Riobard

I should, then, disturb the other building residents if and when I come in late after galavanting and whoring, and take pleasure in waking up all of Bang Rak with banging racket? Tell me where and when the hot gym dudes are plying their trade and I’ll adjust my sched accordingly. I thought it might be around the midnight-ish witching hour. 😏

I spent many hours over the past few weeks searching and deciding for a 3-week trip, flight booked some time ago and dates locked in. Pay 20-21 nights for a licensed hotel apartment with separate enclosed bedroom versus pay 30-31 nights for an unlicensed unit of minimally equivalent or better size, quality, and features with stellar reviews, used only for the actual trip 20-21 nights but enabling above-board booking and payment record status in the event of being challenged. It might not always be the case and it hinges on a number of variables, but for the area I wanted the latter is the hands-down undisputed winner, both financially and otherwise. In this case the one-month discount was triggered so that the additional cost relative to 20-21 days equated to 8 rather than 10 days, and about 6% over and above the combined cost of airfare and 20-21 days of the private apartment that had originally triggered a one-week discount. Lack of hotel amenities is not a problem for me; I rarely stay in hotels and I found in the past that I spend more time tidying up so that hotel cleaners can do their thing around my stuff than it takes to just manage it all myself. Additionally, in different time zones when you may want or need to nap they tend to knock or phone, disturbing one’s needed restorative rest to inquire whether the ‘do not disturb’ sign means literally the words on the sign. No single long-term owner or tenant, or vacationer in any building is a better occupant than me. Whether in my own home or booking a vacation home on a platform I would be mortified if my presence caused a noise or odour disturbance for other residents. I also figured out long ago how to close a door, drawer or cupboard without slamming it, avoid splattering the microwave oven, and refrain from forcing solids down the kitchen sink drain or trying to flush inappropriate items down the toilet. I don’t walk with a noisy thumping heel-strike gait. Nobody will hear me come in late from a visit to Tawan.

And? FullSizeRender.MOV

That shows foresight and skilled vetting on your part.

My building also passed a bylaw defining minimum rental period. Like yours, these are the exception to the usual degree of lengths co-owner condo syndicates are prepared to go, particularly since they prefer to rely on the Thai Condo and Hotel Acts, albeit ambiguous. Interestingly, my building co-ownership did not need to do it because our building falls into a prohibited zone owing to high density of hotels. In contrast, platforms like Airbnb home rental are legal in more hotel-sparse zones, and must post Tourist Home license signage. It would have been easier to invoke the city by-law and transfer surveillance to the municipality. But no, owners want to play detective in spite of being useless at it, and even still don’t report suspected infractions to the city, not that the city would possess many more skills for enforcement. Short-term renters have not been fined to date because there is still an evidentiary process that our 3rd party management is not interested in dealing with because they are paid peanuts and have their hands full dealing with miscreant full-time occupants; savvy short-term renters are usually able to operate under the radar. They tend to be, comparatively, non-guillotined chickens. I was once on the Board and threw up my hands at the chaotic presentation of evidence surrounding a raucous building terrace party that should have been open-and-shut. Should have submitted a script to Judge Judy show-runners. Suitcase no suitcase, our security personnel only have the latitude to request an unfamiliar person accessing the building sign in on a sheet. They do not possess the prerogative to inquire as to the status of the visitor. The by-law prohibits short-term rental but does not delineate the extent to which privacy is restricted, ie, no operational plan. I myself travel a great deal and often come in with loads of baggage and a new unfamiliar security guard doesn’t even look up. Toothless paper tiger.

You and the tour company have plenty of time to keep abreast of Brazil developments.

But allow for a day, maybe an overnight in Guatapé east of Medellín.

Will the Brazil portion of the group tour and the exact entry date occur prior to October 1st?

