RIO, RIO AND RIO, AGAIN: A TRIBUTE TO RIO DE JANEIRO

This a report of three trips made to Rio during the summer of 2001: early June (5 nights), mid to end of July (10 nights) and early September (6 nights). I made it back to the USA the Sunday before IT happened. Indeed I was on a flight THAT morning which took off from Newark a bit after 9AM. Someone on the right mentioned there was a fire at the World Trade Center. I got diverted to Youngstown, Ohio, and made it home by midnight. I was inconvenienced. Others suffered such a tragedy.

On September 6, there was a fire underneath the highway that goes from the Rio airport to Centro and Copacabana. As a result, a portion of the highway headed in the direction of Centro and Copacabana collapsed. If you arrive on a weekday morning during the morning commute, expect a major delay and a hellish detour. The highway to the airport is operating normally. I heard it will take three months to repair, and I hope that is not three months on Carioca time.

June was my first trip to Rio. It was a trip on training wheels. It was so great that I went back and then back, again. I'm going to try to offer some tips to newbies to Rio and entertain the veterans with some stories. The return trips provided perspective and reflection, for the first trip was truly awesome and overwhelming. Many of your reports armed me with a wealth of information and ready-to-use advice, which I hope to return, in kind.

My first trip was a terma-a-thon. I just went to the termas. I've never been to Help. I can't seem to Help myself. I won't go into how the termas, in general, work -- that has been well covered by others. My second trip was part terma-a-thon and part apartamento-thon. Some women that I especially liked at the termas I invited to my apartamento for early afternoons and Sunday. My third trip I did more of the two-thons and towards the end of trip even ventured into the world of the freebie: where you and the garota get along to the point where she doesn't want money. Of course, nothing is free, even the freebie, which will be explored later.

Miscellaneous Assistance #1: Everyone says to try and learn as much Portuguese as possible before going. Knowing Portuguese certainly is a great aid in communicating with the women in the termas, but it isn't absolutely necessary. As will be mentioned below, the garotas will compensate for your lack of speaking Portuguese by welcoming you in a variety of inventive and non-verbal ways. I went to Rio the first time without knowing a word of Portuguese. After my first two days, I learned three words, "Nao falo Portuguese." [I don't speak Portuguese.] For my second trip, I made an effort to learn some basic Portuguese, because I really did want to be able to speak and converse with the garotas. For three weeks prior to going to Rio, I listened and tried to learn some Brazilian Portuguese using Barron's Foreign Language Institute tapes as one person recommended. I sampled a few of the other language learning tapes and cds (Pimsleur and Teach Yourself), and Barron's is clearly the best but also the most expensive option at $72 via Amazon.com. There are 12 tapes plus a book. I could only get through the first 6 before departing for Rio. It was invaluable for help with pronunciation and for getting a feel for listening to Portuguese, even if I could barely speak a few phrases and incomplete sentences after 6 tapes worth. I actually deluded myself into thinking that I was making significant progress and was going to be somewhat comprehensible. Reality at the termas shredded whatever confidence and illusions I had in being able to converse in Portuguese. I do fear that the little Portuguese I've learned to speak is some sort of pidgin Portuguese intelligible only in the world of termas; an example of a garota rephrasing her question to a level that I can understand: "Voce quanto bucetas fucky-fucky hoje?" [How many pussys you fuck today?]

There will be times when the garotas will want to communicate things to you (and vice versa) other than the usual termas-speak, especially, if you start appearing every other month. They will get more frustrated than you in their attempts to communicate and will rightfully admonish you to learn some Portuguese.

Observation #1: Welcome to Rio Boyz: I am far from a termas expert, but I have tried to figure out what I can about the dynamics of the termas. The termas are, literally, so foreign and so extremely fascinating to me that I find them irresistible. Not to mention that they make things very simple: all-inclusive-one-stop-shopping. Maybe, I'm not seeing something, but I do get the impression that the garotas' fondling of customers' genitals is primarily an activity aimed at tourists: a tourist come-on. Honestly, I'm not trying to notice such things from a voyeuristic standpoint, but genital manipulations even from a distance can be obvious.

I've been to what are considered to be Brasileiros termas like Termas 44 and Termas 65 many times, and I don't see genital manipulation happening. It happened to me only once at Termas 44 and that was from a very desperate-for-a-customer garota, and it was only after verbal communication was at a standstill, and my attention was drifting pointedly elsewhere. Of course, the kissing (whatta way to seal a deal) and touching/light petting happens to the Brasileiros but to a far lesser extent at all the termas. If the Brasileiro wants something approaching tourist treatment, they have to go to a tourist termas. The garotas at L'Uomo give Brasileiros as much of an approximation of the tourist welcome ritual as I've observed at a termas, but it is still nowhere near what a tourist gets. However, even at the tourist termas, I still don't see them getting genitally manipulated. By contrast, at L'Uomo, Solarium and Monte Carlo, which get a fair number of tourists, my genitals have been squeezed, tugged, tickled, flicked, measured, poked, rubbed by various parts of the female anatomy, scratched and my boyz counted innumerable times. However, at Termas 44 it happened only that once, and it has never happened at Termas 65. I suspect there may even be rule about not fondling the customers at the Brasileiro termas. As my "nao entendi"s [no understand] start to kick-in (even though I knew they were telling me the various sex acts they wanted to do to me) some of the gartoas would inch closer and closer to my ever restless boyz, but each time they would back off from the brink. Maybe, they are great teases, but I suspect there is a rule holding them back.

How then can one explain the genital manipulation directed towards tourists? Maybe, there is no difference for the Brasileiros and tourists. I hope a Brasileiro will set me straight on this point. However, if there is a difference, the only way I can explain the difference is that at a Brasileiro termas the understanding of the dynamics of the situation and the mutual understanding of what will ultimately be delivered is so well understood by all participants that a blatant come-on is not necessary. The garotas can flirt via conversation and not resort to genital manipulation. The genital manipulation makes up for the inability to converse; it is communication through other means. (Damn, this is starting to sound like a bad term paper.) The first time I went to Termas 44 and Termas 65 I anticipated and actually looked forward to getting fondled, thinking it was a quaint local welcoming custom, but, alas, none of the garotas seemed to want to welcome me. I thought these women were going to be duds. But as I looked around and observed the Brasileiros/garota interactions, no one seemed to be getting welcomed. It took the second trip to Rio for me to realize why the garotas weren't welcoming the boyz. The Brasileiros and garotas need not resort to blatant sexual nonverbal welcoming rituals. The women at Termas 44 and Termas 65 are certainly not duds (I have some stories to tell in order to elaborate on this point, see below.). Even if the garota is having trouble communicating with me, the rules and dynamics at Termas 44 and 65 are so different from those of a tourist termas that I don't even think that welcoming the boyz may not even immediately occur to the garota as an option. Well, if they worked previously at a tourist termas, it probably did occur to them, but so far, only that one took her welcome into her own hands.

If I were to rate the termas according to a welcome-yank-o-meter, Monte Carlo, L'Uomo and Solarium will rate a full welcome yank and Termas 44 and 65 will rate a "Do Not Disturb the Boyz" sign. My own preliminary exploration of Termas Rio Antigo places it as a Brasileiros termas, but tourists have reported hands-on experiences. The two times I was there, I didn't notice any other tourists, so I can't make a determination -- though no one gave me a welcome yank. However, my impression is the majority of garotas at the tourist termas do not participate in the welcome ritual and that whether or not they do participate does not necessarily indicate how good they will be in the cabines. Indeed a handful of garotas are more exciting in their boite welcome than in the cabines (see Observation #3: the Rio Tourist Fuck). I haven't been to Centaurus, but reports place it as the definitive tourist termas.

