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Day 13: Tuesday - Curitiba Museu Oscar Neimeyer This a grand museum/gallery complex – designed by Neimeyer. It’s perhaps more contrived than many of his more well known buildings and, given it’s shape, it’s unsurprisingly known as “the Eye”. The shows are excellent… with everything written in English as well as Portuguese. There’s an exhibition of Cuban wooden sculpture with a distinctly homoerotic feel… loads of other art shows… a few rooms dedicated to the Curitiba Biennial… an exhibition on the works and life of Neimeyer… and then eventually… when you finally get into the “Eye” itself, a massive show of contemporary Chinese art. I got a bit fixated on a video of a man underwater.

Day 13 - Curitiba (cont) Sauna Opinião I start with a repeat of Pica-Pau... he's still the same... still fairly emotionless but does the job... and I think he's beautiful... Agreed 100 Paid 120 Vito He's both ativo and passivo... wants 150... I say 100 and more if he's good... we go to a room... He jumps on the bed... arse in the air and is slapping his backside... he is throwing himself at me for passionate kisses... he’s actioning me to constrict his neck... we kiss... he's all over the place... he doesn't suck... we try a number of positions but it doesn't go in... I don't understand... he's not pulling away... he's just not pushing down either... after going through the motions, he admits he's not passive at all... but he "wants to be" !???... abandon ship. Another liar. Is this what Curitiba is all about? Agreed 100 Paid 100 Gustavo Henrique We're both leaving different rooms at the same time... 2 seconds later he's in my room... he kisses well... he sucks with no qualms... and he gets fucked... Perhaps not someone I'd usually choose... but it saved me moping in the bar... Agreed 100 Paid 120 The rest of the night is just spent looking for anything else. There's nothing. One guy... thin and strutting around says he's both... that he was last passive 3 weeks ago... but I just don’t believe them anymore... Burger... Strawberry split... bed.

Day 13: Tuesday - Curitiba Botanic Gardens Famous for its greenhouse based on Crystal Palace... it’s got a little river thing spouting up in the centre… and a little stream then runs out underneath the greenhouse. There a few stepping stones to use to enter the place… it’s all too twee… ... And their living Christmas tree... a cone shaped affair covered in red bromeliads, topped off with gold star. ...It all looks incredibly communist...

Sauna Opinião (cont) There's a few boys and a few clients... most wearing clothes... some in just towels. The best guy by a mile is already in the clutches of some client... but that doesn't stop me sitting within eye view and having the odd stare. With his release back to captivity, a long way off, I decide to grab the next best thing that walks past.... Alexandro He's both ativo and passivo... agrees 100... we go to get a room... He quickly undresses. Kissing him is like putting your tongue into the mechanism of a clock (he has an awkward brace and barely opens his mouth)... he doesn't suck... and when it comes to passivo... I have never seen anyone clench their buttocks so tight and he actually pulls away from you as you advance… it’s like being magnets that repel one another. Despite this he keeps saying he’s passivo. I keep telling him he's not. No I don't want to be wanked off. Not knowing enough Portuguese to argue any reduced payment, I give him 100. He's a liar. Agreed 100 Paid 100 Jhonathan ...is the guy I saw earlier… and he’s now a free man again... he is playing on his phone on a sofa... I sit at opposite end... few eye contacts and he indicates for me to come over... He's both ativo and passivo... agrees 100... we go to a room... He kisses only just... he has a beautifully thin body and a large chunky dick... he then slowly goes down into sucking with a condom... slowly... and I suck him... he lies on his back... I fuck him... slowly. There's no emotion. But he's beautiful. Agreed 100 Paid 120 ...and so I buy him a drink... I'm informed by the barman that he's not Jhonathan - he's "Pica-Pau"! ...and it seems that is what everyone calls him. Pica-Pau is the name for Woodpecker (and also the name for Woody Woodpecker) In this case it's his hairstyle that is leading to the comparison. We're at the bar... and we're having some sort of conversation!... he speaks slowly... he knows a few English words... the barman joins in... recommending tourist attractions, restaurants, areas to see... telling me that Wednesday night at Sauna Opinião is the big night... you won't find anyone at 520... "Pica" (as people regularly shout to him)... says he lives with his girlfriend (he shows me a photo of them together... she is stunning)... I think he does some work at a computer... he'll be here tomorrow... but he won't come on Wednesday because there's too much competition... he gets more clients if he just wears the towel rather than street clothes... he hopes for 2 clients per night... More than anything here, was his willingness to try and communicate... it was really nice. It’s about 9.30pm. No new clients... no new boys... I leave... Having not eaten for a while, I manage a burger and chips and a "strawberry split" at the corner cafe by my hotel.

Day 13: Tuesday - Curitiba I've got to do this sightseeing... so I'll Uber it today... Opera House de Arame (Wire Opera House) It's a glass concert venue set across a lake. To get there you walk across a mesh bridge. It’s exciting. It’s a bit scary. It’s a place where you don’t want to drop your phone… Paul McCartney's been there (yawn!). The place itself is closed, but you can see inside and their clearly setting up for some sort of show in the future. Beneath the venue is café which is open. There are lots of people here taking photos.

I arrived to Rio yesterday mornings ng. Arrival was very fast. I was second at immigrationand when i got to luggage my suitcase was already on the belt. I rented a nice studio just a few steps rrom Rio metro station on Praca general osorio. Wheather is gray, but warm with occasional sprinkle. But it is not beach weather. This is surprising me, because i always come here in january and it was always sunny. In the late afternoon i went to 117. I arrived there at about 18.00. It was quiet a lot of people in the club, half more boys, then customers. What it was surprising to me, all familiar faces, from last year. Only 3-4 boys were new to me. I saw Fernando and Pablo,. While i was in club for 2 and half hours, they did not have any customers. Some negative reports on them here, and Brazilian customers also talk. But as i said, a lot of familiar faces, almost like a renuion. I was hoping to meet Ricardo, but he did not show up. I have chosen Gabriel, 23 year old white boy. Very big cock. Nice session, but not unforgetable. Promised 150 with leitada, paid 170. I have returned to Ipanema with metro at around 21.00. Shower time, all the places on Rua Farme de. amoedo were almost empty, with exception of Tonemai, that was packed. A lot of familiar faces, obviosly the same people take vacations in January. Also some boys , who were there on business. I finish my evening with a few sushis at Koni. Tasty.

I’ve spent the last few days downloading some photos from my phone… so if it all goes to plan, you’ll see the sights of Curitiba… Day 12: Monday - Curitiba In the morning, Fabio joins me for a ride back to FOCO… then an Uber to the airport. He says goodbye. He has to get to his shop. The old terminal at POA involves lots of people following lots of coloured lines on the floor. I get there in the end – Curitiba. I chose the hotel – the Alta Reggia Plaza Hotel - based on a photo of a mural in the lobby I advise you never to do the same. Once I’m there, it's hard to make out what exactly has happened... is it an early 60's converted office block? My suite has 3 rooms and a corridor!... a marble dining table with wooden chairs... purple chairs from the Flash Gordon set... a huge plastic orchid. ...it’s my kinda place! Suitcase thrown on the bed... quick shower... and I'm google-mapping myself towards... Sauna 520 It's difficult to put into words how upsetting this place was. They insist on just towels. They insist you wear their flip flops. Mobile phones banned. Signs in every room. If you don’t speak Portuguese, you’re stuffed. It's just like a British sauna... bar area... sauna... wet room... showers... jacuzzi... a dark corridor with a few turns at the end... a room showing gay porn... a few rooms you can go in... and what looks like 2 bedrooms with locks. It is difficult to differentiate client from garoto. Most have beards. Late 20s/30s. A couple of guys say hello - they are masseurs - both with beards - both good looking but not head turning. A really muscular black guy approaches me. I guess he’s a garoto? He's nice but I tell him I prefer 'magro". I spend 3 hours just bouncing from bar to sauna to outside to lockers. Clients blow jobbing one another in the sauna. The one guy who seems younger just sits and chats with the others. It’s like a beard convention. It's terrible. I walk a few blocks to... Sauna Opinião ...which is a strange place. It's essentially a sauna version of POA’s Bar Mixx - a run down open plan 5-room dingy bar... and shower!... with a sauna somewhere... and bedrooms and a straight video room upstairs. It charges either for BAR (bar and use of rooms) or SAUNA (added sauna and locker) I go for BAR... leave my bag at Reception... and take a look... Yes it's a bar with a shower! And yes, it really is this dark...

