Lurker´s 2011 Adventure in Rio

[mvan1]

"Ok.. my posts on this vacation are over.. First, I get chastised from a poster over my plate size at a restaurant in a public post.. then I get a pvt message from another poster who is telling me "Why bother when you seem to enjoy making lots of mistakes? I suppose it gives you more garbage to write about. Instead of having a better, less expensive vacation? " I never mentioned that this vacation was about pinching pennies. I merely mentioned prices to give some perspectives to others who might not have been here recently..

Story over.. once again the few loud voices ruin it for the many. Lurkerspeaks"

_________________________________________________________________________________

You must not be having a good time on your present trip to Brazil for you to post such a strange message.

You interpreted my question about the size of your plate as being "chastised"? My goodness, I was trying to determine why your bill was greater than my customary bill. How can that be chastising?

Your reaction to a harmless question about the size of your meal is, to say it bluntly, bizarre. My question was to alert you to the fact that you might be overcharged. When you complained about the food not being hot, I advised you about a microwave oven that is available for customers who like their food hot.

You spent a lot of time traveling to Brazil to enjoy yourself. Your flying off the handle over a simple question and a private message that did not involve me indicates that your are not having a good time or that something else is bothering you.

Remember, your intention to visit Brazil is for fun. Forget the anger or whatever it was that caused you to post such a angry and hostile message.

Whatever you do, please do not be so sensitive when you are in the saunas talking with garotos. They will be confused by such behavior.

I hope the rain stops in Rio and that tomorrow will bring you lots of enjoyment and that you enjoy the remainder of your trip.

[TotallyOz]

I hope you don't get upset at a few comments. I didn't take the plate size to be critical. I didn't read your personal message either. But, I have written about Brazil many times and I always put in the price keeps going up for me too. IMHO, my last few trips to Brazil rivaled that of Europe. It was once very affordable to go to Brazil and now it is getting out of hand for me. The cost of the sauna scene is certainty less than you would get in the USA but the cost of just about everything else is expensive. I think the your comments about prices in this thread are reveling to others about how bad the dollar sucks and the price of Brazil is going up for us. I felt that a great deal on my last trip.

I was there for Carnival 6 years ago and I got VIP box seats for me and several boys from the sauna. The cost was about 12,000R for the night. That didn't seem a great expense when the R was 3.6 but now that it is 1.6 HOLY Shit, I didn't have the same carnival experience last year.

Hotels are out of control. My last look at Sao Paulo and the Intercontinental and the Renaissance (the 2 hotels I have stayed at for 8 years) were over 700 USD a night. I would never pay that for a hotel anywhere. It was just not feasible for me.

I do think the comments of posters here may be coming from a sense of surprise at how expensive things are there. I don't think malice was intended at least I didn't read it in this thread and only read positive things about you and your posts.

I hope you continue your posts as many of us were really enjoying them, but more important than that is I hope you have a fantastic time! Keep posting but don't let us interfere with the enjoyment of your trip.

[Lucky]

Holy Christ! I can't imagine someone would send you a private message like that. I have told you that both the bf and I are enjoying your posts immensely. Yes, we are shocked at the high prices, but mainly because we have tickets to Rio later this summer. So I am interested in those subjects. I have been to the Sequeira Grill many times and it has always been good and economical, but if no more, I want to know.

So please don't stop telling us of your adventures. At a time when so much inane posting is occurring, your posts have been a warm change.

[mvan1]

Hi Lurker:

The weather man promises that tomorrow there will be no rain in Rio. Instead, there will be bright sun and 79 degrees. That combination is perfect to start the day by a visit to the "Hippe Fair" in Ipanema. I assume you have been there in the past. When you come back from Hippe Fair, I expect to find another narrative posted here describing how your night went.

Life is too short for aggravation. You are in Rio for such a short time. Enjoy the place for what it is. There really is no other place like Brazil.

Cheers,

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

Ok.. after some extensive persuading from my closest councils, I am ready to update my journal..

Please remember this is one persons report of his travels. I am by no means an expert on Rio de Janeiro. Just a regular, everyday guy. I am happy to save where I can save, but if I was obsessed over every penny or Reales, I would not have taken on a vacation of this type…That being said, I am mentioning prices as a reference point. A much less expensive time can be had if you wish to do so. Consult with one of the many experts on Rio who can and will freely offer you advice on how to survive in Rio on the cheap. Like many visitors, I stayed in the Copacabana area. Most of my time (non-sauna related time) was spent in Copacabana and/or Ipanema. Those are two very touristy areas and therefore, you will encounter higher prices than you would if you “lived like the natives”.

