Rio Holiday - July 2002

[Guest pshaw]

I recently returned from a 10-day trip to Rio and would first like to thank all those who provided such great and useful information. It made the trip go so much easier. The weather was absolutely perfect - 80s in the day, low 70s at night. It was a delightful contrast to the sweltering heat that I escaped from here in Washington, DC. It did take a couple of a days for me to realize that the sun was setting early (around 5:30pm) because it was winter. Duh!

 

Re: the recommendations regarding learning some Portuguese, I can only reiterate that it is very advantageous. Once you step off the Avenida Atlantica, finding those who speak English is definitely not a given. I had learned a bit of Portuguese before I left, but not nearly enough - I probably learned more while I was in Rio. I now know that before any return trip I will put in a much stronger effort to learn more. I got by with my limited words and phrases, but just barely. It didn't keep me from having fun, but I know that I could have had a much better time if I knew a bit more of the language. There were a couple of guys who I definitely would have spent longer time with if we could have communicated better.

 

I stayed at the Copacabana Mar Hotel - a nice business-class hotel. It's two short blocks west of the Copacabana Palace on Rua Ministro Viveiros de Castro between Rua Rodolfo Dantas and Rua Duvivier and one block east of the Metro station - a very decent location. I had booked through http://www.ipanema.com at a rate of $60USD plus 10% tax, but wound up paying $53 a night and no tax. When I checked out, the front desk clerk's eyes popped when he saw the bill and said, "You got a VERY good rate." I never took anyone back to the room, but the rate posted for a 3rd person was 75 reals. (The roomrate is the same for a single or double.)

 

In spite of the warnings about crime that I read and received from well-meaning friends, I have to say that I never felt unsafe. I didn't wander the streets alone at 3am, but frequently got back to the hotel around 1am or so. The Metro is very easy to use (but again, no English directions), although it is somewhat limited as it closes at 11pm and is totally closed on Sundays. I never felt unsafe on the 3-minute walk to or from the Gloria station to Club 117 - if the Metro was closed when I left the Club, I just caught a taxi on Rua da Gloria. The bar/cafe almost across the street from Club 117 was always open when I walked by, and the Cafe Odeon at the Leblon entrance/exit to Gloria station was a nice place for an apres-sauna cafezhino.

 

Before I go on to the saunas, I will mention the issue of getting cash. I usually rely on my PLUS card when traveling - when I'm in Thailand there is an international ATM on practically every block in the major tourist areas and cambios/money exchange places are open every day. In Copacabana, I wound up relying on the Citibank ATMs inside the Blockbuster Video as these were the only machines I found on the PLUS network. (I think Banco do Brasil is on the Cirrus network.) Unfortunately, sometimes these were out of cash or simply not connecting to the network. On my last Sunday I found myself getting short of cash. The cambios were all closed, American Express was closed (M-F, 9am-3pm), and the Citibank ATMs weren't dispensing cash. Even the hotel cashier was short on cash that day. As a result, I had to hoard the reals I already had so that I could enjoy the sauna that night and had to pass on buying unique souvenirs and gifts at a very nice craft fair in Ipanema. So I advise on stocking up on cash before Sunday so you don't get caught short as I was. And don't get stuck with 100 real notes - they are the Brazilian equivalent of $100 bills, very hard to get change for. The 50 real notes are useful for tipping the termas boys, the 10 and 20 real notes are most useful for routine expenditures. At most restaurants I used my VISA card, even though most dinners rarely ran much over 20 reals. This is the first time I've been to a city where a credit card is usually more welcome than cash. At one fast food place the cashier was trying to get the customer to use his credit/bank card as she didn't have enough change for his 50 real note.

 

OK, on to the termas.

 

First, some general notes (I apologize in adance for my poor Portuguese grammar and spellings). My primary experience with "money boys" on this scale has been in Thailand. There are definite diffences. EVERY Brazilian guy I met at the saunas had a cock that ranged from large to jumbo. I tend to think of myself as versatile, but many of these guys were just too damn big for me. I wound up with a "cu dor" (when I said this, most guys knew that I meant I had a sore ass) and many nights I decided that I had to be activo out of necessity. Fortunately, many of the guys are versatile. I frequently found myself going for the face over the body. My general preference is for slim smooth Asian and Latin men, but many guys won me over with a beautiful smile and I had a great time with all sorts of body types. Many of the guys I wound up with were chunkier and hairier than I am used to, but I did not find this to be any drawback. I was pleased to find that my horizons were expanding. The guys tended to be much more passionate and interactive than many of the Thai guys I have been with - even if they are straight, the Brazilian guys really seem to enjoy sex and usually build up quite a sweat.

 

I also learned quickly that when a guy asked you, "Gozo?" , it basically meant did you want to pay extra for him to cum. I didn't hang around until closing time at the saunas, so perhaps later in the evening an extra tip isn't involved. As a novice I'm sure I overpaid for some things - it's hard to bargain or argue when you don't know the language. Generally I got by on 50 reals per encounter, but sometimes they wanted more for certain things and with my limited Portuguese I was kind of stuck. I've learned some lessons, I think, and will do better next visit now that I have more experience under my belt. Also, I found it difficult at times to get shed of some guys. If I went with them one night, they latched onto me the next time I showed up. It's my fault that sometimes I went with them again out of default, although sometimes it really wasn't a problem. For the future, I must learn to be more forceful in saying, "You're a nice guy, but tonight I want different guys."

