Just came back recently from a 25 day stay in Rio, thought I would jot down some quick obeservations I made. I am not a great writer like Athos or Porker, so bear with me.

1) When the hell do you guys wake up? My apartment was only one block away from Alcazar, so I had to pass it constantly everyday. I would walk by in the morning, early afternoon and evening and I NEVER met anyone from the board. In fact nobody would be sitting in Alcazar before 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I felt bad that I was there for almost 1 month and never got a chance to meet anyone from the board. (Have to say I am sorry to Stayawayjoe, he did invite me for a beer and I never was able to hook up with him, next time bro)

2) Mabs is now known as "Creature Feature" because they have the host hideous girls I have ever seen working. Even V.M. has better looking girls than the ones you will find in Mabs. Sad, because back in the day, Mabs used to have a number of really good looking women working.

3) Balconey has some frightening looking girls too, but its great place to go at 5AM when you feel like getting that last piece of ass for the night. You have to search high and low, but there are some diamonds to be found. (normally paid about 100R)

4) Fucking taxi drivers in front of Help are the biggest fucking crooks in Rio. Now, they want to charge you 20R to take you to your hotel instead of their standard ripoff rate of 10R!! Got into a huge arguement with one asshole because I told him the regular rate from help to the ATlantico hotel was 5R. I told him I was willng to pay double, but the dickhead insisted that I pay 20. I just opened the door, grabbed my date, walked 5 feet and flagged down a moving taxi, cost me 5R:-)

5) Watching the group of 10 little street kids in front of help reminded me of the "Pride of the Serengetti" documentary that I saw on the discovery channel. The pride attacked a large water buffalo by operating as a group, same tactic the kids used to take down a drunk working girl who was walking home. One jumped up and put her in a head lock while the rest of the "pride" attacked her body, legs and purse. It only took about 30 seconds for them to pummel her and take her money. I was amazed at their efficiency until I noticed them "stalking" me the next evening. I had to show them the horns to convince them that they would be better off seeking easier prey!!

6) 4X4 quality was the worst I have ever seen it. I guess may of their top girls left after Cassia was killed. 2 trips and I didnt take anyone upstairs:-( The only one I was interested in, gave me a bullshit story that she would get suspended if she let me take pics in the room, so I passed.

7) 65 and Solarium was hopping. Alot of great looking young girls who more than made up for the bad time I had at 4X4.

8) I truly enjoyed having the terma girls come to my apartment (either before or after work) instead of having them for only one hour in the terma. Every terma girl who came to my place stayed for a few hours and multiple rounds for only 150R.

9) Still have not fucking hooked up with Taina!! Its fustrating as hell because I have been looking for her for 5 months and 3 trips! I just knew I could locate her on this 3 week trip, but no luck. Seems like nobody on this board has her number or is willing to share it. I swear I am going to take someone from this board hostage and my only demand is that his fellow mongers deliver Taina to my apartment.HAHAHAHAHAHA!

10) Get a cell phone! Life is so much easier with a cell phone, both for contacting friends and the girls. I got one for 200R at Rio Sul, had a girl put it in her name for me. Great investment! Had a couple of cuies call me at 4AM looking for a place to stay. If I didn't have that cell phone, someone else would have been getting some free ass that night.

My experience with Alcazar is that 1:00 P.M seems to be the magic hour. Some guys start landing on the patio around noon and then people start heading out at around 1:45 P.M. in order to hit 4 x 4 when it opens. Just look for a table or two full of guys sitting on the patio. They'll be the ones with the shit eatin' grins on their faces.

Sterling

Thumper
Thanks for the update. Are you talking of Taina, the mestica from MC? If that's the one, she went recently to Italy. So expect her back in a few months.

Yep, thats the Taina I am talking about. I am headed back to Rio the second week of Dec and then for carnival in feb, I hope she is back by then.

I can undertand why no one is at Alcazar. There is an awful sewage smell there coming from across the street. I bolted quickly.

Back in May there wasn't any smell. The weather isn't so hot, I'm sure that makes a difference. I'll be back in steamy January to sniff around some more. Of course it's all for science...no funny business going on.

Sterling

I continue to be curious about pictures at 4 by 4. Last time I was there, a few months ago, a girl I had previously who enthusiastically posed for the camera a few months earlier, was hesitant this time because of what I understood (keep in mind my Portuguese is weak, at best) was a new rule imposed by management in response to the crackdown that was going on at that time. I know she wasn't using this as a lame excuse to avoid having her pictures taken because she let me take many pictures on that visit, but kept telling me not to let anyone know and also making sure my camera was well hidden in my robe as I left the room. She was definitely paranoid about it, unlike a few months earlier. So, while I understand some of the girls there are still allowing pics (at least based on some of the posts here) I wouldn't discount the possibility that the management has begun to clamp down about this, possibly including penalties against any girls who allow it. Anyone have any other info about this?

Can't understand why management would have a problem with mongers taking pics. What harm could it possibly do? If the girls don't mind, why would the manger?

While I was in 4X4, two other girls were enthusiastic about posing for pics, I just wasn't that attracted to them, so I didnt take them upstairs.

On my last trip, I was turned down by 2 girls for photos both at 4x4. Maybe just coincidence as 1 was new.

The problem about mongers taking pics occurred around the time a few months back when a crackdown was in the works. There are all kinds of reasons for apprehension over pictures when a business is concerned about police raids, etc. It includes adverse publicity from journalists, who might use the pictures in their articles (if I recall a journalist's article was one of the factors that may have precipitated the crackdown), adverse publicity on the internet, and so forth. Anything that could potentially make their businesses more visible to the general public is potentially risky. While the posts I have read recently suggest that the crackdown did not get as bad as some of us feared it might, I can understand that during dicey periods there might be a fear by owners of such places that allowing pictures could in one way or another contribute to their problems.

I must not get around enough, what/where is Balconey? Thanks,

Balcony Bar is a restaurant/bar on Avenida Atlantica. It's down on the Leme end of the strip.

its at praza lido,one block before mabs/ meridien hotel.