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

Saturday evening…

We headed to 117 around 6pm…The place was empty.. Only a few (less than 15) garatos and probably the same number of customers… Maybe it is the time of year, maybe it is the ecomony, but on my past two visits in November of 2008 and 2009, Friday and Saturday nights saw a packed sauna with a wait for a cabine at prime times. .Not this weekend..I never saw any kind of wait for a room on any sauna visit this trip. The crowd seemed to reach its peak around 8pm or so, but still not what I would have called crowded in Novembers past..Neither Txalphadog or myself saw any boys that we felt like we had to have, so for the first time this trip, I left the sauna without a programma for the evening. I did however, get a full hour massage while I was there. For the rate of 70R, I got one of the better therapeutic massages I have had anywhere.

We did stop by Corijinhas again for a late dinner. No street activity to report on, but it was raining off and on most of the evening..

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

Sunday--

Despite a weather report saying otherwise, we awoke to clean and sunny skies. ..

After a quick breakfast and an acai to start the day (as an early riser, I do admit I miss the breakfast buffet at the Atlantico Copacabana), we headed down towards Ipanema and the Hippie Faire. For anyone not familiar, Hippie Faire is a famous open air market of local artists and craftsmen that is held (I believe) every Sunday. On the way there, we walked down past Corijinhas, and there is a fabulous farmers market on the streets surrounding the park there. All kinds of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry imaginable. Avocados the size of softballs, fresh mangoes, papayas, conde fruit, breadfruits… and so much more..

Once we made it to Hippie Faire, I was on a mission to find some crystal birds. Last year I bought a small bird sculpture made of crystals and stone, and wanted to get more to accompany it. We walked around, viewing all the crafts and the people, and I found a pair of birds to keep my other statue company..

While in Ipanema, we headed down to our favorite lunch spot, galitos grill (www.galitos.com.br) They have the most delicious rotisserie baby chickens you have ever eaten. .in fact, I would say they are my second most favorite thing to put in my mouth in Rio de Janeiro.

After returning to our homebase apartment, we took a little nap before getting ready for the saunas.. Remember, vacation is a time to relax, eat, sleep and in this case, BOY…

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

Sunday continued--

From my past trips, Sunday was usually a pretty good night for the saunas because Meio Mundo was closed on Sunday. So, less competition meant more business at the one place open. Same thing on Monday when 117 is closed and MM is open..

We went to 117 and it was a slow night again.. Even with Bingo boy at 9pm, it was relatively slow from my perspective. Txalphadog and I both had our eyes on two guys (the same two, we tend to have similar tastes) but both boys were busy with one customer for the entire evening. They each sat with their respective customer for a long time in the lounge before leaving to a cabine.. then upon returning from the programma, they stayed with the customer for the rest of the night.

We were actually about to give up hope as it was nearing time for bingo boy and neither of us had found anyone we were interested in who appeared available. We were sitting at a table near the entrance to the lounge, when who should walk by but a boy I had mentioned before who I called Bruto.. (Found out his name is Peterson).. This boy has a body of perfection (to my and TxAlpha’s tastes)… TxAlpha started chatting him up, and decided to do a programma with him.. despite the fact that they were both activos, Peterson promised that he would do everything EXCEPT get poked..so off they went..

I sat there, watching the parade of flesh pass by with each minute, but still not seeing anyone that I wanted who was available.. After 45 minutes or so, TxAlpha returned and gave a big thumbs up for Peterson.. As we were sitting on the sofa outside on the smoking lounge, Peterson came by and stood there chatting with us some more.. finally, who should come by, but one of the two boys I had been watching all night. Finally he was alone, but he had already changed clothes and was ready to leave. I got to chat with him a little bit, finding out his name was Alex. He had a fantastic smile which made anyone near him smile. I told him I had been waiting for him all night, and he said he would go grab a towel and we could get a cabine.. . Happily, I accompanied him towards the front desk and waited for him to run back down to the lockers and change back…He had said he was active and asked for 80R, which I agreed to..

