All good things must come to an end. I had been there for 10 straight days and managed to return for two (because of RT tickets I originally purchased before I found out I was going to Bogotá and Mex.). I think it is important for all of you reading this to know a few things about leaving Colombia.

You first have to go to the SCM desk (across from Avianca counter) and get a form filled out that will let you pay your departure tax. Departure tax is $29 US or $59,900K CP. You can't mix and match dollars and pesos to come up with the right amount. I had waited in line about 15 minutes but I didn't have enough of either currency left (yes, I had spent almost $1,500) so I had to go to the news stand and change Pesos to dollars (at a great rate of 2250CP) so I would have $29 US to buy the form. I got back in line and got my departure tax form completed. Next was security. They go through everything, (VERY THOROUGHLY) that you are checking. If you don't want another 30 or so people to see it, don t take it. Dirty underwear, clothes, my DOP kit, all my photographic equipment, opened each roll of film (and they were real curious about 31 rolls of film until I produced my business card ). I can just imagine them pulling out the pocket rockets or some of the other things I had given to N.

They searched the linings of my luggage, pockets of my jeans and other trousers ( they also found a 50K note I could have used for my departure tax...damn it), unrolled my socks. Nothing was missed. In case some of you may have thought of taking other contraband out of Colombia, my advice is DON'T! They even had a dog or two sniffing bags. I finally make it to the counter (mind you, I have been at this an hour and 45 minutes now). The gate agent is fiddling with her computer and doing something. Uh oh. I owe $100 for ticket changes I had made but thought I had gotten away with when the Avianca people in Miami hadn't charged me. Unlike other airports where you can pay at the counter, in CTG you have to go to a different place across the lobby to pay. Now, I am known for my uncanny abilities to get front row parking spaces almost anywhere I go. It astounds my family and friends and it almost always works for some reason. My demise is lines. Never follow me into one because I will wind up in the slowest one or one where there is a problem of some kind. (You have been warned). Well, I get behind one couple that is changing about six tickets for various members of their family. I decide to move to the other line where one guy is trying to straighten out two tickets. Mistake. He argues for 35 minutes about the extra money he has to pay for his tickets. Meanwhile, the family problem is long resolved and two more people have finished. He finally pays and I walk up to the window, hand her my credit card and in two minutes I complete the transaction. The line at the Avianca counter is now about 40 people deep but the agent waves me to the front. I hand her my voucher and she hands me my tickets.

You have to go through immigration and another security checkpoint where they check everything very thoroughly that you are carrying on board, then you move into a waiting area. I chat with Phil Law and Mike who are on the same flight to Miami and we discuss possible plans for a return in the summer. I also get caught up on the two chicas I was photographing on the beach that they met. Neither scored but they are going to work on it for a future trip. The girls were very cute.

Arrival in Miami was little different. Huge lines, long waits for baggage. Immigration and customs wasn't a problem (except the long lines) but there were dogs and a number of Colombians were having their luggage thoroughly inspected. I made the drive from Miami to home in about three hours. I am missing CTG already.

Summary:

For those of you who have been to CTG I hope this very long report serves as a reminder of the good times to be had there and encourage you to return soon. For those of you who have yet to make the adventure, I hope this report provides you some insight of what to expect. (This report could literally have been twice as long)

It is true. Most of the girls you meet are available. Merely make eye contact, smile and you can have an incredible night of sex with an incredibly beautiful Colombian woman for free or a very reasonable price. I never did the ST thing in a casa as I prefer to be in the comfort of my own room and not be rushed.

CTG is a jewel amongst single men's destinations and hopefully will remain so for a long time to come. Always remember to bargain, don't pay too much for the girls so the prices will remain low; treat them with respect because most of them are semi-pros making a little money on the side. Watch your valuables, don't be flashy and stay on your guard. One thing I wanted to mention was walking around the beach areas. Again, I always felt very safe but would go out of my way and cross a street to avoid a group of people walking towards me, especially if they were all guys.

