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The B Word: Sao Luis Edition – Something is Better than Nothing Everyone knows that there is more to Brazil than just Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. I do not have anything against these two amazing cities - and if I don’t visit any other Brazilian cities in my life other than these two, I’d be more than content. But all the “bests” I’ve had ever in my short 3-year Brazil touring experience has been out of RJ and SP: best sauna night (TBV in Recife), best road trip (Gramado in Rio Grande do Sul), best AirBNB experience (a party house in Florianopolis), best churrasco (a restaurant in Joinville, Santa Catarina), best Acai dish (an ambulante near the Amazonas Theatre in Manaus) etc etc. That’s not to say that all Brazilian cities are a must to go to. I’ve always wanted to EVENTUALLY visit all the states in Brazil. So far I’ve been to 15 out of 26, which seems remarkable since I’ve only started going in 2018. So when Paulo asked me if I wanted to go with him to Sao Luis, Maranhao, because he had some family matters to attend to, I jumped on the chance to go, since I have never been to Maranhao state. And when he said there was one boy sauna he knew of that was in Sao Luis, and we could check it out, it made the trip more enticing to me. But other than knowing that Maranhao state has the famous Lencois Maranhenses National Park, I didn’t know much about Sao Luis, and upon reading about it online, learned that it is a city of a million people that is staddled between the Northeastern cities of Brazil in the east, and the Amazonian parts of Brazil in the west. Sounds like the middle of nowhere to me, but it did have a beach, and a sauna, and with Paulo by my side, I won’t have any qualms exploring the city. We got to Sao Luis around midnight, after a frantic dash to the airport to make our flight (never have sex before a flight – time flies when you’re having fun). Without dinner or anything, we decided on getting Uber Eats/iFood at the AirBNB. One of the few blessings in this pandemic is that food delivery in Brazil has thrived by leaps and bounds, more than pre-pandemic times, and we would never be hungry. But not in Sao Luis, it seems. We try to put in an order at around 1 AM, and Uber did not have any drivers available. I guess the town shuts down pretty early, in this weekday night. A far cry from SP or RJ, where you can seemingly get anything at any time. So a bit about Sao Luis – in the map, its in the middle of the Northeastern region, where Salvador and Recife are, and is defined by beaches, warm waters, and 24 hour sunlight, and the Northern region, where Manaus and the Amazon is, and is defined by tropical rainforests, mosquitoes, and hot hot temps. And indeed, it seems to inherit some parts of both regions, and it doesn’t do any of it well. It has beaches, but uninspired ones. It has hot weather, but it seems to be Amazon hot (with mosquitoes!) rather than Northeast hot (with a relaxing wind that takes away the sting of the sun). And the infrastructure seems to be crumbling, like what I found in Manaus, than what you see in Recife, for example. I wouldn’t classify this city as a must-go. But we were here because the BF needed to take care of some family business. We spent most of the waking daylight hours (which is usually after 1 PM for us – it takes us forever to get out of bed) in government agencies and banks, including this branch of Bradesco with a particular inviting ad with world-reknowned hottie surfer Gabriel Medina. It does make me want to open an account here. Some other oddities: We had sushi at a restaurant called Taipan in a shopping mall, and there was an oddly high ratio of gay men among the clientele in the restaurant. Paulo felt uneasy, because he was (again) easily head and shoulders the hottest guy there, and everyone was checking him out like in the sauna. For Paulo, it was one thing to get checked out in the sauna, but in public, he does want to be left alone. But we got confirmation that, on this Friday night, this restaurant was a bit of an informal hot spot for the gays. Whatever. It was weird. And it was the first time I’ve ever found these training wheels for chop sticks: The food and beaches were kind of meh for us, but we tried out best to enjoy what was in front of us. The saving grace however, were the bars by the beach at night. Live music, including some of the best Reggae live music we’ve ever heard. This was not an accident. Sao Luis is known as the “Brazilian Jamaica” after all, for some reason. We didn’t know this at the time of the trip, but was surprised that this was actually a thing here in Sao Luis. We had a blast anyway. There was one sauna in Sao Luis, Sauna Go 63. It follows the proud tradition of naming your sauna after the street number your establishment is in. In Rio, you have Clube 117 (Rua Candido Mendes) and Ponte 202 (Rua Siquiera Campos). Also, SP has Fragata 555 (Rua Traipu) and Salvador has Clube 11 (Rua Jose Duarte). It was across the bridge from the Beach of Sao Marcos where we were. It in the “Centro Historico” part of town, and it felt as such, as it was a bumpy ride getting there, with all the potholes and crumbling infrastucture around us. This was a Friday night, and upon entering the premises, we were immediately questioned by a guy sitting behind a table right at the entrance way. Turns out, he was a health advocate, and he was there to promote safe sex practices, which was I guess