Bangkok Trip Report 2019: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same Part 2

[numazu]

I just wanted to wish everyone a great and Merry Christmas!

I am Day 5 in a 3 week trip here in Brazil. Sharing a photo of the historic lighthouse in Farol da Barra in the city of Salvador in the northeast of Brazil. Escaped the (mild) winter of California and now in 28 degree (82 Fahrenheit) start of summer here in Brazil. Have fun guys!

[numazu]

Postscript: The Naked Truth

Too bad my trip to BKK last week (by way of a work trip to Japan and China) was cancelled. It was my choice really: two days before my departure, my boss asked if I really wanted to go to Asia with all these “rumors” about the coronavirus. Out of an abundance of caution I cancelled my trip, breaking the heart (wallet?) of a certain Moonlight model who I promised a 2-day long time stay with me. No matter, I quickly regrouped and booked a 5-day quickie to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Glad the virus has not reached the far shores of Latin America just yet.

Too bad too, I was going to write about the stay, to append to this report. No problem, I had an update in mind anyway. I wanted to compare the costs of the 3-day trip I had in Bangkok, to the 3-day trip in Sao Paulo. Specifically, how much would a quick 3-day sex vacation compare with these two cities? So for my sake as well as others who have asked to summarize my cash outlay for my trips, this post is a summary of how much money I spent (threw away?) in these cities.

Just a caveat: as you all already know, I pack in a lot in so little a time, so how I do my sex vacations may differ from you. And I am a fan of 3-somes, 4-somes etc, so that may skew my costs a little bit. Also, non-gogo bar costs are not included, so Soi 4 beer bars and the Hot Male bar and The Week Sao Paulo was not included.

So let the accounting begin:

Bangkok – 3 nights and 3 days

Day 1: Arrival at Bangkok; two bars – Moonlight and Freshboys; 4 boys – 1 threesome

Boys: Masseur (2000 baht), Moonlight (2000 baht), Freshboys 3some (4000 baht) = 8000 baht

Bars: Moonlight drinks for boy and mamasan (1500 baht), Freshboys drinks for boys and mamasans (1750 baht) = 3250 baht

Day 1 Total: 11,250 baht

Day 2: First full day at Bangkok; three bars – Lucky Boy, Hot Male, Hot Male bar; 2 boys – 1 free

Boys: Kiwi (free), Hot Male (2000 baht)

Bars: Hot Male (400 baht)

Day 2 Total: 2400 baht

Day 3: Last full day at Bangkok; three bars – Jupiter, Dream Boy, Lucky Boy; 4 boys – 1 threesome, 1 freelancer

Boys: Sunlight (3500 baht), Moonlight (6000 baht), Lucky Boy (4000 baht) = 13500 baht

Bars: Moonlight off fee (1000 baht), Jupiter (500 baht), Dream Boy (450 baht), Lucky Boy (1600 baht) = 3550 baht

Day 3 total: 17,050 baht

Total for Bangkok = 30,700 baht

In US dollars, Bangkok total = $1002

With 10 boys, this comes out to $100 per boy.

 

Sao Paulo – 3 days and 3 nights

These were not consecutive 3 days, because it was actually 3 separate days sprinkled in a 23 day stay over Christmas and the New Year. I have a bf in Brazil, so it was hard to get these 3 days alone, so I made them count. 

I had an advantage because I am good friends with a porn star in Sao Paulo, and he has access to some pay boys to play around with. I took full advantage of this to have 3somes in my hotel room, in addition to the pay saunas I went to. The saunas are the equivalent of the gogo bar in Bangkok, but in a less passive atmosphere than in gogo bars. Some people don’t like the interactivity of a sauna. I have gotten used to it and actually prefer it now.

Day 1: actual arrival of my trip; one sauna – Espaco Lagoa; 5 boys – 1 3some, 1 4some

Boys: 3some in my hotel room with a 22 and 24 year old, both hung and fit (200 reais per boy), 4some in the sauna (200 reais for two versatile hung boys - 24 and 26 years old) and 250 reais for a star, hung, muscular and 24 years old), porn star wanted 100 reals extra so he had an extra session in hotel room after the sauna = 1150 reais

Bars: one sauna: Espaco Lagoa; refreshments for me, condoms and lube, entrance, room = 172.50 reais (receipt shown)

Day 1 total = 1322.50 reais or $316

Day 2: actually Day 14 of my trip; one sauna – Espaco Lagoa; 3 boys – 1 freelancer

Boys: two hour session with a versatile, hung, big assed 25 year old (300 reais), one hour session with a 26 year old sex champion (150 reais), overnight with a 30 year old hot freelancer from Grindr (200 reais) = 650 reais

