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In fact, Brazil Visa requirements for US (and I think Australia) were based on a pillar of Diplomacy and International Relations - the principle of Reciprocity. Since US, Australia and Canada requires Brazilians to get a visa to travel to their countries, Brazil used to require the same. That’s not the case for the countries of the Schengen space, with which brazil has a tourism agreement and citizens of both places do not need visas to visit the other. Bolsonaro government abolished the Visa requirement for US citizens in a move to please Donald Trump, his so called friend, in hopes that the US would drop Visa requirements for Brazilians. I’m not sure if Bolsonaro loses the election (God’s permit) the visa requirement abolition will uphold.

You're right about the gay scene changes in the other major cities you cite. It's agreed that much of the activity has moved on line. But I'm making the case that Thailand--Bangkok, in particular--is different. I don't think that there's any debating that increasing wealth is a main factor in the rising numbers of gay Asians arriving in Bangkok over the past decade. But we've witnessed the positive effect this has had on the sustainability of venues in the Silom/Surawong area. They make it possible for the places that we all attend to thrive. It was the virus that curtailed not only westerners but Asians alike (and when I say westerners, I included those from Australia and New Zealand). The return of gay visitors will be slow and unpredictable because no one can chart the future of the virus. That, I maintain, is the biggest factor in how this all plays out. If Thailand can get its act together and muster an effective response, sometime next year gays worldwide will be more comfortable in returning in numbers. But they won't be coming to enjoy a "new" Thailand. They will be returning to the same conditions that attracted them in 2019: a lot of sanuk and an ample helping of sleaze. When it comes to gay men, the sleaze factor should never be underestimated. Too much sleaze has been drained out of western cities over the past 40 years. That has helped propel Thailand into the go-to destination for those who craze it. We relish the rough edges that places like Bangkok and Pattaya provide. We've heard many posters describe the experience of arriving in bkk with feelings of euphoria even before they make it to the arrivals hall. You don't get that arriving in London or New York. Bangkok is unique in this respect. It's that enchantment, mixed with a generous amount of passion, I'm counting on to make all the difference.