Don't worry, My feeling don't get hurt easily....I'm not a bitchy queen, just a sarcastic Bostonian. Funny thing is that even though I don't post much, I've been a member of this board since its inception as well as from hooboy. Been going to Brasil nearly 20 years, back in the days when we organized parties on the roof of the Atlantico Hotel with members from here and boys from the sauna...Jr. from Point used to come as well (point was new and he had his other sauna Estacao). I lived in Rio & SP for a couple of years off/on, know the owners of all the saunas in those 2 cities, traveled through most of the big cities, speak Portuguese and still in contact with GP's going back 15 years. If you come to a message board and post your exploits, it's an open board....I'm never rude (sarcasm is sometimes interpreted as such, but is not) and I give my opinion , which is from many years of experience, my own and many that have come before us. So what I find odd is johnny come lately's, feeling some sort of "ownership" of threads or that somehow threads going off topic isn't to their liking.....too bad. There are some posters here that I regard as well traveled, level headed and people I like to hang out with. On the other hand (and I've seen you in the saunas) Wouldn't want to be seen walking down the street together...... and if using big words while trying to insult someone makes you feel better/more educated.....it just makes you look like an ass in my book ,lol

I was in Belo Horizonte Tues Dec 12 to Sat Dec 16. The city is not very interesting. Pampulha's lake shoreline (a jaunt up to the St Francis Assisi church ... closed) is completely littered with trash. The art gallery there was closed. The surrounding hills of BH are verdant and red soiled; day trips to Inhotim art park and Ouro Preto were splendid. Grindr was a wash. Stayed Royal Centre Express by Sauna Olimpo. I was not convinced it would be easy to bring guys in, despite others' assertions to the contrary. I would suggest elevator at the street entrance (the multilane avenue) one below where parking lives, as can bypass the reception. I did not try myself. Olimpo: nice venue, but sparse on hot guys. Tues, Wed, Thurs I would not have tricked even for free. Maybe a dozen or so, but no real lookers. Friday saw a lot more working guys, similarly not at all attractive compared to Rio, SP, Salvador. More like Fortaleza (and my personal poor albeit brief experience PA). But as the sayings go, sometimes a pearl can be found if you see a unicorn and search up its arse and rifle thru the oysters there, and on Friday one of the most stunning looking guys I have ever seen and done in BRZ (hell, in my lifetime, anywhere) was present and available. He redeemed the trip sexually and person-wise aesthetically, but I am a little pissed that he is there and not interested in travel, and that our encounter was at wrap-up, because I may have to return just for him and the place itself IMHO is really not worth visiting outside of this obsession. Note I do not respond to inquiries about financial costs. If you must know, go yourself, or read endless argumentative related posts here in this forum. What I am agreeable to sharing is that I obviously barely grazed the sex budget coffers. Overall, if your tastes run to muscular-build model-look fellows and you want a few options of these types, I suggest taking a pass on this city. Subjectively, the aforementioned guy was a 9.5, but many 8s and 9s can be had at 117 or 202 in Rio. Though I must say there are a lot of head-turners in public if not Grindr and Olimpo.

Sauna 1097 boys are kinda meh. Was there a couple of weeks ago for an hour or 2. Left early. Not sure if it's a bad day/time or always like this. Olimpo usually is much better. I usually spend most of my days there. Met some good ones and some duds. There are many saunas sem boys. The one i like is Tres Chic. There are also a lot of 24 hours saunas - good for when one is horny late at night.

That is you. You have it down. Other don't. Why try to deprive them? And, like I said, I appreciate the details. Some of us like more details. Why try to deprive us? My motto is if you don't like what someone is posting, fine, move on to another thread. No need to nitpick someone who is contributing!

Yawn.

Stayed near Mole beach which is near to the nude beach. Lots of hot nude guys on the beach and fucking in the bushes. Quite a sight. Having said that, the traffic is atrocious during summer. Uber is plenty but getting in and out of the lagoon area is proven to be a feat. Knowing this and what is to offer, I might have stayed longer in Rio. Asked some locals and yes there are no sauna com garotos in the city. Tried a Bruno from vivalocal. Went to his place for a massage with sexo. It was so so and he is from Porto Alegre. I think I met him once in Mezzuniu. Tried a couple of normal saunas. Adelino is a bust. Its a 'spa' for men and the crowd demographic is older than most rest homes with exception of 1 or 2. Oceano is good. Hot guys plentiful. Had a good time there.

I know that a number of people on here use Grindr throughout Brazil to source GPs. Unfortunately I've not had a single response since creating my account three days ago! On my profile, I have written descriptions such as: "Generous tourist looking for fun. Turistas generosos que procuram diversão." and even, at the risk of being too obvious: "Looking for GPs. Procurando GPs" ...without any success! So how to get potential GPs to respond to you?

Indeed. Next time I go to to POA, I will certainly have a look to Plataforma and check this vivalocal site. Have you tried the "disponivel.com" site ?

Yesterday was a great party in rio. Show of 13 samba schools in Rio in Copacabana. Great, carneval in 1 hour. I enclose some puctures. Also my friend thiago came. He is 20 years old slim mulato. I will write more about him tomorrow. I found him on internet on one of social networks. Sorry guys, whenever i try to load picture it is saying error 200. Obviously, i will have to get home for you to see photos

Elliot was a dirty bastard even in his published poems.

White Cock! Blue Cock! All the cock is cock cock!

I have loved your stories of the saunas, your encounters and the photos. Great report! I also like the talk about money as it is important to see how others spend it and how much they agree to. Excellent!

His big black cock will be back shortly

Well, well, well! That was interesting. I wonder how many people have flipped at this point. 5? 10? more?

At least 2 have GPs: Sauna Olimpo Rua dos Timbiras, 2635 Sauna 1097 Rua dos Guajajaras, 1097 There maybe more. Google will shows you "Popular times" for Olimpo for any day of the week. Basically between 6 and 9 pm. Saturday is the big night according to Google. Google doesn't seem to have amassed enough critical data on 1097 to make a chart of the "popular time". Also there are many saunas which are confirmed without GPs. Al of this is just googling, I have never been to BH.

