Rio de Janeiro Reports

[Vagabundo1]

Good report, thanks.

I was stopped coming from centro to barra twice with a girl on Tuesday in a similar way.

Violence is likely to rise for the simple fact that people are starving (see below).

I may be wrong about Bolsonaro. It wouldn't be the first time.

Pray for war! Love in a time of Cholera! Years of living dangerously!

https://www.economist.com/the-americ...is-under-siege

Here are many ways to describe pork-barrel politics in Brazil. They include tomá lá theá seeá (give and take), troca de favores (trading favours), corporativisms (corporatism) and velha política (old politics). In 2018, on the campaign trail, Jair Bolsonaro used these and far ruder insults to disparage his fellow politicians, especially ones from the left-wing Workers' Party (pt), which governed from 2003 to 2016 and was roiled by two big corruption scandals. As president, he vowed to advance his agenda without distributing cargos (jobs) or emendas (amendments: ie, pork).

The first sign he had given up on this "new politics" came in mid-2020, when he formed an alliance with a bloc of self-serving parties known as the centrão (big centre) in order to shield himself from impeachment petitions, of which there are now 117. Centrão support is never free. A recent investigation by Estado de S. Paulo, a newspaper, showed that last year Mr Bolsonaro's government forked over 20 bn reais ($3. 9 bn) through emendas do relator, or "chairman's pork", a reference to the chairman of the budget committee. At least 3 bn reais were funneled through the development ministry to congressmen to fund public works and purchase farm equipment at inflated prices, sometimes through companies owned by relatives.

The scandal, which the press has dubbed tratoraço (roughly, "tractor-gate" is the clearest proof yet of Mr Bolsonaro's participation in pork-barrel politics. It is unfolding alongside an even bigger public-relations disaster: a parliamentary commission of inquiry (cpi) into the government's handling of the pandemic. The two crises demonstrate how Mr Bolsonaro has become increasingly weak and how Congress, which is known for virus-like opportunism, has used his vulnerability to strengthen itself. "The more fragile the president, the higher the cost of support," explains Sylvio Costa of Congresso them Foco, a watchdog site.

Brazil's political system, known as "coalition presidentialism", is a hybrid between the presidential model of the United States and European-style parliamentary government. The president directs policymaking and drafts the budget but cannot get much done without Congress, where his or her party rarely has a majority. Most of Brazil's 30 or so political parties lack ideological platforms; they back presidents in exchange for patronage. This favours vote-winning projects like paving roads or painting schools, rather than long-term planning, says Élida Pinto, a professor of public finances at Fundação Getulio Vargas (fgv), a university.

In 1994 six congressmen lost their posts as a result of a vote-buying scandal involving fake ngos. In 2005 a centrão lawmaker admitted that the pt was funneling 30,000 reais per month to congressmen in exchange for legislative support. (he was kicked out of Congress but is now an ally of Mr Bolsonaro.) In 2014 prosecutors launched a probe called Lava Jato ("Car Wash") which revealed a vast kickback scheme among construction firms, political parties and the state oil firm.

In response to protests, Congress passed a series of constitutional amendments aimed at reducing corruption while keeping congressmen sweet. Most emendas became in effect an automatic allowance (not at the president's discretion) for lawmakers to spend in their constituencies. They had to follow new rules, such as providing receipts. But such restrictions made it harder for presidents to cobble together a coalition. When Dilma Rousseff, a pt president, was impeached in 2016, it was technically because she had hidden the size of Brazil's budget deficit; but also because she struggled to manage an increasingly unruly Congress. She expanded her cabinet to 39 ministries in order to dole out patronage, but a recession in 2014-16 limited her scope.

Mr Bolsonaro is experiencing something similar. Brazil has had one of the worst covid-19 outbreaks in the world, with an official death count of more than 450,000. His strategy of downplaying the pandemic seemed to work last year, when a third of Brazilians received emergency aid. But this year a second wave has coincided with rising inflation, slow vaccination and a reduction in handouts. Mr Bolsonaro's approval rating has fallen from 40% to below 30%. The speaker of the lower house, Arthur Lira, the only person who can open impeachment proceedings, warned of "bitter political remedies".

