The Reopening of Brazil to Foreigners: some observations

[numazu]

I thought I’d put in some thoughts on here about my experiences since Brazil opened its borders on July 29. The last time I was in Brazil was the first week of April, some days after Brazil closed its borders to foreigners due to the coronavirus cutting through the planet. I remember those days, as the BF and I were stuck quarantining near Paulista Ave in Sao Paulo , with everything closed except for some restaurants and grocery stores, and the streets were more or less empty.  A far cry from my stay over Carnaval in February. That was when Brazil identified its first ever case of coronavirus.  People weren’t freaking out back then, with all the festivities and general drunkeness, and COVID just seemed to be something benign, versus what we are experiencing now.

I’ve had a Google alert for the words “Brazil estrangeiros” ever since I came back from that April trip. Yes, the virus has been wreaking havoc on the world’s people and economies, but I was eager to come back, even with the known, and mostly unknown, risks, complicated by Brazil’s own inability to contain its own pandemic. I figure that the measures taken by Brazil are not any more worse than the ones taken by home country anyway (the good ole USA), and I’d rather be stuck in someplace fun and exotic, whatever that means nowadays, in the age of COVID.

The Google alert came up with a lot these past 5 months, including the 4 different times Brazil had prolonged its closure to foreigners.  But finally, in late July, came the Google Alert that mentioned the reopening, but not before getting some more alerts on conflicting reports mentioning a prolongation of the closure.  After a quick chat with the BF,, we decided it was worth me going, and soon, so I quickly booked 3 possible flights to Brazil as soon as I could be free to fly from California: a Delta award redemption connecting through Atlanta, and United and American Airlines paid flights that were both in the $450 economy roundtrip connecting through Houston and Miami, respectively.  Within the 24-hour refund period, I cancelled Delta and AA, and after some minor date adjustments, found a $2100 RT Business Class ticket on United. That cost would have been unheard of pre-COVID, but in the new economy, beggars can be airlines.

For good measure, I booked 2 other RT on United to Sao Paulo in September and October, taking advance of the $450 price tag.  With their change fee waiver still in effect till July 31, I can amend the dates later without any change fees.

With all the news that was circulating about the reopening, there were two things I thought I needed to be able to enter Brazil: Medical Insurance without COVID exceptions, and a recent negative COVID test. I bought the Travel Insurance from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, which cost be $95 for my entire stay (plus a few days), and also got a COVID test which I received the results in 2 days with a PDF letter saying I tested negative. I made printed copies for both, in case they didn’t accept copies in my phone.

I’ve flown a number of times during this COVID era, and have become accustomed to the extra precautions the airlines and passengers were taking. I particularly commend Delta for sticking to their guns in ensuring no one was sitting next to you in First Class, as well a blocking the middle seats in Economy. So, to my surprise, after checking the seat map for my flight, found a fairly full United fight with most middle seats taken. Luckily most of business was still open so maybe I won’t have to sit with anyone.  United really is cheaping out on this.

Since I am not a Brazilian citizen or resident (yet), I could not retrieve my boarding pass as usual via the United app, and had to go to the check-in counter for a travel document check, even if I didn’t have any checked luggage. At the airport, the check-in counter person asked if I had “a medical card”. I gave her the printed PDF of the insurance details. She took her time flipping through the pages, until I interrupted her, pointing to the front page with the specific dates of coverage/travel. That seemed to please her and she issued me my boarding pass.

COVD times meant not as many long lines at the airport. Downside of this is sometimes the TSA Pre-check dedicated lines are consolidated with the regular lines. At the flight gate, boarding was also by row number, with the rear of the aircraft getting boarded first. Everyone at the airport was wearing a mask, and the gate agents made sure everyone was wearing one, and properly, when entering the aircraft.

Before boarding, the gate agent informed everyone that if one did not have a Brazilian passport, they needed to get their medical insurance confirmed with the gate agents.  Again? Oh well. About 30 of us made a “social distancing” line to get our documents checked at the counter. About the time half of the line had their check, everyone who had a Brazilian passport were already boarded. They were really taking their time checking documents.  When it was my turn, the agent again took her time flipping through the pages until I pointed to the dates of coverage. She took my paper boarding pass and stamped “International Documents Verified – IAH”. Maybe this stamp was available at check-in and I did not have to get in line? 

