in the African Market was different but brought me back to many open markets in Corrientes, with flies and roaches around the fresh food. Te geography of “morros” and ocean was strikingly different, but the architecture full of different colonial styles, barroco, art nouveau, and art deco, mixed with more modern and contemporaneous buildings was relatable. The famous Pelourinho, with its colorful colonial times houses reminded me of many different places in Argentina’s inner country and even of Buenos Aires city, like Caminito. I am having an exotic experience enjoying the particular and unique traits of the local culture, but at the same time part of me is feeling at home. I am realizing that even when I feel fully integrated and well adapted to American culture, I am still a Third World (forgive me for the cold war times nomenclature) citizen. I feel more at home here than in Washington DC or New York, even when my ability to communicate in the local language is extremely limited. I am writing this at the beginning of my third day here, so I may still change my mind. One of the things I was specially concerned about was the insecurity and crime situation. So far, I have not felt threatened or in danger in any moment, even when I have been walking around by myself at the late evening and night (Fernando and Magno escorted me only in the morning and the early afternoon). I have also been observing the interactions in the rambla in Praia da Barra, and all of them seem friendly with not signs of violence altogether. Based in my observations and Fernando and Magno’s advice, the precautions you should take are not different than in any other big city. Avoid dark and low pedestrian traffic areas, do not show off your expensive electronics, do not wear jewelry or expensive watches. All things I never do, not out of fear but because since I exited adolescence, I have found them to be of questionable good taste. After touring the old city, Fernando and Magno dropped me at my hotel, where I finally checked in. If you are the kind of traveler who likes the international hotels fully standardized, the Village Novo may not be a good match for you. It is a small establishment with no central A/C and with many flaws. There is no hot water until about 8 AM and it is over about 6PM. There is no phone in the room and the wifi is not reliable. Some of the lights in the room do not work, and there is no coffee maker. The building is the product of merging two old three stories houses. It looks like it has been recently refurnished, but respecting the local color. Everything looks authentic and old style. The floor tides, the stairs (no elevator of course), the furniture, everything looks old although very well kept and perfectly clean. I got one of the standards rooms, that is actually roomie than many of the rooms I have gotten in 4 stars American hotels. You walk into a small reception with storage shelves, an electronic safe, and a mini fridge. To the left I have a bathroom with a nice shower. To the right the bedroom, with a comfortable king size bed, wooden furniture and a flat screen TV. There is a very small windows with no view. There is an A/C unit in the room, the kind called “split” that I understand is an Israeli technology not very popular in the States but standard in South America. I heard it is superior to American big A/C units regarding energy saving and performance. Anyway, as I am trying to adapt and embrace the local ways instead of pretending the locals to cater to me, I have kept the A/C unit off as much as possible. Which means I have not used it beyond a few hours when I would come back exhausted from one of our field trips. I have been able to sleep very comfortably without A/C, only the ceiling fan, which was cooling enough to make me cover with a sheet. After taking a shower with refreshing cold water and having a power nap, I was ready for my first Brazilian sauna experience. I chose Planetario, nowadays Club 11. Although public transportation seems to work perfectly fine, Uber is very cheap and I am only using their services. My Uber dropped me in the corner shown in the map, but I could not find the sauna. I called another Uber (I am paying for roaming) and ended at Sauna Fox. I am leaving the details of my sauna experience for I LIKE PINGA. Let me just say that I had a great time, and played with two beautiful boys, both Sotero Politanos (which is how the Salvador born is called). The first one asked me for 80 rials for a full service as a passivo and I did not negotiate and ended paying him 100. He was great. The second one asked me for 130 with a full service as an ativo, I counter-offered 80 for a session with no penetration, and he immediately accepted. I spent about 4 hours in the place, had these two boys, drank many beers (I was inviting my first one with his drinks as he stayed hanging up and making out with me the whole night, and introduced me to his local clients to make friends. One of the rooms I rented was the deluxe suite. When I check out, the bill was 135 Rials. I walked out to called my Uber, but a taxi driver was chatting with the security guy and offered me the ride for 20 rials. I took it and returned to my hotel about 10:30 PM. It was Sunday night and the rambla in front of the hotel was full of excitement and hot young men. However, this old man was absolutely exhausted. My stamina is not like @Tomcal's, @numazu1's, or @Tartegogo's, after a day of exploring the city by walk, and having sex twice, I was dying. I went straight to my room to sleep, exhausted but happy ending my first day.

