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I have been to Rio many times and never had a problem whatsoever until tonight. I was at Meio Mundo and it was it's usual Monday night great time. After that a friend who lives here had suggested meeting at Pedro do Sal--it is a Lapa like street party--but only on Mondays and Fridays. It really is a lot of fun and very close to MM. I recognized several of the sauna boys there and one of them approached me first to say hello--and then asked for 10 reals for transport and then for beers which I bought. Soon he was joined by a very buff guy that he said also worked at the sauna. And then they asked for more beer which i bought. I really was trying to get away from these guys as I had no physical interest in either of them and I could see that they were trying to latch on to me for the night. I told them I was going to look for my friend and I left. After I met up with my friend we were walking around and the guys came over and started demanding 50reals apiece claiming i had hired them to accompany me. They got quite aggressive grabbing my arm and blocking my path. My friend who live there started arguing with them in Portuguese and told me to run which I did. I guess the easy thing would have been to pay them off--but it was a very awkward and slightly scary situation. I have been lucky in all my years of coming to Rio to never have a problem--and in the scheme of things this was minor. I guess it really reenforces the many cautions here about sauna guys outside the saunas. The saunas are relatively safe havens and the guys outside of this environment? Well who knows.

Sometimes the real expenses start after you are back home. It's easy for the guys to keep in touch once you leave. I have some guys that I have met text me several times a day just to chat. Then when a real or imagined economic crisis hits you are the first one that they go to. It's hard to say no sometimes if you like them and believe there story but you have to be prepared to draw limits.

oops wrong topic--moved my reply to the correct topic

My Itinerary is LAX-MIA--GIG and the reverse on the way back. About a 2 hr layover in MIA both directions which is perfect--not too long but enough time that you don't get too stressed if your flight is a little late arriving in MIA. I gave up trying to book flights to Brazil using miles on American since if seats were actually available they would route you on some crazy routing with multiple stops and long layovers. I might add that purchasing some of the cheaper tickets may not give you full mileage credit but I quit chasing miles a few years ago when they started to become so difficult to use.

I just booked a r/t ticket for late March from Los Angeles to Rio for $605 roundtrip on American. That is the cheapest I have seen it in a long time and ironically the fare is higher from New York or Miami which are closer. I always use brazilianexpress.com which generates fares lower than even the airlines website as they are a consolidator. The same ticket booking directly with American would have been over $200 more. They also discount other airlines traveling to Brazil and I have never had a problem buying off their website. Worth checking out before your next trip to Brazil. Hint--you have to register(free) and log in before seeing the cheapest fares.

I love The Week and I go every time that I go to Rio. I do not think that it is the best place to pick up guys though--and even my Brazilian friends don't go there to pick up guys. Most people come with their friends to dance and enjoy the music and to walk around and see who else is there. It is a great people watching place but very loud and hard to carry on a conversation. Even if you can chat with someone for a bit there is so much distraction they rapidly move on. Most locals who come don't want to leave much before 6am or later so that is also a factor. It may have been closed for drugs recently but I doubt that changed much and carrying on a conversation with someone who is high is next to impossible. Still--go for sure if you like big, classy clubs with good music!

I would add that most short term travelers abroad (or full time expats for that matter) want to have some kind of medical evacuation insurance. I was recently kitesurfing in Jericoacoara and landed a jump badly fracturing my heel bone. Jericoacoara is a very remote area about 5 hours from Fortaleza. They had a local public clinic which had very limited resources. They took an X-ray which showed the fracture but they had no splint, crutches, or even ice. They did not charge me anything however for the x-ray. I arranged transport to Fortaleza and I was admitted to a private hospital there (credit card up front). I needed surgery for my fracture but I did not want it in a place where virtually no one spoke english and I knew nothing of the surgeon (I am also a physician). I had purchased a separate medical evacuation policy for $250/year through airambulancecard.com which arranged transport back via private Lear Jet to California. Most travel insurance companies would have said I was in an adequate facility in Fortaleza for the surgery but I think if you have something serious you want to be in your home country. I highly recommend that everyone have this kind of insurance that guarantees evacuation to a hospital of your choice regardless of medical necessity.