Traveler365

Thank you for a great report. I was there a few weeks ago and had a wonderful time. Where did you stay mostly? Hotels or apartments? Did you use short time hotels for your new friends or bring them back to your place? I didn't have any problems but although hotels in Colombia seem to be a bit more guest friendly than Brazil--some can still be very restrictive and that can kill a good time.

Yes i have found those "Boutique Hotels" --especially the gay ones--are not very friendly towards bringing in a new friend and I avoid them on vacation.

I have added a few hot guys from Fortaleza on my instagram. They appear to be straight--but then again they post very soft porn pics of themselves, are only mostly found in the presence of other guys, and have like 20,000 followers. Their live feed are always a bunch of shirtless guys hanging around drinking or playing soccer, etc. Occasional profiles have a $ sign in their screen name. Am I missing something? Are these straight guys really marketing themselves--or are they just really straight guys who are into themselves and showing off their bodies. I know it is popular now in Brazil to create a Youtube channel and get as many followers as possible to perhaps get a little ad revenue. Maybe the same thing is in play here. Since I travel through Fortaleza once or twice a year I struck up a conversation with one who claimed to be straight--but would like to meet up and "likes regalos(gifts). Is this another way to connect with these hot Brazilian guys? It goes without saying that any meeting would be in a public place and with a fair bit of caution.

Most of the guys I saw on Grindr in Colombia and ended up meeting were gay. Any one who has been there know where to meet the straight guys that like to have fun too--like the guys working the saunas in Brazil? Although I didn't try Chaturbate my impression is that most of those guys are would be gay as well.

I am in Colombia now and having a great time. I have met several working guys off Grindr that were super nice and incredibly hot. The guy I met tonight in Medellin was 12/10 if there is such a thing! Super sweet with model looks and body. We went out for a drink after as he wanted to practice his English. It's hard not to fall in love! I had planned to do research on Chaturbate before my trip but ran out of time. So far Grindr has worked fine for me with plenty of offers of free sex as well.

I think it's great that you have done so much research--and this board is a great resource. If I had to give one more piece of advice it would be to prepare to go with the flow on any given day and see where it goes. Rio is an amazing destination both in and out of the saunas. You hate to give up an amazing conversation with a new friend on the beach only to run to the sauna and discover that despite all the best planning it's a dud night. Go enjoy--use your research but be flexible--and of course report back! And I agree with Tomcal--no need to bring your own towels.

5% Lidocaine cream is easily available in the US at major drugstores without a prescription--or on Amazon

Hope you're right! I only mentioned it in the context of what happened in New York after Guilliani took over. Back to the the sauna scene --I only had the chance to visit 202 this recent Carnival-- and it was very good on Wednesday nights--and not too bad on a Thursday either(though that is not usually one of it's busier nights). I have to say 202 seemed cleaner and slightly spiffed up from what I remember. I really like the fact that there was plenty of soap, hot water, and unlimited towels. That would seem to be a given at a sauna but sometimes finding hot water and soap at Meio Mundo and to a lessor extent 117 was a challenge in the past.

Apparently the new mayor of Rio is religiously conservative, anti-carnival(yes I know hard to believe in Rio) and anti-gay. Hopefully he will not try to make any moves on the saunas during his term which recently started.

I am here carnival now and having a great time as always—but I thought this warranted a separate topic. In the last 24 hours I’ve witnessed the following—I was tear gassed at the base of Farme de Amoedo as the police tried to clear the beach street— it was a near riot as the locals were throwing bottles and cans at the police who had riot shields. . I saw two people having their cellphones lifted including that of a very savvy Brazilian friend of mine who was standing right next to me on Farme de Amoedo. I saw numerous fights on the beach with the beach vendors bringing out long sticks to go beat people who they thought were stealing To top it all off my two friends who are staying with me were mugged on the way back from dinner at midnight by the General Osario station in Ipanema. One was placed in a chokehold and the other broke free to assist his friend and use their army self-defense training to escape unharmed with all their belongings intact. I love carnival and it it is are still a lot of fun but coming to Rio at carnival is not for the faint of hearted. You’re definitely not in Kansas anymore… . ps—the saunas are still fun!

