I didn't mean to trash Mexicans though I can see how it would sound that way.

I have had lots of fun over the years in Mexico, including the Mexican parts of California, but the rent boys in Mexico are quite often straight in my experience, and I personally think the "mini romances" you can have with Thais are much less common. I think Mexico is better for a more non commercial experience. Just my opinion. The reality is different people's temperaments mix in different ways reacting to different cultures. So, I guess for some, PV might be paradise. The water is certainly cleaner.

Edited by: Thaiquila at: 20/7/05 11:53 am

Havana has an incredibly hot looking gay population as does Rio. Even if you are a buff stud you will pay in Havana as nobody has any money. No real clubs,food atrocious,accomodation only reasonable in Casa Populairs.

Rio has everything and I would give it a 9 on par with Bangkok (as you may gather I am not a Pattaya fan)

I agree with a lot of what SFF just said.



Yes, it is more expensive, but if you are willing to stay not directly on the beach, there are much better deals to had. Also, if you are there for long stay, you can negotiate especially if not in high season, there are also longer term apartments to rent, but hard to find these without being there.



The food does not need to be heavy especially if you like seafood. Seafood soups in non cream broths, grilled, ceviches, and cocktails. In fact, the seafood is a real highlight. I love the octopus there. Also, it can be reasonably priced and good if you are willing to walk about ten blocks inland from the beach to the locals area.



Socially though, I feel that it is more fun to go there with friends, or as a couple, than alone. It is that kind of beach resort.



Also, I have been going there for many years. There is a noticable increase in dodgy rent boys (of age) in the last few years, they used to be really hard to spot.  These guys are mostly imported from outside the state of Jalisco.



 

Edited by: Thaiquila at: 20/7/05 1:39 pm

I would also give Rio very high ratings, though there is a real crime problem there.  

BTW,

Someone here asked me if I could provide info on the San Franciscan accused of pedo crimes in Vallarta.

Well, here is some info.

What a coincidence, the guy was hiding in Pattaya!

Are we surprised?

His arrest first happened in Thailand; I don't know the result of any extradition or trial.



www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ar...=printable

I have been to Rio...A nice place to visit...and the saunas are "hot"...Beaches full of muscled "eyecandy" :-) and the GayDiscos in Rio are among the finest in the world.



www.riogayguide.com/ .



romanus.8k.com/english.htm .



romanus.8k.com/rio_de_janeiro1.htm .



As said by others, be watchful and careful when out and about ...especially at night and alone. The tourist police and military are visible - on patrol in most tourist areas and that is comforting!



There are many reasonably priced packages available...air/hotel/transfer etc...



10 days Rio and Buenos Aires ...fm $899.00



www.friendlyplanet.com/bu...xpress.asp .



7day/5night packages for Rio from Gate 1 Travel:

from $599.00



www.gate1travel.com/south...cation.asp .



Thanksgiving travel for 7 day/ 5 nights in Rio from $679.00



www.gate1travel.com/thank...giving.asp .



New Years Holidays in Rio from $1169.00 for 8 days/6 nights



www.gate1travel.com/south...ar-rio.htm .



Enjoy Rio ...I did :-)



TravelerJim

tjinsurance.com/ .



NOTE: Passport (and Brazilian Visa required for US Citizens...and others - checl list)....A 5 year visa is usually issued..but must apply at Brazil Embassy or Consulate.



www.brasilemb.org/consula...lar1.shtml .



www.brasilemb.org/consula...rism.shtml .



Also Note..."Thai" Passport holders and some other citizens  do NOT need a visa...they will be issued a Visa on Arrival... :-)



Tourism Visa Exemptions



www.brasilemb.org/consula...tion.shtml











 

Pattaya vs Puerto Vallarta



In many ways these two cities are a lot alike. One always reminds me of the other.

The boardwalk down Beach Road and the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta are very similar, especially at night. You would probably find more freelance action on Beach Road than you could on the Malecon, but then again Pattaya is unlike anywhere else in the world when it comes to the action.

Playa de Los Muertos, home of the gay beach also is similar in terms of the beach service arrangement. The Blue Chairs and the Beach Club offer competing service, slightly different prices, menus and service at the beach chairs that you’ll simply need to try to know which one works best for you.

There are quite a few boys down at the beach, some are working and some are on holiday from the city.

The working boys may come and sit with you if you catch their eye, but you may want to keep an eye on where your wallet is. Once they have established contact with you, they will include you in their daily rounds as they move around on the beach looking for clients.

The Farang or Gringo crowd is much younger in Vallarta. You may have just as much chance being picked up by a Gringo as you do a Mexican.

If you are into smooth young things, you may not find what you are looking for as easily in Vallarta as you may on Jomtien. If that’s your thing, try walking down to the pier to see the real locals hanging out or watch for the group on the Boogie Boards. They seem to follow the surf that quite often gets good right in front of the chairs.

The surf in Mexico is quite strong, as are the rip tides so be careful! The waves can get big enough to smash you into the ocean floor and bloody your nose or dislocate your shoulders.

