i've been to rio about 5 times now, and i'm definitely a fan of the termas scene and the garotas in general (i love brunette's, especially latinas, and their asses are tough to beat as is their skillset in the bedroom).

with that being said, i don't want to get caught in a rut, and some of the posts and pictures here on the colombian boards have got me absolutely drooling...in particular, i'm intrigued by a possible stay at the mansion or castillo and being able to peruse their bible of hotties...

so here are my questions...i've read through the other threads with similar topics, but wanted to get more up to date feedback, hopefully from folks who have been to BOTH rio and colombia...

1) for a first time tripper to colombia, is medellin the way to go? (again, the mansion and castillo sound ideal) or should i look at cali and/ or cartagena as preferable alternatives?

2) i know the pricing is currently more favorable in colombia than brazil at the moment, and the colombian women certainly look gorgeous, but am i going to be sorely disappointed by bad attitudes in medellin, coming from the land of smiling "safadas" in rio, who generally treat you like a king? i'm a fan of bbbj's, so the covered bj thing in colombia is definitely a turn-off, and while i don't expect the colombianas to be fuck machines like a rio termas girl, i sure don't want to be banging any starfish who treat me like i'm riddled with std's...

3) outside of mongering, is there much else to do in medellin? i don't want to spend ALL Of my time just fucking...i enjoy pretty scenery and going to clubs and experiencing a bit of local culture...and i'm especially a fan of great food...are there many options for these things in medellin? i assume so, but i haven't really found all that much in my preliminary investigations...

with rio you've got the great beaches, sugarloaf, corcovado, killer food in lapa, leblon, etc etc...i just want to know i'll have options OUTSIDE of mongering in colombia, as i do in Rio...

4) in reading many of the threads and posts pertaining to safety, the same basic rules seem to apply for both medellin and rio: don't be a dumbass, trust your gut, use common sense and always be aware...these rules apply everywhere...but with that being said, has the continued demise of the FARC made things safer or more dangerous for the average monger on the ground in medellin? crime in rio seems to be at roughly the same level as in prior years, but i obviously don't want my trip ruined by either paranoia or an actual violent crime committed against me.

sorry for the long post, but i'm debating on a trip for the holidays (12/26-1/2) and i'm being told rio might be a bit of a nightmare because of lots of girls being gone during the holiday period and lots of hombres (native and foreign) clogging up the system...figured maybe NOW is the time to investigate other options. like medellin (or elsewhere...since i'm using miles and coming from nyc, it doesn't really matter all that much)...

thanks in advance for the help...

There is no reason to go to Cali. It is the most dangerous large city in Colombia and has nothing you can't find in other Colombian cities.

Medellín is getting more safe all the time. However, you still can't be stupid. There is plenty to do in this metro area of 3.5 million. And the countryside within an hour or 2 of the city is breathtaking.

Tom, would you say it is just as easy to get to Manizales, Pereria and Armenia through Medellín as it is through Cali? I am thinking about flying versus the bus around Dec 28 for 3 weeks. Thoughts? Thanks, AZ

PS I realize the pro action is not too good in those cities. I am going to work on my spanish. I will top off my trip with a week in Rio to make up for all the pussy I wont be getting.

thanks tom...so cali's out in your opinion...how's cartagena for mongering? seems like a better potential overall vacation destination because of the beach and whatnot, but the girls in medellin just look amazing...

now that i've read about the mansion being held up, i've got serious reservations about staying there now...with a small amount of spanish (took a few years in high school, but forgot a bunch when i started learning a bit of portuguese) would i find it easy enough to get around within the monger "scene" in medellin on my own?

any restaurants in medellin you can recommend? any other current clubs/ hotspots/ cultural "can't miss" places? i appreciate your post, but it was pretty vague...

thanks...

First timer... CTG 100% THEN Medellin to a Mansion type place..

There are plenty of places to stay in Medellín without staying at the Mansion even for a first timer. It is just a matter of time before they hit the place again. Try Torre Pablado, although it is getting a reputation with the local girls (non-pro).

I think the mongering is much easier in CTG than MDE. I would not go for the beach though.

Manizales is about 5 hours from MDE by bus. It's another 2 hours or so to Pereira and another 2 hours or so to Armenia. Armenia is around 3 hours from Cali. A guy could fly to Pereira and bus to the other two. I have flown http://www.aires.aero/ quite a bit now out of Olaya Hererra in MDE. In addition to being in the city, Olaya has safe taxi service.

The tourist zone in CTG is very safe. The hunting is good, and you can find plenty of chicas from Medellín there.

In MDE the metro(elevated railway) is neat. Get on and ride around. There are two cable car runs as part of the metro. You can see a lot of the city. A buddy of mine met his fiance on the metro.

Palmitas restaurant above Poblado is worth doing. You dine under tent canopies while looking out over the Aburra Valley. Bring a camera.

Pueblito Paisa is an old monastery on a hill overlooking MDE. Stunning views.

The Parque Lleras area in Poblado is something on Fri. or Sat. nights.

There are wonderful parks all over the place. A couple near the University of Antioquia in Centro are pretty amazing.

CTG during your dates is the super high season.

This time of year in CTG has its pros and cons. Everybody is there on vacation and the beaches are packed and the lodging is at its most expensive.

In my view the rules change because many of the pros go home for the holidays. But there are a lot a semi pros that show up for that week.

If budget isn't a concern and you like the crowds then CTG is a blast this time of year.

Azguy,

you state, " I am going to work on my spanish"...

Here's all you need to know, Donde es carne fresca?

Let me know how it goes

I have been to Brazil twice and Colombia three times. I went to Medellin first (stayed at the mansion), cali second and cali and cartagena third.

