mvan1

Unless you are totally disabled, you can visit Brazil. And, yes, your personality will mesh with the garotos. Actually, many people think the idea of visiting a foreign country is difficult. It really is not. The most difficult part of the trip is the long ride in the airplane. If you go business or better, time flies by as fast as the aircraft. After you arrive in Brazil, you have just as many comforts at hotels as you have in the U.S. and other countries. Following your check in at your hotel, getting to the saunas is simple. Some people use a taxi, some use a bus while most use the Metro (except in Porto Alegre). Once inside a sauna, it does not require even knowing the language. It does require a little restraint because as soon as you enter, there is a good chance you will be propositioned immediately or shortly thereafter. You need to settle in and look around before you decide on a garoto. I know it sounds hard to believe. However, it really is easy to visit Brazil unless, as I said, your health is really bad or you are totally disabled. One example I can site, and I think that Tomcal might remember this person, back in 2003 there was a little restaurant that attracted countless garotos after hours. The place was called Corujinha's in Rio de Janeiro. There was a very large man named "Paco" who weighed at least four or five hundred pounds. His health was not good but he wanted to go to Rio to visit with the garotos. Yes, he had plenty of garotos. Paco actually had assistants who lifted him from a car and then assisted him to a chair at the restaurant. At the restaurant, Paco "held court" and had more garotos at his disposable than he could handle. The above is just one example of how a person can visit Brazil even though not in the best of health. If it is at all humanly possible, I heartily recommend that you visit at least once. Prior to visiting, you need to do your homework and find out exactly all details of your trip. The only thing you will not plan in advance is how many garotos you will have come to your hotel or how many your will visit it the saunas. If you are serious about going, I can send you a lot of material that will help you have the best time possibile in Brazil. Think about it.

What you wrote is true. At the same time, for reasons that I cannot put into mere words, there is a special quality about many Brazilian garotos that is not found in escorts in any other country I have visited; and I have visited many countries. As Tomcal wrote, I also do not hire in the U.S. anymore. Quite simply, you cannot find anything comparable in the U.S. to what is readily available in Brazil. Search high and low in the U.S. and you will not find it. It is not just the price differential paid in Brazil versus in other countries, including the U.S. It is the emotional and overall feeling you experience when involved with most garotos that keeps one coming back again and again and again. Having an encounter with a Brazilian garoto versus a hire in the U.S. is like comparing caviar with a baloney sandwich. The clock watcher escorts in the U.S. (and many other countries) have their useful place as do the easy-going Brazilian garotos have their place. My preference is for Brazil. There is no place like home - take that another step, there is no place like Brazil.

- Let me add my few cents about Brazil - Tomcal, you got it right! What an interesting and accurate, well-composed post. What deep introspection! I agree about not honoring requests for “presents” or being a transporter of goods to Brazil. When I first started going to Brazil, I had countless garotos, hotel employees and English-speaking Brazilians making requests for me to bring back items for them. I was never reimbursed nor was an offer ever made to reimburse me. It was common for me to bring an extra suit case in order to satisfy the numerous requests. Those were the early days when I was naive. Now, the fancy passed by and little remains of the attitude I had when I first traveled to Brazil. I, similar to Tomcal, take only a carry on bag which precludes me from bringing back for garotos and others, anything large. I continue to bring small items but I no longer get burdened with shoes, jackets, computers, kitchen appliances and so forth. Those days are over. Again using the logic of Tomcal, I also keep my Brazilian activities in perspective. Although I am very fond of several garotos that I met over the years in Brazil, I am too realistic to believe the poppycock stories about their feelings of “love” for me. I know that they like me but I also know that if my money was not the center of why we met and continue to meet, they would not be in my life. Clearly, to like is not to love. I took several of the garotos on vacation away from Brazil. Most had never been on an airplane much less out of Brazil. Among other things, I enjoyed their company but their company was more exciting after I saw the reactions of the garotos in other countries wherein they did not know the local language. They suddenly learned to relate how Americans feel when Americans first enter Brazil and do not know the language. Over the years, I helped several garotos make a better life for themselves. One garoto was able to finish law school with my help paying his tuition and books. Today, he is working in a law firm and I feel good about that. Another garoto I helped set up in business and today, that garoto is married, with children, and is self reliant. There are others with whom I have not done as well as the previous two I mentioned but we remain friends and I often hear from them. There is an inexplicable feeling one gets from helping another person who could not otherwise break out of a financial quagmire. Of course, there were some garotos that I met over the years for whom I had no feelings. Those were “one time” encounters that lacked “chemistry” for creating a lasting friendship. I don’t regret meeting those garotos. They are not in my life and I occasionally see them at saunas or on the streets while I am in Brazil. But, they are only a distant memory. Yes, as Tomcal wrote, “These guys are good at their jobs and really provide the boyfriend or lover or exciting sexual partner illusion when you are with them, and as soon as you leave they are providing the same illusion to the next customer!” It is true that the garotos are good at their jobs. In fact, I would go so far to say that they are better than “good” they are superb at their job. It is the special qualities of the garotos that motivate me to continue visiting Brazil so often and only occasionally visit other countries. Immediately after Carnaval is over, I will leave again for Brazil for another few weeks, making it my trip number 123. Yikes!