Economy was almost full, Business was half full, with some seats blocked off for the flight attendants to rest. There was alcohol on board, but was in those little "hotel minibar" bottles instead of the usual bigboy liquor bottles. Business meals were a little bit spartan and brought all at once, but more than I expected during these time.  I had the salmon:

The one thing I had difficulty with was sleeping with both a nose/mouth mask, AND an eye mask on, since I need it to be completely dark to sleep. I think it took me 2 hours of tossing and turning before I got used to having my whole face pretty much covered in an uncomfortable way.  The new normal.

At immigration, my immigration officer asked more than the usual questions that I usually got. What is the purpose of your trip? How many days are you staying? Have you lived in Brazil before? Where is your medical insurance? I showed him the printed insurance copy, and proactively pointed to the dates of coverage lines, and again this seemed to please him. Another addition: he put the exact number of days of my stay on the entry stamp, so I guess I can’t stay longer in Brazil than what was written on the stamp. Good thing I put in more days in the insurance document than I planned, in case I wanted to stay longer. He didn’t ask to see my return ticket though, so he had no proof I was exactly leaving in those number of days. We will see.

And no one asked for my COVID test. I guess I was misinformed there.

Next: Brazil Health Theater, and Espaco Lagoa during COVID, next.

Edited August 10, 2020 by numazu

[Riobard]

The gaiter mask probably has enough material to pull up over the eyes. 

[Riobard]

I assume Brazil Health Theatre is a tongue-in-cheek term and we will be reading some specific bat-crap cray-cray anecdotal reports from you on the ground that have yet to go viral. 

[BrazilianBoiChaser]

Please let us know how this all goes, I'm dying to go to Brazil but am scared to go and be literally dying.

[numazu]

A Shell of a Shell

I had 3 days of freedom from the BF at the start of this trip, due to some of his commitments, and because I wanted some time by myself to accomplish some things I have not been able to do while "stuck" at home for 4 months.

Day 1 was set for sleeping the long flight off (and finally doing so without a mask on), and then checking the Grindr scene, which was interesting. Before COVID, I would guess about 40% of the messages I got were from Garotos de Programa. This trip, I got a total of 1(!) message from the GPs. But I did get a lot of messages from all sorts, and had 3 nice encounters with local guys, including a nice low-key evening with a pretty cutehot engineer and we shared stories on how we, and our countries, fared during COVID. Lots of Bolsonaro and Trump analogs, hydroxychloroquine, and mask wearing stories. I’d say overall that Grindr was as active as ever, if not more, which was a welcome surprise to me. Maybe people were just stir-crazy and just needed the release.

Day 2 was devoted to spending the day with my friend, a sometime sauna GP, sometime pornstar, and everytime horny guy, who was fired from his day job a month after the pandemic started and is in desperate need of cash. He took 2 of his friends (who were sometime GPs as well) with him to meet with me at the hotel. All versatile and passionate, which is what I like. After a trip to Mambo Supermercado in Moema to get some snacks and beers, I spent a pretty chill time with these sexy motherfuckers. I got some insight on what they thought of the new Espaco Lagoa (worse than Thermas Lagoa before COVID, and during COVID not a lot of people and even sadder). My friend and one other stayed the night to morning, and more shenanigans were had. 200 reais for the one guy who left after dinner, and 400 reais each for the other two. Pretty standard rates I think.

Day 3 was the day my BF was going to arrive late that night, so I decided to check Espaco Lagoa before he got here, to see how the sauna has fared with all the COVID restrictions. The two hotties bid me goodbye after a late breakfast, and they expressed their regrets to not accompanying me to Lagoa, so I had to tough it out alone, which is preferred anyway. I’m glad that the sauna has amended their open hours from a ridiculous 11 AM to 5 PM, to a better 4 PM to 10 PM:

 

I arrived at 5:30 PM and saw a pretty solemn scene. Very few boys and clients. The vibe was more early Sunday afternoon, instead of early evening Saturday. Probably about 10 customers and about 10 boys to start. Maybe I arrived super early.  Almost everyone was wearing a mask, except for the guys who were in the main entertainment area where they were having drinks and therefore the masks were off.  The waitstaff were wearing masks and face shields as well. Even with the mask on I got recognized by one of the waitstaff that I liked and he took my drink order and talked to me for a bit about how things were. It did pick up somewhat as the night wore on, but still less than before.

