Archived threads, and other comments

[Mavica]

Okay, I took the bait, and I've hot the "hook" firmly set in my mouth . . . I bought a ticket to Rio yesterday for the end of the first week of February, for 9 days. I was going to go back to Mexico, because I find it almost impossible to beat the beaches, culture, food . . . and the high quality of non-commercial sex available for very little money, not to mention the low cost of transportation and lodging (for a North American). Rio/Brazil will be new to me, and we can all use the occassional change of pace and challenge. I'll go to Mexico later in the year.

 

Now, for the purpose of this particular post. I've been reading many excellent posts/comments of others on this forum for a couple or three months, and have copied and pasted some of the information I felt was important to me into a "file" I'm keeping. But, now that I've made the committment to go, I'm interested in searching a bit deeper, before asking questions some of you might think redundant. Are there threads still available to read that aren't showing up on the list of topics? And, if the answer is "yes," how do I access them?

 

Some additional comments:

 

The focus of my trip won't be to have sex with escorts; I'm really not unhappy with my sex-life at home. Oh, I'm as much a whore as anyone else in the right environment, and I understand that the environment will be ripe for play . . . but I'm approaching sex on the trip more as a "condiment" to a meal that explores as much of the local life as is appropraite. That said, I think that I understand how the "pay for play" works at the saunas, and where the commercial-sex saunas are . . . so I don't really know what new can be added to that prior information (except for any information about the "new" sauna set to open in Copa). I'm interested in the public cruising aspect of the visit, including visits to local gay clubs/restaurants/beaches, etc.

 

Thanks to many of you, I think that I understand the currency exchange/ATM logistics, and how to get from the airport into the city.

I'm already well on my way to having a good plan to hit the places a typical first-time tourist visits, including a favela tour. I've spent a lot of time "surfing the net" and have gathered lots of helpful information.

 

However, a subject I'm still struggling with is in just which hotel should I stay. I have some good information from a couple of apartment-rental agents, and am tempted to go that route. However, I'm traveling with a friend (friend, as in separate room) who seems to prefer a hotel over apartment. Apartment prices are very competitive (US$45 with no taxes, but minus daily maid service without an additional US$7 charge). When I look at hotels, I seem drawn to a couple of properties: Arpoador Inn, at the start of Ipanema Beach, and the Atlântico Copacabana . . . which has been mentioned here before. I'd like to keep the daily rate at, or below, US$50. Does anybody have any information to offer about the "guest" policy at the Arpoador Inn? And, as for the Atlântico Copacabana, can someone talk about what rooms are going for, recently (excluding the increase for New Year's)?

 

Well, enough for now. I'll appreciate any information anyone is generous enough to offer. Thanks!

[Mavica]

Well, after fumbling-thorough this particular forum looking for posts older than a month, I finally found the answer to a one of my own questions:

 

"Are there threads still available to read that aren't showing up on the list of topics? And, if the answer is "yes," how do I access them?"

 

I think that most people who visit/read this website aren't registered, and/or don't always log-in if they are, and they (like me) have/had difficulty searching for information in prior posts. I've seen "regulars" post sharp responses to some queries, advising people to "take the time to read the archived" comments before asking questions. If instructions on how to access "older" messages/threads is clearly explained somewhere on this website, I didn't find it, and the "regulars" don't seem inclined to offer any advice on how to accomplish that, either. So, for the benefit of others who have the same question that I did, here's how I pulled-up the messages from the past year.

 

Usually, I don't log-in with my handle/password when I access this webpage/forum; I (like most, I think) typically stop-by to read current posts, and then move on. I've logged-on a couple of times recently, to ask questions. But, for the most part, I've been quiet because I've had little to contribute. Now that I'm getting ready for a trip to Rio, I'm refining the information I have, and plan be a bit more active. So, when I log-on, one page, or about 10 threads, "topics", appear; sometimes there are two pages, but I don't recall seeing a larger number than that.

 

It seems that the key to accessing and/or expanding the list of topics displayed on the screen is to:

 

1. Log-in using your handle and password.

2. After the log-in, on a toolbar running across the page just below the top of the screen, click on "User Menu."

3. On the new page that opens, from a menu that runs in the left-hand margin of the page, click on "Edit your preference" (it's the fourth choice from the top).

4. On the new page that opens, scroll down to the "Date Limit" category, and, from among the drop-down choices, select "one year."

5. Then, click on the button at the bottom of the page that says "Update."

6. Return to the forum and you'll see ten pages of topics, not the one or two previously displayed.

 

There are over 300 topics available for reading, but most of the information is limited, and appears redundant. Nevertheless, it's been helpful to me to read multiple opinions on some of the topics.

 

One of the biggest information "gaps" I've noticed is a lack of reliable/plentiful information about lodging choices. Primarily, one hotel and one apartment are repeatedly discussed. While it's helpful to know that information, there are, certainly, additional places where readers/posters are staying (including places where they are bring back "guests") and have chosen not to talk about. I know that some, probably, don't want to "ruin a good thing" by broadcasting to the general audience a particular location they're happy with. The lodging choice is something, I think, more of concern to a first-time visitor than to someone who's repeating, because a lot is learned on that first visit that's put to good use on succeeding trips.

 

I've found some of the information posted by several people in particular, to be excellent and responsive. However, I understand that the topic of this forum indicates a discussion of "Escorts South of the USA", it seems to me that most of the people posting about Rio have never ventured far from one of the termas/baths, and have little to offer in the way of things to do/experience outside of the topic of hustlers and/or the commercial sex trade. My guess is that the broader gay audience of readers of this website who are traveling to Rio, also with the intention of partaking in the commercial sex environment at some point, are interested in experiencing a bit more than just putting "notches" on their belts; at least I hope so. For this broader group, I think that this website isn't particularly first-time-user friendly.

 

No two of us are going to be arriving/traveling to Rio with the same preferences/intentions, and I understand that pleasing all of the people all of the time isn't an easy thing to do. I'll continue to post questions, and provide information I find helpful to me as I prepare for my first visit, and I'll be certain to post some trip reports along the way. I'll be in Rio from February 7 through the evening of the 15th, if any of you will be around and would like to compare notes, have a drink, etc.

 

After reading all ten pages of posts and answers to the topics, I want to say "Thanks" to those of you who've taken the time to share your experiences.

[trilingual]

There's another way to see all the archived messages, as I recall. That's to go to the third line of the rectangle preceding the messages and clicking on the one that says "Listing Topics From (something)." That should reveal all the messages.

 

My impression is that many visitors to Brazil who also frequent this site have done a lot of things besides just hit the saunas, but as noted this is a site about escorts, so the focus of the topics is on that aspect of the experience. For general info, you can hardly do better than the general purpose guidebooks, like the excellent Rough Guide, Footprints Handbook, and Lonely Planet.

 

As for lodgings, if you read the postings you'll see that a number of hotels have been discussed. The Atlantico Copacabana, which seems to be the hotel of the moment, is perfectly comfortable, conveniently located, and gay-friendly. Of course, there are many others, from luxe to low-life, so it just depends on what you're looking for. There are also many holiday apartment rental services. I'm sure some have websites. Otherwise, you should be able to find one on the spot, unless you're trying to do that New Year's Eve or Carnival. One of the readers here used a service very close to Odilo's place, which is at Av. Barata Ribeiro, 74. The service is a few doors down the street, towards Ipanema, with a blue sign. I plan to check it myself for a one-bedroom place for a longer stay beginning in March. But there are several other agencies in the same area. I think there are references and contact numbers for such places in the guidebooks.

 

Hope this helps!