RIO, a few insights

[johnnysneakers]

I am just back from 5 glorious days in RIO. Never have I seen so many wonderful sights and I am not talking just about the tourist sites. I would also like to thank previous posters as the info they have shared with all of us is great. I only hope my own contribution is as helpful.

 

A few key observations:

 

1. Escorts: If you want to hire one of the guys who are on Rentboy or other international sites, first be prepared that they probably do not speak english, they often have translator friends to do their email communications.

 

Second they are mostly very unreliable over times of appointment as well as other key pieces of information. If you do not speak porteguese or even spanish, email is often your best form of communication unless you have a friend as I did that speaks spanish and is often enough to communicate with them.

 

In one communication they will state a price and then later change it with no explanation. They will also say they can see you that night but then either never show or come up with an elaborate story that is all part of brazilian cultural life.

 

Rates can vary from $100US to $300USper hour (the latter quoted to me by BRAD-- see his ad on rentboy).... I simply refused to pay these silly prices no matter what the "star" power of the guy although I did pay $150 to Cesar who is one of the best built men I have ever seen.

 

These prices are extremely high by Brazilian standards and what is even more amazing is they still do not motivate these men. I could go on for hours over the time I wasted waiting with disappointment for Cesar, Mukhtar, Sandro, etc to show up.

 

My advice: JUST FORGET THE ESCORT ADS, go out to the bars or saunas where eyecandy is plentiful and offers of sweet desires will come your way in an instant. Every gay bar or sauna is full of available and great looking guys.

 

2. Hotel guests: if you bring a guest to your hotel, most likely they will have to register and you may be paying a higher rate, but on the other hand you do have some piece of mind that their identity is known. I had Cesar from Rentboy (and what a body he has!) come to visit with me (finally after much disappointment and confusion) at a very good hotel and they insisted on him providing photo identity. I was reassured and was not charged more but at other hotels I have been charged with double occupancy.

 

3. Saunas: I went twice to Point 202 which is incredible. Roger's has defintely gone straight so forget about it. Point 202 is at rua Sigura Campos at #202 and it is clean and wonderful. It is open from 3pm to 1 am, and around 5pm it really starts to hop. On Monday past there must have been 35 sauna boys there, from muscle to ordinary boys. They often parade around with erections to show off to potential clients.

 

The basic information on Saunas on this site is a must read and is excellent advice. One point is that when you rent a room at this sauna it is meant for only one fling in the sack, something I did not understand. You must rent a locker and then when you find the man of your dreams, you rent the room. Locker costs 12R, and one is mandatory, and rooms start at 25R extra. I was somehow able to keep my key and reuse the room for another fling but I kept getting a quiz in portequese from the towel boy over this which I simply ignored. Mind you I was charged for 2 uses of the room at 25R each timeat check out.

 

The boys do try to charge you a higher rate than 50R, but in most cases you can negotiate it to 50R. Sign language or a pen and paper is always help. Again read the advice posting here on M4M. An apres event drink with yournew friend in the saunas bar is a good way to tip him and for your to renew your strength for your next exploit.

 

If you are over weight as I am do not worry about it. They have extra large towels and the boys know a good customer when they see one.

 

The boys seem to break down into 2 categories: The professionals who will usually hustle you a bit, not too much but you know when you are being pushed, and then there are the really sweet ones who are so adorable. Alex, is a case in point, very tall, totally handsome, smooth and about 25, not a big cock but a real lover boy.

 

3. Taxi from Point 202. Now for some real entertainment you must take Fabiano who runs a taxi service from the club. At first I was not sure about him, but he is a retired sauna boy (for obvious reasons!!)27 yrs old, but he has a car and will drive you anywhere you want to go. Remember to negotiate with him just as with anyone else in RIO. I had him drive me back to the Sheraton (20R which is close to being a fair price) and he was so delightful that I asked him to drive me to the airport when I left. He first said 60R but I knew the real fare was 45R and he agreed to it.

 

Fabiano does not have a radio in his car so he sings to you all the way! and what a great voice he has. "I love you Babeee" still rings in my ears! he is so adorable and it is good to support a retired suana boy who is trying to make ends meet---I admired that in him.

 

As I left RIO yesterday, Fabiano was the perfect antidote to the sorrow of leaving so many great memories behind,from my spanish boyfriend to the many new guys I met...And what names, I actually met Mozart!!! as well as Newton,and Raphael. Where else could you meet Mozart??

 

I shall return and I would love to hear about your RIO stories as well.

 

 

JohnnySneakers.

[jackhammer91406]

Johnny,

Glad you had a great time in RIO. Really, it's difficult not to, IF you read the info here and GaytravelBrazil first.

 

Thanks for sharing your adventures.

[+ Axiom2001]

Johnnysneakers, I, too, want to thank you for your posting and advice and am elated that you had an outstanding visit to "the land of the wonderful, wonderful cariocas!"

 

I would like to say that you got a real break on the taxi fare to the airport. Although I've never complained, my rate from hotel drivers to a specifically hired driver has been from R$50 - R$70 one way; I've always tipped over that amount, for usually I am carrying more luggage than I should.

 

Apparently you didn't go to Club 117 and/or Estacao. Next time I'd encourage you to go those two saunas, too. The former one is quite large, and it usually has a steady supply of sauna guys; the latter one is smaller and more intimate (so to speak), but the number of guys fluctuate.

 

As an aside--last October I was at Estacao on a Thursday or a Friday night; I went with one or two hot guys, but afterwards others came up and wanted to get with me. Since I was drained, I just thought that I'd see the guys the next evening. Well, luck was not to be had. When I returned the next night or the night after that, the place was really, really devoid of the guys for whom I had had the super hots and had planned to see on my return. Well, one never knows about these things.

 

Again, muito obrigado- axiom

[BARR1965]

Glad you had a wonderful time in Rio. Thank you for sharing your experience about the ads from Rentboy. I was also looking at those same ads prior to my first trip to Brasil. I was glad that I did not use them but instead I used the information I have read from this site and also GTB site. I have been back to Brasil twice already in less than one year time and planning to be there again sometime before fall of this year.

 

One time I was at 202 and was with someone and having a good time in the cabine. When I looked at my watch it was almost 11PM. I had to rushed out of there quickly because I was meeting somebody at my hotel (Royal Rio Hotel) at 11:30PM. Good thing when I was checking out, Fabiano was there and he offered me his taxi service. I told him where I was staying and he got me there in less 15 minutes (just enough time for me to shower before my appointment arrives ... and he did arrived at 11:30 PM). Fabiano was nice and pleasant and speaks pretty good English.

[johnnysneakers]

Thanks guys. I really believe this site is for sharing information for all of our benefit.

 

Axiom, re taxis. The real rate is about 40-45R. I had negotiated this at the airport on arrival. Of course they suggested 70R but I always in this situation say Oh NO, thats too high, just as I did in the saunas!!! Most taxi drivers will eventually accept your offer and I gave 50R in the end including a tip.

 

Back to the saunas, I recall reading that a tip was suggested to the boys but frankly I just paid what we had agreed upon and often bought them a drink if they were nice. Was I expected to give them a tip on top of the fee?

 

I am going to plan to go again next January. The Christmas week is apparently crowded and the hotels are much more expensive then. I got good rates at the Sheraton ($125US) and also I stayed one night at the Intercontinental ($150US) which was a terrific 5* hotel if you do not mind the location in Sao Conrado settled in between great mountains of lava.