Argentina

[bigguyinpasadena]

NPR did a story today about the boom in gay tourism in Argentina.What is the scoop?Is BA a more sophisticated city than RIO?I know there are gorgeous men in both locales-what are the differences?

[Guest pyell]

Outwardly at least, Buenos Aires is an exceptionally European city, very much like Paris or Barcelona. But the cost of living for tourists is absurdly cheap in BA, so it's like being in Paris and paying Calcutta prices. I've never been to Rio, but what I've seen makes it seem like quite a different city - more extremes of rich and poor, and an utterly spectacular location.

 

Strikes me as a bit like the difference between, say, Rome and Naples. Rome is elegant and sophisticated, but not a very inspired location. Naples is a much more beautiful location but has more extremes of poverty and wealth.

 

Or between Sydney and Melbourne here in Australia. Sydney is outgoing, revelling in its harbour and beaches, whereas Melbourne is more elegant and sophisticated, less hedonistic.

[marko]

I spent a week in Bs.As. this past summer, in August. The city is an amazingly beautiful and wildly varied place with everything from a world-class opera house to great cafes and restaurants to terrific bookstores to very classy shopping districts all the way down to shanty towns on the outskirts. And it really is very much like a major European city like Madrid or Barcelona. If you ever have a chance to go there, GO!!, especially if you're into culture like opera, great architecture, wonderful bookstores, fabulous museums, interesting ethnic neighborhoods, terrific streetmarkets, and haut cuisine. But from my experience, the city is as dead as a doornail when it comes to gay sex. The "strip" for streetboys is along Santa Fe to Puerreydon. In a whole week of cruising the strip, I saw only two guys I had the mildest interest in, both of them only slightly dark (like the Latins in other countries), and I didn't bother about either of them. As I see it, here's the deal on Bs.As.: if you like white boys, you might be happy there, but even if you do like white boys, I think you'll find the pickings slim and the action slow, at least on the streets, the only place I seriously looked. Elsewhere on this site you can read about what's available in Bs.As. and there is loads of information about gay guides, gay websites and bars, and escort agencies (some of which I checked out on-line, but again, all the boys are white)x( . Although I have no plans to return soon to Bs.As., I honestly loved the city and would very happily go again, but I'll take Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, or almost any place in Brazil over Bs.As. any day of the year, month, or week! The men in Brazil are just too beautiful, readily available, and the skin tones go from ivory to ebony and everything in between. I'll take that, as I say, any time over any thing Buenos Aires has to offer.

[Guest alain]

My visit to Buenos Aires last april, really enjoyed it. Bs.As. is one of the most european and sophisticated and elegant cities in Latin America, beautiful people, and as it was autumn I had the chance to go to the Colon Opera House, really impressive!!! compared with the Paris Opera, city where I live...I had the chance to meet Roberto and do not hesitate to contact him, he was absolutely helpfull to me, as my spanish is very poor. Guys I can assure you that a visit of 5 days to B.A. is worth it, and try to contact Roberto, his e-mail is: vdagp@yahoo.com.ar :-)

[trilingual]

Well, until they open some Brazilian style saunas in B.A. it won't be THE gay travel capital of South America in my book. However, B.A. is one of my all-time favorite cities, and I love spending time there. It does have a very active gay scene, in addition to all of its other myriad attractions. If you've never been to South America, a trip to the THREE gay capitals of the continent (Rio, Sao Paulo and B.A.) would be a real eye-opener! That kind of itinerary can easily be done, with four or five days in each city. Each of the three cities is so different, and yet so interesting, that it would make a memorable trip. Of course, you could spend a lifetime in each of those cities and never scratch their surfaces, but in four or five days you can at least get some of the flavor.