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@TotallyOz, this thread's intention has been kidnapped by personal beefs between posters. I, myself, take ownership of my responsibility for going down to the level of the troll who started the distraction. I hate to give you extra work, but is it possible to send to the sandbox all the posts that are not related to the OP? I will try to redirect the conversation toward a more constructive tone, in case anyone is still reading after such an unpleasant exchange (and yes, I include myself among those who contributed to it). I met Patrick during my last visit to Rio de Janeiro, where I spent an entire month. Thanks to @floridarob's mediation, I met @Akita, an American expat living in Rio with deep knowledge and lived experience of Brazilian culture, particularly the realities of Brazil’s most disadvantaged communities. Patrick is his boyfriend. Through Akita, I also met a small group of foreigners who gravitate around him. These were not the kind of gringos who come to Brazil to benefit from lower prices while lecturing locals on how to improve their lives from a position of entitlement and supposed civilized superiority. These were men genuinely in love with Brazil, learning the language, immersing themselves in the culture, and engaging with the country respectfully. They were aware of social and economic shortcomings and involved in efforts to improve local living conditions, but from a place of empathy and genuine care and human empathy, not condescension. As a Latin American myself, I am particularly sensitive to this distinction. Patrick is a 30 y.o. former GP and a cria: born and raised in a favela. When he was born, Vidigal had not yet been pacified, and he lived through its transformation from a violent, insecure neighborhood into the cultural powerhouse it is becoming today. I felt an immediate affection for him. The enthusiasm and warmth with which he spoke about his life and his dreams were deeply moving. Unlike many young and not so young people, he does not dream of wealth for its own sake, but of creating projects that can improve life in Vidigal. Although he now lives in a comfortable apartment in Copacabana, his heart and soul have never left the morro above Leblon. Patrick does concrete things. Last December, he organized a fundraiser to buy gifts for children in the favela. When I visited in August, he was networking and raising funds to open a restaurant in Vidigal, serving popular Brazilian food and employing people from the community. Because of this project, Patrick invited me and a few other non-Brazilian friends to visit his former neighborhood. We did not take an Uber or an air-conditioned bus. Instead, we waited, as Vidigal residents do, for a spot in one of the minivans that carry workers up the hill in the afternoon and down to their jobs in the morning. In our van, foreigners were a small minority. As we climbed the morro, Patrick would jump from one side to the other, pointing out landmarks from his life and strategic spots offering privileged views of the city. He seemed to know and love everyone, and everyone seemed to know and love him. This was not a tour, but a visit to the places where he imagined building his restaurant. Still, I believe the experience offered me a glimpse of what became Patrick’s next dream, one far more achievable than his previous one. If you did not run away in disgust and are still reading this, please take a look at the following info: Everything is available in this IG address I shared in my OP and that share here again:  https://www.instagram.com/tpk_008/ This has nothing to do with sex work, my personal convenience, or any kind of exploitation. This has to do on one hand with sharing with you a unique opportunity to have a learning experience that may educate you and radically change your preconceptions about the people from the favelas. On the other hand, this also has to do with supporting a community business run by people from Vidigal, with and for people from Vidigal. This effort could be part of a renaissance for this community similar to what many of us admired in Comuna 13 in Medellín. I hope our poor behavior has not been counterproductive.      

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Out of curiosity I found this same guy on garotocomlocal and decided to also ask him about his rates, and got 400 reals, and even a possible discount if we met right away.  Unsure why the huge disparity of quotations between me and @Canadianbtmguy (1000 vs <400), but now I am extra curious and will try to give him a go.  I may report later how it went, we shall see.  

I AM SO PROUD OF OUR BARKING DOG!!!!!! HERE BOY!!!! HERE BOY!!!! HERE IS A BIG TREAT!!!!!   YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD DOG!!!! LOYAL AND TRUE TO TRUMP 100 % !!!! NOW GO BITE SOME CHINESE HACKER.  AND TELL THEM NOT TO COPYCAT US AND INVADE TAIWAN OR KIDNAP THEIR LEADER.   There is double good news here. Turns out our dumb dog is learning to make kindergarten distinctions.    He figured out that ABC and handsome David Muir report real news.  Like about Chinese phone hacking.  When the pup wants real news, he is learning to watch ABC.  Could MSNBC be next?  But hopefully not the socialist outlets like the BBC or NPR! Second piece of good news is that Venezuelans are happier, and hopeful.  Assuming this poll is correct.  Who knows in Venezuela?  Exclusive polling reveals surging optimism inside Venezuela But it is consistent with the idea that Maduro stole the last election, which the opposition won overwhelmingly.  And, so far, the US has no boots on the ground.  That said, people who want democracy in Venezuela may end up just as disappointed as US voters who wanted lower prices.  The verdict is out.  But at least we have not unleashed a blood bath in Venezuela, like we did in Iraq.  Yet. Then again, maybe Trump is just saving the boots and the ammo for a bloodbath in Greenland.  With the stupid America-destroying and alliance-destroying piece of shit leading the US, you never really know.