But impeachment is unlikely, partly because Mr Bolsonaro in effect reinvented chairman's pork at the end of 2019. Most of the new allowances went to lawmakers who voted for Mr Lira and the centrão's pick to head the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, in leadership elections in February. Documents on government sites account for only around 1 bn of the 3 bn reais spent by the development ministry. The budget chairman, Domingos Neto, sent 110 m reais to a city of 59,000 people of which his mother is the mayor. The ministry agreed to pay 500,000 reais apiece for tractors listed as costing 200,000. It insists that there were no irregularities.

A bigger threat to Mr Bolsonaro's popularity is the cpi, which began hearing testimony in the Senate this month. Its daily sessions are broadcast live on tv, creating a macabre oral history of Brazil's pandemic disaster. Two former health ministers said that the government's initial strategy rested on herd immunity and hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug promoted by Donald Trump. A Pfizer executive said that the government ignored six offers to sell Brazil vaccines. The health minister at the time, Eduardo Pazuello, a general who was also in charge when the city of Manaus ran out of oxygen, tried to skip testifying by saying he might have covid-19 himself.

Mr Bolsonaro "is becoming a prisoner of his unpopularity", says Alessandro Molon, the leader of the opposition in the lower house. The latest polls show the president's support falling in nearly every constituency, including among his strongest backers, such as evangelical Christians. His top rival in the 2022 election is likely to be Luiz Inácio Lula the Silva, a former pt president whose popularity has recently increased. One poll suggests that if a runoff election were held tomorrow, 55% would pick him against just 32% for Mr Bolsonaro (the rest said neither). When Brazilians see Europeans and Americans getting vaccinated, they realise "our president is a caricature," says Ciro Gomes, a former governor who also plans to run.

Mr Bolsonaro could recover before next year's election. Vaccination is at last progressing and the economy is doing better than feared. The economy minister, Paulo Guedes, has urged Congress to reform taxes and the public sector. This would free up money for vote-winning programmes, he argues. But lawmakers want handouts too. "The centrão is not loyal," warns Rebeca Lucena of bmj, a consultancy. "If the ship is sinking, it will jump to another."

An officer calls in her info and we wait a few minutes- sure enough no tickets and they let us go without saying anything really, not even- "have good day". They just sort of lose interest and begin talking to them-selves. Luckily the Uber driver is taking it in stride, and we jump back in and head off again. Lucrezia is silent and withdrawn for 30 minute or so, but her mood soon improves and the whole thing is quickly forgotten.

[Spidy]

Driving a buggy in Buzios is a lot of fun for those who don't mind stick. Unlike Rio, people don't drive like lunatics probably due to enormous and scary looking speedbumps everywhere. But buggies can only be used within the city limits, so can't drive to Cabo Frio or elsewhere.

Buggies rides in Buzios, yep, some good times. Driving stick is all part of the fun.

I've rented cars and driven them in Rio without issues, except in 2015 while returning from a wild night at a club in Duque de Caxias (girlfriend in tow) and got caught in a DWI sting in Copa. So just don't drive buzzed on alcohol and it will be fine. I plan on renting a car while I am in Rio as I arrive Monday.

Glad to see a courageous soul, tackling Rio driving. Gives me hope.

One thing I couldn't get pass and always thought it was so funny, is how Brazilians tended to park their vehicles like, the caveman, Freddy Flintstones. There was never a spot too small they couldn't get into. Just a little tap on this bumper, to make space and then another little tap on this bumper...kkkk.

[Sperto]

Keep on reporting, Senhor Vagabundo.
Don't worry about "os chatos velhos", do as I've done long ago, press the ignore button.

[The Cane]

Senor Cane.

I appreciate your input and many pictures. But I would submit that we are rehashing the same conversation.

Maybe it is my fault. Like all men who pay women for sex I have a dominant personality as do you. I apologize to you and for that matter anyone else I've offended.

That said may I suggest you ignore my posts as I do yours, in the interest of not rehashing what most readers probably see as trash.

Very respectfully.

What are you talking about? I wasn't offended by your post. But it appears that maybe you were by mine. You say that you ignore my posts, but then you commented on the pictures I post, and you obviously didn't ignore my post which prompted your above response to it. Look, if you or anybody else makes a post expressing a particular point of view, other people have the right to express their own alternative views on the same matter (s). And as long as that's done respectfully, there is no need for anybody to feel offended.

