This is a brief summary of my trip to Rio in early October for about 10 days. Overall I had a great time although a couple of negative things did happen there.

ACCOMADATIONS-
I stayed at the Arporador Inn in Ipanema- previous reports on this hotel were accurate- basic and small but a decent hotel- it cost about 40$ per nite plus tax for a standard room. It is in a good location on the beach and it was nice at nite to walk out onto Ipanema beach- Ipanema is definitely nicer than Copa. For anyone looking for a budget hotel this is a good 1. They said I could bring guests back with no problem although I never did. The breakfast buffet here was decent with nice views of the ocean from the dining room.

Day-1---took a taxi from the airport-the nicer 1 where it's prepaid (it cost 20$ US) not 1 of the yellow taxis-i will probably take 1 of those next time since i had no problems with them during the whole trip.
Arrived at my hotel and rested for awhile. I then went to Solarium terma on a Sunday night- It was expensive to get in 90 reals (swinger's nite). I was amazed when I got there- the selection of women was incredible, loads of hot babes-Rio definitley lives up to the hype-Solarium had the best looking women of any terma and the facilties and the boite was very nice- the best of any terma. I slept with 2 girls- both were very good looking-i dont remember their names- good but not great experiences (I had better quality sessions at 4 X 4) but still far better than anything I have ever had in my numerous trips to TJ. Both were BBBJ's.

After Solarium, I took a cab to Luomo--50 reals to get in. I was kinda of disappointed by this 1- a few very good looking women but it was quite small although watching the girls double dance at this terma was fun. I did notice a lot of other Americans at this terma for some reason. I left without a session and took a cab to Monte Carlo- I got there just before it closed and did not get around to getting a girl- the selection seems sparse- maybe because it was late or maybe cuz it was Sunday- the terma itself was fairly nice-better than Luomo---took a cab back to my hotel after MC.

Day 2-Monday- I went to 4 X 4 and this was the place I pretty much stayed at my entire trip--the prices and selection were great. The 1st girl I went up with was Lohani-very good looking and excellent athletic body(sometimes she goes by Simone-there are pictures posted of her by other members)She was excellent and enthusiatic--proably 5 foot 6 with black hair-highly recommended-I have pictures of her-i might post them later if i can figure out how) Most of the women at 4 by 4 allowed photos if u ask them in advance.

The 2nd session was with Taiza (another girl with pics posted by other members) She is much better looking in person than in the photos (i got a few pics of her as well--She was excellent in bed and is recommened.

The rest of the trip and misc. notes--Every day that 4 by 4 was open during my 10 day vacation- I was there--The prices were the best and the selection was excellent- there were so many good looking women there that I did not have a chance to sleep with them all---The selection could be slim b4 5pm on some days but after 5pm that it got much better and much more crowded especially on Thurs and Fri.--Monday was not bad the whole nite- I would recommend to leave a 1 or 2 real tip for the women who watch your stuff in the lockers. They have a VIP bar upstairs and it is very nice and less crowded than the main boite-they serve food as well-check it out

A brief note on some of the other women I had sex with:
-Ohanna- a tall 5 foot 9 maybe-black hair-very nice girl--good looking with very nice bod---she gave a great BBBJ and was enthusiastic in bed

-Tatina- a beautiful 19 year old with long black hair-probably 5 foor 6- excellent in bed

-Lohani-not the 1 I mentioned earlier- a different girl-5 foot 5 - a gorgeous brunette with dark brown skin who was perfect from head to toe--VG BBBJ and good in bed-the best looking girl I screwed the entire trip

-Vanessa (Solarium)I went back to Solarium once after the 1st day and screwed Vanessa - She tried hard but the vibe just was not good and I was not into it

-Karina-5 foot 6-dyed brown hair-a real sweetheart-1 of the nicest girls at 4 by 4 and the most enthisiastic in bed - A true GFE- The best experience I had in Rio was with her-Did her 3 times- highly recommended--she must have a good rep- she was quite busy most of the time

