Barranquilla Reports

[Johan007]

Hola Mr Mundo,

yes I am intrested to get into contact with Peter.
Does he speak english??(Or German/Dutch by any change?)

I also might wantt o meet some "normal"chicas down there. Peter can do that??

regards,

Johan.

[Jaimito Cartero]

I've only been to BAQ once, and that by accident. (San Jose fogged in). It was after midnight, and horribly hot. Does it get any better at other times of the year?

I'm starting to plan a couple of trips for next year, and Colombia (Esp Cali and Medellin) seems interesting.

[Surfer]

BAQ is less dangerous than the other large cities in Colombia, but it IS still a large city in Colombia so use care. El Prado is MUCH nicer than centro so stay there.

COPA airlines has a late night flight from LAX to Panama city connecting to a 50 minute flight toi Barranquilla. You can also go through Miami on Aces. Otherwise, you must transit through Bogota so the COPA rourte is likely best for you. I am going back at end of July so let me know when you are. XTNSurfer@hotmail.com

[The Man]

I'm planning on going to Barranquilla to meet several friends that I made over the net. I got their pictures and they sure look great. My question is about traveling and lodging. How dangerous is to visit this city and how about the apartahotels, i was told that these are like apartments they rent for the week but cheaper than hotels and more girl friendly.
I want to fly from Los Angeles but the flights I see last at least 12 to 16 hours is that the best they can do???

Please advise also in MPs ...

Thank you very much for all your help...and if someone wants to go let me know and maybe we can meet there..I speak perfect spanish and that should help in this country..


The Man

[Surfer]

Good news & bad news on BAQ. Bad news is Lusitania & Zona Rosa (1 block away), supposedly the best two hooker bars in BAQ are HORRIBLE ripoff joints! Reminded me of Tijuana on an OFF night. Maybe I was spoiled because I had just come from Cali, which I call paradise, but BAQ nightclub scene was terrible.

Good news is I found a terrific girlfriend whom I took to Cartagena. BAQ has its share of lookers who would like to meet a Spasnish speaking gringo, but Cali is the motherlode in my opinion (plus it isn't as brutally hot & humid-BAQ climate is AWFUL!)

[Vagringo]

local girls in baq can be done if you have time in my hotel holtel villa dilla 2 maids actuaally stayed in my room a hour and danced with me 18 and 19 years old .and during carnival i spent the day with a teacher that approached me her english was good .also there is not much to do in baq but it was a fun 3 days i would have been a stud---- 1 note every thing is shut down during carnival except the bars and they dont know about travelers checks except banco of columbia check out freddies dico tec the girls are cheap it is afun place a littel rough but chessey with class.

[AddictedToWomen]

Originally posted by Headhunter2000
"Regular" girls take a little patience though. I had to take mine out 3 nights in a row before I got pussy.

Don't they always?! :-) Too much usually, but I make an exception for Latin girls. My experience: they never put out the first date (even the ones who're getting it more than most pros), but most of them do the second, and the rest who are going to the third. If they haven't by the third, they ain't going to. The three strike rule should be strictly observed at all times -- there's too much competition to waste any more time with 'em.

But then I'm an ugly fucker. You might have better luck. :-)

[Headhunter2000]

Damn, I though MAV and I were the only Gringos in Barranquilla for Carnival. Check out "Lusitania" for pro action. The drinks are more expensive and the salida/bar-fine is 60,000 pesos, but this is where the best looking pros in BAQ can be found. I also checked out Casa Dalia and Casa Mariela. Dalia had 5 girls and Mariela had 13. The Casas in BAQ are named after the Mama-san who runs them. They don't serve drinks like the ones in Cartagena, and the bar-fine is 40,000 pesos. The Casa girls are generally cheaper and not quite as polished as the Lusitania girls. I also noticed several SW's along Calle 70 late at night. Some of these were clearly TS's and I never had any urge to interact with any of them.

