Cali Reports

I will be in Cali from 28 May to 6 June. I will use the info that Simple Man and others have posted. Thanks for that guys. Is anyone in town around the same time and in the mood to go chica hunting? Send a pm.

I've been off to Europe and haven't visited this section in a while. I hope to visit Cali again soon but been so busy on other trips. Still, I have so many girls #'s from Cali now from Cybercupidos and Amigos.com that I need to get down there!

I read Antifreeze's post a few pages back. I agree with much of what he said. The internet is filled with a lot of wierdos and low lifes. WSG certainly isn't excluded from that fact. However, I really believe in the goodness of people. I have met some wierdos but luckily I've met more good guys that are just normal guys.

I met Antifreeze and he is a really good dude. I just hooked up with another guy in Prague that is a good guy. These boards are about sharing. At one time or another we were new and we came to this board and got some valuable information. If you have good information and you are willing to share it. Then by all means post it. Even if it's ATM information, restaurant info. Anything! That's my belief anyway.

If you don't like a post, just move on or ignore it. Stay safe all!

Hi Saint,

Long time no hear. last Time I heard you were going to somewhere in South America with a Girl from Colombia. You mention she might be Mrs. Saint. Did it happen and that is why we have not heard from you?

Welcome back buddy.

El Cubanito

El Cubanito,

Yes, I did spend 10 days in Peru with that girl. I was kind of kidding when I said she might be the next "Mrs. Saint" but I figured out that a model hot 20 year old that is uneducated and speaks no English gets kind of boring after a while. You can read about my adventures in the Lima/Cusco section of the Peru board.

I told her better to remain friends during the trip and that really pissed her off. She thought we were going to get married. Oh well. I haven't been in the USA much. You haven't heard from me on this board because I was too busy traveling in other parts of the world. Just got back from Amsterdam, Paris and Prague-Czech Republic where I also posted reports.

Good luck. I hope you're doing well.

Saint

ALL - FARC is out bombing the hell out of different areas of the country (Northwest Colombia (normally safer)). Many dead and many wounded.

This to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their start of the "war."

Please see the link below for the CNN story:

http://us.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/05/23/colombia.attack.ap/index.html

Good Luck and please be safe. Gringos are easy to spot and although that might help you with the ladies, it also makes you an easy target for the FARC.

$Bill

Here is some more info on the attacks:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/05/24/colombia.40.years.ap/index.html

Please be safe!

$Bill

Dollar Bill you posted Farc attacks safety recommandations in ALL Colombian threads EXCEPT on Nibu's one : do you want him to be bombed :) ?

Cheers

Damn, you saw right through me. :-)

In reality - with over 50.000 WSG members + all the lurkers, the Nibu thread probably only gets read by 1 member (Nibu himself).

I read the CNN report. It did not detail the locations of the bombings. Did I miss something? Is there a monger in Colombia now that can eloborate? My friends in Medellin and Cali don't seemed to be too concerned with the bombings!

Correct me if I'm wrong but none of these bombings happened in mainstream cities that most of us going to Colombia would be in. Right? It's good to post information and newsreleases but it's also good to understand where those places are where violence is occurring.

Colombia is a wonderful country with the friendliest group of people you could ever know and arguably the most beautiful girls on the planet. It's worth the risk to me to visit and probably is worth it for most guys as long as they practice good common sense and stay out of "hot spots". Still, I don't want to downplay the violence there. I just think all of need to make a risk/reward decision.

Interesting! As I read this comfortably sitting at my computer in my office in more or less downtown Cali, a bomb went off... It seems to be downtown. I guess I'll need to listen to the news tonight.

Things are pretty rock'n'roll right now in Cali. Last week, 2 lawyers eating a pizza at Domino's pizza the next corner from my office were gunned down. There is a drug war, but also this government is serious about enforcing the law here. And, then there is that sad aniversary of 40 years of stupidity, selfishness and greed for the FARC. Last weekend in Jamundi, 6 persons were killed in gunfights. One of them being my brother in law's cousin (which was driving with another person that had questionable relations - making him pay the price of being at the wrong place at the wrong time).

Right now is a good time to really pay attention in Colombia. As the government gets tougher on crime (organized and not), these idiots are getting more desperate and some rocky times have to be survived while they go through their slow but secure death of their trade.

Peace. Freeze.