Observation #2: What separates a tourist termas from a Brasileiro termas? We've already discussed termas ratings on the welcome-yank-o-meter and that is the most important difference. In addition, a tourist termas gets a fair number of tourists, but the majority of customers are not necessarily tourists. In fact, the percentage of tourists can be low in comparison, but their presence is significant enough that measures are taken to specifically cater to them. One giveaway is that the front desk people and some of the bartenders will be multi-lingual, with English being a necessity. At Monte Carlo and L'Uomo there have been many times when the tourists were the majority, which has never been the case in any other of the termas to which I've been. There have even been times when Americans were the only ones at Monte Carlo. At Termas 65 the front desk has an English speaker, but the indigenous welcome-to-Rio custom seems to be outlawed. At Termas 44, as far as I can tell, no one speaks English -- not even at the front desk; the same was true at Termas Rio Antigo. At Termas 44 and Termas Rio Antigo for my first visit, the front desk tried to find a garota or anyone to explain the ropes to me in English without success. Not that I needed an elaborate explanation -- just give me a key and point out the locker room and boite.

Story #1: The big squeezey: I was sitting with a garota at Termas 44, and of course we were having problems communicating beyond the typical basics of name, nationality, etc. We should have cards made up with this information so we can just hand it to the garota in order to get to the important stuff. On second thought, miscommunication is half the fun and a great way to get a sense of or feeling for a particular garota. So, we get to the point where we are playing the hand games. Is there a book on termas hand games? Without realizing it, I had my thumb and forefinger in the O position on my lap. The garota puts her finger through the O with an in and out motion. I'm laughing, she's laughing. She then makes the O with her thumb and forefinger. She takes my forefinger and puts it through the O. I was going to start with the in and out motion, but she starts squeezing my finger with all of her other fingers, making a fist and then she gave me a wide-eyed and knowing nod. Well, you probably all know where this is heading, but at the time I didn't have a clue. I thought she was telling me either we go fuck now or I'm taking a fuckin' hike. OK, it's vamos time. We start doing the deed and suddenly I feel her pussy squeezing my dick, like my finger in her fist. These weren't involuntary contractions. She was intentionally squeezing, and she's giving me that wide-eyed and knowing nod again. I'm laughing, she's laughing and squeezing. As I was leaving the termas, I saw her as she was leading a Brasileiro to the suites/cabinas area. She gives me that nod again, and I'm returning the nod probably grinning like an idiot, wondering if she told -- rather than play hand games -- the Brasileiro what she could do. When I bumped into her the next time I saw her, I made the O with my finger and thumb and inserted her finger in it. She started to try to do the in and out motion, but I caught her finger in my fist and started squeezing. She thought that was hilarious. It was her joke. The last time I saw her, she touchingly gave me something so that I would never forget her. Ultimately, she and Rio and the people of Rio gave my heart and mind a big squeeze.

The garotas' greatest gift is that for a few moments they can make you feel like the wittiest, funniest, the best lover and most desirable person in the world. What the garotas are really thinking is another story. If Brazil could only bottle this gift, its budgetary problems would be solved. Brasileira Power.

I've only had 3 snapping pussys in my life, and the other two were also coincidentally or not-so-coincidentally Brasileiras -- but in the Netherlands. The Brasileiras were/are the friendliest, biggest hearted, considerate, warmest and best lovers I ever encountered in Europe (Russians/Ukrainians are number 2), which is how I eventually ended up in Rio. Various posts and reports confirmed what I suspected was true. However, as good as Brasileiras were in Europe, they are 200 times better in their native land, which is probably true for all the racial and ethnic groups I sampled in Europe. This thought is worth exploring by others with experience of an ethnic group inside and outside of their native land. Beyond the women being even better in Brazil, I didn't realize until I read reports that a significant infrastructure was in place to make things so simple for the traveler.

Story #2: Without any prompting or instructions from me, one garota at Termas 44 positioned ourselves so that I could enter her bunda and continue to french kiss her at the same time with no gymnastics required. Gostosa. If Brazil could transfer Brasileira inventiveness to the industrial sector, Brazil would be an industrial powerhouse.

Miscellaneous Assistance #2: This may sound like I'm shilling for Termas 44. There is an astounding number of women at Termas 44, and you can get 60 minutes in what amounts to a junior suite for 130R. Some junior suites are well worn and sometimes shabby. The junior suite consists of a double bed, shower and a television continuously playing Brazilian porn videos. You can turn it off. The videos can be annoying in the embarrassing and inevitable comparison of the male actor's salami-sized schlong with my twinkie. If you are done at the 55 minute mark, it can quite hilarious for the garota and you to lie there for the final 5 minutes giving play-by-play or critiques of the action with of course neither of you understanding the other. For me, the big deal maker is that the 60 minutes is only for 20R more than the typical 110R for 40 minutes. You can take your time and indulge yourself with a lot of foreplay, if that's your thing (and it is mine). For those who prefer 2 quickies, you get 20 additional minutes to try for the hat trick. Two 60 minute junior suite sessions plus admission comes to 280R. At most of the other termas, two 40 minute cabines plus admission will come to 260R or more.

The Termas 44 experience is significantly different from the tourist termas. If you are used to the women outnumbering the men and being able to see all of the women whom are available, this place will be a shock. I can guarantee that you will not be able see all of the women there. Too many of them and there are too many places where they can be at any given moment. Some may find this place frustrating, but the things that create the frustration (too many guys, so many women, so little space in the boite) can yield many creative opportunities. If you are patient, you will find a woman who is your type, you can find a quieter space, and most of the guys there aren't competing with you for the garotas. The garotas are looking for YOU, Mr. Big Spender, and not the locals who are just hanging out. If you think it is frustrating for you, it is even more frustrating for the garotas. You know that all the girls are available. The garotas don't necessarily know who is actively shopping and who is just hanging out, and as I said earlier, most guys are just hanging out. When it is wall-to-wall people, instead of the garota reading your mind and coming to you or you waving her over (and how many times have you waved over a garota who looked great from a distance but not up close), you can inconspicuously roam and go up to likely suspects, check out the package up close and then make your move. In my early days, I didn't like the crowds and crowded conditions, but now I prefer the crowds and the ability to roam inconspicuously. You have to be flexible and make the situation work for you. When there is only a handful of guys, you feel conspicuous and think that your every move is being seen and noted by others. (I was shocked to discover the extent to which your movements and actions will be tracked by some of the garotas. See Story #5 below.) By 6PM there will be at least 75-125 women there, and the men WILL outnumber the women by about 2 to 1 by 7PM. That's a helluva lot of people. One reason why this place is packed with guys is that admission to all the facilities is only 20R. There isn't a place in the USA where $8 will get you so much "adult" entertainment. A great place to unwind and hangout, even if you don't want a woman, and most of the guys there are not there to screw. However, even 50 guys out of 150-200 at any given time still makes for a lot of screwing around. The boite isn't all that big -- maybe 1.5 times the size of Monte Carlo's, and by 6 or 7PM it definitely will be wall to wall people. Beginning at 7PM they have periodic strip/dance shows with audience participation that are quite entertaining, if you can get a good vantage point. Wait 15 minutes, and you will eventually get a good view of the action: there is a lot of milling about, leaving for the cabines and wandering to other parts of the termas. If you have a garota on a short leash, she will try to get you to go elsewhere in the termas -- too much competition packed into the boite. This place is huge: two sauna/shower areas, two locker rooms, a big screen television room/bar/snack room that is as big as the boite. They serve free bowls of the black bean soup here -- very good. There are two cabine/suite areas, and it takes at least 5 minutes to walk the labyrinth from the main cabine/suite area to the secondary one.

