After a longer pause, I’m back. My absence was due to a virtual whirlpool of events in my family life which has seen one person leave this vale of tears and another one appear, on the same day. It was a time that made me appreciate who I am, where I am and where I am going. And perhaps what life is all about.
Thinking about a lot of things that happen to us during our existence, I realised it’s all about love. Now, mind you, I’m not going to share my very personal love story with you, uh-uh. Let’s keep private stuff private. What I want to tell you is how Brazilians love, or where, to be precise.
Motels. If you think I mean roadside hotels, think again. It’s Brazil we’re talking about. A motel is a place where you never go alone. It’s a love spot. The suggestive names leave you in no doubt; Belle, Black Horse, Free Love Motel, Lamour, Sedutti... The more obvious the name, the more raunchy the atmosphere and decor. More classy places have less explicit names (Magnata, Lumini or Elegance Hotel) but they all have one thing in common: you pay per 4, 6 or 12 hours and are guaranteed maximum privacy. Motels are usually located in less frequented zones, and are guarded off the main road by high walls. You register at the entrance from the safety of your car and then drive straight to the private garage linked with the chosen room. There are no corridors (to avoid bumping into an acquaintance in the least suitable circumstances), no “windows with a view” (except for the most luxurious venues) and you never see the staff. If you make an order, for anything from snacks, to drinks, to food, to lubricants and sex toys, they bring it to you on a silver plate through a rotating window.
In São Paulo, motels are highly visible from the road, with their neon signs blinking seductively at night. They are sometimes so clustered together in one area that for example Rodovia Raposo Tavares, peppered with tiny and bigger motels of all sorts, earned itself a name of a Love Road (Rodovia do Amor).
What can you expect inside them? A large bed, of course. After all, that’s what you’re going to need most. And then, depending on the chosen standard and theme (luxurious, super-luxurious, African, Romantic, Erotic, etc.) , you can enjoy a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, a solar roof or even a spider-looking erotic chair and god knows what else.
For the curious, and Portuguese-speaking, I can recommend www.guiademoteis.com.br, a comprehensive guide to motels in Brazil, which aided my research.
A bit about the history. Apparently, motels started to spring up in the 60s when unmarried couples needed somewhere to exchange affection and most hotels wouldn’t let them stay unless they produced a marriage certificate. Obviously, that attitude started to change with time, but these days, due to strained budgets, some young people still live with their parents and thus the motel is the only place they can enjoy the so-much-needed intimacy. Let’s not be so prude, though. The fact that many people are attracted by the brash façades, at times extremely kitsch interiors with fake waterfalls and wild tiger wallpapers, plus a variety of porn channels on TV, is ever so glaring. Also, the season when motels are bursting is... surprise, surprise, the carnival!
Interestingly enough, motels are often recommended in travel guides as a cheap accommodation alternative to the ridiculously expensive hotels, especially in Rio. In fact, it has been suggested that participants of the upcoming UN summit be put up in the city’s numerous motels, as a solution to the apparent bed shortage. (read the article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17656123). Hilarious. But then again, who would object to sleeping in a large comfortable bed, relaxing in a sauna and then jumping into the whirlpool while admiring the night sky? I suppose they would prefer to have company, since, as one of the motel’s slogan says, “love is not a sin”.
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