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DON'T WORRY ABOUT OLD AGE - IT DOESN'T LAST THAT LONG.

I don't see how the expensive gift could not be part of the fee paid to an escort. Like you wrote, the gift is sort of a tip - but a large tip, indeed. -

There is a secondary element of compensation for time. Suppose you have a continuing relationship with an escort (not lovers) and you and the escort agree on a specific sum in addition to paying for transportation etc. Suppose you enjoyed the escort so much that you buy an extraordinary gift for the escort. I think this might happen in many cases. Some "gifts" can cost many thousands of dollars. Such a gift would distort your poll to include the gifts in the "time" but if it were not for the time spent with the escort, the extraordinary gift would not be given. What say you?

You have figured out a clever and workable system. In Brazil, apparently it does not matter which city or which hotel a person uses with respect to getting or possibly getting a hassle for having a guest come to your room. It just goes with the territory, so to speak. At one hotel in Porto Alegre, as I wrote, a visitor was totally denied to my room and I was advised I had to meet with the visitor in a conference room. What? I did not do that. The next day, I checked out of the hotel and went to another one. It is odd. In Barcelona, where about 70% of the sauna guys are Brazilian, those same guys can come to a hotel guests' room without any problem, regardless of the hotel. In England, where half the escorts are Brazilian, the escorts can come to a hotel guests room. In Switzerland, where about half the escorts are Brazilian, they can come to a guests room, unhindered. However, in Brazil, a Brazilian visitor is hassled or denied. Oh well, Brazil has so many other great features I will have to regard the goofy visitor policy like a game rather than a hindrance to gain the visitor access to the room. Thanks very much for the suggestions on how to likely bypass a potential hassle if you have a visitor. I might be trying one or two of those methods.

Yes, that hitch hiker would make a nice visitor to a guest's room in Porto Alegre (or any room, in any city, for that matter). Question: I will be returning to Porto Alegre in a few weeks and I think it is a good idea to try the Sheraton. I have never stayed at the Sheraton, in Porto Alegre. In Porto Alegre I stayed at other good hotels but I always have an issue if a visitor comes to the room. The visitor either is denied access and told to meet me in a conference room, or is told to leave within 15 minutes of arrival, or I must register the visitor. As we know, this awkward treatment of visitors to guests’ room is fairly common in Brazil - but not at every hotel. You mentioned in prior posts that you have friends visit you in your room while in Porto Alegre. Is the Sheraton similar to other hotels in that you have to go through hoops if a visitor wants to access your room? Any comment or suggestion is appreciated. Thanks

