General Info

[QUOTE=SonicBoom1;3078968]I am thinking of driving in Santa Catarina and Iguazu from Curitiba for a 1 week car trip in late September. Is this a good idea, or should I just take buses and flights? I ask because I like the idea of a road trip with a chica. Also, will my US license suffice?[/QUOTE]Also you have to wash the car before you bring it back or you will be charged 100 reais. I washed it before bringing it before and they still charged me like 35. Also if you make a reservation for a certain time, you have like 1 hour past that time to pick it up or they will cancel the reservation. They did that bullshit to me and it was like double for a new reservation. Also once one of the headlights was out and I did not know it. All the tickets are electronic there. So they sent the citation to the rental car company and they charged it to my credit card. So check and make sure everything is working. Watch your speed too. Same thing. I got 2 speeding tickets within minutes of each other. Rental car place put it on my credit card.

[QUOTE=SonicBoom1;3078968]I am thinking of driving in Santa Catarina[/QUOTE]Car wash is Lava Jato. You will see the signs everywhere. It cost like 25 or 30 reais for full detail.

[QUOTE=SonicBoom1;3078968]I am thinking of driving in Santa Catarina and Iguazu from Curitiba for a 1 week car trip in late September. Is this a good idea, or should I just take buses and flights? I ask because I like the idea of a road trip with a chica. Also, will my US license suffice?[/QUOTE] Good idea Santa Catarina driving was calm, normal, visiting Beto Carrero World, in Penha, Santa Catarina was pricey & exhausting and fun day.

Driving a car in Sao Paulo on a Rodzio day sucks. Waze warns about radar cameras & and onibus cameras ahead. Shit the foto cameras work. Some drivers use black stickers to alter the liscense plate numbers on Rodizo day. On the bright side, minor fender benders can be settled directly between drivers, local motoboys drive like wild west got their licenses in a cereal box.

Driving SP car plates in Rio wasn't a great idea for menext time I'll just Uber or rent locally from Localiza office in shopping mall away from the airport. (Localiza is solid, but add an airport surcharges renting nearby CGH and SDU locations).

I slowed down & turned my interior lights at the Polcia Militar PM / BOPE checkpoints at night in Rio. Seem to be different Checkpoints on the road & before entering the tunnels.

My Sem Parar tag to pay automatic tolls and mall parking was the good decision I made. Even when my tag got blocked for low balance (kkk), at Piratinga toll plaza, the booth attendant was helpful, let me pay cash, and I just reloaded online later.

Hi all,

After many years of hobbying in Rio I am planning to retire and move to Rio next year.

If anyoine is living there more or less full time would be open to sharing their monthly expenses in some detail, please reach out by PM or on the board.

I recognise that people have very different budgets, spending preferences and most important financial means, but nevertheless I would value any insights you can share.

Basically all the scams and bullshit in holidaying in a not western country.

Send a pm.

[QUOTE=Junior;3079069]Hi all,

After many years of hobbying in Rio I am planning to retire and move to Rio next year.

If anyoine is living there more or less full time would be open to sharing their monthly expenses in some detail, please reach out by PM or on the board.

I recognise that people have very different budgets, spending preferences and most important financial means, but nevertheless I would value any insights you can share.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=MissMaryHinge;3078649]Thanks for input.

Searching flights, it seems incredible that there are no direct flights to SEA. Search engines suggest flying BACK east connecting through Dubai et to BKK or KL etc. Fuck that.[/QUOTE]Why not try searching for flights in a different way? (Don't accept Google's suggestions.) For example, see where there are direct flights to the city you're traveling to, and from there to Seattle. Suggestions and searches aren't always the best.

When are these Brazilian airlines going to consistently fix their fucking websites? I've been flying domestically down there for years and years, and it's the same old bullshit! This time, I couldn't even access Azul's website for some reason. Still a total piece of shit! And then GOL, which has always been good in the past, couldn't even run my searches for flights! WTF? The consolation is that I was finally able to work with LATAM's site, which ran flawlessly. For once! So, I booked all of my domestic flights for later this year through them. Damn!