General Info

[QUOTE=Dickhead; 1218005]I see some logical fallacies in BC's post. If one is never to go to unknown places, how is one ever to get to know any owners? Similarly, if one is never to trust anyone, how does one agglomerate a group to go out with? Or to put it another way: your mother told you never to talk to strangers, so you never made any friends. I understand BC is addressing his advice to "tourists." What, exactly, is a "tourist"? A pure tourist would never be mongering, and a monger would never be a pure tourist.

Now BC does make some good points, albeit rather indirectly. The average touron (that is a cross between a tourist and a moron, for those who don't know the term) thinks the "safest thing to do" is to take a taxi. The truth is quite the contrary in most Latin American countries. The taxistas are the ones telling the chorros where the gringos are staying.

1) Never tell the taxi from the airport your real hotel. Have him drop you off at the next closest hotel.

1a) Don't take a taxi in the first place; take a bus and then a taxi and have him drop you off at the next closest hotel.

2) Never have the taxi drop you off in front of the puticlub. Have them drop you at a nearby public location.

"Always call a taxi by phone" is indeed excellent advice, UNLESS you speak no Spanish and have the club call one for you. Then you just fucked yourself. Have the number of an independent taxi service BEFORE you go out, and be prepared with the address of a nearby hotel that is NOT where you are staying. If no Spanish whatsoever, better off having the bartender call you a cab than the doorman.

If there is anyone else in the elevator, or even if there is not, punch the button for one or two floors above where you are really staying and walk down the stairs, after making sure the elevator is closed behind you. This is an excellent security procedure no matter where you are.

Regarding having your drink drugged: Yes, it's a good idea to cover your drink at all times, but that can seem suspicious. Certainly don't go to the head and leave your drink at your seat. The best thing is to be Irish and that way your drink will be empty so fast no one can drug it.

Never trust hotel safes. Someone has a key or the combination. If you DO trust them, change the combination every time you leave the room, and wipe the keypad clean.

Scan the declaration page of your passport, the visa page for your current entry, your driver's license, and a copy of your return ticket. Don't do this in your hotel if you can avoid it. Send these to your e-mail. DO NOT save them to your computer hard drive.

Think about what you have to lose. I am single and childless and old. Not so much to lose. If you have a family depending on you, don't even go to dangerous places like Colombia. Similarly think about that when deciding whether to resist a robbery. If I decide to risk taking someone down with me, that's different than if you decide to do it, and have a wife and kids to support.[/QUOTE]Here in Bogota in Santa Fe (the Zona Roja) it's actually better to have the club call one for you. The actual "puticlubs" as you put it, generally are above board because they have reputations to protect. And just stepping out on the street after dark in Santa Fe is a pickpocketing risk, as well as a mugging one! I'm not the kind of guy to balk at walking dangerous streets but Santa Fe is really something else. I've never personally had a problem there but I've seen enough shit go down. I almost always have gone alone to Santa Fe but I do it during the day.

I really recommend people here as tourists and don't know anybody to NOT go to any of the "normal" pick up joints for that reason. Go straight for the straight up brothels instead. Especially if you're going to be drinking. I think drinking and getting drunk alone in a bar just about ANYWHERE on Earth is stupid and risky, but here it's just pure insanity. Best to come at least with a wingman or make some local friends before you do those sorts of plans. This includes thinking twice about that "non-pro" that invited you. She's probably not really so much of a "non-pro" and if you got a live one you could be in for the setup of your life. Make her meet at YOUR hotel (don't give previous notice of it either) or at neutral places. Don't EVER let her choose the meeting place until you've established some familiarity with her.

Sounds like your paranoid bigtime! Believe me know one wants anything to do with your dusty old ass.

