Introduction:
The following report is from a 10 day trip to Colombia. The trip consisted of a couple of days in Bogotá, then the better part of the week in Cali to visit my son (with some side-excursions of course), followed by my return to Bogotá to have a workday with my company’s Colombia offices and another weekend of exploration.

The exchange rate is about 2550 pesos (COP) per dollar. This has come down from 2850 about a year ago. I will quote all prices in COP.

I do not take pictures of the girls, so you’ll just have to take my word for it as I describe the physical appearances. This is because I enjoy being discreet and not carrying around too much evidence of my escapades, including chica photos. I appreciate all you gentlemen who do take photos, but it’s just not my thing. I hope that the quality of my information is sufficient for maintaining my place in this community.

Trip Report:
I connected in Baranquilla on my way to Bogotá. This actually worked out well, as the flight left Miami much earlier than did the direct MIA-BOG flight. I was able to clear customs in Baranquilla while waiting, which saved me a lot of time in Bogotá so that I could get right to my hotel and on with enjoying my Friday night in Bogotá.

The airport in Baranquilla is pretty unremarkable, apart from the makeshift band playing music (like the kind you hear on a chiva driving by) out in the greeting area. Also, the customs line was very disorganized, but the guards were pretty relaxed. They gave my bags a quick once-over and let me through. I always bring some clothes and toys for my son when I come to Colombia, so I wonder if they see that and regard me as harmless. Probably not.

Having arrived at about 9pm on Friday evening, I was ready to just throw my luggage in the room and go out. About one hour later I ended up in a private reservado (address: Calle 32 No.17-75) by recommendation of a taxi driver near my hotel. I usually stay at Suites Real 85, but they were full so I stayed at Suites Read 97 instead. It was sufficient, although I like the 85 location much more. Anyway, I went to this place where inside there was a bar with music and rooms. So I went inside, got a drink and decided to hang out and scope the talent. There were about 15 girls, about 12 of which were a 7 or above. Of course, about 3 minutes after having sat down I was involuntarily joined by one of the other, less attractive girls. Regardless, I chatted with her cordially for a few minutes and asked her to explain the setup of this place. She told me that the girls work independently and therefore set their own prices. So you just have to rent the room (30k per hour) and then negotiate with the girl separately. In addition, you could leave with the girl for a 40k ficha (exit fee), and likewise negotiate price and services with the girl. Her prices were 150k for an hour upstairs or 250k for “toda la noche.” Mind you, this was one of the less-attractive girls there, and clearly at this point I realized she took me for an idiot gringo. Yet I didn’t want to scoff at the prices and be label cheap as she gossiped with the others. So I started telling her how much I liked another one of the girls there until she got the hint and left.

A few minutes later I was able to call over a very nice-looking girl from Medellin named Nancy, and we hit it off quite well. After some joking around over a drink, she told me that her price was 80k for an hour, and that the rooms were 20k (not the 30k the first girl had quoted). Judging from the location of this establishment and the majority of the other male clientele (mostly middle-class Colombians), this was much more in line with my expectations. But I was having fun hanging out with this girl (she had that beautiful paisa melody in her voice…a total turn-on for me) and was all-together just a good chic so I decided to enjoy the moment and not go immediately upstairs. After another hour she told me she wanted to leave with me for the night, which we did for the agreed price of 120k.

Spare you all the gory details, but this girl was an absolute tigress. We went two rounds before falling asleep, and woke up a few hours later for another two rounds. She never asked for the money, so I just put in inside her purse while she was in the bathroom. All in all a great experience, but if you go to this place be aware of what the real prices are and don’t let them rip you off just because you’re a gringo.

The next day I went to one of the reservados in the Chapinero neighborhood (around Ave. Caracas and Calles 49 – 75). There are many in the neighborhood, but one that I have always liked is at Ave. Caracas, No. 55-53. This time I spent an hour with Camila, a 22 year old from Bogotá. (Interestingly enough, the majority of girls I have encountered working in Bogotá are not actually from Bogotá.) Anyway, it was pretty good as usual for a cost of 40k.