Some observations:

As seen in the FB page, some of the sauna facilities were closed, to avoid agglomeration and mitigate transmission:

 

There were alcool gel hand sanitizers and advisories on mask everywhere:

 

And each table w/ chairs setup had this as well:

 

I have been to the new Espaco Lagoa four times before COVID, and I thought it was a shell of the former Thermas Lagoa. The old sauna, though messy and showing its age, was airy and the extra space would have lended itself better to more ample ventilation and social distancing.  Instead, in the new sauna, with all the ramps and levels and with people coming in and out, it was hard to not bump into people, even with the lower current occupancy. And before COVID, I thought the boy selection was poorer that before, up until my February visit, were I met 3 new boys that blew my socks off (one big mountain of a man, one boy who looked like a Belami model, and a gorgeous soccer player who was smarter than the average GP). I was willing to give Espaco Lagoa more of my business after that visit, but COVID happened and I was wanting to come back ever since.

This time though, I think the one thing that bothered me the most was the whole climate of the sauna. Everyone was wearing masks (which I prefer anyway, in a mitigating transmission kind of way), and everyone, even the boys, were wearing clothes, so I didn’t feel the whole setup was as sexy as a boy sauna should be. Some boys with the better bodies had their shirts off, which helped a lot with sussing out their hotness, but with a mask on, it was hard to determine handsomeness when you can only see their eyes. Some of the boys took the masks off when they approached you. Some of them were trying to show their big erections trapped under layers of clothing, which I guess if you have a big dick, it will show through no matter how thick your trousers were. I am not big on the sauna scene as it is, but with the sparse occupancy, the solemn atmosphere, everyone wearing clothes, and the mask-wearing as a cruel reminder that there still was a pandemic raging outside these walls, were enough to almost kill my sauna hardon.

I say almost, because I was able to find what I wanted anyway, twice. First programa I had was with a super muscular built guy with a big dick (very old Lagoa quality), who proactively approached me and knew how to draw me in, and who was super passionate and didn’t clock watch. 200 reais with cum, and to me was worth every cent. The second guy was the super gorgeous soccer player from before, and most of our programa consisted of a very insightful back and forth on the value of mental health during these times. Also he fucked my brains out. It was like a trip to a therapist without the hefty price tag, and with the gorgeous boy who came in your mouth. 200 again. Super cheap, cheaper with today’s exchange rate.

One note about the rooms: towels and slippers were available in every room, instead of available at the check-in desk. A good number of the boys were obviously just gays who wandered off the gay area of Frei Caneca and stopped by the sauna to earn a few more bucks, or to get free drinks from patrons. I could find much better choices on Grindr for free. I saw some of the mainstay boys as well, and it was weird to see them trying to look sexy wearing a mask and trying to get your business.

But again, we are in unique circumstances, so even if Lagoa is a shell of a shell of what it was once, during COVID times, I’d rather have this option available to me, than not having it at all.

More, next.

Edited August 11, 2020 by numazu

[Riobard]

I am curious about the clothing playbook. Is it due to the providers’ locker space being so small, essentially the worst kind of pinch-point? That said, what was the relation between customers and their change-room?, as it is also crowded if 5 or 6 in there simultaneously. I have been there several times so I can visualize the venue. 

Were clients in streetclothes? Or is it perhaps a hassle for the club, the additional step of disinfecting lockers following use? Can you use a locker for your knapsack, shoes, etc?

Those clever Belgians. A bit creepy-looking a solution for Brazilian trade masks but  ... unless you can get photos from the guys thru your device on the spot. [Oops, it won’t paste here. They are photos of your face that get printed on the lower part of the cloth mask that obscures it.]

Edited August 11, 2020 by Riobard

[pauleiro]

9 hours ago, numazu1 said:

This time though, I think the one thing that bothered me the most was the whole climate of the sauna. Everyone was wearing masks (which I prefer anyway, in a mitigating transmission kind of way), and everyone, even the boys, were wearing clothes, so I didn’t feel the whole setup was as sexy as a boy sauna should be. Some boys with the better bodies had their shirts off, which helped a lot with sussing out their hotness, but with a mask on, it was hard to determine handsomeness when you can only see their eyes.

That is exactly what annoyed me when I saw on a picture all Pointe 202 staff wearing masks, some of them even wearing face-shields. Not sexy at all. 

9 hours ago, numazu1 said:

The second guy was the super gorgeous soccer player from before, and most of our programa consisted of a very insightful back and forth on the value of mental health during these times.

I wish I could see what this soccer player looks like. If expert Numazu says he is "super gorgeous", I guess he is a must-meet

[Lucky]

2 hours ago, pauleiro said:

That is exactly what annoyed me when I saw on a picture all Pointe 202 staff wearing masks, some of them even wearing face-shields. Not sexy at all. 