From Variety / MSN %7B%7B © Totem Films C.B. Yi’s Un Certain Regard title “Moneyboys” is a moving exploration of Chinese rural-to-urban migration that feels authentically emotional despite being peppered with incongruous moments and details. The film follows Fei (Kai Ko), who moves from the countryside to different Chinese megacities to support his family as a hustler. When he realizes that they accept his money but not his homosexuality, their relationship breaks down. Although set in China, “Moneyboys” was filmed entirely in Taiwan. Linguistic inconsistencies also rear their head unexpectedly to jar viewers otherwise immersed in the film’s melancholic mood, with Beijing accents mingling with lilting Taiwanese intonations in the same village where neither should be at home. And while leading man Kai Ko delivers a nuanced, heart-rending portrayal of the hustler Fei and real chemistry with his male love interests Long (Bai Yufan) and Xiaolai (JC Lin), none of them publicly identify as homosexual. First-time director Yi waited nearly ten years for the chance to shoot “Moneyboys,” intending all along to do so in China. At the last minute, however, he moved production to Taiwan, which required a rush to adjust the story but also cut costs and brought in financing from the Taipei Film Commission. He doesn’t attribute the shift to censorship, saying that the choice was made for budgetary reasons before he submitted the script to China to get approved for a shooting permit, and because it was easier to work with Taiwan’s more Westernized production system. Shooting in China, he admits, would have yielded a “totally different” film, but he’s satisfied with the final results. “I didn’t make a film of total realism. If I wanted to have a realistic film, I would have done direct cinema or documentary. I made this with an artistic mindset and with the situation I was given, which forced me to adapt,” Yi says. Yi was born in China but immigrated to Austria as a teen, and is most comfortable in German. A Sinology major, he first encountered the topic of gay prostitution nearly two decades ago while studying abroad to improve his language skills at the Beijing Film Academy, where he discovered that a classmate was hustling on the side to help his ill mother. Yi first planned a documentary about money boys, but later morphed it into a fiction over concerns that it might put subjects at risk in a country where prostitution remains illegal and there are few legal rights for LGBTQ citizens. As censorship tightens in the mainland, the “Moneyboys” model of a China-born director with foreign citizenship making a China-set film shot outside the country with foreign funding and crew may become an increasingly common avenue for cinematic explorations of otherwise taboo Chinese subjects. %7B In a choice between 'death or penitentiary,' an addict discovers recovery and… %7B Appeals court sides with CDC, Norwegian Cruise Lines over DeSantis on… %7B © Totem Films C.B. Yi’s Un Certain Regard title “Moneyboys” is a moving exploration of Chinese rural-to-urban migration that feels authentically emotional despite being peppered with incongruous moments and details. The film follows Fei (Kai Ko), who moves from the countryside to different Chinese megacities to support his family as a hustler. When he realizes that they accept his money but not his homosexuality, their relationship breaks down. Although set in China, “Moneyboys” was filmed entirely in Taiwan. Linguistic inconsistencies also rear their head unexpectedly to jar viewers otherwise immersed in the film’s melancholic mood, with Beijing accents mingling with lilting Taiwanese intonations in the same village where neither should be at home. And while leading man Kai Ko delivers a nuanced, heart-rending portrayal of the hustler Fei and real chemistry with his male love interests Long (Bai Yufan) and Xiaolai (JC Lin), none of them publicly identify as homosexual. More from Variety Cannes Un Certain Regard Grand Prize Winner 'Unclenching the Fists' Sells to Mubi For North America, U.K. (EXCLUSIVE) 'Babi Yar. Context' Review: Sergei Loznitsa Grapples With a Heinous Massacre The Fanny Pack Is the New 'It' Bag: Here's How Your Favorite Celebrities Are Wearing Them First-time director Yi waited nearly ten years for the chance to shoot “Moneyboys,” intending all along to do so in China. At the last minute, however, he moved production to Taiwan, which required a rush to adjust the story but also cut costs and brought in financing from the Taipei Film Commission. He doesn’t attribute the shift to censorship, saying that the choice was made for budgetary reasons before he submitted the script to China to get approved for a shooting permit, and because it was easier to work with Taiwan’s more Westernized production system. Shooting in China, he admits, would have yielded a “totally different” film, but he’s satisfied with the final results. “I didn’t make a film of total realism. If I wanted to have a realistic film, I would have done direct cinema or documentary. I made this with an artistic mindset and with the situation I was given, which forced me to adapt,” Yi says. Yi was born in China but immigrated to Austria as a teen, and is most comfortable in German. A Sinology major, he first encountered the topic of gay prostitution nearly two decades ago while studying abroad to improve his language skills at the Beijing Film Academy, where he discovered that a classmate was hustling on the side to help his ill mother. Yi first planned a documentary about money boys, but later morphed it into a fiction over concerns that it might put subjects at risk in a country where prostitution remains illegal and there are few legal rights for LGBTQ citizens. As censorship tightens in the mainland, the “Moneyboys” model of a China-born director with foreign citizenship making a China-set film shot outside the country with foreign funding and crew may become an increasingly common avenue for cinematic explorations of otherwise taboo Chinese subjects. Equal Opportunities? For a director who has spun such an intimate portrait of gay love, Yi at times appears less versed than one might expect on the politics of its representation or the state of LGBTQ issues in China and Taiwan, the latter of which in 2019 became the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. In Hollywood, the question of whether straight or cisgender actors should play gay or trans characters is an ever-evolving hot-button issue. Although Yi hadn’t considered the topic, when pressed he says that while the intention behind the idea of reserving gay roles for gay people was a good one, “it also leads to problems” by being too reductive. “Many heterosexual actors wanted to be part of the project because they were touched by the story and wanted to support the LGBT community, and that empathy…is a [positive way] of spreading more understanding of LGBT issues worldwide,” Yi says. “I also think playing a homosexual role gives heterosexual male and female actors the opportunity to fulfil their curiosity and satisfy their subconscious desires to live [the experiences] of LGBT people.” He elaborates: “Film is not really politics: it has some politics, of course, but not the kind of outside politics where you go to a demonstration. Everything in film is there to tell a story, but the stories have political messages and issues packed within them. I just want the best actors to play the characters; to forbid anything or to question that minimizes the artistic work.” His stars both concur. “The character is what the director chooses him to be…Homosexuals should also play straight men, and so on, as long as the actor develops the character well,” adds Ko. Lin says what matters most is how convinced the audience is. “I think there should be equal opportunities to take on roles no matter what your identity, as long as you’re good at your craft and willing to take on the challenge.” Yi wasn’t sure if an actor could openly identify as gay in China, but notes that while in Beijing he saw many women holding hands in the streets. “I think homosexuality in China is not a big issue, because it’s common. In the 1990s, they already said it’s not a disease, or something like that.” China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997 and declassified it as a mental disorder in 2001, and while mores are slowly changing, gay content is still regularly censored in film, TV and online media — most recently via the mass deletion of social media accounts for LGBTQ student groups and research associations at most major universities just last week. Bai, who adroitly plays a young villager who follows Fei into the world of prostitution, is a rising commercial star in China who also appeared this month in a very different sort of film: the historical propaganda film “1921,” a tribute to the Chinese Communist Party. While he is on screen at Cannes learning to turn tricks, Bai is in theaters in China as the staunch military leader Ye Ting, who joins the Communists after leaving the Kuomintang, the party that went on to rule Taiwan and is still one of its most powerful factions. There is past precedent for Chinese actors playing controversial gay roles pushing on unabated to mainland stardom. For instance, Chen Sicheng and Qin Hao, the leads of Lou Ye’s 2009 Cannes competition title “Spring Fever,” are now top industry figures even though that film resulted in Lou receiving a five-year ban from filmmaking. Continues at https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/e2-80-98moneyboys-e2-80-99-director-cb-yi-balances-gay-love-story-between-china-and-taiwan/ar-AAMeJZm

