[semibaron]

(07-20-2018 10:30 PM)CaptainChardonnay Wrote:  

(07-20-2018 01:56 PM)semibaron Wrote:  

I'm back on my way to BH. It really surprised me how few gringos are in the city. One day I walked Ipanema up and down and didn't see a single one.

It's "winter" right now there, low season

Yeah, a 30°C all-day-blue-sky "winter" in the world's most beautiful major city. I'm surprised.

[Lino]

How is Rio currently?

All the chicks I talk to tell me it’s dangerous at the moment. I was there 3 years ago, stayed in Laranjeiras and Botafogo and enjoyed it.

Just been once to Ipanema and didn’t go to Leblon as I don’t like being in the middle of gringos and hate being spotted as one of them, the best way to avoid trouble is to blend in, which I did.

The only time I went to Ipanema I ve seen many anglosaxons in their 20s, with their nfl and nba jerseys, speaking loud...that’s not what I was looking for in Brasil so I never came back to that neighborhood.
Brazilian girls who spoke English were all disasters, they probably received trucks of western dicks which highly damaged their attitude.

I would like to go at the end of the month but I am a bit concerned about safety.

On the other hand I like Andalucia in Spain but going there means no pussy, which is annoying...

If some members are in Brasil at the moment or planning to be around in september pm me.

[CaptainChardonnay]

Yesterday there was a woman who got shot in the face in Niteroi. There was a fight between the police and a gang and a stray bullet flew into the hospital she was at.

[LINUX]

Lino

Rio is still the same as it’s always been. Dangerous.

That’s the price you pay for easy pussy. However, Leblon isn’t as bad as you describe it to be and I recommend it if you come to Rio for logistic reasons.

I’ll see you in September.

[Enhanced Eddie]

Don't know about easy pussy in Brazil. Easy makeouts, definitely. Dozens a night if you work it. But taking it all the way is not that much easier than back home. Some would say harder than in some of the more liberal Western countries like Norway or even the US. YMMV if you have that Nordic look.

[sarcofago]

(08-12-2018 08:00 AM)Lino Wrote:  

How is Rio currently?

All the chicks I talk to tell me it’s dangerous at the moment. I was there 3 years ago, stayed in Laranjeiras and Botafogo and enjoyed it.

Just been once to Ipanema and didn’t go to Leblon as I don’t like being in the middle of gringos and hate being spotted as one of them, the best way to avoid trouble is to blend in, which I did.

The only time I went to Ipanema I ve seen many anglosaxons in their 20s, with their nfl and nba jerseys, speaking loud...that’s not what I was looking for in Brasil so I never came back to that neighborhood.
Brazilian girls who spoke English were all disasters, they probably received trucks of western dicks which highly damaged their attitude.

I would like to go at the end of the month but I am a bit concerned about safety.

On the other hand I like Andalucia in Spain but going there means no pussy, which is annoying...

If some members are in Brasil at the moment or planning to be around in september pm me.

I have traveled extensively in Brazil with my dog and a pick up. I have spent months in Rio. I think there is a thread ''Brazil is shit'', I agree. It's very bad right now. Anything over 5 is untouchable and super flaky. Makeouts are super easy but nothing more. I remember that 5 I took to the bus stop after heavy makeouts at 3 in the night cos she did not want to come to my apartment for a drink, because ''she was Brazilian''. Well I puller her from the fucking bus stop last minute and banged her. As my friends say ''You want to control people''. If I did not, I would have banged 20% of what I have banged.

[semibaron]

(08-12-2018 08:00 AM)Lino Wrote:  

How is Rio currently?

All the chicks I talk to tell me it’s dangerous at the moment. I was there 3 years ago, stayed in Laranjeiras and Botafogo and enjoyed it.

Just been once to Ipanema and didn’t go to Leblon as I don’t like being in the middle of gringos and hate being spotted as one of them, the best way to avoid trouble is to blend in, which I did.

The only time I went to Ipanema I ve seen many anglosaxons in their 20s, with their nfl and nba jerseys, speaking loud...that’s not what I was looking for in Brasil so I never came back to that neighborhood.
Brazilian girls who spoke English were all disasters, they probably received trucks of western dicks which highly damaged their attitude.

I would like to go at the end of the month but I am a bit concerned about safety.

On the other hand I like Andalucia in Spain but going there means no pussy, which is annoying...

If some members are in Brasil at the moment or planning to be around in september pm me.

Rio is the first and only place I've been robbed in my life. It's easily the most dangerous major city out there.

[Lino]

(08-19-2018 02:27 PM)semibaron Wrote:  

Rio is the first and only place I've been robbed in my life. It's easily the most dangerous major city out there.

When did that happen? This year? In which neighborhood? Do you mind giving the context?