In Friday’s episode, Julia baited Barnabas into coming to her room to strangle her. But she knew he was coming, and waited quietly in the corner. Now she steps into the moonlight, and delivers some absolutely explosive dialogue. Julia: I know what you are. You’re Barnabas Collins — the only Barnabas Collins, who died over a hundred and thirty years ago. Barnabas: That’s an absurd statement. Julia: Don’t try to deny it. I’ve investigated you thoroughly, and I’ve seen you in your coffin. Barnabas: You realize that such knowledge puts you in great danger. Julia: Well, of course. That’s why I took the precaution of putting a dummy in the bed. Which is an unbelievably badass thing to say. Whenever someone asks you for an example of why Dark Shadows is the most surprising and therefore the greatest television show of all time, you can direct them to this scene. (Note: There is a very good chance that nobody will ever ask you this question. But it’s good to be prepared, just in case.) Of course, because this is Dark Shadows, the sublime takes a hairpin turn toward the ridiculous within forty-five seconds. Barnabas backs Julia up against a bedpost and snarls, “What is it you want?” Gasping, she answers, “You.” With fire in his eyes, the vampire growls, “I don’t know what you mean, but it doesn’t matter. Because… I am going… to KILL YOU! Miss Hoffman.” And then he stands there and glares at her. There’s a bit of an awkward pause, because he’s supposed to be strangling her, and he forgot. Apparently, if you want Jonathan Frid to start strangling somebody, you need to write START STRANGLING HER on the teleprompter. So Grayson Hall — who will basically spend the next four years of her career as a backup teleprompter for Jonathan Frid — reaches over with her left hand and tugs at his wrist, to remind him that he’s supposed to be grabbing her throat. He takes the hint, and the scene continues. Now her problem is how to get him to stop strangling her, so she tells him that she’s a doctor, and she makes him a surprising offer — he doesn’t have to live this life. Naturally, he’s stunned. Julia: I’ve spent my lifetime studying conditions such as yours. Barnabas: How could you have done this? Have there been others like myself? Julia: No. You’re the only one I’ve encountered. That’s why you’re so important to me, that’s why I need you. Barnabas: Need me? Julia: From the time I entered medical school, I’ve been fascinated by the relationship of life to death. I believe that one is a continuance of the other, and that someday they will merge, and that life will not terminate. That day is close at hand, now that I’ve found you. People often describe Dark Shadows as if it was only the sum of its influences — you mix together Jane Eyre, Dracula, The Telltale Heart and The Turn of the Screw, apply heat, serve for five years. But as far as I know, this plot point is completely original to Dark Shadows. Stumbling along from day to day, groping for some way to extend the vampire storyline, the Dark Shadows writers have come up with a bizarre, laughable and utterly brilliant idea. So: get ready for the science. Barnabas: What is this… theory of yours? Julia: Whole blood is insufficient to sustain you. That’s why you constantly have to replenish your supply. Barnabas: If I were to permit you… what would you do? Julia relaxes, shifting into the confident tone of a lecturer. She’s got him hooked now, and she knows it. Julia: Well, the basis of your problem is the destructive nature of your blood cells. There’s an imbalance which causes more cells to be destroyed than replaced. My objective then, is to alter the cellular structure of your blood, by introducing a new plasma into your arterial system. Barnabas: You begin to intrigue me, Dr. Hoffman. You begin to intrigue me very much. Yeah, no kidding. This is one of those moments where you can’t wait for them to come back from the commercial break because who knows what the hell they’re going to say next. Barnabas takes Julia over to the Old House, where they can talk about crackpot science without worrying about being overheard by a sensible person. They give Willie an update. Barnabas: Willie! Dr. Hoffman will be spending some time here. Willie: Doctor…? Barnabas: Yes. Dr. Hoffman has fooled us all. She’s been investigating us very carefully. Willie: Has she? Barnabas: Yes, she knows everything. Willie: Well, what’s gonna happen? Barnabas: That remains to be seen. You see, Dr. Hoffman is a very… unique doctor. So, here’s a question: What kind of a doctor is Dr. Julia Hoffman? She started out as a “blood specialist”, but she’s also been treating Maggie with hypnosis, to help her uncover repressed memories of her abuse. She has quickly moved beyond even the catch-all expertise of the TV doctor, and become kind of a cross between a mad scientist and a sorceress. Going back to the literary influences for a moment, the character that she most resembles is Professor Van Helsing from Dracula. In Bram Stoker’s novel, Jonathan Seward describes Van Helsing as “a philosopher and a metaphysician, and one of the most advanced scientists of his day; and he has, I believe, an absolutely open mind.” That “open mind” is key, because for both Dr. Van Helsing and Dr. Hoffman, the boundaries of medical science are too limited to understand and deal with the vampire menace. This “condition” is partly a physical one, which can be described in terms of flesh and blood. But it’s also a spiritual failure, a moral lapse which drives well-bred gentlemen to give in to their appetites for blood and sex and a general deflowering of the innocent. So Barnabas isn’t sure what to make of Julia’s mind-opening offer. He flip-flops several times during the episode, vacillating between hope and fear. While Julia is in the basement, picking out a room to use as a laboratory, Barnabas talks things over with Willie. Willie: You’re gonna kill her? Barnabas: I’m afraid I’ll have to. I went to her room tonight with that intention, but she anticipated me, was waiting for me. I planned to bring the body back here — but now, she’s made that so much easier for me. Willie: She told me what she was gonna do. The kind of experiment she was gonna make. Well, what about that, Barnabas? Can she really cure you? Barnabas: I don’t really know. But this isn’t really an “experiment”, is it? Julia said that Barnabas is the only individual with this condition that she’s ever encountered. There’s no control group, no accumulation of data. She hasn’t even examined Barnabas yet. She’s diagnosed him and devised a complicated treatment plan, based entirely on an analysis of Maggie’sblood. Here’s how she describes the first steps of her plan: Julia: The first thing I have to do is purge your entire arterial system. There won’t be any discomfort, and there won’t be any aftereffects. Now, I think I’ve done enough for one day. So that sounds simple enough, right? “I have to purge your entire arterial system.” Why would you imagine that might cause discomfort? Patients are such crybabies sometimes. Clearly, we’ve left actual medical science far behind, and entered the realm of alchemy. In the Middle Ages, alchemy was both a proto-science and a philosophical tradition, based on the idea that achieving material perfection — for example, turning lead into gold — was the key to spiritual and moral perfection. If you look at her plan as a metaphor — and that’s the only way you can look at it, because medically it’s nonsense — then “purging the arterial system” is another way of saying that she’s going to cleanse him of his destructive and antisocial impulses. Her plan to “introduce a new plasma” is basically a spiritual reawakening, the redemption of the antihero. So Barnabas’ indecision about Julia’s plan is ultimately a moral and spiritual question. Is there enough human empathy left in his undead heart? Can he learn to trust, and to feel? Okay, that’s a no. He grabs her by the throat, and tells her once again that I am going to — KILL you! But she’s got one more ace up her sleeve, and she chokes out: “Maggie Evans!” Barnabas: She’s alive? Julia: And well hidden. Barnabas: What has she said? Julia: Nothing specific as yet. I traced you through my own deductions. At present, she’s suffering from traumatic amnesia. But eventually, she will recover. And then she’ll tell everything she knows. So with that, it seems like Julia has all the ingredients that she needs to transmute Barnabas’ lead heart into gold, and lead him to a new understanding of empathy and human connection. Or… maybe not. Barnabas: But she’ll do that whether you’re alive or dead. Julia: No, she won’t. Because if I’m alive, I will be in charge of her treatment. And I can see to it that her amnesia… remains permanent. Okay, so she’s not perfect either. This might get a little complicated. Tomorrow: I Know Who’s Dead. Dark Shadows bloopers to watch out for: Barnabas has the ring on his left hand again, so it’ll be in shot when he’s got Julia up against the bedpost. Barnabas tells Willie, “My existence may not have been what it should be, but at least I have permanence.” (The sensible way to say that would be: “My existence may not be what it should have been.”) Julia tells Barnabas that Maggie hasn’t said anything about him yet: “I traced her — traced you through my own deductions.” Barnabas tells Julia, “I have re-evalued our relationship, and I have come to the conclusion that it is not possible to trust you.” He means re-evaluated. While Barnabas is telling Willie that he can’t trust Dr. Hoffman, a fly settles on his forehead. When Julia enters the scene, Barnabas takes a little swat at the fly. It flies away for a second, and then comes back and settles on his cheek. https://darkshadowseveryday.com/2013/12/23/episode-291/ Okay, let’s see where we are. Yesterday, Dr. Julia Hoffman — the noted blood specialist and dangerous lunatic — managed to convince a vampire that she should hang out in his haunted mansion and purge his arterial system. She seems to feel that somehow this will be beneficial for humankind, and who’s going to argue with her? Well, I guess Dr. Woodard will. It’s been a whole two episodes since the last time he came over and said sensible things to Julia, and here he is again. Apparently he thinks that it’s “unethical” for Julia to abandon her patient, Maggie, in the middle of a very delicate and intense course of treatment. He’s right, of course. In fact, we learned yesterday that Julia is planning to ensure that Maggie’s amnesia will be permanent, in order to protect the monster who abused her. Unfortunately, if Woodard succeeds in getting Julia to take more responsibility for Maggie’s treatment, then the story gets less interesting. So, on behalf of the entire audience, I would like to shake his hand, tell him he’s one hundred percent correct, pin a medal on him, and then send him out to play in traffic. But as we’ve seen, Julia can talk her way out of anything. In this case, she chooses the most fiendish weapon in the liar’s arsenal. She tells him the truth. Julia: I believe that Maggie Evans came face to face with the supernatural, in a way that frightened her beyond anything you or I can understand. I can’t convince her that what terrified her doesn’t exist, because I know it does exist! Woodard: Are you, a scientist, telling me that the supernatural exists? By the way, yes, they call it “the supernatural”, and then they just carry on as if that’s a single specific thing that you can have a conversation about. Apparently “the supernatural” is the new “the past”. Along the way, Julia picks up a scary new tactic. Julia: If I’m right — medicine is about to break through the ultimate barrier between life and death. You realize that the doctors who helped make that breakthrough will go down in history. Woodard: Between… life and death? Julia: Dave, when you were in medical school, didn’t you dream of making some major contribution? Well, that could happen now, for both of us. Woodard: But Julia, I’ve got to know a great deal more than I know now! Julia: And you will! I’ll tell you, because I need your skill and knowledge, to help see me through. Woodard: Well, I’ll help you any way that I can. It’s fantastic. She could get him to do anything. So that’s another mark in the win column for the monsters. Meanwhile, David’s playing in the woods, and guess who he runs into? The supernatural. It’s just sitting there, crying. This