Bars: one sauna: Espaco Lagoa, refreshments for me, condoms and lube, entrance, 3 hours rent of a room suite in a sauna = 273 reais (receipt shown)

Day 2 total = 923 reais or $221

Day 3: next day or Day 15 of my trip; one sauna – Espaco Lagoa; 3 boys – 1 3some

Boys: 3some with porn star and his older brother (this not as rare in Brazil) (200 reais per boy), 1 hour and a half session with a sauna star (250 reais per boy) = 650 reais

Bar: one sauna: Espaco Lagoa, 205.50 reais (receipt shown)

Day 3 total = 855.5 reais or $205

In US dollars, Sao Paulo total = $742

With 11 boys, this comes out to $67 per boy.

 

I am not going to comment on how much hotter the sex is in one location or the other, or the quality of boys, etc. That would be a separate post. But it is interesting how my sex vacations shake out in the end. I never plan these things. I never plan on securing 3somes or freelancers, fucking a family or a Moonlighter, but its just happens. In the final analysis, though Brazil seems to be cheaper in the end, the most important thing about this is that it is good to have options, and in a world full of options, I am glad Bangkok and Sao Paulo (and Rio de Janeiro and Pattaya) can exist in the same world.

I need to book my next trips soon…

[reader]

17 hours ago, numazu said:

...and in a world full of options, I am glad Bangkok and Sao Paulo (and Rio de Janeiro and Pattaya) can exist in the same world.

+1

[floridarob]

Keep in mind the real is very weak at the moment, when it was 3.3 or 1.7 is a big difference. Also the years leading up to  the world cup  and olympics EVERYTHING was crazy expensive. Now hotels have come down in price as well, thank goodness.

Definitely sex is hotter in Brasil, is latin blood...very passionate. The food in Thailand and massages can't be beat, Sao Paulo has great restaurants, rio the food is lame.

Safety is different in both countries, although I think how dangerous Brasil is has been over exaggerated...it def exists but the odds of something happening to you if you are careful and don't stay out after midnight are low.

I'm in Bali now...I like Indonesia too.

[spoon]

I can attest that rio food is lame and expensive especially those beach-facing restaurant along copacabana and ipanema beach. Ive tried the downtown restaurants too but its all the same, albeit less expensive. Safety is a concern if you venture out of the normal tourist area and past certain hours, which is not at all a concern in thailand. Hotels is cheaper in thailand, value for money wise too, as u can get 5 stars hotel near all the action for usd 100 or so. This is true for most of south east asian country minus singapore of course. Ive only been to rio, but hotel prices along the beach are way too expensive for same quality same size room compared to bangkok. And brazil inflation is a bit crazy and unpredictable too, so go when its cheap like now.

[spoon]

Too bad i cant comment on brazillian boys, as when i travel for work, given the security concern in brazil, i dont dare venture out and jeopardize my work visit. I dont want to be in trouble when the police asked where i was when i got robbed and the answer is inside a sauna somewhere lol. I wish i could extent my stay but due to the nature of my work, needed to return back as soon as possible. But i did hire a brazillian guy elsewhere and boy they are totally on a different level altogether and its so easy to fall in love with one if you are not careful lol

[ggobkk]

It should be noted (which I’m doing) that Numazu is scrupulous is comparing the costs on the ground country to country.  What is not in the calculation is the cost of getting to the destination. 

[anddy]

13 hours ago, floridarob said:

Keep in mind the real is very weak at the moment, when it was 3.3 or 1.7 is a big difference. Also the years leading up to  the world cup  
Safety is different in both countries, although I think how dangerous Brasil is has been over exaggerated...it def exists but the odds of something happening to you if you are careful and don't stay out after midnight are low.

Yes, the odds are always kinda low if you are careful - but that's not the point. The point is that in a safe place like Bangkok you don't even HAVE to be careful, and you can go out at ANY hour and even then don't have to be careful. That's the attraction of a safe place. No looking over one's shoulder, no uneasy feeling, nothing. Carefree vs careful I guess. I prefer carefree  

13 hours ago, floridarob said:

I'm in Bali now...I like Indonesia too.

