Brazil Mens Fashion

[farooqm]

What is the fashion for bars/clubs, daytime, beach for Brazilian Men?

I am heading there next week and I want to pack accordingly.

Thanks.

 

[EL72]

If you wear anything else on the beach (especially oversize board shorts and swim trunks), you will automatically be pegged for a North American tourist.

 

[LabelKing]

I actually think that's true.

 

[whomewhat]

I spent two years in Brasil doing missionary work and actually married a Brasilian. Do NOT wear any jewelry (watch, rings, etc.), bring a wallet, or any other expensive items to the beach. Large groups of kids (really, children), 25 - 50 at a time, are hired by local criminals to raid the beaches and steal everything of value. They then bring it all back to these low-life thugs who, maybe, let them live another day to work for them. It is quite sad, but true, so leave the bling, and not so bling, somewhere safe. This problem is most prevalent in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, but the smaller cities have beaches and resorts just as nice, maybe nicer, and without the crime problems. Probably the most spectacular beaches in Brasil are in Santa Catarina, to the south, and the best of the best is Florianopolis. My wife and I are going there for our 25th wedding anniversary, this year.

 

[epa]

My boss recently came back from Rio and said that the level of criminality was so high that they actually didn't feel comfortable going to the beach, even they they stayed at a hotel very close to it. Actually, some colleagues got robbed in the elevators of the hotel, and it was a supposedly good hotel (the Sheraton, I believe).

 

[WN2]

My friend visited Rio a month ago and got robbed on the street. When he didn't give up the money in a second (as is the custom here) he was almost stabbed, etc. I'd steer clear of the country until they get their act together but since you are going anyway, have a nice trip!

 

[LabelKing]

Someone told me that if you go to Brazil, you should look into hiring bodyguards. Since this advice was relayed to me via a Leica forum, perhaps it is paranoid.

 

[vanity]

I'm pretty sure has been one of the most dangerous countries for American toursists for a long time now. It was only recently suprassed by Mexico as the kidnap capital of the world.

 

[vc2000]

I was in Rio for Carnival last year. I would tone it down on the fashion wear - it pegs you for money. While I didn't have any problems with crime on the beach constant roaming vendors attempted to sell me something ever two seconds. It was very annoying. Better to look like a poor tourists than a rich businessman. Clothing - t shirt and shorts are ok. I took some more formal things and never wore them. I wore a sportscoat (linen) to dinner and in the lobby of the Copacabana Hotel in Rio but else where it wasn't needed. I dined at some of the better places too - a polo style shirt would be fine. Most of the citizens aren't that well dressed. If you are concerned about it you'll be fine.

On the bathing suit - yes all the locals do wear the small suit. The men also just sit on the sand rather than a towel. I wore a pair of board shorts. I was going to buy a pair of the smaller but I never got around to it. It wasn't like I was going to fit in anyway. A 6'4 snowflake white northerner just isn't going to blend. I got over it. Some of the locals wear a smaller suit and pull the board shorts over it.

The advice on going to another town for a more beautiful and peaceful beach is wise. Many of the locals don't even go to the beach in Rio. If you can go away to another of the beaches.

As I said I didn't have trouble with crime in Rio - Sao Paulo is another story. However my credit card was duplicated - about two months later charges began. They were organized to hit it fast. When I got home I would get the account numbers changed.

I have to say this because I had an awful experience at the Sheraton - it is awful. The service is pathetic - the elevators never worked...maybe that is a good thing since epa's boss got robbed there. Seriously the only time I used it was with luggage checking in and out. The location is far off - they claim in a hip area - wrong - it is across the street from the slums - at night the gunshots can be heard. Breakfast (room service) was more expensive than NYC or Tokyo. The health club was rarely open - the pool closed at 7 because they didn't have staff??? Don't stay there. It is one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed at...and I have stayed at some losers.

Taxis - you need to pick those wisely. Make sure you get one that the meter runs otherwise they will rip you off. AND that is were a lot of crime happens. Get one that other people (tourists) are getting out of - you can tell if they are happy or not. Hotels can get you one but they normally get a kickback.

The crime is bad but only if you put yourself at risk. Most places are just looking to make some money off of you. I paid far too much for admission to some clubs, cabs and other things... You could see this as being ripped off but it was part of the experience. Pay the tab and move on don't fight with the locals.

Have fun Rio is a fun place. Rio is a city - if you can go to one of the smaller areas the locals are fun and you will enjoy the experience.

 

[farooqm]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I actually didn't have a single problem with crime on my 3 week trip and in fact most of the locals went out of there way to help us, and most service people wouldn't accept tips we tried to give them etc.

We were very lucky in that we somehow managed to find the best and least criminal spots, in Rio we ended up in Leblon which is beside Ipanema which is supposed to be the safest and most localish beach. We went to Copacabana for about an hour, hated it and went back to Leblon.

I think part of this was due to the fact that my group was indian and we looked Brazilian, alot of Brazilians were shocked when we didn't speak Portugese. I would strongly recommend anyone thinking of going to Brazil to learn Portugese, its not like Europe in that most people speak English.

