davet

Were any of my fond favorites there? Pablo & Gabriel (darker skinned) Marcio & Arturo/Felipe (white/olive). I hope they are doing all right and I can't wait to go back.

Now that we have the most important recreational activity locked down, any general recommendation on best Punta Cana resorts for food, activities, non-trashy clientele (kids okay but not too many). I'm sure going to a resort solo will be strange, bringing studly locals back even stranger.

Something never talked about in these parts. With oral gonorrhea, some people never even know they have it. (We're familiar with the word "asymptomatic" by now.) As we're all understandably itching to get back into the action, it will be very easy to forget a few other nasty bugs out there.

Sorry you didn't get your answer, but now you have a chance to give an answer. Would love to hear your report if you went to BCN.

We will declare victory of the Vietnam and Afghanistan kind, withdraw, and wash our hands of what happens next. It's been a global collective failure including the biggest, richest, and "greatest" countries.

No info, anybody? When will someone develop an all-inclusive resort that is truly all-inclusive, like an open-air Brazilian sauna with a beach attached? All you can eat of course.

True that. But bear in mind that many of the garotos look solidly middle class enough to afford protein shakes, gym memberships, and fashionably-ripped jeans. Many are in college or trade school or have other jobs. That said, I definitely prefer the sauna for all your reasons and a separate no-tell motel for the rare overnights. I am working up to the courage of some other members in taking guys on multi-day trips but I might never get there.

The only time you ever pray for turbulence, isn't it?

If you blindfold some monolingual American and parachute them into the middle of the Barrio Norte, they would probably guess Paris or Milan or Madrid. But the great thing about BA is that's just one side of the experience. There is (or was) a sprawling shantytown within sight of one of the ritziest neighborhoods. Drive the length of Ave. Santa Fe and its continuation and you can rapidly go from New York/Paris to a provincial Italian city to Eastern Europe to Peru to Bolivia. (With a budding Chinatown along the way, IIRC.)

Your reports are better than any travel Insta because you really capture the feel of being there, feeling the cobblestones under my feet, smelling the coffee, getting dizzy from the graffiti. I didn't know that neighborhood was called Montserrat. I walked through there from Avenida de Mayo, comparable to and developed around the same time as the Gran Vias of Spain if the Argentines ever clean it up, to San Telmo. Isn't there a stunning disco in the area set in an old theater with two levels of gallery and sweeping chandeliers? I don't mind gritty neighborhoods if they have character and a story. The tango was born in places like this and the songs frequently name even grittier slums to the south.

PCR tests can be done up to 72 hrs before flight. The antigen test must be done 48 hrs before. However, the Abbott telemed tests are quite convenient. If you're bringing a laptop with you, you can do the test in your hotel room the day before leaving.

From what I heard, all the hammams in Istanbul are currently closed due to covid. Aquarius is supposed to be closed but is skirting the restrictions, as many places are. When I was at Aquarius 10+ years ago, I retained a hot Russian guy there. There are many, many Russians and I assume other Slavs vacationing or living in Istanbul, just as there are many moslems in Russia. I saw tall nordic blonde women in burqas carrying tow-headed toddlers. The Russian I met at Aquarius was circumcized. PS: I've long wanted to tour Ukraine, but Istanbul has to be a top-5 city in the world for me.

I had my wonders about the Egyptian "tourist police." These guys barely had uniforms - stick-on badges, IIRC - or discipline. But I did not see one desirable enough for me to test it out.

Tell us more. Which main plaza, the Jemaa el fnaa? I assume it's not a porno theater. What kind of guys are there - gay guys? full on hustlers? straight guys needing to get off and might as well make a few bucks?

He was a top and wouldn't get plucked. But seriously, he never made an overt move. He just looked at me from across the room, spread his legs, and raised his eyebrows suggestively, and I was utterly helpless. He was cute but not gorgeous. Those types make for great sex on the run.

What a coincidence. Perlongher made it onto my Amazon wish list because he was mentioned in: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/022630910X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 So Anglo-American academia has indeed recognized him. This particular young academic apparently spent much time in the places we frequent ... but purely for sociological research. (And I actually believe him!) I was going to write him (but I never did) to ask whether Perlongher would be too technical and difficult to read at my level of Spanish, because there's not much Perlongher in translation.

As I understand it, the country might go belly up (slight exaggeration) if they lose another tourist season. For them as well as us, I hope they straighten out the process. Barcelona in September!

It's rally difficult for me to get a massage without wanting sex. It's too too too sensual and "opening."

Since I've been to Rio many times, I was looking for a reason to explore some far-flung areas, but I can do without gangs.

Does the entire staff there accept that it's an auxiliary bordello? Brazil can be very open-minded, but I wonder what they really think beneath the politeness and sterling customer service for which Brazil is well known in more ways than one.

There were also rumors that one of the Moroccan royals was gay. But that could often result in harsher repression, in the "methinks he doth protest too much" fashion. By far the most liberal place in North Africa was Tunis, where women in miniskirts were out and about even 30 years ago when I was there. But the entire region was a don't ask don't tell culture. If you are discreet, you can find much action under the surface.

I consider written Spanish and Portuguese to be very similar. Grasp a few conversions, like j->lh, io'n->ao~, and you can read a portuguese newspaper. Spoken language, however, sounds very different. This might be a bit obnoxious of me, but I often speak straight Spanish to a Brazilian and they pretty much understand. As someone once said, a native Spanish, native Portugues, and native Italian speaker can each speak their own language at a table and they'd all understand each other.

I've heard mixed things about the weekends in Rio, like the saunas could be more dead than Mon-Wed. But I've been to the old Lagoa on Mondays, which were pretty dead too, and always found at least one (which is enough to save a visit) or two (a good visit). Sometimes, it's good to be forced to focus. On the Lagoa Wednesdays and Saturdays of yore, I sometimes felt like the proverbial lion who had too many wildebeests to chase and ended up hungry.

I can't agree more. The live interaction ("chemistry") is indispensable, which is why renting from ads or online has been about 50% disappointing to me. In the saunas, I've been shocked by several guys who were not my type but somehow hooked me. I still remember one guy in Brasilia who got me with his seductive eyebrows - I kid you not.

Great memories! Palermo Viejo is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the world, vaguely recalling Greenwich Village (or the East Village) before they wealthied up. Palermo Chico I recall as a tiny enclave, practically a gated community, where I got some hostile "can I help you?" looks when I wandered through there as a rag-tag backpacker. However, the big modern area surrounding it - basically the park and everything north of Av. Santa Fe - was what I called Palermo Nuevo. PV is definitely better. Rodriguez Pena - This is in Barrio Norte, right (if they still call it that)? Was there a gay club called Contramano on that street? This was where I picked up my first rent man (or "taxi," in the delightful Argentine slang) in my life. Contramano was a "historic" moment in my life - good or bad is still up for debate decades letter. I'm glad you post menus and prices. I like to ask people how much a cup of coffee is where they traveled to. It's surprising how many tourists, especially cruise ship people, wouldn't know. The Argentine economy swings from feast to famine. It looks like right now, it's decently priced at the official rate and a bargain at the black/blue market rate. Are credit cards accepted and how much do they mess around with the rates and fees? Is the blue rate completely legal, semi-legal, or illegal but nobody cares? I assume cash (USD) is king now with the parallel exchange.