Bogota Reports

[Mel365]

I have stayed at the Hotel VIP hotel apartment Bogota North numerous times. However for my current trip I have written to them and have not received an answer. Does anyone have info about them?
Any other good suggestions, I prefer hotels?
Thanks.

Mel

[Bango Cheito]

I'm a gringo and speak little spanish unfortunately. I know I am supposed to take only official taxis. If I visit a casa like the Mansion can I trust them to arrange a safe official taxi for my transport back to my hotel? I don't have a working cell phone.

On the other hand if I decide to go the escort route. How does this work usually? Do you just give the girl the hotel room number and she comes over and up to the room? How does she deal with the front desk? I assume she could just ask to call up to the room, but then this wouldn't be too discrete, I guess.

Thought? Advice? Thanks in advance for helping a beginner!

No option is ever 100% safe, but the club can and will call a taxi for you, and it's by far your best bet. Especially in the richer areas where thieves operate.

[skippytms]

I'm a gringo and speak little spanish unfortunately. I know I am supposed to take only official taxis. If I visit a casa like the Mansion can I trust them to arrange a safe official taxi for my transport back to my hotel? I don't have a working cell phone.

On the other hand if I decide to go the escort route. How does this work usually? Do you just give the girl the hotel room number and she comes over and up to the room? How does she deal with the front desk? I assume she could just ask to call up to the room, but then this wouldn't be too discrete, I guess.

Thought? Advice? Thanks in advance for helping a beginner!

[Bango Cheito]

Santa Fe is fine any time day or night, but don't wander the streets too much there, pick your place and go in. Lots of pickpockets about and they are REALLY good at it.

El Bronx you should never go into without someone to vouch for you, I have never been but I know people who go regularly, mostly drug dealers who buy their supply out of there.

The lowest I have ever heard offered was "cinco con culo papi" jajajajajaja.

I'd say for cheap action I'd go to Santa Fe but south of 23rd street. Don't go to far "up" (east) or it's pure trannies.

[Bowerboy]

Black Page. Just out of interest do you look Colombian / South American?

I know its off topic but I was reading online about El Bronx and also an excellent 25 minute video on Youtube about the place (in English). That place is ultra hardcore! Seems someone like me would be dead within minutes and thats no exaggeration. Quite fascinating to learn about actually and would love to go through the streets there for the experience. Quite mind blowing just how close that is to the main tourist area of El Candelaria. Its only a few blocks away which I guess is why Candelaria has such a massive police presence.

Very interesting indeed and again apolgies for getting off the whoring topic.

[Black Page]

As my name implies, I gravitate to the cheap and dirty mongering bars, houses etc. My last trip was to Lima and then North with DownUnderMonger for 5$ fun. Can you point me to the lowly of the lowly in Bogota? I've been mongering in 22 countries and speak ok espanole. Danger is not a problem as I ain't got much time left and want to maximize my memories! I'll be in Bogota in Jan for two weeks. Also I would like to find a cheap and dirty hotel. I'll post my adventures.

If you want the lowly of the lowly in Bogota and you appreciate the risk of being murdered (seriously) , no doubt your place is El Bronx, near Plaza de Los Martires, that is the worst place in Bogota. Any unaccompanied foreigner will be robbered, at best, day or night. Risk of death is significant (a drug addict handling a gun is not someone I'd like to meet, considered his control on his actions). Access streets to the block are even closed by barriers, because police does not enter and leaves it as a no-land zone, administered by local gangs.

Google Street view shows 3 photos (no, no Google cars there, but a few photos taken by some hero).

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ex...-8&sa=N&tab=wl.

If you want the very low-end girls, you can ask a taxi driver to make a tour at late night OUTSIDE El Bronx. Drug addicted girls come out and look for some plata. I did such a tour with a friend taxi driver, because I like to see places, and a couple of ghost girls asked me 10-20k (no, I did not try them). Considering that I am a foreigner, I guess the price for a local would be less than 10k.

[Black Page]

I took a walk round Santa Fe today just for a look. During the day time the risk is high but manageable as a quick sprint would bring you to some relatively busy streets with normal people in them. It is absolutely crytsal clear though that the risk at night would be extremely high. It should be said though that I look 100% gringo and am too clean cut. I stand out like a monkey in the arctic.
(....................)
If you are a thrill seeker and want to get your heart thumping then head for Santa Fe.

If you look 100% gringo as you say, I would not recommend you to go to Santa Fe or Centro of Medellin at night.
The streets where there are the clubs are ok, but if you venture 1-2 blocks away your safety becomes questionable. Particularly dangerous are:
- the Cr. Caracas (W border of the SF district);
- the blocks South of Cl. 19th (the only people there are ladrones);
- the blocks W of Caracas along SF (not so bad as South of Cl. 19th, but if you see anybody there at night in a group larger than 1 you better run away).
Said this, the Centro Medellin is, in my impression, much more dangerous than Santa Fe in Bogota.
If you stay in biggest clubs, Santa Fe is ok at night (at least if you don't look gringo <grin>).

However, the only time I took a clearly unnecessary risk and I did something I would not repeat was in Santa Fe, trusting my istinct (wrong thing to do here):
http://www.internationalsexguide.inf...=1#post1070487
I would not repeat, I dont recommend to do it.

[Bowerboy]

I took a walk round Santa Fe today just for a look. During the day time the risk is high but manageable as a quick sprint would bring you to some relatively busy streets with normal people in them. It is absolutely crytsal clear though that the risk at night would be extremely high. It should be said though that I look 100% gringo and am too clean cut. I stand out like a monkey in the arctic. I was there around midday and there were plenty of girls around but they were mostly very average looking and some were outright rough. In my opinion the risk reward ratio is far too low. High danger for below average looking girls, just not worth it. This place is not really for mongers its more for thrill seekers! It is quite a thrill walking round but I didn't have the balls to take a girl and wanted to get out pretty quickly on acount f my total gringo appearance (and not a word of Spanish either!).

