Cartagena Reports

[Hit n Run]

Can anyone recommend a specific bungalow/motel on the Rosario Islands?
Website url would be helpful, cost, etc.. Thanks.

[El Austriaco]

A quick question: when walking around in the historic center of Cartagena a couple of weeks back, several touts approached me offering sailing trips to Panama and back with a stopover on the Blas Islands in Panama. Duration 4-5 days, all food included. Price: an incredibly low USD 250.00 (!!!!), with a minimum of four passengers required. Didn't take this option as this just sounded too good to be possibly true. Anyone have any intelligence on this? Anyone ever taken a trip like this? Details?

Thanks in advance.

EA

[Tom 33]

Last time I looked, prices were listed.

[Latina Passion]

I guess this is for Toom33. Do they advertise the price for rentals in the paper?

Thanks in advance,

LP

[Tom 33]

it's easy enough to screen the **** girls. they have to be 18 to get a cedula. no cedula, no date. i have found a very high percentage of sweeties outside of ldv. in fact i rarely go to ldv anymore. i haven't been to a casa in over two years.

el a - the fare to venus is 10k one way. the taxista is entitled to be paid for waiting for you. and yes, the taxistas do get a commission from the casa for bringing you.

[Ngp477]

be careful about the girls outside ldv, they may be ****d or have been banned from the club for being troublemakers, it is also darker outside and hard to see the stretch marks on their stomachs. the doorman is more selective on who he lets inside ldv. i also prefer to see how the girls dance, and how they interact with the other girls inside, it tells if they are fun loving or hard-core pros.

[Under100Pesos]

It is good to see some actual chica information again on the Cartagena board. The deal on the casas outside of town is that the taxi drivers all get kickbacks. Ever notice how they all wait for you outside the casa? I don't know the exact amount.
Next time you get into a taxi and ask to go to the casas, notice the grin the driver gets on his face. He is getting a large fair to take you 15-30 minutes outside of town, plus return trip. Also the kickback at the end and maybe a beer from a newbie. Add this to the cost of a girl, room fee,plus drinks and you're up around 200,000. pesos. Not a good deal!For this amount i could have walked 5 minutes to LDV and pulled two girls!

That brings me to LDV. I just got back from 4 months in Cartagena.Rest assured the prices still remain the same.At least 80% of the girls there will leave for 100,000. pesos. There are always the girls there who think they are superstars. Some of them wouldn't budge from 150,000.I just say no thanks and grab one for 100.000. I had very good luck sitting outside LDV early around 10:30 or walking around the building. Picked off two girls outside for 80,000.pesos

Street action in Bocagrande can be had for 60,000. Hope this helps.Can't wait to get back!

[El Austriaco]

So we are off at 2, in search of this allegedly cheaper option. First mistake of mine was not to ask the cab driver where this place was, as it happened to be very far from Bocagrande, on the very outskirts of Cartagena on the road to Barranquilla, past the airport, past Boquilla even. On the way there, we passed through some pretty rough-and-tough looking areas. I am not squeamish about bad barrios, having been to some wild sections of Santo Domingo and in remote areas in Northern Brazil, but I was getting increasingly concerned, and Cartagena has some pretty desolate areas. We even went through what seemed like a barely lit industrial zone. Luckily, this guy was at least honest enough not trying to rob me or worse. He had his chance.

We finally arrived at this place, called Venus. There were a few other cabbies hanging outside the place, but at this point in time, I felt it was safest to have the LDV cabbie stay with me. By the time we arrived, it was about 2:30. The place was still going strong, with about 10 girls, 5-8 in looks, some definite cuties. Several customers, all Columbian, of course (the girls had a total look of bewilderment at the sight of a gringo which sort of made me laugh and eased the tension a bit). When I stepped inside, they all stared at me as if a Martian had walked in. Overall, the place was not unfriendly, the whole experience was just a bit uncomfortable for me. They had a stage area behind sliding glass doors, and the time I spent there, one girl did a striptease, though of the uninspired variety, but several girls offered me to sit closer to the stage. Ultimately, I ended up talking to three girls, and one particular morena got very cuddly and touchy with me. They wanted to share a bottle of rum for COP 40,000, but it was late, so I declined. Ultimately, I had two beers, one for the cabbie, and one drink for the girls, plus cigarettes. The three girls ended up ripping through my smokes in about half an hour. Total bill came to COP 40,000 – a total ripoff, but I was not gonna argue in this joint and in that area. Probably set up by the bar guy and the cabbie. Whatever, write it off under experience. When I inquired about rates, the girls quoted me COP 120,000 for an hour. Whoever had mentioned that it would be COP 70,000 for a gringo? My morena, a 6.5 in my book, nothing more, gave me her phone number to spend time with her the next day, but I never called. Gringo drink prices, gringo pussy prices. You get the picture.

