ShivRoy

The place not mentioned often on this forum - but I've come back recently from two weeks in Buenos Aires. I want to come back already. I had a blast. This is my fourth time in Argentina, but my last visit was 9 or 10 years ago. I'd been to all the best places of this amazing country before, so this time I wanted just to have a chill city vacation in Buenos Aires, a city that I always considered one of the best in the world, and certainly the best in Latin America (for me). It's very different from the rest of Latin America, certainly different from Brazil. It does not feel Latin American, it feels more like a ramshackle Mediterranean European city instead - like Marseille or Genoa. It has that European cultured vibe, museums, theaters, leafy streets, public spaces, simply excellent food, and a great bar scene. It does not have that fire of Brazilian parties, no - it's more reserved and not that in-your-face fun, it's like a more refined sister of a loud brash half-drunk brother across the border. To put everything in the proper context from the very start: it is cheap. It is ridiculously cheap. It's cheaper than Cambodia. The economy went down the drain long ago, but the election of Milei propelled the inflation even further up. The local currency (black market rate) lost 20% just in the first three weeks of January. When I look up restaurants on Google Maps and see their menus photographed in November, I know that I need to double the prices for end-January (in pesos). Prices from a year ago do not mean anything, that was a different universe. I'm reading that just before covid, the taxi from the airport was 68 pesos, it is now 37,000 pesos (or 18,000 pesos on Uber) - you get the range. The wine is excellent - I was buying mine from a Chinese car service round the corner. They likely got the wine in stock in December before holidays and forgot to change prices - so I was buying wine from them in end-January for a price not seen anywhere else - $9 for a bottle with a Vivino rating 4.5 (normal malbecs are at around $2 per bottle). In an expensive Michelin restaurant, a huge 400g ribeye steak (dare I say the best steak in the world) and three negronis I accompanied it with rang me a bill of $20 total. In non-Michelin restaurants, steaks are between $5 and $8. In one of the top bars in the city mentioned in all sorts of awards and ratings, the happy hour sees two classic cocktails (I drink Negroni, but others may choose something else) for $3 (i.e. $1.50 each). Argentinian guys are not as defined or perfect as Brazilians - I'm a sucker for pectorals and abdominals, so I needed to dig hard. But thanks god for Venezuelans - they are plentiful in Buenos Aires, and they were more than half the guys I hired. Huge shout and huge thanks to @Latbear4blk who gave some incredibly useful advice on this forum. I was using local websites Soytuyo, Leonos, ArgentinaMasajes and Skokka to arrange all dates. The #1 piece of advice from @Latbear4blk was to check those profiles against the reviews on a local forum ForoPirata - that forum is gold, and I managed to save myself a lot of time (and trouble) by discarding quite a number of profiles who looked excellent on websites but got scathing reviews from previous customers on ForoPirata. If only such resources were available in other countries... I usually got two guys per day - one for "massage" and one for full sex. ArgentinaMasajes is an excellent resource, and I was very upfront with masseurs asking them direct questions on Whatsapp about what's possible on their side and what's not. Some were more modest and I wished them luck. Others entertained handjobs or fetishes, more daring ones were fine with BJs and cumming in my mouth, and the best allowed full-on sex. Mostly, I visited them in their places (after checking against references). This worked really well. Some, I invited to my place - and BA is a city where you can get excellent AirBnbs - mine was with a sweeping view from the 21st-floor balcony over the city, a rooftop gym on the 31st floor with panoramic windows, a swimming pool and a sundeck, and security that was ambivalent to visitors (the security guy just on one occasion recorded an ID of one of my guests who looked especially brutal, but on other occasions I met my guests downstairs at the security fence and then escorted them out afterwards bidding farewell without even talking to security- in most BA apartment blocks a guest would not be able to leave the building by himself without you escorting him out). "Massages" and other visits with full sex were all in $15-25 range, some slipping to $30, but never higher. (I got a local SIM card and conversed in Spanish over Whatsapp from a local number to make sure I'm not quoted crazy prices). One of my regulars was a well-known porn star - he's one of that Onlyfans cluster of Argentinian porn stars who have individual accounts and cross-pollinate bareback between each other with endless collabs. Well, I knew his name before, and his vids are everywhere (I'll omit the name). He was coming to my place for great sex for $25 ($20 rate + $5 Uber fare) and even spoke some English. I love Argentina. But as I said, it was mostly Venezuelans. If not for them, my picture would have not been this bright, but Venezuelans are muscular, defined, tattooed, insatiable, with a beautiful face and lots of kinky thoughts (and actions). One of the Venezuelans, I was coming to him every several days in the morning for a "massage" with some kinks and fetishes, and every time while I waited for him to come downstairs and open me the door, I saw the same beautiful girl coming out with two dogs, and one of them was usually immediately having a piss in front of me. When I saw her a second time, I thought it's such a coincidence, I'm at a different time than before but her dog-walking schedule matched. When I saw her again next time for the third time, it finally clicked for me that this was a GF of my "masseur" and their two dogs - she had to leave the apartment to walk the dogs for an hour so her guy would do various things with me disguised as a massage. Next time I saw her, I almost said hi. The guy was usually coming to let me in a minute after her leaving. With all that, I didn't go to any saunas - and as far as I know, there are no Brazil-style GP saunas anyway, they are normal non-escort saunas. I went once to Cine Ideal, an old grand cinema showing gay porn now in huge cinema halls with balconies - the entrance was something like $1 or $2, the cinema halls were pitch dark, and I probably could find someone and something there, but I saw little upside if I can have a $15-20 Venezuelan in proper comfort and lighting elsewhere. A couple of blocks from the cinema, there is another curious establishment - called MasajeClub. It's a business of massage coupled with a red wine bar. Apparently it's popular with locals at lunchtime and after work - the downside is that you can't select a masseur, he's assigned to you. The masseurs are your guys next door, not model-like, but they can go a looong way during the massage. The official line of this club is that you pay for massage ($4.50 one hour) and then whatever happens in the room is up to a masseur and you. There's nothing that the masseur is obliged to perform apart from the massage, but it usually involved sucking and even in some cases fucking. There are no minimum tips, so it is up to you if you want to leave anything to your masseur on top of $4.50. For something like $15 they have what they call a "circuit" - that's a 4-stage massage where four masseurs (again you can't pick) come to your room one after another to perform something like 20-25 min of massage - that may end up in four waves of different cum-shooting experiences. One or two of the four would usually not be averse to fucking. After that, they give you a glass of malbec. I've also been to the stripper bars. I remember there had been quite a few in my past visits, now only one remains, and it stages nightly shows rotating through three different locations in the city depending on the day of the week. Usually, it's three hunky straight strippers (usually coming in a bundle "one stunning, one ok, and one ugly") doing two routines - first stripping to a flaccid cock, and then the second one with a hardon. Then they come to the audience, and for a modest tip you can grab and fondle a hardon. I saw people leaving tips accounting for $0.1 or $0.2, so when I tipped $0.8, that gave me a really good grip of the cock and then a strong hug from a naked hard hunk and then a big thank you and usually a return trip from him to me for another $0.8. Big whisky cola is $2, beer is pretty much spare change. The show lasts for an hour and starts at 01:30. And then there are normal bars and clubs - again this is not the Brazilian level of eye candy, but it is still sexy in its own way. I really want to come back, this is such an underrated city to visit.

