Rio de Janeiro Reports

[QUOTE=Nordico;2300552]My experience is that taxi drivers are much more honest than what their fame is. I have made more than 20 trips to South America and met only two dishonest taxi drivers, both in Buenos Aires. Now I have also started using Uber and I take whichever is more convenient. I really don't care if the price is 4 or 6 euros. I was in Balneario Camboriu and I didn't see many taxis, so I used Uber all the time, but here in Sao Paulo, if I see a taxi in front of my hotel, I take it, if not, then it's Uber. I always tip them couple of Reais. Its good to be careful, but no need to overreact.[/QUOTE]Yeah but it is, in my opinion, always have both 99 (competitor to uber) and uber on your phone to check if the prices are fair. If you go to vila mimosa it might be tricky to order an uber or 99 because there might not have any phone service.

[QUOTE=Nordico;2300555]So, even if the girl was as much as her boyfriend in the plan to rob you, you awarded her and stayed with her, I suppose paying her, for couple of days. I would have kicked her to the curb. In my opinion she was as guilty as her boyfriend (conspiracy to rob a gringo).[/QUOTE]Except I had been with her before and we had had a good time together. Once in the other cab, she had told me what he was up to. I was staying far from Copa so she was happy to get away from him and we had an outstanding time. Drugs is usually the reason I would kick a girl out. I have zero tolerance. This was a sweet girl caught up in a bad situation.

[QUOTE=RioUnderground;2300556] If you go to vila mimosa it might be tricky to order an uber or 99 because there might not have any phone service.[/QUOTE]Why wouldn't there be any phone service at VM? LOL.

I use Uber all the time.

[QUOTE=Nordico;2300555]So, even if the girl was as much as her boyfriend in the plan to rob you, you awarded her and stayed with her, I suppose paying her, for couple of days. I would have kicked her to the curb. In my opinion she was as guilty as her boyfriend (conspiracy to rob a gringo).[/QUOTE]If the little head was a lawyer he'd be more successful than Robert Shapiro. He's very convincing.

[QUOTE=Turgid;2300851]If the little head was a lawyer he'd be more successful than Robert Shapiro. He's very convincing.[/QUOTE]So true. I would be a wealthy man if I didn't let the little head make the decisions.

[QUOTE=Balboa;2300794]Why wouldn't there be any phone service at VM? LOL.

I use Uber all the time.[/QUOTE]I don't know about VM, but I was surprised what speeds I got in Rio.

Hi everyone,

Great thread.

Appreciate all the advice on here.

Looking to come to Rio in September, mongered lots in Asia, once in Colombia but this will be my first visit to Brazil.

Usually when I travel to Asia, I take bank notes as I can easily change UK money over there but when I went to Colombia I just used my debit and credit cards as its hard to change the money there. Got hit with the ATM fees though when withdrawing cash: no Charles Swab accounts over here unfortunately.

Will I be able to change UK sterling over in Brazil or should I just use my cards like I did in Brazil?

Thanks for any help.

[QUOTE=Turgid;2300851]If the little head was a lawyer he'd be more successful than Robert Shapiro. He's very convincing.[/QUOTE]I have had more sex in my life than 100 men deserve. I never think with the little head. We have a deal, I do my thing and he does his -- well, without the need for artificial stimulants.

[QUOTE=SoberHans69;2301671}]Usually when I travel to Asia, I take bank notes as I can easily change UK money over there but when I went to Colombia I just used my debit and credit cards as its hard to change the money there. Got hit with the ATM fees though when withdrawing cash: no Charles Swab accounts over here unfortunately.[/QUOTE]Many Charles Schwab accounts and other banks offer ATM fees rebated globally. This is the best way to go. You just have to find machines which are connected to the same several systems shown on the back of your ATM card. Every city has large national banks plugged into the common global systems.

I saw this episode on tv about Americans bringing people from around the world to the USA in order to get married. One o fthe major sticking points was that if you apply for fiance visa to get them into the country and you get married, you are financially responsible for them for a period of 10 years. Even if you get divorced after one year, you are still on hook for the next 9 years.

My question is this. Does that 10 year stipulation apply if you marry a tourist? If they are already in the country, you won't have to file a fiance paper, so would the marriage be the same as a normal marriage in the US?

[QUOTE=Bravo;2301793]My question is this. Does that 10 year stipulation apply if you marry a tourist?

If they are already in the country, you won't have to file a fiance paper, so would the marriage be the same as a normal marriage in the US?[/QUOTE]1st question answer: No. But, if she's in USA on a tourist visa, and you marry, then you will have to real soon start getting her immigration status adjusted. It takes a while and costs $, but straightforward process.

2nd question answer: Yes! Marry in the USA and divorce in the USA, just as if she was native born.

[QUOTE=WyattEarp;2301791]Many Charles Schwab accounts and other banks offer ATM fees rebated globally. This is the best way to go. You just have to find machines which are connected to the same several systems shown on the back of your ATM card. Every city has large national banks plugged into the common global systems.[/QUOTE]Thanks for the reply but I couldn't find any bank accounts in the UK which refund ATM fees.

[QUOTE=Balboa;2300794]Why wouldn't there be any phone service at VM? LOL.

I use Uber all the time.[/QUOTE]Well. I didn't have phone service there just a heads up I had to take a bus to get out of there.

[QUOTE=RioUnderground;2301998]Well. I didn't have phone service there just a heads up I had to take a bus to get out of there.[/QUOTE]Hmmm, well I've always gotten phone service there, and there's taxis all around and coming thru all the time as well.

[QUOTE=RioUnderground;2301998]Well. I didn't have phone service there just a heads up I had to take a bus to get out of there.[/QUOTE]It's easy to take a taxi from VM, my advise is to avoid parked taxis. You take a running taxi few meters away from VM. UBER is good and bad, you can also run into bad drivers. You can buy a brazilian card (TIM) and choose the prepaid plan. You can use internet wherever you go.

[URL]https://www.tim.com.br/para-voce/planos/pre-pago/todos-os-planos[/URL]