One note on walking: The sidewalks and curbs are broken, full of holes and other dangerous pitfalls where one could easily sprain or break an ankle. When you walk, there is an incredible urge to watch the beauties walking in your direction or across the street, to be looking for potentially dangerous situations you want to avoid, or being distracted by some music that is playing or something on display in a store. The first thing you need to learn is to walk slowly. I call it the CTG crawl. Most locals do it because of the heat. Learn to do it as a safety precaution and develop peripheral vision for watching the ground, while you look at the eye candy or other distractions. Also, many times you have to step off the curb to get around a bus, parked car, or group of pedestrians filling the sidewalk. Always, always look over your shoulder before stepping in the street. Even though the street is one way in the El Laguito area, the busses and taxis do not give the right of way to pedestrians and they drive dangerously close to the curbs. Many times they are passing other vehicles. The value of life and limb is much lower in Colombia than in the US. Protect yourself and don't ruin a great vacation.

I encourage you to take the plunge and visit someday. Since I live a mere 3 hours drive from Miami, I am planning on taking several long weekend vacations there this year and possibly a full week in July. The airfares are reasonable (and becoming more so) as are the accommodations. The women are hot, delicious and reasonably priced. The food can be summed up much the same way. Cartagena is an adventure and can be much more than just mongering. It is a party city and the inhabitants are very friendly towards Americans and Gringos in general.

And, don t forget to study your Spanish!

Hasta Lluego Amigos. To the good life!

Some CTG. Myths and legends:

The dreaded cell phone: Although most of the girls carry cell phones and most of us mongers hate the fact that they do, I found a very interesting anomaly while there. Most of the girls don't have any minutes! These seem to be mostly prepaid cell phones, probably because they do not have the credit wherewithal to establish regular service. As such, they mostly use the cell phones to record phone numbers of friends, relatives, local acquaintances and a newly found sugar daddy. I stumbled on this revelation after several of the girls gave me their cell phone numbers yet, when I tried to call them, the phones were out of service. If a girl gives you her cell phone to contact her, ask if she has minutes or try to call her number before she leaves your place. Now, if you really want to be able to call her, take her to the cell phone store and buy her some minutes but, be forewarned, she will most likely use them up quickly calling her other friends. Having the instrument is a source of pride and status. No one really knows if there are any minutes left or not.

The Cigars they sell: For those of you cigar aficionados who may like to try a Cuban while in Ctg. just beware. If you buy them in a store, wrapped they are probably real. If you buy them from a street vendor, they are probably not. Most from the street are hand made 35 miles outside Ctg and the vendors just put Cohiba and R&J wrappers on them.

Cab Fare for the chicas: Most reports on this forum discuss giving cab fare in addition to a tip if the chica has been pleasing. The day of the Yogurt Fruz incident I noticed an interesting event and a couple of other situations that lead me to believe this is a very well played out scam to get extra money out of us gringos. Now, granted, most of the casa chicas actually live on premise at the casa. Melina did and I always gave her cab fare. Here is what I observed.

While people watching at Yogurt Fruz, I was watching the comings and goings from El Conquistador. Remember, this is where most of the working girls in Ctg. live, usually crowded 5-6 to a room to save costs. I also understand there is usually a senior person who actually owns the lease and they in turn sub-let to the girls that are working there for whatever time period they are in Ctg. Anyway, I noticed the girls that were coming out and heading for the beach just walked to the beach. It is a short distance. I noticed a couple of girls walking out that were dressed up and hailed a Taxi. Now, mind you, this is a one way street. As I was sitting there, I noticed the same two girls get out of the taxi (in the opposite direction) and walk into an Apt. building. They had literally ridden around the block so they could arrive in a taxi. I'll bet they paid 2KCP to the driver for the ride and charged the poor schmuck 5-10KCP. This little ritual took place 3 times while I was sitting there. On another day, I saw a chica get off a bus then she immediately hailed a taxi. The taxi deposited her less than 2 blocks away at an Apt. You see, busses cost about 500 pesos to ride, so she must have taken a bus from her place, arrived in a taxi and charged the guy for a full taxi fare from her house/Apt. or wherever. I also found it quite interesting that whenever a taxi delivered a girl, the fare was always 10-20KCP (remembering the girls on party night that arrived within 5 minutes of Eddies call). .

Hell, I spent 2 hours one day in a taxi taking pictures and it only cost me 25K CP and you can drive anywhere in CTG in less than half an hour. In the future, I think I will verify where the chica lives before I bite the taxi fare routine. I would love to hear Eddie Salence's and other visitor's opinions on this observation.