Day 10: Business up front, Party in the Back As far as I know the majority of the direct flights from Brazil to the USA (Miami, Atlanta, New York, Houston, LAX) depart at night. I don’t know if I like this schedule or not. On the one hand it is pretty cool to have late night departures because you can have a last minute victory lap at the sauna before heading out to the airport. But on the other hand I do feel a little bit of anxiety throughout the majority of the day of the flight. I've always lived in mortal fear of missing my flight, anywhere I am. Having to wait for it all day, even if I was doing something fun, kind of takes away from the fun because I keep checking my cellphone for the time. But there was still a lot of day, and a lot of boy, to get through today. My flight is at 11:15 PM tonight, which meant I had till possibly 8:00 PM to enjoy Thiago, and some boys at the sauna, tonight. The whole day meant looking at my cellphone to see if I had the time to do things. Not good. Thiago though, was hell-bent on doing one big thing with me today. After going through all the Sao Paulo tourist sites on google, we decide on visiting the Sao Paulo aquarium. I can’t tell you how many successful dates I’ve had in the aquariums in the USA, so I thought that this was a good choice for us. And good ole Thiago. He still knew how to pace things. He knew the last time we can have sex is this morning, since in the afternoon, he will need all the strength he can get for the long sauna night ahead. Starting in bed, working our way to the shower, having some slap and tickle while soaping up (this is all we can do, he was too tall for me to have any good sex in the shower), and then settling at the bed to have some sex. From what he tells me, he enjoys bottoming with me, and bottoming in general, as he doesn’t get to do it often, as everyone wants him to top. I can only oblige, though maneuvering his long, muscular legs is not an easy feat. In the end he cums, while I am lying on my back and him towering over me, feeding me his cum while I feast at the sight of him up above. Bliss. We hurry up and shower again, have a quick coffee and pastries at the padaria nearby, and then head over to the Sao Paulo aquarium. The entrance fee was US $30, which I found steep for something to do in Brazil, and Thiago thought it was oddly expensive as well. He insisted to go do something less expensive, but I told him since we were here, we might as well go. I knew he wanted to go, so I pay up and we enter. We encounter the usual fish, rays, seascapes and other staples of any aquarium: But then we enter a space where more land-based critters reside, including meerkats, kangaroos, and the Aquarium's centerpiece, two adorable polar bears: I like these kinds of dates, as it shows if a person is in my wheelhouse: learning something with someone you are also trying to learn something about. Thiago is up for the task: his University learning and natural curiosity showed throughout the three hours we were there. It does help that someone that handsome can also geek out on nerdy things like what Brazil’s different biospheres are, or knowing how Australia’s species evolved to what they are. He tried to remember what he learned from his biology classes, as did I, though it is a longer time ago for me than for him. Oh well. I wouldn’t say I’d wholly recommend the aquarium just because of the expensive price, but for me it was worth it in the end. After the aquarium we get back Shopping Cidade on Paulista to have our late lunch, and then strolled on Paulista, since today was Sunday and the street is closed to cars so pedestrians and bicyclists can have free reign over the popular street. At 2:30 PM we headed back to the hotel to pack, shower and say our intimate goodbyes before we both head to the sauna. Thank goodness for late check-out at the Intercontinental. Thiago only packed a back-pack, and was going to the bus station after the sauna tonight, so he can bring all his stuff to the sauna. I had a big suitcase, so I will have to store my bag at the concierge to pick up after the sauna. We get to the sauna at around 5 PM, and my countdown starts. At this point I am thinking I have till about 8:00 PM to stay at the sauna, which gives me time to Uber it to Intercon to retrieve my bag, and then head over to Guarulhos with some time to spare if traffic doesn’t fuck things up for me. 3 solid hours in a sauna is of course plenty of time, but since I had to be mindful about my time, it felt shorter than it actually was. After our usual welcome drink and scoping out the current scene (him for customers, me for boys), I bid Thiago a warm farewell and thanked him for the wonderful time today. I wish that he got as many customers as he needed tonight. He bids me farewell as well, and tells me to not spend