Adamadam

You should at least make an effort to communicate in the native tongue when visiting a foreign land -- either by yourself or with a communicator / translator. You don't have to be fluent, but you should at least do a little advance preparation in basic conversational words and phrases. You will find that locals will actually even treat you a little better if you make the effort to NOT be a colonialist dickhead that expects everyone to cater to your linguistic laziness.
It is height of arrogance and entitlement to expect others in another country to speak a foreign language that is not typical or usual for that land -- and then to get outraged, saddened or disappointed that they don't speak your language.
 

Only people who enjoy being the only wealthy person on a dark street in a desperately poor neighborhood need look to this list for travel guidance. Most of the list would have been the same 200 years ago if you had included violence against people owned by other people. This list is the legacy of chattel slavery, extreme inequality and apartheid. Racial caste systems require violence. That violence outlives the system itself. Poor young men without access to the productive society turn on each other. "twas ever thus.  
Also of note, Im willing to bet that if such a list were published that expanded the definition of violence beyond murder and controlled for violence of poor locals against other poor locals, no more than 10 cities would make the new list.  

Damn! I read about that Corujinhas place in what must have been an old thread and thought must try that 

Damn! I read about that Corujinhas place in what must have been an old thread and thought must try that 

Boa noite gentleman! I thought I'd add to this thread rather than make a new one because my report isn't exactly seasoned... 
My impressions of Brazil are pretty  damn great. The people aren't that smiley but the majority are very nice when you start speaking to them, I like it. I like New York and Paris and I've never found the people there rude, more genuine. 
The weather has been great and I'm loving the beach. I can't really understand how people survive with the price of food and basic goods given their poorer income?! Ipanema is obviously middle class but still... 
Sunday night I went to 117. I doubt many people have been more freaked out on entering the place. I went to Thermas in Barcelona once, late, it was shit and I left quickly. The vibe in 117 was nice though, not predatory like desperado-hour Thermas. I got there quite late, at around 8.30 and there weren't many guys I could see (in my limited knowledge). 
So I got a bit drunk and relaxed and then there was a drag queen show which I'd never seen before... I thought drag shows were all miming to ballads, not my thing... I was fully expecting to be cringing through the whole thing but this was sort of slapstick humour so although I couldn't understand a word practically, it was very very funny, especially this fat drag queen who was playing the straight man (ironically) who  I thought was hilarious   It made me laugh a lot and everyone else was enjoying it too so it really made me relax and have a good time 
I was trying to avoid eye contact with any guys I didn't like but being sort of nice and English and inexperienced that wasn't easy, as was trying to tell them to get lost nicely when they did come over. I'm learning though.
So I basically sat there and got drunk, chatted to a few guys, some get lost please category, some you're cool but I'm not sure yet. It was getting late and I still hadn't got with anyone. 
Earlier I'd clocked this American guy who was very friendly and with all the guys. He spoke English. I bumped into him and told him the score: I'm a sauna virgin (mas o menos), still finding the whole thing a bit overwhelming. He was really nice apart from not understanding a fucking word I said, my London accent. I don't get this sometimes? I can easily understand most American dialects but I've frequently found you guys find it difficult to understand me? Anyway... He was like right here we go! And proceeded to march me, willingly,  around the sauna, seeing places I didn't know were there to check out the few remaining guys. They displayed their wares with this guy and he was like, "you like that?"... Hmm I dunno... OK let's move on. It was the kick up the ass I needed even though I didn't see anyone I liked. I was sort of drawing on his, to me, brazen behaviour  
Still no luck. We went back to the lockers and were chatting to a couple of guys and one was really cute, hadn't noticed him before. So with my new wingman there I bit the bullet and off we went. American dude said he'd wait and share a taxi, I said are you sure? He was. (He'd disappeared by the time we came out, fair enough). Me and the guy spent most of the time making out. He was lovely, pretty, with a great slim body. By the time we finished everyone was leaving, asked a couple of guys where American dude went and they thought he left so I bailed. Guy I went with asked me if I was in Ipanema - yes- so I said let's share a taxi. He said no let's use the metro but it was Sunday and shut at 11 we discovered when we got there. We got a taxi.
Now without getting into the price of stuff I do think this is illustrative; he asked for 100 for the time and I tipped him another 20 because I liked him. On the way home we were chatting via Google translate and I asked him if he wanted to come stay. He said yes (obviously) and said the price was... 120!
You probably think this is crazy anyway on basically my first night at the sauna but I was drunk and fuck it and I can handle myself and he was definitely a nice guy (whether I fall asleep and he steals is probably more to the point...)
I thought he understood that was for overnight, out of the taxi and he's says ah but I have to leave at 0230 . 
That didn't bother me though really, I was having second thoughts if this was sensible, I mostly wanted to chill and have a few beers and I do not like being pressured if I'm not being paid for it.
So, after a bit of back and forth I said it's probably best if you go home. No problem for him or me, we parted on good terms, he got a lift most of the way home anyway I guess! He lives in Copacabana. Probably for the best anyway. 
Monday I wanted to go to Meio Mundo, a couple of the guys said it would be really busy because of the free room thing but on the day I wasn't in the mood. I went to 117 again tonight but I've typed way too much already 
Metro and Ipanema 99% safe imo, I'd be more worried going out at night in most western cities. 
 

