Buenos Aires is one of my favorite big capitals. I like it even better than Madrid and Paris. It was my privilege to have lived there for three decades of my entire life. I am lucky to have lived there for two decades of my slutty life.
Buenos Aires for visitors
You can share that privilege by visiting the city, specially if your income is in dollars or euros. Prices in the city are very high for the locals, but risible for the foreigners coming from a developed economy. Specially right now.
Argentina has a famously unstable and unpredictable economy, going through a crisis (another one) since June 2018. The local currency value has plummeted (again) and it will probably continue to fall. As I am writing this post, currency exchange is U$S 1 = $AR 28.06.
Due to this instability, it is convenient not to buy all your cash the day of your arrival. There is a good chance that your dollars and euros will be worth more the next day. ATMs and credit cards work perfectly. Use your cards as much as you can, do not get more than the equivalent to U$S 100 in cash each time, it would be good for several days, even if you are buying sex. The con is that you pay the equivalent to 10 dollars with each withdrawal, as an exchange service fee. I still prefer it rather than carrying around big amounts of cash.
What I enjoy the most in the city is the food. It is so good and so cheap. Bakeries are everywhere and often their quality is excellent. A rising and diverse stream of immigration has brought a wide diversity to the menu. If you are a foodie, you will feel like in Paradise, specially if you are a carnivore one. A “bife de chorizo”, one of the most appreciated steaks around the world, is always delicious and at not more than 10 bucks. A lower quality stake in the US would be about 30 bucks.
Moving around Buenos Aires
Public transportation in both, the city and the Province of Buenos Aires, is very affordable. The local subway is $AR 7.50, and would take you very efficiently and safely to most places. There is an extensive bus network that costs between $AR 10 and $AR 11.50.
Uber is struggling to be fully accepted. The app does work and you will get rides at a price significantly lower than regular taxi cabs, but you will not be able to pay with your credit card. The company is facing some legal challenges from the taxi drivers union and its legality is in question, so right now your CC cannot be accepted and you will have to pay with cash.
Not only the taxi cabs union is challenging the company in the justice system. They are also fostering violent action against Uber drivers. There are “Uber hunters”, taxi drivers armed with compressed air rifles to attack their “ilegal” competition. There are also reported attacks with stones, with a passenger hurt in at least one case.
During my visit I chose to avoid any risk and rode regular taxi cabs. My longest ride, from Recoleta to Once, was about $AR 170. Most of my rides were between Recoleta and Barrio Norte, about $AR 70/80.
There are many walkable areas in the city. Just be careful about drivers. Even when you cross a street in the corner and with green light for you, pay attention, because some one can turn and drive over you. Even if you are in a sidewalk, be careful about cars coming out of garajes. Drivers are just crazy, taking a taxi cab is more scary and less safe that riding a roller coster in an amusing park.
Buenos Aires times
Like in the rest of Argentina, the times may feel slightly exotic to you. Business hours in Buenos Aires are aligned with most big cities around the world. What you may not find so familiar are the night fun times.
Dinner is usually after 9PM, even 10PM is not late to eat. Dinner can be a very long event, do not forget that “la sobremesa” is a solid institution. After dining, if the plan is going to a night club, the locals move to what they call “la previa”.
“La previa” is some kind of gathering before going out to the dance club. It could be in someone’s home or in a bar. Going to a bar before midnight may not be a wise idea if you are by yourself. There is a good chance you will have no company until midnight.
Which is when the locals go to the bar, and often stay there until after 2AM. By that time the crowd starts moving to the dance club. Hot time in the disco is between 3 and 4 AM. These establishments close doors around 6/6:30 AM.
When I moved to DC from Buenos Aires, one of the toughest adaptations I had to go through was the night times. The memory of being kicked out of bars at 2AM, when the night was just starting for me, is still fresh. But I did adjusted.
Now, I cannot put up with Buenos Aires’ times. My staying was for about 8 days, only one week end. I could not put myself together to stay awake and explore some night clubs.
Buenos Aires gay
The headline “Buenos Aires gay” is an overstatement. The local gay culture is just too vibrant, too diverse, and too omnipresent to pretend to make a comprehensive description. It would be impossible for the scope of this visit and this blog.
You can find on line many websites with abundant information about gay bars and night clubs in the city. Unlike most American and European metropolis, there is not such a thing as a gay neighborhood. There was a time when most gay social life was along Avenida Santa Fe, but it is not anymore.
Not only gay businesses are spread over the city, but also gayness is spread over a big deal of the night life. Many of the most trendy gathering locations are mixed, as younger generations seem to care less about these labels.
You can also find abundant information on line about the legal protections and rights that sexual minorities enjoy in Argentina and in Buenos Aires. It can be argued that Argentina, and specifically Buenos Aires, are ahead of the United States in this field.
