SolaceSoul

I thought it was just me. I’m glad to read there’s another poster who has issues with the dim lighting at Sauna Thermas. I enjoyed my week at Thermas, and I’m making another one within the month. Howeve, those of us who have trouble with adjusting their vision to dark spaces will have a tougher time of it. I prefer well-lit areas, especially when it comes to selecting someone who I need to be visually and physically turned on by for a romp. I totally hate dark rooms for that very reason (and experience has taught me that the less physically appealing the prospect, the more they prefer dim lighting). It took me a few days to adjust to the lack of lighting in the cruise areas and the bar areas of the sauna. Even the stairwells were dark. However, after the rough vision adjustment, I enjoyed the sauna. Outside of Brazil, it’s the best of its kind. And yes, the UN variety is a plus.

@Tomcal, I think the name of the sauna you went to was Ponto De Encontro, which is in São Gonçalo, a town just north of Niteroi (and is slightly farther from Rio proper). That sauna has been around for years, and has more of a “home-style” feel to it. I believe you’re right about it only being gay on Sundays. On that night, it has working garotos and they, by all accounts, are the “guy next door” types. Thjs sauna is not to be confused with Encontru’s in Niteroi proper, which by the website, looks like it is aimed at a gay audience, and is not open on Sundays. It seems to be open Monday.- Friday, and only for special events on Saturdays. It looks relatively new (I’m thinking within the last year). It seems to openly advertise as a sauna with working garotos in it. What kind of garotos are there? We need a report! Who will be the pioneer poster?

A CPF is similar to a Brazilian Social Security number. Aa a foreigner who is staying as a guest, there should be no reason you would need.a CPF number, unless you are renting long-term (like, 3 months or more). I would contact the host or AirBnB customer service.

A CEP number is the Brazilian version of a zip code (postal code). You can read all about it on Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Código_de_Endereçamento_Postal If you’re trying to rent a place in Brazil on AirBnB as a guest, I have no idea why AirBnB would prompt you for a CEP number or a building number. Usually, all it requires for a traveling guest to do a search for a place to stay is to put a city or a neighborhood into the search engine. If you’re an AirBnB host and you wish to rent your place out to guests, in order to register it on the platform, it may require info like a CEP or a building number. Are you sure you’re not on the hosting side of the platform? I would call their customer service. Once they actually get on the phone, they can be quite helpful. https://www.airbnb.com/help/contact-us/logged-out

Hey, @Tomcal. Per usual, it looks like you had a great time in Brazil. Is that sauna in Niteroi called “Encontru”? I had never been, but I thought it was a gay sauna, or at least it was gay on regular nights. Also, am I reading this wrong or does this sauna have garotos de programa (Working guys) on it’s gay nights? Perhaps I did misread, and your friends just met you at the sauna. I just went to what looks like Encontru’s website, and in Portuguese it translates into a gay or almost all-gay sauna / establishment, and it makes it clear that it has “boys” (the Brazilian short term for the long-form garotos de programa — working guys). Read for yourself: https://encontrusrogger.wixsite.com/niteroi Was this (Encontru’s) the Niteroi sauna you attended? If this sauna is all or mostly gay AND has working guys, then you just broke news! Regarding Niteroi, it seems that a disproportionate number of the garotos at the Rio saunas live there — and the hottest ones, IMO. Their local beach (non-gay, Family-oriented) is great to go to — if you are invited by a local to hang out with other locals and “blend in” with the crowd. The eye candy is superb and there will be maybe a 0.000025% chance of an opportunity to hear or speak any English.