You reminded me, the American guy said at the time, "he'll probably cum as well being this late". We didn't establish that up front, he asked me in the room if I wanted him to and that would be another 20 I think? I said I didn't care/no. He did everything I wanted. I think he probably would have for 100 if we'd discussed it up front given the hour but who knows/cares. 
He didn't mean USD. 120 for a couple of hours would have been reasonable enough I think, I just got bored of talking about it on the street. Neither of us were too bothered. 

I think I said do you want to come and stay so it was ambiguous tbh. I knew that was too little but I thought maybe he liked me ( I was drunk) and had nothing better to do. I was already having second thoughts by the time we got to my place so we parted with a hug, it was all good. 
Last night I went back to 117 at a similar time, 8.30. There were more guys and again I missed one knockout who disappeared. I really need to get there earlier to see the proper talent... 
Got a bit drunk again, chatted to some guys and had a good time. Hooked up with a black guy called Augusto (Is it cool to name names? It's a good review!),0 we'd had a bit of a chat the previous time and he spoke great English. Said he was 30 but he looked younger, but black people age better imo! He wasn't my usual type but he was really nice and basically seduced me by kissing my neck at the bar. Got a room and I sucked him off, beautiful skin and cock. He wanted to fuck me but I don't take it in the ass. Then we chatted for ages, must have been in there best part of an hour, I went to take a shower and then he asked me if I wanted to cum which was nice!  
Went to the bar afterwards and kept talking for another half hour or so, I offered him a drink and he asked if he could get a sandwich instead. So we chatted some more, shared a bit of his sandwich, then he wandered off after a while. Really nice and very intelligent guy. 
Today I'm trying to close deals on grindr, nfp. I like chatting to guys for a few days, I'm not a sexo expresso kind of guy generally. There are loads of gps on there of course but they look like the dregs compared to the saunas... 
Oh shit. Also I saw a little twink guy in 117. I recognised him well from porn lol, I couldn't believe my eyes. If you're familiar with Brazilian porn think of the little slim blonde twink that has been fucked like a bitch in a bunch of movies . He was there socialising but I got his number when he was alone for a minute.
Meeting a cute twink lad for a drink tonight, I'm firmly stuck in the closet back home but feel more relaxed about meeting a guy out here. I was chatting to a pretty cute young trans today too, after a while she announced she was a 'companion'. I said sorry I'm not interested in paying. That's what companion means right? She said that's ok we can meet for nothing. I'm dubious, she'll definitely be looking for money, also and this is probably prejudiced but I have the impression some trans can be a little crazy. 

I've never been to Thailand but I'm a night owl too and I'm more horny at night. Understand the guys want to go and do their own shit at night though. Selfish pricks

Since you were using Google Translate on your phone, that entire "misunderstanding" could have been avoided by simply clarifying upfront that the $120R price was for "all night" (which translates to "toda a noite").
You were fortunate that you left the sauna with a decent guy. It sounds like he was hoping to work something out with you for the rest of the night even before you left the sauna, but he was willing to settle for just a cab ride back to Zona Sul. Others might not let you off that easy. But if you can take care of yourself, as you say, then no problem.

