i spent 5 days in cali at parcero's penthouse and i would like to report the following:
parceros townhouse:
the townhouse is located in barrio santa monica residencial which is a quiet neighborhood with several other townhouses on the street. the town house is on the 4th floor which is on the top floor of the building. there are 2 front balconies and 1 rear balcony all of which provide an excellent view. i enjoyed the breeze in the late evening. and there is no elevator so be prepared to exercise. the townhouse is a 2 story with a winding staircase and 2 bedrooms down stairs and 2 bedrooms upstairs. there is a kitchen living room and small den with a television. i was given a key to my room the townhouse and the main door downstairs.
parcero usually has room for 3 other clients but my stay was solo. i got the master upstairs bedroom for 100, 000cop ($53. 00) per night which comes with breakfast. there was a cackling dog in the second floor townhouse that was so annoying that if i saw him i would kick him in the head.
there is no room safe however you can lock your door with a key and i had no reason not to feel secure. i have a combination lock on my carry on so a safe is not very important to me. the master room does not have air conditioning vents so it got stuffy at times and i used an area fan which circulated the air. it is hottest during the day from about noon until 4pm after which it is very cool and comfortable.
the wi-fi connection was excellent with great speed. parcero is obviously ocd because the entire place was immaculate and he was always seen sweeping or mopping. the advantage to parcero's townhouse is its location. you could do the majority of things you would like to do within a 15 minute radius.
language:
cali is not an international tourist destination like cartagena and medellin, therefore fewer people speak english. it is for this reason i would not recommend coming to cali unless you had some basic spanish; i promise you the dividends will pay off exponentially.
safety:
cali has a terrible reputation for being a dangerous city but after reading about chicago being the us murder capital i wouldn't be too worried. i walked around during the day and into the late evening solo on numerous occasions and at no time did i feel unsafe. barrio santa monica residencial put me in the mind of poblado in medellin, miraflores in lima, recoleta in buenas aires and el laquito in cartagena.
of course one should use the typical precautions that you would use travelling or for any major urban area where there is a great potential for crime. i had a specific itinerary whenever i was out and i always travelled with purpose so i had no problems.
weather:
the weather during my stay was quite pleasant, it was about 85 degrees during the day and 70 degrees at night. it was a dry heat with very little humidity so i didn't sweat that much. the early mornings and late evenings were very comfortable. the townhouse is situated at the foot of a hill so parcero would leave the windows open so we could get the breeze of the hill which was quite enjoyable.
noise:
the townhouse is about 3 streets from avenida sexta which is a main thoroughfare in cali. there isn't much noise in the early morning and late evening but during the day you can hear traffic going to and fro. as previously stated there were dogs that lived in the building that were a barking nuisance.
moviestar cellular:
moviestar cellular is located outside the chipechape mall. i got a sim card for 7000cop ($4. 00) and internet, text and telephone for a week for 20000cop ($11. 00).
cambio:
• wells fargo us: 1600cop.$1us.
• intercambio at the airport: 1780cop-$1us.
• euro express chipechape mall: 1800cop-$1us.
chipichape mall:
chipichape mall is the most famous mall in cali. it is a 10-15 minute walk from the townhouse and has an open air food court for your dinning pleasure and various shops for your shopping pleasure.
la comida:
if you are the type of person who travels to eat at burger king and kentucky fried chicken cali is not the place for you. cali provides an authentic latin american culinary experience. typical foods such as chicken, steak, beans & rice, soups and salads make the staple of the latin american diet. you can eat a hearty meal which includes soup, salad, meat, and 2 sides for between $3. 00.$7. 00 depending on the type of restaurant you are in.
desayunar:
every morning parcero would prepare breakfast in the town house consisting of an omelet of your choice in ingredients home fries and an arepa chocolo (which is a brown semi sweet arepa grilled with butter and honey)
almuerzo:
lunch can be had in a myriad of places but la fabrica buffet restaurant serves inexpensive tasty food. they serve meat, rice, vegetable, salad and a drink for 6000cop ($3. 00). the restaurant is a minute walk from the townhouse.
