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Pre Christmas days – The Ghost of Rio Past Part 2 It always happens this way, doesn’t it? As time passes, and you get reminded about a past relationship, at some point, you only remember the good parts. You somehow forget why you broke up in the first place. And then you try to rekindle the romance, expecting only the good parts reemerge, but if neither of you have changed, and all the niggling details that led to the downfall of your relationship slowly creep back up to the surface, the outcome will be the same. But the thing is, both of us have changed. He is not the same Garoto de Programa that I fell in love with all those years ago. On some things, he has changed for the better – gone is the drug use, the binge drinking, the anger issues. But with that, the excitement mostly has gone away as well – the crazy sex, the reckless abandon. This Diego iteration was almost boring, which is not his fault. I guess after a lifetime of instability and selling one's body, one should aspire to be as boring and predictable as the rest of us. I do respect and admire his change in his outlook in life. But I have also changed as well. I am not a babe in the Brazil woods anymore. I’ve appreciated Diego’s guiding hand in my first year into discovering Brazil, helping me with Portuguese, introducing me to the culture and the people and other idiosyncrasies that is seen through his eyes. But these few days with him have made me realized that I have moved on from what Diego had to offer. It was nice though to be spending the non-sauna hours with him. And he has given me his take on how the coronavirus has changed his life here in Rio. He has seen a lot of people lose their jobs and gone to desperate places. He tells me that he is lucky that he and his family are in the restaurant biz, and people still need food in the pandemic, so that at least guaranteed him not going hungry. He said that if he stuck with being a GP, and with the saunas closing for a good part of 2020, he might not have made it. As we go have lunch one of the days I was with him, the TV that was showing the news in the restaurant reminds me that COVID is still very much a thing here: But Copacabana, and the rest of Rio, seemed to be determined to go into the summer season in a celebratory mood, seemingly unbothered by all this sickness and death. Rio actually is helping me forget all this a depressing stuff as well. I do not think I am going to get sick here. And why would I? The beaches are hopping and full, the water is warm, and the saunas are filled with clients and boys eager for a good time. Definitely delusional thinking on my part, but too late to worry about it now that I am in the soup. It was Saturday today, and I tell Diego that I wanted to check out 117 later. He agreed to it but told me that Lions had a birthday party today for their DJ, Dudu, his friend, and he wanted to go after 117 to greet Dudu his parabens. So we get to 117 at 6 PM so I can get scratch my muscle boy itch for the day. We get to 117, and as usual Diego gets recognized by everyone. After some catching up, we finally get to go downstairs to leave our valuables in the locker. Immediately upon entering, I got reminded on why 117 was my favorite sauna in Rio. There it was, the wall-to-wall muscle-bound boys that left me gobsmacked in my first trip to Brazil, chronicled here. The slow days of Rio during the pandemic are over. It was back. Hopefully for good. Diego opted not to change into a towel, citing that he has stopped his cycle of “anabolizantes” a long time ago, so his muscles are not up to snuff anymore for this place. I gave him a kiss, telling him that to me, he could give these boys a run for their money. Which was true. He was trimmer, less muscles popping, but the Brazilian genetics was still in place for him, so the abs, the chest, the tone, all were still there. As we made our way through the corridor and into the main stage area, it was amazing the amount of boys available. As we sit down for drinks, I told Diego that there was almost too many boys. Too many is almost as bad as too few. Noone stands out, and everyone seems to blend in into the crowd. It was hard to pick one that would stand out. I was ready to randomly throw darts and just pick one, any one, until I lock eyes on one guy. I recognized the guy from somewhere, but I could not put my finger on it. He was tall, strapping, handsome. He had a lean face with carefully coiffed hair. He was a mix of a lot of things, as most of them are, but he was light-skinned, and with just the right amount of tattoos that accentuates his muscles. And then it occurred to me: he was one of the four strippers that had a dance at Lions yesterday. I remembered that he was the best out of the four I saw, and the body was perfection – not an ounce of fat, an 8-pack, and ample ass and cock to complete the package. From his Instagram: I wave him over and after acknowledging Diego, he sits right next to me. I commented on his stripper performance yesterday, to break the ice. He laughs and thanks me. That smile. I tell him that I usually don’t see strippers do the rounds at the sauna. He tells me that it is a rarity for him as well, but said that Christmas was coming, and he needs to get enough money fast to give his family a good Christmas feast. He says he has some fixed clients as well but just needed the money to come in the next few days. He was warm, and forthcoming, and made me a Diego feel like we were talking to a friend. I was sold. I tell him to get a suite for us. For a stripper with crazy muscles, he was very down to earth. He was also very generous with his body. And he was passionate. I’ve always have some reservations with getting strippers to do programas. Maybe they are all for show and not much else. Not this guy. Maybe going into these things with lower expectations helped, but he was doing his part to dispel this notion I had with strippers. Maybe I’ll give more a try. Sufficed to say that I explored all the nooks and crannies of his perfect body, and he showed more attention to mine that I thought it deserved. We both came. I was in heaven. 350 reais for such an experience. I will be going back for more. After the programa, Diego was worried. I indeed took my time with the stripper. We get our things and walk the 10 minutes from 117 to Lions, to join the birthday party already in progress: There was free food and some free beers in the premises: And we enjoyed an hour of drag queen performance after drag queen performance, giving Dudu his tribute. We left at 11 PM, and from what I understood, the show went on for another hour, for a total of 3 hours. That seems a lot but it was a night of celebration. The next day, Sunday, we decided to check out Ponte 202. We got to the sauna and find that it was closed: I was kind of surprised, but I guess they close on Sundays now. We race to Gloria to go to 117. Less boys today, but still had enough boys to strike my fancy. And fancy turned into this lean built guy who had the confidence and swagger that attracted me to him (and probably qualities that I missed from Diego, who is now a little boring and stable). Upon talking to him, I find out that he was a porn star at Hotboys. He grabbed my phone to google his name and he showed me his oeuvre of fine quality naked video work. From the amount of videos I guess he was a popular top, and by the look of his exertions on video, he seems to know what he is doing, and how to use is 9.5 inch (24 cm) dick: At the suite, he was all what his videos promised, and coupled with a playful and happy disposition, made it an enjoyable programa. And he knew how to prime me before getting to take his giant cock, as he rimmed like he was liking it, and got me warm enough for the deed. I came while he was in me, another first in a sauna suite. 200 reais. Money well spent. Epilogue So before this 117 visit, since it was Sunday, it was family day for most Brazilians, and Diego was no exception. We were invited to have a late lunch with Diego’s family. Which meant a 1.5 hour Uber ride further inland into the interior of Rio. Diego’s family’s house was modest, as most favela dwellings are. I got to meet a lot of relatives and friends, and the beer was flowing. Diego was very open with the PDA and kisses which threw me a little bit. But he was determined to show me that he was not ashamed anymore. It was my turn to be ashamed I guess. Not with the overt gayness that was displayed, but because I was pretending to reciprocate his affections. I did not want a love relationship with him anymore, even if he was eager to get into one with me again. I have just moved on. Otherwise, though, the food was amazing, and I appreciated every bit of hospitality that was given to me: Diego had a lovely family, and my mastery (or lack thereof) of Portuguese was indeed tested in this 3 hour lunch. But afterwards, after we were in the Uber on the way back to Copacabana, and Diego lays down his head on my lap, and as it raced to a closed Ponte 202, I realized that I had to nip this in the bud, before Diego overstayed his welcome, and Diego would further assume that we were together again. After 117, and at the apartment, Diego and I have the heart to heart that we never had when we were together. After a few tears, and a lot of laughter, we get into an understanding. It is better that we say goodbye now, before feelings got in the way. They already have, as it turned out. He stays the night. He leaves first thing in the morning. Next… I’m free!!! Not really, but still, a slut can dream.

