Subtopic	Posts		Updated
	Archive 01	50		2005/11/05, 11:40 pm

Maybe the apt is nice but, El Conquistador is a bit of a shit hole of a building, that is the only building in Laguito, that I wouldn't stay at.

Don't think your colour should be any problem in Ctg.

Try the following two people, I know Mery hasn't got any apts in El Conquistador, but not sure about Juan, they have about 25 apts between them:

I rent my apt through Mery Salence in the link below:

http://www.travelnet.cx/cartagena/

A second option is Juan Ventura:

http://www.zepelion.com/apartamentos/index.htm


Hunter

hey, thanx Hunter for the info.

I've now used both Mery and Juan (mostly Juan), both are great operators that'll deliver up some quality apartments. I've also heard bad things about El Conquistador from others.

About Colombians and Mexicans. No worries. One of my wingmen on my earlier trips to CALI & CTG was Mexican American and he had an absolute blast. The gals picked up right way he was Mexican/American by his Spanish chollo "accent", which supposedly I had as well :-) They seemed to get a kick out of some of the Mexican slang he used and he was quite the popular one for being able to dance. IMO, Colombians are probably the most open-minded group I've come across in terms of diversity.

Hunter gives good advice.

Although Conquistador is the home of many working girls in CTG., sometimes 5-6 per room, I probably wouldn't stay there. Too many other places through Juan or Mery that you would probably consider affordable.

There is a decent internet cafe on the first floor that is frequented by many working chicas.

A very dark friend of mine did have some experiences in CTG that were not the best. Chicas are less receptive to very dark guys. Racism is alive and well in Colombia.

hey thanks for the info. Merlin I am a black male I don't know if that makes any diff. Tom Tom I am still vissible at night, lol, just a joke. but thanx guys u have been very helpful. In brazil they thought I waz native they might have just been trying to get in my pants though??

Detplaya, the Colombians will probably assume, initially, that you're a native as well since many CTG locals you run into at the beach or other places are blacks or morenas (darker, mixed). I'd imagine once they find out you're American, you'll do fairly well. As you know in RIO, the locals seem to distinguish between African Americans and local blacks and the former seem to do pretty well. Most of the casa and club girls are lighter skin, but there are plenty of hot morenas and blacks at the beach IMO. Bottom line is, I'd bet the freelancers and working gals will focus more on the green in your wallet and how fun you are.

My very dark friend was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. He speaks Spanish and still was not treated very well by the chicas. One chica would fuck him but wanted to charge double. He told her to fuck off.

Again this varies. I set him up with a semi-pro and he had a great time.

Hi

My name is kenny and I have been reading with interest all your comments.

I have an apartment in Laguito and with Bocagrande it is the place to be without doubt.

I would be interested in anyone who wants to come and stay/ have a great time. Good location, beach,nightlife and some great women lined up.

I have had a few people come over and they have all been very happy and gone away feeling that it has been good value as well.

My mobile in Cartagena is 00 57 3164512644.

My email is kenda@onetel.com

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Kenny

Mmm...I do not supposse anyone knows this guy? 1 post only

The last time that I was in Cartagena, I met 2 ladies from the agency located in the Hotel Serrento Plaza. I don't know if anyone here is familiar with this agency, but basically you look at books with photos and pay $25.00 for a meeting. I met 2 very attractive ladies but never got much going with them. I don't think that I spent enough time with them to take things to the next level. I must admit that there was a huge difference between these ladies and the working girls of Cartagena. Has anyone had any experience with this agency or heard anything about it?

Thanks!

Wow
Another one post wonder spamming for a pay service.

Smitopher,

Its unfortunate that you think my first post is spamming. The fact is, I am new to this board and haven't been on any trips since I joined. I am also a well respected member on several other boards under the name "Devo". I would list the boards that I am a member of, but you would probably accuse me of spamming for them to. In terms of my post regarding the agency, I was simply trying to determine if this agency is a scam before I make my next trip to Cartagena. If I was spamming for this agency, don't you think that I would at least include their name in the post? The truth is I don't even remember it! If you read my post, I mention that I never really got anything going with the ladies I met. That's hardly a glowing endorsement. Anyway I would still appreciate any info that anyone has on this agency.

Thanks

Is it called A Foreign Affair?

They are located in a Plaza on the main road that runs up Bocogrande.

I don't know much about them, but I know they have been around for years.

kenda@onetel.com has an incredible $45-$50/nite penthouse pad in cartagena walking distance from La Dolce Vita and the beach. He's an english guy and applies 200% effort to coordinating your need of acquiring and saving money on girls or anything else.

