The scene is ongoing. This past weekend was super packed in the walled city.
The entire scene around the clock tower, the street heading north and east from that corner, and all the surrounding streets were completely hopping.
The locals all said that after the initial "crackdown", which only lasted a short time, everything is back to normal.
If you've seen any YouTube videos, KB Travels or anyone similar, the streets were exactly like that both Friday and Saturday this weekend.
And if you like US hip-hop music, which I do, definitely check out Club Androgeno, which apparently is the old Delirium, moved into a new location. That place was packed with girls on Saturday night, just an absolutely wild scene. Took one girl home from there, an complete sweetheart. Paid way too much, but she stayed all night, and gave me complete girlfriend treatment, so I was ok with it.
Book it, you should not regret going. Great time.
[QUOTE=HotSamosa;2977596]Hi there.
How's the situation in old town now. I heard / read about mass crackdown on bars / clock tower and some sort of locals, calling a 'moral police squad' type to harass you few months ago; is it still the same, have things recovered? I'm thinking about heading down end of Feb / early March and even heading to Rosario for a night or two. I haven't seen any updates from the 'crackdown' so thought I'd ask. Any thoughts on Rosario for a little RnR (maybe just one are if there's a chica).[/QUOTE]
Great weekend trip. Friday and Saturday 1/23 and 1/24/2025
Hey all quick trip report here. SUPER long, especially as it was only 2 days / nights, but I had a bangin good time, pun intended!
Friday 1/24 - arrived around 1 PM, took an hour exactly to get through immigration, no thanks to the mfers who constantly try to cut the fucking line. DO NOT BE THAT ASSHOLE!! Seriously stop fucking doing that. Anyway. Uber to Soy Local Hotel. Walked to the corner store and got some essentials, then wandered around. At 4 PM, ZERO girls on the street. So I decided to sit down somewhere, get a drink and a snack and wait to see how things picked up. Headed to Mirador right by the clock tower.
First, thanks to everyone who made a restaurant recommendation, I only ate at Mirador with great views right above the clock tower, on Friday early evening, but oh my god, the ceviche corroncho was STUPENDOUS. I nearly wanted to lick the bowl, it was that good. And after initially asking the waiter, super cool dude, which to choose between that or the ceviche mixto, he immediately said corroncho and I wasn't really buying it, but afterward, definitely appreciative of that recommendation. Goddamn, near perfect. Mojitos were good to, but not as good as El Muelle in Playa Laguito, which I'll get to in Saturday's section.
2 mojitos and the ceviche down, headed out again to see what was up, now that it was pushing 7 PM. Wandered the few blocks north of clock tower, then coming back around, and ran into a girl, totally can't remember her name. She was in white shorts, white crop-top kinda, and with big titties and a nice smile, she got my attention. She made me an offer, it seemed pretty good, I told her "todo sin condon", to which she immediately responded "Si". She wanted $240 k for 2 hours and would come to my room. It was a bit far (I'm lazy) from my room, so we ended up taking a room for short time at Hotel El Viajero (keep that in your back pocket if you just want a quick bang and don't want to Uber back to a hotel, or walk). Cost was steep for 2 hours, $140 k, so also keep that in mind. Yes, I paid too much, don't kill me for that, I was in the mood and had a short attention span, so I went with it.
As usual, took her to the fucking mat. Literally and figuratively. I really wanted to go the full 2 hours, but she tapped out at exactly 59 minutes, which I was fine with. Pretty nice BJ, no condom, but she wanted to fuck and so did I. Made her get on top so I could watch those titties swing around, then moved through missionary, reverse cowgirl (not as great as usual because no front view), then finally hit her from behind and watched the titties swinging in the mirror. Fantastic view. Finally made her lie down flat on her stomach, and just pounded her pussy from behind before finishing on her back. She was ANNOYED, saying, "Baby, porque viniste en mi espalda, no hay jabon!" She thought there was no soap in the shower, she was incorrect. She showered up, I did the same. Paid her the money and seriously this girl FLED, like ran down the steps ignoring the front desk girl who was calling after her saying she forgot something at the desk. Not sure why, didn't see her on the street later after she said she'd be near the taco spot around the corner. Definitely odd. But, all in all a great first one down.