You push staying in Barra, and I don't, especially for newbies and people on short visits. You go to Vila Mimosa and I don't as I find it to be very unappealing. You seek out lots of negras, and I prefer the brancas and morenas. And on and on. You get to state what you like and offer your own advice, but then so does everyone else here. And just because that may be something different from what you like or suggest is no reason to get annoyed with others, or state that you don't read their posts, and that the conversation is "trash".

I believe to the contrary. The more information, viewpoints, and data that people have, the better the decisions they can make for themselves based on their own individual likes or dislikes. Your response reminds me of people who get mad if you challenge them when they say things like the clinica girls in Sao Paulo look just as good as the Scandallo or Bomboa girls, or that it's the same girls who work in both types of establishments, etc. All of us here need to know how to share this space. That means that if you state opinions in a diverse public forum that don't square with somebody else's, then you need to be prepared to receive alternative views without getting annoyed at people who think differently about it than you do.

Respectfully,

The Cane.

[Exec Talent]

This is one of the girls I met in Dolce Vita.

Now that is worth that long flight. Rock on Rio Bob!

[Exec Talent]

Thanks Z for the great report. I love reading life experiences like that. Even the cop stop is priceless stuff you will remember forever as long as it turns out OK. She sounds like a real gem. I got to admit I need to catch feelings a bit to have a proper experience. Yes I might fuck 50 girls but only a couple really slay me and I catch feelings. But damn if that doesn't just make it better. Yes it hurts more in the end than being a fuck zombie but it's sooo worth it IMO.

And I was just thinking the same as you why havent more girls caught on to the fact that if you play the girlfriend to the nth degree us guys will be slain and want more and it's more $$ in the end. I recently hit the jackpot with a sugar babe in the US and she was like the best girlfriend you could ever have in bed and out on the town. Even now when I hit her up to maybe fly somewhere she's like "sounds good. Let's do it babe. " Just always a positive vibe and makes you feel like a million bucks.

Ah the good ones make it all worth while.

These are the stories I also like to hear because they also say a lot about the storyteller. You made someone feel special, valued and maybe even loved. I have had termas girls surprise me by inviting me to their birthday parties or their homes to meet their families. It is a level of trust that says you are never going to do anything to embarrass me or hurt me. When these girls meet someone with whom they click they talk about him with their family and friends leaving out the money exchanged part. If you do extended stays this leads to we would like to meet him.

Steve, glad you found a special someone in the US. I have had such relationships which lasted for years and which grew to become less and less about sex and money.

[Rio Bob]

Hi Rio Bob,

I liked your Mabs & Dolce Vita report. Mabs has been on my to do list for some time and I will now add Dolce Vita to that list. It was a shame that all the bars and Termas were closed for 4/5 or the 5 weeks I was in Brazil recently.

As to the BarraVIP's call girls: yes, they live all over the place. I had girls from Copa & Barra mainly. I always ruled out girls who obscured their faces on their profile pages. I don't care why some girls do this and I understand a video call can rectify the issue, but it's just not worth bothering with IMHO.

P.S. I loved a few of my BarraVIP's girls. They changed my mind about escorts.

This is one of the girls I met in Dolce Vita.

[Vagabundo1]

It must have been.

[Xpartan]

Heading towards the adjacent beach, some guy walks by with a giant schlong hanging out, and I'm like "ok". A few steps away a naked dude that looks German is pissing against a boulder in full sight of the world, piss stream arcing gracefully from his Germanic cock, catching the light with a visible steam rising.

Wow, as they say. Show, don't tell. Great imagery, thank you, LOL!

I'm in a position with this garota that I'm not necessarily catching feelings- I know what the deal is- but this seems like its going to be habitual. I know she's going to be riding clients all day before coming to see me at night- I suppose if that's ever something I can't handle I will need to cut it off. For the moment it seems fine, but a downside here is that my curiosity to explore further has become muted.

All that tells me you've found a girl who makes (is making) you happy. So ride with it. I remember one girl in Lima who made me feel this way, so much so that I just didn't want anyone else.

There is nothing wrong with a little monogamy on a mongering trip, IMHO.

