Cartagena Reports

[Mojo Bandit]

So because I have noticed that this thread is so slow and because Covid stopped the world for 7 months and because it appears that there are some lurkers that are looking for information and mostly because I am bored I am going to write some posts about what I know about traveling to Cartagena for the purpose of mongering. I qualify these posts by saying it has been over a year since I have not visited in a year. Even though Colombia is open it is still not completely back to normal. More on what I know about that later.

Apartments.

Before traveling to Cartagena for purposes of mongering you need to know that not all apartment buildings and hotels allow you to bring women to your apartment / room. Some do but the majority do not. I highly recommend studying the thread "Cartagena Hotels and Rental Apartments" I also strongly suggest that you study the thread called "Cartagena Lists" where if you look you will find a list and and a special made Google Map of cartagena which will show some of the apartment buildings and hotels as well as locations of mongering activities. Everyone pretty much agrees that you should contact the owner of the apartment to ask about their policy concerning bringing visitors in. Many if not most of the buildings have security that will check their ID when they come in so you also want to make sure the chica has a government issued ID. In Colombia this is called a Cedula (say-do-lah).

General Security Concerns.

Members have reported that chicas have stolen from them. On some rarer occasions members have been poisoned and then robbed though I have to say that I have only heard of this happening in Medellin and Bogota and I am not aware if any incidences in Cartagena. I am aware of incidences where chicas have just stolen stuff that was laying around. For this reason you need to come up with your own system of watching out for your shit. I usually make a copy of my passport to carry around with me then I can put the actual passport in the safe. If I am going out to somewhere to get a chica I set up everything before I leave the apartment. I go to an ATM and get the cash that I am going to need to pay her and whatever walking-around-money that I am going to need. I stash that under the mattress so I can pull it out when she leaves. I take just enough cash for the roundtrip taxi and money for some drinks etc and before I go to find my chica everything except my walking around money and my copy of my passport gets put in the safe. One member reported that he had brought two chicas home once and while he would be messing with one the other would be walking around looting his apartment for some of his smaller lesser valued stuff like electric toothbrush, a watch etc. Not a disaster for him but still annoying. Another thing you can do is what I did in Medellin last time was that anything like that I just kept locked in my suitcase, I have those little TSA locks for my suitcases and I keep my laptop bluetooth speaker (if not using it) and other small semi-valuables locked in a suitcase under the bed. So they are not going to slip that in their bag and walk out with it.

Money and Currency exchange issues.

Many people tend to wonder if they should bring money and exchange US currency for Pesos, my advice is to just make sure that you let your bank know that you are going to Colombia and on what dates. Then just use the ATMs when you arrive. The bank gets the best rate of exchange and you will end up paying some fees but for me it is worth it for the convenience factor. Some members are better about getting the best deals on ATM withdrawals but it seems to depend partially on your bank at home as well as the bank that you use the ATM. I have read that banks that are labeled Colpatria / Scotiabank and they need to say both not one or the other, have free ATM withdrawal and minimum fees.

https://www.scotiabankcolpatria.com/oficinas/cartagena

Cell phone.

There are various thoughts in cell phones, from buying a drop phone and buying a SIM card when you arrive to doing what I do which is I use my Google Pixel phone to download an electron SIM from Google Fi and gives me unlimited data and unlimited texting without roaming charges across the world. Voice calls though cost 20 cents a minute but the only time I might use a voice call is to call my bank if I have any issues.

I should mention that this is something I have been doing for the past couple of years but have done other things also. When I first started visiting Cartagena there were no smart phones so I would just go to the local Supermercado Olimpica and buy a flip phone as well as the SIM (remember to bring your passport to get the SIM activated they require it). Later when the world moved onto smartphones I found a "world phone" (a phone that works on most of the cellular microwave bands used around the world) on amazon that I would take with me wherever I traveled and buy a SIM on arrival and have it put into that phone. My primary service has always been Verizon and since verizon uses CDMA networks I needed the other phone to travel with but now with the Google Pixels and probably most iphones too, the phones tend to work on multiple bands. You may need to research this before you decide what phone you are bringing just to be sure that it is compatible with the cellular infrastructure.