is the ghost of Sarah Collins, who we haven’t seen for a couple weeks. She’s the vampire’s kid sister, and she befriended Maggie when Barnabas was holding her prisoner. Now, Maggie’s hidden away in a sanitarium, and everybody thinks that she’s dead. David asks why Sarah’s crying, and she says she’s lost her friend. Sarah: Her name was Maggie. She’s lost, and I miss her. David: Well, Sarah, I’m sorry that you miss her so much, but… if it’s Maggie we’re looking for, well, we better not look any more. Here, why don’t you help me look for different kinds of leaves? Personally, I’ve never tried that specific method of cheering up a grieving person, so for all I know, maybe it works. I’ll try it out and let you know how it goes. Sarah asks why she should stop looking for Maggie, and David breaks it to her that Maggie’s dead. Sarah chuckles. David: What are you laughing about? Sarah: She isn’t dead at all! She’s just lost! David: Everyone else says she’s dead. Sarah: Well, everyone else is wrong. David: How can you be so sure? Sarah: You know about leaves and everything. Well, I know who’s dead, and who isn’t. So that’s that. Sarah seems to have some kind of weird ghost sense that’s shorting out at the moment: “Sometimes I almost know where she is, but then it all fades away, and I begin to cry again.” I could probably come up with some kind of crackpot theory to explain how her ghost senses work, but really they’re just making it up to fit whatever’s convenient for the episode. And that’s how “the supernatural” works. So all of that is rather far-fetched, but it’s practically a documentary compared to what happens next. Julia and Burke are talking in the Collinwood foyer when all of a sudden Vicki bursts through the door and announces, “The most wonderful thing has happened. I’m in love.” Burke has been dating Vicki for several months, so at this point I guess nothing fazes him; he just stands there and asks her what the hell she’s talking about. And she says, “It’s with a house. I found the most enchanting old house in the world — it’s on the end of the North Road, by the sea. I must have passed it hundreds of times, only this is the first time I’d ever really noticed it. Burke, it’s like it was just waiting there. Just for me.” Okay, let’s do a quick review of Vicki’s financial affairs. Victoria Winters: Left at a foundling home as a baby. Apparently not adopted. Left the orphanage a year ago, when she became a live-in governess for a ten-year-old boy who appears to be doing his Introduction to Botany homework with a ghost. In other words: She lives in a mansion, but she has exactly no money. She’s probably renting the clothes she’s wearing right now. So while admittedly I don’t have any specific data at my fingertips about the Maine real estate market during the summer of 1967, I’m pretty sure she can’t afford a house, no matter how they may feel about each other. She goes on. Burke: Vicki, what’s this house like? Vicki: The house is very old. It faces onto the sea. In fact, it’s almost part of the sea. And there it sits, like a dowager queen, waiting for the ocean to bring her beautiful gifts from all over the world. Spoiler alert: She’s going to keep talking about this house for the rest of the week, and on into next week. This will take the place of what otherwise would be an interesting television show. Vicki: It was wonderful. Finding it, and standing there, and listening to the sea, and feeling that I really belonged there. And the house knew it. And the sea knew it. And I knew it, too, and we were all very happy there together. It’s awful, and depressing. We’ve been having so much fun lately, with Julia and Barnabas and the supernatural. And now this idiot girl runs onto the screen, babbling about some random house that she can’t afford, and the show comes to a complete stop. There’s a whole other scene after this, about David bringing Sarah back to the house, but she disappears before anyone else sees her. It turns into another Snuffleupagus sequence, except she left her bonnet behind on the floor. But why bother? Vicki’s in love with a house. Apparently that’s a plot point. Tomorrow: Untouched. Dark Shadows bloopers to watch out for: When David leads Sarah into Collinwood, he doesn’t shut the front doors all the way, and you can see a gap between the two doors. Everyone who touches the doors today seems to have some kind of trouble; at one point, Vicki has to slam them shut. Behind the Scenes: This is the first episode written by Gordon Russell. Over the next few months, two of the show’s three writers will be replaced. Joe Caldwell and Malcolm Marmorstein will leave, and are replaced by Gordon Russell, and Sam Hall, who starts with episode 357. Russell and Hall become a writing team that takes them through the end of this series, and then on to another soap opera, One Life to Live. Tomorrow: Untouched. Dark Shadows episodåe guide – 1967 Okay, now we’re talking. Right out of the gate today, the first thing we see: dark red liquid bubbling in a glass jar. It’s connected with tubes and wires to a bunch of other equipment, and there’s a grinding motor noise that indicates that there’s some kind of complicated machinery at work. Backing up a step, we see Dr. Julia Hoffman in a pale blue lab coat, squinting at equipment and making adjustments. She’s in a basement room, with brick walls, exposed timbers and huge cobwebs. The doctor uses a pair of tongs to grab chunks of dry ice, and she drops them into a huge bubbling cauldron. That cauldron is full of more dark red liquid. It’s a bubbling cauldron of blood. This is mad science, we’re actually watching mad science. And it’s about damn time. They’ve been sitting on this “finding a cure for the vampire” story for a month, just letting it simmer in the background while Barnabas and Julia dealt with one manufactured crisis after another. We spent all that time arguing in the drawing room, and there was a bubbling cauldron of blood downstairs that we didn’t even know about. Barnabas walks into the room, and Julia turns off the motor. He objects. Barnabas: Why did you do that? It was magnificent! Julia: I only wanted to test it. Barnabas: Well, obviously, it works! And he’s right — if it’s bubbling and making a noise, then that means it works. He must have taken an elective in mad science. Julia: No, there are still a few details to fix. Barnabas: But you explained to me previously that it only needed a test to prove that the acids had activated. Well, I’d say that you’ve succeeded admirably… as you always do. And he’s right, it is magnificent. Just look at it, bubbling away. Acids are activating all over the place. But Julia isn’t happy; she doesn’t want to go on with the experiments anymore. She’s done. The other day, she helped Barnabas kill Dr. Woodard, because Woodard had learned about these experiments. A first murder can rattle anyone. But it’s too late to turn back; he’s already got a speech prepared. Barnabas: I’m sorry, but you’ve given me one irretrievable gift… hope. He walks a few steps, and strikes a pose. Barnabas: The hope of becoming human again. The hope of being able to love, and not destroy. Even the hope itself is a hint of what it must be like to be a human being. I love this scene. Remember what I said the other day about Joe Caldwell being a great writer? He’s writing four of the episodes this week. Yesterday was the obligatory useless law enforcement episode that they still think they need to have after a murder, but the rest of the week is this: Melodramatic speeches about what it means to be human, delivered by a vampire in his secret basement laboratory. It’s an impossible scheme, really — to take the psychopath who took obvious pleasure in cold-blooded murder only two episodes ago, and guide him through a moral reboot that will make him the hero of the show. But maybe there’s a science behind this madness after all. Barnabas: If I can love and not destroy, surely forgiveness can be found. Julia: For what you’ve done? Barnabas: Perhaps not. But let me love first, as a human being loves, and if there’s still no forgiveness, well, let me take the punishment… not as a monster, but as a man. And that’s the point, really, that he’s got a desire to change. That’s not quite the same thing as remorse, but it’s pointing in the right direction. Then he walks over to the huge bucket of bubbling blood, and says, “I wonder what I’ll be like, as a human being?” And you can just feel the acids activating. Over at Collinwood, Vicki and Burke are having another little quarrel about where they’re going to live when they get married. They’ve been doing a lot of this lately. She doesn’t want to quit her governess job and leave David right now, because he’s become emotionally disturbed, and he needs her. Vicki and Burke have had a series of conversations about this, and they don’t seem to be getting anywhere. It usually looks like they’ve reached some kind of understanding by the end of a given episode, but the next time we see them, they’re back at it. This is what they do now. But there’s a larger agenda at work here. Vicki and Burke can stay trapped in this little circular argument for as long as they like, because ultimately the writers aren’t invested in helping them work it out. This is a soap opera, and what really matters is the love triangle, an experimental apparatus lashed together with tubes and wires, connecting a tangle of loose storylines. On their own, Burke and Vicki don’t generate a lot of heat. She’s young and pretty and not very bright; he’s wealthy and he wants to marry her. They have no obstacles in their way, and they’ve spent the last several weeks trying to determine which enormous mansion they’ll move into after the wedding. But when you get a third party involved, there’s a chance for some interesting chemistry. Unfortunately, the Burke/Vicki/Barnabas triangle was pretty comprehensively nerfed more than a month ago. Vicki told Burke to stop being suspicious of Barnabas, Burke gave in, and the storyline just kind of rolled over and died. But it turns out that wasn’t the real love triangle after all. Burke’s about to be taken off the board, and the real triangle is Barnabas, Vicki and Julia. That situation has a lot more potential, because Julia has a hypnotic medallion, several terrifying secrets, and a bubbling bucket of blood. Chaos will ensue. Like any mad science experiment, it’s hard to say exactly how the love triangle is going to end up. But it bubbles and it makes noise, and that’s a good place to start. Let’s chuck some more dry ice in there, and see what happens. Tomorrow: Haunted. Dark Shadows bloopers to watch out for: At the start of the first scene, while Julia is adjusting her equipment, someone in the studio has a loud coughing fit. When they come back from the titles, it sounds like Barnabas and Julia started the scene too early. Barnabas begins the scene by saying, “Nonsense! You’ve done nothing but take chances,” which doesn’t relate to anything. This has happened a few times since episode 333, when a scene started while Dr. Woodard was halfway through the word “-peared”. They need to get a handle on the timing. When Barnabas brings up Woodard’s murder, Julia says, “I didn’t kill anyone.” Barnabas is supposed to say, “You handed the hypodermic needle to me,” but he messes up the rhythm of the line. He puts stress on the wrong end of the sentence, so it comes out as “You handed the hypodermic needle to me,” which doesn’t mean anything. As you can see in the picture above, there’s a huge boom mic shadow obscuring Julia’s face during the entire terrace scene. It’s still there every time they cut to her reaction. Alone on the terrace, Julia is supposed to be startled by a ghost, which appears and vanishes using a Chromakey effect. But they mess up the timing, so Julia turns around and screams after the ghost has already come and gone. Behind the Scenes: Peter Murphy plays the ghost of Dr. Woodard here, silently gesturing to Julia on the terrace. Murphy started on the show a couple weeks ago, as the recast for the crazy old Caretaker. We’ll see him again next week, standing in for Burke in Vicki’s dream. Tomorrow: Haunted. On a lighter note... https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/3661274f-9f01-3bc9-97c5-11cf9b82b3c7/ss_united-passenger-befouled-the.html United passenger befouled the bathrooms so badly the plane had to land

