Hooville get together in RIO-APRIL 2004

[bigguyinpasadena]

Hello boys.I have heard a little talk about a M$M gettogether in RIO scheduled for April 2004.I am VERY interested!

I talked to a travel agent the other day(biz class 50% off-still trop cher for me)and he said the Easter Holidays are kinda busy.TRI'what is your experience?I do not have a jillion FF miles like some folks we both know so I will have to book coach,LOOOOOOONG trip in coach!Has anyone discussed dates yet?What is the weather like in April?

I know this is premature(I do like to plan ahaed for big expenses like this)so any input will be appriciated.Thanks,

[Guest Tomcal_]

Hey BGP, April Weather is GREAT! I have been there the last two Aprils, usually low 80's day, low 70's night, entering the Rio Fall season. Usually the airfares drop from the High season rates(Dec - Mar.)

See you on 9/3 in L.A.

[trilingual]

As in almost all Catholic countries, Holy Week is a school holiday and a very big travel week in Brazil. That means hotels tend to book up earlier and in some cases charge higher rates. The earlier you reserve, the likelier you are to get the room you want at the rate you want. I'd definitely try reserving through Carlo for that period, because he's likelier to be able to get you what you want.

 

If you're traveling during Holy Week remember that both Good Friday and Easter Sunday are major holidays and banks/shops/museums are closed.

 

I don't know how many frequent flier miles you've got, but on American it takes 50K to upgrade from coach to business/first. I imagine it's about the same on the other major airlines. If you can buy a cheap ticket on a PUBLISHED fare (like one of the ones on their websites) and you have 50K, you can upgrade it. That's probably the best way to get the most bang for your buck from your miles, because you should be able to get to Brazil from the U.S. for about $500 - 600, while a business class ticket would cost thousands more.

[sf traveler]

I think that when we're in Rio in October there'll be some discussion about dates in April. I think that Easter is a bit earlier in 2004 than it was in 2003 so that the third week of April is well past Easter (I think) Anyway, this will all be figured out in Rio in a couple of months. Hope you can join us there soon--this board is all about the escorts, but as others like Tomcal and Gulliver have said, the friendships with the other M4Mers is at least as enjoyable. SF Traveler

[CT Dick]

I was at the first April festa and it was great fun. I hope to be there again in April 2004.

 

Since I teach, I have no flexibility in vacation so PLEASE, can we make it the week of April 17-25?

 

Dick

[sf traveler]

Glad to hear from you CT! Since Easter is April 11 next year, the week you've suggested falls 2 weeks after Holy Week, which should put it well after the big tourist period. My only question is whether to go for one or two weeks! SF Traveler

[bigguyinpasadena]

I know nothing is set in concrete yet-but the dates mentioned by CTdick sound great to me.I think travel after the easter holiday will be much easier on all of us-and we will get better treatment at the hotel.

Now Tri,I see in the links to Romulus that the boys can arange tours.I must see something besides boys to justify the time and expense of this trip.Do you think they are the ones to talk to about touring some rainforest and some historical sites?I take it that I will be able to get to some museums using the subways?

I cannot tell you how worked up I am about this already-and all of my regular traveling companions(including the Ventura Vixen)think I am out of my gourd for planning such an exotic vacation(I turned him on to Montreal-now he spends several weeks a year there!)

So-these tours,are they group things that Romulus just books,or does he actually arange these to be a little mo "special"-for us "artistic"kind of guys with friends of his.

And what is Varig like-coach class?I see they fly big ol'MD 11s-yuchAny better Ideas out of LA?

[trilingual]

If you mean Carlo Romano (and Romanus) he deals with an exclusively gay client base, so any tour you arrange through him will be suitable for "our crowd." Not every guide or tour Carlo can book is exclusively gay, but they will certainly be gay-friendly! Beyond that, you'll have to contact Carlo directly to discuss your interests and find out what will be available during your stay in Brazil. You will definitely need to use Carlo (or similar agent) to book the "jungle" tour or tours to Petropolis if you want to go with an English-speaking guide. Carlo also organizes a variety of exclusive things, like boat trips, tours of Barra and the nude beach in the nature reserve there ("Fire-Island-in-Brazil"), trips to Brazilian gay events (like SP Gay Pride or the Miss Gay Brazil contest in Juiz de Fora) and can arrange for you to experience aspects of Rio nightlife off the beaten tourist track. In short, let him know what you're interested in and see what he can suggest for you!

 

Many museums and standard tourist sites are located between Copacabana and downtown along the Metro line, so it's easy to get to those sights on your own. These would include things like the Museu da República (the old presidential residence in a baronial palace from the days of the empire) which is right at Catete station. Riding the metro to Cinelândia station will drop you right in front of the Municipal Theater, National Library and National Museum of Fine Arts. Other attractions, like historic churches, museums and cultural centers, are accessible from other downtown stations like Carioca. To get to the Carmen Miranda museum in Parque do Flamengo (the gowns! the jewelry!) you'll probably want to take a taxi because there's no metro stop nearby. Ditto for shopping/restaurant excursions in Ipanema. You can take city buses to various sites, too, if you're into Grand Prix bus driving!

 

In any case, there's no need to work oneself into a tizzy about getting around Rio, though. It's a relatively easy and straightforward place to get around, at least for tourists. Between taxis and the single metro line that runs between Copacabana and downtown, you should be able to get to just about anyplace you want to go.

[trilingual]

Although Varig, like many other airlines, is experiencing an economic crunch, service in coach is likely to be as nice or nicer than on an American airline. Lower labor costs means that Varig can afford more staff on its flights, so you're likely to get a better level of service than on a U.S. carrier. Haven't flown them recently, myself (at least not intercontinentally) so I'm not sure how the food is; it used to be generous and very good, though.

[bigguyinpasadena]

Thanks for the info Trilingual.Varig Has a fare of $750 for those dates.one stop in Miami(14 hours total)And I will get star alliance miles-will put me over the top for a free domestic(montreal!)ticket!

[Funseeker 22]

I flew Varig coach R/T from JFK/Rio thru SP last Nov. Don`t ask why since I had flown in from LA the same day.I think my one way trip was around 10000 miles.

Altho they use the older planes there is a lot more leg & seat room than most of today`s US flights. I got an aisle seat in the middle section of 5 and had 3 vacant seats in between that I shared with the other aisle person. It`s a long flight but I did get some sleep. Food was awful but drinks were free, movies were in English and there were some very cute male flight attendants.

Thing that cracked me up is that once the plane hit the tarmac in both SP & Rio half of the passengers were up and getting their overhead luggage down while the plane was still going quite fast.Flight attendants didn`t say a word.

I mentioned this to BG last week and he said this is the norm. Brasilians don`t like to wait.

[Guest Jaunty]

Check Varig E-fares

 

On the Varig web site (select North America) click on the e-fare specials. (do not use the regular search where you type in dates)

 

They used to offer a Rio LAX rt for around $585 plus taxes. They make you jump through a few hoops for that price. It is a long haul from LAX but you arrive sooner than going through Miami. (from the left coast, at least)

 

I have had good experience with Varig. The service and space is usually a cut above US standards. Once I did get a very new, very shiny Varig plane and guess what? The seats were crammed in tight}(

LUck of the draw.