[QUOTE=Bango Cheito; 1218694]Here in Bogota in Santa Fe (the Zona Roja) it's actually better to have the club call one for you. The actual "puticlubs" as you put it, generally are above board because they have reputations to protect. And just stepping out on the street after dark in Santa Fe is a pickpocketing risk, as well as a mugging one! I'm not the kind of guy to balk at walking dangerous streets but Santa Fe is really something else. I've never personally had a problem there but I've seen enough shit go down. I almost always have gone alone to Santa Fe but I do it during the day.

I really recommend people here as tourists and don't know anybody to NOT go to any of the "normal" pick up joints for that reason. Go straight for the straight up brothels instead. Especially if you're going to be drinking. I think drinking and getting drunk alone in a bar just about ANYWHERE on Earth is stupid and risky, but here it's just pure insanity. Best to come at least with a wingman or make some local friends before you do those sorts of plans. This includes thinking twice about that "non-pro" that invited you. She's probably not really so much of a "non-pro" and if you got a live one you could be in for the setup of your life. Make her meet at YOUR hotel (don't give previous notice of it either) or at neutral places. Don't EVER let her choose the meeting place until you've established some familiarity with her.[/QUOTE]

Reading about the recent exchanges regarding safety in Colombia and all the tips that come with it on how to avoid unpleasant situations made me wonder if one is supposed to get in James-Bond-mode while travelling around the world looking for some strange ass.

Not really.

I actually wonder why on earth would you travel in the first place if you're to look over your shoulder constantly in paranoy.

All one needs to do is being sensible in the way he behaves and carries himself, knowing that Colombia, as well as many other different places around the world is not exactly the same as Disney World and that things such as muggings do happen there on a regular basis.

For the record, it is just plain suicidal to consider anything else but compliance in the case one is actually being mugged in Colombia (or anywhere else for that matter). Make life easier for yourself and only carry around things you're OK with eventually parting with, without blinking an eye; modest amounts of money, no watch, a cheap mobile phone. Know that no material possessions are worth losing your life for and that muggers are either crackheads or mindless desperados and you can't rely on them to make the right decisions, you have to know what's best doing in the situation you find yourself in.

You need not to be fooled by a false sense of security just because you don't see things happening around you, if you're on stranger lands chances are that you're not actually seeing what's REALLY going on around you. I see tourists getting off the plane in the city I'm from wearing Rolex and I shake my head in disbelief because I know full well that they've got pretty good chances of being shot at over it.
It doesn't necessairly mean that you can't wear a Rolex around there, as a local I know there is almost no danger wearing it in most neighborhoods (ironically enough, none of the safe neighborhoods happens to be the kind of place where a tourist would be in to begin with and the tourist areas are all dangerous to some degree), but just as well I take it off and slip in my pocket as I go trough the city centre because I know better and I don't need to complicate my life for a watch.
As an out of towner one can't match the level of awareness of a local, and sadly it is often a fine line between the dos and the don'ts. You don't want to be on the wrong side of the line so for your own sake, play it safe, it's no rocket science after all.

Also, it might be useful to come to terms with the fact that if you go around wide enough and long enough, you will eventually find yourself in certain situations, so I think it's better to be prepared and knowing what to do to get yourself out of it as safely and quickly as possible instead of living life constantly wiping your fingerprints from the safe and taking rounds around the block as if you got strangers waiting with guns around the corner looking to take your life away.

Make your life easier! Be SENSIBLE!

Bless

[QUOTE=You Can;1218715]Sounds like your paranoid bigtime! Believe me know one wants anything to do with your dusty old ass.[/QUOTE]Not at all. I'm the one famous for resisting robberies and fighting with would-be muggers.

The advice I gave I think is just common sense that should apply the world around when mongering. I had a friend in NYC stupid enough to follow a SW to her place to do the deed. He had the girl on all fours and her pimp jumps out the closet and puts a knife at his throat.

Hello.

Is it legal with porno in Colombia? I have found some Colombian porno sites, very rudimentary.

It should be cheap to produce and there is a vast amount of girls who would do it for a fraction of what a US pornostars salary. We have seen Jake in Brasil, Mike in Brasil etc.