Since I spoke at length about Termas 44, I should say a few words about Termas 65. The women at Termas 65 are no better than Termas 44, and you get better bang for the buck at Termas 44. Termas 65 is also wall to wall people by 6 or 7PM, but the men will only either equal the number of women or marginally outnumber them. At 6PM periodic strip shows start, and by 7PM there will be garotas and Brasileiros singing karaoke. Given the number of people it attracts, the boite here is small. It is about the same size as Monte Carlo's, easily making for wall-to-wall crowds. People have mentioned that the garotas are told to book the most expensive suite whenever possible, especially if you don't specifically tell the garota to get a cabine. Unless you go a cabine before 6PM, there probably will be a wait of a few minutes to half an hour. Of course to avoid the wait you will be encouraged to upgrade to a 60 minute suite. Some have suggested that this is a deliberate tactic, even when cabinas are open. I got lost and wandered around once on the cabine/suite floors, and to be honest, there didn't seem to be a whole of cabines, relative to the number of suites there. There didn't seem to be enough cabines, given the number of garotas and Brasileiros in the boite. If you aren't very specific or you leave things up to the discretion of the garota, of course she is going to take a suite or upgrade to a suite. I took a garota down to the cabine area, and she told me there was at least a 30 minute wait for a cabine. Of course, there were suites available. I told her that I didn't want to wait 30 minutes and that I was going to head home instead. The additional 30 minutes was going to mean that I be cutting it very to close to the subway closing time. She panicked and asked a garota who just finished if she used a cabine or suite. So, there really might be shortage of cabines. I am willing to give Termas 65 the benefit of the doubt. I am not a big fan of Termas 65. If Termas 65 were in Copacabana, I would definitely be a bigger fan and go there quite often. It's a block from Termas 44 making comparison inevitable. At Termas 65 it's 45R for admission and then 130R for a 40 minute cabine, if you can get one. You do the cost comparison with Termas 44.

Miscellaneous Assistance #3: I go to Centro by using the Rio subway, which costs 1.30R for a one way ticket. The last stop of the subway line that ends in Copacabana is Cardeal Arcoverde; a subway stop is being built on Rua Siqueira Campus and Tonelero. The Cardeal Arcoverde stop is where Tonelero and Rua Barata Ribeiro meet -- about a 5 minute walk from Rua Siqueira Campos. In Centro I got off at the Carioca stop, unless I wanted to go the Uruguaiana flea market to get music cds -- Uruguaiana stop. The Carioca stop makes for a walk of about 5 minutes, and the area between the station and the two downtown termas must have the most police in all of Rio. It is the financial district of Rio. There are 3 exits to the Carioca station: if you take the Convento exit, you will exit to a plaza and walk straight towards the Citibank (take note PLUS ATM cardholders). Take a right at the Citibank, and a short block later you will be on Rua Branco, which is a 5 lane street. Walk left on Rua Branco for about 4 short blocks, and you will hit Rua do Rosario, and a block later you will see Rua de Buenos Aires. There is a McDonalds just before the two streets, and the termas are on the opposite side of the street from the McDonalds. Termas 65 is a short block and a half right off Rua Branco on Rua do Rosario. Termas 44 is a half block off Rua Branco on Rua de Buenos Aires. You can also take the Rua Branco exit and walk to Rua Branco and then take a left. If you take third exit, which is called the something Chile exit, you are on your own. I started staying later and later at Termas 44 until I was just making sure I made it back to Copacabana before the subway shut down. The first trip I started falling into the pattern of tourist in the morning/early afternoon, a downtown termas in the afternoon/early evening and then a Copacabana terma at night. During the second trip I would play tourist or see a woman in the morning/early afternoon in the apartamento and sometimes did two downtown termas from late afternoon to late evening. In addition, next to the Carioca subway station there is a 2nd floor mall called Info Centro, which sells computer stuff. I bought an electrical adapter there for 2R.

For Termas Rio Antigo, get off at the Gloria stop, walk on Gloria in the direction of downtown and turn right on Rua Joaquim Silva. The entrance to Termas Rio Antigo is two doors from the end of the street on the left at 2 Joaquin Silva; Joaquim Silva is a dead end street two very short blocks off Gloria. The first time I went to Termas Rio Antigo I walked into what I thought was the locker room, but I found two termas garotas. I turned around and walked out thinking I walked into the wrong room, but the garotas ran after me. I was in the right room. The termas women are there to help you with whatever, and they are there while you undress, as well. Two or three are stationed there on a rotating basis. The bright lights will not do the garotas any favors, for every flaw will be revealed. However, some remain truly stunning even in the unflattering light.

Observation #3: The Rio tourist fuck (RTF). Also known as the proto-typical North American or West European service provider fuck. The RTF would still be quite good by North American standards, but by Rio standards it is a disaster. My first Rio fuck was a RTF at Monte Carlo. After that first fuck, I was seriously wondering why I bothered to go to Rio in order to put up with the same old crap. During the second trip, I again got a Rio tourist fuck, and, again, it was at Monte Carlo. In fact, I started my second RTF the same time another American was starting his time in the cabine. We told each other, "Good luck," and neither of us got any. When I got to the shower to wash off the bad memories after using only 25 of the 40 minutes, I was surprised to find the other American already there showering. He was comparing notes with his friend in the next shower stall. The American with whom I spoke fell victim to the RTF. He and his friend were Monte Carlo newbies, but they were not Rio newbies. He knew that he had been taken, and he simply cut his losses and has now written Monte Carlo off, and he vowed never to return. If I were quick to cut off Monte Carlo after my first time, I would have missed out on some wonderful experiences. This is unfortunate for him, but I was in no mood to speak up for Monte Carlo. One RTF every trip is a random experience, but 2 in one hour is a disturbing coincidence or trend. I really like Monte Carlo. Even though I got my only two RTFs there, I will continue to go there. The many good experiences there still outweigh the two bad ones. However, the quality of women has noticeably dropped off from June to July to September, but we all know these things are cyclical. In September, Monte Carlo was barely worth a visit, but each time I go to Rio, I will give Monte Carlo a shot. I didn't see the provider of my second RTF at Monte Carlo during the rest of the second trip. However, I did see her the first day of my third trip back. She came within 4 feet of me and said, "Remember me?" I said a rather icy, "Yes," and that was the last time she got anywhere near me. A garota told me the provider of my first RTF is still there for September, but I didn't see her. Consequently, lucky visitors to Monte Carlo in September will have a two-in-whatever-number-of-garotas-are-there-chance of getting a RTF.