And KABOOM! 'Bannon may already be cooperating with Mueller': tell-all book shifts frame of Russia inquiry In Fire and Fury, Steve Bannon is specific about what he regards as the most dangerous aspect of the investigation: Jared Kushner’s ties to Deutsche Bank One of the many telling vignettes in Michael Wolff’s book is the sight of Steve Bannon, then White House chief strategist, pacing the West Wing, openly dispensing odds on Donald Trump’s chances of surviving in office. Bannon gave Trump a probability of a third that he might limp to the finish line because of Democratic incompetence; a third that he would be pushed from office under the 25th amendment on grounds of mental incapability; and a third that he would be impeached. That a man who was for many months Trump’s right-hand man would brazenly give out such doom-laden predictions is remarkable enough. But letting the world know of it via Wolff could make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. The most explosive aspect of Bannon’s take, revealed by Fire and Fury, is Trump’s handling – or rather mishandling – of the Russia investigation that rages around him. Assuming Wolff’s account to be accurate (and Bannon has said nothing so far to suggest otherwise) the former chief strategist considered Trump entirely out of his depth with regard to special counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry into possible links between Russia and the Trump team. On a practical level, Trump did not have the “discipline to navigate a tough investigation”, Wolff writes, nor the savvy to bring on powerful lawyers. Most seriously, Trump was, in Bannon’s estimation, unable to grasp “how much Mueller had on him and his family”. “He doesn’t necessarily see what’s coming,” Bannon is quoted as saying. We now know from the Guardian’s account of excerpts of the book that Bannon believes the June 2016 meeting between Trump’s son and Russians bearing promises of dirt on Hillary Clinton to have been “treasonous”. We also know that Bannon puts the chances of Donald Jr failing to have informed his father of the encounter at “zero”. That is not evidence that would satisfy as meticulous a prosecutor as Mueller, but it does shift the frame of the Russia inquiry. Trump may try to belittle Bannon’s involvement with his campaign and subsequent time in the White House, scoffing that he had “little to do with our historic victory”, but few will buy that. “Bannon was an insider in the campaign at the highest level, and in the White House all the way to last August,” said Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under George W Bush. “He was talking to the president constantly – I can’t imagine Trump not confiding in him, including over the Russia inquiry.” That in turn raises the possibility that Bannon might cooperate. Certainly, there is no love lost between him and Trump family members, notably the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. “Bannon may already be cooperating with Mueller for all we know,” Painter said. “He has no incentive to cover up for Trump, or his family members.” Play Video 1:18 Fire and Fury: Key explosive quotes from the new Trump book - video All of which increases the significance of Bannon’s interpretation of the Russia investigation as it reaches possibly critical stages. Where he places his focus is clear from the book: the financial doings of Trump and his immediate family. When Trump gave an interview to the New York Times last July in which he warned Mueller not to delve into his family’s finances, Bannon’s response was scathing. Wolff writes: “‘Ehhh … ehhh … ehhh!’ screeched Bannon, making the sound of an emergency alarm. ‘Don’t look here! Let’s tell a prosecutor what not to look at!’” Bannon is specific about what he regards as the most dangerous aspect of the Mueller inquiry: “It goes through Deutsche Bank and all the Kushner shit. The Kushner shit is greasy. They’re going to go right through that.” Last month it was revealed that federal prosecutors are looking into Kushner’s ties to Deutsche Bank. Those ties include the $285m borrowed from a bank which has been implicated in Russian money-laundering scandals to refinance his holding of part of the old New York Times building in Manhattan. Last July, the Guardian disclosed that Kushner bought the property from a Soviet-born oligarch whose company was named in a high-profile New York money-laundering case. “Watch Kushner” and “watch Deutsche Bank” seem to be two of the takeaways from this extraordinary chapter in an exceptional presidency. The book also gives an account of events on board Air Force One, in which a misleading public statement was prepared to explain the Don Jr meeting in Trump Tower with the Russians. As was previously known, Trump took control of the statement, insisting the meeting was exclusively about the adoption of Russian children. In fact, the Russian contingent offered incriminating intelligence on Clinton, a crucial detail that was not mentioned but which became quickly public after the email chain involving Don Jr was released. Wolff gives a more complete rendition, again assuming the accuracy of his account. He writes that the entire White House communications team was relegated to the back of the plane while Trump was up front composing a public statement that could be construed as an attempted cover-up, exposing the president to legal peril. “It used to hurt my feelings when I saw them running around doing things that were my job,” Sean Spicer, the then White House director of communications, is quoted as saying. “Now I’m glad to be out of the loop.” The person who remained in the loop was Hope Hicks, currently a successor of Spicer’s as communications chief. Bannon is said by Wolff to have seen Hicks as “nothing more than a hapless presidential enabler” and flunky for “Jarvanka” – Kushner and his wife, Trump’s daughter Ivanka. In the fallout from the Trump Tower meeting and false statement, Wolff reports a fight between Bannon and Hicks in the cabinet room. “You don’t know what you are doing,” Bannon is said to have shouted. “You don’t know how much trouble you are in … You are as dumb as a stone!” The pair, Wolff writes, never spoke to each other again. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/04/trump-russia-steve-bannon-book-robert-mueller

