SolaceSoul

Oh Em Gee. This “Hercules” seems like the garoto at Lagoa that I always call “the one that got away”. This was late 2021, like November or December, so a bit over a year ago. What tipped me off that it might be him is your description of his “unfortunate” character face. For two days straight, he was very friendly and personable with me and was clearly very available, even offering to spot me when I was at working out upstairs at the gym. In every other way, he was everything I would’ve wanted in a brief companion, right down to being a great conversationalist. But I was being particularly selective and thought he was a bit too…. “facially challenged”. Then, on the third day in SP on that trip, I finally came to my senses and told myself, “are you crazy? You’d better grab that man the next time you see him!” But I went back to Lagoa every night on that trip, and never saw him again. I also went back on another week’s stay in São Paulo and, again, no sighting of this facially-challenged but otherwise perfect “Hercules”. I even remember the first name he gave me. But I was playing “hard to get” and never even asked for the WhatsApp… so I wound up playing myself! Lesson learned: grab them while the getting’s good! If it is one and the same, then that’s good to know that I have a shot at redemption.

You did a very good job for a first time visit to São Paulo, all things considered. But please, for the love of God, don’t take the huge risk of visiting a stranger’s / garoto’s home / apartment ever again. I’m glad that, against all odds, it worked out for you, though. But I can fill up this page with true stories in Latin / South America / Caribbean where this ended up poorly or worse yet, deadly.

And? The uber-wealthy donate large sums to universities and hospitals on the condition that they get a building, a wing, a statue, or a scholarship fund named after them.

Christ, I hope you’re kidding. Or maybe you live under a rock? 5 officers have been charged with his murder (it was a simple traffic stop), and another was just fired for his role. But let’s move along, no police corruption to see here!

To be clear, all Club 117 knows thus far (because of their cameras) is that Kadu did not LEAVE the club with a garoto from 117. Until the perpetrator can be ID’d, no one knows for certain who it was (hopefully, the motel where he was found murdered has similar video cameras and makes copies of all ID cards, but it’s possible that they don’t).

Many of the people who live and work in Brazil as well as many of those travelers who visit who have been victims of violence were not doing “stupid things”. Sure, absolutely take all the precautionary measures, but anyone who has lived, visited or stayed in the major metro areas of Brazil, even in the best, safest areas of the cities, will share with you that eventually, no matter what color you are, your age, your physical build, your language proficiency, you’ll “get got”. If petty theft is the worst thing that happens to you during your forays into Rio, São Paulo, Salvador or Recife, then considered yourself quite blessed. Of course, no one with a working brain who is reading this is going to think I’m referring to every single part of the vast land in Brazil! This is about areas that are well-traveled and often-visited by the kinds of people who would be most likely to read this board: men who have sex with other men. Santa Catarina, Joinville and to a lesser extent Fioranopolis and Brasilia, are considered safer towns in Brazil, but they are not going to be on the radar of the vast majority of infrequent travelers to Brazil — just as foreign tourists in the USA prefer to see NYC, LA, Vegas and Miami over St. Paul, Minnesota. Interestingly, super-safe Fioranopolis, Brazil is the place where a gay man in his early 20s was brutally gang raped on the street in 2021, and it made international news (not really in the USA, because most Americans only care if it’s about “us”). In terms of absolute number of murders in a year, Brazil has the most murders of any country by total number, followed by India, the USA, and Mexico. Also, Brazil has one of the most alarming rates of violence and discrimination against LGBT people in the Western Hemisphere and definitely amongst democracies. The stats have gotten even worse in the last several years — possibly due to political shifts to the hard right. Small pockets of Rio and São Paulo may cull one into a sense of safety or protection, but it’s important to remain vigilant and keep situational awareness at all times. Rest In Peace, Kadu.

Wow. Completely unnecessary observation, and congratulations for missing the entire point.

It was not. It was violence.

It was most definitely linked to him being gay. His service is on Monday. Out of respect for him, his loved ones and his family, I will refrain from going into detail publicly. But just know that, especially for those here who like to come here thinking it’s a sexual playground, Rio and Brazil can be a VERY dangerous place. Rest In Peace, Kadu.

Most often (at least in my circles and observations), if the garoto is sitting with / spending time with a client at the bar or at a table for an extended period of time (let’s use, more than 20 minutes), then he’s most likely being compensated for that time — not trying to close a deal for the suite. Some clients (like you, @floridarob) don’t even like using suites or having sex in saunas and eventually plan to leave with a GP. Other clients might just want a “date” with a hot guy without any sex at all. It depends — I think I may have seen it all! But a good rule of thumb is the 20-minute rule to “shit or get off the pot”. Cut a deal with the garoto within that time frame or part ways. A drink can be finished in that time period.