What is a Rio tourist fuck? First of all it is practiced by only a handful of garotas. Personally, I know of only two. The American in the shower may indicate the presence of a third, but one of the two may have done the two of us. They were both there that day. The RTF garotas specialize in first timers to Monte Carlo, and tourists are the obvious targets. Typically, the RTF garotas are usually very quick to approach the first timer. They aren't always the first one, but they will get to them sooner or later. They have a good sales pitch, which will include the standards of touching/feeling, genital manipulation and even light kissing. The true first timer is usually so shocked and maybe even flattered by the approach (even armed with the warnings of posts and trip reports), it is hard to turn them down. At this point, it is impossible for the first timer or veteran to know that he is going to get a tourist fuck, because you can only ascertain this behavior only by watching the garotas work over a few days. Up to this point it can be any number of garotas' sales pitches with the vast majority giving a true Rio-style fuck. Watching the garotas over a few days, you begin to see who only goes for the tourists and who goes for the Brasileiros and tourists. You see which garotas gets repeat customers, and which ones don't even bother to try to get repeat customers. It's obvious that the purveyors of the tourist fuck don't get repeat customers and that they rely on snaring the newbie via the hard sales pitch. A good indicator of a tourist fuck is if the victim ends up in the boite within 40 minutes, including post-coital shower time. Moreover, after getting a tourist fuck the tourist and the garota have nothing to do with each other -- always a bad sign. The one who initially got me has never tried to get me again or even try to talk to me again, for obvious reasons, and I've been there 10 times since then. During my first trip, one of my favorites at Monte Carlo pointed at this woman and said "Problema" and then pointed to the head. Clearly, the RTF garotas assume that the tourists will not be back or be around much longer. Fortunately, I don't have firsthand knowledge of RTF activity in the other termas, but a very recent post indicated that there was what I would term RTF activity at Termas 44 and Termas Rio Antigo. It must happen at all of them.

Do Brasileiros ever get a RTF? I seriously doubt it. Obviously, the RTF garota will avoid the Brasileiros and concentrate on her bread and butter tourist targets. If RTFs really happen to Brasileiros on a wider scale than I think, then it is all the luck of the draw, after all. But half of the RTF scam is to be selective in choosing your victim, so I really don't think this happens to Brasileiros, if at all. With Brasileiros you run the risk of getting a bad reputation.

What are the mechanics of the Rio tourist fuck? Once the cabine door closes, the affection showered on you in the boite dissolves. Kisses are grudgingly given, if given at all. A raincoat is definitely used for the bj, and the bj will be short, and she will then get you to come in the shortest amount of time possible. After you come, she will either jump off the bed and put on her clothes or through body language make it plain that she is finished with you. She won't take off your condom or probably won't even bother to give you tissue. This fuck sounds very familiar; it is a standard North American or Western European service provider fuck. In Rio it is, thankfully, the disastrous exception. Of course, it could be suggested that all of this could be avoided by asking a few crucial questions beforehand. But the questioning is directed at determining what mix of things you will get within the parameters of a true Rio-style fuck and not to weed out the RTFs. I have one standard weeding question that I sometimes use to figure if a particular garota is right for me. But that one question or even a dozen others isn't going to eliminate a RTF. When my second RTF happened, it was the first time I saw the woman, it was the first day of my second trip to Rio, she was the second one I had on my first day back (to her I was just another tourist newbie ripe for the picking, and I sure was), I thought I had the Rio termas figured out, she had a great sales pitch, and I had not even thought in terms of there being such a thing as a RTF until it happened the second time. I just didn't see it coming. It never occurred to me that a second bad fuck, by Rio standards, was in the realm of possibility: newbie naivete and overconfidence in Rio being Rio. The overconfidence is a great tribute to the women of Rio -- where the standard tourist fuck is not standard operating procedure and really is the exception.

What is included within the parameters of a Rio-style fuck? French kissing is usually indulged. Foreplay is appreciated. YMMV with regards to a bbbj. The percentage is over 95% that you will get one. If it is important to you, ask her before committing to her. More than likely, she will allow you to give her oral and even appreciate it. She may be receptive to digital penetration but YMMV on this one also. She will fuck using as many positions as you want. She will be very vocal in her enjoyment. You will never hear her say "Aren't you finished, yet?" She will let you take the full 40/60 minutes to come without complaint or with her getting tired. She will probably enjoy the bang as much as you did, if not more so. She is going to go for her orgasm, with or without you. YMMV on anal, and you should definitely ask about this one up front, if it important to you. After you goza she will triumphantly take off the raincoat and wipe you clean. And finally, she will give you a good-bye kiss with a smile -- all within the allotted 40/60 minutes. When you both get back to the boite, depending upon the presence of other potential (especially, her repeat) customers, she will join you for further post-coital company.

Miscellaneous Assistance #4: We have established how difficult it is to eliminate RTFs. For tourists, I'd say it is impossible. The potential will always be there, but, thankfully, the odds that a tourist will get one is not very high. A list of questions may help but is far from foolproof, and we are big fools. Nonetheless, I think it is possible to minimize your chances of getting a RTF, and if the garota only gives a true Rio-style fuck, as the vast majority do, you can also increase the garota's incentive to make sure you have a memorable time.

It's time to test your Monger IQ:

Test Question #1: What is a garota asking you, when she says, "How long are you going to be in Rio?"

Test Question #2: If you are going to be leaving tomorrow, what will your response be to the following question asked by the garotas: "When will you be leaving Rio?"

If your answer to question #1 was: "How long am I going to be in Rio?" You have demonstrated a total lack of Monger common sense. If your answer to question #2 was, "Tomorrow," you almost deserve a RTF, though I don't wish one on anyone. Actually, if you are obnoxious and/or abusive of the garotas, I do wish nothing but RTFs for you.

If you flunked the test, I hope you have, by now, reflected upon why your answers are incorrect.

For the truly hopeless, here are the answers:

(1) She trying to determine whether or not you have repeat customer potential or, even better, regular potential.

(2) Try saying "um mes or duas semanas." [1 month or 2 weeks.] The meaning is clear: I am a potential repeat customer, if I have a good time. Accordingly, "um mes" will register in her mind that you definitely have potential regular potential and deserve to be shown any special talent or service to snare you as one.

Eventually, I started to answer the first question with "Eu trabahlo no Rio duas semanas." [I am working in Rio for 2 weeks.] It helped some of the garotas see me in a different light (rather than with a red light constantly spinning over my head), and it helped them to better account for my daytime activities in Rio. I hadn't been to L'Uomo in 5 days, and one garota asked me where I had been? I told her that I visited Sao Paulo. She then probed what I had seen and done. I replied with a series of, "Nao entendi." Not a very convincing performance. I should have said," Eu trabahlo no Sao Paulo cinco dias." Things worked out for the best, for she then sat with me in the boite for 3 hours to converse in broken English and to use every welcome back ritual she knew. At one point she was jacking me off so hard I thought I was going to goza on the floor. She then proceeded to give me 60 minutes in a suite (after 3 hours in the boite, it was least I could do) that would be hard to forget. The boite/suite performance was her way of saying that if you are going to disappear in order to fuck others, this is what you are missing. When we were leaving the suite, she asked me in English with the most serious look I ever saw at a termas, "When you come back?"

Regret #1 and the only one: The only regret I truly have about my experiences concerns the amount of lying I did, and and in every instance I'm not even sure what my motivation or intention was in doing so. In the final analysis, I guess I'm too embarrassed to admit to my activities. Before resorting to the trabahlo fiction, I used to say that I went to Corcovado. Corcovado never fails to get a "Bon" [good]. The second trip I went to Corcovado 4 times on 4 different days. Being a working stiff is so much easier and less confusing. However, I always suspected that if you told the truth, the garota would give you the best competitive fuck she could give. Of course, much of the lying is a consequence of the pseudo-relationship and transitory nature of the situation. How many times am I ever going to have to own up to the truth? None, I hope: unless I get very, very serious about someone. On the other hand, someone could get very serious with you, and the fictions will either get deeper or some truths are going to have be told with subsequent lines being drawn in the relationship.