Well, I'm not fixated on the size per se - unlike Salvador that is a very black city, the ones in Nordeste are definitely lighter, but not as much as SP or Porto Alegre. In Fortaleza, there was one indigenous guy from the hinterlands in Amazonas who was simply outstanding. I'd say it's a healthy mix of various types there. I really liked festivals in Sao Luis - I was at the June one and it was almost Carnival-like. It's a city thriving on music, so I came back a couple of times.

Well, there are very few foreigners in that region, almost none that I've seen (Argentinians/Colombians aside). It was edgy as in every big Brazilian city, but usual precautions apply. Rio, Salvador, Fortaleza are all quite dangerous - but foreign tourists still go there and happily survive to tell the tale!

Fortaleza is infamous for being the most dangerous city in Brazil - the murder rate is so high that if you live your life there the chance of you being murdered at some point is 1 in 27. Still, great great beaches - both in the city proper (Praia do Futuro) and a couple of hours drive away (Canoa Quebrada - one of the most beautiful beaches in the world that I've ever seen). Recife in turn is infamous for its sharks. When they built a new city port a couple of decades ago, they messed up the biosystem in the ocean. Suddenly sharks infested the waters immediately to the south from the port - that's where the beautiful Boa Viagem beach is. The death/injury count became so high that all along many miles of the long Boa Viagem Beach there are signs "sharks - do not bathe in the sea", and locals really do not enter the ocean - the latest shark fatality was a woman who was standing just knee deep in the water. There are only two areas where locals swim - they are sheltered by a stone reef close to the shore - and only at low tide.

I was Friday, Saturday, Sunday at Boa Vista and there were many GPs on all three days, with Friday possibly the busiest - was it because of bingo? I remember Boa Vista before the pandemic - and GPs were fewer in between than they seemed now when I visited. The corridor leading to the maze is where they line up like at the 117 corridor in Rio. I've been to Recife maybe 4 times before, and that's why this time I was surprised - I didn't expect more than four or five garotos, and there were easily around 20 of them. At California, I think it's the management that encourages GPs to go naked on Thu - they brand Thursday the "dark nude night" - but I think they are rather reluctant to go full nude all the time, but some of the regular GPs wrap their towel around the dick rather than around the hips and walk around that way - something they don't do on any other days