Boa noite gentleman! I thought I'd add to this thread rather than make a new one because my report isn't exactly seasoned... 
My impressions of Brazil are pretty  damn great. The people aren't that smiley but the majority are very nice when you start speaking to them, I like it. I like New York and Paris and I've never found the people there rude, more genuine. 
The weather has been great and I'm loving the beach. I can't really understand how people survive with the price of food and basic goods given their poorer income?! Ipanema is obviously middle class but still... 
Sunday night I went to 117. I doubt many people have been more freaked out on entering the place. I went to Thermas in Barcelona once, late, it was shit and I left quickly. The vibe in 117 was nice though, not predatory like desperado-hour Thermas. I got there quite late, at around 8.30 and there weren't many guys I could see (in my limited knowledge). 
So I got a bit drunk and relaxed and then there was a drag queen show which I'd never seen before... I thought drag shows were all miming to ballads, not my thing... I was fully expecting to be cringing through the whole thing but this was sort of slapstick humour so although I couldn't understand a word practically, it was very very funny, especially this fat drag queen who was playing the straight man (ironically) who  I thought was hilarious   It made me laugh a lot and everyone else was enjoying it too so it really made me relax and have a good time 
I was trying to avoid eye contact with any guys I didn't like but being sort of nice and English and inexperienced that wasn't easy, as was trying to tell them to get lost nicely when they did come over. I'm learning though.
So I basically sat there and got drunk, chatted to a few guys, some get lost please category, some you're cool but I'm not sure yet. It was getting late and I still hadn't got with anyone. 
Earlier I'd clocked this American guy who was very friendly and with all the guys. He spoke English. I bumped into him and told him the score: I'm a sauna virgin (mas o menos), still finding the whole thing a bit overwhelming. He was really nice apart from not understanding a fucking word I said, my London accent. I don't get this sometimes? I can easily understand most American dialects but I've frequently found you guys find it difficult to understand me? Anyway... He was like right here we go! And proceeded to march me, willingly,  around the sauna, seeing places I didn't know were there to check out the few remaining guys. They displayed their wares with this guy and he was like, "you like that?"... Hmm I dunno... OK let's move on. It was the kick up the ass I needed even though I didn't see anyone I liked. I was sort of drawing on his, to me, brazen behaviour  
Still no luck. We went back to the lockers and were chatting to a couple of guys and one was really cute, hadn't noticed him before. So with my new wingman there I bit the bullet and off we went. American dude said he'd wait and share a taxi, I said are you sure? He was. (He'd disappeared by the time we came out, fair enough). Me and the guy spent most of the time making out. He was lovely, pretty, with a great slim body. By the time we finished everyone was leaving, asked a couple of guys where American dude went and they thought he left so I bailed. Guy I went with asked me if I was in Ipanema - yes- so I said let's share a taxi. He said no let's use the metro but it was Sunday and shut at 11 we discovered when we got there. We got a taxi.
Now without getting into the price of stuff I do think this is illustrative; he asked for 100 for the time and I tipped him another 20 because I liked him. On the way home we were chatting via Google translate and I asked him if he wanted to come stay. He said yes (obviously) and said the price was... 120!
You probably think this is crazy anyway on basically my first night at the sauna but I was drunk and fuck it and I can handle myself and he was definitely a nice guy (whether I fall asleep and he steals is probably more to the point...)
I thought he understood that was for overnight, out of the taxi and he's says ah but I have to leave at 0230 . 
That didn't bother me though really, I was having second thoughts if this was sensible, I mostly wanted to chill and have a few beers and I do not like being pressured if I'm not being paid for it.
So, after a bit of back and forth I said it's probably best if you go home. No problem for him or me, we parted on good terms, he got a lift most of the way home anyway I guess! He lives in Copacabana. Probably for the best anyway. 
Monday I wanted to go to Meio Mundo, a couple of the guys said it would be really busy because of the free room thing but on the day I wasn't in the mood. I went to 117 again tonight but I've typed way too much already 
Metro and Ipanema 99% safe imo, I'd be more worried going out at night in most western cities. 
 

You're pretty obviously the owner of that website or connected to it, you've been pushing it hard in the majority of your posts... 

You're pretty obviously the owner of that website or connected to it, you've been pushing it hard in the majority of your posts... 

