Xclay

Maybe they are catching up with the backlog because the turnaround time for my e-visa (received yesterday) was only two weeks. Happily, it was also a ten-year visa. Because the e-visa is not a stamp or glued into my passport, I'm going to make multiple backup copies for my computer and physical files. I do not want to misplace it! Plus I'm going to save the PDF as a JPG and store another copy on my phone in the album where I keep photos of my passport, vaccinations, etc. Incidentally, quite a few seemingly authoritative visa companies stated that you can use your credit card report showing your maximum and available balance instead of sending your bank account details. That is what I did. For my Chase Visa, I only sent the one "cover page" that shows the max and available balance (in Acrobat I added yellow highlights), rather than the additional pages that list all my specific monthly credit card charges. Apparently, that was fine. Nice to have this wrapped up.

Huge hassle getting physical SIM cards in Brazil. Airalo is the leading electronic SIM (i.e., eSIM) company. As TravGuy noted above, If you have a fairly new phone that can accept eSIMs this is a convenient way to go. I travel to a variety of countries and use the Airalo's global option that covers 124 countries for one year for 20GB for US$69 (lucky number too). Along with lots of country specific and regional options, Airalo also offers a Brazil only deal for one month and 10GB for US$26. Tips: Airalo's "top off" options can be expensive, so it is sometimes better to get a new eSIM instead of topping off the current one. Also, you usually need to restart your phone when you land in a new country to let the eSIM sort itself out with the new local provider (usually Claro in Brazil).

Extremely valuable report, especially regarding the terra incognita of São Luís! Similar experiences in Fortaleza, except in December '23 the GPs did not go naked on Thursday. My Recife experience at Boa Vista was not as positive as yours. Hardly any GPs on the night I visited. Thanks again for your review.

Thanks for your candor. I'm sincerely puzzled that you are surprised. Poor people asking for help on the street is almost universal, including the US and Europe. It might be rare in some affluent suburbs and small towns, but you cannot walk down an urban street (or sit in a sidewalk cafe) in Washington, DC or Milan or Helsinki without encountering an outstretched hand. It is not a Brazilian phenomenon.

Certainly true (or quite rare) at the big three saunas in Rio/SP. As FloridaRob said, "thank goodness." However, for the record, in smaller cities GP saunas do have client/client action as well -- for example, not long ago, definitely in Natal, Brasilia, João Pessoa, in both GP saunas in Recife, sometimes in Belo Horizonte, and in the past if not present in Curitiba and Floripa. In some cases, saunas that are predominantly guys not looking for GPs still have a few overt GPs. So I guess these are "hybrids" not exactly true "GP saunas."

I love avoiding the whole hassle of SIM cards, especially in Brazil, and just use a downloadable eSIM. Airalo (www.airalo.com) is the leader.

If this is your first trip to Brazil, let me strongly recommend against bringing guys back to your hotel. Even many frequent visitors prefer the safety of the sauna. You will find lots of similar warnings on this forum.

This is good news. I want to visit Lençóis Maranhenses and see other places like São Luis while I'm in the neighborhood. Can you please start a thread with a report on your experiences in São Luis? Those who prefer to stick to Rio and/or SP (not that there is anything wrong with that!) can skip it.

I could not find one when I was there long ago (circa 2010). But now I see a complaint about "prostitutes" at Sauna Tempu's across the river from Vitória in Vila Veha.

Maybe I missed it, but I do not recall anybody on the forum in the past couple of years claiming you can now find "really good looking" German, European, Italian GPs in PA saunas these days. By the way, relevant to this thread, Scott and I had a discussion last month about the vanishing Northern European GPs in Port Alegre saunas. I was in PA for a couple of weeks in November and at Lux went with several good GPs of Italian/Iberian extraction. But, yes, they tend to be more "boy next door" that the beauties of yore. And "ditto" to your reactions to the fun, welcoming singer at Lux.

And TAP flies nonstop (less than 8 hours) from Lisbon to 6 destinations in northeastern Brazil (north of Salvador), even to Jericoacoara. I've flown TAP from Lisbon to Recife and to Fortaleza. TAP is one of the more mediocre airlines in Star Alliance, but it sure beats Azul, Gol, and LATAM.

Alternatively, after your wild weekend, word got around that the sexy tourist (presumed wealthy and insatiable) would be coming back for more on Monday. Now, after your multiple romps last night, I predict you will prompt a surge in GP attendance tonight and Wednesday. Good for you.

Bottom line: Definitely go Thursday through Sunday. Monday through Wednesday depend on how selective you are.

Davet, one other tip about that Cal scene: The top-tier guys are *not* regulars. Don't assume hottest guys you see on Thursday or Sunday will be back anytime soon. Discovered that one of my fav GPs buses in from hinterlamds only once every couple of weeks. Other stars were once a week, but they may return sooner if you promise a scheduled rendezvous. Let us know how it goes!

Two weeks ago Thursday was packed and Sunday was the next most active day at California. Surprisingly, Saturday was not much better than Wednesday had been. Monday and Tuesday there were a half dozen GPs and not any stars. I was sadly celibate on Monday but did tolerably well on Tuesday. Your mileage may vary.

