SolaceSoul

I am quite fond of David Miranda, but am not a fan of Glenn Greenwald, not in the least. But I do love how Glenn Greenwald somehow always seems to get the press to gloss over the circumstances of their meeting. David Miranda was a 20-year-old Ipanema Posto 9 beach hustler high school student living in a very poor favela and Greenwald was a 38 year old rich Harvard-educated attorney American tourist trolling the gay beach, while staying in an Ipanema penthouse. You know exactly what this was about! “His life changed, he says, one day in 2005, when he was playing volleyball on Ipanema beach and accidentally knocked over an American tourist’s drink. That tourist was attorney Glenn Greenwald, better known today for his journalism. Miranda and Greenwald got to talking, fell in love and moved in together after just five days. “We’ve been together constantly since,” Miranda says. Greenwald, now 52, helped support Miranda going back to school. In 2014 he graduated from ESPM, a publicity and marketing school in Rio de Janeiro.“ http://time.com/collection-post/5584910/david-miranda-next-generation-leaders/?xid=fbshare

Yet another American death, this time a couple found dead in the DR. Maryland Couple Found Dead at Dominican Republic Resort https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Maryland-Couple-Found-Dead-in-Dominican-Republic-Resort-510698631.html

Eastern Europe is probably more suited for you.

And this happened at an all-inclusive Punta Cana resort: https://6abc.com/amp/woman-shares-story-of-survival-after-dominican-republic-attack/5323526/

Thanks for the update, @BlkSuperman, as well as for acknowledging the respect for anonymity of sex workers — especially in a culture like the DR where community and family shame and even violence can result from exposure. And none of us want these hot guy to STOP providing us services out of fear of reprisal. So, again, nice job. Course correction is a sign of character. Two comments: (1) Paco’s / Grand’s clandestinely acts as a cambio for exchange of USD (I assume also CAD and EUR, but not sure). And they provide as close to the actual exchange rate as I’ve seen. If you have a reasonable (not really huge) amount of US dollars and you need them converted into DOP (or vice versa), also try Paco’s since it’s open 24/7. (2) You stated that you and your spouse tend not to have guys spend the night after you heard about the DC attorney being killed in Santo Domingo by a guy he was dating. As I’m familiar with the facts as well as the person you’re referring to, allow me to clarify: The DC attorney (Van) owned an apartment right outside of the Colonial Zone in Gazcue where he stayed alone and had guests when he regularly visited. He was not murdered from an overnight stay. The Dominican was a regular that he saw who came to visit him in broad daylight, and the Dominican (presumably unexpectedly) brought along another guy with him who he said was his cousin. The DC attorney opened the locked gated door for both of them. He was then tied up, robbed, tortured and murdered by strangulation with some items the two had bought at a store earlier (so the murder/robbery was pre-planned). Before Van died, the two got him to open his safe. With that money (approximately $1500 USD, some electronics, cell phones and clothes, the two went and bought a motor bike. Van was in his mid 50s. The Dominicans were 20 and 19. I only state all of this to emphasize that the DC attorney’s murder had nothing to do with an overnight stay. But yes, be wary and be cautious in all situations, and always watch your back. The DR can be a beautiful place with gorgeous, friendly people, but there is also an underbelly of it that is grotesque and unforgiving.

Also, some bodies, marks on the body and parts of the body make a person easily identifiable. And then there’s names being attached to these photos. Is it too much to not post any photos or identifying information in a public space unless you have the advance consent of that person? The Golden Rule (“Do Unto Others As You Would Like Others To Do Unto You”) should apply.

Corrected. I hate not being able to edit after 2 hours!

I ditto everything in this post, and can confirm what’s in the boldface — as it was stated to me directly on my last trip just a few weeks ago. But you always have some self-centered entitled tools who just don’t seem to care about the lives they leave behind the places they visit — as long as they get a bunch of likes on their posts. Don’t be That Guy.

Yes, I was about to say the same thing. Unless Juan Binbin has moved to a new location in the last few weeks (since Easter), it’s only a couple of short walking blocks north of Independence Park in the Colonial Zone and a 7-9 minute walk from Paco’s. It’s no more “dicey” than anything else in Zona Colonial — and definitely not less dicey than walking to Cine Lido On Av. Meila! What IS consistent about Juan Binbin is the selection of boys is never great.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-48391926

“Accept all praise. Ignore all criticism. Plod on.”

I agree. This guy is posting in detail about slobbing knobs on cum-filled floors in dark, smelly adult theaters in an established known in the DR to attract only the same kind of substandard looking men one would see at an adult peep show in Anytown, USA — doing these activities while wearing a gag mask (the leather / S&M scene is at minimum very unpopular in Latin / South America and at most, completely frowned upon, even by the gays). It’s clearly an odd display of “humble bragging” to the group, but I am still trying to figure out what exactly there is to brag about here. That some chubster went to the DR and paid $1.25 USD to suck multiple random dicks in dark rooms while wearing knee pads and a mask? After the second or third post, it was repetitive.

Personally, I barely ever meet anyone from apps even when I’m in the States. When traveling abroad, same thing. Too many “catfish”, too much back and forth, and the screening process for verification can be too lengthy. I’m a very visual person and need to see what I am getting, and need to know that it’s real. On my last 3-month stay in Brazil, I met only one guy off Grindr — a GdP or a “boy”. He looked exactly like all of his photos, which was a big plus, but the programa was very uneventful. Will not repeat.

If you think that’s gross, take a look at some of the clients or customers.