When we got to the cabine, he seemed to be perfect. Great body, smooth skin, great kisses, eagerly and enthusiastically performed oral.. THEN>… the bad news.. the other customer he had been with all evening had been buying him drinks and he couldn’t maintain an erection. Alex was extremely apologetic.. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.. I told him I had agreed to 80R for him to be activo, and without a pao duro *hard dick* he couldn’t very well perform the tasks.. So, why not just stop the session, but I didn’t feel full price was warranted. I asked him what he thought was fair, and he said, whatever you think is right….I quickly thought about it all.. he was very affectionate, and basically the perfect garato except for ONE major thing… I said 50 and he was happy. Even still, he stayed with me for another 10 or 15 minutes of so in the cabine, talking, making out, trying to “finish” things for me.. He told me he would be at the Pointe on Monday and to come see him.. He would make sure not to drink…We will see what happens Monday nite..

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

An outside observation on the saunas..

At Meio Mundo, you will find more boys who self-identify as gay..,to me, that means a little more interactivity in the programma

At 117, more of the guys consider themself straight of bisexual. That being said, there are noticably clicques at 117. We noticed a couple of boys there who were more on the "gay" side who did not talk with the other garatos or hangout with other garatos. I wasn't sure why this was, thinking maybe they were just shy.. But Peterson made a comment about one of these two boys, calling him "bonita" which means pretty girl..so to me, that came across as the old latin machismo of "he is gay, I am not"...

Not sure what the point of this post is.. just an observation on my part

[lookin]

Thanks, lurkerspeaks, for the outstanding posts! And please give your 'advisors' a high five for luring you back.

I really like hearing the blow-by-blow descriptions of sauna life and the types of guys you are meeting. Found myself wondering, though, what the other customers are like. Do you get a sense that they are local men? Tourists? Regulars? Rich? Average looks? Shy? Sociable?

Not that I'm encouraging you to shift your focus away from the heartthrobs that brought you in the door, but would be interested in any observations you've made about other sauna clients.

Thanks again for sharing your adventures!

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

the customers are average guys, for the most part.. Mainly upper 40's and up to officially decrepit in age...My guess would be mainly locals, with a mix of visitors. Every once in a while you see younger guys in the saunas, but they are usually there for the drag shows/strip shows/boy bingo, etc.

You see some men that are fit and trim, and others that are old, sagging, and out of shape..so no need to feel embarrassed or out of place.

My boy I met last night, Alex, put it in perspective to me.. As we were in our "tender moments", I told him how beautiful he was. He in turn said that I was the beautiful one. I immediately said, NO, I am old, fat, bald.. not beautiful. .he then said that I had a beautiful face and a beautiful heart. Either he was speaking honestly, or he is one of the best actors in the world.

That is why I enjoy Rio so much.. I am a fat, bald 50 yr old man who likes younger twink type guys. in the states, I don't get a second glance, and even if I pay for it, I get only a momentary bit of physical satisfaction. In Rio, you might still be paying for it, but the passion the boys have make you really feel like you are all that and more. For the most part, they consider something wrong if you don't kiss affectionately...Fantasy world, YES.. but a place that is fun to visit.. HELL YEA.

[MsGuy]

Lurker, I'm enjoying the hell of your posts about Rio. Add my thanks to the others for the trouble you've gone through to bring a delightful travelogue to us.

----

And it embarrasses me to have to ask but what is "boy bingo"? Winner gets a free programma, maybe?

[axiom2001]

Thanks Axiom. I wasn't telling Lurkerspeaks what to do but it was just a mere suggestion. Thank you for letting me know.

Hitoallusa, you are quite welcome! I always like to respond positively to my cyberfriends!! -

[axiom2001]

Sunday--

Despite a weather report saying otherwise, we awoke to clean and sunny skies. ..

After a quick breakfast and an acai to start the day (as an early riser, I do admit I miss the breakfast buffet at the Atlantico Copacabana), we headed down towards Ipanema and the Hippie Faire. For anyone not familiar, Hippie Faire is a famous open air market of local artists and craftsmen that is held (I believe) every Sunday. On the way there, we walked down past Corijinhas, and there is a fabulous farmers market on the streets surrounding the park there. All kinds of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry imaginable. Avocados the size of softballs, fresh mangoes, papayas, conde fruit, breadfruits… and so much more..

Once we made it to Hippie Faire, I was on a mission to find some crystal birds. Last year I bought a small bird sculpture made of crystals and stone, and wanted to get more to accompany it. We walked around, viewing all the crafts and the people, and I found a pair of birds to keep my other statue company..