Calle 5 by La Escollera: Other reports had suggested there are usually only 4s, 5s and 6s there. Having sat there on two different nights for over two hours I can attest to those comments. Other reports have indicated there are occasionally some jewels there as well. Based on my experience with (N) I can also confirm that observation. Many reports have indicated the need to check I.D s. I did have a girl approach me there one night and she admitted she was 16 and another night one approached me admitting she was 15 and this was her first night there. Gentlemen, again, even though the legal age of consent in Colombia is 14 for a female (www.actwin.com/eatonohio/gay/world.htm) they are just babies. As tempting as the prospect might be, just do yourself and your conscience a favor and ask for I.D. Juan Ventura did tell me if the local police find you with an underage (18) girl, they make you sweep the streets in public for some period of time. We may be mongers but let's not be pervs. It just isn't worth it in the big picture of life and there are too many gorgeous women of legal age to be had. Enough said!

Political Strife in Colombia: The country has literally been in a Civil war for 35 years. Many of the interior cities are not safe for gringos but I firmly believe CTG. is. While I was there, the President of Colombia had given the FARC a deadline to meet and negotiate a peaceful settlement or he was going to send in the army and assault the FARC stronghold. The FARC had been granted a large area of land in which to establish themselves some 35 years ago. They have used this land to grow cultivate and produce cocaine. It has become a very rich cash crop which has provided the FARC money to buy weapons, munitions, food, shelter, clothing and other basic necessities to fuel their continuing fight against the Colombian Government. Most Colombians would love to see an end to this long standing Civil War because they know full well, their way of life would improve dramatically. The FARC representatives met with the President and his emissaries (including an American) and bought an extra week on the deadline. The next day, they proceeded to bomb and destroy a high power electrical transmission line (big towers included) which served a large populated area and other surrounding cities with electricity. It will probably be months before electricity is restored. In the U.S., whenever we experience earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods or other natural disasters, our electricity is usually restored in days or certainly a week or two. Imagine being without electricity for literally months?

The Colombian people have and continue to suffer because of this longstanding Civil War. Many are displaced, impoverished, can't find jobs and struggle to meet daily necessities of food, shelter and clothing. Many of the chicas whom you sleep with are trying to support their children and their families. Just go in with your eyes wide open. Read the local English newspapers while there. Catch up on local events before going. The locals love it when you know and can communicate and commiserate with their plight. Colombians are fiercely proud people and a little knowledge of their culture, politics, religion and current events will go a long way to your acceptance amongst the locals and enhance your visit while there.

The "Other Old City": Truly a delight to visit and experience while in Ctg. and something that should not be missed. I am told by Juan Ventura and others that it is not a place to go at night but during the day, it is a delightful and enchanting view of life in Ctg. We went there by taxi and took some Pics. Much like The Old City but not as pristine. The streets are still cobblestone and the homes are of colonial era; tight rowed but badly in need of repair; open doors on houses, kids playing in the streets, donkeys tied to lamp posts or door handles. It is as if you have been taken back in time a hundred years. Everything moves very slowly. The churches are dilapidated yet frequented by the locals and have unlocked doors. The stores are small with nearly empty shelves; it is third world at it's prime.

If you go there, make sure you stay with your taxi. Taxis don't frequent the area and you may just find yourself in a very uncomfortable environment. If you really want to experience the local Ctg. lifestyle, go for a ride along the waterfront and see the open air fish, meat and fruit markets. There are some mongering sights to be had. In addition, you will see just about everything you could possibly need in a flea market environment. I just enjoy going native.

The Girls: Whether you are shy, outgoing, young, old, rich, poor, fat, thin, bald or whatever, you can score in CTG. The most important thing is to make eye contact, smile and start a conversation. You won't bed every chica you meet but your percentage of success will be exponentially higher than in the US. You don't have to spend a lot of money or be flashy. Don't worry if they are with apparent boyfriends or even husbands, many will still go to your hotel or Apt. with you. They are used to being ogled and in many cases go out of their way to dress for success in winning your attention. These girls learn about sex at a very early age. Many succumb to rape and incest with family members when they are just reaching puberty. Remember, the age of consent is 14 in Colombia. Many have had children at 16, 17 or 18 and are very street smart. They do what they do because it puts food on the table and clothes on their childrens' backs. They don't know any other way out of their plight or just work part time to make extra money. They are also very sensuous and willing in their efforts to please. They know that if you like them, they will have a sugar daddy while you are there.