There are lot of video sexchat girls from Colombia. I actually stay in touch with one of them, the other is a model (but claims she works in advertizing, due to her nice flat in Laureles, Medellin).

Anybody has had any thoughts about this?

My point of view is to let my females friend fotographer make the videos and try to get a contract with a production company in the US or Europe and recieve the revenues. While, I, or other anglo-saxons have sex for free. With awesome colombianas.

Any suggestions?

[QUOTE=LittleTruths;1218856]Make life easier for yourself and only carry around things you're OK with eventually parting with, without blinking an eye; modest amounts of money, no watch, a cheap mobile phone. Know that no material possessions are worth losing your life for and that muggers are either crackheads or mindless desperados and you can't rely on them to make the right decisions, you have to know what's best doing in the situation you find yourself in.[/QUOTE]Agreed.

I'll add my 5 cents. I've been to Colombia 6 or 7 times and consider it to be one of the safest countries to travel to. I always take my (not Rolex) but big and expensive watch to Cartagena. There are many apartment and other foreign business owners who live there worry free, I can't see why they would choose me a target rather than them. I dress nice but do not bring my watch to Bogota. The only thing that makes me a bit nervous is catching a taxi from that seedy barrio with the street with all the strip clubs (I forgot what it's called). It's a bit of a drive and I don't know the city well. But you have to act like you know and appear aware and sober. I still don't know how to deal with this situation. Best thing to do might be to have your hotel call an official taxi for you and then make a deal with the driver where he will wait for you for a flat rate. I have heard that taxi muggings happen in Argentina and Colombia but don't know anyone personally who had been robbed.

One thing I would be careful about in Cartagena is carrying anything illegal on self. I have seen cops stop and search tourist, and my friends have been searched while walking home with a girl from LDV. Leave your party favor in your apartment if you must do them. Other than that your biggest risks are being run over by a taxi or bitten by a beach dog.

I have paranoia going to Mexico, and I don't get those who travel to any destination other than a resort in a large touristy city like Cancun, certainly not Acapulco. I would not go anywhere near Mexico border towns. Tourists are targets and there are some pretty bad statistics. Another destination is Venezuela, I think going to the capital is suicidal.

[QUOTE=VikingoLoco; 1221005]Is it legal with porno in Colombia? I have found some Colombian porno sites, very rudimentary.

It should be cheap to produce and there is a vast amount of girls who would do it for a fraction of what a US pornostars salary. We have seen Jake in Brasil, Mike in Brasil etc.[/QUOTE]Yes it is and you're not the first to think of it.

[QUOTE=VikingoLoco;1221005]Anybody has had any thoughts about this?[/QUOTE]I actually used to know some dude who ran one such operation with live porn or some like that, based in Canada, and as I recall one of the studios where they had the dirty going on was precisely in Colombia, so I guess it's fair play.

Nacho Vidal (Evil Angel Productions) is making porno in Colombia.

[QUOTE=VikingoLoco; 1221005]Hello.

Is it legal with porno in Colombia? I have found some Colombian porno sites, very rudimentary.

It should be cheap to produce and there is a vast amount of girls who would do it for a fraction of what a US pornostars salary. We have seen Jake in Brasil, Mike in Brasil etc.

There are lot of video sexchat girls from Colombia. I actually stay in touch with one of them, the other is a model (but claims she works in advertizing, due to her nice flat in Laureles, Medellin).

Anybody has had any thoughts about this?

My point of view is to let my females friend fotographer make the videos and try to get a contract with a production company in the US or Europe and recieve the revenues. While, I, or other anglo-saxons have sex for free. With awesome colombianas.

Any suggestions?[/QUOTE]

Colombian Peso: Today it is 1950. 50 to $1 USD. Good for folks there now converting USD. By the way, I got the best rates at BOG domestic terminal than in CTG (not by much) but for those of you that care about 75 peso difference, they may want to try that.