While in Ipanema, we headed down to our favorite lunch spot, galitos grill (www.galitos.com.br) They have the most delicious rotisserie baby chickens you have ever eaten. .in fact, I would say they are my second most favorite thing to put in my mouth in Rio de Janeiro.

After returning to our homebase apartment, we took a little nap before getting ready for the saunas.. Remember, vacation is a time to relax, eat, sleep and in this case, BOY…

Lurker, you know "YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT!" Keep writing in anyway you damn deem necessary! You are doing us all a great favor by taking YOUR HOLIDAY time and recapitulating your experiences and sharing so that we who wil bel going later will NOT be too surprised by some things that have changed since our last visit, especially if they remain constant. You are doing others a favor as well, especially if they yearn to live vicariously from others' experiences!!

I'm elated that you cited the name of the restaurant that cooks that wonderful frango. I'd always thought they best that I'd had was at Maxim's on Av Atlantica, but apparently not! My friend and I will definitely go to the place you recommended. I can smell the garlicky aroma of these small bits now!

[axiom2001]

Sunday continued--

From my past trips, Sunday was usually a pretty good night for the saunas because Meio Mundo was closed on Sunday. So, less competition meant more business at the one place open. Same thing on Monday when 117 is closed and MM is open..

We went to 117 and it was a slow night again.. Even with Bingo boy at 9pm, it was relatively slow from my perspective. Txalphadog and I both had our eyes on two guys (the same two, we tend to have similar tastes) but both boys were busy with one customer for the entire evening. They each sat with their respective customer for a long time in the lounge before leaving to a cabine.. then upon returning from the programma, they stayed with the customer for the rest of the night.

We were actually about to give up hope as it was nearing time for bingo boy and neither of us had found anyone we were interested in who appeared available. We were sitting at a table near the entrance to the lounge, when who should walk by but a boy I had mentioned before who I called Bruto.. (Found out his name is Peterson).. This boy has a body of perfection (to my and TxAlpha’s tastes)… TxAlpha started chatting him up, and decided to do a programma with him.. despite the fact that they were both activos, Peterson promised that he would do everything EXCEPT get poked..so off they went..

I sat there, watching the parade of flesh pass by with each minute, but still not seeing anyone that I wanted who was available.. After 45 minutes or so, TxAlpha returned and gave a big thumbs up for Peterson.. As we were sitting on the sofa outside on the smoking lounge, Peterson came by and stood there chatting with us some more.. finally, who should come by, but one of the two boys I had been watching all night. Finally he was alone, but he had already changed clothes and was ready to leave. I got to chat with him a little bit, finding out his name was Alex. He had a fantastic smile which made anyone near him smile. I told him I had been waiting for him all night, and he said he would go grab a towel and we could get a cabine.. . Happily, I accompanied him towards the front desk and waited for him to run back down to the lockers and change back…He had said he was active and asked for 80R, which I agreed to..

When we got to the cabine, he seemed to be perfect. Great body, smooth skin, great kisses, eagerly and enthusiastically performed oral.. THEN>… the bad news.. the other customer he had been with all evening had been buying him drinks and he couldn’t maintain an erection. Alex was extremely apologetic.. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.. I told him I had agreed to 80R for him to be activo, and without a pao duro *hard dick* he couldn’t very well perform the tasks.. So, why not just stop the session, but I didn’t feel full price was warranted. I asked him what he thought was fair, and he said, whatever you think is right….I quickly thought about it all.. he was very affectionate, and basically the perfect garato except for ONE major thing… I said 50 and he was happy. Even still, he stayed with me for another 10 or 15 minutes of so in the cabine, talking, making out, trying to “finish” things for me.. He told me he would be at the Pointe on Monday and to come see him.. He would make sure not to drink…We will see what happens Monday nite..

"We will see what happens Monday nite...." This whole vignette is "sweet!" :kiss:

[axiom2001]

the customers are average guys, for the most part.. Mainly upper 40's and up to officially decrepit in age...My guess would be mainly locals, with a mix of visitors. Every once in a while you see younger guys in the saunas, but they are usually there for the drag shows/strip shows/boy bingo, etc.

You see some men that are fit and trim, and others that are old, sagging, and out of shape..so no need to feel embarrassed or out of place.

