Next morning, Ruth arrives and begins to clean up our mess from the day and night before. She cooks breakfast for all four of us and hands me a shopping list of things she needs from the store. Detergent, dish soap, toilet paper, napkins and a bunch of other things. Paola leaves and Juan goes to change some money. When he returns, I tell M-2 I will see her later and send her home in a cab. Juan-1 and I go to the larger Carullo and pack in some provisions. He heads for the beach and I am catching up on my notes, have a manicure/pedicure from Lucy and a massage from Emily. I also needed to change some money so I went back to the Apt.

Photo: Cartegena03

I called Juan V and he came over and gave me some pointers on the best place to exchange some money. His first recommendation was Lloyds Bank TSB on Avenida St. Martin near the hotel De Cameron. He told me they would cash up to $1,000 US per month and should be in the 2180 to 2240 range depending on cash or travelers checks. Juan-1 had paid me in cash for the Apt. and groceries. So off I went armed with a pocket full of cash and travelers checks. A quick trip by taxi and I entered the bank building. There was a security guard with a hand held metal detector and two security doors. You enter one way on a green light and exit on the other side to a green light. This place is very security conscious I thought. You might get in but you would never get out.

I didn't even make it through the first door. My Seiko metal watch wouldn't make it through the metal screening. I had to take it off and put it in a lock box in the lobby and take the key with me. I went to the counter where they exchanged money. Oops. I didn't have my proofs of purchase for the traveler's checks. Back to the Apt., retrieve my proofs of purchase and back to the bank. Remove my Seiko again and through the security door I go. I counted out $1,000 in cash and travelers checks (more than I cared to carry but I didn't t want to go through this again) Well, the little guy counts it about six times. He makes copies of all the bills, T.C s, my passport and fills out two very long forms that I have to sign in three places. Next, he asks me to stand in a teller line while he takes the money and forms to a manager type person. The manager scrutinizes the bills, T.C s, writes down all the serial numbers on the bills, does another counterfeit test and takes the bundle to a teller. The teller motions me forward and hands me a packet of 20K notes with a $2,000,000 wrapper around it plus various 50K, 20K, 10K, 5K and even a few 2K notes. I have just averaged 2230KCP's per dollar. A very good exchange rate. I am feeling rich for the moment. Little did I suspect that I would be back to a different bank in a few days exchanging more? Tip: No matter what you are exchanging, carry your passport. If you are exchanging Travelers Checks, take the proofs of purchase papers that show the range of serial numbers of the T.C s you have purchased. The ones they always tell you to keep in a separate place from the TC's themselves. Total experience in the bank took almost an hour.

Back to the Apt. and I headed for the beach to meet up with Juan-1. I meet up with some of the other American guys there and start talking about the party on Friday night. I tell them I will have some food and mixers but they will need to bring what they want to drink, some munchies and their own chicas. I tell them I am planning a game of strip twister whenever the chicas get drunk enough and tell them to plan on throwing in a few bucks for the prize. All agree and seem encouraged about the prospects. Juan V had told me Phil Law is due in Friday so we plan to include him and his friends as well. I tell the guys to invite any other friends they might run into with the same deal. Bring what you want to drink, some munchies and chicas.

Juan and I go back to the Apt. I tell him I am trying to line up some models for pictures around the city for my article. Juan V has not been successful so I call M at his house.

M knows a lady who can line up non-pro girls, students, girls with normal jobs etc. who want to make a few bucks on the side. I gave him the requirements and told him to find 3-4 to look over. The deal with this lady was 20K per girl delivered plus taxi so I agreed to 4. M told me a friend of his named Daryion would be calling and bringing over the girls. About 30 minutes later, Daryion called and said he had 4 girls ready to come over. He spoke pretty good English. He told me it would be 20K per girl to bring them plus taxi. If I wanted any of them, I would have to negotiate with them individually. I told him what I needed and he said he would be there in an hour. Well, I always add 30-45 minutes on any time a person in Colombia or any other LA country says. Being late is a cultural past time.