I like Rio because there is always something to do and all the action at and around the beach. I like being able to walk to the beach. I like the freelance action.

Medellin is a nice city and I enjoyed the Mansion. There are some nice malls, bar, food and of course women. Got drunk one night at Mangos. My spanish sucks but other people I traveled with spoke spanish. It helps a lot in Colombia to speak spanish.

I never felt scared in Cali. It is slower during the week as far as going to regular bars. There is a lot to do on thurday, friday and saturday. There bars in Cali close at 2am so you have to go outside the city if you want to stay out past 2am. We went to Escoses several times. They do stay open past 2 am. It is set up like a bar so you can go in there and drink. They do not sell beer. It is alcohol only. Menga is a nice area on the weekends for nonpros. We went to Juanchito a couple times. That area stays open late and is a little farther away.

The Blue Brothers is a cool normal bar also. The have jazz on tuesday, salsa on thursday and some events on the weekends. I think the crowd depends on if there is an event there are not. Of course there are a lot of Salsa bars in Cali.

I enjoyed Cartagena. There is something to do every night. The try to sell you everything on the beach so you have to get use to that. I would ask how much it cost for everthing in cartagena. They like to talk about the price later and hit you with a big bill.

You can also gamble in Cartagena with shorts and wearing a hat. They always made me take my hat of in cali. It is a little more casual in Cartagena. The old town of cartagena is pretty cool. I took a day trip to Isla Rosario. It was OK. If i went back to Cartagena I would make the side trip to Santa Marta. Not sure if there is action in Santa Marta I would take one down there. There are a lot of freelancers in Cartagena if that is what you like. My "friend" likes techno music and there were some nice techno clubs in cartagena. some of them were on the beach and some were a regular bar. I think the ones on the beach did not close. I went to La Dulce Vida and liked it. It is pretty loud and quite a few women. Since I like the freelance seen I liked this place. You can drink, dance and take one home.

On my last trip I flew into Cali and out of Cartagena. When I was in Cali I bought a one way ticket to Cartagena. If you want to chase any nonpros I would spend the weekend in Cali since it is slower during the week.

riotime, could you elaborate on any perceived difference in the girls in terms of looks and attitude between medellin, cali and cartagena and probably most importantly, between colombianas in general and the cariocas?

i know most peeps have said that cariocas are more PSE while paisas in particular are more GFE, but frankly i'd rather have normal sex with a beautiful girl than "snap your dick off" sex with a girl who is not as hot...just seems like from the board postings at least, the ratio of super hot versus not appears much higher in medellin than rio...rio has many stunners, but i always have to wade through a bunch of throwaways...

i know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but i'm more into the tan, euro flavored brunettes, especially the petite ninfetinhas versus the mestizas or mulattas (though it definitely depends on my mood, and i've "fallen in love" with all of the above, heh)

Rexx, I like women of all colors and spend quite a bit of time with Black women. Cartagena and Cali have more black women. There are less in Medellin but that is not a problem if you are not into that. I normally hang out with the same girl for a while so I might not have the best advice. It think it is more accepted in Cali and especially Cartagena to be out with a black girl in public. my girl dressed kind of crasy and i felt like i got some weird looks in the casino in Cali.

I actually took a girl from Cali to Cartagena. Most people do not like to take sand to the beach but I had a lot of fun. The nice thing about Rio and Cartagena if you do like a girl they are a lot less likely to live at home. In Cali and Cartagena they are more likely to live at home.

I met a pretty cool one in Medellin but she lived at home with her parents and daughter so she did not have as much free time. I spent the most time going to casas in Medellin and was happy with most of the girls. I took some back to the mansion and some i just stayed at the casa. a couple of times i spent time with them at the case then had them come to the mansion later.

it is not as in the open in Colombia as it is in Rio. Rio seems to have more of a anything goes attitude and you cant missing seeing the Help and the other places. The Help could not be in a more high profile place. In Colombia a lot of them have smaller signs or do not have signs at all.

it is accepted in colombia but seems to be more low key than in brazil.

other people can give their input but i think a lot of people think brazilians have a great attitude and are really outgoing. i would say cali women are next after that. in cartagena the girls are from all over colombia so you have a mix.

i would go back to medellin, cali and cartagena. i do not think you could go wrong with any of them. there are a lot of casas to explore in medellin and cali. i saw a couple of the freelance bars in cartagena.

cartagena and rio are easier to get around and find all the spots. they also have things going on all the time because the beach is there. medellin and cali are both working towns. the regular night life slows down during the week.

the mansion makes medellin easier. otherwise i think it would be hard to find the places. cali is a little harder to find your way around.

thanks riotime, that info really helps...appreciate it!

Cartegena was easy for me, medellin was difficult at best. Cartegena beach/tourist town, so they are used to gringos. I dont speak alot of spanish so medellin was tough. I found a place named Faze Dos. Its a huge strip joint with girls who will go for an hour for 140,000 pesos. That includes the room. There are alot of really really fine girls here. The drinks for the chicas are not cheap. Its better to drink on your own (buy a bottle) and just pick a girl to go light up in the room. Cheers

guys any issue taking tazi from airport in mde to hotel four points. take one off the street
do you see other gringos around mde?
if i stay in the wealthy area and use hotel taxis any problems? are the cops corrupt

Yes, big issues. Taxistas can and do rob and/or kidnap people. Especially if you do not know the area, always call a taxi. See if you can have the hotel pick you up. A friend was kidnapped by a taxista that he chose from the line coming in from the International airport a few years ago.

Of course the cops are corrupt. This is Latin America.

There has been an uptick in crime in all areas. Be careful using ATMs. A lot of the current problems are due to a war over control of drug sales. Night times can be weird.