too much money on boys. I promise him I will not. We part ways to get what we wanted out of the evening. Hopefully I get as much sex as I can with giving as little money as I can give, so I have money for more boys, and Thiago can get as much money as he can with giving as little sex as he can give, so he has energy for more customers. It’s a game that’s played all night long, by everyone in the sauna. Some win more than others, but in the end, hopefully everyone gets what they want. It didn’t take me long to spot my potential boy #1 for the night. He was sitting in one of the tables, just alone playing with his phone. From afar he looked like any average white boy I encounter at home. But up close, he was stunning. Natural looking body with abs, porcelain white skin, dark blonde hair. “Oi,” I say, and he looks up. The boy looked 15. He smiles and puts down his phone. “Tudo bem?” he asks. I point to the seat next to him. He nods and we size each other up. He was gorgeous, innocent face, but you kind of knew he knew all the tricks of the trade. His name is Miguel, just 18. Another University student. Just been in SP for a month. He’s not a regular at the sauna, but goes if he needs to buy clothes or new gear. He suggests us leaving the sauna to have dinner and then go back to my hotel for a fuck, and then go out to a club to round out the night (The Week was his choice). Sounds nice of course. I told him I couldn’t, since I was leaving tonight for the USA. “Take me with you,” he jokes. He says he is slight and can fit in my suitcase. No doubt he could. We get to the topic of sex. Does everything. More of a top but open to bottoming, but has never done it with a customer. Quoted 250 reals. I stood by my firm 150 reals with gozar. Seems to work with the boys. At the room, he suggests to shower first so we can do “whatever we wanted.” And that’s what exactly happened. I like a boy who takes initiative. He rims me first, telling me that he wanted to do this badly. I didn’t mind. After warming up the oven he puts on a condom. I didn’t tell him I also preferred to top but that hardly mattered now. He fucks me for a while until he was close. He takes the condom off. Some more foreplay. His ass tasted amazing. Tight and hairless. The body works for me. Amazing to the touch. He sits on me and proceeds to thrust. My first time in a sauna room to be fully versatile. I consider this a triumph. I cum fast, due so much sensory overload. It takes him a while to cum because he said that happens when he gets fucked. It was worth the wait. He cums everywhere, his hair, the bed, me, the wall. We cuddle for a while, cum getting everywhere but we didn’t mind. And then we shower and exchange info and such. Next time, I’ll get my hands on him to have a full weekend. I give him his 150, and a 20 to pay for his entrance. I look at my cellphone. It was 7 PM! I had an hour left. Time flies when you’re having fun. I could not find Thiago, which is good because it meant he was with a customer. Halfway through my beer I spot a boy who was tall and inviting. He was not gym buff but had a natural fit body. He spots me staring so he pretends to adjust his towel so he can show me what he got. Giant dick alert. I wave him over and he sits with me. 24 years old. Smoldering Latin look. I give his cock a tug. He says it grows to 26 cm, and thick. Only a top, kisses, he says. I was running out of time. So I hurriedly accept. 150 with cum, as usual. It is good to have the price set before starting. The actual programa was nothing to write home about. Kissing was not as good as promised (more nibble than kiss), foreplay not much better. But with him I imagine everything is forgiven once a customer sees the dick. That was his selling point. He was very pretty, so his face can also sell, and he was tall and had a nice body, so he had a lot going for him. But the dick just overshadowed everything else. No doubt the biggest I’ve seen, and the thickness is a sight to behold. I played with it. He struggled to cum, looking at the straight porn the whole time. It was fine. The dick made up for it. Showered with him afterwards, so I don’t smell like boy on my flight. Paid 150, not a repeat for sure, but the perverse sight of his gigantic dick was worth the price of admission, so I had that memory to carry me over the continent on my way back home. Thiago still was nowhere to be found, but he messaged me saying he was in a programa, and to message him to tell him I was leaving. I told him I was leaving. Relunctantly. The night was still young. But vacations have to end. Uber to Intercon, then to GRU. Got to airport with an hour to spare. Slept really well in the plane, well-earned from the gymnastics from earlier. Thanks again for the lovely time Brazil. I’ll see you again soon. Really really soon, apparently.

