Buenos Aires, Jun/Jul 2022

[Latbear4blk]

After one of my best flight experiences ever, I landed in Ezeiza this morning. I flew to Dallas first, and both planes were absolutely full. However, there were no delays and American's service was spotless. However, the best part was arriving to Buenos Aires. It took me 10 minutes (actually a few seconds less) to go through immigrations (100% automatic, I did not have to talk to anyone), getting my luggage (for the first time in my traveling history I arrived to the claim area at the same time my bag was coming up), and going through customers. Beautiful.

The day was a Día Peronista, no clouds and perfectly sunny to warm us up, it is winter here. My airbnb is great, the only disappointment was that I assume the balcony was on top of Plaza Armenia, but actually is at the back of the building. Let me share a few pics.

There is even a wine cooler that I am not planning to use. Soon after arriving, I had a great surprise. My brother and his wife traveled from Corrientes only to spend time with me this weekend. So my real adventures will not start until they are gone on Monday. Anyways, if you have been reading my reports, you know that my trips to Buenos Aires are focused on family and old friends, and the adventures are a side note.

In the airports in the USA and onboard, I saw very few masks (I traveled maskless), and the few people wearing them was doing it in a totally useless way. Buenos Aires is different. Even when the mask mandates have been dropped, a lot of people are still masked up, even outdoors. I am wearing my mask pulled down, and mask up when I am with someone who is wearing a mask, as a show of politeness and empathy. Palermo Soho was crowded with people taking advantage of the Peronist Day.

With my family, we went out for lunch and chose a nearby parrilla, Doña Totally, named in honor of Diego Maradona's mother. The place was packed. I liked the decorations, full of Rio de la Plata flavor:

There were no free tables outside, but fortunately we did not have to wait because my 84 years old mother was cold and wanted to sit inside. The food was excellent. Take a look at the prices:

We were five and did not drink wine. However, we ordered appositives, main dishes and desserts, and my mother took the left overs because we could not eat all of it. We spent less than 60 dollars.

Grindr is not as active as it was in my other Palermo location, a year ago, but it is keeping me interested. Anyways, I am tired and family oriented, I am not sure whether or not I will submit to the temptation. 

[msclelovr]

Thanks for reporting @Latbear4blk.
 

I’m wondering about the currency situation. Did you offer to pay with US$ in cash? What did you find the effective exchange rate to be? Is there a good, reliable place to exchange dollars nearby? 

[macdaddi]

Bien, me alegra! Que pases un excelente ratico  en Argentina con los amigos y los famliares.

[Latbear4blk]

2 hours ago, msclelovr said:

Thanks for reporting @Latbear4blk.
 

I’m wondering about the currency situation. Did you offer to pay with US$ in cash? What did you find the effective exchange rate to be? Is there a good, reliable place to exchange dollars nearby? 

The situation has not changed since my last year's report. The most convenient thing to do is to bring cash in dollars, and look for places to exchange them to local currency. Most travel agencies and currency exchange outlets are desperate for dollars and will buy yours at the "Blue" value. Inflation is rampant (60% the last 12 months) and currency exchange usually goes up in favor of dollars, so I would sell 200 bucks and live with that until I exchange another 200.

As os today, the official rate is U$S 1 x $AR 128. The Blue rate is 1 x 216.

If you do not have the skills or knowledge to access Blue rates, I would use my credit card, even at official rates the prices are good.

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, Latbear4blk said:

The most convenient thing to do is to bring cash in dollars, and look for places to exchange them to local currency

Is counterfeit money a real issue for visitors, or is that an urban myth ?  
supposedly, counterfeit bills are rampant and easily passed to visitors that would have difficulty knowing the difference.  

[Latbear4blk]

That is an issue in any place around the world. That is why I am not advising to accept exchange offers from the countless street traders that are voicing their offer in the streets trough Florida and Lavalle in their pedestrian areas. You will not have a problem if you follow my advice and go to travel agencies and currency exchange shops. I have never stayed in an hotel in Buenos Aires, but I would assume their counter staff are also reliable. 

@msclelovr was asking whether or not he would be able to pay with dollar bills. You may, but many places (and most escorts) would not accept them, afraid that the dollars would be counterfeited. 

[Latbear4blk]

This trip is a combination of not having time to write my reports and not having anything interesting for you, guys to report. I have been eating out and going out with family and friends, enjoying cultural life in Buenos Aires, but nothing gayish. Plus, I started teleworking today.