 

They wouldn't be sexy at all if COVID got to them. We're in a pandemic. Be realistic.

[Latbear4blk]

On 8/10/2020 at 12:28 AM, Riobard said:

The gaiter mask probably has enough material to pull up over the eyes. 

Wearing a neck gaiter may be worse than no mask at all, researchers find

[Riobard]

I don’t want to highjack the thread but I also don’t want a new one. I meant to indicate, regarding neck gaiters, not a regular run-of-the-mill version as assessed in the study, but one manufactured to the same particle-blocking specifications as a properly layered face mask. They have come up in my social media feeds. And I would only recommend it to sleep in travel if other options are too uncomfortable.

I don’t have a problem sleeping with a front-line health care grade mask. Further to that, I have a background in medical science research methods specific to infectious diseases and I won’t be getting on a flight anytime soon, but everybody needs to do their own risk calculation and there is no lack of guiding information in the public domain. Generally, though, professionals in the field are not in a rush to fly. 

Additionally, if you plan to be intimate with trade the quality hierarchies of transmission mitigation may not figure as prominently in the debate. Some people are compliant without complete buy-in. Alternatively, apply the highest level of inconvenient and uncomfortable infection prevention outside of sex to compensate for exposure risk during sex. 

Edited August 11, 2020 by Riobard

[davet]

Hi Numazu, 

Are there public showers where the garotos can demonstrate their talents, as in the old days? I actually don't mind the semi-street-clothed atmosphere. Strange as it sounds, I find some guys to be hotter when clothed. As we now know, the unwrapping is part of any fetish (or compulsive shopping) and a house with 100 shirtless guys can get very same-same. Masks and face shields are another story. I don't know how I'd feel about that. But hey, hasn't the lock down caused you to notice how gorgeous some men's eyes are? And how do female hookers in Iran and conservative moslem countries (they do exist) do their marketing? With their eyes, of course. 

[BrazilianBoiChaser]

Deleted

Edited August 11, 2020 by bcdaron
redundant

[Riobard]

Similar mindsets, @davet. LOL. I usually position myself where I can see the GdePs dressed and I tend to become obsessed over hot ones in their clothing sitting with clients and friends but not (yet) circulating for programas.

I also am known to ask the guy to get dressed before commencing private time, usually a minimum 1-hour block. All that said, I would not consider myself fetishistic; it’s more about the progression of choreography. 

I tend not, ahem, to be looking at their eyes. 

Edited August 11, 2020 by Riobard

[numazu]

On 8/10/2020 at 7:00 PM, bcdaron said:

Please let us know how this all goes, I'm dying to go to Brazil but am scared to go and be literally dying.

I certainly do not recommend doing this to anyone.  There are still a lot of risks out there, and I've calculated my own risk and here I am. It is not worth coming here if you are super risk averse.

7 hours ago, davet said:

Hi Numazu, 

Are there public showers where the garotos can demonstrate their talents, as in the old days? I actually don't mind the semi-street-clothed atmosphere. Strange as it sounds, I find some guys to be hotter when clothed. As we now know, the unwrapping is part of any fetish (or compulsive shopping) and a house with 100 shirtless guys can get very same-same. Masks and face shields are another story. I don't know how I'd feel about that. But hey, hasn't the lock down caused you to notice how gorgeous some men's eyes are? And how do female hookers in Iran and conservative moslem countries (they do exist) do their marketing? With their eyes, of course. 

The public showers are closed, unfortunately. The public shower in the entertainment area is roped off, and the level with most of the suites is off-limits to people who are not getting a suite. The upper bar is open and the seating is still there. Less space and facilities available, but then again, less people going to the sauna anyway so it should even out.

The clothes wearing does not bother me as much as the mask wearing. I am a face guy more than anything else.

13 hours ago, pauleiro said:

That is exactly what annoyed me when I saw on a picture all Pointe 202 staff wearing masks, some of them even wearing face-shields. Not sexy at all. 

I wish I could see what this soccer player looks like. If expert Numazu says he is "super gorgeous", I guess he is a must-meet

Looks are a subjective thing for sure, but yes, he is super gorgeous, to me. Very unassuming at first, which helps for me. It's easy enough for me to share his Instagram here, but of course, I don't do that.

11 hours ago, Lucky said:

They wouldn't be sexy at all if COVID got to them. We're in a pandemic. Be realistic.