[DigitalNomad]

(08-12-2018 08:00 AM)Lino Wrote:  

How is Rio currently?

All the chicks I talk to tell me it’s dangerous at the moment. I was there 3 years ago, stayed in Laranjeiras and Botafogo and enjoyed it.

Just been once to Ipanema and didn’t go to Leblon as I don’t like being in the middle of gringos and hate being spotted as one of them, the best way to avoid trouble is to blend in, which I did.

The only time I went to Ipanema I ve seen many anglosaxons in their 20s, with their nfl and nba jerseys, speaking loud...that’s not what I was looking for in Brasil so I never came back to that neighborhood.
Brazilian girls who spoke English were all disasters, they probably received trucks of western dicks which highly damaged their attitude.

I would like to go at the end of the month but I am a bit concerned about safety.

On the other hand I like Andalucia in Spain but going there means no pussy, which is annoying...

If some members are in Brasil at the moment or planning to be around in september pm me.

I've heard from a few people that Rio is pretty bad at the moment... worse than normal.

[felixio3232]

Been in Rio for 2 months now and haven't experienced any issues safety wise.

Have been primarily hanging around Ipanema though.

[Enhanced Eddie]

Quote:

Been in Rio for 2 months now and haven't experienced any issues safety wise.

It's like Russian roulette. You can pull the trigger twice and be fine. I got held up at knife point in Rio, but I've spent years in Brazil. I don't know anyone who has spent years down there and did not get held up at gun point or knife point sooner or later. One of my friends was shot at.

All of this was before the recent increase in crime due to their recession. This is honestly one of the main reasons I'm in Asia right now. I just don't wanna watch my back 24/7 or have to leave an expensive phone at home. I like my podcasts a lot.

[TwinTurbo]

Looking into spending some longish time in RJ (few months or so), what are the odds of you getting jumped/robbed in areas like Ipanema or Copacabana?

I was there in 2014 and I felt safe overall, but it sounds like the situation is deteriorating

[bojack]

I've lived in Rio for over 20 years, on and off for the last 3 years. Was never robbed or in serious danger. Just stay away from dangerous areas (any area that isn't in Zona Sul or in Barra I consider dangerous) and avoid Copacabana in general, especially on hot summer days (too many tourists, close to favelas etc.). If you want to go to the beach go to Leblon, São Conrado or Barra - they're better, safer and not as crowded usually. Copacabana is a big tourist shithole - it's dirty, full of homeless people and street kids, hookers etc. At night, just use Uber to move around and don't go to places like Lapa etc. If you want to hit on good looking brazilians and get laid, the best spots are in Zona Sul anyway. I personally recommend Belmonte in Leblon, always full of chicks DTF. If you do that, you should be pretty safe. People get mugged or worse because they're in seedy places to begin with or generally don't know what they're doing - otherwise you need to be really unlucky for being at the wrong place at the wrong time etc.

[asdfk]

The odds of getting robbed are high. Trust me on this one.

Nearly everyone I have met there has had trouble. Myself included.

If you do not believe me, check out murder statistics for the whole of Brazil. It is literally thw unsafest country in the world in terms of homicides, excluding Venezuela.

Brazilians are used to danger being omnipresent. They will generally smile happily and say things like: "Oh, just stay in area ___ and you will be fine."

But "area" can mean "the wrong side of a street." You cross the wrong corner and suddenly a gentleman with a knife pops up, insisting on cash or else.

A friend got robbed at gunpoint when leaving the Hilton with four of his buddies. They were all relieved of wallets and phones in front of the hotel.

A dude I met yesterday got hold up at knife point five steps from his hotel in Ipanema. An other man in our party, brazilllian, chipped in with "hey, I was robbed in that same street a few days ago!"

Another dude - who is seriously tall and strong-looking - was talking to a girl in a bar when her boyfriend and his buddies walked up. Without warning two of his buddies grab him, the bf and the rest take turns re-arranging his face with their fists.

He was seriously fucked up. So much for looking buff.

I can go on and on.

Brazilians love their country and rightfully so. It is unique in more than one way and has some true natural beauty.

But safe? No.

[RVF400]

(08-31-2018 04:34 PM)asdfk Wrote:  

But safe? No.

That's a real bummer, and I guess it is what has kept me from visiting. Especially when time is limited and there are so many great places to visit without fearing for your safety.

[BaatumMania]

(08-31-2018 04:34 PM)asdfk Wrote:  

Another dude - who is seriously tall and strong-looking - was talking to a girl in a bar when her boyfriend and his buddies walked up. Without warning two of his buddies grab him, the bf and the rest take turns re-arranging his face with their fists.

This is hardly a Brazil thing. This could happen to you in Kazakhstan or even in a Western European country.