I feel I need to do a short write-up of my experiences in the Northeast - I left some bits and pieces in comments elsewhere in various topics, but let it be a standalone post. I really really like Nordeste - guys are more down-to-earth and they care more about you, there is more chemistry and less rush, it's cheaper, it's sunnier. The choice is not as wide as in Rio or SP (even though I have doubts about SP after my two recent trips, but I digress) - but it takes one/two/three guys to make your night, and even if it's four great GPs and not 20, you'd still match the necessary numbers so to say. Fortaleza. I visited a few times before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and as recently as earlier this month. The sauna to go is still California. It's not as bursting with excellent garotos as 7 years ago, but it's still quite busy. Over my week in Fortaleza this January, I found out that no day is totally dead. Best days are Thursday and Sunday. Thursday is when all GPs are naked or with a towek wrapped around their dick, plus there's a stripper. The stripper has two outings a night - first a regular strip, but he goes from the stage to the audience to interact - in my case, he sniffed and licked my neck pressing his body into me. The second outing afterwards is with his dick hard - and then he goes to the audience in a similar fashion so you can defo touch. No extra tips that I've seen. Friday at California is a curious night of the "Wheel of Fortune" where there are three client winners spinning the wheel to get a prize (like a free entrance, or a free suite). On a Friday I visited, an older gentleman won the prize I really really wanted to witness somebody winning: two meet skewers from the kitchen. He could choose chicken or pork. Somebody needs to make a movie out of this. Suites are excellent at 30 reais - but on any given night only a maximum of two out of four are operational. There also free cabins, like in Barcelona's Thermas and people use them a lot (GPs flip a mattress and wipe the surface with an antiseptic). Condoms are free and plenty available. Guys are of varied shapes - there are quite a few of those who let's say are not frequent gym visitors, there are twinks, there are bigger muscular guys, and there are a couple of stunning guys with hard lithe bodies like at 117 or better - they are obviously straight, and even though one of them told me he is, quote, 99% top, he and all others did bottom for me. Fucking very straight muscular guys is still a pleasure for a bottom guy like me. TThe universal rate in Fortaleza, as elsewhere in Nordeste, does not depend on whether the GPs are out of shape or stunning muscular - it's always 100. Even if some tried to say 150 seeing me as the only foreigner in the sauna (in all three mentioned cities), all immediately and easily came down to 100 when I mentioned I know the universal rate. Some of course earned extra. Dragon sauna is the best in Brazil in terms of facilities, but it is empty with GPs, even during their big events. There are a couple of them at best, and they are quite jaded ones - it's better head to California. I really don't understand why it's not happening with Dragon - I can only assume it's high entry fees for garotos, as in terms of facilities there's no even comparison between Dragon and California, but all GPs and their clients are still at California. There are more cruising bars, like the ones that opened in Rio - Rommeo, Eden, or others - but they are very non-GP ones. I've been to Eden on the night they advertised a live sex show with a visiting porn star, and the vibe was very non-GP - lots of people, incl some young ones, but none appeared to be rentable. Other than that, Fortaleza has quite a quirky underground non-sex LGBT scene - Berlin-style techno parties at The Lights on Fridays and Saturdays, and samba at Teresa e Jorge bar where there's quite some gay presence. Recife. That was a major surprise. I visited this month for the first time in a few years - I think I did one trip early into the pandemic, but not after that. I remembered there were two saunas - Boa Vista and Blue Thermas - which were normal saunas but with some GP presence. On a visit this month, I was pleasantly surprised by Boa Vista - so much I spent all my three nights there without even visiting Blue Thermas. Boa Vista is the main sauna where quite a few non-hiring Recife guys go, some of them are simply stunning but not GPs for some incredulous reason. However, there is quite a substantial presence of GPs in the sauna, and I had multiple romps. Same as Fortaleza, the universal rate is 100, suites are at 30. On all nights I had their best suite which was itemized in my bill as "presidential suite" - it was 40. There is a maze, there are free cabins, there are open showers, it's actually quite a modern clean and very busy sauna where GPs are a fixture but not the main element. Still, you can have lots of fun. I had incredible experiences there, including with a guy who had great muscles and a great smile but was really nervous throughout but very attentive to my needs - when we showered (and the presidential suite has a large shower cabin with two shower heads so you can shower together with a guy and may continue to romp there) he told me he came from a rural inner state area and this was his first ever visit to the sauna and I was his first ever client. As he was visiting from the village, he was planning to stay the night in the sauna - it's open all night and serves free breakfast at 6am to those who are still there. Boa Vista also has a separate hall open on weekends which is pretty much a nightclub dance floor - with distinct 1990s high school prom vibes, but lots of local towel-clad patrons dance there which I think is really cute in its strange way and not something I've seen elsewhere in Brazil in saunas. So actually Recife was a blast. There is an interesting gay quarter 5 mins drive from Boa Vista with a proper night club and a few funky gay bars - I stayed outside on the street with a caipirinha and just observed the crowd. Really good. Sao Luis. I will mention Sao Luis as I don't think there were any reviews, and I've been possibly three times there, though not since 2021 or 2022, I think. They have a very decent GP sauna called Go.61, or it's called Sauna Go on some of their socials. It's sort of California style, very similar to what Fortaleza has, but with an added bonus of a swimming pool. There are similarly cheap suites and drinks, as well as plenty of free cabins on the upper floor. When I visited, I met really cool guys - again 100 was the usual rate. The best days are Thursday and Sunday. Sometimes they have performances, or bingo - at other times it's usual karaoke or just simple fucking, no complaints. Sao Luis is a really good city. On Friday nights, the whole historic center (where the sauna is, btw) turns into one big street party. They also have a week of June fiestas which is pretty much a carnival in June. An hour long public boat ride away with a severely drunk boat captain brings you to the island of Alcantara which is a ruined colonial city lost in time and space - a great day out. That all pretty much sums up why I liked to come back to Nordeste all recent years - and sometimes (but not always) it's an even more satisfying experience that the meat conveyor belt of 117/202/Lagoa in Rio and SP. Long story short, there is life on other planets in Brazil.