-There were other women I slept with at 4 by 4 but I dont remmeber their names

-Crime- I was a victim of an attempted mugging near the end of my trip-Rio lives up to its dangerous reputation. I had walked around several times at night before the attempted mugging and had become overconfident-even though I had read several times on the board not to.
Also, Someone at 4 by 4 told me SPECIFICALLY NOT TO WALK AROUND COPA BEACH AND ESPECIALLY IN FRONT OF HELP NITECLUB (HE SPENDS 6 MONTHS A YEAR IN RIO, SO HE KNOWS HIS STUFF)AT NITE. OF COURSE BEING A HARD HEADED IDIOT I IGNORED HIS ADVICE. Leaving the souvenier stand (it was about 8PM) in front of Help and walking along Copa beach after buying some t-shirts a man started following me in a suspicous manner and grabbed my shirt-I ran and got away and my shirt was ripped (a old dollar store t-shirt so no big deal) -Fortuantely I was paying attention and was not too surprised when he did this-something felt wrong when i saw him near me. DO NOT BE AN IDIOT LIKE I WAS- DO NOT WALK AROUND HELP AT NITE -TAKE A CAB INSTEAD. I was lucky -I was carrying valuables with a lot of cash and was wearing a nice watch--all i lost was a crappy old t-shirt. I had walked by Help at nite b4 the attempted mugging and this male teenager kept giving me the eye like a piece of tourist meat he wanted to feast on--it is dangerous around Help at nighttime- be careful and be very aware of your surroundings and take a cab. A note on Help itself- it was an interesting sight seeing all the women at Help - I did not take a girl back to my place though- I just liked the termas much better.

PORTUGUESE-I dont speak portuguese and my basic spanish was of only a little help-most of the girls dont speak english/spanish- try to learn some portuguese if u can-it makes the the whole experience even better-my recommededation is to goto your local library and borrow some tapes- I hear Pimsluer is the best

-Tourist sites--Christo was great -defintiely worth the trip-make the time to go in your schedule-pick a clear day-
-Rio Sur Mall-nothing special-unless u really like to shop I would skip it- The stands in from of Help at nighttime have the best prices for souvenirs like shirts etc but like I mentioned b4 -be careful there-it a hotspot for crime-
The Arpoador rocks on Ipanema beach-good view on top of the rocks-visit if u can-
By mistake I ended up around some lake or lagoon near Solarium at nite--really nice views of Christo and the city--again be careful walking at nite though
-Downtown-plenty of shops/restuarants/historic building-take a stroll b4 u head to 4 by 4--it seemed dangerous walking around at nite, though- i would not do it again- daytime is safe. For food there is a decent kilo restaurant right across from 4 by 4 and there are a lot of street merchants selling cheap pirated CD's downtown. Also I remember a terma called Terma 21 right near 4 by 4, i believe it was on Avenue Cahmo or something like that- I will try to visit it next time
-Hippie Fair in Ipanema- nice place to buy arts and crafts if u like that kind of stuff

Summary- I had a great time and am looking forward to my next Rio trip. All the posts by other members about Rio were very helpful so I thought I should try to leave a post as well. I am sure I am forgetting some stuff-maybe I will add it in later along with some pics--Rio is awesome-by all means go if u can-it has to be 1 of the most beautiful cities in the world- just be careful and take precautions, it is a dangerous city. The termas and the women at the termas were incredible and the enthusiam of the women in bed was fantastic- Remember the risks involved however, I must have had 15 BBBJ's and when I got home I had a rash on my genitals- The clinic said a simple rash and possible chalmaydia-i got some medicine and that was that--not to rain on anyone's parade- just be careful down there------I had a great time in spite of a couple bad things happening and can not wait to go back- With the currency exchange still favorable it is an excellent value. It was 10 of the best days of my life and I had a great time. Have fun and your comments are welcome.

Thanks
-

Mrsoyaras
Glad you enjoyed Rio. Thanks for posting a list of the girls who gave u a rash. Will watch out for them all.

well, of course i am not sure which 1 gave me a rash-it might be 1 of the girls that i did not post by name-i forgot a lot of their names- the girls are supposed to be tested every month for STD's

I'm glad you had a good time. As for the bad stuff, the following statement speaks volumes:

" I was carrying valuables with a lot of cash and was wearing a nice watch"

The best way to avoid petty crime anywhere is don't wear a watch, or jewelry and don't carry anything in your hands that can be grabbed.

A good pair of cargo shorts is your best crime deterent. The pockets hold anything you need and keep you hands free.

Also, walk at a brisk pace, head up and look alert and sober. Thieves look for easy targets. Lost, drunk, or a quick grab and dash is what they want to find.

Sterling

The most dangerous area of Rio by far, except for the in the middle of a favela, is around Help Disco. It is not safe, and particularly anytime after midnight. These people are just looking for a tourist to roll, and it happens every day. I know too many people that know what they are doing, have bad experiences. Always take a taxi if you want to go to Help. Better yet, is to not to go at all.

The area outside of Solarium is called Lagoa. This area is very safe at almost any time of day. It is well lit, and there are little police stands every 500m or so.

Rio is not anymore dangerous than any big city anywhere in the world. Copacabana is actually the safest place in Rio, because the police are everywhere and the beachfront is well lit and with a lot of people because of the restaurants. Try walking in Ipanema beach after 9 PM; the place is dark.

Anyone with eyes who cares to notice will see that Copa is unquestionably NOT "the safest place in Rio".

After midnight the police are not "everywhere" -- for that matter they are not everpresent in the daytime.

