travguy

Buttercawan is Jedi Master ! How did you know about the name change to Home? I am in ipanema near G Osorio, p m me re Home tonight or Bangu Sunday if you can. Thx walked past the address for the week which is 137 and home is 135 and there does seem to a club in there at 135 and 137. Security guard at 135. Seems to be same space from the outside doors. Home has an instagram website that is up to date and includes a flyer for tonight. So big (but not high) hopes for tonight. I am no longer a 24 yo gym bunny. Iris was a bust on Saturday afternoon. Mostly 3-4 trannies looking for ? Pay for play? I had been there before when it had some action. At sexy rose now and having the chrome on my tool polished. Lol. Not tons of folks but folks who like to service

Babybear2: excellent comment. But I paid the other guy at 117 without leche 200. I think it was with leche for same price a year or so ago. He wanted almost double for leche and I said no thank you. The highly paid guy would have been a top paid GP in prior years as well and he was close to my ideal guy and did bottom, good kisser, oral, leche and all. Just no massage. Lol. So for me this ideal guy was worth the high price one time - but also invited to the Frequent Cummers Club with discount 😯. In prior years some of the tall hot muscular mostly black GPs also quoted double the other GPSs for everything. So if 200 ish is the new going rate for them to bottom without leche, welcome to the new world. Glad to hear the comments of others as I certainly do not want want to set a bad example for paying gouged prices. Please also note I do speak some PT and for what it’s worth I am in reasonable shape for age - yeah and viagra plus alcohol helps us all. Lol Thx again babybear2 👍

Update Saturday 12/21/24 1300 in Rio Thanks folks for the various comments and currency graph. I have been quoted 350-400 R$ from multiple GPs if they bottom and also provide leche. 100 R$ at Bangu Sauna, Boate Casa Grande - but the GPs in Rio were what I consider more muscle jock or surfer types, pretty darn hot in my humble opinion, vs Bangu GPs who were simply young guy next door types - and mostly fairly thin and looked a bit sketchy overall. Almost all were black or mulatto and quite friendly for the most part - I would not have paid much more for the PT only speaking Bangu guys. So, in brief, I think I was looking for top priced talent at 117, 202, and N Meio Mundo (300 R$ - but sex was almost impossible due to romp room being an oven). On Friday afternoon, the clouds started rolling in at Ipanema. Did a bit of shopping and by 1630 it was a downpour for about 30 minutes. Rest of the night was on and off drizzle, rain, with patches of no rain. Just a crappy night, so I did not go out. There was supposed to be a good Friday night club on T de Melo, 31. (Friday possibly being the only gay night) But due to the rain, I think most folks stayed in. Likely explains lack of activity at 202. Saturday am has been dark cloudy but now patches of sun can be seen offshore to Ipanema's beach. May head to centro for play as more rain is predicted. Might do the trip to Bangu again if Sunday proves rainy as predicted. If others are in Rio, feel free to contact me and share a cab / Uber. Thinking about going to The Week, r Sacadura Cabral 137, if it is still going on Sat night. However, I cannot find any current information about it. There is one in S P as well. Might try to walk past the location as it seems walkable from Pred Vargas and the M Rio subway stop. Could also consider Taurus at rua da Lapa, 8, again late Sat night if the Cines (Cine Iris, r de Carioca 49 Cine Rex r Alvaro Alvim ?33) and Sexy Rose (r Alvaro Alvin ?33) are bad this afternoon.

