Arriving in Rio:
There are two airports in Rio: an international airport (Galeão) and a domestic one (Santos Dumont). Most likely, you’ll arrive at the international airport (at the Antonio Carlos Jobim Terminal), which is a good distance from the places in Rio where you’ll want to make your home. After exiting your plane you’ll first go through immigration. Beginning in January of 2004 Brasil began a practice of fingerprinting and photographing, on a somewhat random basis, all Americans entering the country. This policy was in response to the US decision to do the same with many foreigners (including Brasilians) entering the US. Some days the fingerprinting/photo process is used and other days it is not. Clearing immigrations, however, can be a time-consuming process. Be patient; you’ll be in a termas soon enough!

Airport Taxis:
After passing through immigration, getting your luggage, and clearing customs (usually hassle-free) you’ll head out to get a taxi. When you exit customs, guys wearing quasi-official looking uniforms trying to get a taxi for you may accost you. Do NOT take them up on their offers. Despite their uniforms, they are scam artists and will charge you at least double the highest rate you should pay.

Instead, you have two options. The cheaper of the two is to go directly ahead and outdoors and look for a metered cab (a yellow cab with meter). You may have to walk a ways to your right or left to find one. A metered cab ride to Copacabana should run you between $32-$40 reais (all amounts in Brasil’s currency, the Real, unless otherwise noted). These cabs may or may not be air conditioned (and can charge extra for aircon), and the driver will likely not speak a word of English. However, if you bring a sheet of paper with your hotel’s name and address, you should be fine. I’ve only had a couple of cabbies in Rio try to cheat me (with rigged meters), but I also speak some Portuguese and know my way around the town.

The other option, as you exit customs, is to look for the “radio cab” booths. You’ll see a line of 4-5 booths (”Coopertramo” etc) with women trying to get your attention. Here you’ll pre-pay for an air conditioned “radio taxi” cab to your destination but pay more (about $52 R one way); they will initially ask for more, so always ask for a discount (“tem desconto?”) or start to walk away and the price will come down. The advantage: guaranteed air conditioning and no haggling over the fare. Also, you can pay in dollars here and get a fair exchange, but you risk being ripped off if you try to pay with dollars with a metered cab. BTW, there are banks at the airport where you can exchange currency, including one by the baggage carousels and a couple outside of customs, but the rate is not very good (but better than you’ll get at your local bank at home). Take note that if you arrive on a holiday (they have lots of them in Brasil; see http://www.holidayfestival.com/Brazil.html for a current listing)) or a Sunday, exchanging money may be a big problem. More on currency exchange later.

Getting Around:
Travel in Rio is pretty easy, although one can get in a bit of trouble if you end up in the wrong part of town. Cabs are the best way to travel. Always use yellow cabs unless you choose to take a radio cab to and from the airport (there are some white metered cabs that charge a rate about twice that of the yellow cabs). It’s about $3.30 to get in the cab, and the distance charges are quite reasonable. Fares are slightly higher on Sundays, evenings after 9, and holidays. Always check to make sure the cabbie is using the meter and ask him/her to if he/she starts off without it. The most common tourist rip-off (or as the Rio veterans say, “tourist tax”) is the “no meter” scam. Some cabbies will try to negotiate a flat fare, which is always at least double what the meter fare would be. If a cabbie quotes you a fare when you get in the cab, point to the meter and say “metro, por favor.” If the cabbie balks, get out of the cab and flag down another. Few will speak anything but Portuguese, so if you don’t, write your destinations on a piece of paper and give it to the driver. I was surprised to find how often cabbies didn’t know my hotel’s location or the location of the business (a major firm) I was visiting, so carrying a map is always a good idea.

Cabs are also a reasonable means of going to see some sights. If you want to take in Corcovado (the statue of Christ overlooking Rio) or Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf), you can either arrange it with a tour company (see http://ipanema.com/ ) or just take a cab. The latter is much cheaper, but you’ll have to negotiate tickets, transportation, etc., for yourself. Also note that cabbies are most likely to try to charge you a flat fee when you are going to or coming from one of the major tourist attractions.

Cabbies in Rio tend not to carry much money with them, so don’t expect them to be able to break large bills. Hoard your small bills (1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s) for use with taxis. Tipping is not expected; just round the fare up to the nearest real.

