A Tico Goes to Rio

I’ve seen many questions on this board asking about comparisons between Costa Rica and Rio. As an ex-pat whose lived in Costa Rica for about 2 and a half years now, and one whose just made his first trip to Rio I thought I could offer my thoughts on the subject.

I won’t be going into any chica, I’m sorrym garota specifics as the locations/quality etc of garotas have been more than covered by much more qualified mongers than me on this board.

This report will be more about my comparisons between the two countries.

First off, a bit of background.

I’m about 35 years old, and have lived in Costa Rica working full time for about 2.5 years now. In terms of my Spanish knowledge, I would describe it as intermediate. That is, I am generally comfortable in a conversation with people (as are they), but if we are talking about something important, eg: medical/business negotiations, I prefer to carry it out in English.

In terms of my chica tastes, I definitely prefer the more athletic body type, toned, with a good stomach, nice ass, and am generally quite fussy about the chicas I choose. I find my sessions (as you would think) are a lot better if I get to know the chica a bit first, and I’m willing to spend some time talking to her first.

I enjoyed checking out terma’s and the like by myself, and just seeing how I would do, rather than hiring a guide, even though I know my experiences with the garotas would most likely be better on average with a guide. I have been sorely tempted by the vips stories, and I think would like to hook with some fellow board members if our paths cross in the future in rio for an adventure like that, it is one of the things I regret not doing.
I had done my research here on the places to go, and had some vague inklings on the stars I would like to meet, but as luck had it, I met none of my looked for stars, though I did have a great time.

In terms of negotiating, I am not a hard negotiator, I generally never accept the chica’s first offer, but come to terms very quickly with a smile and laugh at probably a little bit under the going rate.

Initial Thoughts

I’d done my Pimsleur homework, having downloaded the entire Portuguese set one from the net, and had studied it for about 30 days before going to Rio. Bring on the garotas!

Upon arriving in Rio in early May; after a really long journey from costa rica, I was pleased to get into my apartment that I had rented from bobby of Blame it on Rio fame. I preferred to rent an apartment as I had my laptop with me and was concerned about the security of leaving it in an hotel room that was open to an entire hotel staff. Hooking up with the laptop to do my work was easy as pie at a number of internet café’s anywhere around copocabana, which was definitely a pleasant surprise.

I found that the pimsleur, plus my Spanish, did not help me nearly as much as I had hoped in day to day encounters on the street, though as I got accustomed to the flow of the language it got easier to talk to people.
However, in the terma’s or with the garota’s I found this level of Portuguese more than adequate. Obviously they had reason to be a little more patient with me, but I did find by and large that the garota’s did appreciate the foreigner’s who made an effort to communicate with them in Portuguese.

Onto the Termas

I think I remembered reading that there’s nothing quite like the feeling of putting on that robe and slippers for the first time in a terma.
I’d rephrase that to there’s nothing quite like the first time you walk into a boite, freshly showered, in your robe and slippers for the first time in a terma.
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The first terma that I visited was Lumo, and it turned out to be my favorite. I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere here, and I found the selection of women to be quite good. In general, I found the women here to be very service oriented, and much more likely to take their time with you both in the boite and in the cabinas. I was fortunate enough to hit Luomo on one of their anniversary celebration days, when every girl there was dressed in a school girl outfit and well, let’s just say that was a treat.
The facilties were very clean, comfortable and kept up well.

My second favorite terma was 4x4. Which has an atmosphere and style pretty far removed from luomo. I found the facilities in terms of the changing rooms and showers, towels, etc to be definitely a little older and not as kept up as Lumo’s and if you’re in the boite after 6pm, it’s basically a madhouse. The girls here also seemed to be on the whole much more inclined to went to go to the rooms right away
The madhouse can definitely be fun occasionally, but the reason I liked this terma, is this is the one for the safado in you. The girls here, though I did find them on average to be not as good looking as the girls in the other termas, were much more inclined to do sexo complete, beijo negro, etc. If you don’t have a couple of stars in mind or know a pair of girls at the other terma’s I’d also say this is, (at least in my opinion) one of the better places for duo’s for newbies as the girls are probably more likely to be ‘enthusiastic’ with each other.