[Kafka]

Morros does not allow. Guests.

About 5 years removed from shacking up in one of Juan Aventura's Laguito penthouses, I'm returning to Cartagena next week. I went with the Morros City building in Bocagrande right in front of the water; I'm doubtful that such a fancy building boasting stringent COVID protocols is going to be chica-friendly, but as I'm headed back to Medellin after this, my emphasis was on relaxation and being able to watch the ocean without physically going to the beach. Besides, I'm not above renting a cheap-but-clean "burner" hotel / motel room if I absolutely positively have to have a TLN or incall during my visit.

Warning on touts notwithstanding, does anyone have recommendations for a solid English-speaking driver that can work evenings? I'll probably be spending a decent amount of the day inside, and mostly just need someone to ferry me from my place to the clubs and what not on the other side of the water, so they don't need to be a "tour guide" or anything of the sort, just some 7/10 English.

[Advantageous]

I have watched a few of this guy's videos and he seems to be a tout / guide who is using youtube for targeting guys interested in the mongering scene in Cartagena. Smart move on his part probably but I do not think I would recommend a tout / guide like this over doing your own research. These guys all have an angle and a person really limits themself if they choose a "guide" and you'll never know what you missed or how much extra you spent.

About 5 years removed from shacking up in one of Juan Aventura's Laguito penthouses, I'm returning to Cartagena next week. I went with the Morros City building in Bocagrande right in front of the water; I'm doubtful that such a fancy building boasting stringent COVID protocols is going to be chica-friendly, but as I'm headed back to Medellin after this, my emphasis was on relaxation and being able to watch the ocean without physically going to the beach. Besides, I'm not above renting a cheap-but-clean "burner" hotel / motel room if I absolutely positively have to have a TLN or incall during my visit.

Warning on touts notwithstanding, does anyone have recommendations for a solid English-speaking driver that can work evenings? I'll probably be spending a decent amount of the day inside, and mostly just need someone to ferry me from my place to the clubs and what not on the other side of the water, so they don't need to be a "tour guide" or anything of the sort, just some 7/10 English.

[GrownMan1]

The areas generally considered safe are these barrios / neighborhoods: inside the walled city, some times called to Old City, are two neighborhoods Centro and San Diego, Centro makes up the southwest area of the walled city and is where the "clock tower", Dolce Vida, and Space are. The other neighborhood inside the walled city in the northeast part is San Diego. Just to the south of San Diego outside the wall is a very small area called Matuna, which is shaped like a triangle and only like a building/block wide at its southwest end and two or three blocks wide on the northeast side. Going farther south on the other side of Matuna is a neighborhood called Getsemani which when I started going to Cartagena over a decade ago was so sketchy I would not venture there at night, but just last year Forbes magazine called Getsemani one of the ten coolest neighborhoods in the world. I included an image of the Old City

South of the Old City connected to the land by an isthmus leading to what on the map looks like a peninsula with another peninsula sticking off of it are actually three neighborhoods that make up the extreme southwest of Cartagena , The largest is Bocagrande and it has the most beachfront and a number of high rise buildings housing hotels and airbnbs to rent and that look out over the ocean. To the far southwest of this peninsula with a peninsula sticking off it wrapped around a the southwest side of a little lake is the small area called El Laguito which is home to more than a couple of chica-friendly buildings and so a few mongers end up staying in this little area. There are also out of town prostitutes who stay in buildings in Laguito and it happens in spurts but sometimes there are streetwalkers there. My very first night ever in Cartagena and I had met a girl on line and she had came over to the apartment ,I had to pop out to get condoms and as soon as I exited I walked out of my apartment and this chica walks up to me who is gorgeous, she looked like a young Vanessa Williams (Miss America 1984 for yu young guys) and wanted to offer me "nude Massage". I am pretty sure there was a pack of venezuelan chicas working Laguito last year but I never hit on them because I was shacking up with a little hottie most of that trip. The peninsula sticking off the peninsula is neighborhood called Castillo Grande which is essentially more high rise residential buildings and not an area I personally would look for a chica-friendly apartment.


