ihpguy

Electric rates here are going up about 18% next week.

I've posted this advice before. Only use an ATM at a Rio de Janeiro bank branch during normal business hours. Also go to a branch which is busy. The thieves do not want to be detected pulling out whatever type of skimmer. Banco do Brasil branches almost always have guards in the machine areas during business hours. Santos Dumont Airport is a very safe place during business hours. Very busy place. I've had cards cloned twice while living here. Once at an HSBC before 7am on a weekday and at about 8an on a Sunday. Plan ahead. At both places it was the same M.O. I entered alone and a younger person followed me in and stayed on the opposite side of the agency not to arouse my suspicion. But after I left, could quickly come in and pull out the skimmer. A friend examined some sites and thought I was a victim of a thin paper card with a magnetic stripe in the slot that could read all of my data.

Back in Búzios with Thiago for three days His cell operator is TIM and mine is VIVO. Both of our cells updated automatically today if anyone has concerns.

Plethora of steroidal guys like those above in the saunas

I Chicago had an interesting gay bar that closed in the 80's on Southport near Fullerton that one night each week was for transvestites and their wives.

There is a holiday here on the 12th of October. The 13th will be a bingo night at Meio Mundo with a 3000Reais grand prize which MIGHT counteract Tuesdays at 117. Operative word is MIGHT

Sorry but not a clue how to add photos from my smartphone

Bardot came here fifty plus years ago for a visit, took for herself a younger Brasilian lover, stayed for a bit and put this place on the map. I can see the attraction.

Thought an update might be in order for the current situation. Two days ago rhe letter carriers strike ended after twenty days without mail delivery. 20 Fucking Days!!!! I had been thinking that it had been a bit since the bank tellers went on strike once again. Signs were up yesterday in downtown Rio announcing a strike date for this Tuesday. What is the expression? When it rains, it pours? And I still have yet to receive my new debit card sent fromy US-based bank on 12 August. My caseiro needed to go into the city to the headquarters of Itaú to get his new debit/credit card due to the strike after a three week wait. Even corporate inter-agency mail is a failure here.

I just took a cab tonight and asked the driver about Uber, Easy and 99, He said that Uber will bounce back and be legalized sooner or later. And that I should be using 99 Taxi app instead of Easy Taxi app. That 99 works on a voucher system and gives a 26% discount. Easy does not. Don't know if that is true or not.

Ferrar, I don't think most readers on this thread have a clue as to your joke about the Engenhao stadium. What was told to me were that the steel arches the support the roof were built with thinner gauge tubing than specified. So the entire stadium has been closed for a couple years as they install new support towers so the whole thing comes crashing down on our heads. Why thinner gauge? Only way to steal Reais for payments to politicos. And not to forget that the Maracana was redone for the Pan-Am Games and once more a few short years later for the World Cup. Worth noting per your mention of Botafogo, are the teams and their debts to the government for years of unpaid taxes.

I don't understand how Uber can be so much cheaper. All I do know is that after having entered taxis that were gypsy taxis or with rigged meters, my preference is to get in a taxi with a registered driver and registered vehicle. The official taxis here must be inspected as well. Ditto on the meters. Last November I got into a gypsy taxi to go to Galeão. The driver was eating and drinking and talking on his cell with his hands. Driving with the wheel clenched between his knees. If we weren't on the highway and had suitcase and a carry-on in the trunk, I would have fled. And whole on the highway, he asked me how to get to the airport. Observing what has happened to various industries in the USA, if the drivers unions want to play tough, and they are more professional and provide a better service, I'm fine with paying extra.

Easy Taxi and 99 use licensed taxis that must be inspected and registered drivers No fear of gypsy taxis and rigged meters.

On a related note, the official unemployment rate for the latest trimester rose to 8.6% on an anualized basis. The.previous quarter had a rate of 7.4%. Year-on-year through the end of August 2015 saw a net hob loss of 970,000 jobs. Official figures show 8.622 million un-ployer. The average monthly salary before taxes and SSI contribution deductions was R $1881. An increase of only 2% over 2014. And way below the official inflation rate of 9.4%. Last week a tank of cooking gas went up for R$53 to R$63. On a personal note, reflecting on Brasil s economic crisis, Thiago is serioisly afraid that he is going to get fired. No matter how good of an employee he is. New hires for his position are being paid 30 percent less than he is earning. These figures undoubtedly do not include the severe financial dislocations when BoyToy posters male temporary trips to São Paulo, Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro.

Nice article. I know from personal experience how many expats were arriving abd applying for visas these past 5 1/2 years. I had my own issues with the Federal Police here while finally getting my permanent residency after over 5 years of trips to Galeão. I heard many different languages being spoken. During the last year and a half things finally sped up with the number of investigations by the PF declining. And not just me. I have a friend here from Fullerton CA who has waited.over four years since getting married for his permanent residency. Totally unscientific observation, but thé fleet of oil service ships and tankers moored in Guanabara Bay has never been larger since I first arrived in 2003. And the construction of the refinery in Itaborai has been halted. Once the works in progress for the Olympics end, it probably will only get worse as the city, state and federal governments try to come to grips with payment on the debt by tightening their belts and.putting even more people out of work.

Yesterday Mayor (Prefeito) signed the law that prohibits Uber from operating in the city, that maintains the illegality. The fines to the driver for Uber range between R$1360 and R $2000. 99 and Easy Taxi are permitted under the law.

