Traveler365

I wouldn't put trust in any answer you get regarding HIV status, Many people may lie, or not have recently been tested. Either use Prep, condoms or both. The answer you get from anyone, especially a sex worker should be considered suspect.

I am planning my October trip to Brazil. I noticed that with my current itinerary I will be passing through Rio on the weekend of October 4th--Election Day. Anyone else have any experience being there during a major election? Some Latin American countries shut down alcohol; sales and close clubs during elections--not sure if Rio does or not. I can delay my arrival by a week if you think things will be largely shut down that weekend--or if the opposite is true--that things are so volatile that its not a good idea to be out.

Does anyone have hotel recommendations for Tokyo--hopefully something mid-price range that wouldn't create a fuss over a short term visitor?

When I visited Ferchos for the first time everything went smoothly and I would go back. A bit of back and forth about the deposit but eventually arranged everything without paying in advance. The only two strange things about the experience were as follows. They gave me a room right next to the reception and with thin walls I could hear the women at the reception talking like they were in my room--and they were talking a lot! I imagine a room away from reception would be more private but i felt like I had a few observers haha. The second thing which I could never figure out was that a few times during the session the guy pulled out a small bag of what seemed to be packets of drugs and would rifle through them. I am not sure if he was trying to offer me some or what the deal was. We had opened two soft drinks from the fridge in the room and I watched them closely as I was worried he might put something in there. In fact after a few sips I left the rest. He would stop and pull out this bag a few other times and it was just kind of strange. All ended fun and safely however.

This is not a new issue for many countries and pops up from time to time. What was unusual about the Brazil case was that some of the tainted alcohol turned up at upscale bars(mostly in Sao Paulo ).It seems like they have made some arrests and closed down the factory that was the source of the problem. I was just at 117 earlier tonight and the bartender assured me that the cachaca was safe. Likewise at Silencio in Ipanema the waitress said it was safe. I did try one Caipirinha at 117 but sticking to beer for now. Many locals are back to drinking cocktails.

Just entered there--other than nearly 2 hour wait there was nothing unusual. I even had a booth that had a "supervisor" and was processed in about 30 seconds once I got to the front of the line.

The people in the Northeast are very nice and friendly. Reminds me of small town USA.

A few years ago at Carnival I had a singe Caipirinha from a stand near Farme de Amoedo. I had the strangest feeling shortly after of not being able to walk properly yet not really feeling any buzz. I somewhat dramatically announced to my friends that I had been drugged and returned to the apartment to rest. After several hours I was back to normal. I know how a normal Caipirinha affects me and this was clearly different. I sent his story to my friends who were with me and feel a little vindicated that I wasn't crazy. Apparently it's been widely known that 35% of the spirits in Brazil are counterfeit--though not necessarily contaminated.

There has been a widely reported instance of tainted alcohol showing up in venues in Sao Paulo--including apparently in some upscale venues. The situation was deemed serious enough that the health minister urged people to avoid ordering mixed drinks. My friends in Brazil tell me its a big deal and people are avoiding mixed drinks and drinking beer instead. Does this mean we won't be able to enjoy that Caipirinha anymore without fear of going blind or worse? https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/brazilians-avoid-drinking-after-authorities-confirm-methanol-poisoning-126217016

I got my e-visa. They recommend printing it out and taking with you . Do they actually check the printed copy?

Are you there over a Brazilian holiday? That can cause rooms to book up fast and rates to skyrocket.

I agree. There are those places in Colombia but not as organized or plentiful as Brazil and Thailand. A lot of people use the apps and, or meet people in a regular bar and that’s where you run the greatest risk.

It sounds like you were a very good friend to your new acquaintance. I have an American friend of many years that lives part of the year in Medellin. He owns his own condo and speaks fluent Spanish. He met a guy on Grindr a few years ago that drugged him and cleaned out his apartment. He is very savvy and cautious and it still happened. I wonder if the Escort Sites are safer? It may make sense to delete any banking apps from your phone to prevent easy hacking--but if drugged you may become unable to resist giving the kidnappers the required info to reinstall the apps and access your accounts. I've traveled to Colombia many times and never had a problem but they do happen more there than other places unfortunately.

I stumbled upon this two part podcast where an Australian describes the horrors of being locked up for months in a Cambodian prison. It genuinely sounds like he didn't commit much of, if any crime and yet was still locked up. I doubt conditions are much better in Thailand or many South American jails. It gives you a bit of pause to realize that when you travel to these countries you are at the whim of their justice system and despite behaving yourself there is always the potential of being swept up into something. Recently it seems that Venezuela has taken to rounding up random Americans to use as bargaining chips--definitely one country I'll not visit any time soon. This podcast even makes me leery of returning to Cambodia where I have previously enjoyed Siam Reap.

I assume you stayed in an AirBnb right? Did you clarify the guest policy before or just search one out that didn't have a doorman?