Rio de Janeiro and Salvador Brazil Carnival 2017 Datasheet
02-13-2018, 03:57 PM
So figured I'd add a bit in here for the 2018 Salvador Carnival.
It's day 5 today and it's fucking mental. A key point I'll note is I'm here with my girl so I haven't been gaming but sometimes being able to step back and observe is an even stronger data source than anecdotal success/failures.
The Parades/Party
There are a few parades but two main ones that I've seen. One runs a circuit through the Centro Historico/Campo Grande region and the other starts at the Lighthouse in Barra and runs up the Ave Oceanica.
Centro Historic one is more family oriented with the activities starting around 4pm and a lot of kids and activities for them, the parade route is still crazy and fun but it's more family friendly.
Barra is the opposite, there are still kids and families but a lot more younger party seeking types. It kicks off around 5pm and from what I can tell the Trios (the trucks with bands on them) stop around 2am, the Camarotes also seem to open up at this point and turn more into clubs but each one is different.
The two parades are a couple of km apart that you can comfortably walk in a large crowd, didn't feel unsafe at all doing this any of the last few nights.
You have the standard 3 options here...
1. Free Walk - Basically just show up at the street, pick a float and follow or find a spot and hang. There are food and drink vendors everywhere, beers are less than a buck and lovely and cold (it's fucking hot and humid here!). I'd say this is actually the strongest route if you're going for a ONS or just want to have a lot of success in general.
2. Blocos - Huge groups that have a roped off section behind different trios, to be honest the music all kind of sounds the same when it's that loud and has that much outside noise (another Trio behind and in front and Camarotes all along the street pumping music) so really the only difference is the size of the crowd and the cost. They're not cheap but some of the bigger ones have more than a thousand people and multiple trucks with bars/toilets. You're free to come and go and they'd be a great way to meet people if you have no one with you but essentially there is very little difference to the Free walking option outside of a minor display of wealth that the singlets indicate because none of them are cheap.
3. Camarotes - More like attending a club with a parade going on outside. They're expensive and I'd imagine they'd require an all night effort to get any kind of success as no one leaves them (they all have singlets/shirts as well). They play their own music and most people crowd against the balconies to watch the show. I imagine one could have a ton of success here running normal club style game but escalation and leaving are going to be a nightmare because I can't see anyone wanting to leave too early having dropped $500+ to be in there. From what I've seen, if you're looking for foreigners (for some god forsaken reason) these will be your best bets, they tend to pay for the safety they provide and I've seen very few fellow gringos on the street.
Acommodation & Transport
This is a key factor to consider. Carnival is a clusterfuck for traffic and transport. There are free buses between the two parades and a ton of normal taxis that are all sitting in traffic. If you leave around 3am expect to sit in the taxi for a good 20 minutes to get out of the main area.
Uber can get you near but they shut down the main access roads and only allow official vehicles in, so don't rely on Uber to get home especially. Taxis are decent but make sure they run the meter, had one last night try and scam me by not running it.
None of that transport matters if you secure the right place to stay though. Barra is the area you want to be in, it's one of the safest areas in general so really anywhere within will do the trick but along the coast is your bonus points, on the Oceanica Ave is perfection. Campo Grande or Centro Historico regions would also work if targeting those areas. Do note that there is a Favela right near this area that can be very dangerous (apparently, I'm not trying it out) so double check for this before booking if something seems cheap.
It's going to very expensive, AirBnB for a "decent" place was running about $200US a night for 1-2 beds, decent apartments were over $300. Is what it is and when you look back on the experience you wont care you paid for it. They'll be worth it for the girls alone.
Girls
Fuck me.
Salvador the girls are dark, some are super dark but most are in that mid-level. The kind of girl that you'd assume is like 2/3-3/4 black in the USA. If you like them light skinned I don't think Salvador is the place for you, think of Beyonce as the light skinned girl in Salvador and work on up from that.
Brazilian girls as a whole are incredibly hit and miss. One of those genetics where when it works it fucking works and when it doesn't it's pretty unsightly. I'd almost say it's the country with the least girls in the 6-7 range I've ever seen, basically the girls are sub 5 or 7.5 and above (I'm a pretty harsh marker and I've seen several 9.5 types roaming). A huge part of this is the obesity, they all want the big butt and it takes some freakish genetics to end up with a great ass and not be fat overall. I prefer skinny girls in general so if you like them thick (thick being the sloppy legs, tits and big ass rather than firm with good shape) you'll be in heaven. If you like them model thin there are actually a ton but they're mostly the young ones (Brazilian diets are woeful and take their toll over time). If you just like a decent in between build then you'll also find plenty but these are the ones who "know it" over here.
The quality of the girls, especially those in groups of girls or pairs rather than with guys tends to be very age correlated. If you like young (I'm talking 16+) you're going to have a ton of options, if you want mid 20s then it's going to be some slim pickings. If you want 30+ then you'll again have a pretty decent range to pick from.
Overall, the good are everywhere and it's worth a visit for them alone.
Game
It's been mentioned throughout the thread and my observation is 100% in line with what's been said.
