Rio: meeting guys safe?

[snwbrdr015]

My plan is to visit Rio de Janeiro for a week this end of september. I have experience in taking guys to my apartment in Colombia and Cuba, but I read mixed reports on this issue here on this forum. So I call in the help and knowledge  of my fellow experienced forum members:

- Is it only sauna's for play dates or is Grindr active as well?
- Do you guys take a guy to your apartment? If yes, what are your precautions (in Cuba I always ask ID, make a photo of it, never had any problems). If no, why not?
- yes I do take the necessary precautions (no bling-bling, don't go out alone after dark, use Ubers, hide money and phone), but should I be even more worried about the safety situation?

In short: loving to explore Rio, but tip-and-tricks are welcome!

[Tomcal]

My experiences over the past 17 years has been very good! 90% of the guys that come back to the Apt are from the saunas.  I have also had guys from Grinder, never a problem.  This last trip i had a bartender overnight after his shift ended at 3:00am.  One thing i do is if i am having a first time visitor i tell them we have to be quiet as my friend is asleep in the 2nd bedroom even thou we are the only two there.

There are a lot of escorts on Grindr

[Latbear4blk]

1 hour ago, Tomcal said:

 One thing i do is if i am having a first time visitor i tell them we have to be quiet as my friend is asleep in the 2nd bedroom even thou we are the only two there.

LOL! I have been doing the same for about three decades now. It works!

[Badboy81]

3 hours ago, snwbrdr015 said:

- Is it only sauna's for play dates or is Grindr active as well?
- Do you guys take a guy to your apartment? If yes, what are your precautions (in Cuba I always ask ID, make a photo of it, never had any problems). If no, why not?
- yes I do take the necessary precautions (no bling-bling, don't go out alone after dark, use Ubers, hide money and phone), but should I be even more worried about the safety situation?

Grindr is great but it will depend on how well you know Rio and how the guys operate there...Knowing some Portuguese is great as well

I have had guys come back from Grindr and guys I have met in the saunas...never had any issues but I dont look like the type of person you would want to fuck with

If you are asking these questions...Stick to the saunas...you can do anything and everything there...

If you have to ask the same question two different ways, meeting random guys and having them come to your apartment is probably not a wise option....

[floridarob]

5 hours ago, Tomcal said:

 One thing i do is if i am having a first time visitor i tell them we have to be quiet as my friend is asleep in the 2nd bedroom even thou we are the only two there.

 

Hmmm, "we are the only two"????  I wouldn't believe that statement if you had said we were the only two in the tub, the broom closet , under the bed, lol

[redxs]

22 hours ago, Tomcal said:

My experiences over the past 17 years has been very good! 90% of the guys that come back to the Apt are from the saunas.  I have also had guys from Grinder, never a problem.  This last trip i had a bartender overnight after his shift ended at 3:00am.  One thing i do is if i am having a first time visitor i tell them we have to be quiet as my friend is asleep in the 2nd bedroom even thou we are the only two there.

There are a lot of escorts on Grindr

Where did you find the bar tender? Which bar is he at? - always looking for somewhere gay friendly to visit evening time in Rio

 

not long till my next trip!

[Tomcal]

1 hour ago, redxs said:

Where did you find the bar tender? Which bar is he at? - always looking for somewhere gay friendly to visit evening time in Rio

any bar,  if you have a outgoing personality. I also have been with a military policeman that was on guard outside the military fort at Arpoador! Also a cop leaving the station in Copacabana!  Engage them in a brief conversation, smile and ask if there is anything going on that evening? 

[redxs]

22 hours ago, Tomcal said:

any bar,  if you have a outgoing personality. I also have been with a military policeman that was on guard outside the military fort at Arpoador! Also a cop leaving the station in Copacabana!  Engage them in a brief conversation, smile and ask if there is anything going on that evening? 

lol cool... last time I visited Rio a federal cop took me to the shooting range at the Rio HQ! (but I met him on Tinder lol)

certainly I will try this... it's ok to chat up straight bar staff? suppose the Rio vibe is a sexy one. certainly some parts of Europe I wouldn't dream of this - personal safety would be at risk lol

[snwbrdr015]

Thank you for all the friendly replies! Sounds a lot like the AYOR level of Bogota. So I'm cool with that.

@Badboy81 I think you underestimate me; I'm not that of a greenhorn. But thanks for your reply anyway!