I have not been to Prague for several years, therefore my information about that place will not help you. With respect to Budapest and Vienna, I can offer a few thoughts and suggestions. I don’t know where you plan to stay in Budapest. However, if you plan to stay at a Hilton, there are two of them in Budapest. One Hilton is in the city area while the older Hilton is located in the Royal Castle District. This particular Hilton is located directly next to Matthias Church. The church was built in the fourteenth century. I stayed at this Hilton last year during my visit to Vienna and Budapest. Across the street from the Hilton (in the Royal Castle District) is a park that runs along the River Danube from the Buda side of Budapest. It is in this park where you will be pleasantly surprised, as I was. I was not aware that the park often contains handsome Hungarian male hustlers (and other nationalities). My first morning at the hotel, I naively walked around the hotel just looking around for sight seeing purposes. While walking in the park, I saw a number of handsome young men just standing around. I was too unaware to connect the fact that the guys were hustling. I thought it a little strange that there were so many good-looking guys just standing around but it was only my second day in Budapest and I did not know what to expect. It was not until the second day that I “connected the dots” and realized what was taking place in the park and around the Hilton and Matthias Church. I made it a point to walk through the park most of the times I entered or left the hotel. A few times I talked to some of the guys standing in the park, however, none of them spoke English. I do not speak any Hungarian. After a few more tries with different guys, I eventually met a guy who spoke German and I was able to communicate with him. He explained the situation with the hustlers in the park. I did not feel threatened in the park because the hustling occurred during the day as well as the night. As I wrote, I do not know where you will be staying in Budapest. If you will be there any length of time, I heartily recommend that you visit the park across from the Hilton. You just might get lucky. With respect to Vienna, I am not aware of any hustler or bar scene except for the Stadt Park near the Kursalon. However, I never engaged any of the hustlers in Vienna because they all seemed too rough and dirty. While in Vienna, there are many restaurants that are memorable. My favorite is called Figlmueller. There are two locations fairly close to each other. This restaurant serves the largest and most tasty Vienna Schnitzel I have ever had. Here is a link to its website which is in English: http://www.figlmueller.at/en/ Since this is your first trip to Vienna, you might know that Vienna was once called the City of Music. There are countless concert halls in Vienna. I mentioned the Kursalon above with respect to where some hustlers hang out. About one block from the hustlers’ area in the Stadt Park, is the Kursalon. There are many concerts given that might be of interest to you. Here is a link to the Kursalon site: http://www.kursalonwien.at/en Have a great trip.

Almost as much? How about more than the fees? It really depends on where you travel with the escort, how you travel with the escort (airfare - business, first class) where you stay (type of hotels) restaurants and so forth. Those costs can dwarf the amounts paid directly to an escort. -

I don't intend to be mean, but I had to laugh when I read what you have gone through to buy a ticket for a routine itinerary. I laughed because I have had similar, but not as bad, experiences with Brazil's airline websites. Maybe the Brazilians found a way to communicate with the beyond and then contracted with the Keystone Cops to program their airline websites. When you use TAM on the U.S. site, it often does not work correctly. If you try GOL, it often rejects U.S. credit cards as payment and also insists on a CPF number, even from non Brazilians. You might want to add .br to the web address. For example, instead of www.tam.com you might get better luck if you enter www.tam.com.br. The same is true with GOL. However, even if you add the br, you often run into problems. The poorly programmed Brazilian airline websites explain why so many Brazilians voluntarily stand in line for hours to buy a simple airline ticket. If you notice when walking in large cities, there are countless travel agencies and most of them are busy. In the U.S. a travel agency is almost as rare as a hen's tooth. Most people in the U.S. and in other countries use websites to buy airline tickets. In Brazil, only sometimes. TAM does have an office in Miami where you can call to book a ticket. However, the prices when purchased through the U.S. TAM offices are more than double what you will pay IF, and only IF you can make the reservation on line or in person at one of the many travel agencies in Brazil. Boa sorte -

Thanks again. I also have had trouble with the Brazilian airline websites. That is why I asked about whether you had any success with using AA for the domestic portion of your Brazil trips. It is comforting to know that I am not the only American having trouble with the Brazilian airline websites. Now I understand a little better why there is usually a long line of people in Brazil for people wanting to buy air tickets. It seems even the locals have trouble with the Brazilian airline websites and prefer to go in person to buy their tickets. Brazilian are wonderful people but their airline websites are not wonderful.