Yes, if all these bottoms are now getting the pills and faithfully taking them daily, that would account for the transformation. But — contrary to your assumption as something that should be obvious — free PrEP has not come close to widespread use among men who have sex with men in Brazil! "Why is PrEP so underused in Brazil?" "Unwillingness to prescribe PrEP... in Northeastern Brazil" "PrEP use in Brazil remains low despite free national access" "Why Is Preexposure Prophylaxis So Underused in Brazil?" Good if you are right and the "sex professionals" are among the estimated only 15% who take PrEP!

Several recent posts have commented at being shocked to see Brazilians going raw at orgies. Is this a trend? Are all these guys really taking PrEP? At saunas around Brazil, I was surprised in 2023 on my two trip (16 weeks) to have so many hot bottom boys casually offering me unprotected sex, and seeming eager to take a load. I don't remember that from past decades. Well, actually I do remember from about 2005 a cute little blond in PA who really wanted it raw because that was such an exception back then. I always think of a straight comedian who says that he's never more eager to put on a condom than when a woman says "oh you don't need to wear a condom." The few times I've tried to ask I was told, if Google Translate got it all right, that they are indeed taking PrEP. ??? In contrast, I've not noticed any change in ativos conscientious unprompted use of protection.

Congrats on that great opportunity! My suggestion is that you consider varying your location, rather than confining yourself to only one place. Of course, I have serious commitment problems! You might, for example, spend a month or two in the far south, a month or two in the northeast, and divide the rest between SP and Rio. To optimize the weather, compare the examples on factors down the page at this link: https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/29679~30563~31123~30268/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Porto-Alegre-Rio-de-Janeiro-Fortaleza-and-São-Paulo

OMG, I should have remembered your July post! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Merry Christmas

In my experience, visa companies always strongly recommended obscuring your exact account number on the bank statement. This does not misrepresent your financial status which is the purpose of the document. Alas, we'll miss you in Brazil. Sounds like this requirement may be a deal breaker for you.

Not expensive. GPs each got their usual session fee plus maybe R$50 extra. The only GPs chosen were those really eager and excited about it. (If they hesitated, nevermind.) Length? Regular session (40 min). Who did what? Twice it was mostly watching them go wild with each other, and eager btms getting sequentially kissed and pounded by tops in rotation. Trash talk by clients, most still in street clothes. The third time clients got more involved with kissing and hands but still were shy and did not strip down (happily, IMHO). These were circa 2005-7 at old Lagoa.

Nice fantasy but fraught with potentials for disaster. Scott cited a couple. And you'd outsource the critical selection of GPs 😱! Consider a scaled-down version. At the old Lagoa I vividly remember three fantastic orgies organized by four clients/voyeurs and about six GPs (who we'd picked). One effective carrot was to offer a bonus tip to the most enthusiastic GP. Finding a slightly larger room would be tough, but it does not hurt if it is cozy.

We in the Anglosphere are not used to this requirement, although of course it is not uncommon for people from less affluent countries to have to show minimum financial means before getting visas to other countries. I'll bet Brazilians must do something like this to get visas from Canada, US, and Oz. In visa applications over the years to many countries off the beaten path, I've had to include a bank statement. As I recall, it was needed a few years ago for the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, for example. Also, it was required for Russia. In the past, I always blacked out part of my bank account number. It was not a big deal. In a couple of cases, they wanted an "attested" statement from the bank that I had sufficient funds and am a reliable customer in good standing. Banks have these form letters ready to go. I will be seriously annoyed if Brazil rejects bank statements with part of the account number redacted. Since editing PDFs is easy now, an alternative to blacking out numbers might be to switch several digits around in the account number.

Everybody online here is trim and fit of course. But in case you have a friend who (like my friend) could stand to drop 20 pounds (or kilos!), here is a quick update. Yesterday I walked into the reputable Drogaria Pacheco in Copacabana and inquired if the pharmacy sold Rybelsus (the daily pill version of Ozempic). The young lady asked which dosage – 3mg or 7mg. Important to start with the low dose, so 3mg. No prescription! Just paid R$465 (US$94). That's less than a night at 117. In the US, without insurance, this 30-day supply might cost over $1,000, over ten times as much as in Brazil. Was this a fake Novo Nordisk product in a brilliantly authoritative-looking box at this Rio pharmacy? As you know many drugs are sold at astronomical prices in the US to take advantage of our health insurance rebates and reap profits to offset research and testing costs before generics swoop in. And at the same time, the identical drug is often sold at reasonable prices overseas. So I do not think the bargain price was proof of a counterfeit. This is not Bangkok. Sure seems legit. We'll see... After this morning's first dose, my friend only wanted a very light breakfast, had a Danone YoPro (25g protein) for lunch, and still feels extremely satiated. Disclaimer for the record: I am not a medical professional. The information provided is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your doctor before taking any supplements or trying any new treatment. This is not a sponsored post. I am not claiming that this supplement will cure or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary. This supplement or treatment may interact with other medications you are taking. And, if you are or are not pregnant or nursing, consult with your doctor before taking this supplement!!!

😱 that sounds really really scary to vanilla me. Glad you are progressing. A Brazilian who got carried away?