The water is much cleaner than Jomtien and gets deep very quickly.

July to October is hurricane season for the Caribbean and the Pacific gets the occasional hurricane, usually in August.

The bars in Vallarta leave much to be desired. If drag bothers you in Thailand it will drive you bonkers in Vallarta….as it can be really bad, with shows going on for hours. You may want to check where and when drag nights are at each club in order to avoid it. There are usually a few boys working at any club, some more than others depending on the mood of the day or the management of the club. Quite often you will see more where the cover charge is less.

If you know your way around Vallarta, you may find someone who pimps boys. Although not so easy to find, especially if your Spanish is limited…they are out there and the price is better than the freelance boys working the beaches and the bars.

While you may see some bar boys at the beach on Jomtien, there seems to be more of a difference between bar boys and beach boys in Thailand. In Vallarta you will see the same boys working both as there are much fewer working the Mexican scene that what we have on Jomtien.

I personally prefer staying at the Tropicana, not a gay hotel but quite gay friendly. It’s close to the chairs and all of the rooms have great views of the beach at a fraction of the price being charged at many of the others in the area.



Cheers,

 

Edited by: Surfcrest at: 20/7/05 9:47 pm

Traveler Jim, you did it again, love the prices on the the Rio trip. Much better then when I did leg work myself,, Will go over whole post.. Kudos again

 

I have stayed twice at the Mercurio.

It is a good place to stay and the prices seem good, but remember this before was a basic BUDGET hotel, and they have gayified it with some fresh paint, etc, in other words, it really is overpriced for what it is.

However, they are very friendly and it is a fun place to stay, also good location.

Tip: you can negotiate the price on a longer stay, they are empty during low seasons.



One other point: Do not go there looking underage boys! There is a vigalante attitude now there among the people to fight this, which is encouraged by some American organizations ever since there was a very high profile arrest of a San Francisco millionaire with a large villa there, who had been having illicit sex parties for years. I imagine Mexican jails aren't much more pleasant than Thai ones, nuff said.

Edited by: Thaiquila at: 20/7/05 10:19 pm

Davie, thanks for reminding me of the roof top bar with spash pool in Blue Chairs hotel next to chairs on beach. It is truly a wonderful place. Lots of guys. A flash from the past, I was stuck in Puerto Vallarata on 911. There was music on the rooftop and on Sept. 12th, they had a momemt of silence in support of all from the USA. For a bar, with a party going on, I thought it was a neat thing for them to do. Remember all the planes were grounded for 4 days. Yep, had to extend vacation, I really could not apprecite the time as I spend half the day tryuing to get out on next plane and not wanting to be in an airplane. I do recall since I don't consider myself as much of a help in a big fight, but my mind did consider what to do if the plane was taken over by bad guys,,, I was going to slip shoes off and hit or toss at bad guy. Sure glad it was uneventful flight back to USA.            

With so many fantastic cities/resorts in Mexico, I find it strange there are only inquiries about PV. on this board.  I've been to all of the worthwhile ones, and some not so worthwhile in Mexico.  For scenery, Mexico has Thailand beat hands down.  For availability of young men, Thailand is the winner of course.

Not all that surprising.

Beach resorts are always the most popular, and PV is the most popular for foreign gays.

I have been around Mexico, Mexico City DF, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Guadalajara, Mazatlan, and Oaxaca. For gay life, I think Guadalajara is the most fun (Mexico City is too scary) but it is not a big rent scene.

 

Two restaurants that I highly recommend are Fredy's Tucan restaurant for breakfast and Archie's Wok (Pan Asian) for dinner. Sergio, the chef at Archie's Wok is such a cutie. Both restaurants are in the zona romantica area aka gay area.



For passing the time before the discos really go into action, I would recommend (as another poster said) the pool bar at Cora Vallarta and the 8:30PM show at the Bluechairs rooftop bar. The action at the pool bar really gets into high gear around 10PM or so, an hour before the bar closes.



The shows at the Bluechair varies, with Saturday night being the strip night. Just remember to bring some small bills if you want to..



In terms of what is going on with the scene, the staff at various venues are highly valuable. One of the waiters at the bluechairs guided me through the maze of activites, as well as warning me whether a particular guy is trouble or not.



 

Edited by: Davey612 at: 28/7/05 1:23 pm

Been to all those places you mentioned. Spent months at the grand ole dame Acapulco. Four months in Guada.. Found it the most boring place in all of Mexico. Downtown closed around 9 pm.  Perhaps you sniffed out places I didn't.  Oaxaca my favorite, but now trendy and high cost. No doubt, I did leave my heart in Mexico - but the Mexico of 15 years ago. Viva Mexico.

That is not the Guadalajara I found at all.

Late night venues, large and small dance spaces, lots of cheap beer and fun loving drunken men.

My favorite moment was in some kind of cabaret club in a far out non tourist area where the entertainer did not realize I wasn't Mexican (I can pass for Mexican) and started insulting me (cabron this and cabron that) because I wasn't responding correctly, because I only speak a little Spanish.

Edited by: Thaiquila at: 22/7/05 8:48 am