That's the inherent danger of cold approaching women in bars and night time. Heck even during the day it could happen. That's why men traditionally preferred to day game in shopping malls (men in most cultures don't want to join their girlfriends at the shopping mall so it's a relatively safe place. Never mind the cameras and security guards around).

[louiebeans]

Yeah, RVF400, I have heard some great things about Brazil and would love to check it out some day but the amount of things I've heard about either on here and other places just make a no for me right now. I would much rather hit up Colombia if I want to visit a south american country.

[BaatumMania]

(08-31-2018 09:40 PM)RVF400 Wrote:  

(08-31-2018 04:34 PM)asdfk Wrote:  

But safe? No.

That's a real bummer, and I guess it is what has kept me from visiting. Especially when time is limited and there are so many great places to visit without fearing for your safety.

Random homicides of tourists are rather low. Most of the time when a tourist was killed they were allegedly resisting an armed robbery, were in a brothel or talking to drug dealers.

Just hide your bank cards / passport somewhere in your hotel or Airbnb.

Carry a paper copy of passport

Bank card could be hidden in your shoe if you need it that day. Only use an ATM within a bank and few people loitering around the machine.

Buy a cheap ass Nokia or SG2 smartphone. Don't store passwords or logins. Someone might not be able to change your email password (if you have the right security setup) but they could still troll you by deleting years of important emails or something.


If you have a laptop then you should password encrypt your photos, text files and documents that you aren't using regularly.

Pretty much living life in paranoid mode. If this doesn't appeal to you then you should just try Eastern Europe or somewhere in Asia (if your motivation is cheaper cost of living). [/b]

[BaatumMania]

(08-31-2018 09:53 PM)louiebeans Wrote:  

Yeah, RVF400, I have heard some great things about Brazil and would love to check it out some day but the amount of things I've heard about either on here and other places just make a no for me right now. I would much rather hit up Colombia if I want to visit a south american country.

I don't see how Colombia would be much of an improvement over Brazil. I can find YouTube clips of gangs in Medellin and Bogota going from car to car robbing people at gunpoint. A lot of social media threads of people who got robbed, mugged or armed robbed in Colombia.

When I tried GPS spoofing to Colombia I never got that much attention from women on Tinder. I guess because of too many gringos going there for sex tourism, hookups and drugs. I am getting old so I don't care about eye fucking women anymore. Just want to get easy free sex with someone who isn't a whale but Colombia isn't that kind of place (it may had been 15 years ago perhaps).


So far the place in Latin America where I get a decent amount of matches seems to be Mexico City but the women are noticeably more Amerindian looking and often chubby but I guess in terms of safety Mexico City is likely among the best in Latin America (unless there's protests happening).

[louiebeans]

I more meant it for me, personally. I have always wanted to check out COL after reading about it here on the forums.

[asdfk]

Look at the bright side.

All them guys that got mugged lived to tell the tale.

Just dont resist when they put a knife to your throat.

[Enhanced Eddie]

(09-01-2018 12:24 AM)asdfk Wrote:  

Look at the bright side.

All them guys that got mugged lived to tell the tale.

Just dont resist when they put a knife to your throat.

I've been going to Brazil since the 90s. And that used to be good advice. "Just always have 50 R$ on you and hand it over, and they will leave you alone". Since the recession hit the country in 2015-ish I've heard from locals that this is no longer the case and robbers more frequently kill the people they hold up, for whatever reason. Not saying it's all the time or anywhere near that, but just giving over your money used to pretty much ensure your safety in Brazil, and that is no longer the case.

[BaatumMania]

(08-31-2018 10:57 PM)louiebeans Wrote:  

I more meant it for me, personally. I have always wanted to check out COL after reading about it here on the forums.

AFAIK Colombia became popular because of the appearance of women, proximity to USA (cheap flights) and the cost of living.

Although the latter doesn't seem to be as true anymore. When I looked at "entire place" on Airbnb most places are $800 - $1200 a month in El Poblado. That means Medellin is heaps more expensive than Bangkok, Manila and similar priced to Taipei. I think it might be more expensive than Mexico City's most trendy neighborhoods too.

It's likely because of the aforementioned groups I mentioned: sex tourists, drug tourists and hookup tourists.

It just seems crazy to spend $1,000 / month on an apartment in a city where you could literally be mugged or gunned down outside of your home.


If I was in the United States it could be tempting to do a weekend or something in Colombia but it doesn't seem like the place for long term living (the food is reportedly a major let down. So it's really just a country of drugs and sex).

https://co.mileroticos.com/escorts/

Colombian women can be super hot too (escort website).

A lot of these escorts are only charging $25 - $30 a hour. Who really bothers with PUA if you're just $25 away from banging a 8/10? I guess there are guys who go to Colombia for getting an actual wife.

