Barranquilla Reports

I have just forgotten to write co at the end.

Thank you Hoof Hunter for that very useful website.

Do you know some others of Barranquilla??

- [url]http://www.elheraldo.com.co/hoy051115/primera/index.htm[/url] - main city newspaper

- [url]http://www.lacheca.com/index_main.html[/url] - main city site for discos, etc.

- [url]http://www.lacheca.com/index_destapador.html[/url] - for websites/ galleries of pics of the events at specific bars - just click on the dates.

- [url]http://www.barranquilla-online.com/BOL/bq_frame.htm[/url] - an official city website, not the greatest but functional

- [url]http://www.sociedadcolombianadefisica.org.co/eventos/xxi_cong_nal_fis/HOTELES.pdf[/url] - for a list of hotels in BAQ (prices outdated), but gives you specific address and phone # info

- [url]http://www.maporama.com/share/map.asp?SESSIONID=%7B82770192-1A62-4EA1-96E7-0B69F19CB995%7D&COUNTRYCODE=CO&_XgoGCAddress=&Zip=&State=&_XgoGCTownName=Barranquilla&SEARCH_ADDRESS.x=11&SEARCH_ADDRESS.y=11[/url] - for a local street and barrio map of BAQ - just click through to find your location

- [url]http://www.carnavaldebarranquilla.org/2005/som/41.php[/url] - for a website for Carnaval 2006


There are others but this should get you started.


[QUOTE=Volpone]I have just forgotten to write co at the end.

Thank you Hoof Hunter for that very useful website.

Do you know some others of Barranquilla??[/QUOTE]

Thank you very much Hoof Hunter for the websites.
I am hesitating between these 2 destinations. I will have to choose one of them and I will make the trip from Lima and back to Lima.

I think Barranquilla is perfect to meet non-pros, and that's what I like.
Santo Domingo seems to be good, but much more touristic than Barranquilla.

IMHO ....

ANYWHERE in Colombia beats Santo Domingo ... I know them both very well.

Why not do all three and not compare them?

As Ricker said, anywhere in Colombia beats the DR, for many reasons. Santo Domingo has its charm, but that wears off quickly with me. Too touristy where I've been, too many hustlers. JMO. The women??? Hit or miss. I haven't been back to DR since last year, after they started the crackdowns on the puterias and the exchange rate inflated from RD$55 to $1USD, to the current RD$33 to $1USD.

I will warn you that BAQ gets boring during the week. So if you have a chica there and she has a real job, you'll have to find a way to work around that schedule, and there ain't much to do in BAQ after the limited tourist options exhaust themselves. Even Buena Vista gets boring. However, as Ricker also stated, you won't find friendlier people than in BAQ. And on the weekends, they party hard!!! The women? Non-pros are fairly easy to chat up. Once they get to know you a little, watch out. Some of the sweetest, most insatiable taboos in the world.

Lima is a city of history. Not the pretty city in South America at all. The people are also very friendly and warm. They are also generally pretty short in height. Easy to start a conversation, without wishing anything in return. There are some very rundown areas, and some very nice areas. You'll more than likely be in Miraflores or San Isidro, two of the best areas of the city. It's mostly cheaper than Colombia in Lima, there are exceptions. There are some great restaurants in Lima. The women? More Indian features than most Colombians and Dominicans. P4P is much cheaper than Colombia and DR. And once you escape the gringo gulch, it's even cheaper than that. Fun times to be had regardless. Non-pros are easy to score here as well.

Try each one, if you can.

then again, IMHO Peru is QUITE good too and WAY underrated. I REALLY want to try Venezuela whose chicas might be the only nationality to beat Colombianas in terms of looks. For MANY mongers, language will be a MAJOR impediment to fully enjoying Colombia (outside Caratagena and San Andres where you can get by solely with English). Also, Colombia's monger scene is less stellar than some other Latin countries. It is the GFE where Colombia excels, and GFE usually takes several days to develop, so those wanted a wild mongering experience would be well advised to go to Brasil instead IMHO. Colombia is tops for romance, but if doing the nasty with lots of different hot babes who rarely (ever?) say "no", Brasil remains the Gold Standard.

In Colombia women are nicer and country is less turistic than Dominican Republic, and it's good, but if u are not a expert trird world traveller get out from Colombia, cause Colombia is 100 times more dangerous thn Santodoimingo, for example if u are a Gringo never go out of town that many people in xountryside live kidnapping rich men and tourist means richmen there.

But if you are a expert men with good eyes for avoid dangerous you can go to Colombi, but NEVER ACCEPT TO EXIT FROM TOWNS TO GO TO COUNTRYSIDE!

Well I am putting an ad in the newspaper. I will see if any girls like I have seen posted here will reply. Everyone has told me that the non pros take a little while to warm up so I had some time before the vacation.

When I checked out Cali, all of those stunners had a local guy with them at all times. Hard to believe that gringos had much of a chance with them unless he was rich. Money does talk anywhere in the world.