just got back from Havana. Nice weather this time of year. had a boy a day, but only took pics of last two boys. I paid between 10CUC to 20CUC per boy. the most expensive boy was the light skinned boy in the picture. all the boys at first said they wouldn't bottom but once in bed would let me in for a little bit. the light skinned one in the photos, was straight and needed to watch straight porn to stay hard while I fucked him. all the boys I had were tall 6ft or more and on the muscular side and huge dicks and nice bubble asses.

Whenever I go back to Havana it's funny how nothing seems to change much. It's kind of reassuring in a way...unlike Brazil, Havana feels like a little cocoon to me. How refreshing to walk the streets day and night and never feel in danger - there are no guns here, and getting mugged would be a rare exception, and not the rule as in Brazil. December is not my favorite month to come - the weather is cooler and not as good for the beach. It was warm most of my trip but the last couple days there was a cold snap that saw temperatures drop to the low 60's. Mi Cayito was a lot emptier than usual, I noticed police in the sand dunes and the normal action there was dead - I'm wondering if there has been a recent crackdown. One of my local friends told me if you ever get caught doing something outdoors just bribe the police and you can go along your way...I'd rather not risk that.. There were several boys hanging out at the beach, as well as a black masseuse who gives 1 hour massages for 15 cucs underneath a little hut there. My friend told me he also does "full service" outcalls. He claims the masseuse has a 10 inch dick and fucks like a bull...apparently his BBC loving friend had a ride and got drilled so hard he couldn't walk straight for days. There was a teenager that came up and started talking to me. He had a large herpes sore on his lip...I honestly felt so bad for him. Life is not easy for most of the locals. At night I went out to the usual spots - Las Vegas (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are when Imperio performs and the best nights), Karabali on Wednesday, Cafe Cantante on Saturday. I was disappointed that the Cuban doctor who I met years ago on Planet Romeo and have seen every time I went to Cuba blew me off this trip. He is bisexual and recently got married...I guess he is trying to settle down and live a straight life. He told me before that he enjoys sex with guys more, but has intense pressure from his family to have a wife and kids. We had so many good times together that I was actually really sad it seems to be over... he was very proud of his job and would never take a dollar from me. He inherited a house and car from his grandmother, so I guess compared to a lot of Cubans he is getting by ok. The thing I like about Cuba is meeting guys does not feel as transactional as Brazil. The garotos in Brazil have multiple clients a day, going to the sauna is their job. If you meet a guy at Las Vegas and hang out with him, you are probably the only guy he is with that day. It isn't a sex factory...I have never asked a "price," negotiated an overnight, negotiated whether they will suck you, negotiated whether they will cum. I had to get used to doing all of that in Brazil, but everything happens organically here...nobody has ever asked me for money or said flat out I want x to do this or that. The first night I went to Las Vegas I met a handsome guy named Oscar. He came and sat at my table with my friends, I bought him drinks, we watched the show. Afterwards he came back to my place, had great sex - he was extremely horny....very tight but a good bottom, and came twice while I was fucking him..afterwards he was in no rush to leave, we hung out and chatted. I gave him some money but he never asked for it. The next day he texted me and we went out to dinner the next night, and afterwards to the Cuban Art Factory. He was visiting from Camaguey and left that day, or else I would have hung out with him more. I can really only think of one bad experience that I had with a guy in Cuba where afterwards he was literally going through my suitcase, trying on my clothes and asking me for my shoes, razor, etc. I could tell he was totally straight and really not interested in the sex at all...last I heard he married a girl from Sweden, who I doubt knows her man sucked cock on the side for a little while just so he could get a pair of Nike shoes.. I met another guy named Alejandro at Las Vegas, he is model gorgeous and turned out to be very sweet and carinoso which I love. He came back to my place, took turns fucking each other, but he was so passionate and afterwards wanted me to hug him all night. He woke me up in the middle of the night hard and wanting to fuck again, and then in the morning he woke up hard as a rock and wanted to fuck a third time. He came 3 times total and still didn't want to leave in the morning. He never asked for anything either, but I gave him 100 just because I know how hard it is in Cuba with what they make...I really liked Alejandro and the rest of the week didn't even bother looking for someone else. I might go back just to see him and take him to a beach resort in Varadero. Cafe Cantante was really good as usual, it is probably the biggest gay party of the week. Lots of cute guys, a lot of transgender girls hang out there also. I don't even bother with grindr in Cuba, hardly anyone is on the apps and it is just so much easier and better to meet guys at the bars.