I have been scouting the local escort market, and it seems to be less appealing than in my previous visit. Prices are all over the place. I have been asked between $AR 3K and 10K (14 bucks and 46 bucks). If you check the local Rentmen (here you can see prices when the poster shares them) you can even find guys asking for 300 bucks. 

Today I hired my first escort, Eloy from Soy Tuyo. His service was satisfactory, and his fee a little over 20 bucks. He came to my place. I was going to write a review, but Rhyheim sent me his new scene with Sean Xavier and I have been working on that instead. Hopefully I will publish a report tomorrow. 

I am also trying to start a new blog open to all audiences, about traveling (I cannot make any money using Google Ads from ilikepinga), but there is always something showing up.

Grindr is getting better. I was surprised during my first days because I was not getting hits. Apparently the issue was that I was using the free version of the app. Once I paid, I have been getting above 120 views and 20 taps/messages per day. As usual, most of the guys are not what turns me on, but I have a hard dozen waiting for a time to meet at less than 1km from my location. 

Doña Tota has become my favorite restaurant this year because it is in my corner, the food is da bomb, and the prices are irresistible. 

We went to the local Broadway, Avenida Corrientes, last Sunday. If you happen to be in Buenos Aires and you are fluent in Spanish, I recommend you Tarascones, in the Metropolitan Sura.

 

 

 

Avda. Corrientes has changed a lot since my times here. After 7pm half of the Avenue becomes pedestrian and gets full of street artists and people going to the theater, restaurants, and bookstores. Yes, the avenue is still full of bookstores that remain open 24 hours, something I was afraid would be gone after the pandemic.

 

 

 

These clips are from before getting into the theater. When we walked out, at about 10:30 PM, we could hardly walk through the crowd and did not find tables in any of the many restaurants and pizzerias on the Avenida Corrientes. We had to walk five blocks to find a table in a crowded place. The local middle class is going out and spending, perhaps more last weekend because Friday and Monday were holidays.

Talking about the pandemic, the city has dropped the mandate on masks. However, a lot of people choose to still wear them as you can see in the videos, even when outdoors. 

A noticeable change compared to my previous visits is the lack of car services. Regular taxi cabs are not as easy to get in rush hours. If you are in Buenos Aires and planning to go out at night, start leaving earlier or you may get late to whatever your destination is. Even services like Uber, Cabify or Didi can have long waits on rush hours.

 

[Latbear4blk]

Full report on the first local taxi boy I met: 

https://ilikepinga.com/2022/06/23/eloy-from-buenos-aires/

[Latbear4blk]

I have only two more days in Baires, and they will be devoted to friends and family. I can report that Grindr is working great in the city. I ended up with a fuckbuddy from the Patagonia who have kept me busy and well serviced, so the only taxi boy I have hired is Eloy.

By the way, he has dropped his escort ad and I am to sure whether or not is still active. A guy in the Foro Pirata asked me for Eloy's number, I sent a message to the boy asking for permission to share his number, and he has not responded.

As useful information for the friends visiting, I can confirm that the travel agency where I change my US currency is open and active. You see the picture above, the address is Guido 1725, almost the corner with Rodríguez Peña. However, I would trust your hotel staff to trade cash. The local newspapers publish daily the changes in the exchange rates, look for Blue Dollar.

Definitely, if you can avoid using your CC in Buenos Aires, you should sell your US cash in the Black Market, in small amounts depending on how long you plan to stay here. However, even if you decide to use your CC, the prices are low. Per example, I spent 15 bucks on a meal that in the USA would have costed me between 20 and 25, using my CC. Should I have paid with cash instead, my coast in dollars would have been 7 bucks. Much cheaper, but even the 15 bucks was an amazing price.

Do not come to Buenos Aires looking for paid sex right now. If you can not hide your Gringo-ness, they will definitely try to take advantage of you. It is not a good moment for that right now. But the city's cultural life is striving after the lock downs (Argentine lock downs were some of the most strict ones in the world), I emphatically recommend the city to enjoy food and culture. I am planning to start a new blog with no age restrictions and will share more there. I am just very lazy right now.

I tried to explore the night but I never survived awake until the local times. All the stripers and drag queens shows start at 2 AM or later. To make it worse, the strippers' pictures I have seen are not my kind. Guys closer to their 30s than to their 20s, and over muscular.