Yup, I like it too. Bali in particular has that special, laid back bali-vibe which I like. Will be there again, too, over Songkran

[anddy]

12 hours ago, spoon said:

Too bad i cant comment on brazillian boys, as when i travel for work, given the security concern in brazil, i dont dare venture out and jeopardize my work visit. I dont want to be in trouble when the police asked where i was when i got robbed and the answer is inside a sauna somewhere lol. I wish i could extent my stay but due to the nature of my work, needed to return back as soon as possible. But i did hire a brazillian guy elsewhere and boy they are totally on a different level altogether and its so easy to fall in love with one if you are not careful lol

Next work trip there get a local guide by the name of @numazu to help you with the fun exploits  

[vinapu]

12 minutes ago, anddy said:

.... safe place like Bangkok you don't even HAVE to be careful, and you can go out at ANY hour and even then don't have to be careful. That's the attraction of a safe place. No looking over one's shoulder, no uneasy feeling, nothing.

I agree with  whole heart, in fact one of my  favorite things to do when I arrive late  and can't sleep due to jet lag or finished short time is to wander through completely deserted Patpong and soi Twilight ( when it was still reality ) at dead of the night and  soak in eerie quietness without any thought somebody may follow me. Only one time when somebody did it turned out to be Oud from Jupiter , veteran of quite a few offs, LOL

[bucknaway]

When I was in brazil, my guard was up the first few days but days later I was strolling the dark deserts streets of Ipanema brazil.  But if I keep my mouth shut I can be mistaken for a local.  

In Thailand I'm often asked if I'm military or police haha!

[Boy69]

3 hours ago, vinapu said:

I agree with  whole heart, in fact one of my  favorite things to do when I arrive late  and can't sleep due to jet lag or finished short time is to wander through completely deserted Patpong and soi Twilight ( when it was still reality ) at dead of the night and  soak in eerie quietness without any thought somebody may follow me. Only one time when somebody did it turned out to be Oud from Jupiter , veteran of quite a few offs, LOL

I never felt unsafe in Thailand,One of the safest countries .

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, Boy69 said:

I never felt unsafe in Thailand,One of the safest countries .

yes , from crime but not when you consider road fatalities

[numazu]

Your mileage may vary is all I can say. Everyone’s level of cost to benefit ratio with travel is different. I’m probably more of a thrill-seeker relative to the average poster here, so probably most of my ideas of a vacation maybe too risky for a lot. I see Bangkok like going to Disneyland: fun, safe, but somewhat repetitive. I see Brazilian cities like a trip to Yosemite National Park in California: you can just go to the park and take the easy hikes like any tourist, but the full Yosemite experience is the day hike at Half Dome: it takes planning, at time dangerous, but boy oh boy, the views at the top are like nothing you've ever experienced.

And I'm pretty sure more people go to Disneyland than to the top of Half Dome. I've done both. I have fun in both. Which one do I remember more? You probably know the answer. 

I can certainly understand the concerns about Brazil. And for the longest time I was scared off as well, with Brazil not even in the top 10 of the countries I wanted to visit, because of what I read online and the news about crime and how dangerous it is. But I obviously made the leap, with my first time at a Brazilian sauna chronicled in BoyToy.  But before I came, I did my research, and I sifted through the overblown hysteria about how dangerous it is, and found some sane and level-headed travel tips from people who have actually been there and loved it, and kept on coming back. And the funny thing is, the tips were similar to travel tips for any other well-travelled city out there worth visiting. 

On 1/27/2020 at 5:33 PM, floridarob said:

Safety is different in both countries, although I think how dangerous Brasil is has been over exaggerated...it def exists but the odds of something happening to you if you are careful and don't stay out after midnight are low.

I don’t even think this is a hard and fast rule. My last 3-week trip over the holidays, it was rare that I went home before 2 AM. And I walked the streets of Sao Paulo at 4 AM after a night dancing my ass off at The Week.  Also in Salvador, Bahia, the murder capital of Brazil, going home at 3 AM after a night of samba with the bf.  And I stayed at the beach over New Year’s till 10 AM, occasionally taking a nap in the sand, with my friends just dancing the night away. But I always was with friends or my BF, I was always aware of what I was doing (more or less), and I just let Brazil, and Brazilians, envelope me with their trademarked joie de vive. This is purely my experience though. I would not recommend early morning strolls in Rio to anyone, unless with a pack of handsome Brazilians. But I guess if you are not walking with a pack of handsome Brazilians, you are probably doing it wrong lol.

After 17 trips in 2 years, and spending almost 27% (97 days out of 365) of 2019 enjoying its beaches and culture and men (lol), it is now my favorite place on earth. Thailand of course will always hold a dear place in my heart. But last few trips to the Land of Smiles became a little bit like “wash, rinse, repeat”. More same same. The all-too-familiar routine going to boy bars has worn on me somewhat. I’m sure I’ll get bored of Brazil at some point, but right now it is giving me enough variety, and thrills, and of course, danger, to make it interesting.