not at all. I have posted nudes from my travels before. Having said that, if the pics offend you, you don't have to look at them.

Last time I was in Havana (last year) I stayed at the Saratoga. Every night there was a variety of similar guys right outside, I would just make eye contact with the most appealing and walk a few feet until he would follow. I wasn’t able to host but every guy had someone who for $5 or $10 would open a room somewhere (usually a tiny hole in the wall really) with a bed. Everyone bottomed for me and provided a condom. I never paid the guy more than $25. Not a bad deal for any of us.

My upcoming Brazil trip is as follows: Curitiba Dec 30- Jan 2 Sao Paulo: Jan 2 - Jan 8 Rio Jan 8 - Jan 14 Any members gonna be around? Also any intel on gay bars with strippers/gogo boys in these cities. Will probably stick to saunas but just curious.

I am sitting in my hotel restaurant right in the rambla at praia da barra, waiting for the famous boys that will try to hook up. So far, I only got a beautiful lady, Sarah, a street vendor who forced me to buy her peanuts and wanted me to take her to my hotel room. What a failure. I am trying to look gayer, crossing my legs and posing in a more faggy way, but so far I have not luck. This is LIFE report, happening right now. Wish me luck, the caipiroskas are about to knock me out.

I stand corrected. I should pass this info to Fernando.

As he should be. Who would want to share Christmas with him? He's plotting what else he can do for Putin and how else he can screw our allies. But at least he gave us that tax cut. I haven't seen any savings yet from it, and I don't expect to. Luckily I don't own stocks.

