Medellin Reports

[Knowledge]

Yes, unfortunately passing counterfeit money, short changing, and grossly overcharging tourists are very active taxi scams. Two of the best known hotspots where sleazeball taxistas pick up their (usually foreign) victims are the stretch of calle 10 near the Domino's Pizza and the Poblado metro station. Something like ten years ago a taxista gave me a fake 50,000 peso note. After a Claro store refused to accept it I passed it off to a casa. I avoid taxis as much as possible for this and other reasons. They are convenient in certain situations. My advice for using them is to never deal in cash and only book them via didi or uber. If you do this you get the benefit of your credit card issuer to be able to dispute invalid or excessive charges, you have an audit trail in case you need to identify the driver or find a lost item, and you don't have to explain your destination or how to reach it because you can refer the driver to GPS.

Also you fail to mention that many of the taxistas are thieves. They carry with them counterfeit money and give it out as change and even swap your real money for the fake money and hand it back to you. Maybe you haven't been here long enough for it to happen to you yet, but it does happen and quite frequently. I've never had a bus driver try to that on me though.

[MoonShot]

You may not like Colombian food but Medellin has a lot of good places to eat. Especially in Poblado there is a wide variety of food choices that are global in nature such as Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Peruvian, American, and Japanese. For Americans, there are a lot of very good hamburger, hot dog, fried chicken and pizza. Places. You may not like Colombian food but you don't have to eat Colombian food. I enjoy eating here. There is also a lot of bakeries.

The number one cheap snack I would recommend are the empanadas. Tasty and under a dollar.

Of course a lot guys here are more interested in eating something else but outside of the bedroom, there are some decent places to eat.

[John Gault]

Has anyone checked out the streetwalker scene in Mayorista by Itagui? I read there is (or maybe was years ago) a streetwalker scene out there.

In 2010 it used to be awesome. Once it got dark there was plenty of hot girls for 30 to 40 K. About 18 months ago I went there at night and I saw about 5 girls there and none I liked.

[Silvakeviniam]

RTFF the thread and do some F** contributions before you start asking questions. All your 3 posts are just questions that have been answered and answered before.

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My question wasn't exactly basic and I figured it could benefit others as well. That area has been changing in recent years too which is why I ask. I'll see myself out.

[Woodman09]

To believe that mongers are altruistic guys who want to share information freely to help others without passing judgment on others is naive. The only common link among all of us is that we want to have sex with attractive women and we are willing to pay for it. That by itself is not enough to make us a brotherhood with a lot of common interests. If you read the thread for at least a few pages, you would quickly see that there is a lot of name calling, believe that I'm doing it right and you're doing it wrong, you guys are a bunch of simps because you do certain things, I pay this much and if you pay any more you're an idiot, and other things like that.

It is the way it is because we are all so different and we don't have much in common other than wanting to have sex with attractive women and willingness to pay for it. There is also always this conflict. If we say a lot of positive things about Medellin and make it easier for everyone to come here, there would be a lot more guys coming here. And yet guys here constantly complain that there are too many guys coming here.

In many ways this thread is no different than discussion about politics. People have different opinions on how to do it right in Medellin and they have firm convictions that the way they are doing it is the way it needs to be done and if you're not doing it that way, you're a sucker or a lowlife.

So I do enjoy reading about other people's experiences yet at the same time you might notice that I've almost never asked for assistance on how to do things in Medellin. Instead I just do research on the internet and configure things out myself. I do ask myself this question, do I want to encourage more guys to come to Medellin and if so, why is that a good thing for me?

Some people have to put down others-- a lot of that going on -- I have made some real friends over the years though. I think this is the same as most of life-.

A few guys have even donated to the Venezuelan family I am helping.

It is funny though, the idiotic fights and the put down artists. I just laugh at it. -.

[Gabacho]

To each their own. But I find it a hassle. After spending the better part of the day getting to Medellin, the last thing on my mind is saving $20 some dollars. You mentioned the bus but didn't mention the cost of the cab after getting dropped off. Why hassle with your luggage. Where else can you get door to door service at $20 or $24 ?

Makes no sense to me. Unless your budget is extremely tight and living on paycheck to paycheck in the states.

Also you fail to mention that many of the taxistas are thieves. They carry with them counterfeit money and give it out as change and even swap your real money for the fake money and hand it back to you. Maybe you haven't been here long enough for it to happen to you yet, but it does happen and quite frequently. I've never had a bus driver try to that on me though.

[Gabacho]

New Life and Sexy Amigas were 50 k, 7 years ago. I'm positive they aren't still 50 k.

Mileroticos rates vary from girl to girl. They are not all 50 k, never have been, never will be. If he's happy with what he got for the price he paid, then he's absolutely right.

They were talking about Centro street girls.

[Param Ahmad]

What tickles me is how they want you to baby the door. They think that if you close the door with any kind of strength then the car is going to fall apart. Can anyone explain that?

I can confirm your observation, but I don't know why. Maybe their car doors are fragile.

[SankarShetty]

RTFF the thread and do some F** contributions before you start asking questions. All your 3 posts are just questions that have been answered and answered before.

Has anyone checked out the streetwalker scene in Mayorista by Itagui? I read there is (or maybe was years ago) a streetwalker scene out there.

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[SankarShetty]

A week used to cost me roughly 3 K including flights, chicas, stay, food and drink. While I eat street food, I also go to restaurants like El cielo or Ricotto, once a day or every other day. I drink but I am neither a heavy drinker not someone who orders cocktails at every lunch and dinner.