The saying that should be repeated here is, “those who know better, do better.” If you are a man of a certain age from a first- or second-world developed country, and you also have the means and ability to travel abroad, then you damn.well should already know about the risks of transmission from bareback sex of not only HIV, but other potentially deadly or chronic STDs (whether treatable or not — are we just going to forget about the rise in the USA in STD transmission since the use of PreP — some of which are becoming resistant to antibiotics?). There’s been a recent explosion in meningitis cases in men who have sex with men. https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/science-and-health/2018/5/22/17376742/truvada-prep-hiv-stds I’ve had several Brazilian garotos and non-garoto (and in other countries) dates offer me bareback during the “heat of passion”, which I always refuse. If I had to estimate, the percentage who have offered it is maybe 10% — still too high (even one is too high). I’m 48, and started going out to gay clubs in the 80s — so, I’m old enough to remember watching men drop like flies weekly, but still young enough to be considered like an uncle or older brother to some of these brasileiros. So, it isn’t that hard for me to sit one down after he offers me bareback to tell him to be careful about doing that with someone, just because you think they’re “clean” because of how they look or because of what first-world country they are from. I made it through the Plague Period without ever seroconverting to HIV+ status (fortunately, and probably because back then, I wasn’t having any intercourse with men, which probably saved my life) , but I saw enough death and tragedy from friends and clubgoer colleagues who did — and at the time, it WAS considered a “death sentence”. So, I’ll be damned if after making it through that dark period unscathed, that I do something (or allow someone to do something) that is high-risk behavior for me or themselves. The harsh truth is that while some here are demonizing the garotos for unsafe sex practices, some of the clients and tourists participate in riskier sex than the garotos — and this is how HIV and other STDs are transmitted. As “hot” as the garoto you’re with may be to you, he’s also been with quite a few of those same clients that you’d rather not fuck. That mental image right there is enough to sober me up.

https://www.gq.com/story/how-dating-apps-ruined-traveling “Sampling the guys of places I visited was fun until it wasn’t. Instead of being open to hookups while traveling, it began feeling like a necessary part of the trip—that it was my international duty to make nations closer by having my body parts smashing up against some resident’s. And while there's nothing wrong with wanting to hook up on vacation, I've come to the realization that that I was relying on making out in new places just as tourists depend on Fodor’s Travel Guides as the blueprint for a proper trip.” How Dating Apps Ruined Traveling

As opposed to all those warm and fuzzy LGBTQ protections we get from the current creeps in The White House and his supporters? In case you haven’t noticed, anti-LGBTQ rights and protections are being stripped in the USA under the Trump administration, and violence against LGBTQ has skyrocketed. AND in the USA, there are no saunas, prostitution is illegal, and there’s a nationwide obesity epidemic and opioid / meth crises.

20 days in the DR, even for an experienced visitor, is a very long time. For a first-timer, this could prove to be madness. Especially if you’re primarily there for sexual exploration. Five days, tops, before it gets insanely monotonous. If you add on other activities, or you do explorative things that are just for relaxation or serenity — like quiet beach towns or countryside areas, maybe a week and a day before the monotony and the hustle wears thin. Even if you are able to throw yourself into cultural activities in the DR beyond sex and keep any expectations to a minimum, 20 days as a first-timer with no other business there will be... an experience, to say the least.

Another thing they say in The South is “bless your heart”.

Newsflash, Mrs. Gladys Crabtree, Hall Monitor: This is a site and a forum about sex and sex tourism.

Those are good statistics to know. However, we can probably all agree that homicide — although important — is not and should not be the only safety or crime concern or marker for anywhere. Many crimes and accidents involve harrowing incidents that are short of death: physical injury or dismemberment, armed robbery, rape, assault, kidnapping, etc.

There are no “glory holes” in a place like Dominican Republic. Glory holes are almost exclusively a cultural thing (almost exclusively in North America and parts of Western Europe). If that’s what you’re into, you will have to make your own, and see what occurs. But Cine Lido has typical old school adult theatre sex shenanigans (one large screen playing porn in an old dark unsanitary theatre and a bathroom with bathroom smells) where local men carry on in dark spaces, and Apolo Sauna is a nicely appointed bathhouse styled gay sauna with dark rooms and spaces upstairs. I don’t think there are any official “glory holes” there, either. But as I’m really not a huge fan of dark spaces (I need to see what I’m getting), I can’t say that with absolute certainty there could not be ANY glory holes in walls somewhere in the DR. I suppose the only way to find out is to comb every crevice of those places. It’s a dirty thankless job, but you seem like you’re up to the challenge!

Are you sure about this, or is this just personal anecdote? According to this aggregate of the world’s most dangerous countries, Columbia is #45, Brazil is #85 and Dominican Republic is #90 — only one place ahead of Jamaica at #90. These aggregate sources take in consideration all kind of threats such as mugging, crime, road death toll, occurrence of terrorist attacks and wars. https://safearound.com/danger-rankings/country-danger-ranking/

I can think of only one “black Brazilian” who lives in Ipanema and works at 117 (that’s a fairly rare combination). He also has roommates who are sauna workers, off and on. So, I’m fairly certain that I know who this is. He is a very laid-back person. It would take a shitload of crap to set him off and make him threaten violence. That dumb American must have really tried to pull one over on those garotos!

And — just based on my life of experience — I’d bet dollars-to-donuts that this 30-year-old American was one of those presumptuous, entitled types who assumes that he doesn’t have to pay for “it”, just by virtue of who he is / how he thinks he looks / what an amazing personality he has / because free sex is so plentiful wherever he goes. This tale is as old as Father Time... and almost as old as some posters here! LOL I’m siding with the 2 black Brazilians in the apartment here. No sympathy for the 30-year-old American. We even have had a couple of posters at this forum who remind me of this guy.