Tomcal, thanks very much for this very helpful information. I shall put it to use next month. One more thing, when I travel to other cities in Brazil from Sao Paulo, I generally buy a ticket locally, either from TAM or GOL. On my upcoming trip, AA said they can sell me a separate ticket for travel within Brazil since TAM is now one of AA's partners. Have you ever had AA issue a separate ticket for travel to a different destination in Brazil?

Another great photo - Tomcal, does Bar Mixx have busy and not so busy nights? It has been my experience that the best times to visit termas mezzaninu is Friday and Saturday nights. Is Bar Mixx similar to that schedule? I generally find the saunas in Porto Alegre fairly quiet on Monday through Thursdays. I have never been to Bar Mixx. I am wondering if it has a late night schedule like the former Porto Alegre bar named Era Uma Vez in that it opens or gets busy late, after the saunas have died down. Speaking of Era Uma Vez, it used to have busy nights then very slow nights then I stopped visiting the place. Is Era Uma Vez no longer around or no longer worth visiting? Based on the two most recent photos you included, it seems that I should spend more time in Porto Alegre. Thanks in advance for any information concerning “busy” nights in Porto Alegre at Bar Mixx.

I agree. Rubio is one of the bigots that wants to keep Cuba as it currently is. Considering that Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont is one of the sponsors of the bill, there is a good chance the bill will be passed. Patrick Leahy is highly regarded in the Senate and has sponsored many controversial bills in the past (over many years) and most of those bills Congress passed. Leahy is a true advocate of the people. I would not be surprised to see the bill passing this year. Even though the embargo has lasted more than fifty years (for Americans), tourism from other countries (Europe, Canada etc) have not "ruined" Cuba as many people predict will happen when the embargo is lifted. We can only wait and see.

CUBA - maybe later this year Americans will be able to legally visit Cuba for tourism. As it stands today, it is prohibited for Americans to travel to Cuba solely for tourism. Currently, if traveling to Cuba on a "People to People" arrangement, any visit to Cuba by Americans is strictly monitored which takes away from the enjoyment and freedom of simple tourism. Presently, travelers on a People to People program are prohibited from visiting beaches and private tourism unless the entire group is present during any activity. This restriction spoils the possibility of enjoying the "real" sites of Cuba. Personally, I would not want to be stuck in a group of strangers with different interests all being required to do and see the same thing. Today, Bloomberg, published an interesting article disclosing that two U.S. senators introduced a bill to have restrictions removed for Americans who wish to travel to Cuba. Let us hope that the bill is passed and Congress will approve removing the current restrictions. Here is the article: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-02-04/lift-the-cuba-travel-ban?alcmpid=view

Before you book an April flight, and if you have any AA SWUs left, and if you have some flexibility, you might want to consider using this tool to find the best rates from your origin to Brazil. https://matrix.itasoftware.com/ You mentioned April but it can be any date - you can set the program to select only AA or you can set it select any or all air carriers. If you use an air carrier other than AA, you cannot use the SWU. You can let the program search for and find the best fare. The program shows you 30 days for each search. Therefore, you can see higher or lower prices and selected accordingly. You cannot book your flight on this program but the program will tell you specific flights and dates and prices. With the information provided from the flight search, you book the flight on the airlines site or call AA to book and use the SWU. The program is useful for finding Brazil flights or any other flights, anywhere in the world on any airline.

Some particular trips to Brazil are more enjoyable than all Brazil trips combined. My last trip was far more enjoyable than some of my trips in late 2014. Based on your reports, the trip you just finished was one of the best for you. Brazil - What a magnificent obsession.

Thanks for the info. I know I never saw him at the sauna. Next month I will have to check out Bar Mixx. I have been back from Brazil only a week and already it seems like I have been here for an eternity.

What a handsome guy. Is he a regular at the sauna in Porto Alegre? If so, I suspect he is one of the most popular garotos in that place.