Photo: Cartegena04

Sure enough, in 1 hour and 30 minutes, I am standing on my balcony and two taxis pull up. Five girls get out and I pass them through security. A knock on the door and I am immediately angry. Not a single one above a 6. Much darker complexion than I had requested, none had big boobs like I had wanted. I looked at Dayrion and asked what the hell was this? I pulled him into the bedroom and told him none of these were satisfactory. Then I find out he is just doing his friend M a favor. This is not his regular job. He has another full time job. I have to pay the taxis and give 20K for each girl. I decide to check two possibilities. I ask them to come into the bedroom and let me take a closer look. Dayrion tries to stay but they quickly shoo him out and close the door. One girl removes her top and lowers her skirt to her knees. I take a close look and discover she has a horrible C section scar on her stomach and when she pulls down the wonder bra, the boobs are all saggy from kids. The other girl has more of a models body but is absolutely as flat chested as a 7 year old. No can use! I go back in and tell them they are all lovely but not what I needed for the photographs. Juan-1 called me a mercenary and just laughed at my audacity. Here were five non-pro women for the taking and I was turning them all down. I had even gotten two of them to remove most of their clothes. Juan-1 invites them to our party on Friday night. I pay Daryion and off they go all except Monica. (Daryion is supposed to call the lady and try again later.) Monica told us she had some friends who were actual models that freelance on the side. I am intrigued and ask her to call them. She places three calls and two are available and willing to come by. They can be there by 2:00PM. I said, “the sooner the better.” I gave her 10K for a taxi and her helpful assistance. 2:00, 3:00; 3:30; no models. I also call Daryion and he tells me he is too busy and can t get away but he does give me the lady's name. I never got to use her but M swears she can bring non pros any time of the day or night. Her name is Julia and her number is 681-6440. (YMMV). One of the other guys used her services and spoke very highly of the talent she provided.

Photo: Cartegena05

Time to hit the beach again:

We roll out to the beach and find some guys sitting around we had met on a previous day. W, B and F (a young Norwegian guy), G and lo and behold, Bruce. We chat and I am very pleased to finally meet Bruce. He tells me he has purchased an Apartment in Ctg. I tell him what I am doing there and he invites me to visit and take some pictures. I also get to meet Eddie Salence. Now, Eddie is from Belgium but has lived in CTG for 15 years. He and his wife manage the Apt. building where Bruce bought and is renovating. We decide to go take a look. I ask Bruce how he bought the place and he tells me Eddie handled everything. I asked if he had a title and he said Eddie took care of that as well.

TSM Apartment: posted under "How I bought an Apt. In Ctg" trip report

Bruce has purchased an Apartment in Torre Centauro where Eddie Salence and his wife Marie are the building managers. Eddie helped him make the purchase and handled all the bureaucracy with the local government. Bruce is putting quite a bit into renovations and the place promises to be a TSM haven. You walk into a large living room with picture windows overlooking the sea. An ample sized office to the right complete with PC and Internet access (well, at least we are working on some high speed capabilities as I write this). A small kitchen with a planned bar area. There is a nice sized bedroom on this floor with a private bath and a balcony off the living room overlooking the ocean and beach below. Down a tightly winding set of stairs (this should be fun when someone has had a few too many) are two additional bedrooms and a separate bath. Bruce is replacing the windows in the Master so there should be a full picture window effect overlooking the ocean. The building has 24 hour security, wired for cable TV, has a roof top swimming pool (visions of the pool party at Las Velas last year) and a huge outdoor patio area on one floor that would be a perfect setting for TSM functions. I see the place that evening and the next day take a roll of pictures.

Eddie was telling me there are many Apartments for sale in the building. It seems the economy in Colombia is forcing many of the owners to sell because they can't afford the monthly maintenance. Eddie and Marie would love to see a bunch of Americans, TSM'ers buy up the places, renovate them and turn them into TSM only rentals. Eddie was quick to point out the security guys would be more than willing to run out for food, drinks, chicas or whatever anybody wanted. There would never be any walk of shame, more like a walk of fame. They would never rent to Colombians because, he says, they tear up everything and steal stuff.