Probably the biggest change I noticed in Bogotá is a price increase. I went to Casanova and Extasis on Saturday night, and the ficha at both places was 85k pesos. In the past it has been 70k, which could easily be negotiated down to 40k. That was interesting, as the peso has been doing well over the past year. Anyway, as usual there were many beautiful women working at both. These are the places in Bogotá that cater to foreigners, which in reality means that every single step in the courtship is set up to separate a guy and his pesos. Expensive drinks, the ficha, the hustlers outside who want a tip for escorting you 3 feet from the door to the taxi, the taxi who will try to gouge you on the price over to your hotel, and of course the chica.

I spoke with one chica at Casanovas who wanted 250k for three hours…no thanks, this isn’t Costa Rica I thought to myself. Funny enough, about two minutes later I learned that she’s worked for some time in the Blue Marlin in San Jose, but had returned to Colombia. I didn’t press her for details, but thought it was interesting that she brought her pricing structure back with her. My mentality is that I don’t like to play cheap, but I also don’t like to pay more than the market value. So I passed on her and went over to Extasis. By that time it was late, and by the time I’d hung out, had a drink and found a girl that I liked it was almost closing time. The girl’s name was Alejandra, 19 years old and probably about 100 lbs. soaking wet. She went back with me for 140k, no ficha as the place was closing down anyway. Again, she was another great performer who ended up staying all night.

These really aren’t my favorite places in Bogotá. I think probably the best-looking women in general can be found there, but I don’t like the atmosphere. Like I said, these places cater to foreigners, but while I am in Colombia I prefer to do as the Colombians do. Still I always go once per trip, just to see what’s going on. I did not return to that scene fro the remainder of my trip.

The next day was Sunday, and I went on to Cali where I would spend the next four days. For those who do not know, I have a son in Cali as the result of a fling/drunken stupidity with a non-pro some time ago. So while I am there, mongering is not my main focus, but is more of a fringe activity.

I did get out a couple of times though. Most notably, I spent some time with a girl in Faraon by the name of Alexandra. She is 20 years old and from Pereira, and was absolutely one of the best working girls I’ve ever been with. This opinion is based on what I am generally looking for in a working girl, as I’ll explain. First off all, I’m at the point where I no longer look to develop feelings/personal intimacy with a working girl. Nothing against them, but in the past I have found it neither rewarding nor practical. They may or may not each have their own life stories, reasons for working, hopes, aspirations, or whatever else. I even like chatting with them a little bit and finding out these types of things. All humanity is interesting to me, so listening to their thoughts makes the experience all the better. But lasting relationships are built easily enough with people I meet in Colombia (or wherever else) outside of that lifestyle. I prefer to make personal connections with the waitress at a restaurant, the taxi driver or security guard at my hotel, or the normal college student I just finished dancing with.

So when I am with a working girl, I like for her to remind me of a sorority slut more than anything else. This is exactly how Alexandra was. For starters, she was physically exactly how I like, with long, straight black hair, olive-colored skin, about 5’4” tall and fantastic, curvaceous body. I invited her for a drink, and after some small talk she started asking me about how strip clubs in Miami work. It was very genuine…the idea that if she would ever get to a place like Miami, that she’d pretty much be a stripper or an escort and not a decent, humble housewife type like some girls would have you believe. I talk to a lot of working girls who deny it, either to themselves or to me in discussions, but with her there seemed to be a sense of being comfortable inside of her own skin. So I went upstairs with her, for 50k for an hour. She aggressively pushed me down onto the bed and removed her top. She asked me if I liked her tits, and when I said yes she rhetorically asked “They’re perfect, aren’t they?”

That’s the essence of how she was. Again I’ll spare you the further details, but she was very good at her profession. Towards the end of our session we showered, and even in that she was very playful and fun. As I left, she was friendly and gave me the impression that she’d like to see me again, although there was no indication of really ever hoping to see me outside of that place.