Back in Bocagrande by about 4:00 AM, the cabbie wanted COP 40,000 for the cab ride. I gave him COP 20,000 an exited the cab quickly. Total damage COP 60,000 for exactly nothing.

Lesson learned: don’t take any suggestions by a cabbie standing outside a place like LDV catering almost exclusively to the gringo crowd. These cabbies specialize in overcharging gringos just as much as the girls, and I heed this advice myself all the time at Help in Rio, for example. I don’t really know why I didn’t this time, but now I got one more reason to not forget about it in the future. Especially, don’t agree to go to a place unless you know where it is. I guess I must have been thinking with my dick again. Now that I think about it with my actual head, while I am not really too concerned about dropping COP 60,000 for a lesson, this whole experience actually might have turned out really, really nasty. This was the kind of place that if something happens to you, nobody will ever ever find out.

But anyhow. A couple of days later, I was sitting around the corner from the Hotel da Pietro at a local supermarket around 11:30 AM, sipping a coke, when one of the local touts approaches me, offering me watches to buy. I wasn’t interested, but we started to chit chat a bit, and he asked me about how I liked the girls in Colombia. I mentioned LDV and that the girls were nice, but a bit expensive, and that I was looking for cheaper options. He replied that he knew a few girls and could arrange for me to meet them. Where? At the beach or at some café in Laguito. Off we went. He had me wait for about five minutes, then he came back with another guy who said that the girls were elsewhere in the city right now and needed to take a cab to see me. How much? COP 20,000. No fucking way. OK, COP 10,000. No way. I told him, no money whatsoever until I see the girls, if they couldn’t get here, I would look else where. The second tout left, and since my original guy (Fernando) mentioned that he knew some places in the downtown area, we took off.

Just across the street from the Parque Centenario, he had me wait again in a bar, and came back with a Cartagenera girl, about 28, about five minutes later. Nothing special, not really up to my standards, but not Botero-looking either, and I was horny. Cost? COP 40,000 for an hour, and that included the room. Couldn’t complain. Took me to a non-descript love motel in a side street off Calle del la Media Luna; room cost was COP 6,000, including two condoms (yep, 3 bucks total, guys). Not to shabby, actually, with a shower and running water. Performance was good, no FK, everything covered, didn’t insist on BBBJ, one pop. Ultimately, decided to pay for the room, so total cost was COP 46,000, or USD 23.00.

After this first relatively encouraging experience, I inquired a bit more, and Fernando suggested another bar with girls hanging out, on Tripita y Media, but in the Matuna area, if I remember correctly. When we got there, around 1ish, there were no girls there, but the mama-san insisted that they were arriving shortly. Of course, as always, “shortly” is a fairly flexible concept in Colombia and can mean anything from right now to a few hours. So I stayed there, had a couple of drinks and just chatted with Fernando and the mama-san, definitely an old hag, but very friendly, like almost all Colombians. In a way, this hole in a wall places have always fascinated me since my first experience in Cuba. Well, I didn’t do so bad, because about an hour later, this 23-year old dark morena shows up, again from Cali, very nice, about a 7, and with a great attitude. Can you tell I am developing a preference for caleñas by now? COP 40,000 for the hour. Had a beer and left to another love motel, again COP 6,000. Great in the sack, borderline GFE, with BBBJ, covered sex, one pop. Exactly what I wanted. The name of the place was Siboney, if I remember correctly.

