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.

BB bar a few doors from your hotel has strippers that you can hire for private dances. There can be great looking guys there or just so so depending on the night. It gets started around midnight. That whole street is packed with clubs and if you are willing to buy a few beers for the guys it can often lead to something else. Grindr is also active. I love Mexico city and I am sure you will enjoy your stay.

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

In Rio now. Only been to 202 Thursday/Friday. Both nights found hot twinks though other types available as well. Guys are happy with 150. I chatted with the locker room attendant there tonight. He is a very nice guy who keeps an eye on things. He has done that job for 4 years. Before that he was a Sauna boy for something like 16 years before the years caught up with him. Both Junior(the owner) and his son working at the front desk tonight. All in all feels like one of those old family run hardware store in the midwest where you can walk in and chat up the staff and ultimately find that little (or big) thing you were looking for and leave with a good feeling.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.
 

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.
 

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?

As far as I know, no Venezuelans are there illegally. Cúcuta forms a special economic zone with Táchira (in Venezuela). Colombians and Venezuelans can cross the border without restrictions.
I wouldn't call it small either, with 1 million Cucuteños (underestimated, lots of Venezuelans and refugees of other parts of Nte de Santander are living there nowadays). 
Cúcuta is an explosive cocktail of gang activity, drug cartels, terrorist groups (ELN) and a corrupt police force. And let's not even talk about the unbearable heat. 
If that doesn't deter you, here are some tips:
bar estación digital: a combination of a gay bar / discoteca / internet cafe / cabinas. Only been there once for a party.  rask2 / raskaditos: go go bar, boys dancing in white undies.Very local clientele. Not sure if they are still open though. At the time, price for a guy was 50kCOP all included.  pandora le club: gay disco, good security, but atmosphere can sometimes be a bit tense. Open drug use. Full house on special events. la redoma: gay disco, lacks security, open drug use but the two times I visited, there was a fun atmosphere. Occasional nude dancing on the upper floor (by customers).  Makarena: gay friendly nightclub. Good security, no open drug use, more civilized liberty: gay sauna, but rather rundown. In any of these places and/or grindr, you will very easily make contact with a handsome lad. More often than not, he will work on webcam. Just be very careful and stay safe. 
Other places to visit: 
shopping centers: ventura plaza and jardin plaza.  centro: only during the day and you should blend in. Tip: centro comercial alejandría, hot and very crowded, but you can find everything for sale there. caobos: good restaurants for small prices. tip: 'Galileo' offers excellent fine dining for a fraction of the price in Europe/USA and the '90s pizza bar' is the perfect place to take your boyfriend du jour.   The motels near the Venezuelan border with your newly acquired boyfriend(s): once built for rich Venezuelans and their Colombian escorts.  With the design of castle (el Castillo), bunker (motel el bunker) or with '50 shades of grey' themed rooms and private swimming pools (motel qatar). Other things you can enjoy with your date: ecoparque comfanorte (nice waterpark), iguana park (simple amusement park, next to ecoparque), bolera club (bowling) or the paintball shooting near jardin plaza (prepare to be soaked in your sweat).  Or you can take him on a trip to Chinácota to escape the heat (and Cúcuta).  Price of an escort is 100kCOP or less, but keep in mind that a sicario doesn't cost much more. 
I highly recommend considering safer places like Pereira for a weekend trip.

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.

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 am here in Rio now and Carnival is over tonight. As a USA friend who lives here said--Carnival is the best and worst of Rio--and I tend to agree having been here for four Carnivals.
On the good side the city is generally in a festive mood with street parties everywhere and many people wearing costumes that are amazing or some just simple and fun. There are lots of hot guys in gender bending costumes that adds to the eye candy. The saunas have been full of guys and the party is full on there! The Sambadrome where the floats that make Carnival so famous is really an incredible spectacle that I never get tired of. There is a gay party on Friday night of Carnival that gives you front row seats and open bar with admission called Candybox. You can buy tickets online a few months before. There were heavy rains earlier in Carnival this year but it didn't stop the party. One final good note---city services and trash collection seemed to be pretty organized and cleaned up effeciently after the big events--unlike a previous year I attended when they chose Carnival to go on strike.
On the bad side crime and yes violence is rampant. First day of Carnival I saw tear gas fired by police at Ipanema to break up crowds causing people to panic. Another night I was walking on Farme de Amoedo and someone attempted to rob me--but since I had nothing with me they got nothing(this was an aggressive grab in my pocket while I was distracted by three twinks whom I suspect were working with the guy. My cell and most of my money were locked away in my apartment). Two other well traveled friends had their cell phones taken within hours of arriving( one wall pulling it out to call an Uber). Tonight several local guys told me that 5 people were shot in a fight between "gangsters" and police at the beach in Ipanema just down from the gay beach toward the Arpoador--and again more tear gas fired. Since I did not see this incident I cannot confirm it. What i did see tonight was a big fight on Farme de Amoedo that spilled into Gallitos Grill despite metal barriers with several staff joining in and customers fleeing. Police eventually arrived and occupied the restaurant with about 20 officers standing guard. Well for me that was the end of the party.
I still have a lot of fun at carnival but it is a crazy time in the city and I really feel it is not the best time for someone's first trip to Rio. Anyway I thought I would share my observations.

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.