Quasi riot today when police tried to clear people off Ipanema beach IMG_1304.MP4

I thought I’d put this placeholder thread for now until my current trip is finished, which is going to be soon. The good news: after a rough few months after Brazil opened up to the world last July, where the Rio saunas were ghost towns with few boys, and even fewer clients, I’d like to report that Rio is back. Probably not as “back” as it was pre-pandemic, with the wall-to-wall muscle in 117, and crazy parties in 202, but “good enough” to spend time in. As it is, the picking are slim in the pandemic, and I am thankful that there are options in Rio at all. This is because as Brazil opened up to foreign visitors at the end of July 2020, I found that Sao Paulo was the place to be, with even boys from Rio flocking to Lagoa because the tourists numbers was still low in Rio. As 2020 drew a close however, Rio gathered strength, and now, with the city of Sao Paulo’s numerous openings and closings and Fragata, the once-promising alternative to Lagoa opening to some fan-fare, and then slowly slid into a whimper to its (temporary?) closure in December, I was also able to visit other Brazilian cities with the new boyfriend, as chronicled in the previous thread I started last year, and still need to complete. In this thread, I’ll report about my experiences in Rio over the holidays, and in the 3 months after. And since I spent the New Year in Fortaleza, I’ll report about that too. Putting aside the obvious horrible stuff that has happened during the pandemic (so far), I’d say that I was able to take advantage of the low tourist numbers, discounted hotel and AirBNB prices, and the bargain basement airfare to Sao Paulo and Rio from the USA. This is a unique point of our history, and oddly enough due to the “work from home” mode that the majority of us have adopted to mitigate the spread of the COVID, I was able to spend the majority of my (post-July 2020) time, in Brazil. And I won’t expand on the mountain of risks I have been taking (and continue to take) with venturing out to this country, I have been lucky enough to have kept my health, and my sanity, in check. I hope it keeps up that way. So here I am, in the last leg of the trips I’ve taken that will be chronicled in this trip report. This trip was made possible because last Janaury, I was able to book three speculative flights into the future, all at $1200 business roundtrip, not knowing if I can make all the flights in the dates I’ve booked them at, but since the prices are so low, and with the elimination of change fees at least this year, I’d say the risk of losing my money from these bookings are low. But it now March 2021, and the second wave (third? fourth?) is upon Brazil, which is extra concerning because even with all the lessons and trials we all have learned and endured in this pandemic, Brazil meanwhile, seems to have regressed somewhat, back to a scary time in the pandemic. Regardless, I am still soldiering on and flying into to the belly of the beast, so the question was just what Brazilian city will I go to next. I see city after city announce their lockdown plans, and mine and BF’s plans to spend a week in Sao Paulo, has been wrecked by Sao Paulo’s super duper serious pandemic phase: And Lagoa of course has to comply, and is closed at least to the 30th of March: But Rio de Janeiro, being Rio de Janeiro, even with some sort of lockdown, is still semi-open. There is just something about Rio that really can’t get shut down. With notices from Lion’s and 202 on their Instagram, and the notice at the door at 117: Which means diverting my flight, and AirBNB rentals, to a stay in Rio. Armed with my RT-PCR test, I took the United Sao Paulo flight from Houston, which was half-empty, and then the flight from Sao Paulo to Santos Dumont in Rio was filled to the gills. And the ultimate sign of the times was a dedicated COVID testing area at the mezannine floor at International terminal at Terminal 3 in Guarulhos. And the place looked busy: Another sign of the times: greeting me in Rio was a cute masked Azul mascot: though the mask does look ill-fitting. Speaking of masks, everyone in the airport was wearing masks, and the Uber ride had me and the driver wear masks the whole ride, but there was a lot of mask-less people milling around the streets of Copacabana where my AIrBNB was. So please be patient, I will continue this thread when this current trip is over (and it’ll be soon). Next, a December to remember.