[QUOTE=Simone01]In Colombia women are nicer and country is less turistic than Dominican Republic, and it's good, but if u are not a expert trird world traveller get out from Colombia, cause Colombia is 100 times more dangerous thn Santodoimingo, for example if u are a Gringo never go out of town that many people in xountryside live kidnapping rich men and tourist means richmen there.

But if you are a expert men with good eyes for avoid dangerous you can go to Colombi, but NEVER ACCEPT TO EXIT FROM TOWNS TO GO TO COUNTRYSIDE![/QUOTE]

Thank you everybody.

I stayed in Peru a few months and I had a great time with non-pros.
It also seems to me that Barranquilla or some other cities in Colombia would be better than Santo Domingo.

But it also seems to me, that it would be MUCH MORE DANGEROUS as Simone01 wrote. Furthermore you sitll have the risk to be kidnap if you go out the city, what would never be the case in Lima or in S.D.

Caracas is also very interesting. As I speak Spanish, it would be easy to rent an apartment for 1 month.
Somebody, who lived in Caracas in a good suburb, told to a friend, that even the rich suburbs are not so sure. Furthermore as Caracas is not a toursitic place, it is important to avoid the police. Moreover people wear guns when they go out, what is not the case in Lima. Except the aspect of being kidnapt, Caracas seems to me more dangerous than any city in Colombia.

Caracas is a very dangerous town, maybe now it's also more dangerous than colombian towns, maybe in Venezuela is better to go to small towns, while in Colombia cause guerrilla never go out of big towns.

If you must travell only for girls go to Santo Domingo or Cuba very safer countries also if more turistic. Anyway in Cuba or Dominican Rep. if you want you can avoid the most turistic sides as for ezample bocachica(dominican rep) or Varadero and Lahabana in Cuba. Go to SanPedro de Macorix ( Negras)or better Jarabacoa ( blancas y trigunneas dominicanas, Las mejores))for dominican girls in nothing turistic areas, there you get free or about cause there is no turism.Chao

but IMHO the risk of a VISITOR being kidnapped in the cities is virtually nil. Long term residents are at somewhat more risk, but the HIGH risk exists in the countryside, NOT ther cdities. Just my opinion.

Let's say that in big towns risks to be kidnapped are smalls, but never zero risks, sometimes druging men in discos they kidnappped also in towns, of course in towns guerrilla cannot enter or stop your car.

Anyway do not think only abuot kidnappin but also in street gangs of boys that can give u problems also in towns if u do not remember that some barrios are offlimits for turists, never go to southern barrios and offen avoid also the center, anyway ask at your hotel and they indicate u in the map good sides and dangerous sides in towns, and never go to countryside in countryside also big villages are dandgerouses, police is nothing out of towns. Bye.

Yes girls are simpatic and very nices, I prefer Colombians than Dominican girls.

Chao

Thanks guys for your point of vue.

What would be interesting to compare is Lima and some other cities in Colombia, except Cartagena.

I stayed in Lima, in Miraflores and San Isidro. I really feel safe there. Would it be the same if I stay in the good suburbs of Barranquilla or Bogota or Cali or Medelin?????

I felt very safe in north BAQ and in many parts of MDE. I felt very safe in Manizales, Pereira, and Armenia. I did not feel very safe in Cali.

[QUOTE=Volpone]What would be interesting to compare is Lima and some other cities in Colombia, except Cartagena.

I stayed in Lima, in Miraflores and San Isidro. I really feel safe there. Would it be the same if I stay in the good suburbs of Barranquilla or Bogota or Cali or Medelin?????[/QUOTE]
Just got back yesterday from 2 weeks in Barranquilla and Cartagena, and wanted to quickly chime in on this. I spent about 4 days in Lima back in 1999, and this trip to Colombia was my 12th trip to South America and the Carribbean (excluding seven more trips to Mexico, where I have been living for two-and-a-half years now).

Based on my experience in other Latin-American countries (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Salvador and Rio in Brazil, Chile), staying in a good neighborhood in Barranquilla did not make me feel any more insecure than anywhere else that I have been to in that hemisphere. When I was in Lima, I stayed in Miraflores, too, and I do understand that things have changed quite a bit in Lima, recently (and from what I hear, for the better), so my info might be outdated, considering that I was there 6 years ago (and Miraflores felt very safe when I was there). Staying in a safe neighborhood in Barranquilla and observing basic security precautions that you should observe anywhere in the world should keep you out of trouble, in all likelihood (personally, I didn't have any trouble there whatsoever). Can't really say anything about Cali and Medellin (because I haven't been there personally, though I'd love to go, and wanted to go this time) or Bogota (while I have been there, it was simply too short to come to any reasonable conclusion, plus I was accompanied the entire time I was there by a local to keep me out of trouble).

Cartagena was perfectly fine for me.

More detailed trip report to follow (including what areas and hotels I stayed in in both Barranquilla (Norte/El Prado) and Cartagena (Bocagrande) and pertinent information).

Hope this helps for what it's worth.

EA