CAVEMAN. It's walk up to a girl, grab an arm, tell her you're going to kiss her and do it game. It's amazing to watch really (used to be a strong suit of mine in clubs, there is some real FOMO for sure!).
Basically the only guys talking to girls here are the ones who are there with their girlfriends/wives. A group of 4 guys will just pair off with 4 girls, make out for a couple of minutes, exchange some details and continue on in the opposite direction.
This caveman style is why logistics will be vital, you'll probably need to followup on most of your hookups to actually close the deal but having an apartment you can point out on the parade is your absolute best bet for sealing on the spot.
Later in the night your chances of succeeding are going to be much higher. The Brazilians are there to party first and foremost, fucking is a bonus but they aren't sacrificing the party for it.
I've seen an awful lot of people having success walking to get cabs with the same Caveman game though dialed back slightly to work the walk into it. Most people walk out along the same main exit as both parades are basically bordered by the ocean on one side and thus can only be exited on the other that all funnel into a couple of main streets depending on which parade you're on.
The Competition
First off... as a blatantly obvious gringo, I've never been eyefucked to this level, even in Colombia. Obviously I've got no evidence to suggest anything would have come from it but given latin culture that I've experienced in the past, the eyes generally don't lie. If you're a gringo then expect attention. In the 4 nights so far I've seen maybe 20 other gringos walking the parades and I'd wager half of those were actually just light skinned Brazilians. There are more of us in the Camarotes but still not many. You'll certainly get attention.
If you're dark skinned, you're just going to be the norm, don't think this is a negative in anyway, I've not seen any kind of racial profiling as far as girls rejecting guys because they're dark.
The guys though... I've never seen so many jacked up guys in my life. Brazilian girls are massively hit and miss, Brazilian guys, at least in Salvador, are just pure hit (no-gay). They're almost all in shape, tall, athletic looking mofos with their caveman game on point. If you're hitting Salvador Carnival, get in shape, like NFL WR type shape because everyone else is. If you're a gringo you might get a bonus point head start but you're giving it back quick if you're not in shape. Almost all the male costumes involve showing off a sixpack and almost everyone wearing them has the goods.
The positive having written that part, the looks don't actually seem to matter as much, maybe the girls are so spoiled for choice they stopped caring but in my judging there really didn't seem to be any strong correlation between what the guy looked like and what the girl he was kissing did, the clearly ugliest guy in the group would often end up kissing the clearly hottest girl. The pairings in relationships are equally absurd at times.
In short, expect serious competition but don't get intimidated by it or let it impact your game. The kiss chants are absolutely something to see, so good.
Safety
Salvador as a whole is one of those safe unsafe feeling places. I've had zero issues so far, touch wood, but I've never felt safe and I've taken genuine action to minimise the risk. As a gringo I clearly stand out, good and bad.
I've had zero issues with the police but that's skin colour related for sure. They barrel through everyone else while I get a polite tap on the arm. (Good hint in parades is to jump onto the police congo line if you want to move through the crowd at any pace for some reason).
I've taken my phone a couple of nights (it's an old Iphone I don't particularly care about) but I've hidden it as best I can, most locals wear some kind of hidden pocket to keep stuff. I haven't taken cards out, just cash. So far, as I said, no issues. Haven't even been targeted for anything.
Taxis will try the typical don't turn the meter on trick. Be on your game like anywhere else and tell them to start it. Uber is available but can't access the main parade areas so you'll have a walk. Moto taxis are the fastest but they're fucking lunatics and I fail to see how there wouldn't be several of them crashing on the average night.
I've felt perfectly safe on the walks in and around the parades but doesn't hurt to keep an eye out.
Wear closed shoes, joggers/tennis shoes or similar. Firstly the ground is literally soaked in piss so flip flops are a bad idea but also broken glass everywhere, potholes and just generally uneven ground as well as thousands of humans means your flip flops wont last, as someone who wears flip flops almost everywhere just don't try it.
Blocos and Camarotes are safer for valuables to the point of almost everyone seeming to have a phone in the Camarotes and a lot in the Blocos. Not saying a pickpocket wouldn't pay to enter those places, it's perfectly possible, but it's just safer than outside.
Mostly, if you don't get retarded drunk, don't wander randomly into bad areas and just stay alert, you should be fine.
I don't wear jewelry or watches ever but I wouldn't recommend wearing them if you do, it's just asking for trouble really.
Language
I speak next to no Portuguese and have relied mostly on my pathetic Spanish to get by. English is not widely spoken, haven't had any taxi, uber or salesperson that speaks English which, outside of tour operators, are generally the first areas that English pops up in cities that speak it commonly. Basically one waiter spoke a little and that's it. It's tough and my Spanish really isn't good enough but I've survived. You just need to know how to say Barra and Carnival and a cab driver will get you there.
So little is spoken during hookups that I genuinely think you could get by without any Portuguese to hookup but it obviously wouldn't hurt at all.
It's a fucking awesome party, probably the wildest thing I've experienced and just a great experience whether you're there to pickup or with a GF like me. If you can't have fun at Carnival you're pretty much dead inside.
Any questions feel free to ask and I'll do my best.
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