A company I consult for has put up a facebook page full of funny pro vaccination memes https://www.facebook.com/vaxmath I thought you guys might enjoy it.

I started computing life with a Toshiba laptop, because that model was what everyone in the company used. When I changed companies, I had to switch to Apple and found them much easier. But the constant need for new models really pissed me off. So I gave up the updating to see how long my machines would work. My desktop has been on the go for 9 years and still works perfectly well. Yes, I copy everything important on to a hard drive - I gave up on the Cloud when suddenly my iPhone and iPad suddenly ended up with almost a thousand work email addresses(!) - and upgrade the operating systems etc. when advised by Apple. It's the batteries that piss me off. I bought one of the original iPod Touch gadgets, uploaded all my photos and a ton of music on to it. The photos have recently been uploaded to the iPad but the smaller gadget is perfect for plane journeys and travelling. I never saw any reason to change it - until I tried to get the battery replaced. "Don't make them any more!" I had the same response when I went to Sony about 6 years ago for a couple of new batteries for my 2007 camera. I was told I could find them in Singapore. When there a few weeks later I got the same response. Eventually in another country I found clones which work perfectly well. As for the iPod Touch, a small battery pack is I suppose only a minor inconvenience.

glad to see few familiar faces from other series

God luck, Chai!

Fish upon the sky start on 09.04.21 !