Observation #4: Monte Carlo Garota Rotation. All the Termas I visited in early June had more or less the same women as the second half of July. The one exception is Monte Carlo. I recognized only 4 or 5 garotas. There seemed to be a significant turnover or personnel shakeup. An American I met there was equally amazed at the turnover. He said he was there three months ago, which places him there in April, and he said he didn’t recognize anyone. He even added that there were some beautiful women there back then: implying that this was no longer the case. My favorites were gone, and the ones who seemed to be making the termas the most money were even gone. My first Rio fuck, the mother of all tourist fucks was still there during my second trip. I asked the bartender about the almost complete turnover in garotas. The bartender told me that Monte Carlo changes garotas every month. I don't know if this means the garotas do alternating months or what. When I returned in September, it was the July crew. As mentioned before, it's been downhill in terms of quality of women from June thru September, but in this business there must be cyclical downturns and upswings. An alternative explanation mentioned below is that there was a mass exodus by the better women because there weren't enough customers.

Garota's Observation: One garota at Termas Rio Antigo gave me her impressions of termas and the impressions of her amigas who have worked termas she hasn't worked. Her comments give an interesting picture of the calculations garotas make in choosing a termas -- so, I'll pass this is information to you. She started out working at L'Uomo for a year. Unfortunately, I didn't ask her for an assessment of L'Uomo, but she smiled whenever she or I mentioned L'Uomo. My gut impression is that she thought L'Uomo didn't attract enough customers and was too hidden. She was surprised that I had been there. She had a "how did you find it" or "how did you find about it" kind of look, and I'm sure that she would have asked me those questions, if she could speak enough English. I first met her at Monte Carlo, and she pointed out that several of the garotas currently at Termas Rio Antigo were at Monte Carlo when we first met in June. She said they left because there were not enough guys. My Portuguese was too limited to ask about rotation. I wanted to figure out if there was a rotation or purge or mass exodus due to lack of customers. The ones who left, in my humble opinion, are better than the ones that remain at Monte Carlo. For Monte Carlo, this can potentially be a beginning of a vicious cycle: the better garotas leave because there are not enough men, and the men stop coming because the quality of women has gone down. This was the case with me; I went to Monte Carlo only once in September. Hopefully, Monte Carlo will experience an upswing in the near future. When she mentioned that Monte Carlo didn't have enough customers (and I have to agree with her on that point), I mentioned that Termas 44 has muito muito homens [many, many men]. She has never been there, but her amigas told her that even though there were many, many men, the vast majority of those men don't fucky-fucky. To make matters worse, the homens make-out and then leave without fucky-fucky. Personally, I didn't see this happening, but the garotas know much better than me, and I really don't know where the garotas and homens are going when they leave the boite or salon. (I've seen tourists unwittingly do this at tourist termas to the garotas consternation.) To be sure, it must happen enough that the garotas have given Termas 44 a reputation for it happening. So, why is she at Termas Rio Antigo? The men who come to Termas Rio Antigo come to fucky-fucky -- not kick tires.

Story #3: Screwing ______ _____ [a child/teenage star from a television sitcom]. I did this only as a research project and a public service to you. At a tourist termas there is a garota that looks to me like ______ _____ from a distance. Her face is a bit rounder, and her hair is not straight and lifeless. She is much taller, and her body is much better with fuller breasts and shapely long legs. Of course, you all know I said "at a distance," for when you get close to her you realize that she has the worst __________ that you will ever see on a termas woman. Of all the termas women I've seen, she ranks close to the bottom in terms of facial attractiveness. Unfortunately, she had/has _____ problems. She might rely upon the termas, waiting for tourists and people with research projects like mine, in order to get laid. I've been to this termas a few times and never saw anyone take her -- not that I was watching her every step. So, my curiosity is aroused, and this always is bad and always gets me in trouble. How can this woman maintain her status as a termas woman? I don't know if her termas has a quota like the one someone mentioned about Centaurus requiring an average of 3 a day or you're out. I started to hypothesize/fantasize that she must have something going for her -- some trick, some "thing." So, I take the plunge. I go where very few of you have gone before. I have the time and a few bucks with which to fund a cutting edge research project.

What is her "thing?" Up close, the first thing I notice, besides the bad __________, is she has ______. I can't imagine a poor garota affording ______, and she sure isn't earning enough money to support herself on her termas income alone -- let alone, afford ______. So, she must have other sources of money. This ______ _____ lookalike knows no English, and listening to her was like watching an episode of the _____ _____ dubbed in Portuguese. (To keep this experiment going I had to keep the lookalike fiction going.) I have to say she has two things going for her plus I'll giver her some extra credit: (1) She is a genuine nympho. I don't know if I could honestly and definitively say that I ever had a true nympho, but I can now make that claim. She couldn't get enough. Forty minutes of bbbjs and banging with absolutely no lulls, and she still wanted more. I didn't climax and probably could have accommodated her for another hour, but the phone rang and the great research experiment was officially over. She actually blocked the door saying she didn't want to leave, and she said in Portuguese something to the effect that she wanted me to go for another 40 minutes. As we left she went through some obviously fake sobbing. (2) She is a deep throat artist. Now deep throating my twinkie is no great feat, but she clearly can take on those better endowed than me. She deep throated me with plenty to spare and would hold it there for as long as she wanted. I barely got the robe off, when she got to her knees and did this trick very early in the 40 minutes to show her talent. I let her control the flow, and she fucked ME. I was just trying to hold on and survive the ride. She had me in her bunda when the phone rang, and I had to stop -- she wouldn't. While screwing I felt with my feet a couple of very saturated wet spots on the disheveled sheets near the wall, where my feet were positioned. I honestly thought there was water leaking from the ceiling in the cabine. As I was going out the door, I realized that those two wet spots were where her pussy was positioned while she was deep throating me a couple of times. This woman is really into sex and must of had a ton of juice backed-up. Extra credit: she is very vocal. I once asked what words and phrases Brazilians use while screwing, because I was having a hard time understanding and remembering what the garotas said well enough to find things in the dictionary. One excellent suggestion was to watch Brazilian porn. While screwing in Rio we are all enacting variations of Brazilian porn, and at Termas 44 we can even watch porn and screw at the same time, but I still can't remember and/or understand what the women are saying. Forget the digital or video camera, I wish I had a tape recorder when I screwed this woman, for she went through the whole litany of phrases and words in just 40 minutes.

When I was leaving the termas, the woman at the counter put together my bill (I had another garota earlier, as well), saw who I had, and she looked up at me with an incredulous "What the hell did you do?" kind of face.

Non-Observation #1: I took out all the identifying words in the lookalike part of Story #3 at the last minute. The woman is really very sweet, nice and appreciative, and it would really hurt and disturb me, if I thought there was a chance that a single person would look at her or point her out to friends and have a laugh as a result of this post. I thought about cutting it out altogether. But I don't think anyone takes these posts that seriously -- or can even remember them. Moreover, guys care about only reading about the good looking women. I think the Story #3 says something, even though I don't know exactly what that something is, right now. Wow, I might have talked myself into doing her again. On the second trip, I went to this woman's termas 3 more times, and, fortunately, I never saw her there again. During the third trip, I saw at the termas, again, but I didn't talk myself into any further research experiments, but she certainly was eyeing me.

Story #4: The Diabla. During the third trip, I ran across what I consider to be my second bona fide nympho at a termas. I noticed her on my first two trips, for she is very cute and petite and a energetic and terrific dancer. However, her primary clientele seemed to be Brasileiros. On the third trip, I just went up to her and said, Vamos." She said, "Vamos?", and started to passionately french kiss me. It felt like she was turning the tables and auditioning or testing me. She gave an affirmative, "Hmmmm," and off we went. Glee isn't a word that I associate with sex, but I must say she fucked with a manic glee with sound effects that were almost demonic. On my second trip, she did a strip show as a diabla, and I didn't realize at the time how appropriate that was. She is very sweet and affectionate, and her energy level, sexual craving and sex-speak is amazing. During the post-coital wrap-up, she was both telling and asking things about me. A lesson on how the garotas talk about us.