In fact in one of those historic moments where you remember where you were when something happened, I had jumped into a taxi at Caribe Plaza and the taxi driver recognized that I was from the USA and he is like real excited and he is going on in Spanish, but at the time my spanish was even more limited than it is now and he was excited and talking fast. I eventually I understood him to be say "Obama killed Osama" you can see why I was confused. In spanish it is "Obama mat a Osama"and said really fast it is ObamaMatoahOsama. Then the same level of excitement from the security guard when I reached the apartment building "ObamaMatoahOsama" he said. It felt good to know that the son of birch Osama was dead but it also felt good that these Colombians felt enough camaraderie with us 'estadounidenses' (Americans from USA) that they were more excited than I was.

So Bocagrande, the Old City, and El Laguito are the main places to search for a chica friendly apartments. El Laguito is farthest from the action in the old city and closest to the beach action on Playa Hollywood and its only fifteen minute average taxi to the Old City. There are strip clubs all over the city but use your own judgement about how you feel about visiting the that particular area.

One last thing, if you see something on the Cartagena Map or in the Cartagena List that looks interesting but not sure if it is still a.

Thank you this was very informative.

[The Tall Man]

Thank you for reporting Tall Man.

5 % is a sad figure to hear. I remember reading when Colombia was talking about opening up that the most pressure to do so was coming out of Cartagena. Not that all Colombians do not consider Cartagena to be their crown jewel anyway so I could see how even Colombians who lived in different areas could root for Cartagena to do well. So it is really sad to hear that it is not bouncing back with any strength. We can only guess that even though its open a lot of people still do not judge this to be a good time to travel. Sounds like a guy can seriously do some bargain shopping in clock tower right now. I certainly wish I could travel right now but I just can't.

From the looks of this video the chicas in Plaza de LOS Coches by the clock tower are now ready to fight over a client. Desperate times indeed.

I have watched a few of this guy's videos and he seems to be a tout / guide who is using youtube for targeting guys interested in the mongering scene in Cartagena. Smart move on his part probably but I do not think I would recommend a tout / guide like this over doing your own research. These guys all have an angle and a person really limits themselves if they choose a "guide" and you'll never know what you missed or how much extra you spent.

In this video which by all appearances seems very recent he walks up to La Dolce Vita and Space (2:25) Then he shows two chicas about to throw down in the Plaza de LOS Coches (2:42), at 3:47 they are walking around in Castillogrande and you get a quick view across the Bay of Cartagena (Bahia de Cartagenas) straight across the water is Manga and to the left is Bocagrande. And then later in the video he is on Playa Hollywood (5:34) , You can see the roped off areas they have set up for social distancing. In part of the shot you can see part of the Hotel Caribe. Place of infamy for being the place where a US Secret Service agent ended his career over arguing with a prepago over the price. Let that be a lesson to anyone who goes down to Cartagena on official business. When you negotiate stress on the world "pesos" - make her quote you the price and hear her say "pesos" LOL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSbsHjlNMB4&t=325s

I watched the complete video, I spent 3 days in Cartagena, stayed in the walled city in a hotel right around the corner from the clubs / KFC and 2 blocks away from the clock tower (my first night was Friday November 13th), this video must have been taken when I was there as it represents exactly the atmosphere and amount of people, which was little compared to pre-covid days where on a Friday night there would be easily 200 plus chicas available around the clock tower on a Friday night yet I estimated 40 on the nights I walked around the clock tower area.

And very coincidentally the black brothers who are talking while on the boat at the start of this video I think are the SAME black brothers that I mentioned in my earlier post. Go figure.

Again this all being said there is life and yes girls and fun can be had but it will be a different experience just because of much less people and hence much less of a party atmosphere.