I got lucky and got picked up by a college girl at an internet cafe. I ended up getting free pussy my last couple days, so that kind of put a damper on my mongering.

Overall, the pro-scene in BAQ is not as good as Cartagena, but BAQ is better for picking up "regular" girls. Especially if you are a Gringo with decent Spanish skills. "Regular" girls take a little patience though. I had to take mine out 3 nights in a row before I got pussy.

I would go to Barranquilla again, but not during Carnival. All the hotels were charging double the normal rate, many of the businesses close right down, and traffic is a nightmare. To a *****monger, Carnival is nothing but an obstacle.

If you are not confidant in your Spanish skills, I would highly recommend a cab driver down there named "Alvaro." He speaks fluent English and charges 10,000 pesos/hour for tour-guide service. I split this 3 ways with 2 other Americans so the cost was just over $1 US/hour each and that includes the cab fare.

HH

[Vagringo]

now in baq sunday took the bus 9000 pesos it is real festive here for carnival. i am the onlygringo i went to 2 concerts i can not tell the age of the girls here they all wear tightshirts low jeans lots of blonds all the street are filled with skinny preetty women eye contact a bit. i am staying at a dive el diamante 29ooo pesos a bit rough for me but cart spent alot of money checked out zona discoteca a casa too high 100000 for 1 hour so i go too much for in service cart was cheaper the mgr here speaks ingles he says carnival makes it more 12 chicas only customer.since i am a risk taker wanting some action a cab driver tok me to freddies disco looks like a strip club with x rated movies playing i had to laugh my mind was on fucking then so i arranged 3 hours at my casa with paolia brown skin long hair we get to the hotel and we talk abit she says she has 3 kids did not beleive her had a fine ass body so we start getting it on i put 3 condoms on the table she starts to undreess this girls body is so kicking no way 3 kids she then no bullshit takes her breast out and i start to suck them and milk comes out i cannot beleive i am doing this somehow i start to laugh and it tasted good anyway so we fuck for 3 times and she cums 1 time her yongest was 4 months old had a tight pussy i thought well columbia has been wild for me tonight no chicas just dancing leave wed for peru

[Vagringo]

I will be in baq I went to carnival in usa yeah mardi gras so I know their diffrente so are the girls as daring and come from all over

[Ralphe]

Oh, I forgot to say...Even if you're in Barranquilla for only a weekend, a good way to meet people is to ride "La chiva de la rumba." It's a roving party bus, which stops at various dance clubs, and then ends up on the beach in Puerto Colombia at about 3am. It leaves from hotel El Prado about 8 or 9, Fridays and Saturdays (I recommend a Friday). I think the price is something like COP $20,000--$30,000, and it includes a bottle of aguardiente for each pair. The bus is called El No Joda, I guess because, when people see it, they say "No Joda!. Colombians usually go out in groups, but on the chiva it's as if the whole bus is one group.

Otherwise, the most popular and concentrated area for clubs is Calle 84, with lots of restaurants, too. You won't find any professionals there, though. Other famous hangouts are El Rincon Latino and La Cien, but these are far from the downtown area--you'll need a taxi.

For professionals, try the places listed below. Also: ask a taxi driver if Maria La O is still open; I've never been there, but heard about it a lot.

Enjoy! (Wish I were going too...)

[Zippy]

EXCELLENT post, Ralphe! You clearly know Barranquilla. I was there once last July but not long enough to really explore.

[Ralphe]

Originally posted by Headhunter2000
I read somewhere that Barranquilla Carnival is the 4 days preceding Ash Wednesday. This year, that would be March 1-4. Can anyone confirm this?

Yep. Carnival/Mardi Gras/Fashingsfest/ect. is always the weekend before Ash Wednesday. The only problem is, when is Ash Wednesday? I'm Catholic, but not so much so that I have to find out Good Friday and count back (forty days).

Anyway, Barranquilla is the ultimate party town--it's just not a party town that is user-friendly for tourists/visitors. I mean, to tap into the fun, you need to know some locals. (They don't have signs which say "This way for the action.") I know because I lived there for two years.