Rcush65
You do anything besides SPAM?

The pupose of this site is for people to gather information from other peoples experiences like accommodation, clubs, prices etc. for actual trips not only for armchair bitches like smitopher.

I want to mention the Cafe Del Mar located in the fortress in the old city. It is fashioned on the same-named club in Ibiza so plays great music and the place is a majorly trendy, large outdoor place not for mongering but great for a pit stop. Plaza Santa Domingo is the second major place to be seen in old Cartagena full of tables and surrounded by bars and restaurants.

Rcush65,

I know Smitopher and I don't know you, so obviously I'm biased. Be that as it may, when someone is new to the board, as are you, and the first thing they talk about is a particular apartment and/or guide, it looks suspiciously like advertising as opposed to unbiased reporting.

Calling a well-respected, long-time member of this board an "armchair bitch" does nothing to help your credibility.

$45-50 a night for a penthouse pad within walking distance of LDV sounds like a great deal. Of course, those of us who have been to CTG know that the term "penthouse" gets used quite a lot. It can mean anything from an apartment at the very top of the building to a windowless basement apartment.

If you really want to help Kenny and establish some credibility for yourself, I suggest you write a trip report. Include in it all the details of your last trip, including photos and prices of the girls and lodging. If Kenny has a real penthouse with A/C in Laguito for $45-50 a night, I guarantee he will be inundated with emails.

Now let me get back to my armchair.

Wallstreet, I don't know about well respected, but I do luvs the armchairs. When you coming over for Thai food?

I know Smitty too well, so I'm way too biased against him :-) Rcush, Smitty and WS speak the truth about the unstated protocal of posting recs.

Smitty & WS, U guys must gotten that same "Lazyboy" recliner model w/back massage capabilities :-)

Well I'm new to this board too so I'll go w/ the guys who seem credible and have been around a while. That said I contacted Juan Ventura about upcoming virgin trip to CTG. Has anyone done the paypal thing with him? He wants 1 night up front to hold the crib I selected.
I hope the pic is realistic about condo, this is gonna be a swank pad. It's in Laguito and that's all I know but according to what I've read in this thread, whatever he's got in Laguito should be decent enough.

I have done the paypal thing for my upcoming trip, it worked fine.

Juan and Mery have great reputations, I didn't think twice about sending the deposit.

Juan and Mery are VERY honest people, unlike many others working in the tourists market in Ctg.

Hunter

Let me echo the thoughts of Hunter and Whitty, I´ve used both Juan and Mery on more than a dozen occassions and they have both been on the up and up.

I will be on a search in Cartegena for a Shakira look a like if any hombres have any info or pics on one already please feel free to share.

I am planning on going to Cartegena in June 2007. I will be there for 3 or 4 nights. Any suggestions on airline to get there from the east coast? All info on Cartegena is old from these posting. Anyone have updated info. Does anyone have recommended contacts there for anything like hotels, cabs drivers that can help, or Hombre member. In addition to mongering, I like regular salsa dance clubs if anyone knows of them. I am new to the hombre club so I thank you in advance.

Cali is supposedly the Salsa capital, and there are lots of these clubs in the Juancito area and the Avenida Sexta area (North Cali). Usually have good times there, but very few non-locals in Juancito.

If you're on the East Coast, Continental has a flight into Cali, connecting in HOUSTON. It arrives at night so connections to other cities are hard.

Avianca flies out of both NY airports into Bogota and Cali.

Oookkk,
What type of Salsa do you dance? I ask because in Cartagena, what passes for Salsa is pretty much Cumbia. If you're accustomed to NY Style Mambo, you might be frustrated with the level of dancing there. Lots of Vallenato, Merengue, Reggaeton also.

Elrancombo,

Thanks for the heads-up. I dance salsa on one (not sure its really mambo but same principle) --I like the others such as cumbia and merengue but of course they are not salsa.

Do they do different dances in the different cities? Do you know the better clubs in Cartegena that might qualify? or should I figure out how to get to Cali or Juancito?

Thanks again.

I've only been to Cartagena, so I can't comment on the other cities, although Cali has a reputation for Salsa. On the Northern Coast, which includes Cartagena, Vallenato is the "regional" music. (think Carlos Vives, who is from Santa Marta). You will also hear Merengue and Reggaeton. Salsa is not too big, and when they hear a Salsa song, they'll dance Cumbia to it.

I'm a Salsa/Mambo enthusiast and through my travels in Latin America, I've encountered nothing which comes close to the scene in NY,Chi,LA, or Miami. The only place I've been with an even decent scene was Cuba.