10 hours ago, bucknaway said:

When I was in brazil, my guard was up the first few days but days later I was strolling the dark deserts streets of Ipanema brazil.  But if I keep my mouth shut I can be mistaken for a local.  

In Thailand I'm often asked if I'm military or police haha!

In Thailand, I get mistaken for a local all the time, unless I say something. In Brazil, I never get mistaken for a local, which has its own perks. 

13 hours ago, anddy said:

Yup, I like it too. Bali in particular has that special, laid back bali-vibe which I like. Will be there again, too, over Songkran

Like I've told you @anddy, the Brazilian BF and I are planning to go for Songkran, so sorry to miss you. Taking a piece of Brazil with me to Bangkok will be interesting for sure. The BF is kind of concerned about the coronavirus in Asia though, so let's see.

13 hours ago, vinapu said:

I agree with  whole heart, in fact one of my  favorite things to do when I arrive late  and can't sleep due to jet lag or finished short time is to wander through completely deserted Patpong and soi Twilight ( when it was still reality ) at dead of the night and  soak in eerie quietness without any thought somebody may follow me. Only one time when somebody did it turned out to be Oud from Jupiter , veteran of quite a few offs, LOL

I've done this in Brazil too. I've wandered Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, and the streets of Ipanema in Rio after the gay club visit, and all was fine. 

On 1/27/2020 at 7:10 PM, spoon said:

But i did hire a brazillian guy elsewhere and boy they are totally on a different level altogether and its so easy to fall in love with one if you are not careful lol

Can't have said it better myself lol.

13 hours ago, anddy said:

Next work trip there get a local guide by the name of @numazu to help you with the fun exploits  

LOL I'll be the @anddy of Brazil!

[anddy]

100% agree with everything you said in above post. Especially two eternal truths:

27 minutes ago, numazu said:

Your mileage may vary is all I can say

That has been your mantra forever, and it couldn't be more true.

27 minutes ago, numazu said:

and I sifted through the overblown hysteria about how dangerous it is

so true, in the online age the negative things are often totally overblown, simply because people are more driven to report and discuss negative things such as the crime danger in Brazil than normality. My own mantra in this regard: "never believe the hype (positive or negative)" - at the very least do your own research and form an informed opinion. As you successfully did. 

30 minutes ago, numazu said:

Like I've told you @anddy, the Brazilian BF and I are planning to go for Songkran, so sorry to miss you. Taking a piece of Brazil with me to Bangkok will be interesting for sure.

ah yes so sad... I would have loved to meet him for a view into that world. Having said that, depending on when you arrive we just might still overlap for a day or two. I leave on the 11th.

31 minutes ago, numazu said:

The BF is kind of concerned about the coronavirus in Asia though, so let's see.

All I can say to that is "overblown hysteria". Yes of course one needs to take some simple and sensible precautions, but you won't catch a virus from walking the same street with infected people. Besides, there are what, 5 cases reported now in Thailand? That's less than 1 in a million of the Thai population. Chances to win the lottery are higher.... And chances to "win" this one can be reduced by appropriate measures. Of course this particular infection warrants some more thorough precautions given it's elevated higher mortality rate relative to more common infections.

BUT avoiding an infection is a common sense thing, and this one is no different. One succeeds in avoiding the common flu in flu season with the appropriate precautions even when millions of people around us are infected. So gimme a break. 

 

[Jasper]

 

14 cases in Thailand so far.
 

China6,087

Thailand14

Taiwan8

Japan7

Singapore7

Malaysia7

United States5

Australia5

South Korea4

France4

Germany4

U.A.E.4

Vietnam2

Canada2

Nepal1

Cambodia1

Sri Lanka1

Last updated: Jan 29 at 4:00 pm

Note: China total includes 10 cases in Hong Kong and 7 in Macao

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/01/22/mapping-spread-new-coronavirus/?arc404=true

[vinapu]

clearly no danger of depopulating Asia any time soon

[floridarob]

On 1/29/2020 at 1:00 PM, numazu said:

I don’t even think this is a hard and fast rule. My last 3-week trip over the holidays, it was rare that I went home before 2 AM. And I walked the streets of Sao Paulo at 4 AM after a night dancing my ass off at The Week.

All it takes is one time to change your mind on that....I had been to SP about 50 times when I ended up in an ambulance wondering what happened. 

But did it stop me, no.....wrong place def wrong time of night....

[numazu]

8 hours ago, floridarob said:

I ended up in an ambulance wondering what happened. 

Knowing you the way I do, @floridarob, this is just a typical Saturday night for you lol