From The Nation ▪︎ People living in dark red provinces (maximum and strictly controlled areas) are not allowed to go outdoors unless necessary. ▪︎ Curfew hours are imposed from 9pm to 4am. ▪︎ Restaurants, shopping malls and convenience stores must be closed from 8pm to 4am. Provincial governors must close venues and ban activities that could pose risk of Covid-19 infection for 14 days. ▪︎ Checkpoints will be set up to prevent people living in dark red provinces from inter-province travel. ▪︎ The number of passengers in public transport is limited to 50 per cent (only in dark red provinces). Meanwhile, the number of dark red provinces has increased to 13. They are: Bangkok, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Narathiwat, Pathum Thani, Pattani, Ayutthaya, Yala, Songkhla, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon. https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003394

Yes, the name was owned by Firecat and sold by his estate. There will be no more redirects.

For years Thailand has mandated a transmission delay of around 5 minutes for news programmes on CNN, BBC World News and presumably other channels. This is to give the censors time to blank screens whenever any issue about Thailand embarrassing to the government is aired. Today, though, the BBC News at 08:00 and 09:00 carried a reasonably long piece on the Bangkok protests yesterday which saw the police use of water canons, rubber bullets and tear gas. The demonstration was to protest the government's disastrous covid19 response and to seek the resignation of the Prime Minister. The rally was held despite the ban on assemblies of more than 5 people in Bangkok. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2150783/police-fire-water-cannon-rubber-bullets-tear-gas-at-protesters I can't imagine that anyone seeing these scenes will be considering returning for visits to Thailand any time soon.

I arrived in Bangkok a few days after the 2008 airport closing. The flight from Narita was full and the lines at immigration were normal--long. I've been in Bangkok while the red shirts occupied Lumphini Park and battled government forces. A few blocks down Silom Rd. it was business a usual. Tourists are a much hardier lot than might be imagined.

Luckily so far, most variants while more contagious, are not directly more lethal. Of course if more people contracted the diseases, the death count increases. But i think the lambda variant in peru is raising a concern as peru were seeing increase in case and death. As long as people keep getting infected, mutations will carry on. We might need yearly shots of vaccine because of this.

don't worry , you still can read "Mother Courage and her children " by Brecht after you are done with Beckett's piece

A friend just finished a 15 day quarantine in Bangkok in order to see his partner of many years. They were reunited 5 days ago. Today, there was a case of Covid in their building and they both tested positive for it. Very sad. Now, he is off to hospital for I would assume at least 2 weeks. He is schedule to fly back to US 2nd week of August so not much time with his partner or friends.

...or by Delta variant

Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

really? Unbelievable, and proves PetrRS's point that actually, it was never out of disarray at all

Prime minister was reading our boards full of praise of how well Thailand was handling pandemic ( at one point rightly so but it looks it was more luck that shrewd policy) and thought country is relatively safe just by closing Swampy and chasing foreign arrivals away ?

why would hospital imply serious? I'm sure you must be aware of the absurd Thai policy of the Covid Jail (my term)? Everyone, as in 100%, who tests positive here get's put in a hospital. Where hospital can range from field hospital to hospitel (a repurposed hotel similar to quarantine) or a real hospital. There is no escaping, even if 100% symptom free. No home quarantine allowed. Hence the term "covid jail" is the only appropriate one IMO. Totally absurd. And a reason why I no longer check in at malls or shops using the Thai Chana Line-app and would avoid getting a test at all cost. I rather do a home test (apparently they are finally being sold here since Thursday I was told, but I previdoulsly had a source) when in doubt and self-isolate and go to a hospital only if I were to develop symptoms.