pretty appropriate, given the venue. After a brief chat, and some nosiness about the BF’s and my relationship, we were free to check in the sauna. He was also giving out free condoms, as well as free at-home HIV tests: Upon check-in, we noticed some boys, one half-naked, another naked and cupping his dick, approach the counter to get some condoms. This certainly was a welcome preview of what is to come. As we head on over to the locker room, Paulo was recognized by a tall and big fellow. He was a boy who who recognized Paulo from one of the saunas in Fortaleza. He had dark skin, nice face, but not as in shape as I would like. I’m sure he was cute to someone. We both change in towels. Paulo asked his friend about the lay of the land here. Paulo then requests that he go into the premises alone at first, to suss out the territory himself. “Are you going to find a client?” I asked. He said he wasn’t sure yet, judging from his conversation with his friend (cheap clients), but willing to see the lay of the land first before deciding on whether to work or not. Knowing what to do, and acting accordingly, is important to Paulo when going to a sauna with me. Paulo says that clients are always jealous of other clients, and if he decided to work tonight, we would have to tamp down on the PDA, and maybe even not talk to each other for a bit, until he was sure he was able to get clients. If he decides not to work, he is free to touch, kiss, and be boyfriends with me. He is big on the PDA, and seems like he wants to do it with me, especially in a sauna since it was a more-or-less private space where he is free to be “gay” and not hetero like out in the world, so he has to make these choices. As Paulo makes his way into the premises to assess the client situation, I make my own way into the sauna slowly, and made sure I was able to assess the boy situation. Yes, I was still forbidden in getting any of these boys, but I was free to look, and sometimes I can get away with inviting a boy with me for a drink. It is still worth it for me to be “single” while I am with Paulo, since the benefits (amazing sex, great conversation, hot hot hot boy, seeing Brazil through his eyes), outweighs the pitfalls (no sex with other guys, penis too large and thick). And it’s not like I am a saint when I am not with him, and I am able to roam the saunas, trawl the sites, and hit Grindr, like before. After one or two rotations around the sauna, I am sad to say that I found a total of ONE guy that I would even think of hiring. That ONE guy was obviously super busy and was getting hired by one client after another, since he was the hottest one there. He was handsome, dark skin, and muscular with abs, so he would be a fit in any other sauna in Brazil land. And any boy of equal or better quality surely should take advantage of this in this sauna. There was not a shortage of clients here for sure. The rest of the boys were boy next door types. Good for hanging out and a laugh or two, but noone I cannot live without. After a while, I see Paulo, emerging from the lockers, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He meets me halfway and plants me a big kiss. “I just got one, and I don’t want anyone anymore,” he says. He takes my hand and gets me to the bar, where he orders us two caiprinhas: “What happened?” I asked him. “They kind of suck here in Sao Luis,” he says in a whisper, and then laughs. I asked why. “Clients were offering me 50 reais, and then 70 reais. It was horrible. You know I don’t do it for less than 100.” But you did one client? “Yeah, remember that guy handing out HIV tests? I guess he liked me enough to offer me 120 reais. But he ended up paying me 150. It was fast too. I only had my penis head in him and he came. Easiest 150 I’ve made. And now I am paying for these drinks,” pointing to the two caiprinhas. I guess he was feeling generous with his earnings, and also since tonight was 2 for 1 caipis: Paulo has a theory that the boys here are happy with 50 reais programas, as long as they can get 4 or 5 clients, that works out to 250 reais a night. They run a volume business. Paulo suspects that the hot guy I saw worked the same way. He said he'd be surprised if that guy couldn't be had for 70. Volume is the key, since there were a lot of clients. The clients simply don't pay like they do in SP or RJ. The sauna itself was actually pretty nice. The drinks were suuuuper cheap, and we got some snacks too that were 15 reais: The premises were nice too, and there was a pool that was outdoors, but still in the courtyard of the sauna, so with the hot weather, it was a nice addition, and Paulo took advantage of it by diving in naked, which caused a commotion with some guests: Overall, this was a chill sauna to spend a Friday night in. The space was pretty spacious: And there was a separate dance room that one could dance with one’s partner to the day’s popular hits. As the sauna was closing, the owner approached us and asked for Paulo’s number. He said he knew some “politicos” that would be interested in getting Paulo’s services, and they pay way more than the average sauna goer. Paulo gladly gave him the number. We got stinking drunk too. And our bill was less than 100 reais. Worth it. In closing, I guess I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back to Sao Luis, except if I was on my way to Lencois Maranhenses. But Paulo certainly has a way of livening any location we are in, so it was better than nothing. Up next, Belo Horizonte, during COVID.