Second day (Monday) I am writing the reports on my first and second days here on Tuesday, my third day. I was planning to go to the saunas, or explore the difference between sauna GPs and escorts advertising in the web by hiring one, but I definitely need a day of resting and enjoying myself. This morning I enjoyed the beach and now I am drinking and writing and enjoying the view from the hotel restaurant. I will not have much to report about today, and one of my ways to relax and enjoy myself is writing and catching up with this traveling log. Hopefully, I will also post something in the blog, although I am not confident about the unreliable wifi of the hotel. So let’s get devoted to caipiroska and writing. Yesterday Fernando and Magno picked me up at 8:30 AM. I got up very earlier to enjoy the hotel buffet breakfast (not as good as the description in their website) but good enough. I even had time to do some writing before they picked me up. Our destination was a beach town north of Salvador, called Arembepe, where a famous Hippie Village is located. It was a one hour ride more or less. Arembepe town was very active with visitors doing shopping and walking around, besides coming to and from the beach. We just took a quick look and headed out of the town, to the Aldeia Hippie. We were specially enjoying the place and the nice weather knowing that Salvador was under heavy tropical rain. We did have many clouds, but they helped to protect us from the sun and made the temperature more agreeable to walk in the open. The whole area of Arembepe, including the Aldeia Hippie is under strict environmental protection rules. Most of the beach in Arembepe is out of reach for vehicles, something I highly appreciated. Right by the entrance to the Aldeia, there is a station of a Project to protect turtles, I immediately remembered @TotallyOz and his love for a similar place on the other side of the peninsula. Unfortunately the station was closed. I loved our walk through the Aldeia, although we all were surprised when we found out that apparently Christian Evangelics (you know, those loving Christians who support Trump and Bolsonaro) have settle in there with very visible signs and murals speaking of their love for Jesus. Fernando had no idea about it, they were not there the last time he visited. We were not the first celebrities visiting the Aldeia hippie. Hakuma Matata, Fernando told me, is a Polynesian expression related to relaxing and enjoying life. Very Polynesian and Brazilian. The guy in the left is Fernando, the fat guy in the right is some stupid tourist getting in our pictures. There you have Magno. He is not a dwarf. We just wanted to take a picture of that giant hamac, so big that makes him look tiny. One of my favorite moments was when we chilled in a little river inside the Aldeia. The stream was not strong, no deep, the water was not cold, and we swam and hanged out there for a while. When I say “we”, I mean Fernando and I. Magno was always in his phone, he never joined us in the water. I loved that the bottom was clean sand, as I am used to dirtier materials when you step in a river. I grew up by a wonderful river, the Parana. I have always felt more comfortable around fresh than around sea water. There is something on the power of the ocean that scares me. When I am in a river I feel more in control, I can even drink the water and swim like a whale (considering my size), specially in a small stream like that one. I do like the ocean, but its power is beyond any fantasy of control. You just have to be continuously struggling with the water trying to take you away. We arrived to the little river relatively early and the only ones close to us were the members of one of the families inhabiting the Aldeia. Peace would not last. Slowly more people started to arrive. Some of them with their boom boxes contaminating the place. We decided to leave. After enjoying the fresh water tiny beach, we returned to Arembepe town, this time to the huge ocean beach. This one was the thicker out of all the beaches I have seen so far. Salvador has very thin beaches, but they are never ending. Arembepe beach is massive. After walking through the area full of chairs and food and drinks kiosks, Fernando and I got in the water while Magno stayed behind watching out our stuff and diving in is phone. This was my first experience in a tropical beach. I expected the water to be warmer, but it was indeed the warmest sea I have never swam in. We did not stayed long, as I was afraid of the sun. My very white skin is extremely sensitive and I did mot want to spend not even a minute feeling sick because of too much sun. IMG_1645.MOV In our way to the beach and back to the town, we enjoyed the effects of environmental protection. The whole area is full of wild fauna, and we were specially charmed by super tiny toads and crabs. I hope you can see the mini crabs moving in the clip. Adorable. IMG_1643.MOV Fernando recommended a home made food restaurant and we sat to have lunch. I tried a delicious peixe frito (fresh fish). I think it was mackerel, bit I am not sure. Fernando, Magno, and the fat bald guy sneaking in our pictures and eating our food. I was back at my hotel at 3PM. I said goodbye to Fernando and Magno, as I was not hiring their services anymore. Fernando told me he wanted to invite me to know their neighborhood, so I may see him again. I will see Magno for sure, because I am calling him to take me to the airport on January 2. I was very tired. Besides all of the exploring and the intense previous day, I think I never recovered from the stress and anxiety before the trip and all the troubles during the flights from DC. Despite feeling no energy, I did not want to let another day without visiting Planetario. Again, expect a full report about saunas in I LIKE PINGA. In few words, I have mixed feelings about the place but will be there again tomorrow. The building is great, I like it better than Fox, but the lack of AC was this time unbearable. It was almost like being in the steam room all the time. There were less than 10 clients and probably 20 boys. My plan was just having a drink and socializing, but a 23 y.o. boy kidnapped me. The suite where we fucked was not as good as the one in Fox. I also noticed the boys were far more aggressive there than in Fox, although that can probably be explained by the lack of clients. After fucking with my boy and dodging all the other ones that were jumping to get me, I took an Uber and returned to the hotel. Again, happy but exhausted. I was sleeping by 10 PM, no Christmas Eve for me. IMG_1646.MOV

That was exactly what confused me. I would walk the street with the numbers going up, so I would walk back before reaching 11. Before dropping me at the hotel yesterday, Magno and Fernando showed me the building, so I was able to go there yesterday night, I am posting the report of yesterday in a second.

