msclelovr

Just a “heads up” for any traveller to Greece… A friend of mine flew into Corfu yesterday. He’s fully vaccinated and had the required documentation but also took with him a negative COVID test from the day before. The Border officer laughed and said the negative test wasn’t required as of the previous night; the officer added that it was a good thing to have though, as “the (Greek) Govt. changes the regulations every 3 days”. What was unexpected by my friend is that everyone on the flight (no exceptions) was given a rapid-flow test on leaving the aircraft and before they could proceed to the line for Border Control.

I believe you @davet but I need to know what happened next… Was it a quick pluck-and-go? Or did you get a sauna-suite for a prolonged plucking?

Planning that far ahead @iendo means you may encounter a 3rd or 4th wave of Covid19 infection in Brazil, so I would only book fully refundable airfares…unless the price is so cheap for you that it doesn’t matter if you can’t travel.

Yes, @davet Contramano was the gay club on that street. It was certainly historic in the sense of being long-established and with a local crowd of all ages. I went a couple of times in 2008-2010. The first time I was chatted up furiously by a local young man; I think he saw me as a wealthy Daddy. The second time, there was a very muscled stripper who, on finding it was a 30something local’s birthday, proceeded to fuck his mouth to climax.

I wouldn’t describe Spain as ”open” @davet. Upbeat sentiments were expressed by the Spanish Prime Minister yesterday (16 June) but there are still numerous restrictions. The restrictions vary between the regions and, hard as it is to believe, even within a region. Recently in planning to travel to my house in the Balearic islands, I found that the restrictions differ in Mallorca from Ibiza and are different again in Formentera. Also the difficulties in arranging the necessary tests to travel within Europe mean that although I’m keen to travel again, I’ll wait until the whole process is much easier - hopefully, later this year.

Maybe there’s no help because you specified “a proper spa” and you emphasised “ with registration and male therapists”, better if “gay or friendly” and you want a business invoice for the expense. I get massage regularly but over the years, all the guys I’ve visited have wanted to be paid in cash. I’ve had massage too in hotels and spas in the US but I’ve not known them to “issue an invoice”; the cost went on my hotel bill and I always tipped in cash. This suggests to me that you should really just go to an hotel spa in London. Most of the major hotels have a spa and offer treatments. Maybe you can call ahead and say you prefer a male therapist?

Not to divert this thread but it triggered something in my memory. There was the strange double-homicide of a Canadian billionaire couple in their home in Toronto in 2017. AFAIK their murder remains unsolved.

@Latbear4blk I wonder if the astonishing remarks by the Argentine President have been widely reported in Argentina? He referred to Brazilians as being “from the jungle”! Alberto Fernández: Argentine president apologises for Brazil comments https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-57422758

So @Tomcal when will you transition to @Tomflo ?

Please continue your excellent reports @Latbear4blk. They bring back memories for me. I was last there 8 years ago, but @davet have they changed the names of the different areas of Palermo? I recall there were three: Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood being lively with plenty of shops and restaurants etc, whereas Palermo Chico was small and where the truly moneyed lived (as there were no commercial premises). At that time, a fourth area of Palermo was being developed. It I don’t recall its intended name.

I only ever saw 2 blue-rinsed ladies, and they were German lesbians. I did see many, many blonde women…far more than Nature intended.

Does the above post @Tomcal mean that, in response to the quoted post, you are lost for words ?

True @Lonely_John but I’ve heard of incidents involving the ‘Goodnight Cinderella’ (drugged drink) trick in various places, including cities in the US and South Africa, and not just Latin America. I feel gay men need to be very careful about the safety of their drinks, especially when out alone. It’s why I always ordered bottled beer.

Sorry to hear your news @floridarob Not being able to travel must be very disappointing. I hope that you are at least recovering well from the effects of the virus.

Nice recollections @Tomcal

IME other jobs. Bear in mind, they lived with their sponsor who supported them for the first few years. So sex work wasn’t really interesting for them. In later years, I know one who became a model, another Cuban is now an accountant and a couple have office jobs.

Thanks for writing further @iendo but I thought you’d said that you were “not into macho boys”. So when did the more feminine or slimmer young men feature in your adventures?

Well, earlier than 2019 -some years before - there were lots of great looking young Cubans with fit bodies. Many of them found older admirers and got exit visas for Spain. (And as is the way of the world, several young men left their older admirers after 3 years ie once they had established residency rights in Spain)

I have 2 French friends who live some way outside Montpellier, but visit the city often. May I ask where this happened so I can warn them to be careful? When I was young, I worked on a gay advice hotline. The advice after a mugging was that you should straightaway write down in detail what happened. Over time, you may remember more details and can add them to your report. And I’d encourage you to work with the police. It will help you regain agency and you may prevent this happening to other people.

@BiBottomBoyis based in Montpelier IIRC, @PeterRS

IMHO only if they stay well-hidden and discreet. That way, no-one has to think about what physical activity they might enjoy. IDK why Oprah and Gayle have just popped into my head…

Short answer: Buenos Aires, Argentina and Bogota, Colombia. Long answer: I’m into muscleboys but various working guys exist. Certainly there are younger guys anxious to meet rich older foreigners. The problem is that it’s hard to predict what gay gyms, clubs or bars will reopen after the pandemic eases. IME there are many younger guys in Buenos Aires looking for an older lover. Argentine citizens carry their ID with them so it’s easy to check their age. I suggest you always do this as I have been propositioned by guys below the age of consent (18 in Argentina) on the street, in shopping malls as well as bars and gyms. Obviously it’s a major help if you speak Spanish well.

Good question @DutchDork. On Google StreetView the area looks pretty ramshackle. And it’s some way from the centre of Niteroi…where a good friend of mine (a fit muscled 35 year old who grew up there) was mugged one afternoon after using a bank ATM.

Very interesting posts @vaughn and @TMax As a tangential question, may I ask about the many (thousands?) Australians who were overseas when the pandemic began. At first, they were trapped overseas and not allowed to return. Has their repatriation now been completed?

As it happens @PeterRS I first met William Shawcross’s father - Hartley Shawcross - in the 1980s. He was in fact the Chief British Prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. I had several long conversations with him about his career. As to Kissinger, I read the book by Christopher Hitchens when it first came out. I wrote above “whether you like or dislike him” because Kissinger clearly divides opinion: I do not agree with your description of him as a “warmonger”. I certainly think he was a master of ‘realpolitik’.