Miscellaneous Assistance #5: Somebody has to start a list of words or phrases used during sex. Listed below are the words I can remember. The dictionary gives definitions outside of the context of having sex, so it can be misleading or of limited use:

gostoso (she says); gostosa (you say): like (keep doing whatever you're doing, you're hitting the right button).

delicia (she says when on the receiving end of whatever you're doing; I assume guys can say it too): delicious (whatever you are doing, she is digging it big-time).

safado (she says); safada (you say): here the dictionary led me astray, because my pocket dictionary says things like indecent and immoral, making it sound like the garotas were telling me that I was doing something bad or dirty. However, the garotas have reassured me that hearing safado is a good thing to hear. She is saying something to the effect that you are very good.

cachorro: similar to safado in what is being communicated (it has something to do with a dog derived from one of the bunda songs played at the termas all the time; the garotas -- especially at L'Uomo, Monte Carlo and Solarium -- always have a great time dancing and shaking their bundas to it; it's the song where they bend over and point their shaking bunda in one direction and place their two hands on their knee and then do the same in the reverse direction).

muito bon (anybody can say it): very good (she's giving you a compliment).

goza, vai (it can happen to anyone): cum, cumming.

fucky-fucky: the garotas may not understand fuck, but the garotas use fucky-fucky as if it were a Brazilian word; it may be considered to be a Brazilian word.

Story #5: Brasileiras are the most orgasmic women on this planet. I'm going to tell a story of a garota overcoming all obstacles to achieve an orgasm. With less than 10 minutes to go during a 40 minute cabine I was tired and rolled over onto my back without being able to goza, and she looked at the condom and said, "No goza!" [no cum] I said, "No problema." I intended to lie there about 5 minutes before putting on the robe to leave. She wasn't going to stand for my quitting on her. She hopped right back on and rode me hard until she had the loudest orgasm I ever heard. She was actually biting the back of her hand in an attempt to stop from screaming so loudly. It seemed like she screamed for 3 minutes as it built to a cymbal crashing crescendo. If I were at home and heard that screaming next door, I would have called 911, right away. It was best for her that I did roll over, for the garotas prefer to be on top and achieve their vaginal orgasmo best in that position. After settling down, she told me in broken English, "Me orgasmo. You no orgasmo. You too much sex. Three girls." Damn, she was keeping track of my activities, and I was not even a repeat customer or regular. I did not know her. This was the first time I took her to a cabina. Do garotas keep scorecards? At least, she understood my predicament. She really was my third garota within a 4.5 hour time period. (The next time I went to this termas I already screwed two women before I saw her. When she started flirting with me, I asked her, "Me. How many?" She said, "Two," and she named them. The garotas must look at the ledger sheet in the cabina/suite dispatcher office. If you think you can screw garotas at a termas without your "favorite" knowing about it -- you're wrong.) I tell this anecdote not to say that I'm a stud, because I know I'm not. I use the generous term, twinkie, to describe myself. I'm Mr. Average, at best. I made a better case for being a wimp -- rolling over after only 30-35 minutes indeed. Turn in your Monger credentials. The punch line of the story is: in spite of fucking a tired, average-sized and spent wimp, the garota was still able to reach a screaming orgasmo. The point has been made many times -- Brasileiras are the most orgasmic women on this planet.

Non-observation #2: I've never been to Centaurus. For an admitted termas addict this may seem contradictory. I'm not a Cheap Charlie-type in Rio (though I've Cheap Charlie-ed Europe from London through Prague and then also Tel Aviv) but I don't have bottomless pockets either. I'm a middle class or mid-range addict trying to stay within my means. I don't want to see what I can't have on a regular basis. If the termas I frequent are good enough for me, let them stay that way. From other posts, it sounded like Centaurus didn't provide good bang for the buck, meaning that the quality of women didn't justify the additional cost. I could rationalize my not going there that way. However, I was talking to a bartender at one of the termas, and he said the boss took the bartenders to Centaurus (I won't mention the reason for the field trip.). I told him of my rationalization, and he replied with awe in his voice, "No, there are some VERY beautiful women there." The awe suggested that the women at his tourist termas just didn't rate a comparison. For me, this is a very scary but tantalizing thought.

Story #6: Post-orgasm Sleep. It happened on this trip to Rio. Not on my part -- the garota's. She had an intense orgasm. With ten minutes left in a 60 minute suite, we both were spent. She could have taken a shower at this point, like she did the previous time, but she wanted to lie on the bed intertwined. Within a couple of minutes, she was fast asleep with an occasional body twitch. When the phone rang, she almost jumped out of her skin. This must happen a lot to you guys who prefer sleepovers: orgasm one minute, sleeping beauty the next. Within a termas-type setting, this has happened a couple of other times. One of the times remains the most surrealistic sexual moment I've ever had. With your permission, I will tell a non-Rio story. In January I was in Tel Aviv and visited the Israeli (Russian Mafia) version of a termas, which are called health clubs. They are nowhere near the great experience the Rio termas are. The only thing these health clubs have going for them are the Russian/Ukrainian women that are brought in to work there. I'm starting to stray from the story. A Russian woman had a shouting clitoral orgasm when I did oral on her, and she then used my cock to frenziedly grind herself to an even stronger and louder shouting clitoral orgasm. At one point while she was grinding, I had to tell her to stop for a few seconds, because being without a raincoat, I was about to cum and make a huge mess on myself. A minute or two later after the second orgasm, she started the bbbj. She was in a prone position, and gradually, her dead dropped lower and lower until it was resting on my pelvis but still moving back and forth. Soon her head stopped moving. She was sleeping with my dick in her mouth. 2 or 3 minutes later, she stirred and moved her head back and forth again but then her head stopped, and she was sleeping again. This pattern repeated itself for about 12-15 minutes. This is the surreal image that is burned in my memory: an extremely attractive blond and blue-eyed Russian woman with a golden tan sleeping with my dick in her mouth, and it's hanging out between her incredibly full and pouty lips like a cigarette. I was transfixed at the sight. When the phone rang, thank heavens she didn't bite my dick off.

Story #7: Hi, Mama. The most surreal moment in Rio was when the cell phone of an 18 year old rang while we were going at it in the apartamento. She's on top and reached over to her purse, not missing a beat, to answer the phone. The bed was making the appropriate noises that beds make when this type of activity is taking place. She's smiling and trying to stifle laughter. At one point she started nodding and laughing. I knew right away it was her mother checking up on her, but I was shocked that she kept bouncing. I motioned to her to give me the phone and indicated that I wanted to say, "Ola," to her mother. After she hung up, I asked if her mother knew what she was doing? How could she not? I wondered whether the Policia was going to be knocking the door down anytime soon. Yes, her mother knew what she was doing, and her mother made a remark about the noisy bed, which provoked the laughter. After all, she worked at a termas. If she didn't work at a termas, I wouldn't have gotten near her, for in her civilian clothes she looks 16.