This actually makes sense since Salsa developed in the US with the Puerto Rican community in NYC.

Oookkk,

My recommendation is don't worry about the type of dance step. If you have a little rythmn or a lot, virtually any colombiana is going to be willing to assist you to get in the groove.

I think you should go to both Cartegena and Cali as they are both distinct and muuuyyy buenas.

Good luck!

CB

I agree w/ColombianBoba, the locals love it when a foreigner appears at their clubs; a good way to meet chicas. Every colombian chica I've met loves to dance. I'd also take the advice of going to both cities, but Cali is a must.

they're trying to clean up laguito. less out in the open walkers, and the ones that are out there are the same 7 gals you'll see night after night....really obvious sw, and the local residents are no happy about them. some apts will not allow those girls up into the building so be warned.

beach scene is pretty mellow now. the ocassional pleyboy or casa girl will pop in.

Hehe, they've been saying they'd cleanup since '04. And when the security guard gives you a hard time, that's the cue for "lunch money" of about 10K pesos.

at mirador one guy was looking for lunch money, but didn't get a penny from me. as a renter, i was paying good money for my unit and brought up whoever i pleased no matter what it looked like. At the place before that, it was a collective decision by the owners and the residents to banned certain gals...

At some buildings, el Conquistador is one example, you will not bring up whoever you please no matter how much rent you are paying.

correcto. there is a huge difference in someone's face when they are looking for lunch money vs. risking their job....huge.

Oookkk, I'd really like to hear how things were in Cartegena & Cali. I read conflicting info on this site as to safety and fun, and I want to go end of June thru July. So any and all info from you (and anybody else) is very graciously accepted. Also, of course, info on how the hotels were, cabs and the like

CTG is safe, never had a problem there. Some areas you want to avoid like anywhere else, but tourists don't go to those areas much.

Cali feels "less secure" b/c you have a lot of armed guards and patrols, even in North Cali which is supposed to be more affluent. There are areas to avoid in Cali, but never had problems in the Northern part of the city. There have been reports of a whacking of a gringo recently who had a dating service and robberies at ATMs. Odds are you'll not have any problems, but just be vigilent and lisent to the cabbie if he tells you to roll down your windows or not to loiter in an area of town.

If you have no experience in Colombia, stay the fuck out of Cali. The unemployment rate is very high there, and there is a lot of guerilla activity.

i'm agreeing with tomtom33. cali just had a string of bombs set off with people dying. in chatting with cali chicas in ctg, they also said now is a more dangerous period relative to say 2 years ago.

Too bad. Cali sounded great from a lot of the posts on here. Sucks that the safety situation has gone downhill

Fursys, the City of Cali is boring and kind of ugly IMO, obviously, the most interesting thing about the city are the stunning girls and the willing non-pros in abundance (worth the safety issues?). Interestingly, you can meet plently of Cali girls in other cites in Colombia (CTG, BOG, MDE) and Central America like Panama/Costa Rica. What I noticed about Colombian working gals is that many do not like to work in the cities that their from, or will do it very discreetly, obviously b/c of family/friends. IMO, some of the hottest girs/dancers in Panama are Cali girl.

Merlin, that does make some kind of sense. It seems a natural tendency for people to be more cautious in their home surroundings, but get them away where they can be anonymous, they loosen up. Probably the same goes for the chicas. I just want to avoid where all the masses go.

Cali is, and always was, totally wide open, you will rarely see non-locals. Ironically, some locals will assume your DEA or something similar if they find out you're american, but many gals will be very curious about a "tourist" and will always inquire why you are there and what you think of Cali and its people. Just sit at the ChipeChape or Unicentro mall for bit I should also say that the Cali gals I've come across in other cities (esp. Panama and CR) are much more jaded than the gals you meet in Cai -- ignorance is bliss.

HAD to bump this one!

FARC, is making a strong comeback and targeting CALI as their stronghold and base of operations. and Just as I thought things might be improving slightly there. Just spoke to the novia, she is getting a little shaken up about Cali and its turn for the worse and told me its all over (RCN AND CARACOL). I will postpone my monthy trip till things calm down a little, Rather be safe than sorry.


• Region's governor says FARC rebels are initial suspects in Cali car bombing
• One person killed and 34 injured when bomb goes off in front of police barracks
• At least 40 stores and houses damaged in blast in Colombia's third-largest city
Adjust font size:


BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- A powerful car bomb exploded Monday in front of police barracks in the southwest city of Cali, Colombia, killing one person and injuring 34, the region's governor said.