It stands to reason that as a guest, even having booked minimally 30 days and able to produce evidence of that duration if pressed, say by building Board or security, one would want to be accompanied in person by the platform host for formal check-in. And have a signed cryptic letter to be able to produce to rotating security staff if needed, ie, “Riobard will be staying with us as our guest indefinitely …” Hosts themselves may have family/friends guests that visit with luggage, just like any other unit-occupying owner or legit renter. They may have non-paying guests enjoy the unit when not booked, or block off time for company. Hence, it takes a lot to challenge any creative backstory put forward by a host and guest if an arrangement is questioned by busybodies. I can assure you that conventional building renters could give a shit, and that self-appointed vigilante owners’ bark is worse than their bite. If I were a rental platform host, with the prerogative of enjoying my unit in privacy and having company visit, I would ostentatiously have every person I know take turns hauling in and out vast amounts of luggage in full view of any onlookers that happen to be present. Any other building occupant would be welcome to challenge the narrative but, after coming in hot with me, no single challenger would likely be bold enough to ever again risk the reality of what actually transpired, accusatory harassment. They likely wouldn’t ever want second servings of that piece of my mind. I would also try to move that discussion out into public space as there are laws against verbal harassment, and I would be recording the transaction. If a guest unaccompanied by the host for the stay duration, but approached by a nosy occupant, I would just do what everybody else does ordinarily anyway: be on my phone busily loudly and animatedly talking, perhaps in a language the busybody wouldn’t comprehend, while dismissively yet non-menacingly waving them out of my personal space. But in a gentlemanly fashion ushering them through a door or elevator exit while essentially overtly ignoring them. Nuisance made invisible, next. While on the phone I might be heard saying something like: “My sabbatical is 8 months but I took a one-year lease conveniently near a BTS station, so I hope you plan to visit.” There is no law against babbling a falsehood that another person inadvertently eavesdrops on. Nobody can actually easily ascertain what business someone in possession of a building access card/fob and access to a unit is up to. The transactions are private. The only giveaway would typically be a platform guest unwilling or not smart enough to collude with an arrangement that had actually been made to their advantage.

I assume what is meant by a GdeP joining the entertainment lineup is that occasionally a small group of them will dance in bathing suits for a period of time to “warm up” the stage ahead of the main features. I follow one such guy’s social media but had never hired him at 117; no sightings of him that I recall during extended visits Jan2022-Feb2033, but he is looking awfully good. Otherwise, I have frequently and successfully used Hotel Alameda short-time option directly across the road but only those previously test-driven in a 117 suite. For a relative unknown I’d likely pay for their time and lunch or dinner at Gregora Arte or Vila Rica to get acquainted first, or even if I know them but extensive time had elapsed. I went to a former117 guy’s place for a date last month. I had known him a bit from brief social chats at the club but not ever hired him, and he disappeared for a while even before the pandemic hiatus. He began advertising not too long ago on garotocomlocal. He had progressed in appearance, given my tastes, to a 9.5 from an 8. My gosh; great fun. But seconds were not be had due to trip schedule.

Such an occupational hazard for which garotos de programa receive essentially no compensation. As a consumer with intermittent blocks of travel and close to failsafe STD protection measures I very infrequently need a sexual health clinic screening visit. In contrast, providers’ exposure along with their personal sexual partners’ vulnerability is relentless. Gonorrhea PrEP efficacy in clinical trials is proving to be mediocre and risks antimicrobial resistance.

Agree. I draw from Metro subway, Über and taxi options, or my feet. There are certain people that wouldn’t and shouldn’t walk to a subway. I think others here catch my drift.

That choice of transportation mode tracks for somebody making themselves a human living target …

I take a different view as a condo unit owner, not particularly territorial, of 20 years in a major city tourism district. Home rentals on Airbnb and similar platforms were carried out for some 15 years in my building. More recently a co-owner majority vote prohibited it. I cast my vote against prohibition. Yet I have absolutely no personal vested interest as I have no desire or intention to rent my loft. However, I have had neighbour problems that far exceed Airbnb guest problems; they have been typically “legal” tenants of absentee owner landlords, usually one-year leases. You can have an ignorant neighbour creating a ruckus for months and years at a time, with impunity, other residents possessing very limited recourse, while in contrast short-term gig economy guests are reviewed on the platform, wish to maintain good reputations for future booking requests, and usually keep their heads down and noses clean. I have spent many hours overall attempting to resolve difficult neighbour issues from above, below, and laterally. Never a problem with a short-term renter. Some owners complain about baggage traffic yet the lobby elevators have been ruined by legal tenants moving their bulk items in and out when occupying or vacating a condo because they refuse to reserve the service elevator designated for that purpose. The source of potential assholes is six of one half a dozen of the other. I’d rather have 1 bad cupcake out of a baker’s dozen than a bad cake.

Though perhaps a belief system contrivance, one part halo effect, another part under the protective care of a spiritual power.

I assume my Depends incontinence panties qualify as underwear. Surprisingly, my usual procedure of tucking a few currency bills under my shoe insole for emergencies is apparently prohibited. One cannot step on baht bills as they contain characteristic Royal image. I guess I’ll put them in a velcro wraparound ankle pouch and assiduously respect them.

