davet

I didn't know about Montreal, but the other locales were on my "Final World Sex Tour 2020" list, which I guess will now be 2021-22. Istanbul and maybe Colombia added to that. "Final" because, I had thought, it was time to, you know, "get serious" and do less whorin' around. But there's no time for puritanism after Covid, so I suspect it will be Roarin' 20s, like many predict.

On that same trip I met another guy at 117 who was even less insufficiently-muscled. I mean his muscles stuck straight out. When will the Mr. Rios return?

No offense at all, as this fits with what I read.

You would find Henrique lovely and charming indeed. Tanned, twinkly green eyes, and muscled but not steroidy. His was one phone number I wish I had gotten. I plan on starting a thread on "Garotos as marriage material." We've heard a bit, from you and others, about the garoto as boyfriend, most of which don't last long. (Or maybe the durable relationships stay snuggled in their enviable love nests and don't come back here to post.) Henrique was one of the few about whom I even vaguely entertained that thought. In the US, a real estate agent, like a bank "vice president," could span the gamut from barely qualified to sell french fries to serious money and corporate personality. But it's at least a middle class, middle education position that offers some hope of compatibility, as I and I imagine most of us here are in that same broad segment. (PS - I read that the one-time porn star Tag Eriksson is a real estate broker in Scandinavia pulling in 7 figures. Imagine the lucky guy bagging that.)

I actually stayed at the Hotel Kosmopolit some years ago. It was full of ordinary middle-class travelers, even families. I wonder what they thought about the Kosmopolit cinema next door. I remember seeing a lot of "track-suit" guys at and around the hotel. You know, young guys from the Mediterranean and Middle East who always seem to be in running pants and who are always hanging around, harmless but doing nothing in particular. I never sensed any possibility from them but maybe I was stupid. The theater itself was as grody as described and, more important, the talent was far below what I had gotten accustomed to in Brazil and Spain. There was one druggy guy, one dark, unattractive guy with a fat dick, and several trans- and cis-female hookers.

I've never been much for gay resorts, gay cruises, or gay circuit parties. Maybe it's internalized homophobia ("Too many homos!") but gay tourism often captures the worst in mass market tourism. Pretty much no place can survive the onslaught of cruise ships - even Venice. If the ”you get what you pay for” concerns guaranteed good weather, then just look at any nearby island that has the exact same weather. (Not to mention the islands off Croatia, Sicily, and Spain.) Other than the gay nightlife and jet set glitter, it's never been clear to me what advantage Mykonos has over other Aegean destinations. Santorini, at least as touristy, is nevertheless more beautiful than the pictures I've seen of Mykonos, with a mind-blowing history, and Crete has history, archaeology, art, food, wine, scenery, mountains, gorges, mythology ... all in addition to sun and sea. Maybe find your companionship in Barcelona or Zurich and spring for the ticket to fly him to some other, far more wholesome and "authentic" island. (My childhood fantasy was being with Peter Gallagher in Summer Lovers, which was set on Santorini, but still ... Peter Gallagher!)

Is all the meat in the hammams halal?

A Brazilian guy at the Termas in Barcelona explained to me why he still worked the saunas at 40-50EUR a pop when he was also advertising online for 200+. (He said he was making even more when he toured the U.S., which made me vaguely recall his ad on Rentmen.) He said the saunas were easy because he could snag multiple clients in a few hours without shlepping all over. He also said internet ads, for some reason, don't get that many customers in Spain. I imagine no-shows, bad addresses, and other logistical mishaps occur frequently with internet dates.

Hi Numazu. I've already stated my ambivalence about current travel, but I can honestly say that I wish I could be in Brazil right now, like you. So thank you for the travel reports. May I enquire about recent talent citings? Did you run across an Henrique from Curitiba? He said he used to be a real estate agent and did local TV modeling in Ctba. He would periodically go to Rio to work the saunas because, as we know, Curitibano boys don't want to get known in their town and the best among them go to SP or Rio. How about Andrea, a scruffy skinny white guy in Rio who joked that he looked like Jesus and who had a dick that would make you see Jesus? Though I like muscle boys, I developed a niche interest in lithe, "soft" guys (think Ethan Hawke) whose cocks make up 1/3 of their body mass.

I see from another thread that Meio Mundo was resurrected at a new location. I was there once, about 5-6 years ago, and thought there was a good range of guys, from a blondish, pinkish, twinkish guy to an excessively muscled guy who claimed to have been a Mr. Rio. Ah, another thing to long for in a return to Rio.

It was 2015, 16, or 17. I can't be sure of his ethnicity, of course, but he didn't at all look "indio," so it had to be Japanese or possibly Korean. He had exactly that "barely Asian" look of boys as drawn in mangas and animes. Visualize a hunkier Speed Racer. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_Racer) I found a snapshot of him posted in the glass case in the Lagoa hallway and took a picture of that, but it has since disappeared into digital oblivion. I remember him because he was maybe only the third Asian I'd seen in a sauna. One, long ago, was a twinkish guy I didn't get around to. The second was Roger, circa 2015, a tall and quiet BIG-DICKED ASIAN hunk I'd want to marry if I was crazy enough to marry a garoto. And the third was this stripper, who was more handsome than the other two, or practically anybody else in the galaxy for that matter. If you can locate him, we must all bow down to your "research" skills!