Now, to turn the tables, her most surreal moment had to be having this Americano stop in the middle of various sexual acts to grab a dictionary and point to a word. Someone once made a joke about me looking up gostoso in a dictionary while in the middle of sex. Even though I didn't really do it during the first trip, I thought it was a great idea. I decided to try the idea on my second trip. In the midst of sex, I would point to a word in the English section, and when she said something I didn't understand I would point to the dictionary, and she'd point to a word in the Portuguese section. The first time she rolled her eyes and muttered something with dicionario in it. However, she got into it, and we must have passed the dictionary between ourselves 7-10 times. We stopped talking and just passed the dictionary back and forth pointing to words. This was probably good for a few laughs back at her termas. Unfortunately, I didn't make it back to her termas before leaving on the second trip. On the third trip, we shared a few good laughs about the dictionary and the phone call.

The next time I used the dictionary on the second trip was with a different woman. I saved the dictionary for post-coital bliss. I couldn't believe how sexually compatible the woman and me were. We enjoyed the same things and went at them with gusto. We didn't need a dictionary. At one point I was doing something to her that made us both laugh, and she said something I couldn't understand. During the post-coital bliss, she repeated what she said, which was that I was muito [very] and then pointed to the word, mau [bad]. She then pointed to the two of us and pointed to a word that was a few words above mau -- matrimonio.

During the third trip, the dictionary was an integral part of any visit by a garota to the apartamento. They all enjoy passing it back and forth. One enjoyed using it so much, I gave it to her before I left.

Miscellaneous Assistance #6: It is best to use local Rio agencies to book hotels. If you contact Rio hotels directly, they will quote you in dollars; whereas, if you contact a local agency, you will get a quote in Reals that is a quarter to a third less. A local agent booked a suite for 130R, but the Real dropped like such a lead weight that by the time I got there in June the rate was 155R plus the taxes; it could easily be a bit higher now. The local travel agent alerted me to that fact, and it still was a good deal, because the rate quoted in dollars was a constant $90 throughout the same time period. The other great thing about booking hotels through a local agency (and I don't know if this is true if booking directly with a particular hotel -- certainly, not true if booking via a major chain) is that you do not need to leave a credit card number with the reservation. For my second and third times, I booked an apartment with a local agent because he could provide a place in the location I wanted for less than the hotel rate I paid previously. In an apartmento you are now living with/amidst the locals, and you can try to live like them as much or as little as you want. (During the third trip, Brasil played Argentina in a crucial -- for Brasil -- World Cup qualifier from Buenos Aires. I even stayed away from the termas that evening to watch the match on television. My apartment was facing the inside of the block, meaning I was facing the inner four sides of the block, which consisted entirely of apartment buildings. Of course, the widows of almost all the apartments were open, and it was quit interesting to hear the block erupt when Brasil scored early and then almost scored a few minutes later. After those early minutes, it was deathly quiet the rest of the match except for cries of frustration when Argentina scored the winning goal late in the second half.) Another note about using local agents is that they can also provide a driver to take you to and from the airport. Depending upon the local agent you use, the driver will probably be very dependable and speak excellent English. While. I prefer to go to places on my own, the driver can also take you to the various termas or even tourist sites. Three local agents with their URLs have been given on the board.

Observation #5: Crime and Countervailing Character. I didn't see any crime. I exercised common sense. As many have remarked, crime happens everywhere. Does crime happen in Rio more than city or country x, y or z? I've lived in San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New York City and have developed some level of street smarts or urban survival skills. Street smarts do translate well in any foreign city. I will not be the first or last to point out that crime can be nearly eliminated with common sense and caution -- in any city or country.

What I find remarkable about Brazil, in general, and Rio, in particular, is something that happens literally all the time -- that something is the friendliness, kindness, warmness, generosity, good humor, thoughtfulness, resourcefulness, intelligence, cheerfulness, earnestness and passion of the Brazilian people (to be sure, male and female). Fortunately, I haven't come across crime, but I constantly come across the just mentioned qualities of the Brazilian people. These qualities affect the quality of travel much more than and more than compensates for the threat of crime. I can go to Europe or North America and, possibly, be safer or free from crime to a greater extent, but the people there will in no way come close to exhibiting the qualities of the Brazilian people. Each day in Brazil is a refreshing experience. I'm gushing, but I'm more than willing to take my chances (and, like I said before, the chances of being victim of a crime are next to nothing with a healthy mix of common sense and caution) and be in the midst of these wonderful people. When common sense and a relatively low level of street smarts is not enough to forestall being a victim of crime -- then I'll stop gushing, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

Observation #6: Freebies. A Brasileiro made insightful remarks about the vulnerability of Brasileiras. He suggested that the garotas put so much of themselves -- effort and passion -- into their work that they leave themselves vulnerable. This vulnerability leads to terrific and mutually enjoyable sex. The vulnerability also leaves them open to forming varying levels of attachments to customers who exhibit an interest in them, are attentive to them and/or enable them to achieve orgasm. Of course, handsome and charming adds to your chances, and I'm not suggesting that I'm either or both. It is easy to forget how remarkable the level of attachments are, for elsewhere in the world providers are more likely to be hardcore and not open to forming attachments of any kind. This is not to say that there are no hardcores in Brasil or that all Brasileiras are vulnerable. However, the number of Brasileiras who leave themselves vulnerable is much higher than I would have ever guessed. There are opportunities for non-Brasileiros in forming relationships with Brasileiras to an extent that I would never have thought possible. In the world of termas, where the vast majority of men (of whatever nationality) are only interested in getting their own orgasm -- the attentive, interested customer who also gets the garota to orgasm will be able create space for themselves in the garota's affections -- leading in unpredictable and sometimes irresistible directions.

Many will say the "attachments are all about the money, and the garotas are just playing to your weaknesses or vanity. In most instances this is true, but the key test in determining whether the garota's attention is from the purse or from the heart is whether your relationship or attachment is able to enter the realm of the freebie -- when the garota refuses or doesn't consider payment from you, just as she wouldn't consider accept payment from a friend; indeed you are seen as a friend or even more than a friend. Many of the garotas are single mothers trying to make ends meet; a freebie from these garotas can be a significant sacrifice on their part. Before getting a freebie, a sign that you are traveling that road is when the garota tells you her real name. (I continue to maintain my termas name and have never divulged my real one to the garotas -- not that it's a big deal. One garota thought it was especially important to her that I tell her my real name after telling me hers. She even wanted to see my passport.) This doesn't necessarily lead to a freebie or even means that you are getting close to one, but it is a necessary development in the road to a freebie. In Brasil, I've been suggesting that there is a surprising level of potential for the attachment being or becoming from friendship or the heart. Of course, the freebie is not really free, in the sense that you may have to wine and dine. A freebie may or may not necessarily entail a serious relationship. Some freebies may not signal any seriousness other than friendship, and the friendship freebie may be the best kind. A serious freebie can entail considerable baggage. More significantly, there may be costs in terms of the loss of freedom in what you can do and where you can go and the increased scrutiny and accountability in your actions. From the garota's perspective, I suspect that the giving of a serious freebie is their way of "buying" into you. The time they are buying isn't 40 or 60 minutes. The time period is ambiguous, and the nature of the attachment or relationship is ambiguous, and your freedom to roam is to some unspecified extent compromised. The language problem isn't going to allow for much clarification of the ambiguity either. Their time, effort and provision of a serious freebie is their real investment in you, and your straying is a betrayal of that investment. Each person has to decide whether a serious freebie is worth it. Is being "bought" worth -- ironically -- the cost to you? Most, who are only occasional visitors, will decide pursuing the serious freebie is not worth it. The serious freebie is simply not worth the expense, effort, time and loss of freedom. Most will prefer to explore all the possibilities of Rio without conscience and any guilt. Nonetheless, the vulnerability of many garotas creates the potential of attachment, relationships and responsibilities for those who want to go in that direction. Needless to say, these men will be frequent returnees or even future residents of Rio.

