A strange cultural experience

I visited this 'club' on a trip to Ecuador in September. I am a regular but infrequent visitor to clubs on my home turf in the US and realized that things would be quite different in Ecuador, but since the admission was only $3 and included a rather large beer, I figured I had nothing to lose if I visited. Having read other reviews I brought my passport, cash and nothing else.

You can see that this isn't a strip club from your first entrance. You walk in at the bar and looking left can see the main room, shaped like a "v", the bar at the top right of the v and the "stage" and the bottom with a pole and some high chairs. The room was relatively full, say 20-30 men (boys) and there were 3-4 dancers. There wasn't really any dancing and there was no stripping. That is until one young man from the group of rowdy boys at the front was urged up by his friends and got fully naked and was fondled and grounded by one of the dancers until it was stopped by the bouncer.

This is a brothel, not a strip club. Indoor consensual prostitution is legal in Ecuador. So at least you know why people are there. There was a steady stream of men with sheepish looks decscending from the 'upstairs' being cheered on by their friends. According to local sources, Ecuadorian have sex starting at 12 or so.