That depends on your personal preference and how often you visit. Frequent (like say more than twice a year) visitors to Rio would probably agree that although it’s packed during the big holidays (Reveillon, Carnaval), it’s easier to navigate during other times around Brazil summer than those times, yet still has a large enough crowd. Less frequent visitors may want to experience the excitement and packed crowds of those times, because it’s a “bucket list” activity (or at least not something experienced very often). I’m okay going any time of the year. Just like the type of men you’re attracted to, it’s all a matter of personal tastes

Both of you are right AND wrong. Depending on whom you speak with, the time around Reveillon / New Year’s Eve up until Three Kings Day (1/6) can be either a seller’s or a buyer’s market. Many of the sauna garotos — although they still go — do not like working that time of year at the sauna because the wait is so long for a suite (especially on free cabin nights) that there is little money to be made, compared to the less busy nights. And many clients aren’t interested in waiting an hour or so just for sex. The Tuesday at 117 after New Year’s Day was so packed this week, that there was a line of clients outside the club that reportedly took 45 minutes for entry. In 13 years of Rio-ing, I’ve never experienced anything like that before. I personally wouldn’t wait that long, but for infrequent visitors, I could understand why they would. The GPs that I speak with regularly — which are quite a few! — tell me that what they DO like about the time of year around NYE is that, due to the large crowds, they can book many more dates with new or infrequent visiting clients for a later time.

The escort / programa websites will do that with a quickness in Brazil when one of their advertised is arrested for a crime involving clients. The same happened several years ago with a prominent garoto who was arrested for blackmailing one of his clients. Netgay and all the other sites quickly pulled his ads down. Note: after he served his time, he’s been back to advertising on the various sites for a few years now.

…. and here’s another published incident. This arrest happened in September. I actually met the one on the left before. Call boys are arrested for theft in the South Zone of Rio; police claim they doped victims One of the injured said, in testimony, that criminal made seven transfers on Pix. By Eduardo Tchao and Leslie Leitão, RJ1 09/06/2022 11:52 am Updatedhá 3 meses Two male prostitutes are arrested suspected of robbery in the South Zone of Rio The Civil Police of RJ arrested this Monday (5) two men for robbery in the South Zone of Rio. According to investigations by the 14th DP (Leblon), Brian Quaresma Ferreira , 31, and David Alves Simões Rosa , 34, are male callers and dope people they met on dating apps. Brian was arrested in Gávea; David, who performed as Bruce , in Copacabana. “Brian is a call boy and explores sexuality; he posts his profile, arranges dates, and takes advantage of a careless moment. Then he practices property blows ”, said delegate Camila Lourenço . Bruce, according to Camila, “exercised leadership”. “The investigations showed that he was the one who attracted the victims through the social network. 🇧🇷 Sex workers, David (L) and Brian (R, in blue and coat) are arrested and taken to the 14th DP (Leblon) — Photo: Reproduction/TV Globo One of them said in a statement that, during a date, she went to the bathroom twice — when she believes that Bruce put something in the drink. The victim said that she began to feel bad, "in a lethargic state, confused and with reduced reflexes" and that Bruce took advantage of this to take her to his apartment. There, the escort took his cell phone and unlocked it. Brian showed up at the property an hour later. He and Bruce stopped the victim from leaving. In all that time, Brian was able to make seven bank transfers via Pix . The Civil Police asks that other victims of the duo go to the Leblon Police Station to file a complaint. The two are already indicted for false imprisonment and theft. Until the last update of this report, TV Globo had not been able to contact their defense. https://g1.globo.com/rj/rio-de-janeiro/noticia/2022/09/06/garotos-de-programa-sao-presos-por-roubo-na-zona-sul-do-rio-policia-afirma-que-eles-dopavam-vitimas.ghtml