Saint -

Most of the Dickie Doo's DO go to Cartagena, which was mentioned in the reports. It is something that WSG members should know about before they read all the "Colombia is safe, it is worth the risk" comments from you and others. I posted this in almost all the Colombian boards on WSG to advise all interested in Colombia that there is stuff going on and to be safe.

While I have traveled to Colombia and felt relatively safe, I also knew the risks prior to going.

Last August, when I was last there, I saw a shoot out when some guy punched a lady and knocked her off her moto-scooter, and some "good citizen" chased him down Av. Sexta shooting at him. I watched this all from my balcony at the Hotel Don Jaime, but I or any other monger could have been on the street at the time and been in the action.

I love Colombia and "her" people. You are 100% right when you said that the majority of the people are the friendliest in the world. But they are that friendly to put a "good" face on Colombia. A small percentage of the Narco's & Farc assholes have hurt the reputation in the world's eyes of this beautiful country and most Colombian's are embarrassed by this.

I love reading your (Saint) reports and this is not a personal attack on you, but I want to make sure those other members that also love your reports, know that THERE IS A BIGGER RISK OF BEING IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME IN COLOMBIA than in the US. Shit does happen there that you probably won't see in Anytown, USA.

Freeze - sorry to read about the security issues so close to home. Stay safe!

$Bill

Bill & Freeze: Somebody visits for a week, survives without witnessing any incidents, then tell the World that Cali is as safe as Dallas. It is not (as YOU guys know). These same people get GFE from 10s whereever they go too and tons of freebies from models.

Maybe some are blessed by God, but the rest of us mere mortals DO need to be aware of the risks and take reasonable precautions to minimize them (or we need Mrs. Freeze to keep us out on violent incidents like a certain UGLY incident that Freeze will recall while we dined on the Sexta a few months back).

I once read a post about an Eastern European Airline that had a HORRIBLE safety record (they ALL do!). Some guy responded that he saw one of their planes land safely, so he concluded the airline (it was not aeroflot but Bulgarian or something) was just as safe as Lufthansa or British Airways. Because you survive a game of russian roulette do you conclude it is no more dangerous than a game of cards?

EVERYBODY must make his own determination of what level of risk of violence he is prepared to accept to chase skirt. Relying on someone else's opinion, especially someone with very limited knowledge, is dangerous indeed. Would you walk across traffic on a bust freeway because some guy just crossed and said "Go ahead, it is fine, I made it no problem"?

And if you DO rely on somebody's careless opinion that all is fine, and then you do get kidnapped by FARC or ELN or AUC, you think the guy who said "don't sweat it" is going to pay your ransom money out of his own pocket? And ransom payments for gringos are, from what I hear, generally six figures (in DOLLARS, not pesos).

I've been lucky too in my visits, Knock on wood!!!!!!!, but I CERTAINLY would not be so irresponsible as to tell everybody else not to worry about the risks in "The World's Kidnapping Capital". It got that name FOR A REASON!

Surfer's advice is exact. We should all read and note the situations in Colombia. The reality is all mongers are at risk no matter where we go. If you think you're safer in Tijuana, Panama City, or San Jose, think again.

I have traveled to Cali several times and Medellin once. I've never seen Farc or any other terror organization. The crimes I saw were not different from what I experienced growing up in SC- Los Angeles. However, Surfer is correct, these are just one person's experiences and yes, I've been "lucky".

However, I think the women of Colombia are worth the risk. What makes Cali and Medellin so great is there is no influx of "gringos". Encouraging an influx of "gringos" may damage an oasis. There will always be a high level of danager in Cali and this board only provides information, not common sense.

Hi All,

I am a new poster here but have been traveling to Cali for the last Four years so I know the city very well. Surfer and Antifreeze are 110% correct in what they are saying about the safety issues in Cali.

Like surfer says and no offense to Saint and others but you guys that go down to Cali for 10-14 days without seeing any violence and then come back and post on the board that Cali is as safe as any US city are really misleading the board. I thought the same thing you did until I was standing in line to get in a club and a guy walked up, pulled a gun out of his pants and blew the Colombian guy standing 2 feet next to me in line away.

Or the three seperate incedents on different trips where someone tried to mug me while returning to the Windsor Plaza hotel, or the time I was in Mission and someone threw grenades into Mission trying to assasinate the owner of the club.

These are the only things that have personaly happened to me, but I am sure people that have lived in Cali long enough have experienced other things themselves.

I love Cali, and I still go all the time, but all of you who think that Colombia is as safe as your average US city need to think again. Surfers post really says it all.