cena:
like lunch dinner can be had in a myriad of places but the chipichape mall has the largest selection in the area. frioles verdes served a bowl of sanchoco, chicken, rice and salad. the beverage was agua panela which is fresh sugarcane water and lemon. the entire meal was 14000cop ($7. 00). chipichape mall is a 10-15 minute walk from the town house.
olimpica supermercado:
the olimpica supermercado was a 5 minute walk from the townhouse. it was like a mini la sirena in puerto plata dr with a grocery store, bakery, butcher shop, drugstore, electronics and appliances and restaurant.
transportation:
• all taxis have a meter that is set at the beginning of the trip, most of my trips were less than 6000cop ($3. 00) when i rode to the other side of town i spent around 25000cop ($13. 00)
• the buses called mio and you have to buy a electronic debit card that is called a gane for 3000cop and you recharge it at different locations throughout the city. each trip 1600cop (.85) the buses were modern clean and air-conditioned.
casas de la citas.
las calenas 2: cra 44 #5b. 79b tequndama.
when i walked in the music playing was a mix between salsa and reggeton. i saw approximately a half dozen chicas which ranged from 6-8. most of them were glued to their cell phones which were plugged in the wall charging. i thought about blackbeard's policy of taking the chicas cell phones while they are at work because although the chicas i was checking out were 8's i was turned off by their in-attentiveness.
the increments are:
• 1 hour: 90, 000cop ($47. 00)
• 30 minutes: 50, 000cop ($26. 00)
• 20 minutes: 40, 000cop ($21. 00)
nuts & bolts (tuercas why tornillos) : calle 17n #5n. 33.
i went to nuts & bolts which is behind a big metal non descript door. you press the button and security opens the door has you face the camera and pats you down. then you stand in the center of the hallway and a chica comes out and pats you down again this time checking your package. about 7 chicas came out none of them were less than a 7 and a couple were pushing 9. the set up here was totally different from calena 2 in that there was no music playing or bar where guys could sit around and talk. you pick the chica you want do the deed then hasta luego. before i left my chica said she had to call down stairs and i spoke with the mamasan who asked me how was my service and i said "esta bien" even though it was average. parcero later told me that nuts & bolts is one of the strictest casas in cali. the increments are as follows:
• 1 hour 65000cop ($34. 00)
• 30 minutes 40000cop ($21. 00)
• 20 minutes 33000cop ($17. 00)
jc: avenida segunda b norte 34n 55.
the walls were white brick and there were plastic chairs with a small wall fan in the seating area. the chicas presented themselves and all of 5 of them ranged from 7-8 i was impressed with the line up from such a crappy place but they weren't the friendliest group. the increments are as follows:
• 1 hour 100000cop ($52. 00)
• 30 minutes 70000cop ($37. 00)
• 20 minutes 60000cop ($31. 00)
kaliente calle: 25 norte #2 bis-47.
kaliente wasn't too caliente you walk into a non descript house sit down in the living room and 3 chicas came out and introduced themselves. the chicas ranged between 5-6 and none were very inviting. the increments are as follows:
• 1 hour 100000cop ($52. 00)
• 30 minutes 70000cop ($37. 00)
• 20 minutes 50000cop ($26. 00)
the mediterranean spa: calle 28 norte #4n-72.
this casa had a very nice atmosphere that looked like a spa with comfortable chairs and beautiful pictures of models on the walls. there were 4 chicas who introduced themselves. the chicas ranged between 5-6 and all seemed to be very pleasant and inviting. the increments are as follows:
• 1 hour 80000cop ($42. 00)
• 45 minutes 55000cop ($30. 00)
the deluxe club: calle 5 #65-25.
this casa was very nice inside set up like a club with chairs a dance floor and stripper pole. there were 6 chicas that introduced themselves. most were 6's but there was one that looked like a model who fell out of a magazine she was a 9. this joint was plastic surgery central and some of the women looked like they were ready to explode. the tarifas here were ridiculous in comparison to the other cali casa and not worth the expense imho.
• 1 hour 250-350cop.