If you want to get away from Copa or Ipanema and try another beach out, I recommend Barra da Tijuca. Barra is a beautiful, wide, white sand beach about 20-25 minutes from Copa. The best way to get there is by minibus. If you stand on the main beachfront roads in Copa or Ipanema, you’ll notice little minivans with cardboard destination signs passing frequently, stopping and picking up folks. These are truly “mini” vans … they cruise the beaches and other parts of town and are an alternative to taxis. The cost from Rio to Barra de Tijuca is 3 reais (it would probably be 35 via cab). Look for a van with a “Barra” sign in the front window and flag it over and ask if it’s going to the beach (praia). If the sign says “Recreio” on it, it’s beach-bound for sure. You can also take the vans to the shopping centers, such as Barra Shopping or Rio Sul Shopping, or to the Hard Rock Café in Barra. When you’re ready to head home, you can flag down almost any minivan and ask if it’s going to Copa or Ipanema. The majority are, even if the sign says Centro, Rio Sul, or something else. These minivans seem to have no shocks or seat cushioning whatsoever … your butt will get a real workout.

Another travel option for some locations you may want to visit is the Metro subway system. It’s a very clean, efficient, and safe subway system. I use it when I want to head into the Centro area to visit the museums and the termas there. There are now two Metro stations in Copacabana, at Rua Siqueira Campos (which opened in March 2003) and at Praça Cardeal Arcoverde. You can take a cab to the station and take the subway on from there. The subway costs about 4.50 reais for a “duplo” (round trip ticket) and 2.25 for a “unitario.” Ten-ride “múltiplo” tickets (“bilhete”) is available for $22.50. Eventually the subway system may extend down to Ipanema, but probably not during my lifetime. For more info on the Rio Metro system, including a map, see http://www.metrorio.com.br. This Metro line (Linha 1, or Linha Vermelha) has been unofficially renamed the “Termas Shuttle” since many of us use it to run between the Centro and Copacabana termas (see below).

Money Matters:
The real is the official unit of currency, having replaced the cruzerio in 1995. One real equals 100 centavos. Bills come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 real (plural is reais) denominations. You can see the currency (bills) at http://www.bancocentra.gov.br/?CEDCOMUM and the coins at http://www.bcb.gov.br/?MOEDAFAM2

The exchange rate bounces around quite a bit. In early 1996 the rate was 96 centavos to the dollar. The real began falling slowly, but steadily, against the dollar, reaching 1.2 per dollar in late 1998. The Real was allowed to float in Jan. 99 and its value plummeted. When I was in Rio in early 1999, I saw the value of my dollar jump from 1.2 to around 2 reais in a few weeks. In June 2000 I got between $1.88 and $1.93 per dollar. Later that same year (September 2002) I got as high as 3.89 per dollar, with that devaluation reflecting investor concerns over the election looming in early October. Unfortunately, by mid-­2003 the rate had dropped to around 2.85 and fell further due to the combined weakening of the dollar and the strengthening of the real. The exchange rate currently sits at 2.20 (as of this revision of the Guide), the lowest it’s been since April of 2002.

Watching the exchange rate is one of the Brasilian national pastimes, and the rate appears on the front page of all major newspapers. While the exchange rate is down below its peak levels, travel in Brasil is still a great deal. You can get an estimate of what you’ll get at the exchange houses at http://www.xe.com/ucc/. Another source, where you can also print out handy currency conversion cheat sheets to carry with you, is http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic.

If you are exchanging cash, rates are usually better at the currency exchange shops, called cambios, than they are at the banks. Hotels generally offer the worst rates, so don’t change money at your hotel unless it’s an emergency.

Also, you’ll get a better rate for cash than for traveler’s checks (unlike some other countries). If you bring cash, try to bring newer bills to avoid concerns about counterfeit currency. You can hunt around and will find different rates at different places, and the rate may vary from hour to hour (rates sometime drop in the afternoon, after the banks have closed), although those fluctuations shouldn’t be too large. I found a cambio offering somewhat better rates by asking one of the girls at Help where she exchanged her dollars. The girls understand money matters well; everyone in Brasil is an amateur economist!

The cambios and banks will be closed on Sundays and holidays, and many close early on Saturdays. Bank hours are 10­-4, M-F. If you arrive on either a Sunday or a holiday, you may want to try to arrange to get some Brasilian currency before you arrive, but the rates you get outside Brasil tend to be pretty poor. You can get by in a pinch by paying for a radio cab at the airport with dollars and exchanging some currency with the radio cab company, or paying for entrance at Help with dollars (see below).

The best rates are sometimes to be had using your ATM card (but, note, this has not been the case in late 2005). Most of the Boys in Brasil can be found lined up at the Citibank ATM machines located next to the Blockbuster store at Av. Nossa Senhora de Copacabana and Rua Figueireido de Magalhães (there’s another Citibank branch on Rua Visconde de Pirajá in Ipanema). Some banks also have ATMs that will work with the CIRRUS and STAR network cards, but others don’t. One big advantage of ATMs is that some are open on days when the banks and cambios are closed, so even if you are usually exchanging cash at the cambios, the ATMs at Citibank will be available should you run out of reais on a Sunday.

