General Info

why is it that every freaking hotel i try to make a reservation with through their website or email never writes back to say anything? the last time i was in bogota and went to my favorite hotel but it was full because of a big church group. 125 people. the lady gave me the email and said that i could just write to make a reservation next time. well i have done just that and 6 days have passed and not a peep from them. the hotel where i always stay in barranquilla, same thing. the hotel where i always stay in cali, same too. i think the only exception over all these years that i have been going to colombia has been the don jaime in cali. hell they still even send me an email once a year with the price list and i haven't stayed with them in eons. they put all of this work and money into these websites and do not answer correspondence from them. if you want a room in colombia my best experience is that you are best to call and make the reservation or have someone there do it for you.

On Jan 09 I wanted to book 2 return tickets MDE to BOG on Lanchile airline (Lan. Com) for Jan 15 return Jan 17. The Colombian site price was 300, 560cop for 2 return tickets, the US and Canada, sites was $409. USDat1770. Exchange rate 724, 000cop. The Colombia site would not accept my Canadian bank visa card (other times accepted by Avianca when booking in Colombia, so am presuming problem was I was on the Colombia country site instead of the us or canuck site) ps the colombian site spanish only, when the card rejected they gave me the option of paying by cash at a Banco de Bogota. They request I print out an invoice and take it the bank. The website gave me a confirmation # and said my booking held till 2400hrs the same day. I was 2 minutes in the bank as they had a special line for bill paying. All said for 20 minutes extra of my time the saving 424, 000cop, not bad for 15 minutes work in MDE. On another subject when you book an international ticket in Colombia as a extranero a 60, 000 cop tax you have paid is to paid back when checking in at the airport. Twice I have received the money back without requesting but about 2 months ago problems with Copa at MDE checkin, even though confirming email from COPA highlighted make sure to request the refund at the airport checkin.

[quote=mr enternational;1371118]why is it that every freaking hotel i try to make a reservation with through their website or email never writes back to say anything? well i have done just that and 6 days have passed and not a peep from them.[/quote]same thing happened to me, many times. it is a colombian thing. customer service is absolutely close to non-existence on this subject. i showed up at one of these hotels in medellin, showed them a copy of the email with their email address, and was told they never received it. go figure. any any rate,

cheers.

[QUOTE=Bart1;1371591]On another subject when you book an international ticket in Colombia as a extranero a 60, 000 cop tax you have paid is to paid back when checking in at the airport. Twice I have received the money back without requesting but about 2 months ago problems with Copa at MDE checkin, even though confirming email from COPA highlighted make sure to request the refund at the airport checkin.[/QUOTE]That must be the IVA. It is the same at many hotels. Quite ironic seeing that most places charge foreigners more for shit than the locals. And in some places it is even institutionalized. For instance in Peru, a domestic airline ticket for a Peruano costs much less than it does for a gringo.

For those guys who have visited Colombia and Peru: here in Lima, on "Perutops" there is a section for Colombian working girls, they sure look very attractive; I can not find on "Perutops" any review on them. In general, do working girls in Colombia as attractive as the ones here in Peru? The price they charge, if you call, is 200 soles, local money. The price sure beats what I paid in "Cabukicho" $ 140 for an old Chinese working girl, hell.

[QUOTE=Samu Ray;1387264]In general, do working girls in Colombia as attractive as the ones here in Peru? The price they charge, if you call, is 200 soles, local money.[/QUOTE]To each his own, but most of the Colombian working girls I see outside of Colombia have had extreme plastic surgery. Fake ass, fake tits, and sometimes something done to their face. Not my cup of tea.

The question was posted in Cali section but I thought it is more relevant in the general section.

