Cartagena Reports

[OktoberMan1]

I just visited your fine city. Just sharing some things from my experience.

Holy cow on the clock tower. A lot of the girls there look like theyre straight out of a magazine. Beautiful, and dozens to choose from.

Most of the girls are asking for 200 k pesos, or less than $70 US, but I found that most will negotiate a bit. But ask for a tip at the end.

The chicas know where the hourly hotels are. But just know they quote 50 k regardless of where they are going to take you. The nicer hotels are 50 k for the hour. BUT. Some of the hotels are only 30 k. And tip the girl 20 k for bringing them business.

The lesson? If your girl maybe hasnt had a date that night, you might be able to negotiate the room rate as well.

I spent 4 glorious nights there sampling the local fare. Without going to a single disco. Which, I hear, have a lot of beautiful women as well. Maybe next time on the discos.

Around dark, the clock tower comes alive. As well as getsemanni. Especially near Havana club and surrounding area.

Enjoy. I did.

[Tank Not Mt]

Folks,

I will be in Cartagena from 11/29 to 12/06. This will be my first time and thinking to stay closer to Clock Tower. Do you have any airbnb or hotel recommendation that are chica friendly possibly in the Gestemani or closer to clock tower? If you have the name at airbnb.com, I would appreciate it. I am trying to get my full access here and it will take about 8 days to clear my bit coin for the subscription.

I suggest you look at the Dann Hotel. Stayed there a few years ago and its reasonable and clean. Has a Pool on the roof as well.

[Black Page]

She was cruising slowly looking for a parking spot when she spotted some guy waving at us. She cruised over to him and he guided her into a parking spot and she got out and handed him a like ten pesos (about 1 usd). I was a little confused so I asked what that was all about. She said not only did he find her a parking spot but he would watch the car while we were in the restaurant and she would give him some more pesos when we got back to the car. She said it in a way that normalized it to me. The fact that the two of them barely spoke two words to each other, made me realize that this is common.

I am surprised about your surprise. This is common not only in Latin America, but also in Indonesia and many other countries I visited. In Batam we leave a tip (2 k IDR, which is 20 c USD) even to park a scooter outside disco.

[Mojo Bandit]

Yes, the fee is fixed, but your total fee is more at the airport curb because the Cartagena taxis pay an airport fee to pickup and drop customers there, and the taxi drivers pass the added fee on to you. Just like renting a car from an airport, you pay for the airport fee and airport taxes.

The regular taxi drivers a block away are not charged an airport fee nor airport taxes and neither are these fees passed on to you. I always wait for a regular passing cab at the drug store on the corner, 2 blocks away, where I buy my Viagra.

With a roller board bag on wheels it is easy to walk the block or two. Just do not let a Cartagena hustler grab the handles to your bag or roller board, or they will ask/demand for a tip and try to put you in an airport fee cab. "No Moleste!" should be sufficient, and of course they will retort, "I'm working, this is my job!" Or the hustler will tell you, "This is not your country!"

If I have more than just a carry on, I don't even mind giving a "porter" 10 k or even 20 k pesos to throw my luggage on a cart and push it to the taxi stand, in a country with over 10% unemployment these guys get out there and try to make an honest living. While they do seem like hustlers to us, I don't see them that way anymore. I have noticed that in Colombia as well as Mexico these people get out there and try to make their own job so to speak.

I was in Mexico City about ten years ago and had a date with a chica I met online, She picked me up and drove us to the restaurant that was in a crowded area of restaurants and bars and had that old style angled parking along middle of the road. She was cruising slowly looking for a parking spot when she spotted some guy waving at us. She cruised over to him and he guided her into a parking spot and she got out and handed him a like ten pesos (about 1 usd). I was a little confused so I asked what that was all about. She said not only did he find her a parking spot but he would watch the car while we were in the restaurant and she would give him some more pesos when we got back to the car. She said it in a way that normalized it to me. The fact that the two of them barely spoke two words to each other, made me realize that this is common. I have come to think that it is only a "hustle" if you are not getting any service out the deal.

[YippieKayay]

With a roller board bag on wheels it is easy to walk the block or two. Just do not let a Cartagena hustler grab the handles to your bag or roller board, or they will ask/demand for a tip and try to put you in an airport fee cab. "No Moleste!" should be sufficient, and of course they will retort, "I'm working, this is my job!" Or the hustler will tell you, "This is not your country!"

So the moment you arrive you purposely walk two blocks away, argue with people along the way to save on what? 5 k pesos? 2 US dollars? If this is the way you behave on vacation what do you do when you're back home?

[NeilGeorge]

The fee is fixed, because you take a ticket from the taxi official booth.

Yes, the fee is fixed, but your total fee is more at the airport curb because the Cartagena taxis pay an airport fee to pickup and drop customers there, and the taxi drivers pass the added fee on to you. Just like renting a car from an airport, you pay for the airport fee and airport taxes.

The regular taxi drivers a block away are not charged an airport fee nor airport taxes and neither are these fees passed on to you. I always wait for a regular passing cab at the drug store on the corner, 2 blocks away, where I buy my Viagra.

