Be prepared!

Friday night was another of those strange nights when nothing happened as expected and nearly ended in total disappointment. To celebrate his birthday my bf chose the disco Glam (Cabrera 3046) as our night out but when we arrived at 2:00 am there were very few people there, maybe about 50 in total. We got a beer each and walked round a couple of times but it was quite chilly in there, people were wearing their jackets and coats, and nobody was dancing. By the time we finished our beer it wasn't any better so we decided to leave and go to Angel's disco (Viamonte 2168).

When we arrived there we found a notice on the door saying it was closed all weekend for renovation of the ventilation system. (Now that’s strange; why didn't they do the work during the week instead of losing business for a whole weekend? Hard to understand.) We decided against going to Palacio so we walked the four blocks to A Full Sauna (Viamonte 1770) where we arrived at 3 am.

When I left my flat earlier I took with me a small plastic bag containing some condoms and lube but when I went to look for it in the pocket of my jeans it wasn't there - it must have slipped out in the taxi. Fortunately my bf was prepared like a good boy scout and had one condom with him. There were plenty of people in the sauna and we stayed for two hours, some times in the cabins and dark areas, and some time in the jacuzzi. The night had been saved and we finally left at 5 am.

Gays Away in Buenos Aires http://groups.msn.com/GaysAwayinBuenosAires/
My Gay Buenos Aires bLOG http://gaybuenosaires.blogspot.com/

Gays Away in BA next meeting Thursday 1st September

Gays Away in Buenos Aires group is returning to a twice-monthly format with meetings on the first and third Thursday of every month.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 1st September 2005 from 9:30 pm in Flux Bar.
Directions as follows -
Flux Bar, Marcelo T de Alvear 980, (subsuelo), Centro.
Website: http://www.fluxbar.com.ar/
Nearest Subte is Linea C - General San Martin. From there walk two blocks along Av. Santa Fe, turn left when you get to Carlos Pellegrini, walk one block, turn left and Flux is a few metres down on the R.H. side.
On arrival ask for Ian (that's me - the organiser). If it helps, I vaguely resemble a bald, overweight version of the actor Anthony Hopkins.

Photos of Argentina

Guillermo, who is the web master of the excellent web site Buenos Aires Gay Travel Guide (in English), is also the author of some photoblogs displaying very good pictures taken by some of his clients of some of the top tourist attractions in Argentina. You can find these photoblogs at -
Buenos Aires
Calafate
Iguazu Falls

Poppers on sale in Buenos Aires?

I didn't go out on the gay scene during this weekend so nothing to report there but I found a nugget in the August edition of Queer, the free paper, that I picked up on Thursday night. In there, Complement Sex Shop at Florida 537 is advertising an "aromatizador de ambiente" (room spray) called Rush. The only Rush I ever heard of is a brand of poppers in which case this is the first time I knew that this product was available in Argentina. Next time I am in the centre I will call in and check. Personally, I can't stand the smell of the stuff.

Gays Away in Buenos Aires http://groups.msn.com/GaysAwayinBuenosAires/
My Gay Buenos Aires bLOG http://gaybuenosaires.blogspot.com/

Avoid the queue!

Saturday night turned out rather different than planned. My orginal idea was to go and check out the new bar The Sub but when my buddy George told me he was going to Angel's disco (Viamonte 2168) I changed my plan and we arranged to meet there around 1:30 am. I arrived by taxi at 1:10 am and was dismayed to find a queue stretching from the entrance around the corner and half way along the next block, about 100 metres in total. I joined the end of the queue and George joined me about 1:45 am. By 2:10 am the queue had advanced about 15m in one hour and at that rate I estimated our entrance to be sometime after 3:30 am. Since my idea of a fun Saturday night doesn't include standing outside for hours in a queue on a chilly night I bailed out. George was more determined; he told me next day he actually entered the disco at 4 am. (Incidentally, it is very possible that Amerika disco will re-open soon which will take the pressure off Angel's and Glam and reduce this totally ridiculous queuing.)

I then reverted to Plan A, hopped in a taxi and headed for the The Sub (Av. Cordoba 543, subsuelo). Entrance is either $20 pesos if you are on the e-mailing list, and $25 if you are not. As I mentioned in a previous post it is a Canilla Libre bar so all basic drinks like beer, soda, rum coke, vodka orange, etc. are free for as long as you are in the bar. The bar itself is in the basement and is an open space of around 35 x 25 metres with a vaulted ceiling about 7m above the floor. Nearly all the floor area is filled with tables and chairs. The lighting is subdued (a bit too subdued really). There is a disc-jockey playing dance music but there is no space for dancing since it is not licensed as a disco. There was a good crowd (mostly men) when I arrived at 1:30 and it filled up more during the hour I was there. Most of the people there were couples or small groups drinking and chatting and with not too many single men. Apart from a few people dancing on the spot not much else was happening so I left after a couple of beers at 2:30.

From there it is just a very short walk to Tom's (Viamonte 638, subsuelo, entrance $10 pesos) so I called in for one last beer. The place was throbbing and if this is your kind of scene then there is a very high possibility of having some fun here. However I didn't feel like indulging myself and so I left about 3:15.

Gays Away in BsAs Thursday 18th August

Gays Away in Buenos Aires group is returning to a twice-monthly format with meetings on the first and third Thursday of every month.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 18th August 2005 from 9:30 pm in Flux Bar.
Directions as follows -
Flux Bar, Marcelo T de Alvear 980, (subsuelo), Centro.
Website: http://www.fluxbar.com.ar/
Nearest Subte is Linea C - General San Martin. From there walk three blocks along Marcelo T de Alvear and the bar is on the left hand side just before Carlos Pellegrini.
On arrival ask for Ian (that's me - the organiser). If it helps, I vaguely resemble a bald, overweight version of the actor Anthony Hopkins.

My Gay Buenos Aires bLOG http://gaybuenosaires.blogspot.com/
Gays Away in Buenos Aires http://groups.msn.com/GaysAwayinBuenosAires/

The Sub - a new gay bar in Buenos Aires

The Sub is a gay bar that has recently opened in Buenos Aires and the web site is http://www.thesub.com.ar/
Strangely, there is nothing on the web site about opening times, address, contact details, etc. To find out you have to sign up to their email list and receive an invitation. However I can tell you it is at Avenida Cordoba 543, Centro, and it is open from midnight on Saturday night. Entrance is $20 if you are on the list and $25 if you are not. If that seems expensive (for BsAs) then it is "Canella Libre" which means all you can drink for as long as the bar is open. I don't know anyone that has been there nor have I been there myself yet but when I do I will write about it here.

Gays Away in Buenos Aires meeting

Last night Gays Away welcomed Dan, Bill and Gabriel, all from USA.
The meeting also coincided with the re-inauguration of Flux bar after a long battle to regain the licence. Congratulations to Jamie (UK) and Ilia (Russia) and best wishes to the latest addition to the BsAs gay scene. The bar is in the centre and is unique (as far as I know) on the BsAs gay scene in that it is open early in the evening hoping to catch the after-office crowd. See the bar's web site at http://fluxbar.com.ar/