Brazil Vs. Dominican Republic...

[Rapaz]

So far, I've heard all that and then some more about how favorable Brazil is to some men, as it seems to be the mecca of some of you... but has anyone experienced DR? I'm torn between going to either Brazil or DR, and while Brazil seems fun, DR seems to be the offbeat path to take and perhaps discover there what most keep a secret OR discover a spot for gay tourism that's probably a dud. I was trying to keep up with Monaga.net, that only appearant proof of gay tourism in DR, HOWEVER it hasn't been updated in months and all of the posts are so elusive.

 

Anyway... anyone here bother to explain the pros of going to DR? I mean, so far, it seems so much less expensive and more convenient. But Brazil is... Brazil.

[trilingual]

This question has been asked numerous times over the years. Consensus seems to be that it's possible to have a good, gay time in the DR, but it's not Brazil. After all, Brazil is a country as large as the U.S. and there's gay life to be found all over the country, not all of which is as expensive as Rio and São Paulo. With direct air service from the U.S., you might find you have a great time in Brazil's Northeast. I was recently in Fortaleza and had a great time. There were reasonably priced hotels and restaurants, and there's quite a lot of gay life, including the gay beach club, "Cabumba." But Recife and Salvador are also options.

[Rapaz]

Well... my interest is moreso in sex I guess. I don't really care for the gay nightlife perse as I don't plan on clubbing and just relaxing here, there and everywhere on a beach or in a spa, lol.

 

So... how is it in DR as far as escort activity go? How is the scene with men at ALL there? I know they don't have saunas or anything in DR.... I read that there was ONE sauna and it closed down.:eek:

[Guest LatinoRican]

I commented on your thread at the other site, but I'm going to give this one more try... Brazil is Brazil and the Dominican Republic is the Dominican Republic. Never shall the two be the same. In Rio, for that matter, you would most likely pick up guys in a sauna and not on the streets. In Santo Domingo, their are no saunas, so the clubs and streets are where the action is. The site: http://www.monaga.net is under construction, but the link to "nightlife" or "nightclubs" is up to date. It explains what you will find in each bar/club. Another option is a cafeteria known as Paco's at the beginning of Calle Conde which is a pedestrian street. It has tables outside where many gay tourists and hustlers congregate and hook up. The guys walk by, smile, maybe come up and ask for a cigarette You smile back or just ignore them, give them the cigarette or not, ask them to have a seat or not, and so it goes...... They know the game and they have been at it for years. You should know the game too and if you take one of them to your hotel. make sure that they leave their ID at the front desk for (your) safekeeping. They can get their ID back when they leave your room. Like someone said in Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get!" Be safe and be well.

[Rapaz]

Thank you. If I'm not mistaken, I don't think your reply and my other thread was as detailed as this, and even if it was, thanks again. I'm not really comparing the two either, i don't have any intentions in doing that... but I'm really just wondering if DR is even worth the bother. I've yet to even hear from someone who has been there on a GAYCATION give feed back, which worries me. On the other hand, it seems like the only destination gay men are traveling to is Brazil, which is a bit baffling to say the least.

[trilingual]

Well, Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the New World, founded by Columbus. There's plenty to see and do, and you can get to beaches around the island. (There isn't a lot in the way of beaches in Santo Domingo itself.) Brazil is unique and, being as big as the U.S., immensely varied. Endless beach resorts, colonial monuments, fascinating museums, interesting food. There's no end of things to see and do, in addition to the men!

[Rapaz]

Thankyou Trilinguel.

[+ Axiom2001]

I just read what the other writers shared here and concur. I was in Santo Domingo in 2005 (February to be exact) and found it to be quite different from the cities I've visited in Brazil. If I were you and regardless of price difference and distance-- I'd CHOOSE going to Brazil any day over venturing to the DR. While I was there, I was forever trying to compare and could not, but I kept thinking: this place is NO Brazil and I prefer Brazil in terms of its men to that of the DR.

 

Perhaps one of these days I'll return and have a much different experience and re evaluate my preference.

[Rapaz]

Eh. As far as men, I think I'm more attracted to Dominicans. I'm Puerto Rican and find Brazilians to be just as passionate but not as rough and ... how should I put it... relatable as Dominican guys without being overtly shady. But attraction of the general populous won't swade my choice vacation, anyway. If you sexy you sexy.

[trilingual]

If you speak Caribbean Spanish you ought to be able to have a good time in the DR. Let us know if you go, and who and what you do!!!

[Rapaz]

For anybody wondering, I decided that I'm going to Brazil instead of DR. I am going to try to find a good agency to get a Brazilian VISA through and send my passport to the US to expedite it (I'm currently living in Iraq :-\)

[Rapaz]

I just ordered a few books to study Brazilian Portuguese and grammer too. It should only take me a month and a half to master Portuguese since A) Spanish is my first language and that'll be easy for very many verbs and B) I'm a master linguist! This should be fun!!!

[EZEtoGRU]

Rapaz,

Good for you on taking the Brazil plunge.....and on taking the initiative to learn Portuguese in advance. English is my first language. I then learned Spanish and finally Portuguese. Picking up Portuguese after I learned Spanish was relatively easy. I too consider myself a linguist!!