[QUOTE=XXXXXXXXX]You guys are paying like 20-30 dollars for hot Colombian women? Count me in! How does Cali compare to Medellin and Cartagena? I will have a chance to go to Colombia soon.[/QUOTE]"Hot" is in the eye of the beholder. Generally speaking, it is extremely rare to consistently find hot girls for that price anywhere. In most major cities in Colombia the supply side (girls) is so high that you might occasionally run into a hottie that is just starting in the business and she is likely to start in a low priced casa. If she is truly hot and in demand, she will soon move out of there into higher priced markets within that city or go out of the country. I found this to be especially true re Cali. Some of the hottest and sweetest Colombians I have been with with are from Cali or surrounding small towns and incidentally I have met them all outside Cali, such as Panama, Costa rica, Medellin, Bogota, Cartagena and Saint Martin.

With that experience, I must have had high expectations when I went to Cali but I was sorely disappointed with the local talent.

Don't get me wrong. You might and probably will still have a great time in Cali but you need to set your expectations right. In my opinion, what happens in town's like MDE and Bogota is that the girls have some high-end outlet options where they can actually make good / decent money that keeps the talent in the cities rather than preferentially exporting them. The local market in Cali does not seem to support high-end talent.

When I travel to Latin America for mongering, I'm already spending couple of thousand dollars in traveling costs and thousands of miles to get there. The last thing I do is look for a $14. 50 deal. If you find one, that is great but what I care is value. For those who know, this big difference between getting something for cheap and finding a value. Like warren Buffet says, don't buy a cheap stock. Buy a value stock. To me, latinas provide the best value of any other girls in the world. The combination of beauty, friendliness, passion for life, dance, song, music and sex is unbeatable. For me I would rather spend $100 to $300 if needed (I draw the line too :-D) , and spend an evening with a beautiful girl who I can remember and dream about for the next few weeks rather than bang a chic for 10 minutes and not even remember her face the next day.

The above are general comments. Please know that I have done the $14. 50 "wham-Bam-thank you ma'am" as well but over the years, my preferences have changed. These comments are personal opinions of one monger and is clearly a minority opinion on this great board.

Have fun and keep contributing.

[QUOTE=Vitrea; 1395767]The question was posted in Cali section but I thought it is more relevant in the general section.

"Hot" is in the eye of the beholder. Generally speaking, it is extremely rare to consistently find hot girls for that price anywhere. In most major cities in Colombia the supply side (girls) is so high that you might occasionally run into a hottie that is just starting in the business and she is likely to start in a low priced casa. If she is truly hot and in demand, she will soon move out of there into higher priced markets within that city or go out of the country. I found this to be especially true re Cali. Some of the hottest and sweetest Colombians I have been with with are from Cali or surrounding small towns and incidentally I have met them all outside Cali, such as Panama, Costa rica, Medellin, Bogota, Cartagena and Saint Martin.

With that experience, I must have had high expectations when I went to Cali but I was sorely disappointed with the local talent.

Don't get me wrong. You might and probably will still have a great time in Cali but you need to set your expectations right. In my opinion, what happens in town's like MDE and Bogota is that the girls have some high-end outlet options where they can actually make good / decent money that keeps the talent in the cities rather than preferentially exporting them. The local market in Cali does not seem to support high-end talent.

When I travel to Latin America for mongering, I'm already spending couple of thousand dollars in traveling costs and thousands of miles to get there. The last thing I do is look for a $14. 50 deal. If you find one, that is great but what I care is value. For those who know, this big difference between getting something for cheap and finding a value. Like warren Buffet says, don't buy a cheap stock. Buy a value stock. To me, latinas provide the best value of any other girls in the world. The combination of beauty, friendliness, passion for life, dance, song, music and sex is unbeatable. For me I would rather spend $100 to $300 if needed (I draw the line too :-D) , and spend an evening with a beautiful girl who I can remember and dream about for the next few weeks rather than bang a chic for 10 minutes and not even remember her face the next day.

The above are general comments. Please know that I have done the $14. 50 "wham-Bam-thank you ma'am" as well but over the years, my preferences have changed. These comments are personal opinions of one monger and is clearly a minority opinion on this great board.