Gov. Angelino Garzon told Caracol radio that "the first theory we're going with is that it's the work of the FARC," referring to the country's largest leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

"Although we cannot rule out other illegal groups, whether it's drug traffickers, paramilitaries or common criminals."

The explosion killed a taxi driver who was passing the car when the bomb was detonated. The blast also injured 19 officers in the barracks, and 15 civilians on the street outside.

At least 40 stores and houses were damaged.

Cali, Colombia's third largest city about 185 miles (300 kilometers) southwest of the capital of Bogota, is the site of a vicious turf war between leftist rebels, far-right paramilitaries and rival drug traffickers.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/04/09/colombia.bombing.ap/index.html

http://www.elpais.com.co/paisonline/especiales/policia_atentado/notas/Abril092007/bomba2.html

Yes, I've been hearing the same from my contacts. Every once in awhile, I've been flying my Cali novia out to CTG or Bogota, but sometimes they don't want to go back or leave you alone. I bet if you place on ad in El Pais for a superhottie "guide" or language instructor to be flown to CTG you'll have hundreds of takers.

Even a year or so ago, you could smell gunpowder residue walking the streets, armed guards every 20 yards at the malls, cops running here and there w/guns drawn, and army trucks patrolling with guns pointed outwards.

Aww Merlin, I just think shes just having a good luvin time with you! All of these girls just wanna get out of thier miserable lives and routines and see what the world has to offer, My Cali novia is ecstatic just to take a one hour ride to BUGA or when I tell her I might be making a Holliday trip to San Andres or CTG, All hell breaks loose, like that innocent feeling i used to get when my parents told me we were going to Six Flags, ha ha lol

Can someone give me advice about using ATM's in Cartagena? I would like to arrive with small cash at airport and then exchange that for taxi fare and then rely on ATM withdrawls for the rest of the weekend but I do not want to find out that I am limited to something like $200 per day. If that happened, my trip would be screwed. Is there a recommended bank in town for ATM use and are the rates and withdrawl limits good? Thanks.

Use local ATMS.. their limits vary ONLY on the bank and your daily cash-withdrawal limit. Citibank in some areas will let you withdraw up to a MILLION, but heavy fees involved it their transactions now, CHECK with your local bank what their international withdrawal fees are.. Thats if you even care about that. My Wamu card charges me a flat 1% rate, NOT TOO BAD.. I heard capital one charges no fees at all.

Thanks for your response. They do have Citibank ATM's in CTG? I always have great luck with Citibank ATM's in Brazil...and by "great luck" I mean that I get my ass handed to me but I can still withdraw the cash.

This is what I found! Haooy Hunting!

http://go.mappoint.net/citibankV2/Index.aspx

There are at least 2 different ATMs in the CTG airport. Walk out the door after you arrive, turn left and walk about 30-40 feet, then re-enter the airport building.

No Colombian banks charge for withdrawals and generally allow up to 300k per transaction. However, you can make as many transactions in a row up to the daily limit set by your home bank.

My CapitalOne debit card charges no fees at all, not even any international transaction fees.

If your home bank charges per transaction fees, you may want to use Bancolombia(400K per transaction) or Davivienda(500K). Yes, there are Citibank ATMs in CTG.

The scarcity of attractive gfe's in mde drove me to ctg. Thanks to continual cloud cover & intermittent rain it's only slightly hotter (90F) than mde but very humid. Playa Hollywood, Boca Grande, El Laquito some of the ugliest beaches I've seen in SA.

GFE more easily available here than mde or bog but the scene & # of chicas smaller (seasonal?). Several bars/clubs not open. Prices less than expected. Beach girls 40-50k. One centro sg quoted 10k + 5k room hr, lowest price i've encountered in co.

Found this in El Universal paper www.dulcesbombones.com tel 300 842 0858. Anyone familiar w/ it?

re: dulcesbombones.com

i went to the website and recognize one beach girl that usualy goes for 60k and has been working for ages. a couple others look familiar, but can't say for certain it's them 100%.

Touristy stuff:

went to castillo san felipe de barajas. Admission 13k. www.smpcartagena.org www.fortificacionesdecartagena.com

visited islas del rosario. save time by taking the small fast boat (40k includes park entrance fee & port tax) instead of the big slow boat (30k). playa blanca on isla de baru is one of the nicer beaches but lots of touts, vendors, crowds.

for more info www.cartagenadeindias.com

(Message edited by zoner on August 25, 2008)

Cartagena locations. From what I've read, the action in Cartagena is in El Laguito. But I can't find any maps which define where El Laguito is? I think the Hilton is there. Which would lead me to think anyplace around the Hilton is ok. $200 a night at everything in that neighborhood. How far from the Hilton is ok? I found alot of places on the closest beach from the Hilton facing NW. Is that still El Laguito?