My boy I met last night, Alex, put it in perspective to me.. As we were in our "tender moments", I told him how beautiful he was. He in turn said that I was the beautiful one. I immediately said, NO, I am old, fat, bald.. not beautiful. .he then said that I had a beautiful face and a beautiful heart. Either he was speaking honestly, or he is one of the best actors in the world.

That is why I enjoy Rio so much.. I am a fat, bald 50 yr old man who likes younger twink type guys. in the states, I don't get a second glance, and even if I pay for it, I get only a momentary bit of physical satisfaction. In Rio, you might still be paying for it, but the passion the boys have make you really feel like you are all that and more. For the most part, they consider something wrong if you don't kiss affectionately...Fantasy world, YES.. but a place that is fun to visit.. HELL YEA.

My amigo and I have been able to travel to Buenos Aires: he on two occasions and I four! Both of us have liked the men there, but they pale in comparison with the Brazilians. As Lurker mentioned--the Brazilians love to kiss, and it is NOT just slight. They like what I like when I am with a man:deep, wet kissing with lots of tongue play! Yum! Yum! Yum!

Damn, can we wait for five months? :tongue: :tongue:

[Lucky]

Lurker, thanks for continuing the reports...from both of us!

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

Monday nite..last full night in Rio...

We made it to the Pointe 202 to hopefully see Alex from Sunday nite. Alex had said he would be there around 4:30.. Past experiences have shown that Sauna Boys tend to have their own time, much like drag queen time...they show up when they show up...We arrived around 6pm... Not much going on. maybe 15-20 garatos, and probably a dozen or less customers.. I spotted Alex at the bar with another customer. He had his back to me, so he didnt see me until they were headed up the stairs to a cabine. In the meantime, we saw the other boy from Sunday nite at 117 who had been monopolized all night.. He came by and said hello, then walked over to the other side of the lounge. After about 5 minutes, I got up and walked over to where he was.. His name was Marcelo, he was 19 years old. He claimed to be activo, but promised to kiss and suck like a namorado (boyfriend) in the cabine.. When I asked him how much, he responded 150R. I laughed. I said too much.. I should have listened to my own advice-if they start at an unreasonable amount, walk away..He countered with 100 and I told him I pay 70. He tried 80. . I again told him 70.. and if he didnt want to, no problemo...He agreed... We went to the front desk and arranged for a cabine..

In the cabine, he was indeed a beautiful boy.. in fact, at one point, he reminded me of a young Taylor Lautner..Upstairs, his idea of kissing was little pecks.. He didn't want to suck,and when prompted, gave a wide open mouth with mostly hand..All he wanted to do was a quick fuck, but he had trouble maintaining an erection..so.. it was a dud programma. I ended the session a little short of the standard 40 minutes, gave him his money and told him no bom (no good)..immediately as we came downstairs, i ran into Alex.. he said he would make it up to me.. and a few minutes later, we were up in the cabines again, and he did just that...he was the most romantic, sensitive, gentle programma of this trip..I learned he was from Ibiza Spain, in Rio on some sort of Educational Visa..He is definitely a keeper for anyone interested. He looked more American or European than most of the boys-fair skin and brown hair instead of darker skin and black hair...

So.. overall, most romantic/sensual programma for the trip goes to Alex... Most exciting sexual programma goes to the threeway with Raphael and Saul...

Our flights both leave tomorrow night, around 8pm..so not enough time for another romp at the saunas and make it to the airport in time with rush hour traffic..

If anyone has any questions about Rio and/or my trip/experiences, please feel free to ask and I will respond as time permits. Remember, right now Rio is 2 hours before East Coast time in the US.

[eeyore]

Thanks Lurker for your informative posts. I'm sorry you aren't having better weather. If it's any consolation, we've had nothing but miserable rain and cold in the northeast, so Montreal would surely have been a bust. I echo MsGuy in wanting to learn more about 'boy bingo'.

[TotallyOz]

Thank you so much for the great report. I really loved to read these. It was fantastic.

Do you think the rain caused the saunas to be less than filled? Or, do you think the time of the year?

What rate were most boys asking at 117? Meo Mundo?

On my last trip, I found I like the boys at Meo Mundo better but the rooms really sucked. They were working on remodeling them. What did you think of the facilities there?

Were there major differences in your satisfaction of the programmas this time as opposed to years before? I ask only because for me, it has never been less than I saw on my first go around.