[hipster]

(09-01-2018 08:42 AM)BaatumMania Wrote:  

(08-31-2018 10:57 PM)louiebeans Wrote:  

I more meant it for me, personally. I have always wanted to check out COL after reading about it here on the forums.

AFAIK Colombia became popular because of the appearance of women, proximity to USA (cheap flights) and the cost of living.

Although the latter doesn't seem to be as true anymore. When I looked at "entire place" on Airbnb most places are $800 - $1200 a month in El Poblado. That means Medellin is heaps more expensive than Bangkok, Manila and similar priced to Taipei. I think it might be more expensive than Mexico City's most trendy neighborhoods too.

It's likely because of the aforementioned groups I mentioned: sex tourists, drug tourists and hookup tourists.

It just seems crazy to spend $1,000 / month on an apartment in a city where you could literally be mugged or gunned down outside of your home.


If I was in the United States it could be tempting to do a weekend or something in Colombia but it doesn't seem like the place for long term living (the food is reportedly a major let down. So it's really just a country of drugs and sex).

https://co.mileroticos.com/escorts/

Colombian women can be super hot too (escort website).

A lot of these escorts are only charging $25 - $30 a hour. Who really bothers with PUA if you're just $25 away from banging a 8/10? I guess there are guys who go to Colombia for getting an actual wife.

Cost of living in Rio is about 50% higher than in Medellin and i can't disagree with all negative posts, it is more dangerous than foreigners think. The world famous Copacabana has a huge beautiful beach and surrounding buildings but it is really a sh*thole as described by another user. Well, the whole city is a sh*thole except for Zona Sul and Barra excluding Copacabana and Gloria. Lapa seems a tourist favorite for night life, but that area is cheap, dirty and dangerous, good area to get stabbed.

But if for whatever reason you want to experience the city i think you should not really be afraid, if you have common sense odds that absolutely nothing will happen to you are much much higher. However if you are in the wrong place, in the wrong time you may get murdered for no reason in any area! And seriously the city night life is boring nowadays , better for day-anything. Still a huge interesting city for those who never came, i feel less safe in London but that is just a feeling.

I did not see it discussed in the boards but Rio in under military intervention, an extraordinary and extreme security measure by the federal government. They mostly do operations in favelas, you probably won't see the army around.

[Titus]

I'm carioca, so I can give some insights regarding the current situation...

So, starting with the bad news:
Yes, Rio is fucked up now. Much worse than 5 years ago, the main economic sectors of the city are bankrupt ( oil n gas and government), lots of unemployment, dirty streets, whole areas of the city in decay, prices extremely high (legacy of the economic boom and major events like WC and olympics some years ago). And there is the crime: Mix bankrupt police, corruption, laws that dont punish effectively, easy access to drugs and weapons and you get the perfect storm. The wost situation happens in the suburbs of the city, where gangs fight each other and the police with machine guns and grenades. And is not uncommon to get your car robbed in the middle of busy avenues or have shops, bars and restaurants invaded by a bunch of guys with assault rifles, sometimes even in daylight. Pretty much like a civil war.

But there are good news:
First of all, this "mad max" picture I just described happens basically on the suburbs of the city, as I said. The main tourist area to stay and do stuff is the Zona Sul (or South Zone), that is a bubble: Nordic countries' HDI, clean, organized, top infrastructure, world class restaurants, bars, and much safer than the rest of the city. As already said here, there are less safe parts, such as Copacabana, but the main crimes are pickpocketing and some robberies at gunpoint (but not assault rifles at daylight as in the suburbs). Still not safe as compared to western countries, but far from being a wild west kind of thing. Just stay alert (and DO NOT REACT) and you'll do fine.

But the main thing is: Higher risk, higher premium. There are few cities like Rio in the world, where you can find in the same place wonderful nature, lots of things to do, nice food, chilled but at the same time high energy vibe, go out clubbing and partying any day of the week, and of course, smoking hot girls. Someone can easily stay for a month in Rio, doing new stuff or knowing new places every day, without getting bored. The truth is: You just cant compare Rio to any other SA city...


As comparing with Colombia... medellin or bogota are much safer than Rio in general, and the probability that an armed robbery ends bad (like getting a shot) is much lower. But the premium is also lower: Stay in any of those cities for more than a week and you will probably get bored to death. And altough Colombian girls are MUCH hotter (in average) than Brazilians, it's like a thousand times easier getting make outs or ONS with random chicks in Brazil.

Bottomline: If you want a thrilling short trip, do lots of stuff and hit as much random girls as possible, Rio is still a very good option, even though fucked up.

For a more calm trip or long term staying, probably other SA countries (such as Colombia, Chile or Argentina) are better.