I was conflicted on whether to continue with this thread in the midst of the worsening COVID outlook in Brazil. Not even able to pursue a competent response to the pandemic has been deadly to the country, and as I left Brazil a few days ago, I saw that even Rio de Janeiro, which was fairly resistant to any kind of lockdown since things reopened in mid-2020, having to shut down till April 4th. A report, if you are interested: And I felt particularly guilty because as I see the USA kicking ass in terms of vaccination against the virus, I get message after message from friends and boys back in Brazil, ranging from slight irritation because of the lockdowns and the lack of parties, to desperation because the saunas are closed and therefore their main source of income is cut off. I am scheduled to go back in the latter half of April, and I have no idea if the COVID situation would be any better by then. I do hope so. But I guess that is the point, is all I can do is hope right now. And by continuing on with this thread, I feel that I am continuing that hope for myself, and maybe for others that are waiting patiently to go back as well, and who are not as willing to take the risks I have taken since August of last year. If my risk-taking seems too much for you, maybe read this thread after everything is back to normal, as we all hope it would, eventually. Pre Christmas days – The Ghost of Rio Past I have now spent the last 3 Christmases and the New Years in South America, and this year 2020, even with the pandemic still very much a thing, was no different. And can you blame me? Exchanging the cold weather and the bulkier clothes, for a much hotter, more festive, and much more naked atmosphere is a no brainer. And Christmas means family to a most Brazilians, and I was not going to pass up an invitation by an ex-boyfriend to spend Christmas dinner with his sister and her family. In my previous trip earlier in December, I was contacted by an ex who happened to be in SP too. This ex has the special distinction of being my very first boyfriend who lived in Brazil. We dated for six months, and in that time, being my formative months in my Brazil trips, I’ve probably learned the most about Brazil, and Brazilians, from him. There are many advantages of dating a Brazilian - the giant cock, the insatiable appetite for sex, the patented zest for life, but with that come some faults – the famous temper, the fire within that burns you at both ends, the obsessiveness. The relationship ended because the endless fights just became untenable for both of us. But he was a good guy, and has a good heart, and when he reached out almost two years after we ended, I was eager to reconnect. I’ve talked about him, Diego, here and here. He was a Garoto de Programa when I met him. He was one of those Brazilians who had an interesting racial mix that was fairly common in Brazil, and who unfairly got most of the best parts of each race – fair skin that tanned easily, light green eyes that called attention, a desire for physical activity that resulted in a perpetually fit body, and a cock that would only have descended from his… ahem… darker-skinned ancestors. The one fault, which is not really a fault, but one he hates, is his curly hair. He gets his hair straightened with blonde highlights, almost weekly when he was working as a boy. But now, having quit the GP life for a year, he has let go of this conceit, tho he maintains his hair close cropped, which suits him. He said he had to quit the GP life. The money was good, but also deadly. He earned a lot so he spent a lot – most of the time on girls and drugs and booze. The fast life caught to him eventually, health-wise, so he had to quit the whole GP life altogether. He lives now with his family, helping out with the family business. Little money, but comes with little problems, and less stress. He insisted on picking me up at the airport as I arrived in Rio, which he has never done before. As I exited the arrivals area, there he was, smiling from ear to ear. He met me halfway, and kissed me squarely in the lips, in front of everyone. When I first dated him, he was pretty clear that no one was to know publicly that we were together. He said at the beginning of our relationship that one of the advantages of dating me was I could pass as his friend in public because we didn’t look too far in age. That both flattered me (I look young!) and horrified me (he is ashamed to be seen as gay!), but I was willing to overlook that. But here he was, practically humping my leg, as we make our way to the Uber level in Galeao airport. This was indeed a change. But I made him aware that I had a boyfriend already (see thread), and also I fully intended to go to the saunas while I was in Rio, but told him that he could keep me company and could stay with me as long as I was in Rio. He said he didn’t mind going to the saunas with me, and actually would relish seeing friends from his past life there. Upon arrival at the AirBNB at Copacabana, since he was Brazilian, it was physically impossible for him to keep his shirt on. The sight of him shirtless of course was too much to bear for me. So with the shirt came the pants as well. He takes off my own clothing too, and it took all my strength to go to the bathroom to take a shower first (I was after all coming from a long flight from the USA, so I had to clean up). He joined me there to start the fun. What came next well… let’s just say we made up for lost time. A shower, then lunch at one of the nearby restaurants, we of course went to the beach afterwards. Not even 2 hours in Rio and I already had sex, eaten feijoada, and had my caipirinha in Copacabana beach. Welcome to Brazil: Diego and I got to catch up further at the beach. And after the beach, it was almost 6 PM. So my usual afternoon nap after a flight did not happen. So I just downed a couple cans of Red Bull to get through the evening. Diego and I discussed what sauna we should go. Diego recommended going to Lion’s tonight, since he said Friday nights were Lion’s best night. I told him I was not particularly fond of that sauna, but since I had a week of freedom in Rio, I guess I can try to go there. There was a nice crowd inside when we got there. Thank goodness. Lots of customers with lots of drinks, and some boys milling about as well. Looks like the holiday crowd has descended upon Rio. This was definitely a change from motnhs ago, when the Rio saunas were dead. The boys that Lions attracts usually are too boy-next-door for me, but I could see tonight that there were some promising boys that I could see going out with. Diego was still holding his own too, as it was obvious the regular clients and some boys knew him. He was saying hi to some clients and boys in the premises, as well as the staff at Lions. As the night, and the booze, got on, he had some pretty juicy gossip about the staff, boys, and even some clients present, to share with me, which made the evening more enjoyable. And he assured me that I could just call on any boy I wanted and he would just remain where he was, waiting for me to finish. The show started, and it was pretty elaborate. There was a total of 4 strippers tonight, and 6 drag queens, which to me felt like a big production. In between the 3rd and 4th drag queens, I noticed a nice young-looking moreno walk past us. He was trying to get my attention, of course, and I took the bait and called him over to sit with us. His body was to die for. Nice tone arms, 8 ack abs, nice chest, and the cutest smile. Big plump ass. Smooth all over. He was 23 (the magic age), and was very generous with his body to just show me what he was about. He guided my hand under the towel to get a feel of his cock. “Sou versatile” he says the magic words. I was sold. I tell Diego I will be right back. At Lion’s, while the downstairs stage and bar area are renovated, the upstairs suites were not, and were kind of run down. It will do the job, however. The boy gets me the suite keys and some condoms and lube. We entered the suite, and the boy excuses himself and asks if he could shower and get clean. I could not argue with that. I lay down on the bed to wait. A few minutes later, he was ready, emerging from the bathroom naked, smelling amazing, and hard. He takes my clothes off and immediately sits on my groin to start of. He leans down to kiss me, deeply. This boy knows what he is doing. When it comes to these programas, I can be game for anything. Sometimes I am game for worshiping a muscle god, sometimes I like getting serviced and let the boy earn his programa money. But the sweet spot for me is a boy who was equal parts into getting you into him, as he is getting into you. He sucked me, I sucked him. He rimmed me and I rimmed him. When it came to the main course, I opted to top him, but he called the shots, riding me and calling the shots and making the thrusts. I was so turned on that I came while he was thursting on me up and down, a rarity for me. “Leite?” he asks. Of course, I answer. He gets off my dick, feeds his still hard cock on my mouth, pulls out, and then jacks off. 30 seconds later he shoves his dick back into my mouth and comes inside. Wowza. He kisses me afterwards, our kiss was a mix of saliva and some of his cum that I did not swallow. He takes the condom from my cock and disposes of it, and cuddles with me in the bed. We exchange some pleasantries and get to know each other, and we exchange numbers as well. 200 reais. After a shower to de-whore myself, I was back in Diego’s arms. He playfully puts his hand on my crotch and asks me if the boy was good. I kiss him and told him he was good. We enjoy the rest of the evening watching the show and having more beers. We get home and after laying down with Diego in bed, I immediately fall asleep. I was exhausted. I wake up in the middle of the night, with a naked Diego snoring next to me. This was going to be a good trip. Next, 117, 202, and more Lions.