Back in Bocagrande, I gave Fernando a COP 20,000 tip for his services (he spent about 4 hours with me). I was happy. Total cost for two pops with two different girls, love motels, cab rides, drinks, and tip about COP 125,000, or roughly USD. 60. The slumming experience, priceless. And the next time, it would be cheaper.

Unfortunately, in a way, my promising cartagenera mongering experience was halted completely by the non-pro, as this was the day I went on the chiva rumbera tour with her and hit the sheets with her afterwards. By the time she left, I thought that after popping two pros and a non-pro on the same day, I had earned myself a couple of Aguilas, so I sat in the street shortly after 2 around the corner of Carrera 3 No.4, across from Bancolombia. About 3, a black girl approached me to offer her services. She said she normally worked the La Perla Casino and LDV, but had had no luck that day. Quoted COP 50,000 for ST. Well, what a short distance from the gringo joints will do to pricing. Sounded tempting, but after three chicks, half a bottle of rum on the chiva, and a few more beers, and having to get up for the Island tour at 7, I was sorry to decline. I hoped to see her again another day, but to my regret, I didn’t. Too busy getting nailed by the non-pro.

Ran into Fernando a few more times, and he wanted to take me back to Siboney and similar places later during the day or in the evening, possibly (at which time it might not be entirely safe there for sunburnt gringos like me), but I was just too tied up. So until I return, I’ll have to leave that part of more in-depth investigative reporting to my fellow mongerers :).

EA

[El Austriaco]

the day i got to cartagena i decided to take it easy that night and not call any of my three non-pros i had met on amigos.com, so i had a leisurely dinner, determined to check out the famed la dolce vita afterwards. cab ride to ldv was cop 4,000, though actually, it was within a 5 – 10 minutes walking distance from my bocagrande hotel. ldv is located right next to the la perla del caribe casino, and of course, every cab driver knows it.

one quick note now that i think about it: there are laws in colombia regarding sexual tourism and exploitation of minors, and as reported to me by some colombians, cartagena has had bad reports in the past. you can read about this law at http://www.cartagenacaribe.com/quien...agosto2001.pdf. according to article 2 of the law 679 dated august 3, 2001, a minor is anyone who has yet to complete 18 years of age. though i didn't see any pro in cartagena that would raise concerns about being ****, just make sure you stay out of trouble, ok?

ok, on to la dolce vita. i went at about 10:30 on a tuesday evening, and the place was dead. perhaps two customers and maybe four girls. things don’t start going until about 11:30 and not really until 12:30. ldv shuts down at 3:30. no entrance fee, no minimum consumption. at peak time, there were about 40-50 girls there, looks 6 to 9, with very few 5s and a few 10s. the place was dim, though, and my eyes might be failing me.

for those of you who know help in rio de janeiro, la dolce vita is sort of a mini-help, with much less girls, of course, but overall better looking ones, and no entrance fee. for those who are familiar with the now defunct cosmos in boca chica, dominican republic, it’s comparable in terms of number of girls and general setup, also, though the girls were less aggressive, and ldv (or cartagena, for that matter) doesn’t have the wild west feeling of cosmos or boca chica. in other words, just like a regular club – with the caveat that all the girls in there are pros, and all the customers are potential johns and almost exclusively foreigners. drink prices are not all that bad (cop 6,000 for a club colombia, cop 7,000 for rum).

the first time i went, i ended up talking quite some time to a girl from medellin. young, tall, very slim, and actually quite pleasant to talk to. not exactly my cup of tea, but i wanted to check the place out first and foremost, and i wasn’t necessarily playing on my first night. she ultimately offered cop 150,000 for two hours at the hotel, cop 200,000 to 250,000 for tln. as a matter of fact, what was funny was that every time i asked something that required a number in her answer, she would type if for me on her cell phone keypad. not sure what was up with that, but didn’t matter to me - i was more interested in the information. at those rates, i passed. she mentioned that after closing time, most girls would hang out at giromatic (spelling?), in case i changed my mind. i didn’t. she felt entitled to ask for a tip for her time, though (cop 20,000). i wasn’t impressed.

