I'm  going to Rio next week on vacation and understand it is quite a scene.  I was wondering if anyone has had any experiences, advice on where to go?

Dear Troilus,

I lived in Brazil for several years and can tell you some things relevant.

First of all, don't forget your camera and lots of film/cards because it really is quite a scene. Pay attention to the music, you will notice that you shouldn't just SEE Rio, you have to LISTEN to it because it's one of the most musical places in the planet.

Don't underestimate the dangers. Traffic is horrible. Have a local guide or friend tell you where to go and where not to. Dress like a local. Use traveller checks instead of cash. Keep most of your money and your passport in a second wallet. Use taxis rather than rentals. Yes, it is this bad.

Overall you will have the time of your life. The food is great, plentiful, and dirty cheap. The bars at the beach are perfect. The people are mostly very friendly and funny. The dollar goes a long way there. The beach scene is unforgettable.

Have fun.

Milton

Rio is essentially a cauldron of depravity.  Well, visually it's a beautiful city -- do *not* miss the view from atop Corcovado.  
The big hotspot is a club on Copacabana called "Help."  Try to have a hotel nearby, and you're all set.  On a typical night there can be more than 100 girls in there of all ages, shapes and sizes.  Plan about $50-$100 for the whole night.  Otherwise there are dozens of gentleman's clubs scattered around the city.  One called "Monte Carlo" is very nice.  They're all clean, safe, and above board.  Rates in these places are about $40 per hour, give or take.    

- B

I forgot to mention...

Recently the Brazilian authorities, well known for their lack of intelligence and abundance of attitude, decided to fingerprint and photograph the tourists from the United States. That is creating very long lines and an unusually indelicate treatment that is certainly discriminatory, because the singled out people with USA passports. Besides that who knows if when you put your fingerprints their wise cloned computers may say that you are an Algerian Terrorist called Carlos, the Jackal or something like that. HEHEHE

It may not bother you, but along with the need for an expensive visa (with a good amount of red tape) it bothers me enough that I am not even considering going there while they keep that attitude. I vote with my feet and I think that if you are looking for hot hight life at a good price then Europe and the Caribbean offer great alternatives for a better price after all.

Best regards,

Milton

Thanks everyone, especially for the low down on the fingerprinting and red tape.  I have my visa, I noticed they do single out US citizens for some reason.

Thanks for the info on HELP, I've read about the various clubs, was wondering what the woman were like.

Not going anywhere else, actually headed to Buenos aires first to do some dancing, then to Rio.

Actually, the reasoning behind this, and behind requiring a visa from US travelers, is just reciprocity.  What it boils down to is, since the US requires these things of travelers from Brazil, Brazil requires the same from US Citizens.  While it IS a pain in the ass, it's basically just another result of the whole Homeland Security movement.
   Just another entry in a long list of reasons to recall the Mad Cowboy... but then again, that's just my opinion.

Reciprocity is a vague concept they apply when it is convenient for them. For example, our tourist visas are good for 5 years and they give us visas good for 90 days. But when they want to make a point they claim "reciprocity".

No need to join the "blame us first" crowd on this one.

Milton

P.S.: In regards to the Mad Cowboy I prefer not to get into the matter because that would start a megabyte long thread that a moderator would need to interrupt.

Yeah I agree .....I would feel much better letting anyone in anytime anywhere, with no restrictions........As a matter of fact i think airport ID checks are pain too......Maybe we should dump those too.....And while were at it why bother with any borders at all........Let's just let anyone in whenever they want ....As long as they pinky swear to be nice.........Idiots like you got us in this mess to begin with.....Do yourself a favor and shut up...

I can't thank you enough for the witty, well-thought out response.  Truly, Sarcastro rides again...

Look, if you can't cope with the opinions of another person, you probably shouldn't be reading a board full of subjective reviews.  I have no idea where you got the idea that I advocate opening the borders to anyone who cares to come in, and you never bothered stating which mess you were refering to.

It's probably my own fault for slipping in a personal political opinion at the end of my post, and I guess I'll try to refrain from that in the future.  But the main point of the post was to give the reasoning behind the increased security measures in Brazil.  If you want to debate the validity of those reasons, fine, but if you want to do some name-calling while making wild assumtions about my feelings on immagration policy and airport security, please do the civilized thing, and PM me.