This past December I had a chance to spend three weeks in Greece and one week in Turkey. I’ll write about my Athens and Greece experience in another post when time allows. I had travelled much of Turkey several times before with tour groups but had very little luck with finding guys. My one bit of luck was on a previous expedition where I was in a hot air balloon over the Cappadocian mountains with a sexy Turkish balloon guide. When he found out that I was single, he started rubbing his dick. I was able to play with it a few minutes until we had to land with the other balloons. Had a been a little quicker and started on take-off, I could have given a blow job to a Turk as the sun rose. Alas, those are missed opportunities. My most previous visit to Turkey has been to Istanbul for one week about one year ago. I had one bad and one good experience. The bad experience happened when I met a sexy Turk in Taksim Square and we walked over to Taksim Park for sex. As we got on the back side of one of the trees on the back section, it became clear that he had a knife he was holding in his right pocket as he walked. Now I understand the need for his own protection, but I was not keen on finding out if he was going to rob me. I stopped, pointed to the area, and then said NO. I then pointed to another section (the east side near the hotels) and motioned for hm to walk with me there. As we walked I was trying to think of a way to run or exit the place. At that moment two policemen were walking through the park. I saw them and just waved and started saying “Hello, hello, can you help me?” The young man immediately started walking away and when the police arrived, I simply asked them to give me directions to my hotel. I had read on the internet about horror stories with guys in Istanbul, so I was very wary of future street action. The good experience happened happened on my last night at the Aquarius Sauna which is quite famous. The place seems to close and reopen every few months. It had just reopened and I ventured into the place. I had a great experience with one Turkish guy that was mesmerizing. Fast forward to December when I decided to try my luck again in Istanbul. I first went to visit the three bars/clubs and two caffes you can find on the internet. Even with Covid, they were open and quite busy. I immediately had a few young Turks come to talk with me at each place. Their English was not that great but sufficed. Because of my not knowing Turkish, I decided to not chance an encounter with any of the guys. I considered a blow-job for one, but the bathroom could not hold the two of us at the same time. At another bar I finally met two Turkish guys that spoke English. Suddenly this older British man said hello to me and asked if I would join him for a drink at his table. He then proceeds to tell me that I was about to fall prey to a scam. The Turkish guys/escorts had been making it a habit of taking a foreign guys back to their hotel and robbing them. He warned me that they also spiked drinks and had carried a French guy out the previous week when he seemingly looked to be drunk. This British man and his partner are retired living there. He said it was not very safe in parts of Istanbul right now for gays, so even they introduce themselves as “business” colleagues. He did give me one interesting insight. He said that Grindr and Planet Romeo would have plenty of straight, masculine, Turkish guys available for sex, but there had been too many horror stories in Istanbul about what happened when these guys got to a client’s hotel or apartment. Instead, he said I should choose a gay man that was clearly a bottom and maybe even effeminate. They said I would have a better chance of not having a gay attack another gay. Well, I tried it and found one sexy university student on Grindr who joined me at my hotel with no problem. He was a bottom, gay, slightly effeminate, and had an amazing body. He told me many sad stories of openly gay men trying to live in Istanbul. I spent three evenings with him and still keep in contact. I also decided to return to Aquarius Sauna during the day hours. I had one bad experience and three sexy experiences. The bad experience was a young Kurd that had the body of a God, promised to kiss on the lips, and would allow me to suck him for 700 lira ($99 USD). When we got to the room, he would not kiss at all. I tried to leave and he pushed me into the wall and wanted the money. I said NO and motioned that first there was the blow job and then the money. He laid on the table, I gave him the blow job, and then we exited to the cabin. I gave him the 700 lira and he demanded more. I told him NO and immediately walked to the bar area. The guy did not follow, but the bar guy heard me and asked (in English) what had happened. I explained and he said he would ask the guy to leave since he had followed me to the cabin (notice… NOT because he had lied!). I was then offered a drink and two other Turks came to talk with me. They offered themselves as a top and a bottom for 500 lira each ($70 USD) if I wanted some group action. I was soured on the prior experience at this point so I left. I returned the next day and those same two Turks offered themselves again. I decided to take them up this time and we had a great experience for four days in a row (kissing, cumming, sucking, fucking, getting fucked). AQUARIUS SAUNA: This can be a bit scary if you have not been there before. Search on the internet under google maps for photos. The entrance is off Istiklal pedestrian road that connects with Taksim Square. The street is Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Sadri Alışık Sk. No: 29/1, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey. You can find a marker in Google maps for the location, as well as a 360 view where you can walk through the sauna. You enter off the main road, pay your fee of 50 lira ($7 USD), and then go down a set of steps to the cabin area. You are given a cabin with your own key, a towel, and sandals. You disrobe in the cabin, wrap the towel around you, leave your valuables in the cabin, and then lock the door. You then can walk into the lounge area where all the boys will be sitting. There were about 10 boys on each visit I was there. I then went to the bar on the right and got myself a drink watching carefully how it was made so as not to be spiked. At that point I had brought the International Herald Tribune so I started reading it. The boys will immediately start to approach you for business. The whole place is very dirty to my taste, but they were trying to keep it clean as you can see from the photos. The rooms for sex required you to go up the very narrow set of stairs to the left of the bar area to what I can only describe as an attic. Once at the top, there were a series of 8 rooms that were about 10 ft by 20 ft. each, with a table/mattress (see the photo on google…the room you see there is CLEAN if you can believe it!). This was the most cramped I have ever been for sex. The guy will spray the mattress with a disinfectant, and then place a large towel/blanket over the mattress. When you are finished, you return to your cabin to retrieve the money. The guy is not supposed to follow you back to the cabin. WEBSITE (the photos in google are better): www. aquariussauna.com PAY: The gay guy from Grindr asked for 400 lira ($56 USD). He was so good I gave him 800 each time and also met for some meals. The Aquarius guys wanted 500 lira per person for the package deal, but the others were all asking for 700 lira ($99). I was told by the British couple that the going rate paid offered a Turkish client at Aquarius was 300-400 lira ($42-$56 USD). Good luck!

