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I am in Rio now. It’s like the calm before the storm on the streets—but pointe was packed with hot guys and lots of clients!

My friend is still waiting for his visa--this was posted on a visa service webpage and pretty much reflects his experience: 1.7 Brazil eVisa System New and Unpredictable The Brazil eVisa System is new and has many reported problems. While we will try to get these eVisa applications approved as quickly as possible, we cannot guarantee any timelines or due dates due to the fragility of the new Brazil eVisa system. We will remove this notice once their system stabilizes and we can assure completion timelines. IMPORTANT: The Brazil eVisa is being exceptionally stringent about HIGH PHOTO QUALITY including these very important aspects: 1. Good lighting, no shadows, no bright spots. 2. White background. 3. High Resolution, high quality photo. 4. Both EARS showing in photo, so if you have long hair, it needs to be pinned back so both ears are showing. 5. No scarves obstructing the neck area. 6. Photo must be very sharp, not blurry, and at least 600x600 pixels in size. Brazil is rejecting even high quality photos! When Brazil rejects a photo, expect a 2-3 day delay in processing! Special Notice: Out of an abundance of caution, due to the unpredictability of the new Brazil eVisa system, all orders for eVisas with travel dates in 3 weeks or less will be automatically converted to traditional paper Visas from Brazil. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

My friend applied for a visa on the 25th and still has not received it. They keep on rejecting his photo--first the resolution was too low(they only allow a small file), second they said he had red eyes, third on hold pending review. So I would not count on a rapid turn around time. He waited until the 25th --the first day of online processing because the fee is less and the turnaround time is supposed to be 48 hours but now it's not clear if he will get it in time for his departure next week for Carnival. So maybe they are just working out the kinks of the system or they are deliberately dragging their feet. If you are planning a trip and planning to apply online for a visa apply early!

I have always found the best deal on brazilianexpress.com. You need to make an account(free) and log in to see the best fares. I just booked my flight for Carnival on them using Delta and saved $300 on the best fare that was published on Delta's own website, kayak, etc.

I have used them before. No problems at all and delivered as advertised.

@Tomcal I guess it proves that just because you read something on the internet doesn't mean that it's true! Actually this forum(thanks to all the posters) has some of the best and most accurate information out there!

Here is an article that makes Fortaleza seem like one big male brothel. Perhaps you have to look outside the saunas. http://gaybrazil.com/gay-fortaleza/

@Alaskabear You are right--I didn't hire anyone in the northeast but since 99% of the clientele in the saunas is Brazilian I would bet that the rate is certainly no more than Rio and I hear 100 reals kicked around a lot. Also--don't assume you always have to pay. I met guys on grindr in both Rio and the northeast that were 10/10 gorgeous and didn't even want taxi fare. One guy even insisted on paying for his 1/2 of dinner at a nice restaurant. A lot of gay guys are happy to go out for some conversation and a few drinks and since they live with their families and don't have a place at home to fool around will gladly come to your hotel or apartment for some fun.

I ended my recent trip to Brazil with a night in Fortaleza. It's a town I pass through from time to time and I thought I would give a brief update on the sauna scene as I experienced it. There are three saunas with guys for hire that I have heard about there and I visited two of them on a Friday night. The first I went to was California Thermas Club. From the reviews I had read elsewhere I kind of expected it to be somewhat downmarket but in fact it's a nice facility--on a par with 117 in Rio in terms of facilities. It was packed on a Friday night but clients outnumbered the working guys by about 4 to1. I'm not sure if I just caught it on an off night but although there were some friendly, attractive guys there I didn't see anyone to my liking. Apparently their big night is Thursday-so maybe I was just there on an off night. I then visited Dragon Health club which is probably the nicest sauna I have been to anywhere. It feels like the spa in an upscale hotel. Unfortunately it was almost deserted at 8pm on a Friday night with only one musclebound massage guy offering his services. It's a beautiful facility with a good restaurant and a plunge pool. I have visited there three times over the last several years and at times there were more clients, but rarely many working guys. I was the only person there at 9pm and they closed early that Friday since it was so slow. I have never seen the place very busy and it's somewhat surprising that they are able to stay in business with such a large beautiful club and so few clients. There is another club called Rommeo Hotel Sauna that I didn't make it to. I never could figure out if it was more a hotel or a sauna or some combination. One of the locals at California Thermas Club gave me a thumbs down when I asked him about it but maybe that was just his preference. Fortaleza has some nice beaches and beach clubs and lots of hot guys walking around town. Grindr (very active) and other connections might be a better way to go though given my experience there at the saunas.