The difference is, that in Europe testing was and is EVERYWHERE. Here, testing is (almost) NOWHERE. It only happens at select places that the authorities pick and chose, and from the few that go to get themselves tested voluntarily IF they can find a place that will do it. Don't look at the raw numbers, which indeed look not TOO bad. But the real numbers are guaranteed to be vastly higher than that, not just somewhat higher like in Europe. Things will not improve here in any meaningful way anytime soon. One reason is vaccination is progressing at a snails pace and is in complete shambles with no procurement strategy that would deserve the label "strategy". Another reason is protests flaring up again, driving the urge to impose more restrictions.

The gay scene has not left Thailand. While the physical manifestations of it have temporarily retreated, the gay scene certainly continues to exist in the consciousness of Thais and foreigners alike. Gays certainly do not suddenly become non-gay because their favorite venues are not available at the moment. Their inclinations and desires persist. Our identities exist in our minds, and for a while longer we'll have to be content to live off those memories. And for those still in the country, the gay scene--as mentioned above--is accessible electronically. Even if the hi-so proponents may wish to sweep "sex capital of the world" from the narrative of guide books, the gay scene will continue because it's an irrepressible force of nature: the nature of men who have sex with men. One of the pleasures of international travel is that gay men still understand how to find like-minded individuals, even if there's a lack of venues. And beyond looking on line, there's always the eyes. Isn't that how we spotted other gays before any of the electronics existed? If you walk down Silom, or just about any crowded road, and can't find a local guy who may be interested in sex--or at least getting to know you, you're probably not paying attention. Despite the naysayers' claims, Thailand is not suddenly about to reverse form. Bangkok is not going to become London; Pattaya not St. Kitts. Even the Tourism Authority (TAT) acknowledged Thursday that getting tourists back to Bangkok is job one: "The worsening Covid-19 situation in Thailand has led the Tourism and Sports Ministry to reconsider the country's reopening strategy, admitting some target destinations are still marred by soaring infections. However, the ministry insists on reopening Bangkok by this year as the capital is the heart of the tourism industry in Thailand." There are gloomy days ahead. Opening plans will be delayed. But the government is all too well aware that it must get the doors reopened. The transportation infrastructure and hospitality sector haven't gone away. More important, tourists from across the globe have not forgotten why they want to return. When the great cities of the world get back into the tourism business, they, too, know that what made them so damn successful in the first place is something that should not be tampered with. Whether it's Rio, Paris, New York, London, Tokyo or Bangkok, tourists will want more of the same. Count on it.

@Latbear4blk Thank you so much for the interesting posts and photos on your trip home to BA I know it must take a lot of time to put your posts together but this forum member for one has really appreciated them. I'm a 74 year old living with my partner in Thailand and I guess I will never get to South America but posts like yours are a substitute. Wishing you a safe journey

One more, while I am waiting to board my plane in EZE. I forgot to recommend a restaurant and share the last two items checked out of my To Eat List. The Museo del Jamón is a tradicional Spanish (from Spain) cuisine restaurant close to Avenida de Mayo & Avenida 9 de Julio. I used to love it when I was living in Baires and I was not disappointed. I ate a great Tortilla Española: And finally, I got my only Flan con Dulce de Leche in this trip: And this reporting is now over. I think?

On my first three or four trips to Rio de janeiro, I stayed at The Atlantico Copacabana, as it was "the hotel" where most of us from the other website/blogspot stayed. The room rates were reasonable, breakfast served each day was semi-lavish and bountiful, and this particular hotel did allow guests. Never did management bat an eye. In fact, when us gay travelers had guests, the hotel personnel would welcome them proudly. One afternoon, my hot Italian/Brazilian escort arrived at the hotel. The assistant manager rang my room to let me know that my guest had arrived. After this young man who had given me such a hot time decided to leave, I joined him and l went to Copa's main beach to meet his older Italian friend who lived in Rio. When we passed by the desk, the manager gave me the thumbs up and smiled. I felt good. I'll always have fond memories and a warm heart for this hotel, and regarding rooms, they vary. I've always had wonderful and pleasant accommodations at this hotel. When I manage to return to "The Marvelous City," within the next year or two-- I'll more than likely stay in an airbnb apartment.