Update Friday 12/20/24 noon in Rio Thanks folks for the various comments. I will leave out some of the typical tourist stuff. Tuesday: Went to the beach around the Aproador area, climbed the rocks and found the muscle gym at the beach near the rocks - sort of like the Flintstones as the benches and weights all seemed to be reinforced concrete. Guys were pretty hot - literally and figuratively as there was no shade there. Not sure how they secure the weights at night. And then another free cabin Tuesday night at 117. The visual smorgasbord was great, though not quite like last week. All depends on what type of guy you are looking for. I was looking for a muscle god with very little fat and a 6 pack. Or even a skinny twink with a nice face and dick. I lusted after Marcel from Sao Paulo. Great kisser. It was a hot session; AC barely was on. Room was a bit warm. LOL. He was hot. This was a 33 yo guy that reminded me of one of the hotter guys in high school years ago. Folks, here cums the bad news: yeah, I paid too much, or did I? Chinese guy from Helsinki made the intro for me as he knew him but did not hire him while he was in Sao Paulo. Another younger guy punter from Rio that I sometimes hang with knew him from a few years ago. Thought he was from Belo Horiz. Guy from Rio also remembered when we balked at me having sex with another super-hot guy for 200 R$ last trip this past spring - because he would not bottom, only oral. The GP from Saturday night remembered me from prior trip. 200R$ to bottom plus oral, kissing, etc, but almost double if he would cum. Inflation, I guess. Marcel offered me a discount for another round of sex ? different day? "Frequent Cummer Club" (gives new meaning to the FCC - regulates broadcasting in the US) …. How about a business class upgrade or a free night at a hotel. Green Stamps maybe? Why did I pay his high asking price? Escorts on Grindr wanted 400 R$ for everything including both of us having happy endings. I tried bargaining with several GPs over several nights at 117, 202, and Meio Mundo. Most would barely drop the asked for rate. So maybe they knew they would get their price from another punter. The guys I talked to and mostly in PT or FR with some EN were hot to my tastes. Or maybe because I am a top. Regardless, I needed the Priceline negotiator, and it wasn't happening, and I did not want to lose this guy. So, I paid and we played. I was at 117 from 1820 to almost 2100 hours. Did not see anyone I thought might be from the Forum or foreigners I recognized from other nights. Wednesday: Spent the day in Niteroi and went to an early evening samba school art exhibit opening at MAC, the museum that looks like a flying saucer, designed by Oscar Niemeyer. Yes, as before, the museum has tons of unused space and almost more employees than visitors. Great fun and they had food and drinks for the exhibit opening party. Interesting to mix water, some type of orange juice, very cheap champers, and beer with potato and other hors d'oeuvres and possibly the best guacamole I have had in a long time. If you are shopping for "stuff" or meds, price things out in Rio first, price it out in Niteroi to follow, and you will likely buy in Niteroi, as many prices are much lower here. Caution: a few prices are higher across the bay. Meds (need to check many places) and food can be 1/2 price vs Rio. Got back late via the ferry, so no boys today. I heard there is a sauna in Niteroi but did not check it out or even look it up....LOL. Thursday: Another beach day in the Rookery. While there, I really did not connect with anyone. But then I saw a vision of heaven Imagine Venus de Milo, Ursula Andress (Dr No Bond movie beach scene) gay equivalent coming out of the surf at the gay rookery as I was going in. I took some pics later on. I hope they are ok to post. If not, I understand moderator deletion. Not sure where he was hanging out but was frolicking in the surf with another young friend as I left the beach. Definitely had to get off after seeing him. Yup, Sexy Rose again. from 1730-1900 hours. It was busy, but not like Monday. Places to eat nearby in Cinelandia like Amarelinho da Cinelândia and Chapolin next door - where I ate were packed and had tables up set outside beyond too. Saw many gay couples hand in hand walking around Ipanema when I got back. Friday morning has been sunny then cloudy, back and forth. Might not rain today, though rain is predicted on and off for the next week. Might hit the Fort near copa and aproador. Thinking about going to The Week, if it is still going on Sat night.