This being said I have my favorite chica here in Medellin who is begging me to take her to Cartagena as she has never been and she has a birthday coming up in mid December and so am considering it.

So is life.

Much love and respect to all.

The Tall Man.

[Mojo Bandit]

From the looks of this video the chicas in Plaza de LOS Coches by the clock tower are now ready to fight over a client. Desperate times indeed.

I have watched a few of this guy's videos and he seems to be a tout / guide who is using youtube for targeting guys interested in the mongering scene in Cartagena. Smart move on his part probably but I do not think I would recommend a tout / guide like this over doing your own research. These guys all have an angle and a person really limits themself if they choose a "guide" and you'll never know what you missed or how much extra you spent.

In this video which by all appearances seems very recent he walks up to La Dolce Vita and Space (2:25) Then he shows two chicas about to throw down in the Plaza de LOS Coches (2:42), at 3:47 they are walking around in Castillogrande and you get a quick view across the Bay of Cartagena (Bahia de Cartagenas) straight across the water is Manga and to the left is Bocagrande. And then later in the video he is on Playa Hollywood (5:34) , You can see the roped off areas they have set up for social distancing. In part of the shot you can see part of the Hotel Caribe. Place of infamy for being the place where a US Secret Service agent ended his career over arguing with a prepago over the price. Let that be a lesson to anyone who goes down to Cartagena on official business. When you negotiate stress on the world "pesos" - make her quote you the price and hear her say "pesos" LOL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSbsHjlNMB4&t=325s

[Mojo Bandit]

Thanks for the mention Mojo.

Know that I have been to Cartagena about 4 times in the past 4 or 5 years and in the prior covid days easily found girls in the clubs and at the clock tower to spend a few hours with but this trip was different.

First of all many restaurants and shops have shuttered for good and the amount of street activity and tourist is probably 5%, YES 5% of pre-covid days but this being said I could have easily pulled the trigger with a dozen cuties at the clock tower or hanging / walking around the streets looking for fun and a few pesos.
.

Thank you for reporting Tall Man.

5 % is a sad figure to hear. I remember reading when Colombia was talking about opening up that the most pressure to do so was coming out of Cartagena. Not that all Colombians do not consider Cartagena to be their crown jewel anyway so I could see how even Colombians who lived in different areas could root for Cartagena to do well. So it is really sad to hear that it is not bouncing back with any strength. We can only guess that even though its open a lot of people still do not judge this to be a good time to travel. Sounds like a guy can seriously do some bargain shopping in clock tower right now. I certainly wish I could travel right now but I just can't.

[The Tall Man]

You do not really say what you want other than seeing Getsemani. I walked Getsemani myself without a tour guide while waiting for check in time for my apartment last year and it has changed 100% from the first days I visited Cartagena. But then again when I first started visiting Cartagena the airport was half the size it is now and when I would go to get on my flight for home there would be a table where they opened all my luggage and there would be guards standing around with machine guns. Then they would send me up some stairs to go through X Ray on a conveyor belt to see if I had swallowed any cocaine.

I think that from Tall Man's post we can at least deduce that there is plenty of action around the Clock Tower as usual. The wild card question is what's going on in Dolce Vida and Space, etc.

I read in your earlier posts that you rented from Jaun in the past. I recently emailed him and he said that the buildings currently have various restrictions due to Coronavirus, some are more strict than usual and others not. I suggest that you email him for details if you plan to stay in one of his apartments.

Thanks for the mention Mojo.

Know that I have been to Cartagena about 4 times in the past 4 or 5 years and in the prior covid days easily found girls in the clubs and at the clock tower to spend a few hours with but this trip was different.

First of all many restaurants and shops have shuttered for good and the amount of street activity and tourist is probably 5%, YES 5% of pre-covid days but this being said I could have easily pulled the trigger with a dozen cuties at the clock tower or hanging / walking around the streets looking for fun and a few pesos.

I saw a group of black brothers who looked like they were having a great night but other than that the chicas were all searching for fun and clients. A bit sad that there is so much economic problems.