So then I went on up to the Casa's listed in the Bogota lists (again just incredibley helpful and thanks so much for all the work that has gon into that / those lists. I stayed in the casa's around Chapinero Norte and this area is (or certainly seemed) 100% safe. It is just across the avenue from Zona G and is just like any normal residential neighborhood. To be clear here I am talking about Chapinero NORTE as being safe. Chapinero proper looked ok but was definitely more dodgy than Chapinero Norte and again I am talking about daytime hours here.

All the casa's in that area had some decent girls and I went with a lovely black girl from Chicas Milenio which wa 30, 000 for half an hour. In summary if you just want some good safe fun then head for the casa's in Chapinero Norte (girls much better looking and prices same as Santa Fe). If you are a thrill seeker and want to get your heart thumping then head for Santa Fe.

Happy hunting and leaving Bogota for Peru tomorrow.

[Bango Cheito]

As my name implies, I gravitate to the cheap and dirty mongering bars, houses etc. My last trip was to Lima and then North with DownUnderMonger for 5$ fun. Can you point me to the lowly of the lowly in Bogota? I've been mongering in 22 countries and speak ok espanole. Danger is not a problem as I ain't got much time left and want to maximize my memories! I'll be in Bogota in Jan for two weeks. Also I would like to find a cheap and dirty hotel. I'll post my adventures.

Downtown all the way. South of 19th street east of Av Caracas west of cra7, also a LITTLE bit north of 19 but if you go too far it's all trannies. There are hotels all around there too.

[Bottom Feeder]

As my name implies, I gravitate to the cheap and dirty mongering bars, houses etc. My last trip was to Lima and then North with DownUnderMonger for 5$ fun. Can you point me to the lowly of the lowly in Bogota? I've been mongering in 22 countries and speak ok espanole. Danger is not a problem as I ain't got much time left and want to maximize my memories! I'll be in Bogota in Jan for two weeks. Also I would like to find a cheap and dirty hotel. I'll post my adventures.

[Maidenkj]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a true "love hotel" around the Santa Fe area? Or one around Caracas and Calle 63 that may have a jacuzzi and other features?

If you want listings of "love hotels" in Bogota and Medellin you should try.

http://www.guimot.com

Or.

http://www.guiacereza.com.

Maidenkj

[Doubt98]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a true "love hotel" around the Santa Fe area? Or one around Caracas and Calle 63 that may have a jacuzzi and other features?

[AddictedToWomen]

Not to discourage you from checking out a very fun hobby but; a big discount on one or two or a few loose stones?

Forget it. Aint gonna happen. You have to buy in lots to get good per carat rates, regardless of color, clarity, cut.

Go to:

The Emerald Trade Center, Avenida Jiménez No. 5- 43, and walk through the bottom floors where you can freely rome until you feel comfortable striking up a conversation with someone. Not to the retail jewelry shops nearby. It's near the Museo de Oro stop for the Transmilenio. Google it. You'll find plenty of info online.

Also while you're down there, you might want to tour the Museo de la Esmeralda in the same area but a block or two or three away in the Avianca Building. A very interesting and educational tour. Google it. You'll find it.

Have fun. It's a great hobby. But IMO, even if you know what you're doing and, if you're not an expert negotiator with lots of time, you can only realistically "hope" to achieve a decent dollar value buy but much personal satisfaction knowing that you found it yourself close to the source in Colombia. Well, not THE source in Boyaca, but at the main trading area in Bogota.

Sorry I really can't go on about this, you'll have to take it from there.

Have fun, I find it another fascinating aspect of Colombia.

Schwmm

I agree with S. I looked at this a while back, and emerald grading turns out to be much more difficult than diamond grading, and much easier to falsify.

Reputable jewelers won't touch stones from unestablished contacts for fear of getting sued. And even then occasionally get burnt.

[Member #3435]

Does anyone know anything about buying an emerald while in Bogota? I'm not looking for investment grade. I thought I might be able to pick up a loose stone for a big discount of what it would cost in the US. Ideas? Suggestions? Or have any connections?

Not to discourage you from checking out a very fun hobby but; a big discount on one or two or a few loose stones?

Forget it. Aint gonna happen. You have to buy in lots to get good per carat rates, regardless of color, clarity, cut.

Go to:

The Emerald Trade Center, Avenida Jiménez No. 5- 43, and walk through the bottom floors where you can freely rome until you feel comfortable striking up a conversation with someone. Not to the retail jewelry shops nearby. It's near the Museo de Oro stop for the Transmilenio. Google it. You'll find plenty of info online.

Also while you're down there, you might want to tour the Museo de la Esmeralda in the same area but a block or two or three away in the Avianca Building. A very interesting and educational tour. Google it. You'll find it.

Have fun. It's a great hobby. But IMO, even if you know what you're doing and, if you're not an expert negotiator with lots of time, you can only realistically "hope" to achieve a decent dollar value buy but much personal satisfaction knowing that you found it yourself close to the source in Colombia. Well, not THE source in Boyaca, but at the main trading area in Bogota.

Sorry I really can't go on about this, you'll have to take it from there.

Have fun, I find it another fascinating aspect of Colombia.

Schwmm

[Bango Cheito]

Does anyone know anything about buying an emerald while in Bogota? I'm not looking for investment grade. I thought I might be able to pick up a loose stone for a big discount of what it would cost in the US. Ideas? Suggestions? Or have any connections?

Go to Av Jimenez and cra 7....