[Walker]

On 9/4/2018 at 6:18 AM, Tomcal said:

 This last trip i had a bartender overnight after his shift ended at 3:00am.  One thing i do is if i am having a first time visitor i tell them we have to be quiet as my friend is asleep in the 2nd bedroom even thou we are the only two there.

@snwbrdr015,  you need a 2 room apartment for this trick to work.

[Tomcal]

1 hour ago, Walker said:

@snwbrdr015,  you need a 2 room apartment for this trick to work.

the apt i have had for the last 7 years in Rio is a 2 bedroom!

[Tartegogo]

1 hour ago, Walker said:

@snwbrdr015,  you need a 2 room apartment for this trick to work.

Or a cupboard door in the hall that looks like a bedroom’s door. 

[Latbear4blk]

I do not want to derail the thread, but.

You have probably noticed the pattern in my reactions when these threads are born. The mofo threads do not stop, they freaking flourish.

Why do people think that they have to take any extra precautions if meeting guys when they are out of their home countries? It is not only Americans, I wish it were, it would be so much simple and easier to disregard the whole thing as another example of American self ass centered culture. But it is not just American. It is a universally pathetic show of tribalism.

Your home is not the only civilized place in the world. At least you are in a war area, just take the same precautions you would take at home.

 

[mvan1]

2 hours ago, Latbear4blk said:

I do not want to derail the thread, but.

 

Why do people think that they have to take any extra precautions if meeting guys when they are out of their home countries?

 

 

 

Because they are out of there comfort zone.  They are in a foreign country, the language is foreign, and the customs are foreign.  Even the local restaurant menus and local transportation are foreign.  

Furthermore, various countries have varying laws regarding particular behavior.  For example, in Brazil, prostitution is legal while in the United States, it is illegal.  

There are countless reports of violence against foreigners in news reports and even in the State Departments travel warnings.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/brazil-travel-advisory.html

 So, now you know. 

[Latbear4blk]

1 hour ago, mvan1 said:

Because they are out of there comfort zone.  They are in a foreign country, the language is foreign, and the customs are foreign.  Even the local restaurant menus and local transportation are foreign.  

Furthermore, various countries have varying laws regarding particular behavior.  For example, in Brazil, prostitution is legal while in the United States, it is illegal.  

There are countless reports of violence against foreigners in news reports and even in the State Departments travel warnings.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/brazil-travel-advisory.html

 So, now you know. 

So you are coming from the USA (I assume) and you are concerned about crime and violence against foreigners. Someone should write the warnings other countries' Departments of States should issue to their citizens planning to visit the USA.

[mvan1]

2 hours ago, Latbear4blk said:

So you are coming from the USA (I assume) and you are concerned about crime and violence against foreigners. Someone should write the warnings other countries' Departments of States should issue to their citizens planning to visit the USA.

You seem like a nice guy. 

However, I don't think you have ever been to Rio or Sao Paulo or even to any city in Brazil.  

If you had been there, you would understand why new travelers (someone who has never been to Brazil) are concerned about crime considering all the news about the violence and corruption there. 

I believe you said you are from South America.  If that is so, I can understand why you are not concerned with possible violence in Brazil or to other parts of South America.

Even though occasional threads are created that express concern over possible violence in Brazil, I answer the questions hoping to lower concerns a new traveler might have.  

Many years ago, I was a new traveler to Brazil and someone answered my questions for me at that time.  I am merely paying back a favor.

 

[Latbear4blk]

I am not afraid at Brazil not because I am from South America, but because I am coming from Washington DC. 

[Tartegogo]

@Latbear4blk, you forget that we have reviews for US guys, so in the US, the answer to the question "how do I safely meet an escort" is always "If you are worried, only meet a well-reviewed guy."

But we don't have that for South America. If they exist, it is still too hard for me to read them.

So, I guess the question should be posed as "How do I safely meet un-reviewed guys in any high crime city?"

(Brazilian cities are quite high up in the crime stats, see here: https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings.jsp, 6 Brazilian cities in the top 20, although Baltimore and Detroit are in there also.)

And then people have some other questions that are specific to the country:  what are the typical scams that are being performed in Brasil that are not common in the US? What is the ID card situation and can you rely on them? etc., etc.

[Latbear4blk]

8 hours ago, Tartegogo said:

@Latbear4blk, you forget that we have reviews for US guys, so in the US, the answer to the question "how do I safely meet an escort" is always "If you are worried, only meet a well-reviewed guy."