Expats Deem Life in Brazil Unsafe; Quality of Life Low Despite Locals´ Friendliness Expats are particularly worried about safety and security (64th out of 64), but also unhappy with family life abroad (35th out of 36). The majority (56 percent) agrees that making new friends in Brazil is easy — but this is only two percentage points above the global average (54 percent). By Arkady Petrov September 05, 2019 RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil comes 61st out of 64 destinations in the Expat Insider 2019 survey, ranking among the ten worst destinations in the world for the fifth year in a row. Expats are particularly worried about safety and security (64th out of 64), but also unhappy with family life abroad (35th out of 36). Brazil offers poor results across the board, ranking in the bottom 10 for three out of the five indices, and safety and security remains a huge problem for expats. Friendly locals are not enough to boost Brazil past the halfway mark: it ranks 37th out of 64 countries for ease of settling in. Brazil offers little in the way of good family life. Expensive healthcare and poor safety provisions leave the quality of life lacking. A substandard economy can leave expats struggling to afford the cost of living. 19 percent are unhappier after moving abroad (vs. 16 percent globally). Language Holds the Key to Finding Friends The majority (56 percent) agrees that making new friends in Brazil is easy — but this is only two percentage points above the global average (54 percent). Nevertheless, over three-quarters of expats (77 percent) agree that locals in Brazil have a friendly attitude towards foreign residents (vs. 65 percent globally), while just over eight in ten (83 percent) are happy with the general friendliness of the population (vs. 68 percent globally). Over two in five (41 percent) even give the best possible rating here. Without knowing the language, you cannot connect with people as much. Looking at the results surrounding language, knowing the local language seems to be the key to making friends in Brazil. Not counting native speakers, over nine in ten expats (94 percent) say they can speak the local language at least a little (vs. 75 percent globally), and 45 percent even say they speak it very well (vs. 28 percent). Additionally, 56 percent of respondents agree that making local friends is easy (vs. 42 percent globally), with 49 percent stating that their friends and acquaintances are mostly made up of local residents (vs. 19 percent globally). Families Shaken by Poor Safety Life in Brazil does not seem to offer up much for expat families. The country disappoints expat parents when it comes to the availability and cost of childcare and education, ranking 33rd out of 36 countries in both subcategories: just 26 percent of expats raising children agree that childcare in Brazil is easy to afford (vs. 43 percent globally), while merely 19 percent are satisfied with the affordability of education (vs. 46 percent globally). Expat parents also do not seem to be getting what they pay for, as just over two in five (43 percent) are happy with the quality of education in Brazil (vs. 69 percent globally). Despite ranking last for family well-being in general, expat parents in Brazil do appreciate the friendly attitude towards families with children: 85 percent of expats raising children are satisfied with this factor (vs. 81 percent globally). However, less than two-thirds of expat parents (64 percent) are happy with family life in general; noticeably below the global average of 79 percent. Brazil also lands in second-to-last place for children’s safety, with just 35 percent satisfied, a huge 46 percentage points less than the global average of 81 percent. Poor Prospects Just Not Enough Brazil fails to impress in the Working Abroad Index, ranking just 58th out of 64 countries. Despite a 15-place increase, Brazil still only comes 46th for job security (vs. 61st out of 68 in 2018): just 55 percent rate this factor positively, compared to nearly three in five globally (59 percent). Expats seem to be even less happy with the state of the economy: just 16 percent are satisfied, which is a huge contrast to the global average of 63 percent. Since the recession in 2015, Brazil’s economy has been recovering at a very slow pace of roughly 1.1 percent a year, and economists don’t see it improving any time soon. The unemployment rate in Brazil has nearly doubled since 2012, while the official unemployment survey shows that 28.3 million people are being underutilized — either not working or working less than they could be. Climbing Costs Disappoint Expats Expats seem to struggle with their personal finances in Brazil, with the country ranking 50th in the respective index. In part, this could be due to the high costs of living: 43 percent of respondents express being unhappy with costs (vs. 34 percent globally). Meanwhile, over one-quarter (26 percent) are dissatisfied with their financial situation in Brazil, compared to 18 percent worldwide, ranking the country a poor 58th place for this factor. While the same share of expats globally and in Brazil (49 percent) express that their disposable household income is more than enough to cover their daily costs, 17 percent of expats working in Brazil also say that their income is a lot lower than it would be in their home country (vs. 9 percent globally). Personal Safety Still an Issue Brazil also places poorly for quality of life, ranking 61st in this index. It finds itself once again at the bottom of the heap regarding safety and security (64th place), something that seems to be an issue for expats before even arriving in Brazil: 58 percent recall that this was a major concern before moving (vs. 12 percent globally). A shocking 61 percent even rate their personal safety badly, compared to just 9 percent globally. “Personal safety in public is an ongoing concern,” shares one US American expat in Brazil. Similarly, just 38 percent give Brazil’s peacefulness a positive rating, forty percentage points less than the global average (78 percent). Personal safety in public is an ongoing concern However, Brazil doesn’t just lose out because of safety and security: the country ranks just 54th in the Health & Well-Being subcategory. A below-average 56 percent rate the quality of Brazilian medical care positively (vs. 65 percent globally), and just 36 percent agree that healthcare is affordable (vs. 55 percent globally). For the sixth year, InterNations, the world’s largest expat community with 3.6 million members, publishes its Expat Insider survey. With more than 20,000 respondents, it is one of the most extensive surveys about living and working abroad, sharing insights into expat life in 64 destinations. The survey offers in-depth information about expats’ satisfaction with the quality of life, ease of settling in, working life, personal finance, cost of living, and family life in their respective country of residence. https://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/uncategorized/expats-in-brazil-consider-life-unsafe-and-uninspiring-very-low-quality-of-life-ranking/

Aging, or growing old, definitely beats the only other alternative.

Yes, that’s much better than that horrid Paulista Trent Lott winner. He actually looks like a slightly darker version of my 94 year-old grandfather! (Black don’t crack, and brown sticks around.) And also, especially in that suit, a moreno Colonel Sanders..

I don’t care whether or not the winner is 63 or 96. I know that Brazil can find MANY more handsome older brasileiros than this guy who looks like Trent Lott!