On an aside. I switched my Tinder account over to Cartagena as the location and within 2 hours I received at least 70 likes and I must say that some were very beautiful and natural and if I had more time could have easily explored these chicas.

Would I return to Cartagena? Probably not anytime soon and the only reason is that I have literally hundreds of chicas here in my back yard of Medellin that I can call and party with anytime day or night. I am not boasting rather just saying it like it is, never in my life have I had to choose one which of the 4 or 5 non-pro cuties, age range from 18 to 22 yo, would I take for a day trip to Guatape yesterday. I settled in on an incredibly sweet 19 yo Venezuelan cutie and we had a great time, she is still asleep in my bed, hehehehe.

The Tall Man.

[Rzrfl69]

Well I'm looking to explore more of Cartagena. Yes I can walk easily but I want to know what I'm walking by. I enjoy knowing some history, hidden spots etc. A local walking tour should be able to easily and cheaply accomplish this.

Yes I heard there are plenty of girls, but very few customers. From what I understood from this girl is the clubs close.

By 12. Most try to do tables only and even make reservations. Seems tinder and clock tower may be best this trip. But whatever, looking forward to it!

Yes I have heard that about apartments. I asked Juan several times and he even said his guy in the ground asked and double checked, just have a 30 k fee per guest after 10!

[Mojo Bandit]

I know this isn't 100% where to post.

This. But I want to make sure it's seen by this crowd. I will be in Ctg December 10-13. I've heard almost everything is open. But I've heard very few tourists of our type. This is from a girl I've known 2 years now. She's sent me videos of bars empty.

On a side note. This will be my 9th trip I believe. I'm.

Interested in a walking tour. Seeing Getsemani.

Etc. I know from laguito to bocagrande to centro like the back.

Of my hand. But that's it. Any suggestions appreciated.

You do not really say what you want other than seeing Getsemani. I walked Getsemani myself without a tour guide while waiting for check in time for my apartment last year and it has changed 100% from the first days I visited Cartagena. But then again when I first started visiting Cartagena the airport was half the size it is now and when I would go to get on my flight for home there would be a table where they opened all my luggage and there would be guards standing around with machine guns. Then they would send me up some stairs to go through X Ray on a conveyor belt to see if I had swallowed any cocaine.

I think that from Tall Man's post we can at least deduce that there is plenty of action around the Clock Tower as usual. The wild card question is what's going on in Dolce Vida and Space, etc.

I read in your earlier posts that you rented from Jaun in the past. I recently emailed him and he said that the buildings currently have various restrictions due to Coronavirus, some are more strict than usual and others not. I suggest that you email him for details if you plan to stay in one of his apartments.

[Rzrfl69]

I know this isn't 100% where to post.

This. But I want to make sure it's seen by this crowd. I will be in Ctg December 10-13. I've heard almost everything is open. But I've heard very few tourists of our type. This is from a girl I've known 2 years now. She's sent me videos of bars empty.

On a side note. This will be my 9th trip I believe. I'm.

Interested in a walking tour. Seeing Getsemani.

Etc. I know from laguito to bocagrande to centro like the back.

Of my hand. But that's it. Any suggestions appreciated.

[The Tall Man]

Finally a real boots on the ground report.

The Tall Man spent a few days in CART and strolled all around the clock tower and clubs (those that were opened) on Friday the 13th of November.

In the clock tower plaza at about between 9 pm until midnight saw probably 40 chicas out and another 40 give or take walking around the streets of the clubs.

Some were very good looking and made instant eye contact even though I was with a young tall slender paisa who traveled with me from Medellin. My paisa girl has a true stripper body and a face, when she makes it up right, can look like a porno star with her natural expressions and damn her twerking body just the way she walks.

So for a moment I considered inviting one of the clock tower cuties to join us but just wasn't in the cards.

The following day, Saturday November 14th it rained all day hence the street flooding and just as the photo shows of the clock tower plaza was knee deep.

The Tall Man.