I want a black penis.

Day 9: Friday Forget Robert Mugabe, the main World News Event of today is the planned “Double Penetration of Leandro”! Together we’ve chosen the +1... Leandro doesn't want anyone from Mezzaninu... so I go for the best from Plataforma - Henrique I collect the car from Mario Quintana. Excellent job. I couldn’t tell it’d been repaired. No clients at Fabio’s shop again. It's all pretty desperate. I slip the very straight work colleague 200R because I fear he'll leave Fabio if this continues (just as the last one did) I’m messaging both Leandro and Henrique throughout the day... Henrique is a guy of few demands. Leandro drinks champagne... Henrique wants Polar beer... the locally brewed cheap beer (50p a can). I can't let this happen... so get some Leffe and Budweisers as well. I ask him to dress smart. Leandro suggests that instead of eating out… we have pizza delivery instead... I'm not sure why?... ashamed to be seen in a restaurant with me? Get here for 10pm! Get here for 10pm! But first...Plataforma! Elliot …is one of Tom's past conquests. He's been here for 10 years... smiley fidgety... the sort of smiley fidgety you get with drugs... and he does everything really well... he kisses, sucks, takes it... but he's rushing things... trying to move things on. Afterwards I tell him (this is possibly the new me coming out) Agreed 100 Paid 120 Friday night at Mezzaninu and it's the same old faces hanging around... Leandro... Matheus... Marius... a few actives... that big guy from Rio... I do nothing. The Double Penetration of Leandro 10pm and both boys arrive before 10.15pm. Leandro is wearing the jacket I bought him previously (nice touch – determined to show who’s the favoured one here!). I suggest a restaurant... Leandro easily persuades Henrique to accept delivered pizzas instead. Henrique is even more gorgeous than I remember. He is from that beach we went to in the far south of Porto Alegre. His story is basically... got girlfriend pregnant at 15... she died of pre-eclampsia... but the child survived... he's 27... he has a 12 year old son... both of their names are tattooed on his arms... he works during the day making burgers and selling food locally... he works at Plataforma because it is closer to the south of Porto Alegre than Mezzaninu (Tom and I suspect it's because he knows he beats the competition there)... he often says "I'm just a simple man" (when explaining his request for Polar beer)... but he seems very pleased that champagne and a range of continental beers are available. He seems like a really nice guy. I give Henrique some M sized cuecas (Calvin, Armani and Stonemen) and some perfume (CK One Shock)... he's really happy... and he's trying them on. The chemistry between Henrique and Leandro is good. Henrique is a man... Leandro has now changed into a "wife"... preparing everything and serving Henrique. They chat a lot... music... dance events... other garotos... saunas in Sao Paolo... drugs... (basically Leandro has experience of everything... Henrique has little). A fair amount of time was spent discussing the fate of Diego – a garoto from POA who worked in Mezzaninu last year. He decamped to Sao Paulo at the beginning of 2017 and then moved on to Brasilia. In August he was in a car being driven by his transsexual girlfriend. Two men pulled up and shot the girlfriend at point blank range. Diego was injured and went to ITU. Two days later he was dead. Henrique agrees this is very sad. I say I remember him fondly. He was one of the few POA garotos who could actually speak English (though no one could understand how he learned it) and he could be funny with it. Leandro refuses to believe he died… saying he absconded from ITU and went into hiding in Sao Paulo. Drink is flowing. The gargantuan pizza arrives. They like each other. This is going to be great... 3-way kissing ✔ 2 guys sucking me together ✔ More 2 guys sucking me together ✔ And then we hit the bed... Henrique's erection dissolves after 5 minutes. It's the alcohol. It's the poppers. And you know how difficult it is to get an erection when you've lost it and need it?.. well we're in one of those scenarios.... let's wait 10 minutes... let's wait 30 minutes... Leandro... for all of his doe-eyed coquettiveness... and despite being drunk... is a total professional... he instinctively knows what to do in most situations... and in this case he’s brought Viagra (How come you’ve got Viagra? – “You need it if you’ve got to have sex with people… but I don’t use it for you!” – do I believe him? - No!)… Henrique is given some Viagra... we wait. Leandro, sensing that all is not as it seems, is mouthing "Passivo!" to me... then suggests we all fuck Henrique. Which we do. Henrique probably is more passive as you can fuck him readily... but he's really tight! Henrique keeps insisting that he’s more active. Eventually there is an erection and Henrique throws on a condom and starts to fuck Leandro. It's forced in, it's rough, it’s too fast... and too painful. 2 days ago Leandro had my fist up him and that had gone well... but now he seems in real pain after being forcibly fucked (later he apologises for not being able to do much bottoming, saying he’s in pain and thinks he's damaged something) Can't remember much more... Leandro went to sleep... Henrique and I chatted... In the morning (3 hours later), Leandro said he didn't think he could take anything... I fucked Henrique... As Leandro texted later - "It was a pleasant evening but didn't go as expected" It was a good evening but the pair had too much to talk about and compare in Portuguese. Even when I asked what they were saying, Leandro would reply "Você sabe!" (you know!), assuming my ability was better than it is. Leandro Unspoken 600 (his usual) Paid 600 Henrique Asked 350 Paid 450 Day 10: Saturday After goodbyes... I sleep! I'm feeling unwell... probably unopposed metformin (I haven't been eating much)... Into town... I buy some books and try to go to Fabio's printer... but it's closed! Tropical rain is belting down. Pick up Tom at 3.45pm and we head off to Plataforma. 3 garotos and us. I've had one recently... the other 2 are unremarkable. I sit alone with a coke zero. Then head off… I meet Tom at the shopping centre... he is eating... I go to buy more coke. I miss him texting that he's gone to the toilet so, assuming that he's left for Mezzaninu on foot, I drive there. Of course he hasn't... he's still there waiting for me... disaster evening so far! Mezzaninu is a mixture of old faces and older faces. Nothing excites in here. The new bar staff are characterless never-there robots. Watching not very good guys trying to get business is equally miserable. Then I spot the lust of Fabio's life - Vladimir! I try to make an arrangement with Vladimir... he comes to my apartment one night... sex with Fabio... I pay Vladimir. I text him the proposal. But it’s unlikely to happen as Vladimir has to leave at 9pm. Vladimir I had Vladimir the last time I was here. He takes it. And has a lovely smile throughout it. And he's funny. Today... as I think it would be more upsetting to Fabio if I fucked him... I just take him into a room for a clothed kiss. Agreed 100 Paid 100 Alexander A use-the-room-twice jobbie with one of Tom's cast-offs. He's far too big and far too active... so this too is a lie on the bed and kiss affair. No erection. Nothing. Pleasant guy. Lives in Canoas. Has wife and 2 children. Wife knows what he does. Does something with cars. Agreed 100 Paid 100 Diego …asks to sit next to me whilst he plays the bingo. Been here all week. Not a beauty. Probably gets little work. Did it all and came… though I did have to tell him to stop saying "Oh Baby!" Agreed 100 Paid 150 - he's delighted. Much of my time is spent chatting to the lovely Brazilian guy Marcello on the roof. Garoto Michael joins in. Fabio comes over on Saturday night, having previously asked to cancel. He's stressed. It's late. I'm knackered. He wants to go home. That's ok. Day 11: Sunday - last day in Porto Alegre I miss a Saturday night out! I fall asleep and wake about 9am. Wash some underwear and t-shirts. And head off to Fabio's BBQ. ...which is in Fabio's garden. 2pm. Fabio's mother has built a grotto to St George in the garden. It's like a little hillock covered in cemented-in pebbles. And inside the cave is a plastic St George slaying a dragon. No garden is complete without a grotto I feel. Straight best friend Samuel (the guy who did all the work renovating Fabio's shop) is in charge of the BBQ... his other straight friends Samuel2 and Kuka are there. His work colleague Bruno (very straight, very sexy) turns up. After some introductions, his mother, aunt and sister retire to a back room whilst the boys sit outside under the veranda... it's all a bit Victorian!!??? I’m told this is normal. I’m with four boys, having a barbecue. Three are straight and they all know that I’ve paid Fabio for sex in the past. His sister knows. His mother and aunt know. In the past I have given a bottle of poppers to Fabio… and it seems that rather than use them in mad passionate gay sex… they have all tried them whilst just sitting together… and of course the conversation comes round to poppers… I have a new bottle… I give it to Fabio… it’s opened… and the rest of the barbecue is spent watching four boys pass round a bottle of poppers… their reactions are a mixture of exhilaration… and I think, faked inebriation. They laugh a lot. Last night at Mezzaninu I arrive at about 6pm... It's a bit subdued... again... low lighting... many clients... few garotos... old faces prowling round... As a sort of warm up for what will come later, I agree to... Alexandre …who I sorta remember from 2015. He doesn't remember me. His most memorable feature is his unfortunate dentition - canines in front rather than in-line. I remember him saying he'd been in Sao Paulo in the past... now he only comes here on Saturdays and Sundays. I seem to remember him part of my 2015 foursome (far too much direction required on my part)... but I cannot be sure. Anyway he kisses... sucks with a condom and gets fucked. He has a beautiful pert bottom (like Marcus). Throughout fucking he keeps saying "Beautiful"! Agreed 100 Paid 150 Michael …was a Tom conquest on Tom’s day 1. He's different. Mop of brown hair... beautiful eyes... and toned physique. And he's totally active. Everyone knows this. Last night (Saturday) I'd been sitting on the roof chatting to the nice client Marcelo. Michael joins us. We're all laughing because Michael is wearing black and yellow striped swimming trunks and we're calling him "abelha" (the bee). It's a lot of fun. Michael does a sort of "you and me" gesture... and I say “No, você esta ativo, eu estou ativo". Michael, speaking through Marcello, asks how much would I pay him to be passivo? I say 200. He says yes. We agree tomorrow (which is now). So many many WhatsApp messages later (he's asking what is the app to learn English at 2am... and lots of his own spelling of English words). He's promised the "Best Sex Ever" And when we get to it... it's a lot of fun. He kisses well... he sucks... and then he took it. At first he's on top of me... Then possibly the "extra-mile" position... he is on top... above me... leaning back... his feet are now pressed against the vertical wall... and his weight and position maintained by just his hands on the bed... his arms are rocks. Up and down slowly. It's a sight. We finish with a more routine "him on his back". He cums a little. It's all very light hearted. A lot of laughing and faces. We chat afterwards. He's from Curitiba. He's 19. He travels the country working in saunas (he listed at least 7 cities). He likes Porto Alegre because it's "very gay". He's bisexual... doesn't have a girlfriend... would like to study "Administration" in the future (though I suspect he'll just carry on doing this). He managed to quickly rent a flat in POA when he arrived (very unusual given Brazilian bureaucracy) and I suspect this is because he had the money to do so. I ask "Everyone knows you're active... why did you agree to be passive for me?. "Because I like your face" Agreed 200 Paid 200 (and I give him 2 pairs of Calvin Kleins that I still had left over) Back at the apartment… As a "present" for Fabio, I book a guy from Vivalocal (Fabio is basically sex starved in Mario Quintana)... and he arrives within 20 minutes of Fabio's arrival at my apartment... Kauan Well he was nice when he turned up. Probably very surprised that he was being asked to have sex with a "former" garoto. They had a drink. Went to it on the bed. I wasn't interested. I was writing this diary. Over in 20 minutes. From what I was told later... he's smaller than me... he couldn't keep hard... And then it gets a bit different... Fabio asks if I've eaten and should we all go out for a meal... we cannot find a restaurant so let's go to McDonalds... I'm going to have to drive... they're chatting away... Kauan wants the music on... Fabio puts the music on... I'm buying McDonalds... Kauan would like to study to be an estate agent... and he likes cannabis... he's been barred from Mezzaninu for 1 week for using his mobile phone... I cannot really see the point of all this because Kauan isn't gay... he's not going to suddenly declare his love for Fabio... I'm beginning to feel a bit used... sort of garotos squeezing the client for everything they can... Fabio senses I'm not happy. We return to the apartment. Kauan calls an Uber. Agreed 230 (200 +30 Uber) Paid 230 + Big Mac I spend the night with Fabio. Tomorrow Curitiba.