At the 12 month anniversary of my surgery, I have lost 175 pounds. I feel healthier than ever and now have more energy and power. I took a trip to the ancient city last week and felt it was the best I have made ever. Spending time with family at Xmas I have also found that I have more energy and can do more with them. The one-year milestone was a big one for me. I hope I can continue to sustain this for another few years.

The so much expected vacation started with some problems. Fortunately it was just the beginning, so let’s put the bad stuff at the very start. You can skip this post if you are not interested in traveling troubles, the good stuff will be in the next one. My first flight, from DC to Ft. Lauderdale, was with JetBlue. The flight was scheduled at 1:45 PM. The night before I almost did not sleep out of excitement, and by 5 AM I was up and having my morning latte. At 6 AM I got a call from JetBlue. Actually, two. I usually do not pick a call the I cannot identify the caller, so I rejected the first call. The phone sang again immediately from the same number, which is unusual, and so I picked the call. It was a JetBlue agent informing me that my flight had a delay of 5 hours, and offering me alternatives to avoid missing my combination from Florida to Recife. Instead of leaving at 1:45PM, now I was leaving at 10:30 and had to rush. Fortunately I was already half packed and made it with no problem to my first flight. The change also meant that my wait of 4 hours for my next flight which was already pretty bad, was now about 7 hours in the airport. I usually like airports and take advantage of the dead time, so I was ready to plug my laptop and do some work. Damn I was wrong. I found Ft. Lauderdale’s airport quite ugly, with poor decorations in the floor so talentlessly designed that made the floor look old and wasted and instead of drawing you would perceive flaws in the tiles. The options to eat were all unattractive, there was not Starbucks and the coffee alternatives were not good. Even worse, the airport was packed because of holiday traveling. All the spots with access to power were taken and people were fighting for them, some unconsidered motherfuckers would place their bags in the chairs next to them, taking two work stations. In DC, the JetBlue agent had offered me to check out my carry on luggage with no charge, and promised I would not have to retrieve it until my final destination. He gave me the luggage tab, and explained to me that he was not able to print the boarding passes for my other two flights because JetBlue has not access to Azul systems. I was stuck in an ugly packed airport, waiting for Azul agents to show up to print my tickets. The flight from Florida to Recife was scheduled at 7:30PM. The Azul agents showed up about 5PM to deal with an earlier flight that was delayed. They printed my tickets and told me I had to retrieve my bag in Recife. I told her about the JetBlue agent promise, but she advised me to ignore it and to listen to her. She also offered me to pay 65 bucks to get more leg room, offer I took. Everything look good, at about 7 the plane crew showed up at the boarding gate. No one of the guys was attractive to me, so disappointed. Two of the female flight attendants were gorgeous, but I was not traveling to Brazil to wake my straight gen. It was 7:30, the signs said the flight was on time, but there were no traces of the plane. The whole crew just took the few seats still free, pulled out their phones, and disconnected from real world. Bad sign. At 9PM the signs still said that the 7:30 flight to Recife was on time. I guess that is how Azul gets its reputation of being the most punctual airline in Brazil. Finally, at 9:45 the plane showed up, and the crew dropped their phones. We started boarding at 10:15, when the signs were still reporting that the flight was on time. The flight was comfortable thanks to the extra room I had bought. Of course, I flew very nervous, afraid of missing my combination to Salvador, considering the huge delay of my on time flight. Fortunately, we made in on time. We landed in Recife exactly 45 minutes before my last flight and although I was nervous they let me in the fast line and was at my boarding gate 10 minutes before landing, when all the other passengers were already on board. But more troubles were waiting for me. The Azul agent at the boarding gate was not accepting my boarding pass and sending me out of the restricted area to do a new check in. I got upset, I tried to make her understand that I would miss my flight and that it would be her fault. It was complicated, she would not understand English or Spanish, and my Portuguese does not exist. Lucky me, when I was turning back in frustration to follow her instructions, aware that I would lose my flight, her supervisor showed up, called me back, and sent me on board. He warned me that my seat may be taken and that I may have to seat somewhere else. Imagine how I felt when I get on board and not only I could seat in my assigned seat, but also I could have chosen any other one, as the plane was half empty. Would be unfair to make a judgement out of my first and only experience with this two companies (I think they are probably the same, being JetBlue the American brunch of its Brazilian big sister), but my trip was not a good experience. I am writing this while eating my breakfast in the hotel. I have to stop here to meet Fernando and his driver. Be patient, once I arrive to my hotel I started to have a great time and will report about it in my next post. As a brief advance, I am in love with Salvador. I went to Fox last night and can tell without doubts that Brazilians are the best kissers in the world. IMG_1633.MOV

