G'day from AU,

I am planning my first trip to Brasil. was wondering what the availability, quality, safety of party accessories such as ecstacy was like in Rio?

I know i'll get lectures about the risks of indulging in such activities in the developing world. as a BKK regular I am aware... though if its a really bad idea let me know.

any advice would be appreciated.

cheers

youngbull (AU)

Youngbull. If it is your first time, you should really stay clear of that stuff. Rio is a great place to have fun w/o having to involve any drugs. Sex with these garotas can be mind-altering enough. I think it is a really BAD IDEA.

I got to know a couple termas garotas who do ecstasy -- I've watched them do it while I was with them. I know another girl who works the beaches who is really into it as well. I personally don't do it. But most of these girls I see go through some serious after-effects, so I suspect the pills are of bad quality or tainted.

Marijuana is very readily available, quality is typically not good but a good majority of cariocas do it. Cocaine is available, supposedly of pretty good quality.

There are always guys walking the beaches or side streets offering to get you "something". Don't ever take them up on the offer, there have been numerous reports of police showing up a minute later of talking to one of these guys. Other than doing the somewhat tolerated marijuana, the risks associated with drugs in Rio can't possibly be worth the reward.

There are two things that will get you locked up in Rio and possibly go to prison: (1) Underage Girls and (2) Drugs. For your good, the good of your family, the good of your money and well being DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. You can have a great time there without the drugs. - Hemp

The police are just looking for foreigners with drugs on them. It allows them to supplement their monthly income, BIG TIME!

If you need drugs, don't "cum" to Rio.

I have been in Taxi's that were pulled over by police checkpoints, the only question the police asked was "touristas", taxi driver said yes and we were all thoroughly searched, I had a lot of cash, one of my buddies had no id, and it was no problem, they were looking for drugs. I have been told these road blocks are set up all the time. if you are searched by cops and have drugs on you, good luck, especially if you don't have access to enough cash.

There are numerous scams in which police work with drug dealers. The dealer sells drugs to a tourist, then the police move in for the bust. A healthy bribe (several hundred dollars) secures the tourist's freedom, the drugs are returned to the dealer, and then the dealer and cops search for another sucker.

Bad Idea the drugs that you will have access to as a first timer are not even worth buying or doing

Due to the poverty in Brazil, drugs are very closely woven into Brazilian culture and society. But as noted above, so is crime, and its relationship to corruption in the government.

Since you are a first timer, with most likely limited Portuguese, I would recommend taking your time. Get a feeling for who you can trust and not. Trust is not a feeling but something that is earned over a long period of time. During that period of time, also improve your Portuguese. Then think again about this, and if you still want to do it, you might be in a position to proceed without exposing yourself to unnecessary danger.

Actually, the best policy is to trust no Brasilians whatsoever at any point in time.

I always hear horror stories of guys heading back to Ipanema w/ a garota after a night at Help only to be pulled over in a road block and held accountable for their companions contents of their purse.

Snooky,

where have you heard that, and from whom?

All the years I've spent living in and traveling to Rio, I've never heard that one...

I've heard snooky's comment but it was on the road to Barra. It was one of the disadvantages of getting a place in Barra.

let me think about this one.... foreign country, illegal drugs, people i don't know, foreign language, corrupt police
and the good in this is...........?

Barra and Centro. You could definately run into a problem with police, roadblocks and drugs in a garotas purse!! Never heard about problems going to and from Ipanema.

I was stopped and searched in Ipanema once, but nothing came of it. My special friend of the night and I were returning from a concert at Canecão near Rio Sul Shopping. The cops had a roadblock set up near Praça General Osorio in Ipanema and we got waived over. They checked our IDs, looked through her purse, and let us go on our way. I have no idea what would have happened if she'd been holding.

Cat, Don't want to name names in public. Sent you a PM. Snooky...

That's the only spot I've ever seen in Ipanama, right at the park heading towards Leblon, on the street that becomes Prudente de Morais. I never seem to be going through there late at night but a few times, coming out of dinner at Carratao, we walked behind the police stop on the way back to Ipanema Tower.

That spot is easy to avoid - just take Vieira Souto or Barao de Torre if you're heading in that direction. Yeah, you may have to cut back a block or two to get to where you're going but it will avoid the roadblock.

As far as avoiding the roadblock on Niemeyer, a lot of people use the tunnel under the morro from Gaveia to Jardim Botanico. Of course, that tunnel pops out right under Rocinha but is a popular way to avoid both the cops and the dangerous road that is Ave Niemeyer.

Cat-

We were, in fact, headed back to Ipanema Tower. I might have been able to avoid the situation had I not been so thoroughly distracted by my date. I knew it was a popular location for "blitzes." It is on Prudente de Morais, just before the intersection with Texeira de Melo. The fuckers are there practically every weekend evening. You are right; there are ways to easily get around that spot.