Update Monday 12/16/24 pm: Folks, likely best to leave politics off the forum. But somebody had to start in on it. So, I will try to finish it. "Damn Biden" was posted. He neither controls coffee prices (bad harvest due to bad weather conditions in the growing areas I was told) nor inflation. Question: who supports LGBQTI+ civil rights: much of Europe, Canada, Brazil (Lula), and the US Democrats. Push back against Trans and abortion rights: Republicans. Easy Breezy to figure out. Outside the US, many folks are aghast by the US election results. Here in Brazil Bolsonaro (boasting he was the Brazilian Trump) was elected some years ago when Lula was banned from running for office due to alleged or true crimes in office. But he was not re-elected. South Korea, Britain, France, and Germany all have major political issues now. Japan isn't exactly stable politically. Thailand has a King that you cannot sort of disagree with publicly. Canada is right behind in political instability, but quietly. Is anyone on the Forum from a stable place? The world has become a crazy place. As for the tips, as a customer in a restaurant, sort of hard to sort this out at the last minute especially after drinks. Yes, perhaps best if the restaurant added the 10% as most do. Should we ask the restaurant to add the tip to the cc bill? What if they don't or what if we cannot ask that in a language foreign to us. Is it poor form to say "charge it" or leave no tip at all. In the US and Canada, managers are expected to pay out tips in cash to the employees each night. So they eat the ? 6% cc fee. I assume they have enough cash paying customers to cover this. Cultural stuff is difficult to sort through even when sober. I certainly do not have a magic solution. Saturday, the only gay thing I did was pay a visit to 117. Locker 007, but was Bond gay? Busy enough, but not like a week before at Junior's Bday party at 202 or Tuesday night at 117. I think drink prices must be pretty high as I got some for the GPs I hung and did stuff with. DId not stay out late Saturday night after the Friday all nighter. Not 18 anymore. LOL Sunday started icky from what must have been some decent amount of rain overnight or very early morning. But by noon was nice. Had lunch which came with 2 shots of some unknown firewater. Thankfully, my belly had food in it to withstand the D Day landing the shots tried to do on my stomach. Hippie Fair in Ipanema was quiet vs last week. I walked the beach, but it was not that crowded. Water was freezing cold. So, I assume there was a big storm overnight. Far fewer hotties at the beach vs prior weekend. Lots of out gay couples. I was a bit pink, so I stayed less than an hour. I saw a young kid missing a leg. So sad. Reminds me of how lucky we are. Went to Sexy Rose from around 1630-1800+ hours. My luck there continued. Then walked to Gloria, Caipirinhas were as cheap as 12 R$ for 770 ml - which would last me a week, a month, a year.... though most seemed be around 20 R$ for 400-500 ml, stopping by Beto do Rato and the end of the Gloria Sunday market. Caught 2 music groups by the M Rio station. One group was doing samba type ballads. Multigenerational groups were singing along. Never heard any of these before. Lots of young folks trying to get laid. About 500 plus folks in this area. The usual suspects...... The second group, a Banda, had a larger pick up brass band and drum circle combo. Technically they were good. These folks included many gender fluid individuals. But only around 50 or so folks hanging out. Saw a few gays tonguing and grabbing ass in front of their straight friends. But I have never seen so many of our lesbian sisters going at it before. Seems to me like they often are not into public displays of affection. Maybe the CIA was dropping some acid in Gloria via drones onto folks...LOL. Stayed in Gloria until around 1930 hours, and it was still pretty busy with music and crowds. Mind you, all of this was free and not even a tip jar for the Banda. Lots of gay couples out in Ipanema Sunday night as I strolled back to my place. Monday became pretty hot in the afternoon. Did tourist things of old Portuguese influence: the library near M Urugaiana. 350K books, many shipped from Portugal in the late 1800s. Lovely place - but mosquitos ate me alive here. I was also soaked in sweat from the heat and humidity - yeah, a real dream date. Sao Bento Monastery, also lovely, but no Gregorian chanting when I went. Sundays at 1000 hours I think. Went to some more old churches as well. I did not understand the opera house style 2nd story balcony like areas in the churches here in Rio. Maybe the rich and powerful attended services in them. Did a bit more shopping in centro. Then it poured rain, but ended in about 15 minutes and was much cooler. Some street flooding quickly dissipated. Went to Sexy Rose from around 1630-1815 hours. Yup, more loose bottoms. But it only takes one tight bottom...LOL. Yes, more fun, so no Novo Meio Mundo or 202/117 tonight. Still no luck via the apps. Lots of friendly chat but no meet ups yet. These guys are 25-45 y.o. and not GPs. Not sure what the attraction to me is. I watched some folks try to resolve some business issues while stuck in the rain. I do not know the context, but it seemed the Brazilian business guy had an unhappy customer / group. I thought compromise from both parties would solve the issue, but the Brazilian guy simply wanted to return the money to the customer / group in cash and offered apologies over circumstances he could not control. Perhaps he wanted business from these folks in the future. Brazilians can be very kind and generous in both big and small ways. Let the kindness show through.