Speaking of money, I suggest you always try to pay the girls in reais rather than dollars, as you’ll tend to get a better price. Tell them you don’t carry US cash, only an ATM card. Or tell them you’re Canadian, that you don’t have US dollars, only that worthless Canadian stuff, and you’ll do fine. If a girl negotiates in dollars, you might want to be a bit wary of her; most will mention an amount in reais (see “Some Thoughts on Money”).

One interesting side note: an excellent rate of exchange is often offered at the termas and at Help Disco. They won’t allow you to exchange money, but they will allow you to pay in US currency, give you a very good rate, and give change in reais. Help and Termas L’uomo were giving a rate of 2.40 when the cambios were giving about 2.30 and the ATMs were giving 2.20.

You will also run into folks on the street offering to give you a good exchange rate. I think it’s never wise to admit to someone on the street that you’re carrying money. Robberies are not uncommon in Rio, so use good judgment.

Try to collect and keep a stash of small bills. They come in handy for cabs and such.

Tipping:
Since we’re talking about money, let’s considering tipping practices. Tipping is far less common in Brasil than in the U.S. or Europe. For example, tips are not expected by taxi drivers. You may want to round up to the nearest real when paying, but you will find that the cabbies will sometimes round the fare down to the nearest real (i.e., if you give the cabbie $5 for a $4.10 fare, he is likely to give you $1 in change). In restaurants, a 10% service charge is almost always added to any bill where you’ve received table service. Many diners will leave any coins that are given in change, but there is no need for additional tipping. It is customary to proved small tips of a few reais to hotel staff for any special assistance with luggage and such. Some hotels have been adding an “optional 10% service charge” to guests’ bills. If you see this, ask them to remove the charge, as this is a total scam.

In some other places around the world, it’s customary to tip the girls after your sessions with them. Many Thai girls expect a tip above the agreed-upon price. This is NOT the case in Brasil. If a girl gives services that are exceptional, you can acknowledge this by giving her a small present or offering to pay her cab fare, but even this is unnecessary, and tips are simply not expected. At the termas (see below) you should tip the locker room attendant and possibly any waitresses who actually took drink orders and served the drinks to you, but no one else needs tipping, especially the cashiers, who will often ask for a tip (if they do so, tell them you’ll tip them when they give you a world-class blowjob!).

Safety:
Much has been said about the dangers of Rio. Most of what I’ve read is overstated, based on old information, but there are a number of precautions one should take to reduce the chance of being victimized. Rio is a very big city, and like any big city anywhere in the world that has a lot of poverty and attracts a lot of tourists, there will be some crime. Most of the violent crime occurs in parts of town you will not be likely to wander into, such as the larger favelas. Much of it also involves members of the drug gangs, so be very careful if you decide to try to purchase drugs.

There is a fair amount of petty crime in Rio directed at tourists. Most of it is of the pickpocket, mugging, and petty theft variety, but armed robberies are not uncommon. What can you do to avoid being a victim? Start by following these 10 tips:

First, simply don’t carry around anything you don’t need at the moment, and make sure you have a good grip on anything you are carrying. I almost never carry a wallet with me, and if I do, I make sure I’m wearing pants or shorts that close in a way that makes pickpocketing more difficult (buttoned or zippered pockets work fairly well). You should always carry a photocopy of your passport (the inside page with all the info), but not your actual passport. It’s a good idea to carry a card with your hotel information as well. Otherwise, carry whatever money you need for your purposes and not much more.

Second, if you’re heading to a termas or somewhere where you need cash, carry the cash somewhere where it can’t be easily grabbed (i.e., in a hidden money belt, in your socks, etc.). You may want to keep 20 reais in your pocket as potential “mugging money.”

Third, don’t wear any flashy jewelry. Leave your Rolex at home and wear your cheap Timex. The only people likely to be impressed by your jewelry are potential thieves.

Fourth, don’t leave anything on the beach unattended that you can’t live without. You’ll notice that most of the locals will bring a t-shirt, a cheap pair of sandals, and maybe a towel to the beach, and nothing else. I have a little waterproof case that I put a few reais in and keep in my pocket while I’m in the water.

Fifth, stay off the beach after dark. Lots of muggings by groups of adolescent males occur at night on the beach, especially on Copacabana. The beach looks beautiful at night, but it’s not the place you’ll want to take a romantic or relaxing walk.

Sixth, take cabs most places after dark. Cabs are dirt cheap, and a mugging will pretty much ruin your Rio experience. The later it is, the more important it is that you heed this advice. Recently a group of kids attempted to rob my friend and me as we walked the 1 1/2 blocks from Help to my apartment at 3 a.m.