I also visited both Monte Carlo and Solarium. I had hoped to meet the famous Vanessa when I was at solarium, but despite waiting a good hour and a half in the boite did not see her. I personally found their to be very few options of any quality at all in solarium when I went, but as I’ve read on the board, each terma’s quality seems to vary over time. I went to Monte Carlo a few times, for simply the reason that it was the closest terma to my apartment. There was a very varied selection of girls here, more varied than at the other terms it seemed. (In terms of quality). A number of 9s, ranging all the way down to a few 4s. Though I did have a few good experiences here, I found that you were more likely to get the tourist treatment here than at lumo, which was close by. I also didn’t really like the fact that Monte Carlo, for whatever reason, only has one suite.

Help

I’ve heard it said that this is the biggest disco in South America. Well, I don’t think so, I’ve seen several bigger, and I believe there are some in Costa Rica, (though they are only opened for special occasions) that rival it in size. Though I like dancing, and I didn’t find the music to be that loud at all (perhaps a sign I’ve been too long in Latin America), I was not very found of Help at all. I found that on average, the chica’s were not very good looking, though there were definitely some stunners. I also found that it was all too easy to make eye contact with a really aggressive chica who would then follow you around the place and I’d have to be pretty rude to get rid of her. I ended up going to Help 3 times, and only taking home something once. (Spending more than 2 hours there each time). On a amusing note, the girl I did take home wouldn’t take American dollars, only brazilian reis or euros. She said the dollar was too weak, this coming from a brasilian prostitute, desperate for money. Ahhh, thank you Mr. Bush.

The Beach

I did have high hopes for this, but unfortunately I was there in the brazilian fall/winter and the beaches were not as crowded as I hoped, and I guess the quality of girls lying around simply wasn’t there. Though I ate at Mei Patica once, it was only once, and the girls that were sitting around there were more of a reason for me not to go back than to return. I walked by the restaurant numerous other times and never saw anything worth picking up.

Comparisons and Reflections

In terms of the food, I found the restaurants in Rio to be both better on average and much cheaper than the restaurants in Costa Rica.

The people on the street in both places I found to be very friendly (one of the things I do like a lot about costa rica is how friendly the people are here), though you do have to put up with touts in both places. It is much easier for me to deal with the touts in San Jose as I speak Spanish and I live here. In both countries, if you leave the main centers, you’re much less likely to encounter touts.

When it comes to safety, while I was in rio, I had my $25 timex watch ripped off my wrist in broad daylight walking along the copocabana boardwalk, and another day, a trans-sexual also attempted to pick pocket me as I was walking home to my apartment on atlantica avenue at about 10pm. Both times I was stone cold sober. Though Costa Rica itself can be dangerous I did find myself more worried and concerned about my safety in Rio than in Costa Rica itself.

When it comes to actual tourism itself (and the kind of tourism I like is the natural kind, be it for fishing or to go off to a canopy tour), I think costa rica has brazil beat hands down. It’s very very easy to find someone here that speaks at least a little English (in terms of tourism agencies, hotels etc), and it’s incredibly easy to get yourself to a gorgeous secluded beach.

If you can find a chica that you hit it off with, the beach is a great place to go to, and by and large, the chicas are delighted to go with you to the beach. True, rio has buzios etc etc, but I just found that this was not as common a thing to do there vs in Costa Rica.

When it comes to the beauty of the women, I am still amazed at all the shapes, looks and sizes Brazilian garotas come in, but I guess that is to be expected in a country with some 250 million people or so. At first I was a little disappointed at the average quality of the girls in the termas, but then I realized, that unlike the delray or an idem, these girls can’t make their bodies look better by choosing clever clothing. You can’t hide much in a gstring. You’ll find great looking girls in both places, just more of them (partly because there are more girls) in brazil than in costa rica.

On the whole, the best sex I’ve had was a one night stand with a Columbian from the delray, followed closely by a nica girlfriend (non pro) who I went out with for a few months. Rio wasn’t the ‘oh my god I’m in heaven’ sexual experience that I hoped it would be, but it was extremely fun. And it’s definitely better than costa rica if you’d like to do a dupla.
For the person that doesn’t speak Spanish or Portuguese, for pure mongering enjoyment, I would definitely recommend Rio over Costa Rica. Even in the 2.5 years I’ve been here in Costa Rica, I’ve seen a more mercenary attitude develop among the chicas in the Delray. This is in part I’m sure due to the immigration sweeps and the fact that many chicas now need to spend a fair amount of money to get residency in cr so they won’t be sweeped up. Going up to the average chica in the delray, without speaking Spanish, you’re going to have to be lucky to get a really good experience. In Rio, you don’t have to be that lucky, you just have to look around the terma’s, and a good 8 of 10 times, you’re going to have a good experience.