I did not have time (or energy) to explore the local sex parties, that seem interesting and very active. So come to Buenos Aires for food, culture, and for free hook ups, but not for paid se right now. It is better to wait for the political and economic crisis to subside and then I am confident the paid sex market would be back to what used to be.

[msclelovr]

6 hours ago, Latbear4blk said:

Do not come to Buenos Aires looking for paid sex right now. If you can not hide your Gringo-ness, they will definitely try to take advantage of you.

Thanks for taking the time to write @Latbear4blk about the current situation in Buenos Aires.

I haven’t been back in some time and I’m intrigued by your observation. My view over the years of visiting regularly was that the legal sex industry in Argentina continued to thrive, either despite or because of the bouts of rapid inflation and the economic crises. 
 

Admittedly I had considerable success with what I term ‘amateurs’. They were young men that I met on the street, at the gym or in the malls. Some seemed to be especially interested in meeting a foreigner, an older man. Some even made the first approach. It helped that I speak Spanish and I dressed well. But I recognize that for them my prime attraction was my enhanced economic and spending power as a foreigner.
 

Nonetheless, I met a wide range of middle-class, employed young men as well as handsome university students. I was happy to entertain them of an evening and pick up numerous dinner checks, as many proved excellent companions. And I have fond memories of taking the very best guys on trips with me, away from Buenos Aires to beach resorts in Uruguay and Brazil. 
 

It would be a real shame if times have so changed that presentable, young Argentine men are no longer interested in spending time with foreigners and earning some extra cash. 

 

[Latbear4blk]

1 hour ago, msclelovr said:

Thanks for taking the time to write @Latbear4blk about the current situation in Buenos Aires.

I haven’t been back in some time and I’m intrigued by your observation. My view over the years of visiting regularly was that the legal sex industry in Argentina continued to thrive, either despite or because of the bouts of rapid inflation and the economic crises. 
 

Admittedly I had considerable success with what I term ‘amateurs’. They were young men that I met on the street, at the gym or in the malls. Some seemed to be especially interested in meeting a foreigner, an older man. Some even made the first approach. It helped that I speak Spanish and I dressed well. But I recognize that for them my prime attraction was my enhanced economic and spending power as a foreigner.
 

Nonetheless, I met a wide range of middle-class, employed young men as well as handsome university students. I was happy to entertain them of an evening and pick up numerous dinner checks, as many proved excellent companions. And I have fond memories of taking the very best guys on trips with me, away from Buenos Aires to beach resorts in Uruguay and Brazil. 
 

It would be a real shame if times have so changed that presentable, young Argentine men are no longer interested in spending time with foreigners and earning some extra cash. 

 

These are always only personal experiences. Take my advise as a suggestion that could be wrong in your situation. 

[davet]

On 7/7/2022 at 2:15 AM, msclelovr said:

They were young men that I met on the street, at the gym or in the malls. Some seemed to be especially interested in meeting a foreigner, an older man.

How did you broach the topic? I am always too shy with strangers. The few times I've asked a "nice guy" for coffee, it just didn't work for one reason or another.

[msclelovr]

I keep it simple and easy @davet and I smile.
 

One early afternoon in BA I saw a cute young man on the street as I was walking into a supermarket. I saw him again when I was selecting some wine. So I smiled and said I was looking for a good bottle as I’d been invited to a dinner party. I then asked him what plans he had for the evening. We ended up going back to my place.

Another time, it was late afternoon (the hour of ‘merienda’) when I was on a busy street and a handsome young man asked if I was “free”. I didn’t want to make assumptions so I invited him for a snack. As we talked, I said “I like a younger man” and smiled; he was a quick study and said he liked an older man. 

I was shy as a teenager but one day I decided it was stupid to be shy. So I made myself talk to strangers and ask questions. IME most people are friendly and happy to talk. 

[Latbear4blk]

22 minutes ago, msclelovr said:

I was shy as a teenager but one day I decided it was stupid to be shy. So I made myself talk to strangers and ask questions. IME most people are friendly and happy to talk. 

Kuddos to you. I am almost 60 and still struggling with my shyness.

 

[msclelovr]

Nice of you to say @Latbear4blk but I always figure “What’s the worst that can happen?” 
 

When I talk to a stranger, I say something and then ask him a question. It can be something as silly as “I really like those shoes (in a nearby store window). What do you think?”

If the guy is not interested, he may ignore me and move on. If a guy is interested, he makes some reply and we move on together…