Bruce mentioned a price per night per head, even if only one person takes it. Then the price is for one person. Two people take precedence over one and three take precedence over two. Makes sense, and buddies could schedule or plan trips together.

Full maid service would be included or provided at an extra charge (not decided yet). Parties arranged in advance. Chicas waiting on your arrival. Etc.

Sounds like a TSM haven. I am going back in July (and possibly April) and plan to look into the possibility of acquiring one for myself. (I think you are on to a great idea Bruce. I hope others see the potential and follow suit.)

For information you can contact Eddie at: 57-5-665-0174
#502 Torre Centauro Laguito
Cartagena, Colombia
esalence@yahoo.com

He is a great guy, very knowledgeable about the area and the trends of the city. Did I mention this place is right across the street from El Conquistador. The Apt. building where most of the working girls live in CTG! Eddie is also handling renting the place so go through him for reservations if interested.

Great dining:

Well, I am beaten for the day in trying to find models so Juan-1 and I decide to go for a good meal in the old city. On a previous trip, M took me to a place called La Vitrola (Victrola in English). I tell Jaun-1 about it and we agree to give it a try. It is located on Calle Valoco in the old city. The taxi driver drove us right to it but the security guard had to show us where it was. No sign outside and you enter through a small door embedded in a larger door (make sure you duck). You can tell immediately this place is a bit more upscale than most. People are dressed nicely, the atmosphere and surroundings are somewhat plush. White linen table cloths with napkins, soft music in the background, three forks to the left, two spoons on the right with a soup spoon above the plate. Wine glass, water glass and coffee cup complement the setting. Immediately upon being seated a waiter is at our table asking for our beverage order. We both chose a Chilean Merlot he recommended and we were not disappointed. Juan-1 was not very hungry and neither was I so we settled on a house salad and main course. Juan had a fish dish over linguini and I had a house favorite shrimp dish in an exquisite coconut sauce over rice. The salad alone nearly did us in. Five different types of greens, nuts, bacon, quail egg and other garnishes. Truly outstanding as was my shrimp dish. Jaun-1 couldn't finish his main course and the waiter, the Maitre D and the manager all asked if something was wrong with his meal. We had coffee, skipped dessert and I think the entire bill came out to just over $25 apiece. I know, expensive for CTG but if you just want to get a great meal of local cuisine or impress the shit out of a girl I can highly recommend the place. Everything is al la carte; although they do have daily specials that I think are inclusive of soup or salad. Again, the service was impeccable. Anytime a crumb hit the table, there was a person there with a little silver scraper removing same. Also, of keen interest, there were a lot of very old and unique pictures of famous CTG people adorning the walls. And, of course, a very old antique victrola as you enter (like the one on the RCA record label)

Worth a visit!

So, what to do next? We decide to go and rescue the girls from the Casa International! We walked in and Milena wasn't in sight although her friends rushed through the doors to get her. She came out and gave me a big hug. I told her I was rescuing her for the night from this place and to bring a change of clothes for tomorrow. Juan did the same with Paola. Suddenly, we were the Conquistadors. What a night! Long bath, long languishing kisses followed by incredible sex. This girl was falling in love with my ass (and I was enjoying the shit out of her as well). I never even tried to negotiate a different deal. I just kept paying her 120K CP s per night plus taxi and her bar fine, but last night had been special. I offered her the money and she declined. WOW…this was getting serious! I put a 50K note in an envelope and asked her for her mothers address in Bucaramunga. She asked why and I told her I wanted to send her son a gift. She filled out the address and I stuck another 50K note in the envelope.

I gave her a sheet of paper and asked her to write a note to her mother to use this money for her son. To buy him some clothes, or food or medicine or whatever he needed. She had tears in her eyes. She just couldn't believe I would do such a thing. She pointed again at my heart and said buenas corazon (good heart). Just as noted in other reports, you can win their hearts through their children. It really wasn't malicious on my part, I truly was beginning to dig being with this girl. I acknowledged to myself, of course, she has to be with other guys, but she was making me feel very special. Oh, got to love CTG.