sfcastro

Stopped in to Cupidol last night around midnight and there were about 15 guys working at that time. Not many customers but there were people coming in and out until they closed at 2 am. Drinks were 240 baht.

If you want to stay at a reasonable higher end hotel in Sao Paulo, stay at the Intercontinental or Renaissance, both in the Paulista area and convenient to shopping and the subway. If you want to bring in guests, plan on having the guests register at the front desk and be sure they have their Brazilian national ID card or drivers license to present as there is security in both of these hotels in the lobby who will direct guests to the front desk to register.

Bar Mixx moved to a new location since the last time I visited Porto Alegre, less than one-half mile from the old location. It's a much bigger space with more tables, a dance floor, stage and an outdoor area. The concept is still the same with some guys who were working earlier coming to Bar Mixx along with some local guys, showing up around 10:30 - 11 pm. I was there on a Friday and Saturday night and neither night was very busy but both nights 15-20 guys there. They also have some rooms for rent as well. Be careful if you Google for the bar's address as the old address still shows up on many sites. Search for Novo Bar Mixx and not simply Bar Mixx. Here is the new address: Novo Mixx Bar R. Santos Dumont, 1174 Porto Alegre - RS, 90230-240, Brazil A few photos below and apologize they are dark but the lights were turned down extremely low when I was there.

I kept getting the "Site under maintenance" page when trying to access the website. I logged in from another computer and saw that the site was up, but still was receiving the maintenance page on my usual computer. I had to clear the cookies for Boytoy to get the normal site to come up on the computer I usually login on.

Maybe we can ask TomCal to update his Top Ten Safety Tips for Brazil with any new and updated tips and pin it to the top of the forum.

I would also suggest taking a flight directly to Rio (GIG) versus a short layover in Sao Paulo (GRU). In the event you decide to do the short layover at GRU, allow at least 3 hours between the arrival of your flight from the USA and the departure time of your connecting flight within Brazil.

I've stayed at the Marriott, Sofitel and Hilton, all nice hotels near the beach, and there was no issues with having guests as long as you registered them. It's always advised to register your guests and have them provide their id, even if not required, for safety reasons.

Any recommended bars or restaurants on Skadarska?

Thanks for the report. Carnival is always a festive event and interesting to see at least once. However, I tend to find the crime higher in Rio during Carnival and New Year's (Reveillon) and while I like events during both times, I would agree that newcomers should consider avoiding Rio during these times. A brazilian I was with one night during Carnival had a gold chain ripped right off his neck by a younger guy who approached us and was talking with us, who then ran. Rio has many good qualities and I love coming here, but always remain conscience of safety, even if you've been to Rio many times. Tomcal's Top Ten Safety Tips for Brazil in the pinned posts continue to be relevant. The only two things I would add would be to leave your cell phone in the hotel or put it in the front of your pants like the brazilians do and to watch for any unusual activity on your ATM cards after using them in Brazil.

Very often Mastercard and Visa cards issued outside of Brazil will not work on Brazilian websites for payments. I have had some luck with using an American Express card on a few sites, so you may want to try an AMEX card if you have one.

Are you thinking of Scala Rio, which has the gay ball on the last night of Carnival? Link: http://scalario.com.br/cevent/carnaval-scala-rio-2019-baile-scala-gay/

Is Manny's finders fee $1500RD per guy or is there a cap per day or per visit?

I was at Mezzaniu this past Sunday so only have one day for a comparison. The sauna could use some upkeep as there was no videos in the room, some of the showers in the rooms were in disrepair, and the main door to the wet/dry sauna barely could be opened. On the plus side, I do like the larger outside area on the top floor with the barbecue. Hopefully Riu, the owner, will invest in some maintenance. There were quite a number of customers and about 15-20 garotos there. I did note that they are offering a special promotion of a free entrance on Sundays for those clients who come on Saturday. I had to pay the entrance fee but it was only 30 reais and rooms were between 35-45 reais, depending on the size of the room, including kits that are in the room. As has always been the case, many of the garotos were sitting and talking with customers but there were still a number of guys walking around and in the video room. This has always been one of my favorite saunas and while it could use some upkeep, I was glad I went on Sunday. I ended up staying for 4-5 hours and had lots of fun. One of the things I like most about the garotos here is they will spend time with you, if you want, both in and out of the rooms, so the atmosphere feels unrushed. Many of the guys working here arrive between 4-5 pm and leave by 9 pm unless they are hanging out with others, so keep that in mind if you decide to visit.