Have fun and keep contributing.[/QUOTE]I like your logic Vitrea.

So. Mr Warren Buffet of the mongering world, a question for you.

I am weighing up options between Cartegena and Medellin for a 4 night trip.

I like the idea of Medellin and particularly the Plaza Hotel set up. Seems like a normal hotel in disguise that has chicas available and a bar / night club, La Cueva, just underneath. Good. Seems very laid out and easy. Is this place previously the mansions?

Then there is Cartegena, I could stay in a beach side hotel. When the mood takes me grab a freelance beach chica and / or hot LDV for fun.

So. I am looking for value in the true sense, not just cheap.

Sunday Night.

On CNN Anthony Bourdain In Colombia.

IMHO nothing in Cartagena is good value for your $. Stick with Medellin.

In Cali you don't NEED high end options. The cheaper options are pretty amazing.

[QUOTE=Bango Cheito; 1416573]IMHO nothing in Cartagena is good value for your $. Stick with Medellin.

In Cali you don't NEED high end options. The cheaper options are pretty amazing.[/QUOTE]The first time I drank aguardiente was at a spot in La Sexta in Cali when I was with a chick and she ordered it. I still have the empty bottle in my curio. It was 28k pesos. Last night in Zona Rosa in Bogota my girl ordered the same thing and it was 50k. At the Galeria discos it was a little more. The same bottle in Exito is 9k.

I did find food and taxis to be a good value in Cartagena. Places to stay and girls were astronomical IMHO. I have never gone for a high end option anywhere. To me pussy is pussy. I have never paid more than US$50 for p4p and that is for long time.

[QUOTE=World Travel 69; 1416504]Sunday Night.

On CNN Anthony Bourdain In Colombia.[/QUOTE]Bourdain's new "travel" show through Colombia was informative, entertaining, and gave a realistic view of the country. It was less about food than his "No Reservations" series. He skipped Medellin since he previously did a "No Reservations" show there.

I liked the fact that although he praised Colombia and its people, at the end of the show, he readily admitted that Colombia has some serious problems that they need to overcome. As one of the Colombians on his show said, if he was the President of Colombia, he wouldn't know how to turn his country around since it has so many problems.

In case you missed it, it will repeat Friday and Saturday. You might be able to see online in a few days.

[url]http://www.cnn.com/video/shows/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown/index.html[/url]

[QUOTE=World Travel 69; 1416504]Sunday Night.

On CNN Anthony Bourdain In Colombia.[/QUOTE]

Has anybody made an purchase of a airplane ticket on viva Colombia using a foreign credit card? I know that Avianca makes you go through the other country page and quotes prices in USD (of course more expensive then in COP) if you have a foreign credit card. Also how difficult is it to open a bank account in Colombia and get a local credit card? Has anybody any experience on the subject?

Wreck

[QUOTE=WreckDiver; 1425557]Has anybody made an purchase of a airplane ticket on viva Colombia using a foreign credit card? I know that Avianca makes you go through the other country page and quotes prices in USD (of course more expensive then in COP) if you have a foreign credit card. Also how difficult is it to open a bank account in Colombia and get a local credit card? Has anybody any experience on the subject?

Wreck[/QUOTE]When I was in Colombia in April I spend an entire day asking at serveral banks if a foreigner can open a bank account. Finally at Banco de Bogota they explained in detail that in order to open a bank account one need to have a Colombian residence. Thus it is almost impossible for a foreigner not living in Colombia. Colombian nationals need a new cedular (I'd card) if they want to open an account. The old one cannot be used for business purposes anymore.

Avianca tickets. I confirm that there are problems with foreign credit cards although I managed serveral times to order a ticket on-line on their Colombian web site using my European credit card. No idea why it sometimes works and sometimes not. Please note that I am an Avianca frequent flyer and this may help.