Where to find them? Literally, everywhere! Not comfortable with the language or being aggressive? Ask a street tout in front of El Conquistador, use Tony, Pablo, Emily, Juan V or any of the other people you might meet. After a few days in CTG. your inhibitions will melt away. You will find yourself making passes at store clerks, bank tellers, waitresses or anyone else that attracts your eye. MOST ARE AVAILABLE! You can leer at them and not be worried about reprisals.

Of course you can always score ST in a casa but not usually until late at night. You can score LT (take out) in a casa, on the beach, on the street, in a store or wherever someone strikes your interest. As Yogi Berea once said, "you will not hit 100% of the pitches you do not swing at." Having sex is a way of life in Colombia. It is not considered taboo like in the US. The women are not prudes, modest or inhibited. Hell, most of them probably grew up with 4-5 brothers and sisters sharing the same bedroom, bathroom and never had any privacy. They are proud of their bodies and love to show them off for your viewing delight. Be prepared, some may approach you when least expected. You may find yourself gulping for air and something clever to say in Spanish. It isn't necessary. You can be direct without any fear of reprisal. Sexual harassment doesn't exist here. Har-ass is two words describing a posterior that catches your eye.

They love Americans and gringos in general. They are intrigued to talk with you, and would do anything to form a LT relationship with you. After all, you could end their misery and provide a better life. Just look at the web sites of Colombian women that are marriage minded. Thousands of them. Most would be happy with someone to spend a week or two with enjoying the good life.

Most Colombian men treat their women badly. There is a lot of spousal and female abuse but the police and authorities have other more important things to worry about. If you treat them well, show them a good time and spend a few dollars on them, they attach themselves like a leach to you.

Having said how easy it is, be careful. These women can be very jealous and are willing to fight for your favors, attention and Pesos. It is very easy to feel like you are in love with the way they are fulfilling your every dream and fantasies in the sack. Granted, many are very professional but most are just semi-pros trying to make a few bucks and trying to win your heart and wallet. Shit, I fell for a 21 year old on my first night, a gorgeous 13 on an island, a 23 year old Julia Roberts look alike, a 19 year old stunner from LDV and an 18 year old from Calle 5 who rocked my world plus a few other ST's not even mentioned in this report. I haven't had so much sex in a week since I was in college. After each one left, I had to tell myself it was like being in Disney World. We had just finished a great ride but reality was just a fleeting moment.

Enjoy the good life!

CLAP,CLAP, CLAP...Hats off for a very well written report...how can I get in touch with Juan Ventura??

Thanks for keeping the fond memories fresh in my mind. I am now visiting Cartagena every 3 months on the average.

An exception report from beginning to end. My applause to you

Thanks Yoosin

Batman,

You can reach Juan at ittscol@hotmail.com. I also posted his cell phone and Apt. phone on one of the reports. Really a good guy but also try Eddy Salence esalence@yahoo.com. Either one can set you up with a good Apt.

Wish you could be there the end of June with the rest of us. Don't worry...we (I) will take lots and lots of photos of those college girls that will be there!

Your report on leaving Colombia was very accurate. However, you should also be aware that there is a small chance that they will require you to have your stomach X-rayed. And bring extra cash just in case because they make you pay for the X-ray ( I think it's about $20). When I was leaving Cali, a man I met there was selected, they took him to a prison (45 minute ride) to have his stomach X-rayed and he barely had enough money to pay for it. And he almost missed his flight. If you want to be extra careful, go to the airport early. I am always there at 5 a.m.

P.S. On my last flight, I went through Atlanta and not Miami. I like the Atlanta airport. It was uncrowded, no hastles from customs, and the transfer to my domestic flight almost painfree.

That's a new one! Gice us some more details...
(What airline, going where, reasons given, his citizenship, etc.)

Thanks

Darn it!, I'm on my way back to San Diego from a tour of Mexico and I can attest, TJ would never be the same for me. CTG, sounds like a dreamland and hell while I'm single I might as well start planning a trip to this place (and of course a return to Veracruz).
Thanks for your info. Sandman.
-Jarocho

Hits the nail on the head, for the most part.
BTW-what is the "other Old City?" Manga?,Getsemaní?, El Matuna?

I just arrived from my first visit to cartagena, in fact my first time in colombia, and i am already planning several trips back!! the woman are incredible, beautiful, sexy and man do they take care of all you needs!!!! I never new a woman could be so loving, attentive, sexy and satifing all at once. I only speak a little spanish but that does not matter, i works it self out and it is a challenge to the colombian woman to understand what you want and please you. My new number 1 travel destination!!!! Viva colombia!!