went back a second time, on a friday, though late (around 1:30 am), and the place must have thinned out considerably. there were about 20 girls there. ended up talking to angela, a caleña with a great 9 body. offered cop 200,000 tln, 150,000 for an hour, and when i said no, she mentioned “well, it’s more like a colombian hour, which means like two”: lol. i countered with cop 100,000. she looked at me in pretty well-acted disbelief. she said “you don’t think i know what i am worth?”, to which i responded “yeah, but i don’t know, and at that rate, unfortunately, we will never find out.” she said “you know, i am not good at this negotiating thing.” “you’re not exactly a novice, either. just like me”, i replied. actually, we had a good laugh at this whole thing, and i guess we developed something like a hardcore pro vs. hardcore monger type of respect. i would probably have gone for cop 120,000, though she was unwilling to come down any further. in any case, she was pleasant enough to just drink and chat with. of course, she asked for cab money. no problem with me… i’ve spent a more unpleasant couple of hours with a gorgeous latina.

the impression i got from these two girls and a few other ones i talked to at ldv was that, make no mistake about it, they were definitely hardcore pros in every sense of the word who specialize in the more inexperienced gringo market. like elsewhere in latin countries, hardcore does not necessarily refer to how you are treated (the girls were very nice and pleasant), just to their preferred price segment and negotiating strategies. as a matter of fact, as someone who has spent months talking to help/veranda sobre as ondas pros in rio, it struck me just how identical the walk and talk was, and in a way, it was sort of fascinating to hear it in spanish rather than in portuguese for a change. still, ldv is a nice place to hang out, and the selection of girls is definitely worth checking out even if you don’t take anyone. even if you do, the rates the girls command do not compare unfavorably to help or the main rio termas at the current exchange rates (with the real at approx. 2.20 per usd and cop at more or less 2,000 per usd, prices are easy to compare).

the very first time i walked out of ldv my very first night in cartagena, a few of the girls sitting outside kept hitting me up, but i wasn’t really interested. during my cab ride to the hotel, the cabbie suggested another place that was open until 4 in the morning where girls were available to do the deed for cop 70,000. it was about 2, he had piqued my interest, so i said let’s go.

as reported in the next installment, this would turn out to be a mistake.

[El Austriaco]

(cont'd from the Barranquilla section)

CGFE is a new term to be added to the mongerer's list of abbreviations which either means "Columbian girlfriend experience" or "clingy girlfriend experience". Take your pick. They might be synonymous, anyway.

Took the door-to-door shuttle from Barranquilla to Cartagena de Indias for COP 25,000, which the reception desk of Hotel Boulevard 58 had arranged for me. You pay directly to the cab driver, pick-up at the hotel and transportation to your final destination. Trip time was roughly 2.5 hours, longer than excepted, and the driver certainly was not related to Juan Pablo Montoya (and the 60-year old lady from Bogotá in the front seat kept bitching about it). There was one military checkpoint just outside of Cartagena, but they waved us through. Left Barranquilla at around 4:PM, and arrived in Cartagena shortly after dark. As we made our way down the Cartagena waterfront, the streets were flooded pretty badly. Brought back flashbacks from Barranquilla, and yes, the intel I had gotten was correct… it had rained quite heavily in Cartagena, too.

Stayed at the Hotel da Pietro (http://www.pietro.com, website in Spanish, English, and Italian) after calling them from Barranquilla on the very same day. Da Pietro is located in a pretty busy section of Bocagrande, very close to Laguito. The address is Carrera 3 No.4-401, phone numbers (5) 665-2369, 665-8855, 665-1837, email hotel@pietro.com. Room cost was COP 95,000, breakfast included. Upon check-in, they asked for payment for the first night. The room was sort of smallish, but adequate. There are pictures on the website.