I looooove this boy. I just opened a thread in the other site and came in here to open also one, but of course you bit me. I have to research who is the creative mind behind this video.

For me, it's a question of how much my time is worth. When I was working, I used DOS and Windows computers but we had technicians to do the upgrades and data migration. At home, I used Macs. When it was time for a new computer, I plugged in a cable, answered three questions in the Migration Assistant, and waited a couple of hours to see everything transferred exactly where it belonged. Last time, I got it to pull a backup from my Time Capsule. These days, even without much dollar value on my time, I just don't want to spend it figuring out why something doesn't work, hanging on the phone with tech support, or downloading software drivers. I have a friend who would sometimes spend days setting up a new Windows computer for her or her husband. It seemed she never gave a second thought to other things she could be doing. Don't get me wrong. Apple isn't perfect. My previous laptop, a 2013 MacBook Pro, had connectors for every conceivable peripheral device, an SD slot, and a built-in drive to read and write CD's and DVD's. This 2017 version has four "lightning ports" and needs a separate adapter to hook up anything besides my iPhone. On the plus side, this is the first computer I've had that responds instantly. The spinning beachball is a thing of the past and the extra time in my day is much appreciated.

I thought they were rioting over the change in name to Ipabema!

I used to be anti Mac until I got my first one. It is true the products are more expensive than PC competitors, but I am not sure wether they are less affordable in the long term. When I was a PC guy, I would need to buy a new computer every other year, or make major upgrades in the hardware in order to run updated OS with an acceptable speed. I had to spend lots of money on virus protection, I had to pay for a good technical support because I had problems all the time, I had to suffer system updates too often. I bought a Macbook 6 years ago. It still works perfectly, I needed help only once and got it for free and efficiently in an apple store. The problem was not the laptop, but my ignorance of the OS after so many years waisted in PCs and Windows. The device just works perfectly and in perfect association with the other devices I went purchasing. I was so impressed with my Mac that I also switched to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. I did buy a new computer, I just did it. I had not had a desktop in about 10 years, I was in need of treating myself with something nice, and bought the iMac 27'. I had a tech boner, this machine is amazing and was so easy to set up compared to my previous PC experiences! And Apple sold it to me with a teacher discount and 0% financing if I pay within one year. Definitely, if you go Mac you do not come back.

My first was an IBM. I never really went down the Apple track so I can't really speak to the product life cycle. Since before the new millennium I switched to Asus. They have served me well. My current workhorse is about to be put out to pasture - an Asus laptop I purchased in 2009. Windows Vista is no longer supported and most of the applications like the anti-virus package I use are no longer compatible. The replacement is already at home - got it in April last year when I was told to work from home. Needed something more capable. Along the same lines - whomever came up with the concept of a "mouse" deserves a Nobel prize. Without it GUIs would not have taken off and we'd still be hitting the "tab" button to navigate our way through the day!

Tom, Were they after particular people?...their tactics looked very unprofessional.

Beautifully written @numazu. Over the years, I bet most of us have been tempted to restart with an ex, and it never works. It’s great that you could enjoy friendship with Diego.

For me apple seems to supply the exact same products other companies do but at a much higher price. If you have the money for that I say "why not" but I don't have the money for it.

One of the best massages I had in my life (and I've has A LOT) was in Taiwan....90 minutes, English speaking guy that I had picked from their page (which I'd never done before or since) very forward and very big dick.....looking at my travel dates, just realized it was in 2014.....how time flies https://www.travelgay.com/venue/the-royal-spa/

A "Populist" president.....surprised? We had our own and look what happened, as well as Mexico......

I have a feeling that there are a few more floating around out there....worldwide

