sydneyboy1

What makes us risk takers in returning to Brazil is memories of our last visit to Lagoa, Fragata, 117, Point 202 etc.

Comments anyone?

Wouldn’t local law enforcement eg responsibility for the police be an entirely state matter? Assuming for a moment that the president had a negative view of say rent boy saunas wouldn’t his capacity to act be constrained by the fact that this would be a state or even local government responsibility or do I have my facts wrong?

How long do work in the saunas? There are a few guys still working at Lagoa who I met on my first visit to São Paulo in 2005.

I forgot to mention one of the joys of Bangkok, Le Normandie restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental. My favourite restaurant in the whole world and a reason in itself for returning to Bangkok. Very expensive but you only live once!

I’m sorry but Screw Boys has very, very little to offer.

Happy New Year from Bangkok! This is about my twelfth visit to Bangkok since 2000 and the first in about five years. I love the city, the culture and its people and will return again. However there is no denying the gay scene has changed. Last night I paid my third visit on this trip to Tawan Bar, the famous muscle bar. This used to be my favourite bar however on each visit this time it can only be described as tragic. A fraction of the boys compared to past years and those on offer were older, fat, heavily tattooed. Anyone walking in not knowing what to expect would have assumed it was a chubby chasers bar. There were plenty of customers but seriously lacking boys. How I remember this place on my visit in 2000 and subsequent years. Other famous bars such as Dream Boys are also in serious decline. All in all a pity and remember this is peak season. However I am staying in s beautiful hotel with a lagoon like pool everyone is nice and Bangkok and it’s people will always make it worth returning.

Wonderful news. I have fond memories of Fragata over the years. I am in São Paulo in March and look forward to a return visit to Fragata.

I have never been to Singapore but it has always been on my wish list. Can anyone give candid advice on massage venues where a happy ending is expected? The Singapore based websites I find useless for candid information because of censorship restrictions. Information based on actual experience appreciated.

I have stayed at the Tarntawan a number of times in the early 2000’s but these days I believe it is dreadful. I have read appalling recent reviews.

One reason I like the Brazilian saunas is that you have naughtiness on the premises with the minimum possibility of drama. I have had a couple of “misunderstandings “ over money in the saunas and only one nasty experience. People who take these boys back home are braver than me.

You have my total sympathy. It happened to me 13 years ago and it was an experience not easily forgotten.

I contributed to a recent thread “be careful down here” when I recounted a mugging in Rio. One reply gave me a big yawn with the “it can happen anywhere “ line. I wonder if he would argue that the horrific episode in this news report “could happen anywhere”.

As they say in the classics the truth is stranger than fiction.

Not a tattoo in sight. How rare. Blessed relief!

The other driving force behind the Gay Travel Brazil website was Drey. Does anyone know what happened to him? He was very helpful in answering questions and raising issues for discussion.

I know remember this was13 years ago.

Interestingly my mugging occurred walking from Rogers to my hotel.

The not so new Planet Romeo website is a shocker. My favourite London escort tells me he has a vastly reduced number of new clients through the new site and has forced him to advertise on other websites such as Rentman and Sleepy Boy.

I have told my story on a few websites including Gay Travel Brazil and the TripAdvisor forum some years ago. My single motivation has been to try to ensure it does not happen to anyone else. Some of the responses on the TripAdvisor website were positively bizarre. These ranged from the proverbial “it can happen anywhere “ to people who accused me of being an out and out liar. In this internet age internet trolls are a fact of life and should be ignored. Forums such as this can be an invaluable source of information for serious and intelligent people .

I can only repeat that I was a victim of a mugging, am 190cm tall and of a large build. There were 3 of them armed and one of me unarmed.

On my first trip to Rio in 2005 I walking along Av Atlantica almost in front of the Copacabana Palace at about 6:45pm and not yet fully dark. Out of nowhere came 3 thugs who dragged me between cars parked at right angles to the kerb. One neatly placed a semi circular knife around my throat while the other 2 went through my jeans pockets. I had a large number of small denomination notes in my jeans pockets which they took but I had a larger amount in my shirt pocket which I saved. During this ordeal I was literally screaming for help. Literally only metres away there was a group of locals standing like stuffed dummies staring not to mention numerous passers by. The 3 thugs finally left and a man came to my aid. He saw me from a distance between the cars and realised what had happened. He was an American who lived in Rio and told me he had been mugged 3 times in the preceding months the last time by an assailant carrying a gun. I pointed to the group of locals who continued to stand and stare and his exact words to me were “sir they won’t help, they won’t help.” This was nearly 13 years ago and I have been back to Brazil 8 times older and wiser. There are a few lessons to be learnt from my experience. Don’t think your safe because an area is “busy.” Nowhere could be busier than the scene of my assault. Don’t think your safe because you are large. I am 190cm and of large build. For readers of the old Gay Travel Brazil website let me apologise for repeating a story I told a number of times order to prevent my experience happening to anyone else. These thugs were viscous looking, ruthless and I suspect capable of anything. Rio has a long standing crime problem.