Sao Paulo names most handsome elderly male https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-33815781 The winner was Aureo do Nascimento, a 63-year-old truck driver pictured here at the frontThe win

Agreed. That is all.

This makes absolutely no sense. You don’t want reports or reviews from people who know a place well? You only anticipate reviews and information of places from unknowledgeable sources?

Maybe it’s his way of paying tribute to the average American.

The name of the sauna in Santo Domingo is Apolo Spa. The address is: Arzobispo Nouel # 108, in the Colonial Zone. The website is: https://apolosaunagay.com/

Also, Freddy says he specializes in more than just young twinks. He says all types, just describe what you type you like to him and he will bring it. Those are his words that he asked me to relay.

Freddy just informed me that it is okay to advertise his mobile number for business here, so I am posting it here. He says that he is still available for airport pickup/dropoff, driver services, tour guide (gay and non-gay) and yes, procurement of Dominican men, and that he has 30 years of experience. My experience with him is that he seems to be more familiar with the twinks, but this is not his exclusive target demo. Freddy aka Always Ready Freddy. (829) 801-0417 — phone / text or WhatsApp *NOTE: This is not an endorsement.

On the contrary, the reasons the article provides are quite detailed and have little at all to do with the sauna or garoto scene. Personally, I happen to disagree with their conclusion, but I’m not really much of a “gay traveler”, anyway. For example, their recommended alternative, Miami, to me, is of no comparison to any major coastal city in Brazil. https://www.gaycities.com/outthere/41254/5-places-to-avoid-when-planning-a-vacation-and-some-great-alternatives/ ”Brazil’s economy has been circling the drain since the 2016 impeachment of then-President Dilma Rousseff, who was accused of massive economic corruption. The Brazilian currency, the real, collapsed; violence exploded in the cities, and that led to a severe increase in attacks on gay and trans people. In 2017, 445 people were reported to have died in anti-LGBTQ hate crimes; in 2018, statistics shows 167 trans people were murdered. Also in 2018, Marielle Franco, a Rio de Janiero city councilor who advocated for LGBTQ rights, was murdered in what witnesses described as a planned assasination, with two ex-police officers arrested as suspects. Besides allowing attacks on gay and trans people to increase, even encouraging it, ultra-right wing President Bosanaro is also letting the Amazon rainforest burn, with the goal of opening the land for farming and exploitation, and this is ruining the source of 10% of the world’s oxygen in the process. The fires are also displacing thousands of indigenous tribal people, who are powerless against the fires as their ancestral lands are destroyed. São Paulo, the financial and cultural center of the country, is a very progressive city, but until the skies are clear of smoke (photos top and above), and the government takes an interest in violence against gay and trans people, Brazil is not the place to visit. Where to go instead: Get all the tropical feels and a great beach scene in Miami!”

Brazil Tops List of Destinations for LGBT Tourists to Avoid “RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - A famous online tour guide for the LGBT community has singled out Brazil as a destination to be avoided. GayCities, an online publication that provides advice for LGBT travelers, published its list Tuesday, August 27th, of "Five places to avoid when planning a vacation," and at the very top is Brazil.” https://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/brazil/brazil-listed-as-destination-to-avoid-for-lgbt-tourists/

Shirt answer: No.

Not only that, but if you keep yourself up and maintain (or even improve upon) your looks, physique, and health (both physical and fiscal) as you mature, then there should be few valid reasons why one should not be open to being romantically or sexually involved with partners closer to one’s own age who have done the same thing. I’m not suggesting that it must happen. I am just saying the it is important to be open to it, if partners like that are actually available to you.

Surely, you must mean 4.06 reais per US dollar, or at the most, 4.16. Today’s exchange rate is 4:16:1.

Oh, I can proudly go back even farther than that! When one maintains one’s self, ages well, prepared well, and lives well, there really should be no reason to try to shave years off one’s real age.

No.

“Safety is assured when you are here. You have nothing to lose with the security measures that are put in place for you. You have so many things to benefit from while you are in this city of Brazil. And at the end of the day, your holiday is going to be something you ever dream of at an affordable rate. A tourist center without safety cannot be complete. This is the reason why people are now making their holiday here in Sao Paulo. There are lots of things you would be able to experience while you are like experiencing virgin vegetation and great tourist centers at a rate you would not worry over. All you need to do is research a little before coming to Sao Paulo.“ Research a little and you’ll learn quickly that safety in São Paulo is NOT “assured”!

As mentioned above, the email address for Freddy (alwaysreadyfreddy@hotmail.com) is already publicly listed at other DR blogs, so I think it’s appropriate to list that. Any phone numbers I have for him may or may not be private or may be outdated (I haven’t spoken to him in a very long time), and I have no permission to post them publicly, so out of respect for privacy and in an abundance of caution, I won’t post. When I have more time, I will re-read your full OP to see if there is anything more I can contribute.