Alcantara is really really great. Like a trip to another world. I was at their June fest in Sao Luis once - plenty of events and parties, it's like a Carnival in June. And the best day to be out on the streets is Friday - the whole historic center turns into a party with live music, crowds, food, drinks etc. - like Lapa on steroids. When I came to Sao Luis for the first time, it was on a Friday, and my first night was just this awesome, and I thought: is this Brazil's hidden secret and an incredible place nobody knows? Then, next day on Saturday I came there again - and it was obviously totally dead. I was told then, it's Friday only, but every Friday

Yeah, I need to write about Recife too - I was pleasantly surprised at the saunas last week. Lencois Maranhenses are soooo beautiful - but they are very much season-depending. You need to visit between July and October after the rainy season. I went in November I believe - and lakes were already very much waning. I caught the beauty of this, but not that majestic view we all know - sorta semi-majestic lol. I was told, by December no lakes would remain.

And it was actually not bad at all - I visited in 2018, 2019 and 2020, but I looked at their Instagram and other socials now, seems like nothing changed and they are going strong. The name is Go.61 - some socials have it as Sauna Go - it's in the historic center. Similar to Fortaleza, the strongest nights are Thursday and Sunday. They had shows, caipirinhas for some spare change, free cabins, nice suites, swimming pool and even bingo where all guys come to the promise of some money. (I actually won at bingo and gave my winning slip to the garoto I was spending the night with at the sauna - he was over the moon).

I'm thinking about hitting Buenos Aires later this month. I've been three times before, however it's been a while since my last visit. I've done a search of all BA topics here going back to well before covid - many thanks to those who shared tips, that's helpful. My question is on accommodations. I will aim to stay in Recoleta, Alto Palermo, or Palermo Soho. There are plenty of Airbnbs available - what's the advice with regard to security? Is it safe to bring a guy back? If a building has security/concierge, would they be an obstacle to bringing a guest, or vice versa a help if a visitor can leave their ID card with them? I had a really nice experience on that in Medellin, for instance, where I stayed a couple of times in an Airbnb in Laureles and security guards were checking IDs of all my visitors while not complaining why I have two different visitors a day, every day. It also gave quite a feeling of security. Are things in Buenos Aires similar? In short, I'd be super-grateful for any advice of possibly tried and trusted apartments to stay (or hotels?). Thanks a lot!

Yeah, I thought about TAP when I wrote it, but as Marc said they are only just decent - and Lisbon is difficult to connect from elsewhere in Europe. I try not to fly TAP, with all their delays and missed connections. Plus, I'm usually on Skyteam so AF works better for me. However, TAP indeed is a good option to fly to NE Brazil - but one should allow ample time in LIS for connections as TAP flights are routinely late by at least an hour.

There is a place one block off Pub St called Home Cocktail - it's sort of an unofficial gay dining lounge (or rather, canteen:) Later in the evening you would spot gay tables - either couples or even gay groups, and some discreet cruising may happen too. They have an OK local food and incredible drink prices (which is why it's popular with local guys) - beer is 50 cent, and any cocktail (like Margarita) is $1.50. Don't remember whether G&T is a dollar, or $1.50 too.

very well described, Scott. Two small things 1) at Taurus while the interactivo action starts downstairs on a platform they put near the bar where the interactivo guys indeed stand while others sucking/rimming/fondling/touching them, quite soon afterwards the action and the crowd moves upstairs to this giant fuckodrome they have in the well-lit upstairs room leading to darkrooms - that fuckodrome is essentially a huge rectangular mattress/couch taking pretty much the whole room - in that respect Taurus is a tad different 2) agree on a general level of interactivo casts - still, once or twice a week one of the bars would have a goldfish of another level, and that's the night(s) worth attendng. On a regular night, that would be a bulk order of more ordinary guys - however hey, 45 reais cover plus a free caipirinha, and then a free orgy - even if I don't want to partake, that's a valid way to, say, spend an hour (but I tend to go to those nights only where there is that goldfish talent).