But that's why it's such a great place--no tourists! In all my time there I never came across a single North-American on the streets. And--unlike in Cartagena--nobody ever came up to me on the streets trying to change money. I'm from the States, but most people just assumed I was from Medellin. And they would approach me speaking that costeno Spanish, which was initially incomprehensible.

In fact, Carnival in B/quilla effectively begins December 7th. Yes. That's right, over two months before Ash Wednesday. They call this season "Las cuatro fiestas"; the first, is the eve of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 7th (the 8th is a holiday). The second is Dec. 24th. (Unlike in Anglo-American tradition, Christmas Eve is a wild party night.) The third is, of course, New Year's Eve. And the fourth is Carnival, which is the four days before Ash Wednesday--a four-day-long party.

But before Carnival, there are four public celebrations on the previous four Fridays. They're called Viernes de Reina, in which various neighborhoods host free public concerts of the most popular salsa, merengue and vallenato bands in the world. (The reina being the Queen of Carnival, a beauty pagent type role--she attends each show.) It seems like the whole city converges on these concerts, and, as with any celebration in B/quilla, the people go wild.

The Friday night before Carnival is called La Guacherna. It's a musical parade/party in which various kinds of folkloric bands march from uptown to downtown, while everybody else celebrates in wild abandon. Common behavior is to squirt drinking water at each other from the plastic bags in which it's sold (like Cartagena, B/quilla is a sweltering sauna practically year-round), or dust one another with flour, or maizana (cornstarch). Don't be offended if somebody does this to you--it's all part of the package. The white face of the flour is part of the centuries-old Catholic tradition of good vs. evil, or white vs. black, which is associated with the pre-lenten activities.

On the Saturday and Sunday before Ash Wednesday they have parades on the street which borders the riverfront. The city sets up bleachers, and all day long people hang out and watch the various groups of musicians and dancers go by. It's kind of like the Tournament of Roses parade, but two times, and more boisterous. On the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is the "Battle of the Bands," usually held in the baseball stadium. Here all of the most popular salsa, merengue and vallenato groups of the world compete to win the prize in their respective catagories. And, of course, the audience is celebrating all day without reserve.

By the time Ash Wednesday arrives, you're lucky if you have the energy to get out of bed and go to church.

Carnival in Barranquilla is the second largest in the world, after Rio. (The amounts of aquardiente and rum consumed during this time is ledgendary.) In comparison, Mardi Gras seems tame. But it's not publicized internationally, so the participants are almost all Colombians. In a way, that's good. No tourist effect. Of course, during the weekend nights just about every other house is having a party. If you know any locals, you get invited. If you don't, you could probably just show up at one and you'd be equally welcome. (Just pretend to be a friend of a friend, and be ready to dance--not lame NA dance shit, but afro-caribbean.)

As for chica action--well there are brothels (like the one next to Trofa), but they aren't really necessary. Just remeber: a pension is a room rented by the hour; not a place for travelers. (My first weekend there I went out with some colleagues, had a little too much aguardiente, and was seduced by a former Reina de los Carnavales.) Once you get to know people (and you should speak some Spanish), you'll find the women there outgoing--they only seem conservative on the outset.

[Headhunter2000]

Originally posted by MAV
When is the Carnival in Barrinquilla?

I read somewhere that Barranquilla Carnival is the 4 days preceding Ash Wednesday. This year, that would be March 1-4. Can anyone confirm this?

Also, any updates on the current scene will be appreciated.

-----

Thanks Ralphe. Great info!

[Murilloa]

johan 007 it is a well known fact, demonstrated by many of your posts, that you dutch took over from us english as the most arrogant bunch in europe. in fact this has been true since around AD1650. stop pouring scorn on other punters, instead pour your sperm into the ladies, let us know how they like it and how much they cost - and shut the fuck up about your fellow mongers. viva cali!