I don't know, man. The uncertainty, the guilt, and the ever-changing logistics and regulations would get to me if the virus doesn't. I just read an article about the frightening government facilities one might be sent to for quarantine in some countries. I had thought that, in the worst case scenario, I'd hole up in my hotel, but it appears hotels do not want to be known to have such a person and will expel you to the government places. And by guilt, I mean how would I feel morally superior to a Bolsonaro or a mask-burning Q-head deplorable again? Or maybe that's not a bad thing.

The Copacabana Palace is very comfortable, I'm sure (I did not go inside), but beware that it's in what has become probably the worst part of the Copacabana neighborhood.

Long ago, I chatted up a gorgeous muscle guy who was working the front desk at a sauna. He said he used to be a stripper and was calmly adamant that there were strict differences between strippers, go-go boys, and garotos. Because of that, and the non-receptivity of a few that I approached, I've generally stayed away from the strippers and go-go boys. Maybe I'll try harder next time.

@riobard - Where did you find this amazing, um, resource and does it purport to list all the strippers and go-go boys in Brazil? I would not mind tracking down a devastatingly gorgeous Japanese-Brazilian I saw dancing at the old Lagoa some 3-4 years ago. He looked like an anime/bishonen drawing - an almost unreal beauty.

Since it's Brazil, he could be packing a whole tuber.

At least it's not the "conjugal visit to a prison" that was luridly described in these pages. Invitation or no invitation!

120 at most (unless you're really in love and made the mistake of letting that on). 100 is frequently accepted, especially on busy nights, surprisingly. Because of the competition, the guys know that the customers have asked around and know what the market price is and won't be fooled. Add 20 as a tip and they will be touchingly appreciative. The most I ever paid was 200 (pre-covid going ask of 150 plus 50 tip), because this arabian god, uninvited, came for me. It was the end of the night and he apparently wasn't saving it for some girlfriend. I've had this happen a couple times toward the end of a shift.

I haven't seen a lot of drunkenness or unruly behavior. It strikes me as a sedate, friendly crowd. It's brightly lit, not shameful and shadowy like northern saunas. Any problems seem to be of the "misunderstanding" about fees type.

Havana is much rougher travel and lacks a lot of amenities. If one is American, it also requires extra logistical and financial planning due to the embargo. As for guys, I don't notice a huge difference in attitude. You can get passionate or mechanical or both in either city. Luck of the draw. In both cities, there's a good chance the guy will cum for/on you, delivering copious juice for no extra pay. They just like cumming, imagine that. That's the major difference between the Caribbean and Brazil.

I would say Olimpo was the best sauna outside of SP and RJ. Small but well-appointed, guys were of lower quantity but same big city quality, and basic cabines were free. I would like to go back and visit the more remote colonial towns of Minas Gerais.

I used to love exploring secondary cities, but they're really hit or miss. Bad day, bad weekend, bad time of year (or a late payment to the local police) and you can crap out. I've heard various rumors about places in Joao Pessoa, Maceio, Goiania, etc.

When I was there 3 years ago, I saw absolutely nothing going on at the Parque Central, or at the famed 23 & L corner, or on La Rampa (23 from L to the Malecon). However, there was a tiny park between the Rampa and Infanta where the boys now gathered to peddle their wares. It might be what shows up on Google Maps as Parque 25 y O. By about 10 pm, it was easy to find by wandering the area (police-state Havana is super safe) because that's the only crowd around. Pickings to my liking were slim. Saw lots of cute young gays at trendy bars and music venues, though. They seemed pretty open and out and nobody cared.

From a reliable recent report, most of the guys circulate both 117 and 202 as each has different happening days. The lack of tourists means there can be no more than one hopping place on each day. From the report in November: Weekends shockingly dead at both places (could be a fluke), Monday at 202, Tuesday at 117, Wednesday at 202. There was plenty of muscle to select from, though I don't know how it compares to happier times. Meio Mundo, I believe, has been extinct for a few years now.

Goiania is in my Top 5 of next places to check out in Brazil. But then I've been there many times so, overall, it's way down the list. I assume it would be big fat boring modern city, with some weird urban planning experiment, like Belo Horizonte. The colonial towns are a plus. I would tack Goias to any trip to adjacent Brasilia, which is an urban planning experiment so weird that everybody should experience it. As with Brasilia, I'd expect Goiania's garoto scene to be small and quiet but with the possibility of finding one or two unexpected gems. Sexual excitement benefits from gambler's excitement, which requires striking out now and then. Goias is cattle country so maybe one can find something close to the cornfed Iowa look?