As the dust seems to be settling on Giftgate... here's more red-hot throbbing extreme present-giving... and the rest... Day 7 : Wednesday The day starts with Marcus leaving... I get myself together and head out to Fabio's shop. He seems to think I bring luck... because customers keep turning up whilst I am there. I meet his sister in the street. And then I meet his mother!!!... coming to ask Fabio for some money for some milk (he gives her 4R$). I even get to look round his house and go to his mezzanine bedroom. It’s very sweet... very 20's. The perfumes I’ve given him are displayed atop of a chest of drawers. The underwear I’ve given him are neatly arranged in the top drawer. Banksy posters are on his walls. We drive around the neighbourhood and see the competition to his shop... then he takes me to an elderly gentleman in Mario Quintana who repairs dented cars... so that I can get the hire car undented, resprayed and polished (after Leandro had offered to park the car on Monday night). It’ll cost R$200 …but he needs R$30 upfront to buy the paint. The afternoon is spent offering myself up on Grindr... asking for GDP... plenty of willing participants but I'm too pushed for time... Mezzaninu... the Filipinos... the guy from San Francisco... the guy from New Jersey... Tom... and a few others. More garotos but mostly the same faces... some beautiful muscley active guys... hardly anything I want to do... Everton Things are so poor, I try a one year reunion with (looking up my previous description) "frantic kisses... and every single face of pain and agony as he tries to sit on top of me... Was inside for about 5 seconds.... clearly agony!"... and things have improved slightly... there's still the frantic kisses... and still does the many faces of pain... but he manages to perform some sort of bouncing balancing routine on the very top of my dick... yes it's inside... but only just... You just keep asking yourself "Is he about to die?" Agreed 100 Paid 100 Junior ...looks a shadow of his confident former self... he is just hanging around. Back in March he was often at the centre of duos and threesome etc for both me and Tom... but no one can accuse him of building on this success... he is moping around... even Tom can remember this is not the same guy we knew... We drag him to the table... financial problems... had to sell his car... he has a wife (despite everyone… yes everyone… still telling me he is gay… what could be his gain by pretending he’s straight?)... she has his mobile phone... this is now his only job... and despite all this he is still oozing the sex appeal of a sad sock. Tom and I offer to spend time with him, Tom first... me second... He's lovely. He does everything well. Whilst I was fucking him, he was going at it, as if trying to cum... I felt it best to stop him as he may need that finale for someone else later... Agreed 100 Paid 150 + drink + food 2nd Night with Leandro "I am ponctual" he says as he approaches... we eat in Paris 6... he's in a much more talkative mood... boys are not telling the truth... some have brought problems on themselves... do I know the amount of drug dealing that goes on there?... Why do I think boys who seem to get no clients still turn up? ...and all the beans are spilt... Back at the apartment, Leandro is an unparalleled delight. As he makes his way through another bottle of champagne, he has developed this sexy wink he keeps doing... Into bed... butter wouldn’t melt in his blast furnace… but the combination of champagne, copious poppers and him forcing my hand… eventually leads to.... Full fist. First time. He cums. I felt as if I’d taken his virginity. I’m probably the first of many fists. He runs to the bathroom. And comes out all bashful, "Pope Francis!" he lisps as if we’ve just done something naughty. He’s ecstatic. He is perfect. Unspoken 600 Paid 600 Day 8: Thursday ...and despite 4 hours sleep, we're up at 8am!... because I have to take the hire car to Mario Quintana to drop it with the old guy who is going to do the respraying and polishing... I have no idea whether he'll do a good job but I'm guessing he can't make my "damaged hire car" situation any worse... Buy sweets and drinks from a corner shop... Fabio really happy... Fabio and I go for another walk around the neighbourhood and then I Uber home for... Gianni This is the gay guy who is always happy and funny on his Facebook rather than posing... he's studying to become a fireman... and he likes medium trunks. And despite extensive texting well in advance... he is 45 minutes late. He's lovely. We sit and chat. I'm getting him drunk. Smirnoff Ice. We're showing each other videos... I'm watching popstrel Arianna Grande doing impressions... too much Lady Gaga…and even Andrew Christian adverts with a Cher soundtrack! Gianni is definitely gay. In return I give him Paloma Faith singing at the Brits Bed is good. Kissing and fucking. He's really good at it. In the middle of kissing, he yawns, reminding me this is all an elaborate 3 hour performance! It's funny. We laugh. He's lovely to be with. Afterwards I give him the only medium trunks I've brought... a pair of Ed Hardy and a pair of Aussiebum… both are very gay... he likes them “Yellow is my favourite colour!” (who says that?)... and some CK One Shock... which he likes as well... Agreed 250 Paid 400 (I just kinda like him) Hire car-less, Tom and I take an Uber to Mezzaninu. The Uber crashes into a taxi. At Mezzaninu it's very very much the same faces... and any new face is quickly snapped up by someone more forward than me... Tom and I are talking about the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing - Tom youtubes in weekly to watch Aljaž Škorjanec... I prefer Debbie's partner, Giovanni. Neither of them are here in Mezzaninu tonight. I sit for a very long time before doing anything... Pedro Chatted up on the roof with some English... he's totally active... but he swears we can have a good time... (one of the Filipinos has already had him) We go to the room... great kisser... great sucker... and he is really going the extra mile... really passionate... like real sex... and he has the biggest penis... massive... it's too big really... and he's really good fun and nice and stunning and uses a lot of initiative. It's just nice being with him. He is freelance waiter and security... he does ju-jitsu... has a wife and 3 year old daughter. And yes, he finds doing this difficult. Afterwards he sends me loads of stunning photos and videos of himself from the locker room... and is constantly making eye contact during the night... he knows how to treat his fan base! Agreed 100 Paid 100 Doing a Tom "use the room twice" jobbie... Matheus Someone I went with last year... in March he had turned into the manager of Mezzaninu... and now he is back to being a boy... because the money’s better. He's an old face... a slightly chubbier old face... Italian macho looks... very handsome... and a total bottom... an eager bottom... who rides me. This is more about finding an excuse to give him 100R because he’s a nice guy. Wife, 7 year old daughter, works as motorboy during the day. Tells his wife he's a motorboy in the evening too. (Is it possible to keep this sorta thing a secret?) Agreed 100 Paid 100 After another lull... I get a taste of Rio in the shape of... Roger He's here for 6 days from Rio... he speaks English... he is huge (really muscular)... and surprisingly he's totally passivo. I tell him none of the clients will go with him because everyone assumes he is active. After some hard negotiation we agree 120 (what was I thinking???)... but I don't fancy him (I'm doing this simply to take a photo for you!)... he proudly shows off his big bum (I hate it)... shows me why he wouldn't be great as a top... and keeps trying to get me to fuck him... eventually he does settle into a hug and kiss thing which was the most I'd want. Says he has massage and security certificates and can do those jobs if he wants. He also thinks of himself as an artist! At the end I'm paying him his 120... and he cheekily yet nicely asks for “um pouco” more... then saying… (in English!!!) “with the current exchange rate, R$150 is less than £10 more”! He is nice... he doesn't push it... but a garoto informing me of international exchange rates???... as I say... a taste of Rio... I suspect. Agreed 120 Paid 120 A week later I see his vivalocal advert. He says he’s 48! 48 in garoto years must mean he could be my father. In other news, the Madonna concert has finally finished. They’ve now got some sort of 70’s disco video compilation going on. Fabio In the evening Fabio comes over. I give him the ton of presents I've bought for him - underwear... perfume... posters... and a new phone. He's really really happy. No - REALLY happy. We fall into bed. He’s going for it with the sucking. Really going for it. We’re getting there… tears… gagging…I’m telling him “yeah”. He vomits on the floor. I cum.

The last Friday of the year at Sao Paulo's Lagoa, was mild disappointment, I guess is low season in the city,the admission was R$65,00 but there was signs around advertising $50,00 admission for every night of the week nights throughout the summer with free cabins on the same nights, I was not aware Lagoa had cabins despite been at the place many times for the last 10 years. Maybe is a new thing. As usual the average quality is well above what you get in Rio, but was not as outstanding as I've seen before, there was only one drop-dead gorgeous guy, like those you won't ever see in Rio in a million years, as usually is the case, pretty much unapproachable, the typical Lagoa sauna-god, I did not even try, I just don't feel comfortable with full-of-themselves types, besides he was probably charging double the rate, which he rightfully deserved, as a matter of fact the fee charged by the boys at Lagoa is probably the only useful information of this post: R$150,00 and nobody budged, I was even told by a boy no to bother haggling, of course I did, but no dice. "Sao Paulo people has more money" was one of the replies I got from my "in Rio they are asking R$100,00", which of course is true. I end up going with a guy called Tulio, nothing to write home about. Also worth of note was the 4 go-go boys dancing with full erection in the middle of the sparse crowd for a very generous amount of time, 2 of them were just astounding. Despite not being at it's peak, Lagoa is still the #1 sauna in Brazil. Hopefully the glory days will be back when the low-season is gone (end of February).

