Mavica

DAY 2 IN RIO After sleeping for 10-hours I was up and ready to wander the area, in particular the weekly outdoor market Feria adjacent to the Glória Metro station which is a 5-minute walk from my apartment. Describing the market as large is an understatement. 100s of vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, ready-to-eat cooked foods, all sorts of alcoholic drinks, clothing, housewares, etc. I’m familiar with the Sunday Feira Hippe de Ipanema but that pales in comparison to what happens at Glória. If you haven’t visited Glória on a Sunday, do so and you won’t be disappointed. Lots of eye candy, too! [SEE PHOTOS BELOW] Before leaving the Feira I stopped at a stall with a lengthy line that sold pastel and caldo de cana (sugar cane juice). My pastel was filled with frango com catupiry (chicken and cheese). R16 for the snack. R$16, paid in cash (+/- US$3). [SEE PHOTO BELOW] I e-Mailed the apartment owner / agent again to say I would not stay in the apartment longer or pay to stay unless the wi-fi and internet was connected. Neither my cellphone nor the TV / Cable work in the apartment due to lack of signal; I’m surrounded by concrete walls outside and in. She told me she would stop by after 6 p.m. today; this is annoying. Not having gone to dinner I stepped outside the apartment building to a small café next door for a sandwich. Later, I watched one of the Prime Video I had downloaded before the trip: The Boys in the Boat; Callum Turner is easy on the eyes! Off to bed at midnight, unfulfilled!