UBER is supposed to be banned here unless there is a challenge to the existing laws. Easy Taxi and 99 Taxi I think work the same and use regular taxi drivers.

Keeping my fingers crossed and my legs wide open, as it were.

It costs more than 30Reais for an afternoon at the beach. 12Reais I think is now the price for an umbrella and chair. Each can of soda will be 5Reais and Caipirinhas will be more. I think the beach vendors were at 12 or 15 Reais for a bottle of lotion. With the exchange rate, it is still cheap. One reason to bring a smart phone with you as that some of the barracas now offer free wifi. The center of beach in Ipa between Texeira de Melo and Farme de Amoedo is much busier and safer than the end near Arpoador where the arrastoes more often are taking place. One security measure that I practice on the beach is to place the straps of my backpack around the sun umbrella post. So if anyone comes past and wants to grab the backpack they first have to stop and lift up the umbrella out of the sand before taking off with the backpack. Second thing is to tuck anything up above the supporting ribs of the umbrella(guarda-sol) so that someone needs to be directly under it and look upward to see that there is anything hidden above your beach chairs(cadeiras). Below is an advisory sent to me by the US Consulate here in Rio. Social media and news reports are tracking gatherings that could lead to conflicts in the Southern Zone ( Zona Sul) of Rio de Janeiro involving local criminal elements today, Saturday the 26th of September, and tomorrow, Sunday the 27th of September. According to media reports, law enforcement are preparing for a rally in Ipanema at 10am of local residents demonstrating against criminals who commit crimes in the neighborhood around Arpoador Beach. There also are reports of a rally in Ipanema on Sunday, September 27, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. around the Praça General Osório (General Osorio Square). Criminals, including members of local gangs, allegedly have threatened reprisals against participants during these rallies. It is highly encouraged that all American citizens avoid these areas during times when a demonstration has been scheduled. The Consulate reminds U.S. citizens to reflect and focus on their own personal security. Be vigilant while traveling on the roads, especially at night. Recently, there have been shootings, assaults and carjackings on the Linha Vermelha that links the airport to the Southern Zone of the city. In Rio de Janeiro, motorists should be especially cautious at stoplights and when stuck in traffic. Carjackings and holdups often occur at intersections, especially at night. Incidents of crime on public transportation are frequent, and at times have involved violent crimes. When traveling by yellow taxi, we recommend the use of taxis openly displaying company information and phone numbers as well as red license plates. If you require assistance, please contact the Consulate using the contact information below: U.S. Consulate General Rio de Janeiro Av. Presidente Wilson, 147 Castelo Rio de Janeiro, RJ — 20030-020 Entrance at Rua Santa Luzia Phone: (21) 3823-2000 After-Hours Emergencies: (21) 3823-2029 Email: acsrio@state.gov<mailto:acsrio@state.gov>

Bring Dollars or Euros with you for a much, much better exchange rate. It would have been nice to get a discount of 15.6 Argentine Pesos instead of 9.0 Argentine Pesos/US Dollar.

Interesting thread as I have been staring into the future and pondering how long I have with my bad heart. I've been off and on, mainly on, with Thiago for over two years now. Debating about marrying him so that someone can collect the money I paid into Social Security for so many years. If he doesn't get fired from his current job he wants to visit the US when he gets his month's vacation sometime next year. So this topic has been definitely something I've pondered.

Back under 4.0 today at 3.95.

This afternoon at about 4:45 I was on the bus passing by Rio Sul Shopping. Pretty fancy. Right in front were 5 armed men if the Polícia Militar, and not the unarmed Guarda Civil, who had detained 10 or 11 shirtless youths. Looked poor. Favelados or close to it. I don't gave a clue why they were rounded up, but where there is smoke there is fire. For the past couple of weeks there gas been an extremely large police presence all over Centro and Zonal Sul. I had been told that this was to prevent demonstrations against Dilma and the PT. But perhaps it is to prevent unruliness dye to the economic conditions here? Whatever, unless one is a fanatic like I am for the beach at Farme de Amoedo, be very careful or choose somewhere else. Hey. It is getting warm enough to enjoy tres gay Floripa! I've heard this is a mixed rent sauna in Balneário Camboriu as well

I felt totally safe. A city that is a mixture of Madrid and Paris. Much more developed, more educated, certainly more formal. If I had been to Buenos Aires before Rio de Janeiro, I'd probably be living there right now instead of Rio de Janeiro. I'd spend the 4 coldest months back in the States or somewhere else warmer. I also found the city much more survivable than the crowded and hectic São Paulo. I had Thiago with me so I had no interest aim exploring the rent scene. But if I ever other's reports, there are some.houses with boys as well as a large on-line presence of working guys. At Flux and Kilometro Zero, the doormen and the clients we spoke to in either Portuguese or Spanish. Taxis were cheap and with our limited time I didn't want to bother with public transit. Biggest word of advice is before leaving on the plane, fill out and pay for your ten year visa on-line. And either bring lots of Euros or Dollars with you to get the street exchange rate. Or pay asuch as you can before arriving at the better exchange rate and have a way to receive.foreignone while in country. Unless one wants a beach vacation in Brasil(and I for one love the beach culture on Farme de Amoedo) or loves the rent saunas as opposed to call boys, Buenos Aires was great.

I totally agree. Post all you want from Rio Times or elsewhere. Just don't take their reporting as the clear and concise or the total truth. I trust a great deal more NY Times stringers, O Globo, Folha de São Paolo and the TV news on-line reporting here.