During the course of planning my trip to Brazil I've discovered a few sites and apps that have saved me money so I thought I'd write a brief guide. 
Cashback websites
These are totally legit, quick to join and simple to use. I've been using them for many years and saved several hundred pounds. If you want to make a purchase of any significance it's always worth a quick check to see if they are present on a cashback site.
In the UK they prove particularly valuable for insurance, broadband, mobile phone etc. contracts (returning £100/$125+). They are also good for flights and hotels as well as the likes of Amazon for everyday purchases. Last year a British Airways flight and hotel package to Barcelona was excellent value already and a moment to click through from a cashback site earned me £15 cashback (paid some months later) - not a lot but every little helps! 
Hotel Booking Services such as Hotels.com will generate 9% cashback going via a cashback site (at time of writing) and the clickthrough can be combined with their 'Stay 10 nights get 1 free' loyalty program(me)! 
In the UK the two good sites are: https://www.topcashback.co.uk/ and https://www.quidco.com/
In the USA promient sites include: https://www.ebates.com/ , https://www.shopathome.com/  and https://www.couponcactus.com/
It's also very worth a brief google to see if the particular business you're about to make a payment to has a coupon/discount code that you may be able to apply to your booking!
Finding cheaper flights
Comparison sites such as https://www.skyscanner.net/, https://www.kayak.com/ and http://www.momondo.com can save you hundreds on flights! I particularly like Skyscanner's month view where, if you have some flexibility on your dates of travel, you can see at a glance the cheapest fares over an extended period of time. With these and most comparison sites it sometimes pays to be more specific with your origin and destination if there are several airports in the region. Looking at one-way fares, noting the cheaper dates and combining this with the cheapest one-way fares the other way can produce the best results. Momondo seems to be a more powerful engine however, crunching hundreds of airlines and possible routes. 
http://www.secretflying.com/ is an excellent site that can help you save up to 80% on flights around the world! I think they get a lot of their information from the legendary http://www.flyertalk.com/ website and they post some ridiculously cheap error fares. You can sing up for emails based on your location in Europe, the USA or other continents but you have to be quick sometimes to get them before they expire.
Frequent Flyer rewards are not something I chase too hard and I'm sure most of you are familiar with. In the UK the blog http://www.headforpoints.com is a great resource for maximising flight (and hotel) reward programs. 
Accomodation
As I mentioned above, a cashback site in combination with hotel comparison sites such as https://www.hotels.com/, https://www.booking.com and https://www.trivago.com can deliver some big savings on your accommodation bill. It's always worth having a quick check between these sites as there can be some quite serious differences in price for an individual hotel between the sites. Hotels.com offer a loyalty program whereby every tenth night you book with them rewards a free night - an effective 10% saving. At times, last weekend for example, they run promotions where these rewards are doubled to two nights. I prefer them for this reason. 
Google for coupons/discount codes too!
Airbnb
This huge enterprise has been mentioned in the threads frequently and is great for getting a more intimate look at a city and privacy. For the purposes of this site obviously an entire place booking is preferable.
The site isn't perfect however. My favoured method of browsing places I might want to stay at in a particular area is to create a wishlist and save any appealing properties to that as you browse. When you've finished scanning an area you can further trim your wishlist to find your perfect place. 
Make sure you click the '+' button on the map until you are as zoomed in as far as you can go and pull the map a little in as you go! 
For some reason (and ridiculously), some properties are not visible on the zoomed out map and some will pop in and out of existence as you drag the map in a direction.
Airbnb recently increased their sign-up bonus to $40 / £30. This is paid in account credit after you complete your first booking.
Also, in the UK at least, if you make your first payment via paypal on airbnb with discount code PAYPAL25 you will save £25/£30! 
I'm genuinely unsure if you get this bonus if you go straight to their site without using an invitation link, if you use mine -  www.airbnb.com or someone else's you definitely get the bonus and I/they get £20/£15. I don't really like it when people use their own referral links on forums so if OZ wants to replace that with their own link that's cool  or other members can post theirs to spread the love!
 
If anyone else has any tips or sites they think should be included please let me know and I add it to this post 

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.

For me as much as I like Rio, this is the difference with Bangkok. Things in Bangkok don't  get started till 9pm and wind down at 1am . Then you can go to clubs till 6am.  

When you find a good AirBnB, in a location that you like, continue to use it, if it is available. Shopping around trip by trip is a waste of time and energy. I don't intend to use the apartment for much more than sleeping, bathing, eating, cooking and screwing, so anything that's clean, safe, private and in a convenient area works for me. I'll do my sightseeing outside the apartment.
There are also non-AirBnB apartment sites for about the same price. However, many of these same apartments are also available on either AirBnB or HomeAway/VRBO. Three of the ones I have used in Rio, 2 in Salvador, and 1 in São Paulo are on one or both of those sites. I've become friends with a few of the apartment owners now so no need to shop around -- and at this point, they would feel offended if they found out I was in town and did not ask to stay at one of their places. 
 