Seventh, keep valuables (cash, passport, cameras) in the safe in your room, especially when you’ve brought a working girl (“garota de programa,” or “garota”) back to your room. Most are trustworthy but a minority may not be. If renting an apartment you might want to check first to see if it has a safe (ideally, one that is built in or bolted down, or heavy enough that it can’t be stolen). If not, lock valuables inside your largest suitcase in order to minimize the likelihood of their “walking off.”

Eighth, think twice about bringing more than one garota back to your hotel or apartment at one time. Several guys have been robbed when they brought two girls back to their room. While one was screwing them senseless, the other was stealing everything not locked up. Unless you know the girls, you may want to confine your duplas (sessions with two girls) to the termas.

Ninth, if you are going to be out on the streets after 1 a.m., travel with a group. The muggers look for single guys or couples. Don’t make yourself an easy target. Better yet, take a cab to your destination, even if it’s close by. This is particularly true for the area around Help Discoteca. The streets around Help become “Mugger Central” after 2:00 a.m.

Tenth, if you’re walking around town, do not talk on your cell phone, carry it in plain view, or carry any other valuables (cameras, MP3 players, etc.) in plain view. If you need to use your phone, step inside a restaurant or other public building. Thieves wander the streets looking for people (especially tourists) with phones, cameras, etc. If you must go somewhere with your camera, take a cab.

Follow these rules and you should be able to relax and enjoy the greatest show on earth. The crime situation is much worse in Copacabana than in Ipanema or Leblon, so if safety is an important consideration, you might consider staying outside of Copacabana.

Staying in Touch:
If you have even minimal competence with Portuguese, then you might want to look into renting a cell phone. You will find yourself collecting the phone numbers of many girls as well as those of the fellow hobbyists you meet. Running back and forth to the hotel to make calls is a nuisance, and the public phone system in Brasil is a bit of a pain. You’ll notice that nearly everyone in Rio is walking around with a cell phone, unless they’re on the beach. It’s a rare garota de programa who doesn’t have a cell phone. You can rent a phone for a daily rate of about $5 from Blame It on Rio 4 Travel (located on Rua Xavier da Silveira, behind the Othon Palace Hotel) or from Tudo é Facil internet café (just a few doors from Blame It on Rio 4 Travel). Some of the people who rent apartments or provide guide services, such as Don from Amerioca Tours, provide cell phones for their clients. If you’ll be hanging around Rio for an extended period, or making three or more trips to Rio a year, you might consider buying your own phone, as I have. Most phone providers, such as TIM, Claro and GO, sell phones that work with pre-paid phone time cards. The costs are quite reasonable.

By the way, you’ll have to purchase these pre-paid cards with most phones you would lease or get from a guide. You can purchase them at the phone stores or, more conveniently, at most kiosks selling magazines and newspapers.

Having your own phone allows you to store those invaluable phone numbers you collect in a safe place. These phone numbers can become valuable commodities (”I’ll trade you an Ana and a Danielle for a Thaiza and a garota to be named later”).

Internet cafes have popped up all over Rio, and most have pretty decent service. I like Tudo é Facil (Rua Xavier da Silveira, 19); access speeds are generally good, and they offer many other IT services (CD burning, inexpensive LD (VOIP) phone services, etc.). They have a 24-hour facility on Av. Prado Junior.

Enjoying Rio:
Sure, you came for the sex, but Rio has so much more to offer. In Rio you can have your cake and eat it too, so try to enjoy the sights. Among the things you must do at least once: take the train up to the top of Corcovado (where the state of “Christ the Redeemer” is located), take the cable lift up to the top of Pão de Açucar (Sugar Loaf), visit the Jardim Botãnico, take a long walk in the Tijuca Forest (which contains a rain forest and lots of interesting wildlife), watch a “futevolei” match on Ipanema Beach (no-handed volleyball), visit the “Hippie Fair” in Ipanema (Praça General Osôrio) on Sunday, watch a sunset from the Arpoador Rocks or from the top of the hill in Garota de Ipanema Park, eat feijoada on Saturday at the Casa de Feijoada in Ipanema, rent a bike and ride along the ocean on Sunday when the main beach roads are closed and all of Rio seems to take to the streets, visit a “rodizio” style churrascaria (Marius or Porcão are my favorites), visit a samba school or go to a samba show (Platforma is touristy, but the show is great), take a “favela tour” and see how many Cariocas actually live their lives, go to Maracanã (Brasil’s shrine to soccer) and watch Brasilieros pursue their national passion, visit one of the big shopping malls (Rio Sul or Barra Shopping) and watch Brasileiras pursue their national obsession. The list could go on and on. The point is you’ll actually have more fun if you dig deep and taste all that Rio has to offer.