I agree with you that the Brazilian boys love to kiss and are very passionate. That is one of the reasons I keep going back for me. The sex is dynamite for sure.

I am so glad you got back there and told us about your trip. Again, thank you!

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

Do you think the rain caused the saunas to be less than filled? Or, do you think the time of the year?

From what I could tell, talking with a few others, it was the same during carvanal as well.. so not really sure if it is time of year, or just the economy, but definitely slower than Nov of 2009 or Nov 2008

What rate were most boys asking at 117?

The boys I talked to at 117 all started at 80-100, for the most part, but most agreed to 70.

Meo Mundo starting rate of 70 or so, but all I had agreed easily to 60

On my last trip, I found I like the boys at Meo Mundo better but the rooms really sucked. They were working on remodeling them. What did you think of the facilities there?

they have several "levels" of room types. the basic original ones are indeed very spartan, but they have more that are nicer now.. The basic rooms are free, but you pay for your "kit", while the nicer rooms which start at 15R include a "kit"

Were there major differences in your satisfaction of the programmas this time as opposed to years before? I ask only because for me, it has never been less than I saw on my first go around.

Satisfaction is really a personal thing, depending on how demanding you are, what "standards" you have. Personally, I had a good time, First nite was one average programma, and one good one..Second nite was one good one.. third nite was a great three way.. fourth nite no programma, fifth night was a good programma but not quite "fulfilling" which lead to a great programma on 6th night along with what I would call the only bad one..

[ihpguy]

ONLY ONE HOUR DIFFERENCE TO THE EAST COAST RIGHT NOW.

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

ONLY ONE HOUR DIFFERENCE TO THE EAST COAST RIGHT NOW.

you are right. I realized my mistake after I had posted it, but the window of time to edit had already past. I was thinking two hours difference from Phoenix to Houston and another two hours to Rio..

Some closing thoughts as vacation draws to an end..

Why is it that this trip is not over yet, and I am already dreaming of the next one..hopefully in November.. Will it be back to Rio.. or Montreal. or someplace new to me such as Barcelona, Prague, Bangkok?? Costa Rica sounds like a good choice if there were more posts by respected posters of the place.. not too far for travel.... I think Bangkok would be a first choice, but the travel time makes it difficult when I have to BEG to take 9 days off work..

So, advice guys.. where can you get the most bang for your buck nowadays? factor in travel time from US (phoenix), hotel costs, boys cost, food, other activities besides boys etc...and what would be a decent trip for Mid-November, weather-wise. I have never been to Europe or Asia, so both are places of interest. Preference for boys are younger, twink types who are versatile, and passionate.

[ihpguy]

You missed the most incredible, twink type at Meio Mundo last night. Only 18 years of age. Totally completo. Whatever I asked him to do, he did. Not a moment of rushing. Afterward, didn't even hurry to get up. Waited until I was ready to get up. Normally not my type, but the things he did to me in the steam room made the decision to go upstairs an easy one. The best programa I've had at a sauna in ages.

[Guest tomcal]

"Do you think the rain caused the saunas to be less than filled? Or, do you think the time of the year?"

I have been going to Rio 4 or 5 times a year since 2001, and imho, it really has more to do with time of year and possibly for individual days, the rain and what nights the boys think are the best to work.

I was just in Rio about 12 weeks ago and I could tell no difference from any of my previous trips! there were two nights that Meo Mundo and 117 were packed full and the very next night empty. The same is true of Porto Alegre, on Friday night the sauna is packed and saturday very slow. Also, at least to me in the past I have found May/july/aug to be "slower months". July and August is the middle of their winter and july is also when school is out.

Once you figure out the pattern, then you make "dates" when you see guys you like on the busy nights, to come over on the slow days, at least that's what I do. I always go each year in March/June/October and than stick one more trip in when the timing works, I have always found those months to be good. I didn't go this past March as I was in Australia but my two good friends went and they said the saunas were very good, and then have been going there for as long and often as I have.

As far as bang for the buck goes, Brazil certainly is no longer the bargin it was, things change, but Rio is sill the best place to go to get a chance to view and be with the largest selection of guys in one venue.

I just got back from Prague(review to follow later today) and I spent about the same as my last trip to Rio! actually the Housing cost was $50. a day less than Rio! but it is a different thou fun scene and I enjoy it as much as Rio but it probably wouldn't be for everyone.