Instances like this occur quite often in Brazil — especially in Rio and São Paulo. They only make the news when reported to the police. Here’s a similar recent one from Rio. As I am here half to most of the year, I have plenty more of these stories I can share. (And before you ask, yes, you absolutely SHOULD be concerned for your own safety.) Call boy arrested after threatening to share videos of sex with businessman in Copacabana A luxury escort boy was arrested red-handed for the crime of extortion against a client, in Copacabana, in the South Zone of Rio, this Wednesday, the 6th. According to investigations by the 12th DP (Copacabana), Victor Rodrigues Assunção , aged 22, was hired by a businessman on a website for escorts and demanded payment of BRL 2,000 from the client not to publish sex videos. According to delegate Natacha Alves de Oliveira, holder of the 12th DP, after the meeting between the two took place last Thursday, Victor Rodrigues revealed that he had recorded part of the sexual intercourse that had taken place and said that he would send the images to the victim's husband. As a condition of leaving the premises and preserving his marriage, the client was required to pay the sum demanded by the call boy. Last Wednesday, Victor, even in the face of payment, continued to demand more money in order not to publish the videos on social networks. The client looked for the police station and the police were able to locate the prostitute on Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, around 6 pm. — This type of extortion generally presents high underreporting of criminal occurrences. People sometimes do not report the fact to the police stations for fear of exposing their privacy. Our orientation is that they do not fail to register the cases, precisely so that these criminals are identified and punished and do not make new victims - highlights the delegate Natacha Alves de Oliveira. At the police station, Victor confessed to the crime. Against him, there was already a record of occurrence in the 2nd DP (Rio Claro), in São Paulo, on November 30 last year. At the time, a 60-year-old retiree went to the police station to report that, after paying BRL 480 for a sexual program with the suspect, he began to demand, via WhatsApp messages, bank transfers of BRL 100 in PIX so as not to disclose an intimate video of the two.
 In the statement given at the 12th DP, Victor reported having learned to practice this coup with a friend. He will be sent to the José Frederico Marques Public Prison, in Benfica, where he will have to undergo a custody hearing. https://m.extra.globo.com/casos-de-policia/garoto-de-programa-preso-apos-ameacar-divulgar-videos-de-sexo-com-empresario-em-copacabana-25585498.html

I’ll try to answer your questions since they don’t seem to be directly addressed here. Some GPs are at the saunas on pre-determined dates with clients. Most often, you will spot these GPs in one of the bar areas, sharing a drink or two or sometimes a bite to eat with a client — and most often, either or both are fully dressed. The kicker is if the GP is not available to speak to other clients before / during / soon after that pre-arranged date (understandably, most clients aren’t going to like it very much if their pay date is using his paid time to book another date). So, if that GP that you hooked up with turned out to be available, most likely either his client date had already left (or cum and gone) or it was just a non-sexual date and he got paid for his time (yes, this is more common than you might think). There could be several reasons why a GP’s dick doesn’t get hard. It doesn’t necessarily mean he already ejaculated with a previous client. Most GPs will stop working for the night once they do cum, so I doubt that was this guy’s reason. Maybe at that moment, he just couldn’t get aroused. It’s hard to believe sometimes, but garotos are human, not machines.

Asking anyone to take photos in exchange for a “free shoot” is one of the shittiest tricks used by the lower rungs and dirtbag predators masquerading as legitimate photographers.

We share something in common and we discovered it around the same age. Except my introduction was street trade / hustlers, not the bus station. By comparison, the stereotypical gay scene / clubs / bars (and their usual patrons) never really had much appeal for me. The hustler bars I discovered a few years later were the best combination for me in the States, but in the USA they have all disappeared. Discovering the joys of Brazilian saunas culture over a decade ago was a godsend for me.

This is the correct and decent policy. Just as board members wish not to be publicly identified (and posting on an internet message board, whether in a public or private forum, is public), sauna garotos and gogo boys that aren’t advertising their sex work online do not wish to be publicly identified either. Sauna workers may be gossiping amongst each other about various clients, but they most certainly are not publicly posting about us on internet message boards. Therein lies the difference! I don’t understand why that is so hard for some posters to get.

Wow. Just wow. If I had a dollar for every time I have seen someone that I think is a board poster at one of the establishments abroad… However, I have the decency and the discretion not to post about it publicly and put them on blast.

I don’t understand what this anecdote has to do with Grindr / free sex vs. transactional sex. I could just as easily learn that or similar information from a working guy / garoto de programa — because sometimes, we actually talk, communicate and connect. It’s not like these guys don’t live in communidades, too.

For some people, the need to prove to themselves and others that they are (still) sexually appealing is very strong. In their heads, getting it for free (or less) = “I’m not like those other clients who have to pay because they’re old / fat / fugly.”

This is pretty much the guiding principle for any kind of whoremongering, no matter what your type or preference may be. Clients want to pay for the kind of guy that’s either out of their league or is otherwise unavailable to them back home. I’ve found that to be the case even with those who say they prefer the “boy next door, normal / average” guys — not just those who prefer the so-called muscle gods and supermodels.

In my experience, the non-garoto saunas in Brazil are very similar to the (fast-disappearing) gay bathhouses in the USA — which means, basically, it’s the normal Western gay male social pecking order. The very few really attractive men are there to hook up with the other very few really attractive men. Pudgy middle-aged guys, bears, fem twinks, and other more commonly moderately to less desirables ordinarily “stay in their lanes” and wind up with each other. Not the case at the saunas with money boys — where cash rules everything around you. That’s the easiest and best shot for the average schmoe — who would ordinarily be overlooked by the 8s, 9s and 10s in sexually charged, physically important gay environments like bathhouses and circuit parties — to land an Adonis.

But it’s not. Not in Brazil, at least.