Ok, here goes. I'm long-winded, so prepare yourselves! TRIP REPORT - Rio de Janeiro DAY 1 GETTING THERE: My trip to Rio started at 6 p.m. on a Friday night in Tampa from where I traveled by COPA Airlines, with a short stopover in Panama City to connect onward to Rio, arriving at 8 a.m. Saturday. The flights were good and the 737-800 aircraft Economy section was nicer than I had anticipated. Because in addition to the one bag I had checked I had just one small carry-on placed in the overhead; this left me ample room for my feet to stretch under the seat in front (I am 6’1” tall) in the aisle seat. The plane was not full and the pregnant woman sitting next to me in the center seat moved to the window seat; win-win for us both. I have to say the business-class section (no first-class) was inviting. I am one of those travelers who still wears a mask on a full planeload. Maybe a simple mask (not an N95) protects me somewhat, maybe not, but I had a sense of satisfaction that amongst a plane with many people coughing I had taken a precaution (and I was not the only passenger to be masked). Soft drinks, cookies, and a small bag of tortilla chips were served mid-flight. The airplane landed 15 minutes early in Panama City and because there were no ground / gate crew to meet us we sat for the 15-minutes waiting for the jetway to be extended for deboarding. We landed at Terminal 2 at Tocumen International Airport which appears to be relatively new and resembles a shopping center with nice stores. No Immigration or Customs procedures for connecting passengers. I walked the long distance to pedestrian-congested Terminal 1 where I would depart from for the flight to Rio. In comparison to Terminal 2, Terminal 1 looks and feels ready for the wrecking ball. The on-time departure connecting flight was also a 737-800 and was completely full; not all of the stand-bys were able to get onboard. We were served a hot meal about an hour into the journey. It is difficult for me to fall asleep on most long-distance flights and this time was no different. The large-framed man in the middle seat next to me could not help but extend beyond his seat width and we bumped into one another throughout the flight. DAY 1 IN RIO: The flight from Panama City arrived on-time and we were met with cool temperatures (in comparison to the Tampa Bay area). As I was walking the long distance to Immigration / Baggage / Customs the driver of a passenger transfer vehicle took one look at me and told me to get on-board. Maybe he mistook me for someone who had ordered the cart, but one glance at me and he thought he had the right person! The cart had seating for five people, but I was the only one on the vehicle. The distance to Immigration was long and I was grateful for the ride. Arriving at Immigration I was the first foreigner in line for processing, which took all but 5 minutes. Luggage took 30 minutes to arrive, but because I was the first off the flight to wait in that area it seemed longer for me than others. I walked through the nothing to declare line and out into the arrivals area. However, there is a gauntlet of Duty-Free shops you have to traverse in order to get into the Arrivals lobby and most people walking with me were as confused as I regarding how to exit. We made it out, though, and maybe there was an easier way. I have booked a small apartment for the stay in Rio via booking.com; several buildings to one side of Golden Park Hotel close to Metro Glória in Rio’s Catete section. R$3,472 (+/- US$650 ÷ 10 = US$65/night). [SEE PHOTOS BELOW] Because I have used booking.com frequently I was eligible for a rental discount and a no-cost transfer from the airport to the apartment. The connection to the driver was seamless and convenient. Saturday morning traffic was light. I have made several forced errors thus far for the visit. The latest was not booking the apartment for the night before / day of arrival. I did do that for my last day because the flight home departs 1 a.m. Recognizing my error, I attempted to start my rental as I should have, but I was too late. If the apartment had been vacant when I arrived the owner/agent would have let me in early. I was informed I could leave my luggage at a Sushi Glória situated next to the apartment building and wander about Rio until notified the apartment he apartment building is rather new and there are some final changes to complete. My impression is that nobody lives in the building full-time, and that it is occupied as short-term rentals. I sense presentable guests can probably accompany a STR without challenge by the person who electronically opens the lobby door; I do not intend to do that, though. Nice apartment but all of the finishes are builder’s standard; cheap. But there is a cooktop, small oven, microwave, coffeemaker, utensils, full-sized refrigerator, washer / dryer, TV. No safe. Importantly: the wi-fi / internet / TV did not work. I have been unable to get the owner/agent to have someone look at the problem because I have been at wits-end. Oh, I forgot this: the bed mattress is rock-hard, like sleeping on concrete (no exaggeration). I prefer firm mattresses but this is extremely hard. I have been to Rio previously but do not remember mattresses this firm. In Mexico, where I travel frequently, I oftentimes read reviews of hotels complaining about the too-firm beds. [SEE PHOTOS BELOW] Clube 117 I settled into the apartment and though I was up for 33 hours at this point I walked the relatively short distance to Clube 117. It was early, about 5:30 p.m. Checked-in, received my locker key and met Hicardo (Ricardo) in the locker room where he handed me two towels and a pair of flip-flops. As I left the locker room to take a shower I was set upon by a goodlooking guy showing his big dick promoting himself. He said he would fuck me for R$200, then dropped it to R$100 without leche, then immediately raised the price back to R$200 full service. My impression he was 1) on speed of some sort, or 2) desperate. I shook his cock and moved on. I am guessing there were 20 GP on-site at that hour, but the number grew steadily. Understandably, fresh pickings (me) had entered the premises. As I ordered/drank a beer in the lounge area staff were setting up for a birthday party later in the evening. I sat at the 2-top table closest to the bar and the steady stream of GPs, one as good looking as the next, introduced and promoted themselves and their prowess and opened their towels to display their wares. Mostly well-built and defined bodies, none with huge cocks but thick ones. Fucking machines, for certain. I told them all I had just walked in the door and was relaxing. No pushy behaviors, though. Polite. Respectful. Asking price for each was R$200. My tab at 117 (excluding the R$150) was R$208: R$99 entry; R77 for the room; some beers for me and others (I’m forgetting something). R$ equivalent of US$38.60. I had forgotten to ask about tipping the locker room attendant; I gave him R$20 because it was the smallest bill I had in my pocket. Almost certainly too much but what the heck. He seemed a bit surprised, but grateful. Someone please let me know what the norm is, now. Thanks. I left 117 at about 7:30 p.m., stopped at a grocery store down the street from the sauna on the way back to the apartment, sat on a sidewalk across from the apartment, bought and drank a large bottle of Amstel (R equiv. $3.15) and was in bed asleep by 10 p.m. to be continued ...

The Immigration form I brought was no longer in use. Immgration agent said I'd I was stopped at Customs I might need the other form I brough but I wasn't stopped. So, as you've said ... not needed. Thanks.

I arrived Rio this a.m.; traveled on COPA from Tampa > Panama > Rio. COPA check-in counter agent at airport read / recorded data in Visa and in conversation told me they've denied boarding to passengers w/o Visa. At Panama City COPA checked again at the jetway entry boarding for Rio; no Visa, no travel. Brazil Immigration checked upon arrival in Rio. I brought 2 copies with me and another one my mobile.