During the third trip I crossed into the path of the friendship freebie twice and came close to a serious freebie once. The two freebies were from women for whom I have much affection. We have shared a great many laughs and have had terrific sex, but, above all, sex is fun with them. Amazingly, the line between customer and provider gradually disappeared over time. We just started to have so much fun in each others company that we continued the antics outside of the termas. These two women and I will never become "serious," but we enjoy each other and have fun together.

I insisted upon payment the first time I confronted a freebie: from my point of view, I didn't want to be bought and held accountable for my daily activities; I did not yet realize there could be two types of freebies. From the garotas perspective, my insisting upon payment "cheapened" the experience and hurt her feelings. She said, "Eu {pointing to herself to emphasize the point} gostoso voce {pointing to me}. Outra homens trabhlo." [I like you. The other men are work.] She went on to list three Brasileiros, w, x and y, and said meu amigos (and I assume lovers), and she then said I was z, her only non-Brasileiro amigo. It was as if she was doing something from her heart and friendship, and it was me who was doing it from the purse and the groin. I took her act of affection and friendship and turned it into another day at work. Unfortunately, the garotas perspective is not something I thought out beforehand. I had never considered the possibility of a friendship freebie, but after thinking about it, the idea started to make a lot of sense. There was no way the two of us could enter into a truly serious relationship, yet we enjoy each others sense of humor, have great sex and, in general, have a lot of fun in each others company. We both wanted to continue to have fun beyond the termas, and we continued to act out our friendship in my apartamento and other places. What then is the cost of this friendship freebie. Certainly, there are the wine and dine costs. The other costs are the constraints I feel at her termas. I used the trabhlo fiction. I met her on my second trip, and on the third trip, she thinks other than one other garota at her termas, whom I screwed before we became friends, she doesn't think I have screwed any other garotas. She has never asked about me visiting other termas -- I've been working. I don't think she would be an amiga if I started screwing other garotas at her termas. I suspect that I will become trabhlo. There was only one other garota at her termas I thought about screwing; so, I stopped going her to her termas.

The other friendship freebie was from a garota who also said, "Eu gostoso voce." She did ask me to bring her something when I returned, but its cost amounts only to a token gesture. We also have a lot of fun together. Sex is especially great when it is mixed in with generous portions of laughter and genuine affection. By this time, the friendship freebie had registered in my mind, and this certainly was her intention. She said she had more fun in my apartamento than at the termas. Before heading to the airport, I made a surprise visit to her termas, and I said that I wanted to do a threesome. I asked her to give me a rundown on what all the garotas at her termas were good at, as best as she knew about them. We scrutinized all of them, and I made my choice based upon an assessment of the garota's abilities and the things that I liked to do. Needless to say, the threesome was wild and fulfilling and a ton of fun. Neither were lesbians or bisexuals, so they concentrated solely on me. She made sure she was riding me at the end for a tremendously fulfilling goza, and the things she was saying: my, oh my, oh my. After milking me for what I was worth, she triumphantly removed the full trophy, and the phone rang two minutes later. Of course, I paid for the threesome at the termas, but having established a friendship made the experience as enjoyable as possible. What are the costs of this friendship freebie? There is the token gift. She says doesn't mind me fucky-fucky her amigas, but when I did (not the threesome) she had a hurt look on her face. I don't want to see that look too often. This garota has a great attitude and a deep understanding of the dynamics of her situation. She knows her amigas have to make a living, as well, and isn't overtly possessive. She knows that we can never be serious, but she knows we can be very good friends. Friendship and, I assume, serious freebies are as unique as each garota.

The almost serious freebie still has me scratching my head. I met this garota on my first trip. We sat almost in mute silence next to each other at her termas. She spoke no English, and I spoke absolutely no Portuguese the first trip. Nonetheless, we both seemed to gravitate towards each other at the termas and had terrific sex in the cabines and suites. The last time I saw her (she knew it would be the last time), she brought over the only garota who could speak English so she could tell me something and ask me something. She said she really, really liked me and wanted to know if I liked her even if was just a little bit. Of course, I said I liked her, but I thought she was just throwing me a line. I didn't see her on the second trip, but I saw her at a different termas on the third trip. This time I knew some Portuguese, and she must have learned some English, because we were able to communicate fairly well in broken Portuguese and English. We made out like high schoolers in the boite for an hour and a half both times I saw her. We were getting stares (not all approving) from the other garotas. It was very embarrassing for me, because I was in a very obvious up periscope position both times. The last time I saw her she asked me to take her out to dinner the next evening (a national holiday and the termas was closed). I said that I would. She knew I was leaving the day after the holiday. However, we left the details of the dinner ambiguous. We didn't even know where each was staying. She also said slowly and pointed to emphasize her point, "Eu gostoso voce." In the suite, she was lying on top with me, while I still was without the hat. Oftentimes, women will use this position to use the length and hardness of the penis to stimulate their clitoris. This is what I thought was going to happen, but what she did was insert my penis into her, and she started rocking back and forth. I was in shock, and after a few minutes she stopped and told me to get on top, but she said, "No goza." I went back in uncovered and didn't goza. (Of course, whatever damage -- pregnancy or disease -- could be done without having to goza. I know I was extremely stupid. Obviously, it wasn't my brain that made the split second decision.) We continued doing other things, but she never did put a hat on me. Near the very end, when she was doing a number on my ear, she whispered, "I love you." I acted as if I didn't hear her. We got dressed and started talking about various things, and before we parted she said she really liked me again, but she didn't bring up dinner. We departed without finalizing dinner plans, and we didn't have dinner the next night. I didn't know if she forgot about it, had second thoughts about it or wanted me to reaffirm my interest. After what happened in the suite, I wanted her to make the next move. I wasn't sure of my own intentions, and it didn't seem like she was looking for something more than friendship. After I left the termas, there was no way we could track each other down. No phone numbers, addresses, and she only knows my termas name. This relationship might have gone in the direction of the serious freebie, and, ultimately, I was somewhat reluctant to go in that direction.

It appears that when a garota says "Eu gostoso voce," the English translation doesn't do it justice [I like you.] I'm not referring to the use of gostoso in regards to a particular sex act, but when she goes out of her way to say that she likes YOU. When a Brasileira says, "Eu gostoso voce," seems to have an additional layer of meaning beyond liking. It seems to also have a sexual connotation akin to "I am attracted to you." If the phrase does indeed have these two layers of meaning, I underestimated what the garota was trying to convey when she said it. I also both at times overstated and at times stated exactly what I meant when I said it.

Eu gostoso Rio.

Thanks for great report.
You mentioned local agents for booking hotels.
I do not remember local agents being ever mentioned on this site. Can you give us some references?
I was quoted in dollars $65 at hotel Rio Roiss, with Real inching lower I'd be interested in checking out these guys and getting quotes in Reals.

I appreciate so much efforts were put in to acomplish a lenghty report like this one,however,it is more for reader who has been to rio at least once to understand well. A newbie like me has too many questions about the things you mentioned. For example, what is a Terma? Is it like a brothel? Or does it somewhat operate differently? But still, Thank you for the report!

Marinero
There is a South America-Brazil-Rio de Janeiro section.
In it you'll find plenty of info on termas. I have never been to Rio but termas are indeed brothels where hombres roam in bathrobes.

Wilmaflint - that was a remarkable report - almost a dissertation. Damn, that GFE action sounds incredible. I'm tired of sucking Mexican panocha and getting little/nothing for it in return. Time to head to Brazil!

Awesome job.