[AmorPorFavor]

That's one way to look at it. Although Mojo Bandit already did an excellent job of explaining it, I'll give my take.

"Hi! Tell me everything I need to know to have a great time in Thailand."

Every active board gets some post like that from time to time. Where do you start? You know nothing about me. You don't know what I consider to be a great time. Maybe a BJ bar in the morning and a Soapie in the early evening is just right for me. Maybe I'm a Soi Cowboy kind of guy. Maybe I should be looking at Phuket. We have had guys in the Medellin thread ask if the beach is within walking distance.

I've helped a lot of people in the Colombia forum (and pissed some off) and for me the best response to a generic post from a new member is "Read the Forum." I don't often use RTFF because I prefer to be polite when I'm not actively pissing someone off.

Give me something to work with. Do you understand that most people won't speak English? Do you understand that you can't pay for everything with Dollars? Have you ever mongered before? Have you ever traveled internationally before?

I will bend over backwards and give the shirt off my back to help some guy out (sorry about the sweat), but you've got to be willing to do something on your own. Otherwise, everything I've done is worthless.

Cartagena might not be for you. Someone can give you all the information they think you need to know, but it turns out you wanted a place with a climate like Medellin.

RTFF does one more thing. Every forum has a few guys who don't always give the best advice. Unless you read the forum you don't know the good guys from the bad guys. The first guy I met in Medellin probably should have been told RTFF. Instead a couple of guys told him he needed to stay in El Centro. I suggested he should spend a few days at the Mansion, get a feel for the place then decide whether or not El Centro was right for him.

If I remember right he lost several days worth of the room in El Centro, which he'd prepaid, because he only spent one night there. First thing in the morning he was lucky enough to get a room at the Mansion and he spent the rest of his trip there, loving every minute.

RTFF. It helps you decide if you're going to the right city or the right country.

RTFF. It helps identify who can best help you.

RTFF. It fills in the small gaps in your knowledge.

RTFF. It shows you're taking responsibility for the success of your trip.

RTFF. It shows you respect the efforts of everyone who has contributed.

I took my first trip to Cartagena last January. I spent a lot of time with two different chicas that a tout who was a very cool cat from Venezuela hooked me up with. Took them out to eat and to Playa Blanca and wifed up with one for 3 days and nights. Stayed in a luxury oceanfront condo tower. It was like a honeymoon. Both chicas were very chill and also beautiful and young. I had such an incredible time that when I got home I immediately booked another trip for late April but of course the covid cancelled that for me. I can't wait to get back there when things improve. I spent many hours RTFF before the trip and it was very helpful so many thanks to the Cartagena experts on this forum.

[Mojo Bandit]

Can anyone share info on the mongering scene in Cart for some newcomers such as airbnb locations, chica spots, etc.

Since these cats are being jerks, I'll help you out my friend. Anyone trying to get laid is a friend of mines. There is a beach scene during the day in Bocagrande. Its called Hollywood Beach. You have to walk close to the water to see the talent. Pay as you go because the guys will pad your bill. There the main square in the Old City that happens at night. Space and Dulce Vida are to main night clubs, with Isis right across the street from Dulce Vida. All the cab drivers will try to get you to go to a couple of the strip clubs. We went once to one called Playclub. Didn't like it but you may. As for Airbnb, forget Morros City and just ask the owners if they allow visitors. I was just told that right now, many of the Airbnbs are not allowing visitors to the buildings because of covid. Hope this helps. If you read back to before March, you will get some good intel from here.

To the dude asking a simple question for info Imp not there yet, but have been vigorously researching. You always get the RTFF from folks, which to me is shorthand for either rudeness, laziness or total lack of knowledge. Its rare that we see the infamous RTFF on the Thai forums, people enjoy sharing over there.

My research, including the proverbial RThisFF, leads me to tell you that the above info is correct.