But we don't have that for South America. If they exist, it is still too hard for me to read them.

So, I guess the question should be posed as "How do I safely meet un-reviewed guys in any high crime city?"

(Brazilian cities are quite high up in the crime stats, see here: https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings.jsp, 6 Brazilian cities in the top 20, although Baltimore and Detroit are in there also.)

And then people have some other questions that are specific to the country:  what are the typical scams that are being performed in Brasil that are not common in the US? What is the ID card situation and can you rely on them? etc., etc.

I am not questioning about asking for information. Of course not. 

You are making it more complicated than it is. The question is whether or not it is safe to hook up in Rio, Mexico, or any other "exotic" (for the American-centered mindset) location. 

My point is that different cities in any country have different crime rates and related dangers. Many "exotic" shit hole cities are considerable safer than many wonderfully civilized and enlightened American cities. Many are not.

It does not matter where you are, you always take the same reasonable precautions. If I casually hook up with a guy in Chelsea, I would not have money  or any valuables around. If I go to the gas station in Washington DC, I would not leave the keys inside the car, I would not even leave the car unlock. I do not need a report from any services to tell me that it is not safe to do that.

By the way, most of the places I have been in South America are considerable safer than most od the places I have been to in the USA. Of course, I am not White. 

[Tartegogo]

4 hours ago, Latbear4blk said:

It does not matter where you are, you always take the same reasonable precautions. 

You have missed my most important argument in favor of exchanging tips for safety: When hiring an escort in the US, the most important precaution that I take is that I read multiple reviews of the guy I am hiring.

This is not available to me in South America, so discussing what alternative precautions I need to take, is highly relevant, because what @Latbear4blk finds reasonable may never come to mind to someone who has only lived a cosy life in suburbia. You know, the crime rate of your DC neighborhood, or of Rio, is completely unknown to some of us. I am from Europe where gangsters don't even have guns!

I don't quite get why you don't like it when people are exchanging tips on this.

Are you upset that most Americans have never visited Murderville in DC, so they don't have experience with their own country's crime?

But why would they visit it?  I am going to Rio because it has beautiful beaches and I get fucks for $25. I am not going to find either in DC, so I have no reason to go see the worst of it. I assume American suburbanites feel the same, and so have not spent 2 weeks in a hotel right in the center of DC's Murderville. They need tips.

[demedici]

It is normal for people to feel less safe is less familiar terrain. And there is plenty of evidence to suggest Brazil is more dangerous than the US. In 2016 there were just under 18000 murders in the US. In Brazil, it was over 60K,even though Brazil has about 40% the population of the US. 

The most dangerous state in the US is Louisiana with a murder rate of 11.4 per 100K people. In all of Brazil it is 32.4. That said, the rate in Rio makes it safer than the worst rated US cities, in terms of crime. 

So people should be cautious. But cautious is just a strategy to help you enjoy this great country and all it has to offer. 

[Tartegogo]

5 minutes ago, demedici said:

Brazil has about 40% the population of the US. 

207.65 million /  323.13 million = 64.26%

Sorry I couldn't let that one pass. 

[demedici]

7 hours ago, Tartegogo said:

207.65 million /  323.13 million = 64.26%

Sorry I couldn't let that one pass. 

Thanks for the correction Tarte. 

[Latbear4blk]

18 hours ago, Tartegogo said:

You have missed my most important argument in favor of exchanging tips for safety: When hiring an escort in the US, the most important precaution that I take is that I read multiple reviews of the guy I am hiring.

This is not available to me in South America, so discussing what alternative precautions I need to take, is highly relevant, because what @Latbear4blk finds reasonable may never come to mind to someone who has only lived a cosy life in suburbia. You know, the crime rate of your DC neighborhood, or of Rio, is completely unknown to some of us. I am from Europe where gangsters don't even have guns!

I don't quite get why you don't like it when people are exchanging tips on this.

Are you upset that most Americans have never visited Murderville in DC, so they don't have experience with their own country's crime?

But why would they visit it?  I am going to Rio because it has beautiful beaches and I get fucks for $25. I am not going to find either in DC, so I have no reason to go see the worst of it. I assume American suburbanites feel the same, and so have not spent 2 weeks in a hotel right in the center of DC's Murderville. They need tips.

I think you should read my post again. But anyway, I give up. This is a lost battle for me.