Yes, again, beggars can't be choosers. For me, in the end, they can wear a mask or a full-on haz mat suit, I don't care. At least this venue is open and an option for anyone who’d want a one stop shop to get boys in SP.

Edited August 12, 2020 by numazu

[numazu]

Money Makes the World Go Round

I realized that maybe I've focused on the negative on my previous posts, so I thought I’d talk briefly about ONE positive thing that has happened out of all the bad so far this year:

The Brazilian Real’s exchange rate versus the US Dollar’s has been on free fall since February (it rebounded some in May but has stayed steady in the low side), and I’ve watched this freefall while in the confines of my own home, unable to do take advantage of it, till this trip.

I’ve exclusively used my fee-free ATM for my international travel, and in Brazil, I’ve always taken out 1000 reais (the limit, usually) out at a time every time I needed the urge to go to the sauna, or to start out when I arrive at the airport. I only exclusively use the “Banco 24 Horas” ATMs that are a familiar sight in almost every corner of Brazil:

Here are my 1000 reais withdrawals in 4 different times, reflected in dollars in my account through time (taking out the date):

July 2019 in Recife:

February 2020 in Rio de Janeiro:

 

March 2020 in Sao Paulo:

And this week, August 2020:

So in a year, the Real free fall has gained me $76, which in today’s rates is 400 reais, or almost 3 programas, per 1000 reais I take out. And from the cost of boys I was quoted this week, the rates have not changed, so the savings is real for the Real, and a welcome positive change, from everything else that changed in the world.

I usually don’t watch pennies, as @floridarob can attest, but I am impressed by how much this savings is.

Next, I am going to show 3 separate itemized receipts I was charged in Espaco Lagoa, so you guys can see the prices charged for each thing I've availed in the suana.  Here were the charges I’ve had in reais, and corresponding dollar amount directly below, as reflected in my credit card statement:

January 2020:

February 2020:

August 2020:

So you can see, even with the dollar gaining, the prices in Lagoa have stayed the same, as well as what the boys were charging. And so far, with spending money in other places like Grocery stores and restaurants here in Sao Paulo, the prices have stayed more or less the same as well.

Sometimes one has to look for the silver lining, no matter how small.

Next, more changes in Sao Paulo.

Edited August 12, 2020 by numazu

[floridarob]

6 hours ago, numazu1 said:

I usually don’t watch pennies, as @floridarob can attest, but I am impressed by how much this savings is.

Thought you were going to say that , I watch pennies....I do, lol

You should post this on Gay Thailand.....The gay scene isn't cheap there compared to Brasil, Mexico, Colombia    

[TotallyOz]

3 hours ago, floridarob said:

Thought you were going to say that , I watch pennies....I do, lol

You should post this on Gay Thailand.....The gay scene isn't cheap there compared to Brasil, Mexico, Colombia    

The baht is strong but  I can still get good sex for less than 70 USD any day of the week. Most on Hornet ask for 1500. The GoGo bars 2,000 baht. I have no complaints at all.

Numazu, so glad you are sharing this adventure and having fun. You are a BRAVE man for sure. Can I say big fucking balls without offending?

[Badboy81]

On 8/10/2020 at 6:00 PM, bcdaron said:

Please let us know how this all goes, I'm dying to go to Brazil but am scared to go and be literally dying.

Wow....

[dallastexas]

On 8/10/2020 at 7:37 PM, numazu1 said:

A Shell of a Shell

I had 3 days of freedom from the BF at the start of this trip, due to some of his commitments, and because I wanted some time by myself to accomplish some things I have not been able to do while "stuck" at home for 4 months.

Day 1 was set for sleeping the long flight off (and finally doing so without a mask on), and then checking the Grindr scene, which was interesting. Before COVID, I would guess about 40% of the messages I got were from Garotos de Programa. This trip, I got a total of 1(!) message from the GPs. But I did get a lot of messages from all sorts, and had 3 nice encounters with local guys, including a nice low-key evening with a pretty cutehot engineer and we shared stories on how we, and our countries, fared during COVID. Lots of Bolsonaro and Trump analogs, hydroxychloroquine, and mask wearing stories. I’d say overall that Grindr was as active as ever, if not more, which was a welcome surprise to me. Maybe people were just stir-crazy and just needed the release.