Update Saturday 14 Dec 24: Friday I was busy doing other things so no trips to centro or 117. Friday night I went out late. Walked to Beto de Rato area for music, from M Gloria, but too packed as were the nearby alleys. Saw some 117 GPs drinking at Vila Rica - must have had a good and late night! Then to Taurus around 2345 hrs wait a bit and walk past it to Arcos de Lapa and walk back – near Selina. 40 R$ entry + 5 for locker 0010 hrs ish. People leaving as I arrived. Put stuff in locker except for undies or jock strap. Downstairs is a bar, lockers, and smoking room. Second floor has play spaces, but mostly a 3 x 9 meter or so darkish room. It is not a big place overall. The “show” around 2-0230 hours was simply ?2 gogos having sex with a few customers. But it encouraged others to have sex on and around a 3 x 5 meter big plastic play “mattress”. Almost all of the sex at Taurus is open or semi public as there are only a few private cabins. One sling. Most customers were 40s-60s. A few around 30. Mostly average type folks you might see in a gay bar. Perhaps 1/3 black. Most bottoms were very loose – so not much fun for a top looking for a tight bottom. Lots of oral. Condoms were used by some, though I could never figure out where folks found them. Best to bring your own. I think bottoms brought their own supply of lube. Number of customers varied, but around 30+ would be my guess between MN and around 0300 hours, when I left. No real issues with folks not taking no for an answer. And lots of group sex. But all things considered, I actually had a better time getting off when I get lucky at Sexy Rose. Mind you, I this was my only visit to Taurus and it might be different on different nights, etc. Taurus is bigger than Seven Cruising - but I went to 7 in the afternoon. After Taurus, I walked into Lapa and to the few gay bars in Lapa on r Mem de Sa. But I did not go in, they did not seem busy from the street and unlike in the past the 2nd floor windows were shut and I could not hear the music blaring out or judge the crowd from the street. The rest of the Lapa area was packed to the gills. Mostly folks in their 20s to young 30s partying, drinking, or trying to get laid. Lots of cute young couples. Cab back to Ipanema was easy to find, 60R$ though driver did get lost between Copa and Ipanema. LOL. Saturday is a bit to cloudy for the beach, but at least not raining so far. Late start as I went to bed at 5am. Not much luck via GPs on Grindr, Scruff or GCL website. Maybe I am too timid, but indicated escorts are ok. Maybe the folks were really just tops. While shopping, some items were less expensive. Perhaps the Chinese are discounting in order to move products. As for restaurant bills, I am accustomed to seeing a 10% service fee added. I do check the bills, at least to be in the ballpark of the expected amount. One trip to Prague (years ago had a reputation for rip offs; not sure about now) cures you of not looking at the bill. The food prices are higher than in the past. I think coffee at the supermarket has doubled in price in the past year for the 1/2 kg vacuum packed bricks. Restaurant prices are up too. The squeeze on middle class Brazilians must be terrible.

Latbear4blk: I am in your debt for pointing out my unseen cultural / business insensitivity. I did leave the asked for tip in cash.