It was a completely different story than the one I have from a girl at Kaliente. I went there another night and chose a girl with the working name of Vanessa. Before choosing her for sure, I had her sit with me and talk for a while. She’s from Armenia, and we talked a little bit about salsa music and dancing, so I decided to take her out for 3 hours (cost of 180k). She was enthused, and we decided to go to a salsa club on Avenida 6 before returning to my hotel. All was going well, as she was a very good dancer and I was glad to have selected her. We talked more about clubbing, raves, etc. She asked me if I go to a lot of after parties (the insinuation being if I liked to do ecstasy) in Miami, as she was into that scene.

All things happened as expected, but towards the end of our time in my hotel I was chatting with her and the subject of her sons in Armenia arose. At this point she started to perhaps sense that I might be friendly and compassionate (or in her mind, a sucker), and the attitude changed. I got the whole story of how her boyfriend left her in Armenia with a baby, and how she just hates working so much but has to. And then, coincidentally, it happened to be her birthday coming up this weekend and she wanted nothing more than to return to Armenia for the weekend, but needed someone to buy her liberation from Kaliente for the weekend. What a coincidence. True or not, it was hard for her to convince me of her nobility and working dedication towards her sons after trying to engage me in discussion about the use of recreational substances. It reminded me of the type of thing that you tend to hear out of the Colombian girls in Costa Rica, where drama reigns supreme if you let it.

I’m not saying that all working girls are disingenuous by virtue of their profession. In fact, I pass no judgment over the lifestyle she maintains while raising children. I have a baby now myself and a lot of people might find my lifestyle questionable. In telling the story of my trip, I simply make note of this as it again illustrates a guy’s need to keep his wits about him and not get caught up in what are, very likely, lies.

The funny thing is that as a result I decided not to tip this girl. I like to give a girl a good tip when I get what I was looking for (like with Alexandra from Faraon), and up to that point probably would have dropped an extra 30-40k in her hand on my way out.

All in all Cali was great. I visited a few other casas…good times, but nothing noteworthy. Certainly the majority of my time was spent playing with my son and trying to improve my repoire with his mother. We don’t have a romantic future together, but we’ll be partners in parenthood for a lot of years to come so I need to be able to work well with her.

On Thursday evening I returned to Bogotá, where I had some appointments scheduled with my company’s offices the following day. It was interesting to learn more about our business there and make some contacts that I might be able to leverage into future working opportunities down there. Who knows? Anyway, I spent the last weekend in Bogotá and again had a good time. This time I was about to get a room at the Suites Real 85. I really like that location a lot more than the one on 97th street. Javier the security guard is funny as hell, and it just has a better vibe for some reason.

I usually call at least one escort service while in Bogotá, although this time I did not. On Friday evening I went to Casablancas (a.k.a. La Piscina), which is always a sure stop for me in Bogotá. But I got back pretty late and didn’t end up sleeping too well. So on Saturday I did a bunch of non-mongering types of things that I like in Bogotá, and on Saturday night I actually just fell asleep. Today is Sunday, and I am on the plane typing all of this out. It was good trip as always and I look forward to getting back sometime soon.

Random, mostly non-mongering related thoughts:
I already spoke about my hotel preferences in Bogotá, and as always would recommend the Suites Real 85. Their telephone number is (57) 1-218-0100, and the room rates at this time are 90k per night. I really like it because it is close to the zona rosa, the transmilenio, is safe, and provides a small kitchen and living room. It’s clean, the water is hot, the staff is friendly and the breakfast is very good.

My favorite place to eat in Bogotá is called “Ajiaco y Ajiaco,” and is located at calle 118 and Avenida 15. Ajiaco is a very rich chicken soup…sort of a bisque actually, with a variety of vegetables. It’s a popular dish in Bogotá and “Ajiaco y Ajiaco” has the best that I’ve ever tried.