 
 

I'm not sure about "tighter" themes. But I am sure about friendliness and a welcoming attitude. I am taking my second trip to Brazil in 7 days. I previously came to these forums and asked many questions before my first trip almost exactly one year ago. I was alternately welcomed, helped, and belittled. I have a pretty thick skin, so I skipped over the few posts with a nasty attitude and welcomed the people who were willing to help me, even if my question might have been answered at some point a few years ago elsewhere in the archives of this forum. Honestly, thank you to everybody who read my questions and responded politely.
Before I left for Brazil, I had been working on a report from my visits to Costa Rica, which included information that I had never seen covered in these forums. I was working on an exhaustive report, and I planned to add my own impressions of Rio. Unfortunately, I came back from Rio with a serious illness that lasted for several weeks. When I was feeling better and logged back into this site, I found multiple posts (albeit mostly from one person) complaining about people who visit this site and ask questions and then don't "contribute" in return.
I had persevered through several unwelcoming/insulting responses prior to my trip. But in that just-getting-over-a-serious-illness state, and combined with the nastiness of the continued griping, I simply decided to walk away, and forget both my Brazil report and my Costa Rica report.
I came back to this site out of curiosity a few weeks ago, in anticipation of my upcoming trip. I am excited to visit Brazil again. I welcome all the updates and reports of people's visits to Brazil. I hope to add my own in the future. I'm going to do my best to ignore the (still present) person who is the source of most of the negativity in this forum (although I halfway expect an attack in response to this post).
I enjoy reading about other people's experiences, and planning for my own trips. I'm reading the recent reports of Rio and making my own plans at the moment. I hope to add my own notes once I return. It would be awesome to contribute in my own way and in my own time without facing the withering negativity that is all-too-often seen on this site.

I guess my experience is similar to Oz and Tom's.  Here in Brazil especially if you visit frequently or live here part-time or year round, stay in good physical shape, speak the language, and are outgoing, it's not all that  difficult to hook up on a non-commercial basis, have a longer-term thing going, or simply make new male friends.   Speaking for myself the local gyms have  been a focal point  for all three categories over the years.   Which is certainly not to say that I haven't also indulged in commercial pursuits here  - this is after all an escort site.   As Tom points out, once you break into a local social circle, as he clearly has in Merida, it gets much easier to meet guys.

Have you guys never seen grindr profiles with young guys that are only interested in (quite a lot) older guys? 
I've seen plenty, some have been very cute and been rebuffed by some for not being old enough! Whether they were particularly intelligent I don't know. 
I go for younger guys myself but there are definitely guys with the opposite taste. Dismissing it as impossible is more of a reflection on you than the person saying they've had success 

Thanks Tom. You're so helpful I feel like I should be offering you a bj 

Thanks Tom. You're so helpful I feel like I should be offering you a bj 

Have you guys never seen grindr profiles with young guys that are only interested in (quite a lot) older guys? 
I've seen plenty, some have been very cute and been rebuffed by some for not being old enough! Whether they were particularly intelligent I don't know. 
I go for younger guys myself but there are definitely guys with the opposite taste. Dismissing it as impossible is more of a reflection on you than the person saying they've had success 

Trimmed or partial or not trimmed your fine, but i don't think i have seen a un-trimmed working guy in several years in Rio! Either partial or totally smoothis what all the guys are. 
Yes the saunas have full bars! When you go to 117 walk through the first bar area where the stage is there is a door on the left hand side that will take you to the covered smoking area and another barback there and where a lot of the guys hand out! Marcello is the bartender there and makes great Caprihinas!

Because i need the space!

In regard to some of your queries, I'd suggest you peruse www.gaycities.com and www.tripadvisor.com regarding restaurants and other facets in terms of "the bests."  Unfortunately at the former website, some of the information regarding Rio de janeiro is not current today. 
Go to the Leblon Shopping Center; it opened in 2011, and although I made no purchases-- I found the decor and displays to be rather unique; the center itself is well-designed and quite aesthetically pleasing!
Take in lunch or brunch at the Copa Palace.  I, myself, have not experienced, but I've had friends who loved the experience.  There's a restaurant in Santa Teresa which is wonderful; unfortunately, its name escapes me, but I went in 2011 after seeing it on Samantha's Travels from the Travel Channel.
Lastly, if you're going to Brasil for a variety of reasons-- I'd do Sao Paulo for at least 3 days.  It's Brasil's business hub, quite large, and is different from Rio.  If you want a guide for culture-- try to engage the services of Danilo, a gay guide who's in the tourist sector and who now does NOT assist in the sauna scene with tourists but might offer some advice if asked discreetly.  PM me if you desire his contact information.