With a roller board bag on wheels it is easy to walk the block or two. Just do not let a Cartagena hustler grab the handles to your bag or roller board, or they will ask/demand for a tip and try to put you in an airport fee cab. "No Moleste!" should be sufficient, and of course they will retort, "I'm working, this is my job!" Or the hustler will tell you, "This is not your country!"

[DarrenGap]

What you're describing is an inline water heater. .

This is why I love this board. Hot chica information and plumbing advice, all in the same place!

[Black Page]

OK. How much do was I overcharged because I'm not going to quibble over a few cents. According to my prior research it was in line or close to the mark. I still think that it was worth it over walking there.

Never mind. I was teasing you. Actually, you were "overcharged", but just 1 k, which is just 30 cents LOL. Daytime it's 7k, night time it's 8 k. You paid ok, just left a small tip.

When you arrive at the airport, walk 1-2 blocks away and you will be charged much less. They upcharge tourists.

BAD ADVICE. No upcharge by touts or illegal drivers. The fee is fixed, because you take a ticket from the taxi official booth.

Certainly, I would not recommend a friend to walk 1-2 blocks away - especially with all the luggage! - to seek around a taxi who is not waiting regularly in line with others at the airport arrival curb (per airport policy), then to negotiate a lower fare than the official one, risking also to meet some nasty guy who may yes overcharge upon arrival. "Much less" you say? I bet it will not take a short time to find a car charging anyway less than the standard 18k.

No. Don't "walk" blocks away. It's 25 k to get to Bocagrande. That's about 8 USD. So you're going to save 2 bucks by walking several blocks away hauling your luggage?
Don't do that.

Totally agree!
But note however that the fee from Airport to Bocagrande is 18 k-19 k (also specified a bit higher in your PDF, as 19.7 k), which I am used to round up to 20 k to leave a tip.

[YippieKayay]

You can find the rates here by zone:

https://www.eluniversal.com.co/binre...0426154355.pdf

I already know the rates so I just pay the driver as I get out.

[Mojo Bandit]

I caught a cab from the clock tower to Bocagrande (Hollywood Beach) for 8 k. That is less than $3 USD. Totally worth it.

For myself personally the taxi drivers in Cartagena are part of the "charm" of the city, if you get an older guy ask home to tell you difference between women from Cartagena and Barranquilla and Medellin, its pure entertainment. To hear them tell it every woman from each region has the same personality. I read (maybe on this forum) a long time ago to always agree to the fare before you get in the taxi in Cartagena and you are much more likely to get the correct fare. I personally do not expect anyone else to think its funny, but I think its funny that when you ask them the fare after you arrive they kind of get this look in their face like they don't know either (because surely they do) and you can see that they are making it up.

The annoying part to me is that I always seem to lack small currency and they always seem (emphasis on seem because I'm not sure they are not lying) to not have change. One Sunday morning I went out looking fo a place to do brunch at a rooftop restaurant and was taking a taxi a relatively short distance, this young taxi drivers lacks change for a 50 k bill, parks the taxi and gets out and walks away and is gone for what seemed like 15 minutes before he comes back with the change. I know I could make them commit to a fare before I get in and if it seems to high I could haggle, but since it's never more than a few thousand pesos and they probably live in a two room house with their two kids I don't give a shit.

On the other hand I thought I was going to fight a taxi driver in Rome one time when he was trying to charge me 30 Euro for an 8 Euro ride and I looked up and he had the meter covered with his cap and so had never ran the meter. This fucking idiot. His name and license number right there posted. I pulled out my phone and started taking pictures of his photo and license and the cap covering the meter. He panicked and started screaming at me in Italian, I looked at him very calmly as I held my phone like I was going to dial, and said "polly-see-uh?" I thought the veins were going to pop out of his head when he found some English and started screaming "Get Out". If a taxi driver in Rome gets caught not using the meter they are finished.

[MongerHunger]

If it was daytime you were overcharged.

OK. How much do was I overcharged because I'm not going to quibble over a few cents. According to my prior research it was in line or close to the mark. I still think that it was worth it over walking there.

[Summer2016]

Folks,

I will be in Cartagena from 11/29 to 12/06. This will be my first time and thinking to stay closer to Clock Tower. Do you have any airbnb or hotel recommendation that are chica friendly possibly in the Gestemani or closer to clock tower? If you have the name at airbnb.com, I would appreciate it. I am trying to get my full access here and it will take about 8 days to clear my bit coin for the subscription.

[YippieKayay]

When you arrive at the airport, walk 1-2 blocks away and you will be charged much less. They upcharge tourists.

No. Don't "walk" blocks away. It's 25 k to get to Bocagrande. That's about 8 USD. So you're going to save 2 bucks by walking several blocks away hauling your luggage?

Don't do that.

[Summer2016]

Hey,

I am also going there about the exact same dates. I am trying to buy the membership with bit coins but it will take about 8 days to activate my account. Please check your inbox so I can update you then. Thanks brother.

Ryan.

I'll be in Cartagena Nov 29 - Dec 5. Anyone going to be there around those dates? Maybe hangout grab a beer. I'm a 30 Hispanic so Spanish won't be a problem for me LOL.

[NeilGeorge]

If it was daytime you were overcharged. :P

When you arrive at the airport, walk 1-2 blocks away and you will be charged much less. They upcharge tourists.