Update, Friday the 13th of December 2024 am. Thursday and today are nice days so far. None of the predicted rain and just a few spotty patches of drizzle yesterday. It is forecast to rain Sat, Mon and next Tuesday. Changed apts and new place is nicer to look at, but bedroom AC does not work and other more minor issues. Went to the cinema by Sext Rose at 1300 hrs (26 R$). From prior trips, I knew it gets a mostly older clientele, but when it does get hot with even a few younger folks (20s-40s and 1-2 pay for play - around 40 R$ in the past though none today), it can be very hot, even better than S R, though as hot as 117 or 202. Left for S R at 1345 as nothing was going on that I was interested in. At S R, 1 or 2 doors away, after messing about with a few guys I was finally very happy in less than 30 minutes. Stayed to play more until 1500 hours. Seemed to be a different group of guys than Tuesday. Got too hungry and left for a late lunch / early dinner. Went to a centro Portuguese restaurant, then a dessert place with better food reviews than Conf. Columbo. The restaurant food was good, but the lady with the CC machine asked me multiple times to leave the tip in cash. Never been asked this before and the food was not inexpensive compared to other nearby restaurants. Quite odd and she insisted the service of 10% was not included. My PT is far from perfect, but I ordered and spoke to the waiter and her only in PT. The nearby dessert place was ok but not as good as the one near Atlantico on Siq Campos in Copa or Cardin in Leblon. C Columbo was right out of a 1900 ish turn of century novel, but most reviews said not to eat there due to high price and poor quality. Went to Bip Bip in Copa near the Fort and the 5-7 member band played from 2200+ hours. There is very little information about the place on the web, and I only found out about it from another tourist a trip or 2 ago. The instagram site says almost nothing, though I expected music to start at 2000 hours, arrived after 2100 hrs, and went a block to the beach at Copa ?Posto 6 area? for a while too. There was a nearby souvenir market at night. Surfed the web courtesy of the Selina Copa hotel / digital nomad workplace across and a few doors down from Bip Bip. The wifi code from Selina Lapa worked just fine. Crowd size is fairly small at Bip Bip as it is a tiny place and maybe 30 folks hang out inside and on the sidewalk to listen. I left in less than an hour due to many bug bites on my ankles / legs, but when I walked back to apt, barely saw any swelling, though lots of itching. Stayed in to follow. So, no Taurus bar in Lapa at r de Lapa 8 - will plan to go tonight - Friday night - which really means around 0200 hrs Sat am. Folks just arrived to fix the AC here and do some other minor repairs. Now they tell me and the owner that they need parts, which, of course, they do not have, despite these AC folks doing the install, and parts likely will not arrive until 2-3+ weeks. Saw the mini-split air filter. Completely caked with dust and debris. Was never cleaned. And of course, they cannot show me the broken part(s) but will try to do a temporary fix. Owner cannot find me another place for tonight but will "try" for Saturday. LOL and so it goes.