OK - good to know. To me, it looks like the font size everybody else's posts appear on the screen - sorry about that. Your font does look a bit larger though)

Lol defo yes to the guy on the left. Not so much with regard to the guys on the right, as fucking stone may lead to very traumatic injuries

Hi, I spent two weeks in SR this past September. It's a bit more mellow than I remember it from pre-covid - a significant majority of my previous favourite places have not survived the pandemic. Barcode is the only happening bar - the waiters/bartenders are game, but I suppose not immediately offable Thai style. They could be available after the bar closes, or any following day through the whatsapp contact. There is another bar, called Look at Me, but its location is a bit off and it's most often empty than not. There is another bar called Rendesvouz one block from Pub Street, but it's a rip-off tourist trap place, local guys do not go there. The Hatha Khmer "massage" place did not survive covid - there's still a branch in Phnom Penh but not in SR. There is another "massage" place just beyond the night market behind the cinema - every time I dropped by over my two weeks, it was sad and empty. So no more "massage" places in SR - however in many shops around town HJs are discreetly offered as extras for extra tips. Sanmai advertises as a gay massage place - I've been once, the massage was bad, extras were nothing to write home about. I looked at their social media, there is one very cute masseur there, but I haven't seen him once over two weeks in the shop, and other guys are not my type. All Sanmai masseurs are on Grindr, so they can come to your place and it should be cheaper than to go to Sanmai. Grindr is the app to use - there are plenty of freelancing MBs there, some are straight some are gay. There are some free sex options too there. Some masseurs from "normal" massage shops are also on Grindr, so you can agree on everything and then just come to the shop and ask for a specific masseur. Men's Resort is the place I stayed - simply excellent value for money, especially if booked direct. They also have the biggest/best gay sauna in SR on premises (free for guests, $5 for non-guests) - best days (and only days to go) are Friday through Sunday, it's empty the rest of the week. I was actually surprised how busy with local gay guys it is. When I came downstairs to the pool, it didn't seem that busy, but then when you enter that dark sauna maze you suddenly understand everyone is there out of sight. I had great free sex experiences with young local muscle guys there - and I'm not the type that would usually expect free sex with that level of men, but the lust for older men is apparently real, they even came first before me usually, and then we discreetly part ways in the maze - the key for them is that nobody sees them (one hunk in late 20's was actually cheating with me on his local young bf who was lounging at the pool). That was very unexpected, to put it mildly - and made up for the lack of other options that didn't survive covid.

that's all very true - however I keep reminding myself it always takes just one guy in the sauna to be happy (or, if you are in the mood, three guys - and this is where Fortaleza/Recife/Sao Luis may fall behind) with regard to the flights - for those of us in Europe, Air France has direct flights between Paris and Fortaleza, it's just an 8-hr flight, and there's no need to go first all the way down south to SP or Rio, and then all the way up north to NE. And Air France's Fortaleza flights schedules are quite good - almost doable as a long weekend from Europe)

Tom's Bar has strippers on a bar every half hour for 10 mins since 22:00 I think. On busy weekend nights, two strippers on both bars every half hour (downstairs and upstairs). They do total nudity with their dicks hard, and for a dollar (20 pesos) you have all the touching rights you dare. I've seen strippers staying past their set with clients - that means they are game. Most popular strippers will pour some sweet moonshine (they call it tequila but it's not) down their hard dicks, so you can drink alcohol straight from the tap (i.e. their hard dick). If you arrive before 23:00, the entry ticket gives you coupons for five beers which is plenty to last you the night (if you don't drink beer, it's two shots instead of five beers). This strip galore lasts past 2am. There is a dark room too - along with a thousand reviews how people lost their phones and wallets there. There's a coat check though at the entrance where you can leave all valuables. The dark room doubles up as a toilet which is a pretty kinky combination.

And i believe that's exactly what some people are doing now (I know of friends of friends who were in Rio for the NY Eve - and this is exactly what they were doing). Totally different costs though, I believe. The sigh is about the fact those A-list quality guys were in the saunas maybe as late as 2019. Some interactivo guys are not up there, that's true - that's why those bars have them in a bulk order for certain nights. But there are some that are really great, and they are not doing the saunas. When I look at the line-ups for those bars for the week ahead, there are usually about two nights across all of them that stand out because of good cast - but that's obviously not a given on your regular night.