I liked the relaxed atmosphere of the terma’s a lot, in that you can sit, make out with your girl, then go to the cabine. The closest thing you can get to that here in costa rica is a strip club, and 9 out of 10 times those places will rip you off, and regardless will be much more expensive.

In conclusion, I’d say if you can’t speak Spanish or Portuguese, and you’re looking to go for a mongering filled vacation, Rio is definitely a better option and you’re much more likely to have better experiences there. If you’re interested in doing a bit of mongering on the side and you want to see a beautiful country, consider going to Costa Rica.

If you can speak Spanish, and you’d like a relaxing vacation at the beach, or in jungle type setting, with a gorgeous girl, I would definitely think it’s worth your while to check out Costa Rica. You don’t have to speak Spanish very well mind you, just enough to carry out a decent conversation.

Would I go back to brazil? Yes I would go back, but I don’t miss it horribly.

Good comparision. I wholeheartedly agree with
everything you said, except for my Help experiences have been much better than yours.
Could be I hit the good nights, could be dumb luck, whatever, but I love Help and the whole scene surrounding it.

Very nice report, but getting to the beach in San Jose involves a road trip--Rio is surrounded by beaches. People who like the beach would probably perfer Rio. Also, your observation of Meia Putaca is consistent with what I always see. MP is an armpit in my opinion.

Thanks for the fresh point of view and a good report. As for beaches, if you just hit Copacabana and Ipanema, you ain't seen nothing! Just in Rio City you can find plenty of "unspoiled" beaches if you head out to Recreio (out beyond Barra, about 1 hour away), and there are all kinds of beaches/mountains/jungle, etc throughout Rio de Janerio state, not to mention what's available in the rest of the country. Admitedly, Costa Rica has all the same wildlife/nature/outdoor sports concentrated in a much smaller area, but Brazil has anything you are looking for (except snow).

Enjoy!

BS

It surprises me that your watch was ripped off your wrist along the boardwalk and you were also almost the victim of a pick-pocket.

Also, regarding Meia Petaca, I don't like being stared and whistled at by desperate below average women.

southern brazil gets some snow about every tenth year according to people down there,this was said by a person working at the brazilian embassy in stockholm when i borrowd some films there.iggy sca

NIce report from a unique vantage point. The only point I might disagree on is that the beaches are more easily accessed in Rio than CR, and lots of guys in Rio do take their girls to Buzios, Cabo Frio, Angra dos Rios, Parati. etc. I always head off to the coasts when in CR (for surfing), but it's a much more major undertaking than doing so around Rio.

I agree that CR has spectacular venues for tourism: beaches, jungles, white-water rafting, surfing, etc. Brasil has all of that as well, but the toursim infrastructure is better developed in CR and is more easily accessed there, Brasil has amazing things to see, but it's a BIG country, so it takes time (and $) to really get to know it.

For the women, I'll take Rio every time. For a pure vacation, I often go to CR. Love 'em both!

Thanks for the advice on the nearby beaches, bwana and badseed. I'll be sure to check those out next time i get down there. I guess i skipped over that info in reports i had read. Or perhaps i was just a little more interested in the details of terma sessions

Do you guys take the buses out to the nearby beaches or do you generally take agency organized trips or?

I drive a car, purely because I've had access to a car one way or another. Otherwise, bus is the best way to go, organized tours are a pain in the butt, IMHO.

BS

You can walk to some decent surf spots if you stay in copa or Ipanema, or take a taxi to Barra (rent a board)--Also, if you surf the internet as well as the Atlantic, you can find some surf guides in Barra who will pick up you and your board and take you to local spots in the Barra area

Ditto...for the beaches BS mentions you can take a bus, even a very cheap 3 reais minivan cruising along the beach roads in town with a cardboard sign that says "Recreio" or "Barra da Tijuca." For the beaches I mentioned, all 2-3 hours away, buses are available; you can book a trip for Bobby at Blame It on Rio Travel and they'll tell you all the particulars and help with housing, etc.

I love the fact that you can spend the days at the beach and hit the terma's afterwards in Rio, San Jose is so far from the beaches. There isn't much that I like do in CR during the day. I like the fact that you don't have to negotiate at the terma's vs. the Delray. In CR, I prefer the New Fanatsy and Idem for this reason. There are so many more options in Rio. CR is okay for a weekend, but I prefer Rio.

I would say you were even handed writing this report. I've been to Rio several times within the last two years. It's fast becoming my second home. I'll be visiting San Jose for the first time this November. Where in San Jose can one find a balance between price,attitude and looks?