Day 2 was devoted to spending the day with my friend, a sometime sauna GP, sometime pornstar, and everytime horny guy, who was fired from his day job a month after the pandemic started and is in desperate need of cash. He took 2 of his friends (who were sometime GPs as well) with him to meet with me at the hotel. All versatile and passionate, which is what I like. After a trip to Mambo Supermercado in Moema to get some snacks and beers, I spent a pretty chill time with these sexy motherfuckers. I got some insight on what they thought of the new Espaco Lagoa (worse than Thermas Lagoa before COVID, and during COVID not a lot of people and even sadder). My friend and one other stayed the night to morning, and more shenanigans were had. 200 reais for the one guy who left after dinner, and 400 reais each for the other two. Pretty standard rates I think.

Day 3 was the day my BF was going to arrive late that night, so I decided to check Espaco Lagoa before he got here, to see how the sauna has fared with all the COVID restrictions. The two hotties bid me goodbye after a late breakfast, and they expressed their regrets to not accompanying me to Lagoa, so I had to tough it out alone, which is preferred anyway. I’m glad that the sauna has amended their open hours from a ridiculous 11 AM to 5 PM, to a better 4 PM to 10 PM:

 

I arrived at 5:30 PM and saw a pretty solemn scene. Very few boys and clients. The vibe was more early Sunday afternoon, instead of early evening Saturday. Probably about 10 customers and about 10 boys to start. Maybe I arrived super early.  Almost everyone was wearing a mask, except for the guys who were in the main entertainment area where they were having drinks and therefore the masks were off.  The waitstaff were wearing masks and face shields as well. Even with the mask on I got recognized by one of the waitstaff that I liked and he took my drink order and talked to me for a bit about how things were. It did pick up somewhat as the night wore on, but still less than before.

Some observations:

As seen in the FB page, some of the sauna facilities were closed, to avoid agglomeration and mitigate transmission:

 

There were alcool gel hand sanitizers and advisories on mask everywhere:

 

And each table w/ chairs setup had this as well:

 

I have been to the new Espaco Lagoa four times before COVID, and I thought it was a shell of the former Thermas Lagoa. The old sauna, though messy and showing its age, was airy and the extra space would have lended itself better to more ample ventilation and social distancing.  Instead, in the new sauna, with all the ramps and levels and with people coming in and out, it was hard to not bump into people, even with the lower current occupancy. And before COVID, I thought the boy selection was poorer that before, up until my February visit, were I met 3 new boys that blew my socks off (one big mountain of a man, one boy who looked like a Belami model, and a gorgeous soccer player who was smarter than the average GP). I was willing to give Espaco Lagoa more of my business after that visit, but COVID happened and I was wanting to come back ever since.

This time though, I think the one thing that bothered me the most was the whole climate of the sauna. Everyone was wearing masks (which I prefer anyway, in a mitigating transmission kind of way), and everyone, even the boys, were wearing clothes, so I didn’t feel the whole setup was as sexy as a boy sauna should be. Some boys with the better bodies had their shirts off, which helped a lot with sussing out their hotness, but with a mask on, it was hard to determine handsomeness when you can only see their eyes. Some of the boys took the masks off when they approached you. Some of them were trying to show their big erections trapped under layers of clothing, which I guess if you have a big dick, it will show through no matter how thick your trousers were. I am not big on the sauna scene as it is, but with the sparse occupancy, the solemn atmosphere, everyone wearing clothes, and the mask-wearing as a cruel reminder that there still was a pandemic raging outside these walls, were enough to almost kill my sauna hardon.

I say almost, because I was able to find what I wanted anyway, twice. First programa I had was with a super muscular built guy with a big dick (very old Lagoa quality), who proactively approached me and knew how to draw me in, and who was super passionate and didn’t clock watch. 200 reais with cum, and to me was worth every cent. The second guy was the super gorgeous soccer player from before, and most of our programa consisted of a very insightful back and forth on the value of mental health during these times. Also he fucked my brains out. It was like a trip to a therapist without the hefty price tag, and with the gorgeous boy who came in your mouth. 200 again. Super cheap, cheaper with today’s exchange rate.

One note about the rooms: towels and slippers were available in every room, instead of available at the check-in desk. A good number of the boys were obviously just gays who wandered off the gay area of Frei Caneca and stopped by the sauna to earn a few more bucks, or to get free drinks from patrons. I could find much better choices on Grindr for free. I saw some of the mainstay boys as well, and it was weird to see them trying to look sexy wearing a mask and trying to get your business.

But again, we are in unique circumstances, so even if Lagoa is a shell of a shell of what it was once, during COVID times, I’d rather have this option available to me, than not having it at all.

More, next.