The main attraction starts on Avenida 23 up by the Malecon. Local boys like to hang out and drink on the Malecon wall and socialize on weekends. If you are looking for a "date" the local talent can still be found outside at the Bim Bop ice cream bar. Depending on the night, there are some incredible options working the street. There is always hustler action as well in the Parque Central, across from the Hotel Parque Central. You may get lucky and meet one of the boxers that work out at the boxing gym down the street. The "gay" bars are further west on La Infanta -- just look for the young boys hanging out around the doors of the clubs like Las Vegas. They are looking for foreigners to pay their way in. For the more adventurousl, the best scene is the private parties, usually held in the old resort hotels in Miramar (like Melia, Copacabana, etc.) but you need to know when and where. Like most Latin countries, the party starts late and usually goes until sunrise so be ready for lots of dancing, salsa, and flirting. Local guides can be found online and can help direct you for $30-40 USD per day plus tip. Hope that helps you enjoy Havana!

in times like this we should do that to support small enterprise, even if pricey or less convenient . Big corporations will survive thanks to cash pot and easy access to credit or government support. Small guys can only count on themselves and us, customers.

#ExtremelyRude LMAO!!!+

How rude.

The preceding poster cited the usual rates that have been in existence for about six years or longer. Sometimes the quoted fee/rate is miniscule, under $30. I write based on what I experienced as well as what I've read in previous posts. ...usually no more than $40 for playing and laying! If you have not read the previous posts, I'd suggest that you do; it would help tremendously.

I am very sorry Oz has to deal with this bullshit. And, yes, it is bullshit. I'm not a lawyer, but I know it takes money to hire a good one. I find it very hard to believe that 99.9% of the photos uploaded to this site, even the pornographic photos, are not protected under FAIR USE. It's my understanding that most internet forums fall under the category of "criticism, commentary, and news reporting." "the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright." But if the DMCA is breathing down your neck (for whatever reason), someone is going to have to cough up some coins to defend any position you think you may have. Copyright Fair Use and Online Images Court Deems Screenshot Fair Game for Fair Use Defense in Copyright Action

I think you mean how to retroactively identify them, the problem not being that you don’t know how to technically delete a post once you tracked the URL for a post, but that there are so many and that most are embedded in the text of posts? In that case, I suggest sticking to the ones that were clustered as more of an image agenda, and going forward eliminate new problematic images or, in fact, any post containing them. However, this takes all the fun out of Oz’ participation because he has to scan through all posts as a one-man census board and submit URL’s, locations etc to the webmaster. That is additionally unfair because Oz is the vulnerable one. Everybody knows what a ‘jacket & tie’ event means. Just respect the host and the guidance behind the threshold of an attire situation that deviates from the guidance.

It's not certain yet ,the new Covid outbreak might postpone the releasing date of the second season.

like advised above "I told sunset about you" binge watched, all 5 episodes in 3 days. No , for me is not the best BL of 2020 but still very enjoyable . Even long nothing happens sequences are making sense considering plot. And one of best exchanges in BL series ever ; 'why you are crying?" , "I want to pee but water is coming out of my eyes instead" Second season starts Mar 11

From The BBC Asia They made their debut as a boy band, expecting to create music and amass fans along the way. Instead they were met with anger, protests and even threats. They perform choreographed dance routines, sing addictive tunes and have shockingly slick music videos - and no, we're not talking about a K-pop group. This is Q-pop, or Qazaq-pop - an up and coming pop genre in Kazakhstan, which all started with one band, Ninety One. But the band has not only made a name for itself through its music. It also made a huge statement when its five androgynous looking members - complete with long hair, guyliner and makeup, burst onto the scene in the deeply conservative country - and challenged its gender norms. In 2014, an entertainment group in Kazakhstan held a singing competition - looking for talented individuals who could form a band. Four boys - A.Z. and Zaq were selected, with Bala and Alem cast separately. They were joined by Ace, who had come from South Korea's famous SM Entertainment - the group behind some of the country's most popular K-pop acts. "We became a team, wrote songs together, learned to dance and perform, and finally... debuted when we were ready," the band told the BBC in an email interview. But the band's producer and the man responsible for creating the group, Yerbolat Bedelkhan, wanted more than just one band. Continues at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55359772

I'm glad to learn that Vietnamese government is sharing my optimism about tourism resurrection after pandemic

As long as boys are still working on the app, i see the closure a non issue especially when we all face similar thing back home. However, over here, some of my regular masseur stopped working when the case are high. Of course these are the ones that are lucky enough to be able to afford not working for a period of time. Others cant afford to, so they are still working, and i really hope they will stay healthy. The regular massage center here still open, with strict regulations and SOP being observed like masks in communal area, masseurs have to wear mask, face cover and gloves, and of course the app and temperature check. The illegal ones operate with closed door, and are at risk of police raid. But there are not travel restriction here, not anymore anyway, as our gov decided we cannot afford to do that anymore.

answer is NO, not much heat so far and actors are not my types so it's safe bet they are not yours either. But plot is interesting , best friends becoming non-speaking rivals and then trying to built relationship again. Just like in real life , you like somebody , then you learn something about person which put you off , then after absence you realize that you are kind of missing him / her. Been there , done that although not on romantic level so I can relate to the plot.

Do i need baby oil to go with the kleenex?