I am in Rio now. It’s like the calm before the storm on the streets—but pointe was packed with hot guys and lots of clients!

My friend is still waiting for his visa--this was posted on a visa service webpage and pretty much reflects his experience: 1.7 Brazil eVisa System New and Unpredictable The Brazil eVisa System is new and has many reported problems. While we will try to get these eVisa applications approved as quickly as possible, we cannot guarantee any timelines or due dates due to the fragility of the new Brazil eVisa system. We will remove this notice once their system stabilizes and we can assure completion timelines. IMPORTANT: The Brazil eVisa is being exceptionally stringent about HIGH PHOTO QUALITY including these very important aspects: 1. Good lighting, no shadows, no bright spots. 2. White background. 3. High Resolution, high quality photo. 4. Both EARS showing in photo, so if you have long hair, it needs to be pinned back so both ears are showing. 5. No scarves obstructing the neck area. 6. Photo must be very sharp, not blurry, and at least 600x600 pixels in size. Brazil is rejecting even high quality photos! When Brazil rejects a photo, expect a 2-3 day delay in processing! Special Notice: Out of an abundance of caution, due to the unpredictability of the new Brazil eVisa system, all orders for eVisas with travel dates in 3 weeks or less will be automatically converted to traditional paper Visas from Brazil. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

My friend applied for a visa on the 25th and still has not received it. They keep on rejecting his photo--first the resolution was too low(they only allow a small file), second they said he had red eyes, third on hold pending review. So I would not count on a rapid turn around time. He waited until the 25th --the first day of online processing because the fee is less and the turnaround time is supposed to be 48 hours but now it's not clear if he will get it in time for his departure next week for Carnival. So maybe they are just working out the kinks of the system or they are deliberately dragging their feet. If you are planning a trip and planning to apply online for a visa apply early!

I have always found the best deal on brazilianexpress.com. You need to make an account(free) and log in to see the best fares. I just booked my flight for Carnival on them using Delta and saved $300 on the best fare that was published on Delta's own website, kayak, etc.

I have used them before. No problems at all and delivered as advertised.

@Tomcal I guess it proves that just because you read something on the internet doesn't mean that it's true! Actually this forum(thanks to all the posters) has some of the best and most accurate information out there!

Here is an article that makes Fortaleza seem like one big male brothel. Perhaps you have to look outside the saunas. http://gaybrazil.com/gay-fortaleza/

@Alaskabear You are right--I didn't hire anyone in the northeast but since 99% of the clientele in the saunas is Brazilian I would bet that the rate is certainly no more than Rio and I hear 100 reals kicked around a lot. Also--don't assume you always have to pay. I met guys on grindr in both Rio and the northeast that were 10/10 gorgeous and didn't even want taxi fare. One guy even insisted on paying for his 1/2 of dinner at a nice restaurant. A lot of gay guys are happy to go out for some conversation and a few drinks and since they live with their families and don't have a place at home to fool around will gladly come to your hotel or apartment for some fun.