Amazingly Beautiful women!!!!!!

 

[redcaimen]

Originally Posted by farooqm

Thanks for all the advice guys, I actually didn't have a single problem with crime on my 3 week trip and in fact most of the locals went out of there way to help us, and most service people wouldn't accept tips we tried to give them etc.

We were very lucky in that we somehow managed to find the best and least criminal spots, in Rio we ended up in Leblon which is beside Ipanema which is supposed to be the safest and most localish beach. We went to Copacabana for about an hour, hated it and went back to Leblon.

I think part of this was due to the fact that my group was indian and we looked Brazilian, alot of Brazilians were shocked when we didn't speak Portugese. I would strongly recommend anyone thinking of going to Brazil to learn Portugese, its not like Europe in that most people speak English.

Amazingly Beautiful women!!!!!!

I was in Rio between Reveillon and Carnival - about the time you were. I never had a problem with crime either. I did hear gunshots at night though. Once, while walking around the Lagoa alone, I passed a group of young men and one mentioned to the others that I had a camera. Not sure if this was an ominous comment or an innocent one. Nothing came of it.

I second your opinion of Leblon. I never made it to Barra. I got the impression it was more upscale probably as a result of being more isolated from most of the Favelas. Your recomendation on portuguese is a good one. Spanish helps but you will be far better off if you learn even a few hundred words of portuguese.

I am sorry for the guy who got ripped off by the price of breakfast at his hotel. Other than the Philipines, I have never had better food cheaper. At the Churascarias you can eat until you just cant eat any more for about $20. I hardly ever spent more than $15 at one of those Por Kilo places.

I also agree about the women. On average they are the best looking, most passionate, most feminine women in the world.

Glad you had a good trip.

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by farooqm

Thanks for all the advice guys, I actually didn't have a single problem with crime on my 3 week trip and in fact most of the locals went out of there way to help us, and most service people wouldn't accept tips we tried to give them etc.

We were very lucky in that we somehow managed to find the best and least criminal spots, in Rio we ended up in Leblon which is beside Ipanema which is supposed to be the safest and most localish beach. We went to Copacabana for about an hour, hated it and went back to Leblon.

I think part of this was due to the fact that my group was indian and we looked Brazilian, alot of Brazilians were shocked when we didn't speak Portugese. I would strongly recommend anyone thinking of going to Brazil to learn Portugese, its not like Europe in that most people speak English.

Amazingly Beautiful women!!!!!!
glad to see you enjoyed it. welcome back.

 

[Goblin]

Originally Posted by farooqm

What is the fashion for bars/clubs, daytime, beach for Brazilian Men?

 

[thinman]

I've been to Brazil twice and never felt particularly unsafe, except when riding a taxi from the airport to my hotel in Recife near midnight. During my first trip, I stayed in the Rio area for a week (Niteroi, across the bay from Rio, and Ipanema) and I visited Campinas (in Sao Paulo state) for several days and Recife for several more days. My second trip lasted about 10 days and I stayed exclusively in Niteroi, but ventured into Rio for sightseeing.

I took reasonable precautions, including arranging taxis at my hotel (negotiating the price in advance) and making sure the driver would wait for me to bring me back to the hotel. You can do this because taxis are ridiculously cheap. In Niteroi, I would run on the beach after dark, or sometimes go for a walk along the beach or in the area near the beach. The beach was always crowded with football and volleyball players and the business district near the beach was also very crowded. My boardshorts and pastey-white legs indeed marked me as a tourist, but I always felt perfectly safe. In Ipanema, my experience was similar. In Campinas, there really wasn't much to do, so I pretty much just took care of business there and in Recife, too, though I was told that someone died in a shark attack in waist-deep water the week before I arrived, so I was warned to stay out of the water.

I enjoyed Brazil immensely and was very impressed by how friendly Brazilians are, especially those from Rio. I want to take a Portuguese class before I return, so I can talk more with the locals. And the women are indeed stunning. Brazilians seem to take much better care of themselves than Americans (both men and women), so their women are generally much more toned, tanned, and gorgeous. The only downside of the sunworshipping culture I noticed is that Rio must be the skin cancer capital of the world. The faces of many middle-aged people had the look of tanned cowhide. I highly recommend Rio as a vacation spot. Just take reasonable precautions and you'll be safe.

Edit: Don't forget to pack your six-pack abs to go with your skimpy swimsuit. In the tourist areas, designer clothing was the rage while I was there and most of it seemed to be Italian. Of course, this will mark you as having money, but I don't think you can avoid that. The Brazilian economy seems to consist only of the haves and have-nots. The latter live in some of the worst slums (favelas) I've seen anywhere in the world, so you almost can't look like you belong there. Just stay away from the favelas.

 

[globetrotter]

I am in SP this week. frankly, I am not looking forward to figuring out how to get around until I get oriented on the taxis, etc - I haven't been to a dangerous city I don't know well in years.