Traveler365

Actually no we did not go out of the sauna together--this was a chance encounter at a street party a few miles from the sauna. Upon recognizing me from having been at MM earlier in the evening he approached me on the street and asked me for transport money, then beers, and so on. I honestly did not want his company, bodyguard services or anything else and probably should have been more firm at the beginning in telling him to get lost.

I went to MM tonight and ran into the buff guy who was one of the two that were involved in this incident. He was friendly and somewhat apologetic and we agreed it was all a misunderstanding (though it sure didn't seem that way at the time) and we left with abracos and high fives. Apparently after I left the scene that other night my gringo friend had a Brazilian friend with him (whom I had never met before) that witnessed the whole thing and took it upon himself to call the police. According to the sauna guy the police showed up and took all of the cash from the two sauna guys leaving them with nothing. He said that the other sauna guy (who in my opinion was the more aggressive of the two) was so shaken up that he has not returned to MM. So in the end--at least with the guy who was there tonight it was all smoothed over. My original point was that outside the saunas you are kind of on your own and things can go wrong without much backup--especially if your Portuguese is limited.

BB bar is hit or miss in terms of the guys there--from A+ to well... One alternative that has worked for me is if you see someone you like there--get their number and arrange to meet them later. Some have also left the bar with me for short periods of time and then returned to work. I agree that the onsite rooms are crazy small and not much fun. I have never lacked for companionship In Mexico City but sometimes you have to be willing to get online--or spend time sharing a few drinks with the guys in the bars on Amberes and take it from there.

This is not a joke. I was in the gay beach at Farme de Amoedo today and I saw a guy get out of a car with photographers with large cameras taking photos as the guy walked to the beach. One of my friends said "That's Justin Bieber!" And it was! He walked like 20 feet away from me before a mob formed and his bodyguards hustled him back into a waiting SUV. Sorry no pics because I had left my phone in my apartment. He has a concert in Rio tonight.

This is one possible explanation as I do not speak Portuguese but I have a pretty good ear for any words regarding money or pay as I speak some spanish and I can usually figure out intentions in that regard.

Yeah I agree--thats why this was so odd. I have recognized guys outside the club before and even occasionally offered a drink which they accepted and that was that. This was totally different. But anyway in an effort to put it all behind me I went to 117 tonight. It was packed with guys and clients but I really didn't see anyone of my liking that appeared to be unoccupied. I decided to go to MM even knowing it would be slow--but you never know. At 8:30 I was the only client and virtually no visible guys working. I enjoyed a drink in complete solitude in the bar area--even the bartender closed up shop and left after he served my drink. It was actually kind of interesting being up in that area completely alone imagining all the stuff that had gone on up in that room through the years. I had pretty much given up on the night when a gorgeous guy emerged--his first night working there--and (so he said)today was his 20th birthday and I was his first client. Well we had a great and romantic time and closed the place down. When we left it was just the staff and the resident cat left. As an aside--when we were up in the cabin during the preliminaries so to speak I noticed his phone on and that he had put on Facebook live--broadcasting the goings on!! I had him turn it off which he did. In the end it was a great night that made up for the bad vibes of last night which I have put behind me. Rio and MM did not disappoint tonight.

Guadalajara is a great city for culture, food, markets, etc and has a lot of good looking guys there. I am sure that the rent scene exists but I never really saw that when I have been there. There are several gay clubs for music and dancing. The few stripper bars I went to seemed to be more geared toward women clients and the dancers tended to be beefy--actually slightly overweight guys. Maybe there are other clubs that have more attractive dancers and I just missed them. I would definitely visit if I were you though--lots to see and as least as much potential in terms of guys as Mexico City(which I love).

Well this just happened last night and I haven't been back to MM yet. This did not happen at the club and I don't want to escalate it more than it is. If when I get back to MM and those guys are there and they hassle me I will definitely talk to the owner.

True--but in my case I needed surgery. I wanted to recover close to home. If I had stayed in Brazil I would have had to recover for several weeks here before heading home. I am also a physician and I wanted to be treated at the hospital where I work and where I know the surgeons. Although I was in the best hospital in Fortaleza--and I would have probably gotten good care--that might not have been the case if I was stuck somewhere in a public hospital in Brazil or another foreign country. Given the high deductibles and co-pays we face at home I certainly understand your point though.