At this point, I'm super tired and just decided to wander the streets taking in the scene. It is truly a kid in the candy shop type experience, there were SO MANY girls out, it was wild. One thing I like about Cartagena (similar to Parque Lleras) is that the girls are all dolled up like they're going out to a fancy dinner. Some of the dresses they have on are just incredible. KEEP IN MIND, there are a LOT of very plain and / or downright ugly girls too. It's not all perfect, but the ratio of good to bad is probably 2:1 to 3:1, depending on your tastes. I do NOT like fake anything: BBLs, any sort of operated giant tits, etc. They look just stupid to me. But other guys LOVE THAT SHIT. If you do, you're in luck, lots of big, operated asses and huge hard as rock (look to be) tits. Luckily, lots of non-operated girls too.
Sat down at clock tower pub (right in front of clock tower), probably 200 feet from Mirador. Shot the breeze with a couple of 2 super nice older black dudes from NYC, enjoyed 2 good mojitos, then started up the walking tour again. Did a few loops, then parked myself by the corner directly under Mirador. Great post-up spot because if you see a great one while walking around, just stay there, and believe me, she'll come by again. Honestly, lots of guys getting WhatsApp numbers, but didn't see a lot of girls actually being picked up and taken away.
Finally, was about to call it quits when while walking back to Soy Local about 1:30 AM, saw Paola, darker girl, long shiny black hair just just gave me the longest, hardest eye-fuck I'd had in a while, so I stared right back. Wasn't sure if I wanted to do anything about it, but she comes back and makes me a good offer $200 k for 2 hours, whatever I want. She said, "I'm really good at sexo oral" and so off we went.
She wasn't lying, bareback blowjob was one of the best I've had in a really long time, of course I finally decide it's time to fuck, so it basically was a repeat from girl #1, on top, big titties swinging, then reverse cowgirl, missionary, doggie, and then finally on the bed lying flat until I blasted on her ass and back. Very nice. She said she was tired and was going to head home, but based on her cleanup routine in the bathroom, I think she was just getting ready to hit the streets again. Lots of re-application of makeup and perfume. I thought it was a little funny that she asked to use my deodorant, but sure ok.
I walked her down, she left, and I went to sleep.
Saturday - 1/25 - beach day for a while.
After not sleeping as well or as long as I'd wanted to, decided to get up and go for a long walk from centro to Playa Laguito, about 3 miles total (5 kms). Nice walk, interesting to watch the change in buildings, construction, beach shacks selling food and drinks, all the way down to Laguito. Didn't realize I'd walked right by Playa Hollywood (or Holiwood as some folks spell it) and took a backtrack to walk Hollywood. Not much in the way of girls out, but a few.
Side note on BEACH VENDORS: 2 comments on the beach area that are NOT in alignment with others' observations. 1) the beach was NOT a terrible experience. The umbrella rental costs seem steep and one of the guys I ran into later Saturday afternoon said he actually saw a beach vendor pull out 2 different menus with rental costs, 1 for locals and 1 for foreigners. These are the printed / laminated cards that have the costs for umbrellas, chairs, recliner chairs, etc. , so yes, Gringo pricing is a thing. That said, I got a mojito from one of the little shacks and by speaking Spanish and not being an asshole I don't think I was overcharged or treated differently, all the folks were very nice. 2) I was NOT accosted by beach vendors / touts / massage ladies every 20 meters as others have noted. I'm not saying that doesn't happen, it just didn't happen to me. 2 or 3 massage ladies made their offers, I politely turned them down, they attempted a "sample" where they rub your shoulders / neck, whatever, I still politely turned them down and they moved on, all a pleasant interaction, nothing terrible. The cigar vendors were also willing to take "No Gracias" and walk away. The bracelet vendors same thing. I did see 2 older gringos react very negatively and very strongly with some inappropriate language and that got a very bad reaction in return. Not telling people what to do, but if you behave like an asshole, you're probably going to get shitty / asshole treatment in return. Just sayin'.
Anyway, walked back to Laguito, checked out the guys gutting fish, saw a chef walking back to Muelle holding a live lobster, which was interesting, and then headed to Muelle Playa Laguito to eat. It's a nice setup, great ambiance, they let you leave your belongings at the table if you want to go swim in the ocean and they're basically keeping an eye on your stuff for you. Food was VERY good. I got a fried mojarra (tilapia), with brown rice mixed with beans, a sliced avocado and some salad, but the real gem was the Canasta de jaiba / crabs braskets for $36,000. 00 for my appetizer. Another near "lick the plate" experience. Goddamn!! Plus the mojitos were the best of the trip. Sat, enjoyed my drinks, paid the bill about 3 PM, walked 1/2 mile back, then decided to grab a taxi. Took a nap, then decided to walk around starting about 7 PM, similar to Friday night. That was a great plan.