lol, in the sauna "sexy" usually means "has some money". There may be quite some reason in what you are saying - but local patrons (and I was the only foreigner in the sauna over any of the past 4 nights) were also hiring very actively. For a couple of hours, there was a constant line for suites 2-3-deep (on Monday!) - California has 4 suite rooms, but if I understand correctly, a maximum of two are operational on any given night (sometimes one) - so I saw those who didn't want to wait going to the Thermas-style free cabins in the back. Over the weekend, I met this great darker indigenous guy with amazing physique (his name was complicated, so can't recall it now) - and he's in such demand that one needs to grab him if he passes by. I couldn't grab him last night on Monday as he was constantly with clients in suites and in cabins - he surely had no fewer than three clients last night, maybe four (and showed me his tongue laughing while rushing to another programa) - so all in all, California was busy without me on Monday, which was a major surprise. And it's such a contrast with Rio or SP - the guys are warmer, they generally care about you very much, and the universal going rate, including any "stars" is 100. Adding to that that the entrance is 30, suites are 20 I think (plus free cabins), caipirinhas are like 8 reais or something, large 600ml beers are at 11 - so the night at California in Fortaleza will be less than half price of any night in Rio or SP saunas. (Same goes to Recife or Sao Luis where they actually have quite an agreeable, busy and sexy GP sauna that I really liked in my two visits to Sao Luis which is actually a lively city). As the topic is the scene in Fortaleza - another really interesting tidbit. If you care about the beach, the city's excellent Praia do Futuro beach has a great beach club, Orbita Blue. It's such a stark contrast with any Rio barracas - it's actually a beach club, with proper chez lounges, Western lounge music from quality speakers all around, Hawaii-style wooden bar in the middle, lots of security, great attractive staff. As a result, this is a beach club to go to for the local young Instagram crowd in their 20s and 30s. It is sorta upscale by Fortaleza standards, but still dirt cheap (the cover is 10 reals including chez lounges, umbrellas and full service, coconuts are 6 reais). It has quite a gay presence, but it's not a gay/mixed club, rather very open and gay-friendly. It has several freelance drink stands on the side that serve caipirinhas to the crowd - one of them, from what I could tell, is run by an older woman called Roberta who sort of organized a co-operative of local gay favela boys - they have bright rainbow T-shirts and run across the beach club offering caipirinhas. When I was there in September, this operation was super-gay, it was more mixed this time around, but rainbow shirts and some gay favela guys still there. One of them is quite something - and a star. He's what you would call a flaming fem twink and he's the only one who does not wear a rainbow T-shirt - because he comes to his work on the beach with a full wardrobe of trendy women's beach clothes - in a true Beyonce fashion, he does 4 or 5 outfit changes throughout the day: bright dresses, skirts, pareos, bras, women's bodysuits, the combination of any above. I saw him earlier today and he had 3 outfit changes in the first hour I was there. If you order a caipirinha he may twerk into your face, or let you slap his butt, he's putting quite a performance running around and is the spearhead of that gay favela operation. He's truly loved by the crowd and very popular - this time he grew mustache and goatee, dyed them blond, kept his hair dark - and this mustachioed flaming queen of the beach in all his dresses and bras is one of the highlights of the Fortaleza scene lol

You need to ask - but my experience they most likely will give you their whatsapp and you can take it from there one-on-one next day or whenever. They still solicit offline clients very much (possibly for a higher fee) - but think that being seen in saunas is sorta below their status now. That said, in the past year, both in Rio and in SP saunas I've been repeatedly quoted 300-350 for a sauna programa by the guys who understood they are clearly above the rest in the sauna looks-wise - I never took those offers, plenty fish in the sea, but I did see others (mainly foreign tourists) taking them, so good for the guys as their approach paid off, not so good for the rest of us. That may give you a hint that the OF guys from those bars may quote you much different rates for private meetings than the sauna rates you may have got used to.

Taurus is leading the field - curiously for Brazil, they abandoned their IG, the main social network here (possibly after getting banned?), and do all the announcements on Twitter. They've recently started posting raunchy 5-10 sec video clips of every Onlyfans model that would come later that night. The interactivos start at 9pm if I remember correctly (or was it 10pm?), and then repeat again a couple of hours later into the night. Seven Bar in Centro is also organizing them several times a week, as does the new Cruising Parada 21 Bar in Centro. There are others that I didn't go to as they were further away - one is near Maracana, one in Niteroi, etc. There was another one in Botafogo, but I sort of never heard of them again in the past year. The Onlyfans models sometimes migrate from a venue to a venue, so just see the line-up for the day - Taurus and others usually publish line-ups a couple of days in advance, Taurus on Twitter, all others on IG (Seven is on Twitter too if that's more convenient). Sometimes it's good to sign up to those OF models on their IG or especially on X-rated Twitter as that's where they announce where they will be (which sometimes leads to new venues that just opened). I've seen quite a few of those OF models in Rio saunas still, say, 18-24 months ago - but the A-list is totally gone from saunas, whereas B-list and C-list can still pop down for an occasional sauna night, but those cruising bars (which are 100% local clientele - and not the one that go to 117/202) are where they could be found more frequently