Thank you to both XClay and LatBear4blk. There were some small groups of gay guys and couples at the gay beach area of Ipanema today. Some nice-looking younger guys kicking the football around too. Tuesday: Went to Sexy Rose cruising place near Cinelandia Metro stop and Rio City Hall. Got there late, around 1530 hours. Got into a hot 3 way with some folks that also had just arrived and was happy by 1600 hours. No idea why I have such great luck at S R sometimes. Just average looking, etc. The other 2 guys must have been the winners of the Mr Brazil slut contest and like energizer bunnies, they kept going and going...... They were still at it when I left at 1700 for dinner. S R was getting quite busy at that time, but I was hungry and 117 awaited as well. Then walked to Gloria and 117. Was there from 1800+ to around 2145 hours. It was packed when I arrived. If I hadn't cum a couple hours earlier, I would have spent major R$ as the muscle and the few twinks GP talent was excellent. Met a few punters, including from a prior trip - all still very friendly and very much admiring the view. The show at 2000 hrs or so was 3 dancers, no stripping and it got very tedious as they were the entire show and the music was too loud. Many punters left the ACd show room. At 2130 a drag queen show started and first one needed some major cosmetic assistance. Oh well. The music was unbearably loud and again, many punters left in a few short minutes, including yours truly. FWIW, in talking to fellow admirers of the GPs rates up to 300 R$ were noted. Inflation? Newbie punters? At least one well-known long-term customer noted higher rates vs a few years ago. Many old faces and many new ones too (GPs and punters). I think my chest got an inch larger due to the steroids leaching out. LOL. 117 might have some new food choices, perhaps others on the forum should comment as I did not eat at 117, the food that is. Wednesday: There was the threat of much rain Tuesday and especially Wednesday. But just a heavy drizzle or 2 Tuesday night and early Wednesday am. By noon Wednesday it was beach weather . Since arriving Friday, the surf has been quite forceful and Ipanema / Leblon had red flags out due to high-risk waves. After a nice stroll along a pretty empty beach in Ipanema I continued doing paperwork etc that I could not put off any longer. Did not finish until after 1800 hrs and needed to eat dinner. So never made it to Pointe 202, or anywhere else for that matter. If anyone else is in town, feel free to comment. The next few nights might be quiet. Rain is predicted for Saturday through next Friday a week from now. Just started pouring as I type this out. Will try to meet a friend at 117 Saturday night if it is not pouring. There is some seriously nice-looking talent on the GP websites, but I am a bit shy regarding reaching out. Especially as I will not host at an airbnb. So would have to play at a love hotel like the one near Cantagalo metro area of Copa towards the Fort, or Cinelandia. About 100 R$ in the past for an hour or 2 or 3.... Others have noted the need for caution with an unknown guy. I had a regular Grindr guy get weird, possibly threatening, on the last trip. Glad I choose the love motel after we had drinks and a walk around Lapa. Easy to simply walk out. He seemed ok until after we got into the room. Quite odd. I would like to do more tourist type stuff if the weather holds out. That's it for now from your Eye Whit Less news reporter.

Mon Cher Xclay: Gay beach was in Ipanema, not Leblon. I was walking from Ipanema back to Leblon mostly along the beach. The "gay rookery" was near the start of my beach walk, at R. Teixeira de Melo or R. Farme de Amoedo - Ipanema. So far as I know, Leblon does not have a gay beach zone. I have been told there is also a gayer area at the beach in Copa, but I never saw any evidence of it. The beach was so packed Sunday that I did not see an exclusively gay area nor were other beach areas devoid of LGBTQ+ folks. Apologies for the long post, but I have appreciated it when folks provided details in the past.