I ended my recent trip to Brazil with a night in Fortaleza. It's a town I pass through from time to time and I thought I would give a brief update on the sauna scene as I experienced it. There are three saunas with guys for hire that I have heard about there and I visited two of them on a Friday night. The first I went to was California Thermas Club. From the reviews I had read elsewhere I kind of expected it to be somewhat downmarket but in fact it's a nice facility--on a par with 117 in Rio in terms of facilities. It was packed on a Friday night but clients outnumbered the working guys by about 4 to1. I'm not sure if I just caught it on an off night but although there were some friendly, attractive guys there I didn't see anyone to my liking. Apparently their big night is Thursday-so maybe I was just there on an off night. I then visited Dragon Health club which is probably the nicest sauna I have been to anywhere. It feels like the spa in an upscale hotel. Unfortunately it was almost deserted at 8pm on a Friday night with only one musclebound massage guy offering his services. It's a beautiful facility with a good restaurant and a plunge pool. I have visited there three times over the last several years and at times there were more clients, but rarely many working guys. I was the only person there at 9pm and they closed early that Friday since it was so slow. I have never seen the place very busy and it's somewhat surprising that they are able to stay in business with such a large beautiful club and so few clients. There is another club called Rommeo Hotel Sauna that I didn't make it to. I never could figure out if it was more a hotel or a sauna or some combination. One of the locals at California Thermas Club gave me a thumbs down when I asked him about it but maybe that was just his preference. Fortaleza has some nice beaches and beach clubs and lots of hot guys walking around town. Grindr (very active) and other connections might be a better way to go though given my experience there at the saunas.

Ok--I'll chime in as I am in Rio now. For the average visitor nothing has changed one bit. The city is beautiful and vibrant as always. The saunas are full of great guys and on sunny days the beaches are packed. When I left The Week(dance club) at 5am last night there were thousands of guys still dancing inside. I see no more security or anything different now than in the 15 years I have been visiting here. What has changed in talking to locals is a little sense that the overall security situation is worse. An Uber driver last night told me how dangerous the city was now. More than the security issue the locals gripe about the prolonged economic crisis and the fact that the lower value of the Real has hurt their ability to travel and buy goods from abroad. But for all the problems they have--security and otherwise--they still don't have the kind of mass shootings that occur in the US. I have to share one experience from the other night that for me makes this place special. Last night on the metro while stopped at a station I looked upon two cute guys that were on the platform. By any gaydar in the world these two guys were 100% straight. When they figured out I was checking them out they gave me a big smile and a thumbs up. You won't find that at home.

When I travel to Brazil its usually for periods of 10 days to two weeks and so paying for Verizon's $10/day seemed to be to pricey especially since many days I was not using much data as I was connected to wifi much of the time. I would usually get a local sim for a fixed amount of data and it was much cheaper. I recently switched to T-mobile largely for their free international roaming benefit. When you are in Brazil T-mobile's speed will be throttled down to 128kbs--just enough for messaging and basic apps so I will see if that is enough. My friends who have used the $10/day Verizon plan in Brazil are satisfied--the speed and coverage is similar to home.

I always use Brazilianexpress.com. They are a consolidator and often their fares are cheaper than the airlines own published fares. To see the best fare available you need to set up a free profile and log in. I have never had a problem ticketing with them. Since their fares are so discounted you may not get 100% of your frequent flier miles--but since they are so hard to use these days anyways I don't care--I would rather save the dollars up front.

I found the security at the Ipanema Plaza to be a bit overbearing at times. I don't know what their current policy is but in the past unless you registered your guest at the beginning of the trip they would stop you on the way in and make you go to the reception to register your new friend and pay an additional fee(even if you had booked a double room). For each new guest there would be another fee. The security seemed to have a very good memory of who you had left the hotel with and they were good at spotting new visitors. I have had friends stay at high end hotels in Rio--the Copacabana Palace comes to mind as one--where they have been refused entry with a new guest--despite offering to register them--so I am not sure that booking a nicer hotel would necessarily be any better. I think the reasons hotels do this is in part security, and in part to prevent a flow of obvious prostitutes, male or female from coming in and out. I always rent an apartment now and even though many have doormen that will give your guest a quick look on the way in I have never been stopped.

I would use ATM's in Brazil. You need to be a little careful about having your card info skimmed as this is fairly frequent in Brazil--it has happened to me. It is always best to use an ATM inside of a bank or store for better security. Also check with your bank to see if they are going to charge you a fee for using outside of the country because those fees can add up. Exchanging in the US is probably the worst option in terms of exchange rate.

Try chatting up guys on grindr or hornet. Also if you don't mind crowded dance clubs there is a club called Club Pipper that opens several times a month that caters to more of a twink crowd than The Week.