I am thinking of trying Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic for the first time. Any advice on the following? 1. What hotels are best to stay that allow guests with no issues and no charge. I've researched a bit but looks like the two most recommended are no longer around. The Hotel Duque de Wellington looks like it is in bankruptcy and the Mercure Comercial Santo Domingo does not look to be around anymore (no longer available for any bookings and no new hotel name there). Airbandb is not an option for this trip. 2. What are the best gay bars to meet guys there in person vs. the apps? 3. Any other advice?

In Turkey, some of the websites are blocked, so plan to use a VPN to access the sites or research before you arrive and keep a list of those you want to contact and contact numbers.

Check out this video on Scam City for Rio showing a classic bag grab on the beach https://www.scamcities.com/scam-city-season-1-episode-3-rio-de-janeiro/

Thanks for sharing as I was totally unaware this program existed. Did you submit your FOIA request to the TSA or other agency to get this report? How long did it take to get your report? The website says an average of 256 working days for simple requests so wondering if that is accurate.

Pointe is best Mondays and Wednesdays.

That is true. Both Manhattan Rios and Pointe were very slow for a Monday, with few garatos and clients compared to normal. I expected Pointe to be busy given that many of the guys from 117 go there, but I estimate that there were only 15-20 garatos at Pointe at 8 pm, the slowest I have ever seen it on a Monday night.

A couple pictures of the new jacuzzi. It is located at the top of the stairs next to the shower/steam room area. Junior seems to be really trying to improve Pointe. He added the jacuzzi, renovated the bar area on the third floor and I also, noticed new sandals, newer towels, larger alcoholic drinks and they passed out appetizers multiple times a couple nights that I was there. The three saunas are definitely competing for business.

On my trip to Cuba, when I went to Las Vegas, even being one of the first people in the bar, when I tried to sit at one of the tables closer to the stage even being willing to pay for the bottle of liquor & mixers, I was told that almost everyone of the tables was reserved. This happened on two occasions. Is this the case or is there another method to getting a decent table? Supposively, the only ones available were far away from the stage/middle area. Also, what is the current rate for the guys in Las Vegas?

I've been to all four countries and Belgrade has the best gay scene of all of them, but with that said, none have outstanding gay scenes compared to most cities and the LGBT culture is not as widely accepted. For example, Bucharest has essentially one popular gay bar with all the other new ones that have tried closing (there is currently one other new bar there but fairly small), Sofia very small gay bar crowds on Friday and Saturday nights, etc. Also be sure to be cautious as with any new city. I've "lost" way too many phones in the clubs so much that I refuse to carry one anymore when I go. Many of the locals have warned against the typical pickpockets and putting a drink down for fear of someone slipping a drug in it. Enjoy your travels.

Much easier to apply online. Note that the fee is only $40 for US citizens, but the visa is only valid for 2 years versus the 10 year visa that is available from the Brazilian consulate.

Thanks Demedici and TotallyOz for your advice. I had the opportunity to visit Belo Horizonte for a few days and really like Sauna Olimpo. The sauna is one of the nicest I have visited in Brazil. I was there mid-week with 10-20 boys there each night. I found the atmosphere to be much more relaxed with many of the locals coming in for a social setting, playing cards, having drinks with the boys and the boys being much less aggressive about programas. They have the typical shows and of course, bingo on certain nights. The entrance fee was R$40 (it is R$52 on weekends) and drink prices were much less than in Rio or Sao Paulo. The sauna has a number of free small cabines for use, which they keep clean. Overall, I would recommend a visit to Belo Horizonte for a weekend. Here is a link to the Olimpio website with photos: http://saunaolimpo.com.br/

I am going to be spending a few days in Belo Horizonte this month. Any saunas other than Olimpo Sauna worth visiting? Any other advice for visiting the city?