Living wise depends on your budget and your desires. If you are a beach bum, the Boacgrande seems to be the place to be. I think my intital trip will be for two months, so Ill get a discount somewhere. I'm looking at Bocangrande and the Old City for places. I wouldn't bother reserving a place anywhere in the world right now, things will change as the vaccinations start. I'm sort of in limbo right now too so its just a waiting game until after the holidays.

One more observation / suggestion concerning my last post. Should someone actually go to Cartagena and start actually exploring things related to the Cartagena List and the Cartagena Map, you should know that it's not as up to date as it could be though much of it does not change. Also you should know that Cartagena has sketchy areas and some of the places on the Cartagena Map are in not so "nice" an area so depending on your own comfort level and experience, you may want to stick to the touristy and safer areas.

The areas generally considered safe are these barrios / neighborhoods: inside the walled city, some times called to Old City, are two neighborhoods Centro and San Diego, Centro makes up the southwest area of the walled city and is where the "clock tower", Dolce Vida, and Space are. The other neighborhood inside the walled city in the northeast part is San Diego. Just to the south of San Diego outside the wall is a very small area called Matuna, which is shaped like a triangle and only like a building/block wide at its southwest end and two or three blocks wide on the northeast side. Going farther south on the other side of Matuna is a neighborhood called Getsemani which when I started going to Cartagena over a decade ago was so sketchy I would not venture there at night, but just last year Forbes magazine called Getsemani one of the ten coolest neighborhoods in the world. I included an image of the Old City

South of the Old City connected to the land by an isthmus leading to what on the map looks like a peninsula with another peninsula sticking off of it are actually three neighborhoods that make up the extreme southwest of Cartagena , The largest is Bocagrande and it has the most beachfront and a number of high rise buildings housing hotels and airbnbs to rent and that look out over the ocean. To the far southwest of this peninsula with a peninsula sticking off it wrapped around a the southwest side of a little lake is the small area called El Laguito which is home to more than a couple of chica-friendly buildings and so a few mongers end up staying in this little area. There are also out of town prostitutes who stay in buildings in Laguito and it happens in spurts but sometimes there are streetwalkers there. My very first night ever in Cartagena and I had met a girl on line and she had came over to the apartment ,I had to pop out to get condoms and as soon as I exited I walked out of my apartment and this chica walks up to me who is gorgeous, she looked like a young Vanessa Williams (Miss America 1984 for yu young guys) and wanted to offer me "nude Massage". I am pretty sure there was a pack of venezuelan chicas working Laguito last year but I never hit on them because I was shacking up with a little hottie most of that trip. The peninsula sticking off the peninsula is neighborhood called Castillo Grande which is essentially more high rise residential buildings and not an area I personally would look for a chica-friendly apartment.

Other areas that are safe. There is a neighborhood accessible by a bridge across the lagoon at the southeast corner of Getsemani the bridge crosses the Laguna de San Lazaro called Manga which is quiet and residential and just like Castillogrande, not a place I would think to look for a chica friendly apartment. Northeast of the Old City the road/highway runs along the ocean heading to the airport and this strip of land is bounded by intercoastal water to southeast and the ocean to northwest and this area has been coming along over the last few years, nicer hotels along the beach area, on up further along that highway that skirts the ocean and when getting closer to the airport the city has even put a park overtop the highway that has a cycling an skating areas and so residents do not have to deal with traffic getting across the street to the beach. I suspect that this area has a nice future for family vacationers but again its not the place I would go looking for chica friendly apartments.

For a general rule of thumb but not necessarily a strict rule, places that are at the western end of the city and have some body of water between them and the mainland, whether it be a strip if intercoastal water or a bay or a lagoon, these are the safer areas. Of course there are exceptions to this, just across the bridge to the northeast leaving Getsemani to reach the mainland is the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. A huge concrete fort that is a popular tourist attraction and the area immediately surrounding this is safe. There are probably plenty of strada 2,3,4 areas that are fine throughout Cartagena but I can only attest to what I know. FOr people who grew on ghettos areas none of it might be a problem, again it is a matter of what you are comfortable with. I have on occasions gotten in a taxi and ridden to the malls Caribe Plaza Centro Comercial and Centro Comercial Portal de San Felipe, could not find any shoes to fit me because down there I may as well be Shaquille O'Neal. I included an image that circles the touristy areas in red.