First of all, thanks to everyone on this forum. I've been reading it for years - could it be 15? - or definitely before my first ever trip to Brazil, which was three lifetimes ago. It provided me with a lot of info and a bit of a chuckle - and I'm sorry I was on silent all that time. I almost registered when all non-members were kicked out a couple of years back, but then the gods above were merciful to allow us back for a part of it, and my laziness prevailed. Did I say again I'm sorry? - I am. It's been a hell of a time to see Brazil (and other parts of the world) changing, the same way I was changing too: I came to Rio for the first time 14-15 years ago, totally hated it (the real to USD at 1.6 at that time didn't help), then came back a couple of years later, then there was one whole winter I spent in Brazil traveling to every corner of it (locally, it was summer of course) - and the rest is history. I traveled especially often in the past 4 years throughout the pandemic - it was pretty much one of the only two countries always open (along with Mexico - but I prefer Brazil), and then there were incredibly cheap tickets, initially in 2020-2021 basically free, then just very cheap (that loophole has recently closed, but stayed open for the incredible three years). I was traveling around the world throughout the pandemic pretty much as I usually do, so it passed me by (and by some kinky luck, covid passed me too - never had it) - and I think I was back in Brazil as early as Sep 2020 I think, and then visited about twice a year. So that historic context aside (and again - thanks to everyone) - several observations on this trip. This year, I'm on a sabbatical, so traveled a bit more than usual - I think I've been to Rio four times in 2023. Good memories - first time Carnival, first time the New Year's Eve a week ago. Amazing. Brazil - and saunas - are defo different not only from what it was 10-15 years ago, but from pre-covid too. I still enjoy 117 and 202 very much - but as some others on this forum, I wonder how long they will last. It's not that apps are killing them - Onlyfans are doing that. The standard of the guys in 117 and 202 has visibly dipped - I'm still satisfied very much every evening I go there, but the standard of the guys there say in 2010s is no longer there - they are doing Onlyfans, or Rhyheim's porn, or it's easier to travel to Europe to make better money there than it was 10-15 yrs ago. A case in point, a guy I know, Henry - he started doing Onlyfans with some good success about two years ago but he was still in saunas maybe 2-3 nights a week. He's a stunner, his Onlyfans is successful, I saw him at the Rio gay pride in November as a part of the model entertainers crowd, but he's not in the saunas anymore. The best guys in 117/202 are now those who fly in from the provinces for a couple of weeks to make money - like Walton from Fortaleza, he's another stunner, and he does some stints in Rio for two-three weeks - I just saw him yesterday in Fortaleza, and he's flying back to Rio again on Weds. I also started to really really like Point. 202 seems such a warmer, more humane, better organised sauna (and aircon in suites works all the time, unlike in 117). I really like the vibe, the atmosphere, that warm feeling of a crowd near the bar - and moreover, there are some absolute gems of a guy who go to 202 only, and never to 117. I guess, Junior scouts them somehow, and even though a lot of the guys work both saunas, some 202-exclusive guys are marvels. One of my favourites in the past several visits is David (or the correct spelling he put into my phone contacts, Deyved) - just a stunning guy with an incredible smile and an incredible chemistry. He comes only to 202, and only a couple of nights a week at most, but he's one of my highlights. Stunning body, stunning technique and the attention to your needs - for a straight guy - he's also never hiked his fee to 200 as everybody else by the end of 2023 in Rio and stays at 150 (still gets more from me). He saw me at the reception when I came to 202 for the first time on this trip, hugged me, kissed me, and then said "don't come with me now, I will be for longer today, hire me towards the end of the night, and I will give you the biggest cumshot possible". And he did. With all that said, 202 is losing ground against 117 - or at least that's my impression over the past couple of years. 202 is back to their two big nights - Monday and Wednesday - but lost all other days. I still remember fabulous Fridays at Point - that was their good night too - but then two or even three times I came to Point on a Friday, and it was totally dead, like Elvis dead. Then, next Friday I came to 117 - and everyone was there, and the house was buzzing. At 117, even slow nights are acceptable, but at 202 if it's dead it's no shit dead. 117 attempted to hijack Wednesdays - it hasn't worked so far. So 202 has still solid Mondays and Wednesdays, but the rest of the week it's 117 - even though I'd have preferred it differently. Even this past week between Xmas and NY, 117 was insanely busy, on some nights the line was to the street (never seen that before), whereas 202's Mons and Weds were good and busy but not over the top busy as 117 was all that week. (Still, last Weds I was #17 in the line for the suites at Point at 8pm - so it was still a good night - however, several boys told me it had been busier before and not anymore). So why this is happening, I don't know - as I'd like 202 to thrive, as I just like them, but it's not terribly easy for them it seems. (Interesting that from next Sunday they will be open on Suns too - I'd be keen to know if they are able to break the 117's Sunday monopoly). Meio Mundo - where do I start. Unlike many posters on the forum, I actually quite liked Meio Mundo back in the day. It has this no-nonsense down-to-earth vibe that was