Bogotá is a great place to buy clothes, especially men’s suits and formal wear. Arturo Calle is a great store and can be found in most malls throughout Colombia. There I buy good quality sweaters, dress shirts, pants, etc. for excellent prices. Also, there is an area called “7 de agosto” where you can also get really excellent clothing and shoes. I actually have a collection of Colombian futbol jerseys that I’ve built completely from places in that neighborhood. At places like Soccer Locker in Miami those jerseys cost between $40 - $60, but in 7 de agosto I get them for $10, or can even usually work out deals like 3 for $25.

The transmilenio is Bogotá’s mass-transit system. I like riding it because it gives a really good feel for normal life in Bogotá, especially in terms of how crowded the city is. Also, it’s a good way to get to the Chapinero neighborhood as well as downtown. I’ve never had nor seen any incidents, although I would also not ride with jewelry on, a phone in my hand or anything like that. Then again, I wouldn’t really do any of that in Bogotá otherwise. They have a website, www.transmilenio.gov.co with a lot of good info. If you just want to see the map, the link is: http://www.transmilenio.gov.co/transmilenio/entradamapa.htm.

I collected lots of business cards from various reservados, most of which I visited. I could scan them all and post them here, so you can see the various addresses of places that I’ve not written down. Hombre, any interest?

In Cali I stayed at the Aparthotel del Rio. It was decent, although the hot water was temperamental. The Windsor Plaza is probably all in all a better place in my opinion.

In both cities, Colombians seem to be getting more used to seeing and interacting with foreigners. If you have the idea that you’ll go to Colombia and be treated like a celebrity because you’re a gringo, forget it. Pretty much everyone I talked to had several stories of people they’ve met who couldn’t speak Spanish.

Colombians are proud of their country and feel very positive about its direction. They in general are really happy with the job that President Uribe is doing. I get a much better feel in general about being in Colombia than I did when I went for the first time more than two years ago.

In both Bogotá and Cali, chat with your taxi driver. If he is friendly, tell him how beautiful you think the women are. That will get a good conversation going, and he may very well know of some more private reservados where some very hot girls work.

Conclusions:
Colombia is still a great place, for so many reasons in addition to its reservados and nightclubs. You can enjoy the lifestyle that has brought us all to this board, as well as the fantastic culture, people, shopping and atmosphere. Go, be respectful, behave such that it gives gringos a good name, take all the precautions but do not go with fear, and have a great time!

Lamuerte,

Excellent start to the report! I like your style and found it very helpful. Thanks!

-dm

Thanks for the report Lamuerte, sorry I couldn't meet you in Cali this trip, to many things going on here in Medellin.

See you next time hopefully.

Hunter

LM, hope Junior is doing well! Look's like your not going to give him any full blooded siblings either.

Another Colombian soup that I enjoy is mondongo, an ethnic tripe soup. And the seafood stew/soup is quite delicious too.

Hope you get extra trips to Colombia on company biz and to see your son! sf4dfish

LM: Great report, and interesting to me because I have considered a visit there. I have been to Cuba and to Costa Rica many times. You did not talk too much about the opportunity to meet semi pros....or non pros. Anything?

(Message edited by radioman on August 26, 2004)

Radioman, I have never been to Costa Rica, but I went to Cuba a couple of times pre-crackdown, as long as you have game and some Spanish, it is very easy to meet non-pros in Colombia, not quite as easy as Cuba was though in 97 and early 98.

One thing differant to Cuba though, is that they will not jump into bed on the first date, it will normally be on the 3rd or 4th date. Colombian Cities are very differant in their ethnic make up and values, so here is my order of ease in picking up non pros in three major Cities there, I don't like Bogota, because it is to cold for me, so it is not included in my list:

1. By a long way Cartegena
2. Cali
3. Medellin

Hunter

IMHO, If in addition to speaking Spanish, you have some social skills / game, and or are reltaively attractive / young / in shape what ever - you can have good success bedding nonpros in Cali.