Curitiba has been called the Minneapolis of Brazil. Orderly, white, a little boring, but "midwestern nice." The city has been written up in the urban planning field. I remember an interesting environmental park and a compact, pleasant downtown. I took the train trip twice and was socked in by fog both times - zero views. The town at the end of the train trip is cute, but the famous barreada dish everyone recommends just seems like a salty mess to me. The sauna (I think it was 520) was mixed, with the non-professionals vastly outnumbering the pros. I was glad I checked ctba out, but the frisky business was disappointing, given the many stunning curitibanos in SP and Rio. All the best produce gets exported to the big cities up north!

There are two gay guesthouses in Negombo -Dickmans and Gomez Place. Both excellent and opposite each other. Lots of boys hang out at the beach and around bars like Rodeo. In other towns and resorts I have found you have to wait for guys to approach you. Sri Lankan guys are very friendly but are wary of being seen by family and friends with gay tourists The going rate is about 3000 rupees ($US25). Oldies like me have no problems.

Bogota One night stopover. Stayed in hotel 100 m from Gigolo Erotic House. Clean. A bit noisy. Very cute lad at reception. Not Hilton but sufficient when you arrive in the afternoon and leave very early next day. And cheap ... 69000 COP around 23 USD (3000 COP = 1 USD). Following Numazu s pieces of advice, I decided to go only to Gigolo House and not also to Teatron. I arrived around 8.30 pm. Boys arrive around that time also and change in the room. They only wear jock straps. That night there were around 30 boys of very different types. Many twinks. A few hunks. Striking difference between Brazil : boys are shorter including dickwise and do not have so many tattoes in general. Boys walk around the room and chat with customers (spanish only of course). They try to convince customers to take them to backrooms. There are only 2 backrooms which are in fact a very small place with only a chair. A curtain separates the mainroom from backroom which is in fact just a corner of the main room. Cost of dances in backroom is 50.000 COP (around 15 USD). This is for 20 minutes. Boys remove jock strap from beginning and do what you want. It is better to agree in advance but not compulsory. Fucking is 100.000 COP (30 USD). The curtain is not thick and at least from one backroom you can see all that happens in the room and vice versa I guess. 5 boys at a time dance on stage. Around 11 pm and then regularly in the night there are hardcore shows ie one boy coming on stage with a hard on and then displaying his tool that customers can touch or even play with for a tip. The performer passes in the room after the show to get tips from the audience. Life sex show around 1 am. Threesomes on Fridays. No guarantee of type and time of shows in fact : when I arrive, no one could confirm there would be a life show that night. Went with a few boys in the backroom and had some fun (cuddling) with some of them in the main room. A few guys were from Venezuela including a very good looking guy who was also masseur in Sauna saint Morritz where you can get more than a massage. Great time in this place. Worth a repeat. When I went from the hotel to Gigolo house around 8.30 pm there were almost no one in the streets but surprinsingly at 1.30 am there were people walking by, one restaurant was still open. Safe return to the hotel. Taxi hotel Airport : 20 minutes. 10 USD Drinks in Gigolo House cheat 2.5 USD the beer. Many contacts on Grindr including a guy from Medellin who stayed at same hotel and also went to Gigolo House. Too short a stay. Worth a longer visit to explore more.

Numazu, that last post may be the one that wins you a Pulitzer Prize. Well done!

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!

You are right. After being hit by three hot ladies (they were really sexy and nice) I am back to my room, drunk and defeated.