sydneyboy1

Excellent reporting. Just one observation. Could you please discover the joys of the paragraph?

A pity I didn’t encounter him in August.

What was this Asian guy like? Muscular? Cute? Age?

I agree. I was there as recently as early September and ShivRoy’s account doesn’t accord with my experience.

I have been to Rio and more frequently Sao Paulo for the same reason as you. The Brazilian rent boy saunas are wonderful. I am certainly not seeking to deter anyone from visiting after all I have been back 8 times since my mugging. My point is be careful. If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone.

This was on my first visit to Rio and I have returned older and wiser. An American gent came to my rescue after my attackers had fled. I am tall and he saw he from a distance between cars parked at right angles to the kerb and realised what had happened. This kind gentleman lived in Rio. In the preceding months he had been mugged 3 times once by an assailant carrying a gun. My advice is don’t think you are safe because an area is “busy” and be on guard at all times. Liberal use of taxis is in order.

You would not hesitate to walk along the sidewalks in Copa up to 9 at night. Think again. I was mugged by 3 thugs almost in front of the Copacabana Palace at about 6:45 barely dark, with a group of locals watching and numerous passers by ignoring my screams for help. Be warned. Rio has a crime problem.

As an aside Chile has dropped its visa requirement for Australians. Good news for those opt as I have in the past for an overnight stay in Santiago on the way back from Brazil.

Pre COVID I used a visa service company about 15 minutes walk from where I live. I would take my passport, photo and they would complete the necessary documentation, take everything to the consulate and I would return a few days later all for a comparatively modest fee. Nothing could have more simple. The company was a victim of the pandemic.

Thank you for adding some perspective. I would argue that the visa system is more than just a slight inconvenience.

This sounds like a nightmare. A cynic would argue they are actively discouraging visitors.

Is Niki still at Moonlight?

What’s the link to this 15M website?

Sorry now I get it. I’m a bit slow.

Why? The Hotel Unique is expensive. It is also unique and remarkable. Google it and see what I mean. It was designed by a Brazilian/Japanese architect and looks like an arc on stilts. The exterior and interior is extraordinary.

The Hotel Unique on São Paulo has 2 pools, a huge one in the basement and a sizeable one on the roof. An expensive and remarkable hotel. I have stayed there twice.

Are you suggesting a reversal of the visa requirement is a possibility?

It’s all a matter of priorities and what is important to us as individuals. In the last 20 years I have traveled overseas about twice a year and these days always travel at least business class. On the other hand I’m in my 70’s and have never owned a car which some people can’t live without but to me is the ultimate waste of money. To each his own.

This is an international issue. Australia has an identical problem. Young people cannot afford to buy and rents are increasing astronomically making saving for the deposit on a home impossible.

A side question. How are visitors to Brazil coping with the post April visa application process?

I have read the TripAdvisor reviews for this hotel. The steam/sauna facilities are described as “extraordinary “ but there is complaints that the hotel charges for the use of these facilities even for in house guests. Strange penny pinching.

Good lateral thinking.

An excellent report. I’ve often thought of visiting Zurich and honouring Paragonya with my presence. It’s a pity that all the action appears to happen during the day. In an ideal world the visitor should be sight seeing during the day in arguably the most picturesque country in the world and seeking action in the late afternoon and evening.

They have a Facebook page

Thank you. I found him but he wasn’t the one I was thinking of. A cute Vietnamese at Goodboys attracted my attention I think he was 41 but don’t hold me to that.