I just did a full month with remote work. It cost me about 8 K for everything. This includes about 80 sessions. Majority of them between 1 to 3 hours, some dinner dates and about a week of overnights. I think I must have spent about 4500 on the chicas, some of it on their transport, food and drink. If I average out, then the session costs are typically about 50 plus about another 15 for transport. If I had the digital nomad visa and lived here long term I believe I would have averaged about 4 K USD in monthly expenses. I have been wingman to weekend warriors who typically blow 1 K for the Saturday night including hookah and bottle and 2 chicas. I have seen people blowing 3 K USD at Park Lleras in a single night so don't sharpen your knives for me. My stay averaged about 1800 in the month and 1 K for flight and other transport related costs. Cost and session quality are not related in IMHO. I think familiarity and long term relationship helps improve session.

[MoonShot]

Taking the Metro to El Centro is relatively easy. If you want to learn how to use the Metro, it is a good place to visit with the Parque Barrio station stop. If you get out and go out left to get to the museums, you can see all the statues. Then make a left at the antiques museum and you are heading to the church, the white church where the street walkers hang out. Make a right and that is the main street where most of the street walkers are.

I was just there this afternoon and this is my impression. The vast majority of the girls there are unattractive, old, chubby or combination of the three. But if there will always be one or two girls who are decent enough for you to screw.

As many have said, if you go in the daytime, it is relatively safe because there are a lot of people roaming around. There are many shops there and the locals go shopping there.

On my last visit to El Centro a few months ago, my experience was basically the same. Most of the girls are not to my liking but I can find one or two that I would take.

As to whether these girls also hang out at Parque Lleras, I think the vast majority do not because they would not attract much business. They are generally not the type of girls that gringos are interested in. After paying for airfare and hotel, most guys are not interested in having sex with average looking girls.

[Nounce]

I think you took it the wrong way. My post is meant to add to yours, to be inclusive that both can exist. I guess you took it as I was trying to negate what you said, which is exclusive. If that is the case, I am trying to make it clear here.

I am only describing what I did, and I was in no rush to go to my apartment even after midnight and a whole day of travel. I did not explain the reason and I intentionally not to because some already made up their mind why? LOL. There is actually irony in these posts which is interesting to observe.

...But if you really want to save money, stay home, watch porn and masturbate. You can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars that way.

The reason to take taxi is straightforward. The reason to take the bus can be more complex. ..

When I arrive at Brazil recently, my friend offered to send a family member to pick me up at the airport. I said no, I told her how I was going to get to my place, by Metro and Uber. I said I would call if I had problem entering the area due to Canival traffic restriction. I am convinced now my friend was secretly calling me cheap. hehe

Before I came, they already invited me to go on a road trip together. They paid my share of the deposit for me while I was still in MDE. I just told them I don't have any preference, I will agree to all their decisions, including buses. I can do it if they can. Hehe.

The day we went on the trip, one of girls came wearing a F1 racing baseball hat. She drove 8 hours, with a short lunch stop to reach the destination. The final one and a half hours were unpaved road with pot holes. Once we reached the hotel, unloaded, I just wanted to rest. But they made some drinks and proceeded to drive out again with these glasses on hand over the pot holes filled road. I was amused and took this picture when we were shopping. They are Brazilians after all.

During the trip, the girls would share a single plate (being cheap I guess). But I noticed that I sometimes paid less than I was supposed to. I guess they divided the total bill equally so they ended paying more while ordering less. They are still cheap regardless because I made up my mind. LOL. One night, when the bill came, I told them It would make me very happy if I could pay the dinner for all of us. One of them called me prince made it worth it. Haha.

The fall takes two hours hike and it's well worth it.

Also you should know, people like me, Mr E, Knowledge don't have to return to USA after a short trip.

[Knowledge]

I'm more salty about this than is reasonable because the more you find out about what's behind it the more ridiculous it seems. Whenever anyone even mentions it to me more I close the door, I just leave it open and let the driver close it exactly the way he wants. Life is too short to deal with that nonsense.

What tickles me is how they want you to baby the door. They think that if you close the door with any kind of strength then the car is going to fall apart. Can anyone explain that?

[Knowledge]

In Europe and North America, cars must have side impact panels in the doors to be street legal. There is no such requirement in Colombia. Side impact panels increase the weight and rigidity of car doors. They also of course greatly increase safety. Closing the panel equipped car doors requires more force than closing doors that don't have the panels. This is why locals sometimes don't manage to fully close doors on those few occasions when they find themselves in cars of international specification. That is also why those of us used to vehicles of international specifications use more force than necessary to close the car doors.

That is the factual background. Now for the more meaningful cultural notes. There is very little culture of vehicle maintenance in Colombia of the sort there is in the more developed world. The mentality here is avoiding use equals maintenance. This is why in even the hottest weather Colombian motorists keep their ventilation fans off. It is why during heavy rain, drivers don't turn on their windshield wipers (which are more often than not well past replacement condition) until the road is all but invisible. It challenges logic but the traditional driver wisdom in Colombia is cars will suffer structural damage if the doors are shut too forcefully too many times. In fact, few cars here are on the road long enough for that to occur but this is not a place where long term planning or analysis are very prevalent. It's confusing to the gringo mentality that drivers fret so much about how forcefully a door is closed but drive on dead shocks and worn springs for years, accelerate heavily toward red lights and traffic jams, rarely use neutral to coast or downshift to adjust speed instead of alternating between full acceleration and pumping the brakes over and over again. For the next thread on this subject we can talk about the vehicle horn as emergency equipment vs the way it's used for entertainment and an expression of impatience here.

What tickles me is how they want you to baby the door. They think that if you close the door with any kind of strength then the car is going to fall apart. Can anyone explain that?

[Silvakeviniam]

Has anyone checked out the streetwalker scene in Mayorista by Itagui? I read there is (or maybe was years ago) a streetwalker scene out there.