Cartagena is much more touristy than Barranquilla, which has its pros and cons, of course – as well as the pros and con artists. There are several inexpensive restaurants in this area (which does not necessarily include the adjoining Pizzeria da Pietro, owned by the same guy as the hotel, whose name is… not surprisingly… Pietro.). Needless to say, he was Italian, and both pizzeria and hotel were full of Italians (plus a pretty hard-partying group of young Colombians). There are several ATMs just around the corner from the hotel that worked for me, including BanSuperior (COP 400,000 withdrawal) and Colmena (COP 200,000 withdrawal). Surprisingly, I never ever hit the jackpot at Bancolombia. There is also no shortage of Internet/phone places in this area as well as supermarkets, drug stores, souvenir stores, etc. The front desk of the hotel can arrange for excursions and most common tourist activities. Unlike Barranquilla, you won’t get bored during the day. Also, the heat is not quite as suffocating… at least, it didn’t seem to me. Or maybe my body was simply adjusting a bit.

Cartagena is really a pretty interesting town – a strange combination of the “walled city” (what Havana would look like if they had repaired or painted anything in what, 200 years), the Miami beach-like Bocagrande area, and a touch of Vegas thrown in for good measure. The old town is superb, to say the least, and easily in the category of the French quarter in New Orleans. Cab from/to Bocagrande should run about COP 3,500 to 4,500. Spend a least a full day there exploring the streets. Better even, make it a morning and an afternoon on different days, after mixing in some beach action. It’s also interesting in the early evening. For later evening, stick to Bocagrande. I wasn’t too impressed with the beaches.

One afternoon, I took a chiva city tour (COP 25,000), which takes you to the Botas Viejas monument and then on to La Popa - Convento de la Candelaria, the church and convent overlooking the city. The driver might have been Montoya in disguise as we were screeching through the curves on the way up there. In ever curve, there was a white cross – they later explained to us they were stations for a religious procession up the hill, not fatal accident sites. I wouldn’t bet on it. Next, it was on to the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas fortress (pretty impressive), the Bóvedas (former stables converted into souvenir shops and artists' studios) and, to top things of, a visit to an emerald factory (actually, just around the corner from the da Pietro). Of course. They did a drawing for a small emerald there, one for the gals, one for the guys, and everyone had to call out a number. The first guy, an American who didn’t speak any Spanish, called out 7… and got it. I just wanted to stab the guy. Insider sources tell me the guy got mugged by an Austrian tourist right outside five minutes later. No, just kidding.

Did another night tour on a chiva, of the rumbera variety, cost COP 25,000 per person. Went with a non-pro (the second time I went out with her), and it was a lot of fun. For those that are not familiar with the concept, a chiva rumbera is basically a colorful party bus, and the tour takes from about 7 to midnight. They provide you with a bottle of rum (Tres Esquinas) plus a bottle of coke per couple, put a live band on the bus, and off you go. First stop at the city walls for dancing in the dark, with a dance show, second stop at a local disco in El Laguito for some more partying. The bus went directly on the beach… really cool. In between, you just drive around getting hammered: you finish your bottle, you get another one. To ensure that people wouldn’t change seats (or booze) during the trip, all the rows have an inscription on the roof to assist you in finding your seat even under the influence. Mine read “La adolescencia es la transición entre la infelididad y el adulterio”. In plain English: “Adolescence is the transition from infidelity to adultery”. How appropriate.

My companion didn’t seen to disagree, because when we got back to the hotel at around midnight, she insisted on checking out the in-room facilities, and da Pietro didn’t see a problem, either (at no extra charge). She ended up checking out a whole lot more than that (and me, too), before finally leaving at 2:00 AM (you know, the good girl thing). Highly recommended (the chiva rumbera tour, I mean). Horny chicks and booze, works like a charm every time.

For next day, I had booked at tour to the Rosario islands, and she wanted to come along, so we went. COP 50,000 per person, though this does not include the entrance fee into the natural park (about COP 8,400, if I remember correctly, payable at the tourist dock right across the street from the Torre del Reloj downtown). The boat ride was hilarious, and lucky me, the weather was spectacular. Some pictures at http://www.cartagenacaribe.com/donde...delrosario.htm. I also recommend the Acuario San Martin (entrance COP 12,000 per person). The show where they are feeding the sharks is really pretty eerie. Spent most of the time on the Isla de la Media Naranja (“Soul Mate Island”... was fate trying to tell me something?) Very relaxed, nice turquoise waters to swim, no snorkeling, though. The by now self-anointed Cartagenera girl friend bought a crab from a local fisher and had him prepare it right there and then (COP 20,000). Nice. I highly recommend this excursion.