Numazu1: Thank you for sharing your sexperience on the forum.  Very appreciative and living vicariously through your adventure.   

[davet]

@numazu1  Maybe the Golden Era is irretrievably gone, but what you describe is still probably the best concentration of talents in this field anywhere in the world. Nice as it was to leave the Old Lagoa counting how many other stunners I could have done had I not a flight to catch (or, frankly, had I not exhausted myself) but really, you only need 1-2 doable ones to have a worthwhile time and 4-5 to have a blast, and a few days of that to make it a worthwhile trip. It sounds like Lagoa can still supply that. 

[davet]

23 hours ago, numazu1 said:

I usually don’t watch pennies, as @floridarob can attest, but I am impressed by how much this savings is.

The way I look at it is that I'm probably spending the same total number of pennies but spreading it around.

Is there a Universal Economic Law of Rentboys? It seems the prices fluctuate but keep circling back to the US$30 range. But oh, to think of my first trip, when the rate was 3-to-1 and the quoted fee was 50R. And then to find out that was my sucker newbie gringo price - the fee they would have accepted was 30R, because the real during the 90s had been pegged 1-to-1 to the dollar. The real collapsed in the early-aughts but, surprisingly, inflation did not soar, so steaks were $3 and hotel rooms were $18! The current situation looks similar. The value of the dollar against the real has almost doubled since I was there in 2017, but the Lagoa entrance fee, comparing your receipt with my memory, has only gone up ~10%.

Any other time, I would have flown down in a heartbeat.

[floridarob]

13 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

The baht is strong but  I can still get good sex for less than 70 USD any day of the week. Most on Hornet ask for 1500. The GoGo bars 2,000 baht. I have no complaints at all.

Numazu, so glad you are sharing this adventure and having fun. You are a BRAVE man for sure. Can I say big fucking balls without offending?

Your memories of Brasil must be fading about the amazing sex ....good sex is a bad day there, lol

Keep in mind locals don't pay what foreigners do....going rate, as I'm told is 100 brl in the sauna 150 in your room, maybe as high as 200. I follow Tomcals long held advice, don't pay more than the locals, they get annoyed at people coming throwing money around because the exchange rate is so good.....they don't have the luxury of USD's.

I'm heading down tomorrow, In Cancun now...where I live, they instituted the dry law to help with covid 

Can you imagine me being in a dry law place even when I have enough stocked up?

[numazu]

Brazil Health Theater – Sao Paulo Edition

Some thoughts about the COVID-caused changes that I’ve seen here in Sao Paulo. We are indeed living in a changed world. 

Brazil Bans Pillows

https://onemileatatime.com/brazil-bans-pillows-airplanes/

This seemed ridiculous at first when I innocently asked a flight attendant, while I was getting setup for my Houston to Sao Paulo, why there are no pillows, and there are extra duvets available in Business Class. 

Apparently Brazil has waged a war against pillows, but not blankets and duvets.  Thank goodness I always take a travel pillow with me in case I need more extra cushioning, but the duvets were enough to act as a pillow as well. I wonder why did Brazil banned pillows on flights. I am unsure what the exact science in behind the decision was, but here we are.

Sao Paulo Hotel Measures

I’ve considered the Staybridge Suites in Itaim bibi, Sao Paulo, to be a good first hotel to stay to start up a Sao Paulo trip, before I spend time in my main AirBNB digs.  This is primarily because with my IHG status, checking in at 9 AM is no problem for them and I get a room in no time to sleep the flight off.

Some interesting measures they have executed for COVID:

There was a Health questionnaire at check-in, which was pretty standard I think. Just asking if you have a fever or ever been close to a COVD positive person n the past 14 days. And also a plastic barrier at check-in. Very common nowadays:

At the room, you see a lot of things wrapped in plastic, I guess to show that those items have been sanitized and you don’t have to worry about getting COVID though them:

Remotes:

The free coffee:

Utensils, carefully wrapped individually:

Also you get a complementary COVID kit, with a mask, mini hand-sanitizer, and moist towelettes.

They even had hand sanitizer dispensers powered by foot everywhere:

I did feel that the hotel was doing its best to assure their guests that they take COVID seriously. I felt pretty safe and COVID was the furthest from my mind.  This is all well and good, but then again I invited guys over to my room numerous times during my 3 night stay, so this COVID-free façade of mine may not have lasted long.  Oh well, you can’t win it all, you can minimize risks, not eliminate them, unless you just stay home forever.