[trilingual]

You'll find that Portuguese isn't all that hard if you already speak Spanish. The grammar and vocabularies are very similar. You'll have some problems picking up the pronunciation -- it's very different than Spanish -- but you have an advantage also speaking English, because between the two languages (English and Spanish) you've got all the sound combinations in Portuguese. Portuguese is not as phonetic as Spanish in its spelling. Watch out for the letter "r" pronounced as "h", as in Rio ("Hee-oh") or Rapaz ("Ha-paiz"). Brazilians tend to dipthongize a lot of vowels that aren't spelled that way. "S" in the Carioca pronunciation (generally considered to be the "standard" Brazilian accent) turns into "sh." Brazilian "d" is pronounced like an English, not Spanish, "d". And so on. Just study up and listen carefully when you're in Brazil and try to imitate what you hear and it'll all come easily. And Brazilians will be very flattered that you're making the effort to speak Portuguese and will help you along.

[Rapaz]

i bought a Pimsleur CD for pronuncuation but I think I'll be fine haha. In Puerto Rico Spanish takes on a different animal and pronunciation too, and I listen to Brazilian Portuguese musical already and know many songs by heart so I think pronunciation will be easier than I think perhaps. It should be fun though... learning a new language is always exciting.

 

I've been learning Arabic for the past 4 months, I don't think Portuguese will be any more difficult than that!

[Rapaz]

UH OH. I am starting to get turned off by the requirements needed to obtain a Brazilian VISA. WTF?

 

http://www.travelvisapro.com/visa/brazil

[EZEtoGRU]

Wow. You really are a linguist!! Congrats. I just consider myself adept at learning languages. Well done on your language capabilities.

 

Regarding the visa, yes it is a real hassle. It has been a requirement for Americans travelling to Brazil for many years. It is essentially a reciprocal requirement of what the US requires for Brasilians travelling to US. Don't know how complicated it will be for you to manage this process from Iraq. Many people in the US engage a visa service to handle the whole application.

[Rapaz]

Yeah. It's so annoying... especially being here in Iraq where I can't really see a consulate for Brazil lol. I tried looking at that Travel Visa Pro as recommended by gaytravelbrazil but it seems like I'd be better off calling the consulate in New York City. What's also annoying is the time difference... the conselate in NYC only accepts phone calls from like 3pm until 5pm... well, 3pm in NY is about 11 PM here. Ugh. With mailing my passport and pictures and crap it's going to be like a one month process. GREAT! I just got my passport, too... and that took a month and a half going through the US embassy here.

 

 

Yeah, language is something I put a great deal of effort into. I have always wanted to dabble in Portuguese!

[+ Axiom2001]

Rapaz, I applaud you on your decision to travel to the beautiful country of Brazil. Try to be patient in terms of your visa, and I do hope that once your trip has concluded that you'll report back here to relay your experiences to us. I always like to live others' experiences vicariously since I've taken the plunge and find that Rio de janeiro, one of the most beautiful cities in the world to me, is now my most favorite one!

 

I also am elated that you're a linguist; your being at ease in speaking Brazilian Portuguese is a huge plus. If only I'd learned a second language while I was in school.... I would be a much better traveler indeed....

[EZEtoGRU]

Rapaz,

Good luck in trying to get the visa issue sorted. Keep in mind that your first entry into Brazil must be within 90 days of the visa being granted. Therefore, one cannot obtain the visa more than 3 months in advance of the actual travel. Boa Sorte!

[Rapaz]

That suuuucks. Means I'll have to wait until November to TRY to get a Visa... Blah.

[Rapaz]

BTW, are any of you gentlement traveling to Brazil soon? This is my first time and I'll be alone. I'm thinking of visiting Peru for a few days while I'm in South America to see Machu Picchu. I'm tracking on my goal to see every continent before 30! (Aside from the Artics, lol)

[EZEtoGRU]

Yes the Brazil visa process is a hassle......even when based in the US. Moreso for you when you are living remotely. I lived in Brazil for 3 years until 2007 and none of my friends or family visited.....partly due to the visa process hassle. There is no question the existance of the visa has cost Brazil allot of tourists from the US over the years due to the hassle. Many people decide to go elsewhere. Anyway, as I mentioned previously it is a reciprocity thing.

 

I currently have no plans for Brazil. Then again, I usually only book trips 1-3 weeks ahead of actually travelling. I like to travel when the mode strikes me and therefore organize things with very short notice.

 

Peru is fantastic for tourism by the way. Most things to see are not in Lima but other parts of the country. So to do Peru right, you really need 10-14 days. Cuzco/Machu Pichu can be done in 3 days in a fairly rushed fashion. Has the train to Machu Pichu from Cuzco reopened? It was suspended during a time due to flooding.

[Rapaz]

I read that the train fro Cuzco to Machu Picchu was only closed for a month after the flooding and is actively operating again! I might just skip Peru and stay in Brazil the entire 15 days of vacation I have. Brazil seems enough to explore alone... I tentatively decided that I'm going to fly first into Sao Paulo and stay there for four days and head to Rio from there.

 

While I was a bit pissed about the Visa hassle, I ultimately got over it and just decided that it's just a few more pages of paperwork to fill out, I'm used to it by now haha... I just need to call the consulate from the city that I'm from to assure that he'll oblige to accept my application through the mail.