i've been browsing through the site after a LOOOONG absence, but can't really seem to find much in the way of up to date info and guidance on mongering and in particular, the termas scene, during the period between xmas and new year's...

i'm assuming that because of the influx of visitors for new years that 1) competition for garotas might be more intense, with more horny guys on the ground 2) prices might be higher because of supply and demand (see #1) but i'm also concerned that 3) because a lot of the girls are catholic/ religious, they may go home or take time off during this period...

i'm planning my trip from 12/25-1/2 and just don't want to get shut out in terms of mongering options...can someone please advise if they have any idea of termas holiday schedules and ratio of girls in general during this period?

also, l'uomo was always my fave back in the day because the vibe was more welcoming, and the girls all seemed to have better attitudes...is that still the case? outside of solarium, monte carlo, centaurus and of course 4x4 are there any new "must hit" termas on the rio list? any significant changes that i should be aware of (other than prices and the obvious in and out "changing of the garotas") within the rio termas scene?

again, i know some of this is already on the boards, and i'll continue to look, but i thought a fresh thread couldn't hurt on getting the most up to date info from those in the know...thanks in advance!

Rexxx I lived in Rio for almost three years and in my opinion "1" New Years is enough. If it was me I would book my trip before or after that period. Just my opinion as others may differ. - Hemp

thanks for the insight hemp...i think we may have met on my last trip out there a few years back, not sure...i buddied up with don and used to frequent the boards back in the day when dood, mitchc, layne, bwana and a bunch of other regulars were always keepin' the great banter goin'...good to see a lot of you guys are still around...i learned SOME valuable lessons from all of you, but still screwed up a few times (the famous camilla from l'uomo mindfucked me pretty well when i was down there, lol...)

anyway, my problem is, i only have time off during the holidays really, so it's the only time i can make it...as the mileage use to get there is so exorbitant (200k miles on american, ugh) i figured i'd may as well go during new years, since i'd never go there on my own dime as it's 1) expensive and 2) crowded...but like carnaval, mardi gras, etc it seems like as you say, "something you need to do once"...

my only other potential time period option would be 12/18-12/26, but frankly that seems like a worse time to go because most everything will be closed on xmas eve and new years and i don't wanna be moping around bored for a couple days, when i've only got a week on the ground...

if i'm there on the ground from 12/26-1/2 (might be able to extend my trip to leave back home late evening 1/3, as i'm flying back to nyc) do you think i'll still have plenty of options for GdP? out of curiousity, what did you hate about new years? was it just the crowds? i'm sure living there it's probably a totally different situation, as it must suck to be invaded by a bazillion drunken gringoes...

i'm just thinking that the global economic downturn, the expensive flights, the distorted media twist that rio is still so dangerous and the (up until very recently) pretty shitty exchange rate, should keep the foreigner quotient considerably lower during NYE than in past years...

"the famous camilla from l'uomo mindfucked me pretty well when i was down there, lol..."

Rsrsrsrs...that happened to more than a few guys! BTW, had lunch with her and her family on Thursday. She's doing great (mom of 2 beautiful kids) and looks even better than ever.

Nothing will keep the NYE crowds down. Most of the drunks are not gringos; people come in from all over Brazil for the party.

she was a sweetheart, she could just get in your heart and mind better than any garota i'd ever met before or since...she wound up marrying that aussie oil guy right? good for her...

bwana, more importantly than the drunk quotient, will the competition for girls be extremely tough because of the crowds? will the girls disappear during this period, or can i expect MORE working girls BECAUSE of the crowds? i'm just paranoid i'm going to walk into 4x4 or l'uomo and find 3 toothless fatties from the amazon and 8000 wasted dudes swordfighting for them...heh...

The girls will all be there, but here will be plenty of extra guys around. If you come during peak seasons, that's going to happen. And aside from Carnival, there's no time when there are more people in town.

Rexx, expect Copa to be flooded with guys! I spent NYE 2007 in Rio and I was shocked at how many guys had came to town. On the flip side, I was very dissapointed because I expected an equal number of girls to arrive in Rio too and that wasnt the case.

damn, this is all starting to get a bit depressing, lol...maybe it's time i make a virgin pilgrimage to cartagena and medellin instead...some of those mansion girls look STUNNING (although i'm second-guessing staying at the mansion because of the recent robbery there)...thanks for the input guys...i'm gonna mull this over for a couple more days before i make my decision...

And now the Mansion is charging for overnight guests!!!!!!!!!!

seriously? man, are those guys TRYING to lose business? so now they've been robbed, they've stopped their big pool parties and lastly, they're charging for overnight guests, which makes the proposition of staying there even MORE expensive versus other options...wow...that's depressing...wish i would have made it there in the "good ol' days"...oh well...

anyhow, i decided to go with the evil i know, heh...managed to get a first class flight to and from rio with milesaver miles on american...pretty much unheard of, especially during the holiday period, but i got a REALLY helpful agent tonight and she worked on it for about a half hour...got me first class to and from jfk to gig for 125k miles (my last phone call they'd said 200k miles for biz class was the best they could find...), only i had to buy a one way ticket from rio to sao paolo for the return (for like 150 bucks)...all in all, too good of a steal to pass up, especially coupled with the free stay at the sheraton, also using miles (only 48k starwood points, which is actually not that terrible considering they gave me an upgrade to a suite)...

despite the crowds, potential competition for girls (and potential shortage thereof because of the holidays), and limited time to monger (because of holiday closures), i figured i really can't complain when i'm getting essentially a free week's stay in rio...my only concern now is being able to get back to the sheraton after the fireworks, but i figure i'll probably wind up out all night anyway, so it's probably a non-issue...

i'll probably post this somewhere else, but anyone have any tips for great parties or NYE dinners or events? anyone ever rented a boat to watch the fireworks so as to dodge the crowds on the beach? thanks...