a welcome occasional break from the 117 Men's Health posturing. Yes, it was dirty, but it was kinky dirty. During the pandemic at its new location, Meio Mundo started to drift from its previous "favela sauna" concept to the "drag queen theatre night" concept - that's where it lost the boys, and clients. Still, several of my experiences at Meio Mundo were golden. I think it was two years ago during the pandemic when I came to Meio Mundo because they were the first to start live sex shows in Rio (inbetween the long drag queen sets). It is there where I met Lucas - he was 18 at that time, stunning, with an 8-pack and a shy smile - the definition of a lanky twink top. A friend of his, a typical Meio Mundo favela-style garoto. brought Lucas with him - it was his first time in the sauna. Lucas was so obviously head and shoulders above everybody there that the Meio Mundo owner immediately brought him a free caipirinha and started to fawn over him - the guy was gold. I offered him a programa straight away, and Lucas was initially timid, still with a caipirinha in the suite, not sure what and how to do - sex was great. I was his first ever client, and I think he's likely straight, he's sort of a fixture at 117 now, and we hooked up last week, two years later, for the first time since that forst meeting - Lucas remembered our first sex, I laughed "well, you looked very different from other Meio Mundo garotos on that day", he laughed even harder saying "no doubt about that". He doesn't go to Meio Mundo anymore, and I didn't visit on any of my trips this year - their IG is all full of drag queens, no more live sex shows. But now to live sex shows. The biggest change I've seen in Rio throughout the pandemic is the explosion of Berlin-style cruising bars. Taurus Bar is just 5 min walk from 117 and is most resourceful of them all. Then there is Seven Bar, the new Cruising Parada bar, something else in Centro, something else in Botafogo, etc. They are mostly non-GP cruising bars, but what they do is they usually haul a bunch of Onlyfans models (2 on a rainy day, 5 on a good day, I've been to a night with 8 guest Onlyfans models) - they are billed as the "interactive sex show" but pretty much 15 sec after it starts it becomes very interactive, and Onlyfans models have sex with all who paid 35 or 40 or whatever reais as cover - it's a free-for-all 40-50 person orgy with a bunch of Onlyfans models in the middle (that's how Taurus Bar does it, and I see it as a valid investment of my 35-40 reais). These are still very local-geared places, and the vibe is VERY different from the GP saunas, but more of these places open, and it's quite an experience. I'm in Fortaleza now where such bars equally exploded - there are several of them - and they are all strictly non-GP, just a general orgy. As other saunas across Brazil, California is struggling to keep pace with Onlyfans, apps, etc. - it is still a very fine sauna, and I had lots of sex in the past few days, but as in Rio and SP, the top-tier gobsmacking talent is no longer there. Still, some amazing guys - humble, polite, good in sex, but the Greek gods are gone. There was a good guy from Fortaleza, Wesley, whom I met at 117 after Christmas - I told him I would be coming to Fortaleza and he said let's keep the line open privately, as he said he's not working in saunas back home in Fortaleza - he says he does underwear modeling on IG (whatever that means) but saunas are no-no. I could have easily seen someone like him at California say 7-8 years ago - but that's basically a trend. Onlyfans, IG and private appointments over whatsapp. California in Fortaleza still the only GP sauna. I've been to Dragon Club several times this year - easily the best-equipped sauna in all of Brazil, but usually just a couple of GPs, and mostly the jaded ones. They have some interesting events - I've been to their Mr Dragon competition where incredibly beautiful guys where on stage, but they did not mingle or even stay after the competition and the house emptied out. This weekend, I've been to a free food slash dance party at Dragon starting at 1400 (!) on Sunday - they had free feijoada and caipirinha till 1600, and then some professional Axe dancing for two hours from 1400 till 1600. I arrived at 1530, and Dragon was full of people, munching and drinking. The (professional straight) dancers were really great but were visibly not too comfortable performing in a gay sauna for towel-clad people - some 80mins into their performance they were pressured to lose T-shirts, and they were visibly uncomfortable with one dancer mouthing "no" - they did lose T-shirts for one song and promptly put it back right for the next number. There were maybe three, max four jaded GPs in this packed house - but I quickly left for California where a couple of those Dragon GPs ended up too afterwards. My only guess why this is not happening for Dragon - high entry fee for garotos? I'm going to Recife next where there were two very OK saunas - not GP-focused but where I still found some incredible freelancing GPs in the past couple of years, so I look forward to checking them out again.

That was my experience too before - so much that when I was coming to Ceara say for a week I'd stay in Fortaleza Thurs-Sun and then go to Canoa Quebrada on Mon morning returning on Thurs afternoon. This time, I decided to stay put in Fortaleza and I thought my weeknights would be VERY celibate. Absolutely not the experience tonight. Monday is a free suites night at California - presumably out of desperation, not as the biggest night like 117/Point. However, I was surprised that all the "stars" that I saw last weekend came to the sauna tonight, pretty much every single one - and Monday today actually rivalled Friday last week. I defo had more sex today on Monday at California than I had on Friday. We'll see how Tues and Weds will look like.