Ok--I'll chime in as I am in Rio now. For the average visitor nothing has changed one bit. The city is beautiful and vibrant as always. The saunas are full of great guys and on sunny days the beaches are packed. When I left The Week(dance club) at 5am last night there were thousands of guys still dancing inside. I see no more security or anything different now than in the 15 years I have been visiting here. What has changed in talking to locals is a little sense that the overall security situation is worse. An Uber driver last night told me how dangerous the city was now. More than the security issue the locals gripe about the prolonged economic crisis and the fact that the lower value of the Real has hurt their ability to travel and buy goods from abroad. But for all the problems they have--security and otherwise--they still don't have the kind of mass shootings that occur in the US. I have to share one experience from the other night that for me makes this place special. Last night on the metro while stopped at a station I looked upon two cute guys that were on the platform. By any gaydar in the world these two guys were 100% straight. When they figured out I was checking them out they gave me a big smile and a thumbs up. You won't find that at home.

When I travel to Brazil its usually for periods of 10 days to two weeks and so paying for Verizon's $10/day seemed to be to pricey especially since many days I was not using much data as I was connected to wifi much of the time. I would usually get a local sim for a fixed amount of data and it was much cheaper. I recently switched to T-mobile largely for their free international roaming benefit. When you are in Brazil T-mobile's speed will be throttled down to 128kbs--just enough for messaging and basic apps so I will see if that is enough. My friends who have used the $10/day Verizon plan in Brazil are satisfied--the speed and coverage is similar to home.

I always use Brazilianexpress.com. They are a consolidator and often their fares are cheaper than the airlines own published fares. To see the best fare available you need to set up a free profile and log in. I have never had a problem ticketing with them. Since their fares are so discounted you may not get 100% of your frequent flier miles--but since they are so hard to use these days anyways I don't care--I would rather save the dollars up front.

I found the security at the Ipanema Plaza to be a bit overbearing at times. I don't know what their current policy is but in the past unless you registered your guest at the beginning of the trip they would stop you on the way in and make you go to the reception to register your new friend and pay an additional fee(even if you had booked a double room). For each new guest there would be another fee. The security seemed to have a very good memory of who you had left the hotel with and they were good at spotting new visitors. I have had friends stay at high end hotels in Rio--the Copacabana Palace comes to mind as one--where they have been refused entry with a new guest--despite offering to register them--so I am not sure that booking a nicer hotel would necessarily be any better. I think the reasons hotels do this is in part security, and in part to prevent a flow of obvious prostitutes, male or female from coming in and out. I always rent an apartment now and even though many have doormen that will give your guest a quick look on the way in I have never been stopped.

I would use ATM's in Brazil. You need to be a little careful about having your card info skimmed as this is fairly frequent in Brazil--it has happened to me. It is always best to use an ATM inside of a bank or store for better security. Also check with your bank to see if they are going to charge you a fee for using outside of the country because those fees can add up. Exchanging in the US is probably the worst option in terms of exchange rate.

Try chatting up guys on grindr or hornet. Also if you don't mind crowded dance clubs there is a club called Club Pipper that opens several times a month that caters to more of a twink crowd than The Week.

Actually no we did not go out of the sauna together--this was a chance encounter at a street party a few miles from the sauna. Upon recognizing me from having been at MM earlier in the evening he approached me on the street and asked me for transport money, then beers, and so on. I honestly did not want his company, bodyguard services or anything else and probably should have been more firm at the beginning in telling him to get lost.

I went to MM tonight and ran into the buff guy who was one of the two that were involved in this incident. He was friendly and somewhat apologetic and we agreed it was all a misunderstanding (though it sure didn't seem that way at the time) and we left with abracos and high fives. Apparently after I left the scene that other night my gringo friend had a Brazilian friend with him (whom I had never met before) that witnessed the whole thing and took it upon himself to call the police. According to the sauna guy the police showed up and took all of the cash from the two sauna guys leaving them with nothing. He said that the other sauna guy (who in my opinion was the more aggressive of the two) was so shaken up that he has not returned to MM. So in the end--at least with the guy who was there tonight it was all smoothed over. My original point was that outside the saunas you are kind of on your own and things can go wrong without much backup--especially if your Portuguese is limited.