Update, Tuesday, 10 December 2024: Went to the beach Saturday and Sunday. Used a bit of sunscreen and did not stay but an hour. Very packed in Leblon early Sat pm., so I assume the Copa and Ipanema beaches were packed to the gills. Still a bit jetlagged. Received a message about Junior's Birthday Party at Pointe 202. So, changed my plans and got there around 2000 hours. It was PACKED. More like a popular bar than anything else. Music was unbearably loud. Made it truly difficult for me to stay. Some buffet pasta, etc was available and the entry fee was 90-. A few nice-looking GPs per my tastes. Unfortunately, I was too tired from jet lag to do anything. Still, I was happy to have made the trip. Had I slept from 1900-0100 hrs I would have been in shape for serious late-night adventures elsewhere. Will be the plan for next week. Sunday, went to the G Osorio Hippie Market, then walked the beach back to Leblon. Strangely, my gaydar never went off and due to crowds of people never saw a geographic area of just gays. Did see the expected gay rookery to be quite mixed including many families and kids. Went to the usual Sunday feista at some parks right next to the M Gloria stop for 117. Did not stay long. Got an uber for Bangu Sauna, aka Boate Casa Grande (?spelling). Took about an hour each way and was around 170 R$ R/T. Stayed from abound 1815-2030 hours ish. Most guys were not pushy, just a couple were a bit pushy, but not too bad. Conversational PT is needed, but translator app helped arrange a program and price. Many thin mulatto and black guys. One had a white eye ? blind from that eye, etc. No muscle gym bunnies. Some slender white guys. A few GPs said hello, but we simply could not communicate. I tried saying hello to a young twink but it went nowhere, and he might have been a shy customer !! Did not hang with any of the BR punters. For 12 R$ they did have a small plate with some rice and meat. I decided not to try it. As often happens elsewhere, I sighted a couple of GPs potentially of interest once each for a few seconds and never saw them again. For sex there were some rooms upstairs with showers, but most folks seem go to ground level where there are free super basic rooms / beds to have sex. Where most folks hang out is on the floor above. Music was quite good and had some Carnaval songs playing when I left. A guy at the entry helped to arrange the uber directions. Cost for entry, flip flops (which I think you have to pay for), and a soda was 70 RS. 100 R$ for the GP. A bit of an adventure. Came back and ate. I agree with others, not worth the trip unless you are on a long trip to Rio and have better luck than me in finding GPs of interest to you (which you cannot know in advance). Did a bit of shopping Monday after the beach in am (got a bit red on a cloudy day, but not burned) and moving to Ipanema. Went to Novo Meio Mundo to follow from 1700-1930 hrs. Security at the door was patting down the GPs. They have bigger lockers there (great given what I bought shopping earlier). Not as twinkish as when I was there years ago. A bartender was constantly pushing drinks on the punters, even at the tables. Did not appreciate that. Hooked up with Anderson a muscular GP that I think also works 117. The programma was expensive, but I said ok as I thought he was the hottest guy there by far. Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. He kissed very nicely. The room had no windows and there no other room available. Not sure why Anderson did not want to wait for a better room, perhaps he did not know how bad our room would be. It got so hot we were both dripping in sweat and neither of us could really perform; I paid agreed price as I did not want an argument with him. And so it goes. Decided not to try a program with anyone else as the room was so bad. Hung out with 2 pleasant punters from BR and left. Not sure if they were going to have a show to follow. After dinner in Ipanema I felt as if I was drugged. Felt like this in Spain once. Not sure if I was really drugged as I thought I was careful with drinks in both places (just a beer which seemed to be opened in from of me at N M M). Also, the strange feeling kicked in at least 1-2 hours after leaving. Tuesday am is cloudy. Hope 117 will be good tonight despite the rain expected to start soon. Had some nice chats on grindr today. Central gay area of Ipanema seems better than Leblon for gay hook ups. Leblon is very nice and upscale for Rio. Folks dress up to go out. That is all for now.....

My old iphone does not have eSIM. The airolo or similar eSIM vendors seem very easy and cost effective to use per various web postings. SIM card purchase and activation was very easy this trip. At a typical kiosk in Leblon I bought a TIM SIM card after the first kiosk did not sell SIM cards. Call in regarding TIM SIM card for old iphone was easy and took about 5-10 minutes. Using SIM card tray removal tool or small paperclip, changed out the old SIM to the newly bought 5G 11GB 28R$ TIM SIM card - which did NOT come with a SIM card tray removal tool. Then on the same phone dialed *144, you hear some recording, then I dialed 3, then another recording, then I dialed 3 again, then I pressed *. Then some stuff in PT then guy from TIM comes on quickly. I believe these TIM representatives can speak PT, ESP, and English. Not sure about FR, DE, IT, etc. I reached him in less than 2 minutes from start of my call to TIM. He wanted my passport number, date of birth, start date of passport validity NOT expiration date, confirmed that I was calling in from Rio (no address asked for), and my name with check of spelling. Asked to hold for a bit. He said no more questions but was waiting for his computer. It was finished. Before we said goodbye I started to receive text messages from TIM. He did not confirm my new Brazilian number for Rio. He could not confirm the actual GB of data or length of my plan (20 days). I could start texting only a couple of minutes after the call. Was very quick on a late Saturday afternoon. Please note that I used the same pp information when getting a TIM SIM card for another phone on the prior trip. This never came up in the new SIM card activation process. I do not remember if he gave me that prior phone number back or not. A start contrast from the nightmare of going to the centro Claro office in Rio about 2 years ago.