I've decided to break my copyright rule. I know, that took about two minutes. If anyone objects, I totally understand if this post disappears. I don't know what the future holds. I recently read a moving post from the escort, peterhung85, and I wanted to share his words here. If the other site disappears, I thought his excellent writing should live on as long as possible. RIP Guy Fawkes/daddy I have just seen this topic. I still don't want to believe it... It was 2009, San Francisco, and my first ever review was published on Daddysreviews by a long-standing member here. I had no idea what this site was so I went to check it out and shortly after my cell phone rang. A gentleman introduced himself as "Daddy" and told me that my review got published on his website. He asked me a few non-intrusive questions that were geared towards finding out whether the money I make through this means is being invested for my future. Again, and I must emphasize this, he did that in the most non-intrusive way as one possibly could have. I felt that he just genuinely wanted to ensure that I am on the right path to creating financial independence for myself in the long run. We covered a few other aspects of the industry and he offered me a helping hand in case I ever needed a piece of advice. Soon after my first published review came the second, third --- 20th, and 30th, and my business has exploded and I was full of quality inquiries. Surely, providing a great service doesn't hurt but without the ability for people to research their next "date" on a platform like his, how would anyone know about my abilities? But business (while obviously in our lives is key) was truly NOT what Daddy was all about. He was in it to help people. Genuinely. I had the pleasure to meet him on numerous occasions at a variety of restaurants and many times at his apartment in Las Vegas. We even met during the pandemic (the chair was waiting for me at the entrance to sit on) while he distanced himself from me by being in front of his computer on the other side of the apartment and we were both wearing masks. The "HOW" never really mattered, but every meeting with him was always highly insightful and entertaining.... and very genuine. Many of you probably didn't get the chance to truly know who was behind this nickname/website and I am very grateful that I had the pleasure of conducting more than just superficial chit-chats with him. For those of you who don't know, he was a computer whiz and had incredible talents at forensics and used to be retained as a forensic expert in multi-billion dollar lawsuit cases back in the day. This speaks volumes of the in-depth knowledge he had about certain fields in computers. Talking about talent, he used to be an escort himself (waaaaaaaaaaay) back in the day. He wasn't always overweight and was rather hot. He told me so many funny stories about providing services in LA/Beverly Hills to some of the Hollywood elites. They were extremely entertaining stories. He never cared about the money. He went as far as to flat-out decline highly lucrative promotional/marketing/advertising offers if he disagreed with how the company conducted its business in the gay world, whether we are talking about advertising practices, treatment of others, or the mission the company stood for. He was a principles guy, yet - needless to say - non-judgmental. Every time we talked - without an exception - he had his "routine" questions: - Are you happy? - Do you put a certain percentage of your money aside and invest it? - Do you take time out to have fun and enjoy life too? This should tell you about the type of person Bill was. (With names redacted), he showed me all kinds of escort inquiries where the guys offered him free sessions in exchange for promotion/bad review removal/self-review postings. He NEVER abused his position and always maintained his integrity. He was a big fan of Latin guys with muscles and cute butts. Who can blame him, right?! Yet... never ran out of compliments for me when we met. We talked about a few side projects of his too. Some of you may not know, but a few years back he was running a website that was teaching the transgender community about proper accessorizing / makeup / wigs and how to start out. He was also running it on his own dime and received no compensation for it. On my last in-person visit during COVID, we actually started discussing either a joint business venture or a certain promotional opportunity about a website that would have served as an extension of DaddysReviews. We have never finalized the details and sadly, that will not happen anymore. It would have been great to work with him I am sure. I just want you gentlemen to understand how this person sacrificed most of his life to help our community. He never asked for anything in return and I know exactly how much of his life he sacrificed for others. He changed my life, and probably many of your lives I am certain or the very bottom line, his work made your life a little easier in this crazy world. I hope that he is in a good place now, his contributions, his helping hand, his guidance, and the amount of care and love he put out for all of us will be remembered (at least by me) for a LIFETIME. When @Cooper reached out to me, I was shocked to hear that I was probably the only person who knew his address. He was so loving, welcoming and open that I thought he kept company often times at his home. I also would like to take this opportunity to thank Cooper for taking immediate actions and for keeping everyone posted. I am so truly sorry it ended this way. :-( THANK YOU BILL/DADDY/GUY FAWKES WITH ALL MY HEART! ❤ If anyone doubted why many escorts and clients remained loyal to Daddy, peterhung85's words should put those doubts to rest.

lol

1. Copenhagen, Denmark I”ll start with a tribute to Denmark. In 1989 it became the first nation in the world to recognize registered same-sex partnerships. Visit its capital, Copenhagen, and have a drink at Europe’s oldest openly gay bar, Centralhjørnet. It opened in the 1950s. 2. New Zeland I’m proud to mention New Zealand. It’s a small country that refuses to be pushed around. It defied America by not allowing nuclear submarines stations or docking places. It passed same-sex marriage in 2013, leaving Australia behind. In 1998 New Zealand was the first country to adopt the label “Gay/Lesbian Friendly”in matters of tourism and business. It is the home of the talented Topp Twins. These lesbian twins have delighted audiences with comedy, yodeling and activist singing. They dress in drag and have audiences howling in the aisles. 3.Toronto, Canada In 2014, Toronto hosted World Pride. I was there and it was amazing. I watched police women in uniform holding hands with their girlfriends or wives. Same-sex marriage came to Canada in 2005. Spain just beat us by months. Toronto’s The Village, located in Church-Wellesley, is the cultural hub of the city, bursting with galleries, theatres and gay-friendly businesses. Home to events such as Pride Week Celebrations, Pride March and Dyke March, gay sub-culture has blossomed and thrived in The Village for decades and it will soon be home to the world’s first gay-focused athletic centre at 519 Church St. 4. Palm Springs, USA Located approximately 100 miles east of Los Angeles, Palm Springs is a sun-seeker’s paradise where the sun shines almost all year round and where the city has embraced everything gay. Palm Springs provides the LGBTQ traveller with an amazing array of outdoor activities, excellent shopping and dining, and the world’s best poolside lounging. Palm Springs also offers the largest volume of male- and female-only accommodation anywhere in the world (many of these places are clothing-optional). 5. Sitges, Spain Ole! Spain legalized same-sex marriage in 2005 despite forces from the Catholic Church trying to block it. History has made many Spaniards remember that the Church sided with the Fascist Dictator, General Franco, in Spain’s Civil War. The coastal city of Sitges rests approximately 35km southwest of Barcelona. Sitges is home to Spain’s first ever gay disco which opened back in the 1980s. 6. Berlin, Germany While Copenhagen may have the oldest “openly gay” bar, Berlin had discrete (sometimes hidden) gay bars that can date back to the 1920s. Gay flags are flown openly outside bars and restaurants. The districts of Schöneberg (which hosts Gay Pride), Kreuzberg and Prenzlauerberg provide a diverse range of clubs, bars and restaurants for sampling. With no ‘closing time’ in Berlin, the party never ends! 7. Skiathos, Mykonos, Lesbos -Greece When I think of Greece, I think of Sappho. Many lesbians have made the pilgrimage to the island of the goddess. Trish and I have placed it on our ‘bucket list’ of places to go. It was Jackie Onassis (wife of President Kennedy) who brought the island of Mykonos to world attention in the 1970s. Like so many Greek islands, Mykonos has it whitewashed houses flanked by the deep blue Mediterranean Sea. For a less hedonistic holiday, the sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and pine forested hills of Skiathos offer a relaxed and authentic experience for the LGBTQ traveller 8. New York City, USA The Stonewall riots that occurred in the late ’60s in Greenwich Village are synonymous with the birth of the modern gay-rights movement. The incredibly inclusive communities of the West Village, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen provide a fabulous array of gay-friendly accommodation options. Littered with significant LGBTQ landmarks such as Christopher St, the Harvey Milk School, the Lesbian Herstory Archives and, hello, Broadway and the Theater District, New York is a gay traveller’s mecca. 9. Reykjavik, Iceland The world’s northernmost capital, Reykjavik, has been described as one of the friendliest places and most inclusive on Earth. In 2015, Reykjavik will host its 17th Gay Pride march (one of Europe’s oldest LGBTQ parades), and the 11th Bears on Ice event. Iceland also has some of the world’s most progressive laws. In 2006, same-sex couples were granted equal rights with their heterosexual counterparts without limitation. Wander behind waterfalls, descend into dormant volcanoes, or while away a day in one of the many geothermal lagoons – this is an adventurer’s paradise. 10. Montevideo, Uruguay What an accomplishment! Uruguay, the smallest of the South American countries, legalized same-sex marriage in 2013. It was beaten by Argentina, that legalized marriage equality in 2010. The relaxed attitude present in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo provides a brilliant juxtaposition to the hustle and bustle of the likes of Buenos Aires. Some of these places may be beyond your budget. However, there are ways to travel. Have you considered working on a cruise line? Would you exchange your home with a gay person(s).?