There is a small map that shows you Laguito (peninsula type of area).
http://www.cartagenatravelguide.com/

Laguito is where LDV, tourists, and the beaches with freelancers are, but most of the bordellos/discos are outside of this area past the old town. It's conceivable that you can meet all the gals you want in the laguito area.

For accommodations, you can get a nice apartment to rent from Juan Ventura or Mary Selence for about 50-70 bucks a night (minutes from Hilton). NO need to spend $200/night IMO.

Team,

I was in Cartegena for a 10 days in January. Got taken care of about 8 times. Do not go and see Tony at Playa de Holliwood (near the Cribe Hotel). He screws everyone.

Get to the beach, and go up to the bar and ask for Jaison. Looks like a young Evander Hollifield. He has the best ladies. I tool several of his girls for the night. They were between 18-22, spinners, and GFE and PSE. Jaison's girls are about 200,000 pesos for all night----.

Everyone on the beach does not like Tony. All the vendors think he is bad. They all say Jaison has the best girls. He also can get you anything you need in Cartegena. Tell him Memo sent you.

Team,

I was in Cartegena for a 10 days in January. Got taken care of about 8 times. Do not go and see Tony at Playa de Holliwood (near the Cribe Hotel). He screws everyone.

Get to the beach, and go up to the bar and ask for Jaison. Looks like a young Evander Hollifield. He has the best ladies. I tool several of his girls for the night. They were between 18-22, spinners, and GFE and PSE. Jaison's girls are about 200,000 pesos for all night----.

Everyone on the beach does not like Tony. All the vendors think he is bad. They all say Jaison has the best girls. He also can get you anything you need in Cartegena. Tell him Memo sent you.

200,000 for all night isn't that bad.

Hey, just to clarify on Schmidts post. Go up to which bar on what beach?

I did not see my post, so let me try again.

Head past the Hotel Cribe with the beach on your right. Also, this is in the direction on the Hilton. The first alleyway to the beach will take you to Playa de Holliwood. There are always touts at this opening to the beach so take care. There are also some big thached huts to the right of the alleyway.

Head up the alleyway, and when you get to the beach, about 150 feet, turn to your left and go to the first bar. Ask for Jaison. Again, he looks like a young Evandler Hollifield. A cabana will cost you about 10 dollars for the day, and a beer is about 2 bucks. Jaison can get you ANYTHING you want. He is better than Tony, and all of the beach people like Jaison. He has better girls than Tony the tout, and the beach workers hate Tony.

Tell Jaison that Memo sent you and I bet you will be in great shape. He got me 12 our service for the evenings for 200,000 pesos. Let me know how this turns out.

Sweet, thanks Schmidt.

SCUBA? My last mongering trip dedicated four days to finish elearning and get certified. Now I want to make diving part of my cover story on all mongering expeditions. Does anybody have any underwater experience in Cartagena? It looks like the Rosario Islands about two hours offshore is the place to go.

Hot4ass2,
I did a couple of dives in the Islas del Rosario when I was in Cartagena. I also went snorkeling with a chica I stayed on one of the islands with for a couple of days. The diving was not bad. It's not Roatan or Belize, but there is some worthwhile Caribbean reef there. I would say it's worth a dive or two if you're there anyway. Frankly, I went mainly because I've used diving as part of *my* cover story for many years.

The Islas can be a cool place to hang out for a couple of days if you find a chica you want to spend that long alone with. I say alone because there is truly not much out there. The diving ended up being a somewhat useful cover story even with my chica, and it broke up the otherwise continuous fuckfest into a three-meal-a-day affair. YMMV

My understanding is that the most reputable dive shop in Cartagena is Diving Planet (divingplanet.org). I believe this is the same organization that I went with, but bear in mind that was several years ago.

For what it's worth, there is much better diving in San Andres (and the surrounding archipelago). Thanks to the recent competition between discount airlines in Colombia, you can probably find a cheap ticket there from CTG. However, I have no evidence for any mongering scene there whatsoever. My research was limited to a 2-day stay there 8 years ago, but this seems consistent with the few Internet postings I've found over the years. It could be a good place to take a chica or possibly to find an amateur on vacation from the mainland. The diving around Malpelo and Gorgona are supposed to be world class, as you've probably read, but these are nowhere near any mongering destination I know of.