My experience (sample size of say 10 girls) is 2 I was never going to crack (e.g. more than 3 days, which isn't going to happen anyway ;) ), with 4 sex was on date #2 or #3, and with 3 or 4 sex was on first meeting (pick up) or first date.

Hey Radio,

Yup, What Hunter and FL say sounds right to me. For me, I am less interested in ever in non-pros, because of my whole situation with the baby and so forth. Of course, I got into that situation in the first place because of how easy it can be to hook up with a non-pro in Colombia.

LM

Great report LM, you made me think that I need to be a bit more careful when I'm with my Novia in Cali -- I don't know how I would be able to handle having a little Merlin around.

I also thought Cali was a bit easier to hookup with non-pros than CTG, perhaps because of the weaker economy. But then again, I really didn't put too much effort into picking up non-pros in CTG b/c the p4p action was so good.

My Cartagena experience is yet to come in a week but I was able to hookup with non-pros in Cali even with no Spanish at all. However, not knowing Spanish is a major handicap and I am putting many efforts to learn it. But again, you got be careful with non-pros. One of my amiga on my last trip begged me to get rid off the condom when I was not cumming but I was mostly worried about STDs than having a junior but I should have thought about this as well. Good reminder Lamuerte. Thanks.

Just get the big V, then no problems with little hunters running around.

Hunter

La Muerte,
Great report. How did you get from Bogota to Cali? I was thinking of doing a Bogota and Cali trip next year. I was wondering if it would cost less to buy an airlines ticket in Bogota than to buy one ahead of time in the states. Any thoughts on that. Thanks

Yeah Hunter, I should've got the snip, but in reality I should've just made a better decision in the first place. Now I have a living, breathing, crying, vomiting reminder of my mistake...but that's okay because I actually love the little guy.

Bootyman, I purchased my ticket with Avianca to Cali while I was in Bogota, which is the much cheaper way to go. You can just go to the Avianca office with your passport and walk out with the ticket. This time I paid 340k (about $130), with my purchase being only one day in advance. Perhaps it'd be even cheaper to buy with some advance planning.

As far as all this stuff with non-pro's, while there may be scales of ease between different cities in Colombia the truth is that it's not really difficult in any of the cities. Godfather's Cali report from a few months ago says it very well. You can pick up non-pro's easily, but you have to take pride in your own appearance to do so. Also, the way you carry yourself matters. Colombians tend to look down on people who are loud and behave rudely (like 80% of the gringos in Costa Rica for example).

Sometimes I think these discussions paint a picture that you can go down there and flash your blue passport in the face of some Colombian super-model and she'll just attach herself to you on the spot. Not so, but if you represent yourself well it is pretty easy to meet quality non-pros.

LM

Lamuerte, yes another screaming, eating, shitting machine, I just hope he takes his looks from his mothers side.

Bootyman, if you can purchase the ticket in Colombia 14 days or more before departure, you will nearly always get a better deal than buying it here a few days before hand.

Don't know if it works out cheaper to buy outside the Country though.

Hunter

La Muerte and Hunter,
Thanks for the information.

Bootyman

LaMuerte,

Although your handle scares the living shit out of me, you put together a very coherent and interesting look at a Colombian getaway.

Seems like Colombia has become the hot spot again, after Argentina's peso devaluation a couple years ago made it the place "where the elite meet to eat."

Hunter, "a screaming, eating, shitting machine" could very well describe some of the gals we all pay for favors if we don't "feenish" on time or fail to "teep" sufficiently. LOL

Hunter, I wish I had a really good smart-ass comeback for you, but I agree...at least his mother is a good-looking lady.

Gregorio, nothing to be scared of here, unless a salsa-dancing, Colombiana-loving cracker invokes fear. Thanks for the compliment on my report!

LM

Lamuerte, thats a shame I was looking forward to a smart-ass reply.

Thanks for the report, I plan on being in Cali for the month of November, its to cold in Medellin that month.

Hunter