• 30 minutes 150-250cop.
la clinica dr amor: avenida 2n no 23n-23.
this casa was nice inside but it was obvious they were doing some renovations with unfinished paint on the walls. normally they pat you down but since i was with parcero i just got waived through. there is a big living room with several couches and you can be seated and wait for the chicas to come out and introduce themselves. i would rate most of the chicas between 7-8. there were about a dozen chicas present and maybe 1 or 2 were 9's. the tarifas are based on 3 different levels classic, vip and platinum and the chicas wear bands to indicate their status. the top end increments are as follows:
• 1 hour 90000cop ($47. 00)
• 30 minutes 70000cop ($37. 00)
la picina: next door to jc at avenida segunda b norte 34n 55.
although the talent pool fluctuates this was my favorite casa in cali because of the ambiance. the chicas hang outside and greet you as you walk in. there is a waiting area and a pool area where you sit and wait for the chicas to come out and introduce themselves. everyone i saw was decent ranging from 7-9 and they all seemed to be very pleasant. some casa girls it is obvious they don't want to be there but these girls had a very pleasant disposition.
• 1 hour 80000cop ($42. 00)
• 30 minutes 60000cop ($31. 00)
• 20 minutes 40000cop ($21. 00)
popular internet options:
i wanted to check out the internet options because some of the tarifas were very reasonable but i stuck in the cali casas because there were so many. below i have listed some of the internet options:
• mileroticos.
• las profesionales.
• caras lindas cali.
cabanas:
molino rojo apartahotel: calle 10#38-21.
in cali they call cabanas "hoteles" or "apartahoteles". i went to molino rojo apartahotel which has the same set up as cabanas in dr you drive into the garage and can pay at the front desk or in your room the a revolving small door which is used to take your money. i didn't get the time increments but i paid 25000cop ($13. 00) for 4 hours. the rooms were small but clean and very nice with a radio and cd player along with an 18 inch flat screen tv hanging from the wall. i spent time there because the civilian chica i was with lived too far from the townhouse.
chicas:
the subject of the most beautiful women in the world can be debated into eternity but i prefer colombianas because of their ethnic diversity from the european features to the afro-centric features. cali's afro-colombian population is significant (30% of cali's population is afro-colombian) which makes for an incredible mix. i spent time with 4 casa chicas and 1 civilian chica, but i enjoyed the last casa chica i spent time with the most not only because she was not in a rush but because i sensed a connection when we talked before and after.
observations:
• most of the people i encountered were very nice and friendly despite the fact that cali is the 3rd largest city in colombia.
• cali is different from medellin in that there is a significant afro-colombian population which makes for an interesting mix and helped me to blend in real well. at times i got looks and people couldn't tell if i was a caleno or a gringo.
• cali was different from cartagena because it is not a tourist town it lacked a beach and in general everything was less expensive. if there was a gringo tax it was hidden unlike cartagena where it is obvious you are getting gouged.
• you do not need fluent spanish in cali but it would be advisable to have basic spanish if you should decide to visit as there are not as many english speakers as in medellin or cartagena.
• cali has more casa de citas than you can count. in addition they open and close regularly and have varying ebb and flows throughout the course of the week with the weekends being the busiest time. my visit was during the slowest part of the week and i primarily did casas but i sense that the facebook, freelance and civilian chica market is very fertile here for a person who has the time to invest.
conclusion:
the biggest concern that many people would have with cali is the reputation it shared with medellin in the 1980's-90's with the medellin- cali drug cartels. pablo escobar is dead and although the drug trade is still alive in colombia the government has made significant strides combating the problem. even the problems the government was having with guerillas and para-militaries in the country side has seriously been abated. it is not that there is no threat in colombia it's that the threat is minimal and not a significant reason not to travel to this beautiful country. cali is no utopia by any stretch of the imagination however it is possible to do well with the right strategy. personally i have been to san salvador, el salvador the heart of ms13 and vera cruz mexico the heart of the zeta drug cartel so i have learned the strategy of keeping a low profile and making tactical strikes in order to get the job done.
my biggest impression beyond seeing beautiful women is the kindness of some of the people that i met. there were some who paid me no attention but others that were more than hospitable. as always one of the most valuable assets a traveler can have is someone on the ground who can serve as a guide advisor and inside contact. this person could be a taxista, a tour guide a chica or other person who has your best interest at heart. i was fortunate on this trip to meet a colleague of parcero who became mi mano de derecho and made my trip most enjoyable.
finally my time in cali was too short and i hope to return again.
