Traveler365

At Pointe 202 there is a very attentive locker room attendant. It would be hard to break into one of the lockers there without him seeing it. He did hit me up for a tip the nights I was there which I gladly gave. My near loss was in one of the Cabines which I had always thought of as a safe zone and that is why I posted my experience. Also I realized the bar area has a lot of activity and distraction and after a couple of drinks it would not be hard to imagine your phone taking a walk if you set it down and weren't paying attention. I still feel the saunas are very safe and you won't be physically harmed in any way but just pay attention to your valuables.

I agree! Very strange and that's why I shared it. I've been going for years and never had a problem either. Maybe it was a guy who was only an occasional GP and saw an opportunity. I thought about what I would do if I had actually lost it. I realized that there are no real English speakers in Pointe 202 and it would have been hard to explain what happened to the front desk. On another night I saw one of the GP in the bar area with that panicked look on his face when he realized his cell was gone. He was sure it was stolen until he realized one of his friends had his phone. Phones--especially nice ones are a hot commodity in Brazil Most of my experiences in the sauna have led me to believe that the guys are sweet, hard working and honest to the point where I think all of the warnings about "never bring one home" are a bit overblown. That being said I thought I would pass this along as a caution to not let your guard down. By the way--Pointe 202 packed on Monday , Wednesday, and Fridays--feels like the old days are back!

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Brazil. One safety suggestion I would pass along is to watch your phone very carefully if you take it to the cabin to maybe snap a pic or two of your new friend. I took a GP at 202 the other night upstairs for some fun and brought my phone along. I didn't even snap any pics of him but when I exited the shower in the cabin after some fun my new iPhone which was on the floor next to the bed was gone(the guy was still there). I asked him rather firmly where my cellular was and he gave me a look like "I don't know." At this point I figured he had passed it off to a friend and it was gone forever. He made a big show of showing me his bag and lifting up the sheets to show me the phone was not there. When I kept on repeating "where is my cellular!" he lifted up the mattress and somehow it was there. Funny how it made it from the floor to under the mattress. I think he thought I wouldn't notice it missing and he would retrieve it later. In the future I am just going to leave my phone secure in the locker.

Given the hard economic times did you feel that security issues were any different in Rio at this time? Also--sorry you hit a rainy stretch. It really does change the feel of the city.

Anyone traveling outside the USA now should be prepared to spend an additional 2 weeks abroad if they test positive for Covid before they return to the USA. This just happened to two healthy friends who were fully vaccinated (Moderna) and went to Peru. One of the guys had cold like symptoms and his husband basically had no symptoms but also tested positive. It was a real hassle to get a local doctor to clear them to fly after 14 days despite one of the guys being from Peru originally. As a physician I see random people off the street come in for surgery like a fracture, fully vaccinated and no symptoms but have a positive Covid test. I think the virus is basically flying around the air in most public places and can land in your nose--giving you a positive test. Thank God the vaccines are working to prevent us from getting sick but definitely be ready to stay longer than expected.

It's been 15 years since I've stayed there and yes the rooms are very small and the old style AC can be noisy. It's a great value currently and may work for some. When I stayed there price was in the $60-80usd range and then when the Real got strong the rate went to over $120. At the current price almost worth booking it as a second accommodation to use for hookups and for the pool.

Could you bring in a new guest every day if you wanted to? Some hotels will allow you to bring in just one guest and register them for the duration of your stay. Ironically I have found some upscale gay boutique hotels to have the most restrictive guest policies. I always stay in apartments to avoid problems bringing someone home but I do understand the allure of a nice hotel.

My guess is not but I do not know for sure. Places like the Copacabana Palace are crawling with security and will certainly notice you bringing in a local.

The more fancy the hotel the less likely they are to allow guests to visit. The nice Hotels in Brazil tend to be very strict on security. I have some friends who are a very wealthy Spanish couple who left there Copacabana Palace and checked out after they were not allowed to bring a short time guest.

Rio officially cancelled their Carnival for 2021. They had tried moving it to July but now realize that is not realistic. I wonder how many worldwide Pride celebrations will be cancelled as well this summer. It seems like every time I start to think that things could be somewhat normal by a certain date that date gets pushed down the line.

As a frontline healthcare worker I received the Pfizer vaccine when it was first released a few weeks back. I had zero side effects other than a sore arm. In fact I ran 7 miles the day after the second shot. I encourage everyone to ge the vaccine as soon as it's available to you. It is the only way we are going to get out of this mess!

A recent picture from The Week in Rio and an attempt at social distancing measures. I think the cages actually make things worse and it's just plain crazy! I didn't take the picture--a friend who lives in Rio posted it and he is similarly dismayed.

Actually you should check with your insurer. Many have a provision where they cover you outside of the USA. When I was injured and in the hospital in Fortaleza I paid the hospital directly on my credit card before I left and Blue Shield reimbursed me 100%--but there are different policies managed by Blue Shield so check and get it in writing! For sure medicare will not cover you outside the USA.