Thank you LAtbear4blk and TotallyOz !! Flights to Rio and Sao Paulo ended up full, or with 2 open seats Thursday night on a different flight, even with low prices hours before. Due ATC tower issues in MIA delaying flights, AA allowed me to grab a seat on a no longer full flight that was delayed about 3 hours in order to ensure my connection. The benefit of carry on without checked bags. Food on AA in coach was ok for dinner, but better on UA in the past. The AA seat was comfortable in the main cabin. I was able to sleep a bit. Many Brazilians on my flight. I assume returning home for Xmas. AA Flagship business class on MIA-GIG looked like a worse product vs UA Polaris business class, as UA seats have much more privacy. No idea regarding seat comfort between AA and UA. Service makes a difference as do the lounges. UA Polaris lounges are nice, but service on board has been very variable since 2019 (I get a yearly upgrade). Delta One Lounges have the best internet ratings, LOL. Sao Paulo to Rio flight prices are very expensive now without booking far in advance. Once in Rio, I could not sort out if any nice busses actually go to Copa / Ipanema anymore as they did before COVID. As is typical, no decent information available and no schedules. Only route numbers are listed on website. For a major international airport, no excuse for this lack of information. UBER area can longer be seen from the intl area exit points !! So, a newbie or first timer has no way to know which pick up point to use - but Orange, Green, and Purple are all next to each other. I was worried due to lack of Brazilian wifi card, but UBER area did have wifi. You have to walk with your bags about 2-5 minutes away. Almost no signage either. And no-one inside the terminal from UBER is there to assist you. Again, terrible way to do things. Traffic was gridlocked almost all the way into Leblon. Took about 90 minutes. At least the car was AC'd. Many are not. Uber VIP was least expensive at 86 R$ or so. Driver said this was common but not related to weather or beach holiday traffic. Even around the lake by Ipanema and Leblon, counterclockwise traffic was visibly gridlocked. Going clockwise was slow, but it moved. Airbnb was small but ok considering the last-minute booking. Leblon is a nice area, but not the best for gay hook ups unless you are younger and in shape. Not much action on Grindr and similar apps. M Rio fares (R$7.50 one way) and food prices are up vs earlier this year. No idea how folks get by. Went to Seven Cruising at 1530 hrs on Friday. Entry 35 + 5 for locker. They did not raise the price to 60 + 5 after 1600 hrs. I left by 1630 hrs. Not many folks, but 3 of the 5 wanted to play and had reasonable bodies, etc. It seemed clean enough. We all very much enjoyed the sex, and left quite satisfied all around. So, I had no great desire to go elsewhere to follow, plus the jetlag and effect of multiple drinks would kick in. Walked to Arcos area including drinks on Selina rooftop and by the Stairs, and then to Gloria near 117 for dinner at Vila Rica. I left before a local friend could show up. We will meet up later this week. Not a garoto. Was asleep by 2000 hrs or so and stayed in through Saturday am. Will be a hot day with real feel around 40+ C. Planning to go out tonight. Maybe 117 and Taurus bar in Lapa at r de Lapa 8. Buttercawan, not shure if I will be here for Xmas. That is all for now.....

Just realized this did not end up in the Brazil subforum. If a moderator can correct this that would be great unless they want me to try again to post in the correct place. Apologies.

Hi Folks: Crazy airfares. For a little bit more than going to some cold places I found a few cheap fares to Brazil. Places and costs seemed to vary by the hour over the past 2 weeks. Bought my ticket same day! Anyone else on the Forums here now or cuming soon? Nice and warm now but will be very hot Saturday. Will try to hit my usual places like the Cinelandia gay cruising cinema by City Hall (I think its city hall) Orly Theater, Rua Alcindo Guanabara 17, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Sexy Rose a few doors down. Might try Seven Cruising Bar Praça da República 141. Maybe try Cinema Iris Rua Caroica 49, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Might be hard to find. As for 117 or 202 this weekend, might do 117 if it still has more muscle boys, but who knows. Sometimes I get twink hunger: Meio Mundo Otoni and Marco just N of Pres Vargas. Open to any other suggestions. Really want to sample the piggy perhaps group pleasures of Bangu Sauna, Boate Casa Grande, on Sunday. Let me know who else is around.....cheers.....