Day 4 - Sunday in Mezzaninu (after Tom and I go hunting for a McDonalds for Tom) About 8 garotos, 15 clients... it should be a sellers market but it's the same old sellers faces... I chat with Roberto I chat with Tom The usual boys who sit with the Filipinos are not there. One boy is standing in for them all. Alex Roberto (who is looking out for me)... has sent Alex to hunt me down... We all agree Alex's indigenous look is not his best feature. But he is lean and golden skinned. And.... he's unbelievably good.... he's got the passionate kisses... he sucks.... he enjoys being sucked.... he gets fucked.... and does all the work... he's really good. He will be a repeat. Asked 100 Paid 150 Bruno I'm now doing a "Tom's Super Saver Sunday" whereby you don't hand the room key back (we've worked out that they're lax on time keeping here)... and you grab boy number 2 and whisk him into the room you've already got! So this is 50 for just kisses with Tom of Finland lookalike Bruno. He's totally active and won't suck... so kisses was as far as I'd get. And he's rubbish at that. It’s like kissing the Blarney Stone. That said... he has a killer smile... looks great... and was very jolly and smiley. He says he has a girlfriend and a boyfriend. He works as an estate agent in POA and lives in Gravatai. I've had worse experiences. Agreed 50 Paid 50 A quick exit to get back home... to prepare for… Leandro So at 10pm the "swan princess" will arrive... and he does... hair in a bouffant style... shirt open... tight trousers... he looks amazing. We go for dinner in a nice restaurant. "Pope Francis you must teach me English" (obviously he didn‘t call me that but you get the idea) We come back to the apartment… Leandro offers to park my car… and he crashes it into a wall. We chat forever. So many things... 1) his ex boyfriend Paulo is suicidal. He tried to kill himself again recently. When Leandro tried to tell him it's over, he took an overdose and cut his neck with a knife.... and so it continues... Paolo is still sleeping in Leandro’s bed... Leandro is too scared to try and get rid of him... I tell him that it was Paolo’s decision to cut himself, not Leandro's and allowing Paulo to stay in his bed is not being honest with Paolo. Paolo needs honesty. 2) Leandro now has alopecia areata.... of course no real cause... but he is blaming the stress with Paolo. It is a 50p piece size on the back of his head... very noticeable. But there is some new fine white hair growth. 3) He's only been to Mezz 3 times since April because other boys don't like him. That said he has a WhatsApp of lots of repeat requests from clients which he shows me. He asks me how he compares to the other boys. I tell him he's the best. He says "no"... but I suspect he's heard “the best” many times... He talks about being in a room with 3 other boys and the others being ordered out... he talks about his fetishism. .. how Americans love taking photos... he likes double penetration... He says he wants to stop doing this but needs the money for his studies and his mortgage. I know he likes champagne so I've bought him a bottle of Brazilian "Chandon". It was his birthday recently so I give him some presents. Chatting until 3.30am. After finishing a bottle of champagne, he seemlessly moves on to Fabio's bottle of white Martini (having previously dismissed it as a girls drink) He finds it funny that there are other brands of alcohol in the fridge... which he knows can only mean one thing... Then the sex marathon begins... and he is unquestionably the best. It is difficult to work out how he has managed to become perfect at this... immaculate presentation ... almost punctual… an absolute delight to be with... and a total total slut in bed... at times you’re fighting him off… he is amazing. Day 5: Monday - Mezzaninu CLOSED ...so it's like a "find your own way" day... For me, the day begins with being sexed to death by Leandro... I'm on a high... I'm exhausted. I spend the rest of the day pottering around... doing nothing... staring into space... eating chocolate... washing a bath mat... much like the Prisoner of Zenda Fabio has texted to say he can't meet me this afternoon because he has to take his mother to see a lawyer (it's about getting her dead husband's pension). ...so I'm now scanning vivalocal for something to fill in the time... I turn my attention to two of my long term targets - Mateus P - a guy who once advertised on Vivalocal about 5 months ago (and I kept his details) - and Lucas M - a guy who I tried texting the last time I was here, but felt that he blew me out. I Facebook message Mateus... back comes the response - R$ 5000... there's a bit more texting… I’m saying his prices seem to have gone up somewhat... him asking how much I'm prepared to pay... he wants a nose job... it's all very odd... best avoid I WhatsApp Lucas (who had previously advertised on vivalocal and less than a month ago was still advertising on Skokka)... 150 for 1 hour... and after lots of faffy messages... do you have a photo of your dick?... I need to go to the shop... I need to tidy up... I do the 25 minute drive to his apartment. It's a massive gated community called Parque Vargas... and it is, no joke, 100m from Fabio's house and shop!... a few more faffy messages... I have a flatmate here - do you mind?... did you bring a condom?... and he comes out to meet me... Lucas M After having to walk past some guy sitting in his own living room... Lucas leads me into his sad rented room... He keeps asking me if I'm nervous?... no I'm not… he clearly is... he starts by standing up and undressing... he is taller than me... very thin... his face is beautiful but his body is a mixture of mottled pigmentation, razor reactions and pustules and pick axe scarring from acne... kisses are half hearted... and like others who advertise (in my limited experience), his trick here is to try and get you to fuck him as quickly as possible to bring the episode to a close... so he's repeatedly turning his back to me... and I, realizing that the kisses are unlikely to improve, that chupa is not on tonight’s menu, eventually fall in line with his plan and I make a half-hearted attempt to fuck him. I quickly decide to stop... ask him to gozar... which he does. We then have a little chat on the bed... he's a primary school teacher... he likes Taylor Swift, nightclubs, sneakers and fashion... he has depression and anxiety and takes Fluoxetine... and would I like to see him again? I'm escorted out of the compound. Agreed 150 Paid 170 Fabio A two second drive around the corner to Fabio who has just messaged me. He says it's been a difficult day but it’s been productive (in terms of his mother’s pension)... he gets changed... then apologises for his clothes. We drive to McDonalds. Back to the apartment... a bit of something... I'm too tired. The problem here is I've had Leandro... no one else compares really. I'm now telling myself that Fabio is real... Leandro is a professional. Day 6: Tuesday in Mezzaninu Fabio leaves in the morning and I spend the rest of the day eating jelly beans and watching the fall of Robert Mugabe. Tom and I arrive early at Mezzaninu. There are about 8 clients (mostly active) and 8 garotos (mostly active). Madonna is still in concert. Given the lack of fresh talent, I attempt to lay old ghosts to rest with Marius... On the stairs, we Google translate one another... I tell him that when I was last with him, at the end he started requesting more money to pay the rent. After first trying to tell me about his rent, he settles on "Sorry"... I tell him to be careful as he will gain (should read as "has gained") a reputation... Marius After some intense bargaining (he says he is usually active) we head off to a room... I think he has an incredible body. The tattoo on his left wrist is the same and he has resisted the urge to get more. His lips demand kissing. Ok kisser. I don't recall chupa. And you need to fuck him slowly... every time you get as far as you can, he squeals. Fuck… squeal… fuck… squeal… fuck… squeal… Agreed 125 Paid 150 + he asks for food I’m not seeing anything new in Mezzaninu... the only other possibility would be Andre but I cannot bring myself to go there. Yet. Tom has found himself a relatively new guy called William And Tom refuses to share him! With nothing happening here, I head to Plataforma... It's raining. Tom has left his umbrella in my car. Divine justice. Plataforma is as sad and dingy as ever. The boys are all watching TV. 4 garotos, maybe 3 clients. What the Plataforma boys lack in looks, they more than make up with desperation... Willian He comes and sits... says he'll do it all... off to room 12... Great kisser... asks to put a condom on for sucking (I say don't bother)... then he sits on top of me and gets fucked until he comes. It takes ages. Every cum-face known to man. I have to check my penis doesn’t have a repetitive strain injury. Offers to send me photos of other guys that are available (if he can have 50R commission!) Agreed 120 Paid 150 Jorges Again… he'll do it all. Room 12 (by now I know all the dirt on the floor) Kisses are virtually none existent. He makes it clear that he doesn't like it. He also says he won't be able to get fucked as I'm too big (possibly worth the payment alone) He then sets out on a blow job that I've never experienced by a garoto... constantly sucking... taking it down to the hilt... holding it there... gagging... tears rolling down his face... looking up at me… surely he can’t continue doing this?... but he does!... gagging… tears… looking up… tears… Bambi choking to death… it's all an incredible turn on. Sensing he’ll go further… I enter into a renegotiation…and I cum in his mouth. Agreed 150 (in the end) Paid 150 Marcus I pick Marcus up at 9.30pm... we go to Zaffari and buy his drink of choice (Campari)... off to a restaurant... then back to apartment. All the time we are speaking English. In the room I give him some Hugo Boss presents. He seems much happier now that he’s left Mezz and is working at the telephone shop. He earns 1800 per month... works six days a week... and can only have a month's vacation after he's worked for a full year. He'd like to rent his own apartment. He's thinking of doing university entrance exams for accountancy now. In March 2017, he told me that he wouldn't wear a pair of brightly coloured Andrew Christian swimming trunks on the beach as it would be tantamount to telling everyone you're both gay and passive. So I present him with a pair of pink Andrew Christian swimming trunks with “PASSIVO” in neon yellow lettering printed on the backside. He loves them. But he still won't wear them. We're in bed. He seems keen. We have sex. We're a good fit in terms of height. And he was always perfect to fuck. His buttocks are perky. The bed moves 2ft across the floor. He is totally lovely. We sleep. Paid 400 (though his lowly self esteem had previously quoted me 250 per night when I was last here)

Hello again...after my November trip to Rio (which is the fourth and last for this year) I can tell you my opinion about the best and worst days to go to saunas in Rio. MM is not included in the following table due to the lack of personal experience since the few times i've been there, i really didn't like the place. As you can see I've found a better selection of guys on Saturdays on 202, in the last times since Pointe has recovered from its crisis. To prepare the table i've only taken in consideration the variety of garotos present each day (sauna facilities and special days are not taken into account even if reported for convenience). The table is inevitably affected by my personal tastes. I do not like next-door type guys. While 117 is always pretty consistent (apart from wednesdays), incredibly I have made some of the best discoveries in Rio in 202 during saturdays (117 is still good). And while there's no bad day at 202 apart from Thursday, I can tell you that even if good, Fridays and Sundays are way better at 117.

Action Bar closed definitively in July 2017. No more oral academy !