One really cool restaurant my attachment took me to was the Club de Pesca in Manga, Fuerte de San Sebastian del Pastelillo, phone 660 58 63 - 660 70 65 - 660 45 94, fax: 660 59 81, email: restaurante@clubdepesca.com. Their website is in Spanish and English (http://www.clubdepesca.com/home.htm). The restaurant is located directly on the fort and has a very nice terrace overlooking Cartagena Bay, pretty pricy, needless to say, and small portions. The place to take your special honey. Reservations recommended. According to their website, the restaurant has welcomed 46 Presidents or Chiefs of State and even served Pope Paul II. Makes it a must stop on any itinerary of any Catholic mongerers like me.

Ended up spending most of my time the next couple of days with my new accidental wife, hanging out in the old city, getting to know her family, exploring middle class Colombian life. One evening, some of her brothers and sisters took me to hang on the beach in Boquilla, past the airport, which was a nice experience. Pretty unforgettable sitting in the dark between two minivans blasting Vallenato and Champeta into the Cartagena night, drinking beer under the stars. One brother kept telling me about his cab and bus company, referring to his mid-sized buses as “busetas”. I guess I must have spent too much time in Brazil, where “buceta” has a totally different meaning :). I am sure this irony eluded him, and maybe that’s why he kept wondering about the strange smile on my face.

And as nice as his sister certainly was, unfortunately, she was severely curtailing my P4P research time. This problem was compounded by the fact that she was on vacation at the time and that I was in Cartagena longer than initially planned. Wanted to spend some time in Cali and/or Medellin, but flights from either Cartagena or Barranquilla to either city were in the COP 600,000 to COP 1,000,000 range for my travel dates (November 25-28), so I ultimately decided to skip this part of the trip and leave it for another time. I also thought about spending time in Santa Marta, but my GF’s family had business there, and every time I wanted to go, she was keen on accompanying me (which would have defeated my P4P and non-pro interests there). Managed to spend some time away from her back in Barranquilla ultimately to spend time with my other non-pro, but she was sweet enough to see me off in BAR before I left to the airport. But what am I complaining about – I was getting laid for free and pretty good. Still, I never got around to meeting my chick from Caracas that was there attending a conference and had expressed great interesting in displaying her brand-new silicon tits for me, nor this cute dark morena girl at the modeling agency. Damn. I guess you can’t have everything… though trying sure is fun.

As the “heartless mongerer” that Dollar Bill always describes me, of course, I was not going to let a GF entirely prevent me from exploring Cartagena’s nightlife a bit more, and I actually got started before I even met her in person. Afterwards, investigating P4P meant spending some late-night hours for the benefit of the ISG community. But lucky me, I am resourceful :)

One more thing, before I address Cartagena P4P: getting back to BAR was just as easy as getting to Cartagena: COP 25,000 for door-to-door service, although this time, transportation was done in a minivan rather than in a cab. Hotel front desk arranged for it. I left Cartagena at 2:00 PM and was in my hotel room in Barranquilla by 4:00 PM. There were definitely more military checkpoints during the day, five to six, although we got stopped only once, right before getting into Barranquilla, on the outskirts. Had to leave the van, and the soldiers did a cursory search. No ID asked for, no words exchanged, as a matter of fact.

(to be cont’d)

[Latina Passion]

Gipse! Damn still sounds a tad bit high, but at least you stuck to your guns, and did not pay 200K! Remind me to buy your ass a beer!

I was in San Andres, and me and my girl decided to play Hooker John at the local pro shop, I get there first for and I'm talking to a Pro she tells me $300,000 I talk her down to I think $175,000. My novia walks in, in this little Catholic School Girl outfit, my girl walks over and ask me, Papi how much she want to charge you? I tell her $200,000, she tells me damn you fine I only charge you $100,000, man a cat fight just about broke out, I had to tell the pro no no she's novia! That shit was so damn funny and hot!