[QUOTE=Latin Lover77; 1183518]So my girl in Barranquilla gave me a number to call her and I am having one helava time trying to call. I got a 300* number and I'm trying to call from the US using a calling card. This dumb calling card says to call the card number for my area, enter the pin, dial 011 to reach out of country numbers, and then I found through websites that I have to dial 57 before the number she gave. Problem is that it doesn't work. Another website says that things are different for home pays as compared to cell phones. Can someone please PM me and help me out. I was suppose to call tonight but since it didn't go through I would like to try again tomorrow. Not sure it matter, but I'm calling from Washington DC. Any help appreciated.

Sidenote- Got my trip planned for Oct-31-Nov. 6 for any of you traveling to Barranquilla.[/QUOTE]Whatever happened to this guy? See that is why many people do not like giving out information because most do not report back.

I don't know about the rest of you guys, but some of the posts lately on the Colombia board are unreal. It is like guys are coming out of the wood work. Although I must say it is worse on the DR board. There is a guy on there advertizing about how he likes when the girls use a strap on for him.

I don't know what is worse these new posts or guys asking about a Help type Disco in MDE.

[QUOTE=Mr Enternational;1222654]Whatever happened to this guy? See that is why many people do not like giving out information because most do not report back.[/QUOTE]Mr. E If you look at the new posters who ask a lot of questions without really trying to read the forum then when you look back after their trip most likely you will not see a trip report. After all it takes a little effort to give some info back instead of always looking to be spoon fed.

Most of the Mongers I meet on my adventures are great guys so I still try to give out intel while on the ground, but your right, it does get old after a while.

I am returning to Barranquilla in January. Last time I stayed at the Sonesta Hotel. It was nice an luxurious. But holy crap I spent a lot just for a room to sleep in at night and internet, though the buffet breakfast was nice and made me fat for the entire day. My first trip was in October and it was my first time meeting my girl and I had a blast. She lived in La Paz which is in the moutain area of Barranquilla and quite a poor living but the people were friendly and NOBODY asked me for money. I did buy 2 50lb bags of rice for my girls family and the smiles on their faces was beyond gratifying. I also bought chocolates for the neighborhood children who all sang the aphabets and danced for the candy. We made it into a game.

So this is my question. Where the hell can I find a decent place to stay for under US $100 a night? I want to stay longer than my previous 5 days and a nice hotel is about US $1300. Way too much and I know there are hourly motels that have jacuzzis and wetbars but none come up on google search. With someone with expereince in BAQ be able to point some out. My girl is primary in LA Paz and just not familiar with the motels but has heard of the.

[url]http://www.elhotelcontinental.com/english/welcome.html[/url]

I stayed there 18 months ago, and it was 90K a night. In the North part of town. A very safe area near the collage. One of my favorites in Latin America.

BTW, the Non Pros in BAQ are as hot as the weather there.

Try Hotel San Francisco.

[QUOTE=Latin Lover77; 1224393]I am returning to Barranquilla in January. Last time I stayed at the Sonesta Hotel. It was nice an luxurious. But holy crap I spent a lot just for a room to sleep in at night and internet, though the buffet breakfast was nice and made me fat for the entire day. My first trip was in October and it was my first time meeting my girl and I had a blast. She lived in La Paz which is in the moutain area of Barranquilla and quite a poor living but the people were friendly and NOBODY asked me for money. I did buy 2 50lb bags of rice for my girls family and the smiles on their faces was beyond gratifying. I also bought chocolates for the neighborhood children who all sang the aphabets and danced for the candy. We made it into a game.

So this is my question. Where the hell can I find a decent place to stay for under US $100 a night? I want to stay longer than my previous 5 days and a nice hotel is about US $1300. Way too much and I know there are hourly motels that have jacuzzis and wetbars but none come up on google search. With someone with expereince in BAQ be able to point some out. My girl is primary in LA Paz and just not familiar with the motels but has heard of the.[/QUOTE]