Uber Safety

I haven’t used the Metro in SP yet, but Uber here had varying degrees of engineering controls and COVID equipment to protect drivers and riders from each other. Uber has a mask requirement now for both rider and driver, and I’ve seen all drivers with masks.  And all the rides had hand sanitizers available in the car as well.  But I’ve been in one ride that took things further and installed a plastic shield, separating you from the driver, and also advising you to keep the windows open for ample ventiltion, which is smart:

The drivers will just go ahead and help you with your luggage, so if you’re pretty sensitive with having others handle your stuff, make sure you handle the baggage yourself.

Ghost Towns and Half Measures

I did not expect things to be normal, or even half normal, upon my return, but I mainly saw fairly deserted spaces with chairs taken out so people can’t conglomerate. The two main restaurants that were my favorites when staying at the Staybridge were super sad:

The gay bars in Frei Caneca were populated, albeit probably 20% of normal, and no one had a mask on, because people were drinking:

Sunday is always exercise day for SP, and during COVID, this was still the case, with Uber making sure everyone exercising were wearing masks, and most of them were:

Finally, grocery stores also had plastic barriers, and alcool gel at the ready:

What Not To Do: 25 de Marco and Bras Shopping

These two shopping areas, filled with street vendors and vendors with shops, and filled with cheap Paraguayan and Chinese (and Brazilian) swag, has been open since June, and while everyone was wearing masks, if you know how the mix of street vendors, hawkers, narrow alleyways and shop fronts, and people eager to find a deal, looks like, then it is impossible to do any meaningful social distancing in this type of setup.

Not sure what the city of Sao Paulo was thinking with reopening this, and I am not sure what we were thinking when we went as well, but I guess we were also very eager to find deals. I would not recommend going to anyone, but yet, I did, and will probably go back before the trip is done.

What Not To Do: Clandestine Parties

AGAIN don’t do this, but I must admit that I wanted to see what it looked like, which is a dance party in the middle of COVID. There are many reasons why Sao Paulo has the most cases and deaths among states in Brazil.  One of them are the clandestine dance parties that has happened, and continued to happen, during this COVID times.

Once the BF and I reunited, and in the succeeding days met with our friends, we immediately got invited to the next “balada clandestina” or secret parties that usually happen in smaller towns just outside the city limits of Sao Paulo. We did not want to go, but at least wanted to see what it looked like. Photos and videos were frowned upon, but going into the party, I saw a world before COVID, as in no one was wearing a mask, nor social distancing, no anything. We didn’t stay long, probably best we didn’t go at all.

 

https://www.sbt.com.br/jornalismo/sbt-brasil/noticia/144528-estabelecimentos-funcionam-de-forma-clandestina-durante-pandemia-em-sp

What To Do: Parque ibirapuera

One of the places I love in Sao Paulo, even more than Lagoa, is Ibirapuera Park. I’ve been numerous times before, but the current BF had a way to make this place a must-go every trip. And outdoor places are having a renaissance nowadays with the restrictions in indoor gatherings during the age of COVID.

Everyone seemed to get the memo too, as there was a lot of people waking the trails of the park. There is strict mask wearing all throughout, and with the winter in Sao Paulo making the sun bearable with a mask, it was actually a pretty amazing time just being in Brazil, with Brazilians, in a way that does not make you want to wash your hands 20 times afterward. And with the sun out this week, not a bad venue to eye many a hot Brazilian running shirtless.

Probably the best thing I’ve done here this trip, so far.

I’m off to Rio tomorrow. I’ll update when I can. Beaches during COVID should be fun.

[Riobard]

I don’t find the in-flight pillow ban mystifying. The duvet exemption for items not easily washable may be an oversight. Or perhaps the volume ratio of pillows in all cabin classes relative to duvets in one class underpins the concession made regarding consistency whilst saving money/manpower lost through pillow disposal or the need to disinfect the total pillows. 

More importantly, think of the current community temperament regarding the equal application of rules. Biz travellers trade off pillow talk to offset aisle riots among the rabble and sleepy time murderous suffocation by interlopers among the privileged, while the rabble likely pays a share of the premium for sufficient extra duvets to serve as pillows. 

Edited August 13, 2020 by Riobard

[Walker]

Before COVID-19, on may airlines I noticed the pillows were re-used throughout the day.  You can tell because those pillows were not packed in sealed bags.  But blankets were always in sealed bags. I haven't flown since Covid started, so I don't know if the pillow situation changed.

Edited August 13, 2020 by Walker