BB bar is hit or miss in terms of the guys there--from A+ to well... One alternative that has worked for me is if you see someone you like there--get their number and arrange to meet them later. Some have also left the bar with me for short periods of time and then returned to work. I agree that the onsite rooms are crazy small and not much fun. I have never lacked for companionship In Mexico City but sometimes you have to be willing to get online--or spend time sharing a few drinks with the guys in the bars on Amberes and take it from there.

This is not a joke. I was in the gay beach at Farme de Amoedo today and I saw a guy get out of a car with photographers with large cameras taking photos as the guy walked to the beach. One of my friends said "That's Justin Bieber!" And it was! He walked like 20 feet away from me before a mob formed and his bodyguards hustled him back into a waiting SUV. Sorry no pics because I had left my phone in my apartment. He has a concert in Rio tonight.

This is one possible explanation as I do not speak Portuguese but I have a pretty good ear for any words regarding money or pay as I speak some spanish and I can usually figure out intentions in that regard.

Yeah I agree--thats why this was so odd. I have recognized guys outside the club before and even occasionally offered a drink which they accepted and that was that. This was totally different. But anyway in an effort to put it all behind me I went to 117 tonight. It was packed with guys and clients but I really didn't see anyone of my liking that appeared to be unoccupied. I decided to go to MM even knowing it would be slow--but you never know. At 8:30 I was the only client and virtually no visible guys working. I enjoyed a drink in complete solitude in the bar area--even the bartender closed up shop and left after he served my drink. It was actually kind of interesting being up in that area completely alone imagining all the stuff that had gone on up in that room through the years. I had pretty much given up on the night when a gorgeous guy emerged--his first night working there--and (so he said)today was his 20th birthday and I was his first client. Well we had a great and romantic time and closed the place down. When we left it was just the staff and the resident cat left. As an aside--when we were up in the cabin during the preliminaries so to speak I noticed his phone on and that he had put on Facebook live--broadcasting the goings on!! I had him turn it off which he did. In the end it was a great night that made up for the bad vibes of last night which I have put behind me. Rio and MM did not disappoint tonight.

Guadalajara is a great city for culture, food, markets, etc and has a lot of good looking guys there. I am sure that the rent scene exists but I never really saw that when I have been there. There are several gay clubs for music and dancing. The few stripper bars I went to seemed to be more geared toward women clients and the dancers tended to be beefy--actually slightly overweight guys. Maybe there are other clubs that have more attractive dancers and I just missed them. I would definitely visit if I were you though--lots to see and as least as much potential in terms of guys as Mexico City(which I love).

Well this just happened last night and I haven't been back to MM yet. This did not happen at the club and I don't want to escalate it more than it is. If when I get back to MM and those guys are there and they hassle me I will definitely talk to the owner.

True--but in my case I needed surgery. I wanted to recover close to home. If I had stayed in Brazil I would have had to recover for several weeks here before heading home. I am also a physician and I wanted to be treated at the hospital where I work and where I know the surgeons. Although I was in the best hospital in Fortaleza--and I would have probably gotten good care--that might not have been the case if I was stuck somewhere in a public hospital in Brazil or another foreign country. Given the high deductibles and co-pays we face at home I certainly understand your point though.

I have been to Rio many times and never had a problem whatsoever until tonight. I was at Meio Mundo and it was it's usual Monday night great time. After that a friend who lives here had suggested meeting at Pedro do Sal--it is a Lapa like street party--but only on Mondays and Fridays. It really is a lot of fun and very close to MM. I recognized several of the sauna boys there and one of them approached me first to say hello--and then asked for 10 reals for transport and then for beers which I bought. Soon he was joined by a very buff guy that he said also worked at the sauna. And then they asked for more beer which i bought. I really was trying to get away from these guys as I had no physical interest in either of them and I could see that they were trying to latch on to me for the night. I told them I was going to look for my friend and I left. After I met up with my friend we were walking around and the guys came over and started demanding 50reals apiece claiming i had hired them to accompany me. They got quite aggressive grabbing my arm and blocking my path. My friend who live there started arguing with them in Portuguese and told me to run which I did. I guess the easy thing would have been to pay them off--but it was a very awkward and slightly scary situation. I have been lucky in all my years of coming to Rio to never have a problem--and in the scheme of things this was minor. I guess it really reenforces the many cautions here about sauna guys outside the saunas. The saunas are relatively safe havens and the guys outside of this environment? Well who knows.