 

Rogers

I only went here once. I went around 7pm (my usual sauna arrival time) and there were only about 5 boys present at the time. It probably had something to do with the fact that this was the night that the victorious Brazilian football team was having its motorcade from Brasilia to Rio and the Avenida Atlantica was packed with people waiting for a glimpse of the team. I wound up spending all my time there with APOLLO (mentioned in Jaunty's travelogue), who is fairly attractive, very friendly, speaks English well, and, frankly, stuck to me like glue. I was there for about three hours and I think that I was the only customer during the entire time. One thing I definitely did NOT like was the locked gate to the cabine area - in the event of a fire, you are toast. I'm sure the circumstances of the evening were unique, but based on my experience I decided that I preferred Estacao or Club 117.

 

Estacao

I probably went here the most since it was only about a 10-minute walk from the hotel (Rogers is about one or two blocks west of Estacao). Nice place, although midway during my time in Rio they closed the lounge toward the rear for renovations, which crammed everyone into a much smaller area and oftentimes getting a seat wasn't very easy. Many handsome friendly guys, some a bit clingy and a few con artists, but nothing too bad.

Looking over my notes, my favorites were:

KAIYO (I have no idea how his name is really spelled), a beefy young guy with a beautful smile who reminded me of a young Mario Van Peebles. Good kisser and versatile. We changed places at being activo and passivo. He can speak very limited English.

IVAN, a cute slim dark-skinned European-looking guy with a very slight overbite and soulful eyes. He is very much into caressing and kissing (beije), licking (lambe) and sucking (chupa). Also very versatile. I did a 3-way with him and Kaiyo, the best of the three 3-ways that I tried. No English.

NICKY, handsome young black guy, shaved head. He gave the best of the few massages that I tried. We focused on the massage and ended with my sucking his big dick while he gave me the best handjob I have had in quite some time. Some masseurs know just the right amount of cream and action to use when they deliver the coup de grace, and Nicky is one of them. I hit my chin when I came - it's been quite awhile since I've done that. Very nice smile, very friendly, virtually no English. I was disappointed that I never ran into him any of the other nights I was at Estacao.

KEVIN - that's the name he gave me, but I have no idea if it's his real name or not. I think he thinks he looks like a young Kevin Costner. A young white guy, slightly hairy chest, speaks English fairly well. Not exactly my type, but a winning if somewhat pushy personality. I did a 3-way with him and Ivan and it was almost as good as the 3-way I had with Ivan and Kaiyo.

There were others of course, but these are the ones who stand out in memory.

 

Club 117

As others have pointed out, the gem of the Big Three of the Rio saunas. As noted above, it was a snap taking the Metro here, except on Sunday. I found the best subway exit to take is the one labeled to the Leblon buses. You come out in front of the Cafe Odeon, walk forward the first cross street, Rua Candida Mendes, and take a left. You see the big Club 117 sign straight ahead. Off Rua da Gloria you are obviously in a residential area, but hardly threatening as some have indicated. If you are at all used to urban areas, I can't imagine being nervous walking to and from the Club. The club's layout is a bit confusing to the novice, but many guys are usually hanging around the entrance and most are more than willing to guide you around with the hope that you will get together with them. In my case, the guide was:

FERNANDO (nickname "Leko"), a very cute early-20s Nuyorican-looking guy with hair cut to the scalp (but not shaved) strutting around in a speedo. He knows a very little bit of English but has a winning personality. VERY affectionate in the lounge area, but more of a one-way top in the cabine. I learned to prolong our stay in the lounge where he lavishes most of his kisses, face strokes (while saying "carinho"(?)) and nipple licks and nips before going to the cabine. Yet I really enjoyed his personality and accepted these limitations. We actually got together three times during my stay in Rio and he was one of the few tops who I could comfortably accomodate. And he loves to have his armpits licked and nipples playes with. Fernando is a bit of a conman, trying to talk me into buying him "size 41 Nikes," which I declined, but he was very happy and surprised when I gave him a souvenir Tshirt from DC. The rest of evening I caught glimpses of him showing off the shirt to his friends.

PAULO was my favorite of all the sauna boys I met in Rio, a stocky dark-skinned guy with a hairy chest and eyes that seem to swallow you up. We did a massage first (OK, but not as good as Nicky's), then full-blown sex after. He was a great kisser and very eager bottom. Although he spoke virtually no English, he was the one guy I was really tempted to take back to the hotel. Unfortunately, he wasn't there any of the other night's I was at Club 117.

HUGO (same as Jaunty's "Oogo"?), a pleasant young guy who wore braces and was returning to Spain in a few days to work in a sauna there. He had a very friendly, eager to please personality. Nice smooth bottom. A little plainer looking than many of the guys there, but cute in his own way.

RODRIGO was a friendly young black man, big soft lips and a great kisser. Another very obliging bottom. No English at all, but we still managed to communicate the basics.

 

That's about it for my holiday in Rio (at least the sexual part). I am in awe of those of you who average 4 to 7 guys a night.There was only one evening where I had as many as 4 guys, and that was two 3-ways. I found myself getting exhausted with all the sex at night and walking around during the day, and there were some evenings where I really had to convince myself to not take a night off from the saunas. Such are the burdens of a short holiday - you don't want to waste an opportunity. Another time I will do a comparison of Thailand with Brazil. Both have many positives and a few short-comings. But I must say that I was quite impressed with all that Rio had to offer, especially its beautiful passionate men. Again, thank you to all of you whose narratives, reviews and tips made my Rio holiday so enjoyable.

[+ Axiom2001]

Hey, man, thanks for your response. I really enjoyed reading what you had to report, and I am elated that you had an extremely wonderful adventure while in Brazil. I, too, a non-Portuguese speaker plan to go to Rio and two other cities in October. I hope my lack of the language will not put too much of a damper on my overall enjoyment.

 

Although you stated that you envied previous sauna visitors who had many sexual encounters in one night-- I would NOT be. You know your limitations; I know mine. Here, do you have more than one escort per evening? (I know the $$'s make a big difference, but I'd merely bask in what I encountered and leave it there.)

 

Again, thanks much P....