From Coconuts Bangkok A file photo of Charnchai Tangsubmanee at his shop Guay Jub Ouan Pochana. Photo: Guay Jub Ouan Pochana / Facebook Foodies and customers who’ve queued at a well-known noodle shop in Bangkok’s Chinatown are mourning the death of its owner after learning he succumbed to COVID-19. Tributes from customers famous and ordinary were spreading for Charnchai Tangsubmanee, the 73-year-old owner of Guay Jub Ouan Pochana who sold aromatic and peppery rolled rice noodle soup from a small shophouse over five decades. “I was in shock,” once-mighty news anchor Sorayuth Suthassanachinda said of learning Charnchai’s death. “Whenever I went there, Charnchai always greeted me, and we’d always hit it off. His noodles were hot and delicious every time, too. May he rest in peace.” News of Charnchai’s death Saturday was just confirmed by his sons, Adulwit and Narudon Tangsubmanee. According to Adulwit, Charnchai received his first dose of AstraZeneca in June but tested positive for the disease late last month. Charnchai and his wife, who also contracted COVID-19, were admitted to the Thonburi Bamrungmuang Hospital. Guay Jub Ouan Pochana was recognized on the Michelin guide’s Bib Gourmand list in 2019. Last year, it was among 106 Bangkok restaurants found worthy of the same rating by the French tire manufacturer. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/years-of-sweat-won-fame-for-his-chinatown-noodles-bangkoks-covid-3rd-wave-killed-him-in-days/

I am sure that is correct. And your overview is excellent. However, whilst there will always be gay men and the apps (and whatever succeeds them) will be there perhaps even in more abundance, I can not agree that change will not happen. It always does. Cities constantly change. But whereas the cities of the world know what made them successful in the past and will want to revert to something like that model, it absolutely does not follow that the commercial gay scene will remain as it was. The foreigner commercial gay scene is just a minuscule speck in the overall economy of Thailand. It's disappearance - or reappearance in an even more reduced form - will do virtually nothing for the overall economy. We know from other posters in this new Gay Guides forum that the commercial gay scenes in some European cities like Prague, Amsterdam and London are nothing like what they used to be some years ago. We know that here in Thailand Chiang Mai was once a gay haven. It certainly was in the mid-1980s and 1990s. But it has been dying for years with more than 50 gay venues of all kinds closed. I remember when Phuket was fun for gay men with lots of great times with the boys from Young Sharks, My Way and other gogo and beer bars. Now Phuket's gay scene is on life support. I remember having good times at gay saunas in Ubon Ratchanthani and Khon Kaen in the early 2000s. Are they still there? Even if they are, how many gay tourists primarily seeking sex venture out that far? As we know from past posts in other threads, there is an entire world of gay bars and places of gay entertainment for Thai gays of which western expats and tourists know nothing. And even if we did know about it, we would not be permitted to enter. So as far as gays not suddenly becoming non-gays, @readeris certainly correct. But this thread is primarily about western tourists. That is a very different kettle of tom yum goong! The fact is that almost all gay tourists will continue to seek happiness in Bangkok and Pattaya. So many of the gay venues have closed over the years and there are fewer and fewer in Bangkok's central tourist area. As mentioned in other threads, land in Bangkok's central area is becoming too expensive. In both cities many bars have closed. Some will hope to reopen eventually, perhaps a new one or two may appear, but others will be closed for good. In my thinking, the essential question that needs to be addressed is less how many will reopen and much more will a flood of new western visitors anxious to visit gay gogo bars, saunas, discos etc. arrive in time to make those who do actually reopen commercially viable? The gay tourist trade will certainly not return overnight. It may take some years before it returns even to 2019 levels. Can it ever return to 2000 levels? No! We know that the supply of western gay tourists has been drying up over the last dozen and more years. We know that the new breed of Asian gay tourist has more or less different ideas of fun compared to the westerners of old (many of whom are indeed now older) for whom gogo bars were vital to enjoyment. I know I will continue to be called a glass half empty type of guy. But I have witnessed the gay scene for four decades. In that time I have seen its steady and continuing decline. The decline is not merely limited to Thailand. Something is happening to change the commercial gay scene in other cities. Quite probably it is due to the rise in the popularity of the apps. In Tokyo we know that the area for gay bars in the Shinjuku-ni-chome area has been significantly reduced and something like a quarter of the bars (mostly those only for Japanese customers) have died. Bars in the next most popular district of Ueno are for Japanese only and so I have no information on that. Within Asia the one gay market that continues to expand is Taipei. Again, though, this is fed almost exclusively by locals and other Asians because westerners rarely consider Taiwan a vacation destination. When @readersays "Count on it", I believe he is correct in one respect. The commercial straight scene with the girlie bars, ping pong shows (do they still have these?) and nearly nude young ladies will still be around and is unlikely to change much. Sadly the commercial gay scene as we all used to know it will continue to decline. What remains will be geared very much to local Thais and Asian tourists.