Here is one more dated e-visa thread to pull up to the present in anticipation of reinstatement this coming Fall.

Getting a consular visa is hella more complicated than the e-visa was or will be when reinstated. Not the least of which is the aggravation of your passport leaving your possession temporarily. How much replenished staffing at BRZ consulates in Canada will occur to accommodate in-person and/or postal mail consular visa application is uncertain. Staffing was slashed concomitant with e-visa and then visa waiver. Serving Canadians in a staffed environment was virtually eliminated and services were oriented to that remaining part geared to Brazilian nationals in Canada. The e-visa option is simpler and there will be resistance to funding manpower for two systems simply to accommodate a 2-choice prerogative for applicants. The e-visa likely has a globally coordinated digital processing centre as opposed to running through several regional consulate offices throughout the 4 affected nations. Recent CoV-related transient travel hassles (eg, testing and insurance add-ons) to Brazil far outweigh the e-visa aggravation in terms of both labour and costs. Me and travel companions required e-visas for visiting Argentine section of Iguassu Falls. Same idea; fairly simple. —— I pulled up two old 2018 Brazil e-visa threads under LatinAmer heading, by posting brief current replies, in order to be contemporaneous in thread order with the current new Gay Brazil thread.

I cannot figure out how to embed this old thread in the new e-visa topic thread, but simply adding to it will pull it up close to the new thread.

31 days is prudent, on the safe side, to be sure, and only 3.3% more in cost, let’s say you want the place for 25 days, and are willing to pony up payment for unoccupied days in order to support the host to abide by Thai regulations. In many cases, the overall cost for a month in a condo apartment is less than for a hotel-licensed unit with a full kitchen and one or more separate enclosed bedrooms over a period short of a month. Hosts may be content to earn just enough to maintain growing property equity. I have read the Hotel Act and Condominium Act; neither specify a definition of monthly or contain wording regarding quantity of days, so either 30 days or 31 days is an arbitrary interpretation. Additionally, monthly is not specified as beginning to end of a month on a conventional calendar versus any equivalent composite of days that does not commence and end on the first or last of a given month. However, if you check-in for 30 nights on March 1st, check out is March 31st, so you have physical presence on 31 calendar days although paying 30 days. Similarly, if you lease an apartment anywhere globally, let’s say for one year, you would typically take possession March 1st and vacate March 31st the following year The Condominium Act contains no provision whatsoever that defines or restricts the permissible time frame of rental to a 3rd party by a unit owner, or start or end dates within a month. The time criteria for a period beyond “short-term” is not defined. Rental periods are not contained in the legislation. It stipulates restrictions on commercial activity within a private portion, but does not mention or justify any distinction between rental contracts of less than a month versus greater than or equal to a month as far as commercial activity … that temporal stratification is contained solely within the Hotel Act. Most conventional renting is advertised on commercial platforms. The two Acts don’t knit together well for implementation. My interpretation of the regulations is that if you are able to produce a platform-generated receipt for 30 consecutive nights, beginning on any date, your host would be considered to be in compliance with the intent of the Hotel Act. The enforcement of related rules for shorter periods lacks teeth and consistency but as a visitor you would likely want to keep things above board.

Back to South America topic … The Avianca flights BOG-GRU (mid Jan) and GIG-BOG (mid Feb) were great, only $625 USD combined price, very roomy, the best seats (bulkhead in my case), again as business class for most of the western hemisphere has given way to the new 2-2 configuration with the middle table first few rows. At that price, bringing snacks or buying on board not an imposition. Lounge access El Dorado due to the highest flight fare class, but not at Galeão. Air Canada business class to Bogotá return was merely $1150USD. Air Canada business fare to São Paulo was running $7000USD for similar dates, twice the distance for 6 times the fare price, no thanks. The itinerary ultimately worked out well, for both multiple destination goals and savings.

I discontinued Grindr due to the exorbitant price markup but I expect everybody else here has cancelled Church and logged in. 🤣

I take it that the OF performer had provided clues on his Grindr profile he was trade travelling with a plan to seek being subsidized? Otherwise you probably wouldn’t have launched in with the assumption the older guy was paying an escort fee as opposed to two people just having lunch? Unless it was a more nuanced tactful inquiry and reveal.

You likely travel prepared, and with a mask supply, but in case you are not aware face covering this winter was, and currently continues to be, required within the more formal areas of Brazil airports such as customs and security. For my domestic trip customs was not involved but some travellers caught off guard were scrambling to obtain masks to enter security clearance and they were worn as well on the flight.