Bluestraveller is absolutely correct in that the concentration of tourists (often) oblivious to the potential dangers of being robbed, assaulted or worse makes Copa a mecca of street crime.

Be aware, take prudent steps, and in all likelihood you'll be OK, but ignore the dangers and instead you'll likely be a victim.

It is not safe at all, so all of you fuckers stay away for Thanksgiving.

Specifically, Luomo is very dangerous, so please stay away from Luomo during Thanksgiving week. At the very least, stay away between the hours of 4:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M. or so.

Thank you for your support

I forgot to mention that the most serious attacks happen in the Termas. You can just be minding your own business and the next thing you know some woman has violated you and your are 200R lighter.

Be afraid...be very afraid.

Msorayas
You mentioned walking by the beach at night and getting mugged or did you get mugged by Help?
I always walk from Help to Rio Roiss but I usually call it a night by 3:00 am.

Crime can happen to anyone at anytime. I live downtown. Generally speaking, I see less of the folks that look like trouble here than in Copa. But there are considerably less cops downtown. Also, it has been my observation that cops in Rio dont do anything anyway--except in Copa where I have observed them interveneing occasionally.

One Sunday morning a month ago I was in Lapa beside the big church there. Two guys came up behind me, one grabbed my arm, held up a knife and said he wanted my backpack. I managed to get away, but about 2 blocks further I saw two cops sitting watching me. They never lifted a finger.

What was the medicine you weregiven for the rash?

I was leaving the souvenir stands in front of Help when the guy who tried to mug me started to follow me and as soon I as crossed the street to the beach he grabbed my shirt and then I escaped. Referring to what GCL posted, I think the cops probably saw what happened but just didnt care.

The clinic in Maricopa county gave me some cortisone to use for a week and the rash disappeared.

I was on a bus in Botofogo once and a policeman entered the bus. At the next stop there was someone who tried to steal a purse and several bystanders were fighting with the person trying to hold them there. Another bystander saw the policeman on our bus and came to the door to ask for his help. He was probably 15 feet away from all of this and saw the disturbance--but he just stood there and said nothing as the bus doors closed and we rolled away.

I am not sure what the police do in Rio. Going back to my prior assault storry--I told the two military police who stood beside the church and watched the assault on me that I didnt understand what they were doing there. I suggested they would be just as effective on their sofas. I probably shouldnt have mouthed off like that (am sure of it actually) but I was angry. However, they were unfazed by my comments.

GCL- I am sorry for your troubles but may I ask what you were doing near a church?

BLUES- a rare treat to see you here my friend..but dont go to helpe'!!! we have to buddy..what will happened to our beloved terrace dinners at 10 pm??

Layne, the church, quite obviously, was next to a R1/minute terma.

And I agree, BT...where else can we get drunk and do our karaoke routines other than the Terrace?

Layne & B_D,
Oh he'll hang out at Terraco, drink and sing. I've had very recent experiences of this.
CG

Just for the record, and several others will back me up, the most dangerous place in all of Rio for a Gringo are the areas surrounding Help Disco. Stories abound of many well known mongers and guides that have been victim to scumbags with knives and guns. Extra extra caution should be the name of the game. It has never happened to me, but I just consider myself lucky for all the time that I hung out there.

That said, if Karl is game, let's sing till they close the place again!

As long as we're stating things "for the record". I'd just like to say it's damn good to see the name Bluetraveler back on the board. This place just didn't smell the same without you.

See you in January,
Sterling

Certainly I was not trying to discount the warning by BT. As he stated and I was witness to the aftermath of one of these instances, even people who are very in tune with being in that area around Help have had problems.
CG

Is the area around Help dangerous day and night or are we only talking about later at night when the disco is open?

the worst time is around closing time,day time it does not have any more incidents than other areas.iggy sca

Buffer, anytime after midnight it gets dicey if you wander away from Help on foot. Even if you're only going 3-4 blocks, it's best to take a cab. That cab ride will cost you $2; beats getting robbed or worse.

Bwana- true I am sure...but you have to give it to him...the man sessions like he is on vacation..


BT- for you my friend I will take the bullet and or knife while you get away...as for karl ..I bet he is always game...no matter how many times they roll him...otherwords you better do the terrace with me next week at least once..pretty please...I promise not to drag you to VM..

CG- you have that pretty blondes number for me??!! I have unfinished biz with her...

Layne87,
She's easy enough to find. You know the place.
CG

have I been misinformed then..I heard she was on a goat ranch married!?

Layne87,
She is back from the ranch and holding court in the old haunt.
CG

Gee, I thought she'd gone to med school to become a proctologist. Now I hear she's a baker. All I can say for certain is she baked CG's ass last week.

Well the old pćo was a rising.
CG

I misspoke...actually she baked your breadstick...OK, being more generous, your baguette.
BD

hot dang..I will give her your love next week then...since you cock blocked me last time...