Buenos Aires paid sex resources
Gay sex in the city is easy and abundant, for free or for a fee. Local escort charge mostly between $AR 1,000 and 2,000, although you may find a few below or above that range. You can check the Reviews for Douglas, Carlos, and Randisan.
The most important resource for paid sex is Soy Tuyo, including providers not only from Buenos Aires but also from a few cities inside the country. You may find a few sex workers who do not advertise in Soy Tuyo but in Revista Ratones, Leonos, Skokka, and Onyce. Even the local Rentmen has two pages of profiles, although the prices there will be higher than in the other outlets. Yes, Rentmen shows prices in Argentina, and do not call the boys “porn stars” but “escorts”.
Once you identify an interesting prospect in those sites, you must complement your research with the local Forums. The local forums community is not as active as its American sisters, but many posters are supportive and you can obtain useful data. Without the information shared in there, I would not have been as lucky as I was on my hiring.
Get a free membership, and use a translator if you do not speak Spanish. If you do not find your boy after performing a search, open a thread in the folder “Escorts Masculinos Ciudad de Buenos Aires”, choose CS (411) as a prefix, and write the name of the boy in the headline for the new thread. Follow the many models you will see there.
In case your chosen one does not provide in calls service, and you are not able to host, there is a very affordable solution. The local version of a motel is called “telo”. These establishments’ official denomination is actually “albergue transitorio”, small hotels specially designed for couples looking for a place to fuck. Check my experience with Randisan.
Buenos Aires sex resources
If you prefer to hook up just for love, no money involved, you have plenty of resources. In this short trip I had a very busy schedule, so I maximized my time and focused on hiring professionals. I have no data to shared based in personal experiences when talking about regular hook ups. But I still can give you a few tips.
You can easily hook up in porn movie theaters. There are taxi boys (local slang for male escorts) hunting, but you can ignore them and go for the many horny clients. You can also cruise public bathrooms (“teteras” for the locals) and I noticed that street cruising is diminished but still exist. I would not say it is abundant, but it is not rare.
In all those places (public bathrooms, theaters, street) be very aware of your surroundings, just like in any big city. Coming from DC, this blogger does not feel more insecure in Buenos Aires than at home, but you may come from a safer location in the States. Just take the regular precautions you would do in any big urban area you do not know.
There is a very popular sex party that takes place twice a week. You can check their website, Los Fiesteros.
There are also several saunas and sex clubs I did not explore, and of course the apps. Grindr, Planet Romeo, and Manhunt are popular. Scruff can also get you some local meat.
Tips on sex in Buenos Aires
Surprisingly, there is general ignorance about PrEP. If you are into barebacking, you may need to take a break from it, or take the risk. There is a chance that in a culture with no PrEP, bare backers may be not as informed and responsible as an average rubbed fucker.
You will need condoms. If you have a big dick, you should bring your own. There is probably more variety in sex shops, but in regular pharmacies there is only one size, and it is not big enough for me.
This year it did not happen to me, but in other visits where I hooked up with guys from the street, bars, and discos, sometimes I would get crabs. There is a very good product in pharmacies called DT-Bencil. You apply it in the compromised areas for some time during I do not remember how many days, and you get clean.
If you want to be more successful in your cruising, try dressing up a little bit. American casual habits do not fit so well in the local culture. By dressing up I do not mean a jacket and a tie. Just tuck in your shirt or t-shirt, and make sure you look like you invested some time in front of the mirror.
Tips on paid sex in Buenos Aires
Local escorts usually have differentiated pricing for local and visitors. If they know you are coming from a developed country, they will probably quote you U$S 100 and above. Yes, still more affordable than in the USA, but significantly higher than the local average price.
If you do not speak any Spanish, or if you do not speak it well enough, suck it up and pay. You are still saving a lot of money if you compare it to your New Yorker whore. Same if you are a rich motherfucker, be generous with the local boys.
But if you are poor like this blogger, and you happen to speak the local language proficiently, you can figure it out ways to hide that you have an income in dollars.
Local providers prefer calls rather than texts. Call them from your hotel, using a landline; get a local chip for your phone. Whatever you do, do not use your WhatsApp or you number with an American or European prefix.
I got a local cell phone and did not use my WhatsApp until the deal was closed. The prices I paid were aligned to the ones shared in the local forums.
Hasta el año que viene, Buenos Aires
If you are looking for lots of good sex, just go to Brazil. What is unique about Buenos Aires is its sophisticated cultural life, not the party. Do not misunderstand me, there is plenty of party, but the Argentine capital cannot compete in that field against the Brazilian neighbors. They know much better how to have fun.
The porteños are more brainy, more analytical, less pleasure-centered. Your first goal in Buenos Aires should be to explore the architecture, the museums, the theater, the dance, the opera, the restaurants.
And now and then, you treat yourself with the local meat. I mean man flesh.
Next year my trip will be in less sad circumstances, and I am planning to stay longer. I will be back, Buenos Aires.
Hasta la próxima pinga, amig@s!