[Steve 9696]

Thanks Z for the great report. I love reading life experiences like that. Even the cop stop is priceless stuff you will remember forever as long as it turns out OK. She sounds like a real gem. I got to admit I need to catch feelings a bit to have a proper experience. Yes I might fuck 50 girls but only a couple really slay me and I catch feelings. But damn if that doesn't just make it better. Yes it hurts more in the end than being a fuck zombie but it's sooo worth it IMO.

And I was just thinking the same as you — why havent more girls caught on to the fact that if you play the girlfriend to the nth degree us guys will be slain and want more and it's more $$ in the end. I recently hit the jackpot with a sugar babe in the US and she was like the best girlfriend you could ever have in bed and out on the town. Even now when I hit her up to maybe fly somewhere she's like "sounds good. Let's do it babe. " Just always a positive vibe and makes you feel like a million bucks.

Ah the good ones make it all worth while.

[Vagabundo1]

Senor Cane.

I appreciate your input and many pictures. But I would submit that we are rehashing the same conversation.

Maybe it is my fault. Like all men who pay women for sex I have a dominant personality as do you. I apologize to you and for that matter anyone else I've offended.

That said may I suggest you ignore my posts as I do yours, in the interest of not rehashing what most readers probably see as trash.

Very respectfully.

But the overall type of experience and scene isn't. Staying way the hell out in Barra. Hitting only mostly prives in centro when going out. Far away from the main action and no termas with the kind of social interaction and mingling with the girls that I like. I'm not interested in taking a "Spartan" vacation to any place really. I don't want to and I don't have to. Not my idea of a good time.

[WyattEarp]

I'm in a position with this garota that I'm not necessarily catching feelings- I know what the deal is- but this seems like its going to be habitual. I know she's going to be riding clients all day before coming to see me at night- I suppose if that's ever something I can't handle I will need to cut it off. For the moment it seems fine, but a downside here is that my curiosity to explore further has become muted.

All in all, a great day. The world has a negative picture of working girls, but some have a unique gift for living in the moment and instinctually know how to give a man a pleasurable experience that many could be missing in their own relationship / life. This is a valuable service / commodity. I wonder if they mitigate their own tendency to catch feelings through promiscuity, similar to how I think men do. They are clearly wired differently from your average woman, who has much more of an instinct to exclusivity, although I'm sure if I ever walked back into Lucrezia's terma, she would go ballistic if I chose another girl.

ZebraStripes,

Great report! You will know when you want to go on the prowl looking for new prey. Those special connections with a garota are not automatically easy to recreate. So enjoy it. Take a day or two off if you desire. She will understand. When you do call, Lucrezia would much rather hang out and fuck someone she is comfortable with.

And yes, she would go ballistic if you chose another girl (at her establishment). However, she knows what you do on the days you are not hanging out with her. What you said about exclusivity (monogamy) made me think about this concept in much of the world. Women in much of the world don't always expect exclusivity, but if it is discreet, not thrown in their face and not a threat, they will accept it. This is obviously not true with all women.

[Sperto]

Further on, we can see the beach gives way to a nudist beach / bar or colony and Lucrezia decides it not her thing so we head back.

Praia do Abricó.

Thanks, for fun reports.

[Vagabundo1]

I had a mini relationship going with her in 2020 so we know each other well.

I was looking through some pictures.

But I am reluctant to post them because of some of the issues discussed in the great novel Shantaram.

She is the girl I called Midori for her resemblance. I'm sure when you go to VM, you can find a nice negra bunda that resembles a 22 year old Midori.

She kept bugging me about wanting me to pay for her breast augmentation surgery.

I kept saying next month.

When it finally came down to October, I pulled a Paul Simon and "found a new plan, Stan / slipped out the back, Jack / and set myself free."

A pharma student in Villa Mimosa, I must get my ass there next time I visit Rio. I had wrong notions about the place.

[Vagabundo1]

I had a mini relationship going with her in 2020 so we know each other well.

I was looking through some pictures.

But I am reluctant to post them because of some of the issues discussed in the great novel Shantaram.

She is the girl I called Midori for her resemblance. I'm sure when you go to VM, you can find a nice negra bunda that resembles a 22 year old Midori.

A pharma student in Villa Mimosa, I must get my ass there next time I visit Rio. I had wrong notions about the place.