sftraveler

I stayed at the Vila Gale once and, while it was OK, it's not really on a beach. It's on the rocks--the sand is very narrow and at at all inviting. It's also quite a ways from anything else. IMHO the best hotel is the Convento do Carmo. Just to the west of the Pelourinho it's in a 18th century monastery. It's also quite expensive but I will definitely stay there if I go to Salvador again. I went to one sauna; sorry I no longer remember which one and both boys I went with lied about what they were willing to do. When I got back to Rio, the boys said all Bahianos were "espertinho" which means tricky and deceptive.

Mezzaninu (number 7 under Saunas) is definitely the place to be. I have had some of my best time in Brazil here. People from this state are called "gaucho" (accent on the "u") in Brazil and gaucho boys are reputed to do anything. And for once the stereotype is justified. Plataforma and the others are still in business but they're mostly deserted nowadays.

Thanks so much for your posting! It's raining here in SF too but not like Rio--I miss it so much and reading your posts just got me going again. And in Petropolis, you visited the house of Santos Dumont, a pioneer of aviation and the pilot of the first observed artifiicial flight. (The Wright Brothers flew in secret and only revealed their flight to others years later. This is why some Brazilians to this day say that Santos Dumont ivented the airplane. But he did invent the shower and the wristwatch.) Anyway, I'll be in Rio in January and hope I have as much fun as you did! SF Traveler

Since I'm considering a visit to Moscow, can you tell us who your guide is, how you like him and how you found him. Thanks SFTraveler