It was a fractured ankle which I knew was better fixed in the USA. I did spend a few days in a hospital in Fortaleza while they organized the flight.

By private jet

Be aware that this insurance most likely is not evacuation insurance which is usually a separate policy. I got evacuated out of Brazil once after an accident there and it was great insurance to have. Most evacuation policies specifically state that they will not evacuate you if you actively have Covid however--so if you get sick and require hospitalization you would be stuck in a Brazilian hospital until no longer infectious.

Here is a Brazilian site where you can look city by city to see the trend in recent cases. Just like the USA certain areas may represent more risk. Look in the area on the page "Índice de destinos" and select your city/region--it will show the number of new cases from the week and what the trend is. https://www.viajenaviagem.com/2020/09/coronavirus-turismo-situacao-brasil/#indice

Moderna, one of the major developers of a possible Covid vaccine in recruiting volunteers for their stage 3 trial in my city. As a healthcare worker I am in a high risk group for exposure so I qualify to sign up to get the shot. Of course I could get the placebo but I could always check my antibodies to see if I got the real shot. Would you guys risk it or wait for an approved, fully tested vaccine?

I couldn't agree more with all of your points. At first I thought September would be reasonable and I am realizing there is no way. I then start looking toward November and that in my mind is looking less likely. I saw a friend from Rio that lives here in the USA over the weekend and he said a big reason to avoid Brazil in the coming several months is the possibility for major political upheaval. He really felt that was even more of a reason not to go than Covid.He also knows several people that have died in Rio recently from Covid. I have been in a Brazilian hospital on one of my visits there (for three days from a fracture). They are seriously overburdened in non-Covid times. You don't want to be in one these days.

As an aside it seems like on previous trips to Brazil that it's just my luck that the first guy I meet up with turns out to have a cold or cough halfway through the programma. I always think what bad luck--now I'm going to be sick for the rest of my vacation. In the past this was often just an annoying cold--though once I did have the worst flu of my life in Rio. I doubt that when things re-open the sauna guys will have access to testing or will stay at home if they are sick. It will for sure be interesting to see the vibe when things re-open. Maybe as foreigners people will shy away from us as it's widely thought that it was foreigners and rich Brazilians who travel that brought Covid to Brazil. I remember while traveling in the early days of HIV you didn't exactly want to advertise that you were from San Francisco or people would keep you at arms length. We will just have to see how this evolves and one day hopefully all will be back to the way it was!

Here is the company I used. https://www.globalguardian.com/air-ambulance Here is also another alternative company https://medjetassist.com And yes when I used my company they paid all of the costs up front and made all arrangements. The owner of the company told me later if I had paid on my own for the services it would have been $100,000 usd. I did have to settle my bill with the hospital and doctor in Fortaleza before I left but that was only $2000 for three days which I later got reimbursed for by my medical insurance back home.

More than ever it is essential that anyone planning to travel outside the US have medical evacuation insurance that guarantees they will be evacuated to the hospital of their choice. I have posted about this before and I feel strongly about it. On a pre-Covid trip to Brazil a few years back I got a nasty fracture in some sporting actives in Northern Brazil. I was able to get myself to the nicest private hospital in Fortaleza--but even there I had to spend over 24 hours soon a gurney in the emergency department before spending a few days in a room. My Brazilian friends told me that wait was typical--public hospitals much worse. My medical evacuation insurance company sent a private jet to transport me all the way to California at no cost to me. I had surgery in California and I am as good as new, You do not want to be seriously ill in Brazil without a way to get back home for care. Coverage is about $265/year and a bargain when you consider the alternative.

I think if you went to Cartagena for the beach scene you would be disappointed. The beaches there are small and not particularly clean. On the good hand there are some high rise condos with great ocean views right on the coast where you can get an airbnb. Most of these buildings have a nice pool--but the nicer the building in general the tougher it is to bring back a guest. Cartagena's historic district is nice to walk around in for a few days but after a couple of days you have pretty much seen it. Cartagena doesn't have a sauna that I am aware of and it's only gay club is busy on weekends only. Colombia is small enough and cheap enough to travel between major cities easily. I would recommend you try to visit Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena in that order for guys--and you can see all three in a little over a week if you keep moving.

I just read that the largest Pride parade in the world has been moved from June until November. I wouldn't be surprised if may US cities will have to delay their June Pride celebrations as well. http://fabricioviana.com/parada-lgbt-de-sao-paulo-muda-data-por-conta-do-coronavirus-de-junho-para-novembro/?fbclid=IwAR3Nt1nrDpmDUl0Jc3hegWvbPZA-tf581o9ocAoF6B0Fm3mk-Rwbub-KeNc

When booking domestic flights on Avianca switch your location to Colombia on the home page of the website(you can then view the site in either english or spanish). You will pay in Colombian pesos but will generally save significant money vs the USA version of the site even if your credit card changes a conversion fee(my Capitol One card does not).