I have been to Rio many times and never had a problem whatsoever until tonight. I was at Meio Mundo and it was it's usual Monday night great time. After that a friend who lives here had suggested meeting at Pedro do Sal--it is a Lapa like street party--but only on Mondays and Fridays. It really is a lot of fun and very close to MM. I recognized several of the sauna boys there and one of them approached me first to say hello--and then asked for 10 reals for transport and then for beers which I bought. Soon he was joined by a very buff guy that he said also worked at the sauna. And then they asked for more beer which i bought. I really was trying to get away from these guys as I had no physical interest in either of them and I could see that they were trying to latch on to me for the night. I told them I was going to look for my friend and I left. After I met up with my friend we were walking around and the guys came over and started demanding 50reals apiece claiming i had hired them to accompany me. They got quite aggressive grabbing my arm and blocking my path. My friend who live there started arguing with them in Portuguese and told me to run which I did. I guess the easy thing would have been to pay them off--but it was a very awkward and slightly scary situation. I have been lucky in all my years of coming to Rio to never have a problem--and in the scheme of things this was minor. I guess it really reenforces the many cautions here about sauna guys outside the saunas. The saunas are relatively safe havens and the guys outside of this environment? Well who knows.

Sometimes the real expenses start after you are back home. It's easy for the guys to keep in touch once you leave. I have some guys that I have met text me several times a day just to chat. Then when a real or imagined economic crisis hits you are the first one that they go to. It's hard to say no sometimes if you like them and believe there story but you have to be prepared to draw limits.

oops wrong topic--moved my reply to the correct topic

My Itinerary is LAX-MIA--GIG and the reverse on the way back. About a 2 hr layover in MIA both directions which is perfect--not too long but enough time that you don't get too stressed if your flight is a little late arriving in MIA. I gave up trying to book flights to Brazil using miles on American since if seats were actually available they would route you on some crazy routing with multiple stops and long layovers. I might add that purchasing some of the cheaper tickets may not give you full mileage credit but I quit chasing miles a few years ago when they started to become so difficult to use.

I just booked a r/t ticket for late March from Los Angeles to Rio for $605 roundtrip on American. That is the cheapest I have seen it in a long time and ironically the fare is higher from New York or Miami which are closer. I always use brazilianexpress.com which generates fares lower than even the airlines website as they are a consolidator. The same ticket booking directly with American would have been over $200 more. They also discount other airlines traveling to Brazil and I have never had a problem buying off their website. Worth checking out before your next trip to Brazil. Hint--you have to register(free) and log in before seeing the cheapest fares.

I love The Week and I go every time that I go to Rio. I do not think that it is the best place to pick up guys though--and even my Brazilian friends don't go there to pick up guys. Most people come with their friends to dance and enjoy the music and to walk around and see who else is there. It is a great people watching place but very loud and hard to carry on a conversation. Even if you can chat with someone for a bit there is so much distraction they rapidly move on. Most locals who come don't want to leave much before 6am or later so that is also a factor. It may have been closed for drugs recently but I doubt that changed much and carrying on a conversation with someone who is high is next to impossible. Still--go for sure if you like big, classy clubs with good music!

I would add that most short term travelers abroad (or full time expats for that matter) want to have some kind of medical evacuation insurance. I was recently kitesurfing in Jericoacoara and landed a jump badly fracturing my heel bone. Jericoacoara is a very remote area about 5 hours from Fortaleza. They had a local public clinic which had very limited resources. They took an X-ray which showed the fracture but they had no splint, crutches, or even ice. They did not charge me anything however for the x-ray. I arranged transport to Fortaleza and I was admitted to a private hospital there (credit card up front). I needed surgery for my fracture but I did not want it in a place where virtually no one spoke english and I knew nothing of the surgeon (I am also a physician). I had purchased a separate medical evacuation policy for $250/year through airambulancecard.com which arranged transport back via private Lear Jet to California. Most travel insurance companies would have said I was in an adequate facility in Fortaleza for the surgery but I think if you have something serious you want to be in your home country. I highly recommend that everyone have this kind of insurance that guarantees evacuation to a hospital of your choice regardless of medical necessity.