I answered my own questions. Found the Immigration and the Customs forms online and completed them to bring with me. 😁

Another question prior to leaving for Brazil tomorrow evening: is there a requirement to complete an online Customs form, or a paper form distributed by the airline? Thank you.

Yes. Thank you.

I'm recalling that when Brazil previously required a visa for USA citizens the fee may have been more, or about the same, and I had to go to the Consulate with paperwork and again to pick-up my passport with the visa stamped into it. The 10-year e-Visa is overall easier to obtain, particularly because I live 2 hours away from the closest Consulate and everything is done online. The difficulty I encountered may have been precipitated by something I did or didn't do during the online process.

If you don't understand, there's nothing more I can say explaining it to you.

Four days before I leave for Brazil, visa in hand, and I'm starting to think President Trump may ban travel to the country before I depart. Though, my flight into Rio doesn't depart from the USA. Instead, it's via Panama to/from.

Interesting. It hadn’t entered my mind to travel to Brazil for sex. 🫢

Thanks for the discussion topic. Yes, early detection can reduce the risk of cancer cells metastasizing. All too many men, particularly younger men don't monitor or get PSA testing. My prostate cancer was detected 16 years go when I was 59 and my prostate was removed at the time ... and, as of this writing, there's been no evidence of metastasis. 🙂 BTW, I'm visiting my brother this weekend, whose PC has returned after having had radiation treatments more than a decade ago.

Preparing for an upcoming trip to Rio de Janeiro, I've been reading various news sources to update myself. I came across the following, today: Source: Brazil’s Foreign Tourism Surge Is Real, but Scale Still Trails Rivals - The Rio Times

The answer is simple: Cash

IDK, I’m assuming I did something wrong at the beginning of the process that once done couldn’t be undone without some intervention. Because I didn’t wait until the last minute to apply it was resolved a week before I leave for Rio and other than my angst no harm / no foul. Lesson learned? Apply early.

Finally, I received my visa today. 🙂

Okay, finally ... I found an e-Mail address for the VSF Brazil desk, and someone read it. My document images have passed quality control. Now it's on to Consular or other approval.

Mutiple photo uploads were rejected, on the grounds of the pixels in the photo. I was instructed to send the Photo and other document copy via FedEx using a shipping label created by VSF. See below. There has been nobody to speak with at the VSF English language telephone number ... who speaks English when I've called.

I've had difficulty with the Brazil e-Visa process and wonder if others have had similar experiences. On September 2nd I applied online and paid for the visa. Several times the agency processing the visa requests has rejected the photo of myself that I took and the photo of the identification page of my passport (VFS Gobal). At the request of VSF Global I FedEx'ed the passport photo and passport page. I continue to receive e-mails stating my application will not be processed due to lack of photo / passport page. I've called the VSF Global telephone number provided for Brazil and a half-dozen times have been disconnected. This a.m. I finally got through and on and off the person on the line, who had difficulty with the VoIP connection and terminated the call - three times. I don't know how to resolve this before my application is rejected for being incomplete. Suggestions? Thank you.

Trip Advisor and other sites do or may have copies of Menu's uploaded as part of contributor reviews. But when confronted by that I walk up to the host/hostess station and ask to see a menu, which I read through .... before deciding to stay or eat someplace else.

The law didn't change. The interpretation by the U.S. Supreme Court has.

After which you call your Cardiologist.

Regulars here may have seen the article I'm linking below published in May 2025 - featuring Junior Barbosa of Point 202 - but I hadn't until now. I came across it as I'm catching up on gay-related events in Rio: Meet Júnior Barbosa - the king of Rio's gay sauna scene - Attitude

Interesting thought. BTW, I've ordered some Reais from my bank, for the sauna expenses and some minor incidentals. Yes, the exchange rate is not as favorable, but I'm comfortable doing it this way. I'll use a credit card for other things.

I've just read your Pointe v. 117 report following your recent visit in Rio. Helpful to me as I prepare for my upcoming visit. Thank you. Point 202 vs Clube 117: el superclásico de los saunas cariocas