Ran across Joana / Martina. Really pretty mid-30's Colombiana. Took her for a drink to El Pasquin, which is a great place as well. Nice drinks, the other guests said their food was really good. Her phone was not charging and she was super agitated by this, so she left to go get it working and after 30 minutes, I called it a "date" and left. No harm done. Met a younger black american guy who said we could walk around and check the scene together. I said, yep, sounds like a great plan. Dude was super cool and we had a nice conversation about Cartagena, the street scene, how his days are like (he lives in an Airbnb down Copacabana beach near the mall there, which he said was nice), and then ran into 2 other black guys from the US.
PASSPORT BROS SIDE NOTE: I know that many folks who post here are anti-passport bros, which almost invariably means black American men, and I do understand the agitation with some of their over the top behaviors. Hell I even saw a black American woman just twerking her ass off in the middle of a street, singing along with a hip-hop song emanating from one of the nearby bars (it was a great ass, so I was in favor of this behavior). However, I will say I had an absolutely spectacular time hanging out with these 3 black guys as a mid-50's white guy. Was one of them really over the top, yes, but he was just so damn happy and excited by all the girls in the street, and the quantity of WhatsApp numbers he was getting that when he just yelled out to no one in particular "GODDAMN I LOVE COLOMBIAAAAAA! I could only laugh and agree. It was hilarious. Just an expression of near pure joy that was fun to witness.
Streets were hopping. Lots and lots and lots and yes EVEN MORE really hot girls out in the plaza, on the street everywhere, the guys were just chasing them down getting numbers, and the girls were sending picture after picture after picture to them of every single pose you can imagine, many of which were pretty freaking amazing. These girls are all professional level marketing majors, and know how to sell their products. They may not speak English in person, but they certainly speak it plenty well enough via WhatsApp to lure almost any guy in.
About 10:30 PM or so, one guy suggests we finally get a move on to Club Androgeno, which out nearly 3 miles from centro but more inland. Address: Avenida el bosque 21 #48-72, Diagonal A #4-72, Cartagena de Indias, Bolívar, Colombia.
We ordered an Uber it and took for fucking ever to arrive, because the traffic was stupid. Finally get in the car, arrive, get out, walk in, and the entrance area has a "cantina" type vibe to it, salsa music by the bar, etc. And I thought to myself, "Doesn't seem like an Urban club, USA style". Well, we get to the main part of the club and yeah, much more like an Atlanta strip club. The one guy pays for a bottle of Tequila for $800 k (Yes you read that right), which comes with a table for us to claim our spot by, 4 Canada Dry small mixer bottles plus some limes with spicy salt, and we have a shot. Not a ton of girls around, but more than enough, and more streaming in every minute. The excited guy is wide awake now, getting numbers, having the girls grind on him, clothed lap dances, etc. And we're just laughing he was enjoying himself so much. About 11:30 PM, I'm thinking I might dip early, but was going to hang out and see.
Nope. Midnight rolls around and the club is now so packed with girls, probably 3:1 girls to guys, the DJ is just rocking out the hip-hop tunes and it was fucking amazing. Everybody dancing, having a good time, had quite a few girls come up to me to get my WhatsApp, but wouldn't you know that the ONLY place my Verizon Travel Pass didn't work well was inside Androgeno. Seriously, like WTF.
The club is loud, so it's hard to communicate, which is probably where the Google Translate would be most useful. That said, I was able to speak and hear well enough that I didn't use it.
One girl, Elizabeth, lighter skinned, long red braids, tiny titties but great ass on her, finally comes up after I signaled to her to come have a shot. This leads her to have another, we chat, she's super happy that I speak Spanish, we chat and dance and grind and have some tit grabbing, with some nipple action mixed in for probably 2 hours. Somewhere in there we go to the front, have some surprisingly good wings and fries (yes, it's a US strip club experience at this point) and we go back inside. More shots, dancing, etc. Until about 3:15 AM, when we head finally outside. We all shoot the shit for a while, get some rides lined up and take off. At this point, the shots on an empty stomach (prior to the wings and fries) are catching up to my friend, so she has the driver pull over 3 separate times to "unload" what she just ate. YIKES! Guy was super cool about it, told me "See I deserve that 30 k for the ride that you talked me down to $25 k". Yeah, he definitely did. Ended up giving him $50 k because he was so solid in handling the bad experience. Girl was a pro though, no extra on the door or the inside of the car, everything outside. Whew.