In fact in one of those historic moments where you remember where you were when something happened, I had jumped into a taxi at Caribe Plaza and the taxi driver recognized that I was from the USA and he is like real excited and he is going on in Spanish, but at the time my spanish was even more limited than it is now and he was excited and talking fast. I eventually I understood him to be say "Obama killed Osama" you can see why I was confused. In spanish it is "Obama mat a Osama"and said really fast it is ObamaMatoahOsama. Then the same level of excitement from the security guard when I reached the apartment building "ObamaMatoahOsama" he said. It felt good to know that the son of birch Osama was dead but it also felt good that these Colombians felt enough camaraderie with us 'estadounidenses' (Americans from USA) that they were more excited than I was.

So Bocagrande, the Old City, and El Laguito are the main places to search for a chica friendly apartments. El Laguito is farthest from the action in the old city and closest to the beach action on Playa Hollywood and its only fifteen minute average taxi to the Old City. There are strip clubs all over the city but use your own judgement about how you feel about visiting the that particular area.

One last thing, if you see something on the Cartagena Map or in the Cartagena List that looks interesting but not sure if it is still a viable thing, try using the "Search Thread" function in "Cartagena Reports". Just below the banner ads and below where you see the posts numbers and page number before any of the post above where it says "This blog is moderated by Admin' and toward the right side it says Thread Tools and Thread Search. Click on the little arrow to the right of where it says Thread Search and a search box opens. Here you can enter things like the name of a strip club and see how long ago anyone visited.

[JjBee62]

To the dude asking a simple question for info Imp not there yet, but have been vigorously researching. You always get the RTFF from folks, which to me is shorthand for either rudeness, laziness or total lack of knowledge. Its rare that we see the infamous RTFF on the Thai forums, people enjoy sharing over there.

That's one way to look at it. Although Mojo Bandit already did an excellent job of explaining it, I'll give my take.

"Hi! Tell me everything I need to know to have a great time in Thailand."

Every active board gets some post like that from time to time. Where do you start? You know nothing about me. You don't know what I consider to be a great time. Maybe a BJ bar in the morning and a Soapie in the early evening is just right for me. Maybe I'm a Soi Cowboy kind of guy. Maybe I should be looking at Phuket. We have had guys in the Medellin thread ask if the beach is within walking distance.

I've helped a lot of people in the Colombia forum (and pissed some off) and for me the best response to a generic post from a new member is "Read the Forum." I don't often use RTFF because I prefer to be polite when I'm not actively pissing someone off.

Give me something to work with. Do you understand that most people won't speak English? Do you understand that you can't pay for everything with Dollars? Have you ever mongered before? Have you ever traveled internationally before?

I will bend over backwards and give the shirt off my back to help some guy out (sorry about the sweat), but you've got to be willing to do something on your own. Otherwise, everything I've done is worthless.

Cartagena might not be for you. Someone can give you all the information they think you need to know, but it turns out you wanted a place with a climate like Medellin.

RTFF does one more thing. Every forum has a few guys who don't always give the best advice. Unless you read the forum you don't know the good guys from the bad guys. The first guy I met in Medellin probably should have been told RTFF. Instead a couple of guys told him he needed to stay in El Centro. I suggested he should spend a few days at the Mansion, get a feel for the place then decide whether or not El Centro was right for him.

If I remember right he lost several days worth of the room in El Centro, which he'd prepaid, because he only spent one night there. First thing in the morning he was lucky enough to get a room at the Mansion and he spent the rest of his trip there, loving every minute.

RTFF. It helps you decide if you're going to the right city or the right country.

RTFF. It helps identify who can best help you.

RTFF. It fills in the small gaps in your knowledge.

RTFF. It shows you're taking responsibility for the success of your trip.

RTFF. It shows you respect the efforts of everyone who has contributed.