In the post I cited, you wrote this - “That's the hard part, to keep reminding yourself that you are just a commodity to them, as they are to you. I have friends who travel all over the world chasing these boys, and they always fall in love. I tell them, "Don't you realize that the minute your taxi leaves for the airport, they are in someone else's lap, telling them the same thing they just told you.” I think most reasonable people would interpret what you wrote to mean that travelers to Brazil are naive when it comes to thinking that sauna boys have intimate feelings toward them. It was not my intention to single out your post. Your post was the most direct and contained an example of your friends whom you cited who “always fall in love” with the boys they chase. The rest of what I wrote wasn’t about your post. The remainder of my post was written to solidify the fact that some of the posts made to this thread were written by people who have never been to Brazil. People who do not visit Brazil or have never been to Brazil, cannot relate to the experiences we who do visit Brazil, experience. That is it. Nothing more was intended. You made a nice post. Don’t be so sensitive. If you have not been to Brazil, I heartily recommend your doing so.

Blunt, crude, but accurate. This scenario chiefly applies to the older garoto that has been a "regular" in the saunas for many years. The sauna has become a "second home" to many of the older garotos.

Go back and read my post again. I did not say that ihpguy meant to insult the garotos. He offered his opinion and his viewpoint of garotos found in a Brazilian sauna. Some readers here agree with him totally, others agree with him partially while others disagree with him totally. I wrote that I agree with him in connection with the older garotos who remain in the sauna after their good looks are gone. In view of what I wrote, I am puzzled where your comment "I know damn well he did not mean it in an insulting way" came from. In connection with your statement, "Hopefully in time i can build up some relationships too." I can assure you, it can happen without your planning it. The more you travel to Brazil and have exposure to garotos, the opportunities increase. A major key is how you relate to the garotos and how you seize the opportunities. If there is compatibility, a lasting relationship can blossom. What happens after the blossoms bloom, mostly depends on an effort from both sides of the relationship.

- I cannot find anywhere in these posts or threads about Brazil, where any poster said they were looking for love or were in love with any garoto. It is clear from all postings that the posters LIKE the garotos and have fun with the garotos and have wonderful intimate encounters with the garotos. But, no place in these threads was “love” mentioned by any of the posters, nor was it implied. Posters who actually visit Brazil have reported that, while in Brazil, they had and continued to have wonderful experiences that cannot be duplicated in most parts of the world. That is a strong reason frequent visitors continue trips to Brazil. Furthermore, most posters who regularly visit Brazil, have reported establishing long-term friendships with many garotos they meet. Those posters have never said they were in love with a garoto. I keep in contact with many garotos I have met over the years. I certainly am not in love with any of them despite my long-term association and fond affection for them. With respect to referring to sauna garotos as “male whores” it is true that garotos expect money for their time and services. Face it, that is why those garotos are available to us. Many of the garotos have jobs away from the sauna and only supplement their income by working in the saunas. On the other hand, some garotos rely solely on the money they earn in the sauna. Consequently, if one desires to use the actual, but crude, definition of what garotos do with male clients, then the garoto is, a male whore. As OZ pointed out in one of his earlier posts, engaging an escort from an escort site (where the involvement with an escort usually involves only a short session) is not the same as engaging Brazilian escorts (garotos), whereby the sessions often evolve into a friendship, as has been reported here countless times. It is clear that people who have never been to Brazil or experienced Brazil’s saunas or exposure to Brazil’s garotos cannot relate to or even accurately imagine what is available in Brazil. While I agree, somewhat, with the opinions expressed by ihpguy with respect to some of the older garotos that hang out in the saunas after their good looks have become a distant memory, I want to point out that those older garotos are in the minority of the garotos that are available. I do understand why people who have not been to Brazil sometimes misinterpret these posts. Those who have not experienced Brazil cannot fully relate to these posts discussing the experiences reported about garotos. It is like one trying to explain, solely in words, how it feels to experience anything substantive. How does one communicate, IN WORDS, how it feels to drive a car or listen to music or many other things in life? You can’t. Quite simply, there are things in life that require actual experience, rather than words. Adventures in Brazil are those things that must be experienced rather than read.