Get to the room, she's feeling a lot better after we had some water and chatted. She takes a shower, I do the same, and off to the bed. About 2 hours of good times, basically a repeat of the prior 2. Every position, 2-3 x, a few breather breaks in between, finally a good nut to finish the evening's festivities. Awesome.
Around 9 AM we get up, she showered up again, I walk her downstairs to retrieve her cedula, make sure she's in a taxi and on her way and that was the end of my trip. 2 nights, 2 days, 3 girls. Quite a reduction from my usual numbers, but I really enjoyed this trip. Super relaxing, tons of fun, a giant party for me at the end. Fantastic.
All in all, great experience and I would not hesitate to go to CTG again. In fact, given that I like the hot, humid tropical weather, plus the ocean, it makes for an attractive place for me for a 3-4 night trip. Any longer and I think it's so small I'd probably burn out. Any shorter, like this 2 night trip and it's not quite enough. 3-4 nights would be near perfect. A week would be perfect if I mixed in a lot more beach activities, like swimming, a boat tour probably at night, that sort of thing. Supposedly there are some day-trips to a nearby island that is supposed to be fun.
INFO ON AIRPORT CTG for those who want a recent "how long is the wait in line" observation: I checked in online and had my digital boarding pass, so only had to head straight to security. The security line was not long, but man, the process of just "checking out" using the automated machines the same as they use in BOG was just sooooo much longer. No idea why. The Americans in line just didn't get how to use the machine (simple, place passport, DO NOT REMOVE IT, key in your flight number, wait for the machine to take your photo and wait for the green light signal, only then remove the passport, gate will open and you're on your way.) Screening of the bag was super quick after that. If they could speed up the passport scanning piece, the whole thing would've been 10 minutes quicker.
All that said, I left the hotel at 10 AM for a noon flight, but by the time I was through security and waiting at the gate, including travel time by Uber, it was 45 minutes. So I probably could have left 15-30 minutes later and gotten there just as boarding began, but maybe that's pushing it a little too closely.
Soy Local Centro Historico. Nice, cheap, awesome location, no guest fees.
Upon check-in, the woman at the desk, after all the normal costs, signing the guest form, paying the bill upfront for the nights to be stayed, etc. Gives a rundown of the "guest policy", basically she said, in English no less, "If you meet someone and decide to bring them here, please know that we will take their physical identification and hold it while they're here. We will not give it back to them until you return to the front desk with them and instruct us that everything is ok and that we can return their identification to them."
At that, I was well satisfied that things would be ok.
Best part, I took 2 guests back and unlike in Medellin, there was zero guest charge. Just turn the ID over, the front desk person makes a note in a notebook and files the ID in an folder organizer, and off you go to the room. When you return, they ask the girl what her name is, check the notebook, retrieve it from the folder and off she goes.
For me in Medellin, most hotels wanted $100 k per guest, so between $20 and $25 USD at current exchange rates.
Given that the girls in Cartagena at least TRY to charge more, if you factor out the added guest charge that you'd pay in Medellin, the 2 become more comparable. Although Hotel Nutibara in Medellin centro did not charge me any guest fees either.
Bottom line, Soy Local Centro Historico was a decent enough place, with an ideal location near to all the action that if you wanted to bring multiple girls back over multiple days, the savings in terms of not paying guest fees could be pretty substantial.
NOTE: be aware that they use some sort of powerfully scented cleaning solution when mopping the floors throughout the building. If you're sensitive to strong smells, this might not be the place for you. Think Fabuloso type strong smell. If you like that, or are used to it because your family uses it, then you'll be fine. For me it hit me hard when I first was in the lobby checking in, but got used to it over the next 2 days. Just an FYI.
OTHER NOTE: The guys I met were staying at an OZ Hotel down in Bocagrande and they also said guests were allowed and did not mention guest fees being charged.
[QUOTE=HotSamosa;2978738]Damn, I love your recap of your 2 days / 2 nights there. I had a similar experience in Medellin, just meeting random dudes and all of us hanging out and checking out sites. What'd you think of Soy Local, was it easy enough to bring the girls back? I assume they check their ids, any joiner fees?
Reading your recap, I'm ready to take off tomorrow LOL. I'm heading down probably last week of Feb, if not the week before.[/QUOTE]