Thank you.

The Aquarius booth incident reminded me of my experience there. On the evening of November 9, 2020, I went there for a so-called massage. I paid 70 lire to enter and a guy named Aziz led me into my booth. Photo of the booth is attached. After taking a walk in the sauna, during which one jock felt my ass, I went into the steam room. In the steam room, there was one more person besides me, but he does not play a role in the further narration. But the first role is played by a bald guy with a beard who came into the steam room after me. He sat down next to me and invited me to touch his cock and opened his pastamal. I don't know if it was due to a huge erect dick or a high temperature in the steam room, but my rational thinking turned off and I immediately agreed to a massage at a price of 150 lira, although at the entrance there was an announcement that it cost 120 lira. My rational thinking was still missing when a bald guy, during an oil massage, poking his dick in my face, offered a special massage. My question is "how much?" - he replied - "expensive" and again I agreed! Then the circus with horses began - when I began to suck his cock, I realized that he was my size and decided not to let myself be fucked. But the guy ignored my decision and began to force me into anal sex. On my attempts to free himself from his grip and discuss the problem face to face, and not with a dick put to the ass, he promised that he would thrust his dick into me just a little bit and even show how little. Realizing that I could be raped like that, I decided to take matters into my own hands and put myself on his dick in the pose of a rider. And I did it! But then the bald guy began to actively change positions, saying - you are my wife, you are my pussy, I will fuck you every day, I will fuck you as I want - and my ass protested. My protests, to be fair, I must say, quiet were again ignored by him. In the end, I could only cum when I sucked his cock and licked his balls. After that, the bald guy helped me take a shower, walked me to my booth and went into it with me. I did not know about the ban on masseurs from entering the booth, and I was inhibited after a special massage, and therefore did not chase him away. He announced the price for a special massage of 500 lira, which was paid to him. With a hard ass and realizing how rape victims feel, I went to my hotel with the firm intention of going to an ordinary male hammam tomorrow. Looking ahead, I will say that even there I could not convincingly say "no".

I found nothing in Bodrum. I visited Izmir for three days on my way back from Ephesus, but it was two years ago. I visited three of the major gay friendly dance clubs/bars that were listed, but the problem was that I was staying with a friend so I could not bring anyone back. The CIX Club was gigantic. The moment I walked in I realized things would be interesting as everyone there was less than 30 years of age. Everyone clearly knew what this old man came to find and it was NOT just to dance! Half the place starting smiling and walking up to chat, but it was also true that half of the place started reaching into my pockets and trying to steal from me. I went to Club KA and found mostly Kurds there who were straight for pay. They were sexy and ready to go, but again no place. The night I tried Gullum and there were only about 20 men in the place and 1 sure guy for rent. The bartender even told me I could take action to the lavatory, but the one rent guy was not worth it. The loos at the other two places were just too crowded to even try something. My plan had been to go back last year and find an airbnb nearby, but Covid hit. So, the fruit was ready to pick! The pick-pocket attempts were quite proliferous, though. An updated report would be ideal if you make it there.

I'd say it depends on the apps you depend on (Apple's apps will probably start with a leg-up on using the new hardware better), but that buying the final generation of proven hardware is probably a safer bet than the first generation of new and drastically different hardware. But if you're a life-long Apple guy you've faced this multiple times before... 680X0 to PowerPC, PowerPC to Intel, and now... I wonder about the prospect of mainstream applications being as fast or even bothering to support a vastly different architecture, but then they claim it emulates/etc...