I say we Mongers boycott of LDV, picket the place, have a 60's type sit in! HELL NO WE WON'T PAY MORE THEN A 100K!

Pricing - there is no stopping the upwards trend. I stuck firm to the 120k p ST and 150k p LT because I was willing to walk away and all of them caved in, eventually. One even argued in the morning. They told me that they often get 200k p for LT nowadays. I even over heard a couple of deals being sealed at 200k p LT and 150k p ST. I bet a year from now this will be standard price. Unfortunately, not everyone reads this web site.

Mongers - many gringos, way too many. In a few years, it is going to be as bad as Rio. We are loud but the Italians are worse. Good not to be at the bottom of the likability scale.

Places - LDV was hopping most of the days, the slow day being Sunday. Last time the pros were upstairs in Tu Candela. This time they were everywhere and a lot more of them. La Trippletera was still sparcely populated and mostly with men. The lookers were few and far between. Giro Matto, the music is just not for me specially at 3-4am at night.

Motels - found a few walk-in motels in the old city for 30k p to 40k p a night. A couple of them were pretty decent. Did not ask for the short term rate. In the evening there was a steady stream of young Colombian lovers walking in, cute. As soon as I remember the names I will post them.

Apartments - Paid $50 per night for a nice apartment with a view AC included hot water excluded.

[Gipse]

Pricing - there is no stopping the upwards trend. I stuck firm to the 120k p ST and 150k p LT because I was willing to walk away and all of them caved in, eventually. One even argued in the morning. They told me that they often get 200k p for LT nowadays. I even over heard a couple of deals being sealed at 200k p LT and 150k p ST. I bet a year from now this will be standard price. Unfortunately, not everyone reads this web site.

Mongers - many gringos, way too many. In a few years, it is going to be as bad as Rio. We are loud but the Italians are worse. Good not to be at the bottom of the likability scale.

Places - LDV was hopping most of the days, the slow day being Sunday. Last time the pros were upstairs in Tu Candela. This time they were everywhere and a lot more of them. La Trippletera was still sparcely populated and mostly with men. The lookers were few and far between. Giro Matto, the music is just not for me specially at 3-4am at night.

Motels - found a few walk-in motels in the old city for 30k p to 40k p a night. A couple of them were pretty decent. Did not ask for the short term rate. In the evening there was a steady stream of young Colombian lovers walking in, cute. As soon as I remember the names I will post them.

Apartments - Paid $50 per night for a nice apartment with a view AC included hot water excluded.

[Cachorro]

I know most mongers in Columbia probably don't have cars or the need for this service, but it sounds imminently practical. Has anyone ever used such a Motel d'Amor?

Yes, they're perfect.

You can get anything from basic to fine quality. The best one I've tried was in Cali. It was a real pad. With outdoor courtyard, steam room, jacuzzi, TV w/ porn, Hi-fi, big bed with mirror on the ceiling, nice bathroom facilities and some complimentary drinks. Cost for 3 hours -- 35k, which is about US$15.

[Tom 33]

Apartments with AC are more upscale. By Colombian standards electricity is very expensive in Cartagena Estrato 6. Renters tend to turn the AC on and blast it the entire time they are around. Some even leave the windows open while the AC is on. The electricity cost alone can add over US$100 per month.

LP, thanks for your offer.

[Chocha Monger]

Zing,

Love motels are quite common in Puerto Rico. Most college girls live in single sex dorms or have room mates in their apartments, so these places are indispensable. Ironically, due to the "good girls don't fuck before marriage" mentality on the island most girls would rather go to a love motel where they can remain anonymous than go to a more upscale hotel where they might be recognized.

Married men and women also make use of these places for the numerous affairs that take place on a daily basis. In fact, if you wait until late at night it would be very difficult to find a motel with available rooms. The staff usually writes down the tag number of your car just in case you decide to leave a body behind or something of that nature. I would be careful about using one in South America if I had any doubts about security.