Bogota Reports

So after I "shed" my novia, I decided to walk from Calle 56 down to Santa Fe this past Saturday. I felt pretty comfortable about the walk down Carrera 14 since the Transmilenio went through it and I had scouted the route out taking the bus with my novia to La Candaleria the day before. I had no problem making the walk to Santa Fe, aside from just being vigilant about crossing every street, looking out for traffic. Again, I can't reiterate enough, you can very easily get hit by a car / taxi / sport motorcycle if you don't pay attention.

So I make it to Santa Fe and I'm not impressed. Place smells, is dirty and since it's a Saturday, it's a zoo. Hold that thought about it being a zoo on a Saturday. The complexion will change drastically in a couple of days. So since the place is so busy, I blend in rather well wearing black jeans, black T-shirt, light black jacket and black sneakers. I walk around and go places I probalby shouldn't have and have no problem. I find a little supermarket called Danny's Supermercado and the lady working there is nice and it's 2000 mil for a beer which she had to unlock the freezer to get for me, but this became my HQ or Fortress of Solitude, since I knew her price schedule and she was a good vendor. (Again, we're talking less than a buck for a beer, takeout).

Now since it was a Saturday it was very busy in Santa Fe. But what was different was that tons of guys on the sport bikes, (not Harley's), were driving around like idiots scoping out the chicas standing outside of what appeared to be parking garages. It was a traffic nightmare and more of a nightmare to try to cross the street. I'm walking around and quite frankly, nothing interested me. It would be a stretch to say there was a six out there during the day. The talent level was very disappointing and quite frankly, I still can't figure out how the system works, nor did I have any interest in finding out.

Now I arrived in Santa Fe around noon and now I've pounded quite a few beers and need to take a leak. The clubs such as Atunes, Friebe, etc. On Carrerra 16 aren't open yet, so I'm looking for somewhere to take a whiz. I walk down toward Calle 19 and notice I've entered the tranny zone but see a small bar with it's door open, so I figure I'd duck in, buy a beer and take a leak. A tranny follows me in and propositions me, I say no gracias, and then she goes to the hallway adjoining the bar to what appeared to be the entrance to their short term hotel where they do their business. Anyway, I order a beer, spy the urinal and take a much needed leak for 2500 mil, beer included. Now I'm looking around and the place is full of guys and some are watching some Colombian comedy show on TV and others are gazing upwards and I notice they've got a TV placed up on the second floor showing tranny porn. I finish my beer take another leak and off I go. I scout around the 22 and 23 Calles and again, nothing I would even give any thought to.

Around the corner there is some commotion going on. Some locals getting into it, but for all the "Police" patrols in Santa Fe during the day, nobody can be found. So while on that subject let's talk about the "Police".

There are several layers of police in Colombia. National Police which you see at the airport, Military Police because Bogota is after all the capital, Dignitary police, helping with escorting diplomats, real police, those that carry a weapon, and the junior cadet, crossing guard, want to be police, that have a fluorescent vest on and carry a nightstick, but act like girls in a brothel checking there cell phones all the time.

Santa Fe is patrolled by the crossing guard police, which are about as useful as tits on a bull. You'll see why in my next post.

So now the hour is a bit past 2 pm And from what I read, that's when some of the clubs open up. I head over to Atunes, which is now open and I'm greeted like a celebrity and there's no one there, since the club just opened. I found all the other joints mentioned here, but guess I was too early to get a full appreciation. The street scene / window? Scene didn't impress me at all, so after a couple of hours circling the same blocks, I opted to head back to my hotel, with no interest in returning at night either by foot or taxi, although it would have been taxi for sure.

I might have missed out on the first team later in the evening, but if they were anything like the day shift, I'm glad I did.

OK, so now after having experienced Santa Fe this past Saturday, and taken a respite from the mongering scene by climbing Montserrat on Sunday, I decided to check Santa Fe district out during the day, again this past Monday. I walk my usual route and get to Santa Fe, but am surprised how few people are there for a Monday vs. The Saturday. The place is somewhat of a ghost town but traffic is still heavy for a block on Calle 23 with taxi drivers gawking at the talent standing out on the street. So now here's where the wheels started to fall off for me.

I get to the center of the action and there's a panhandler in the street that locks on to me and says, hey, gringo, give me some money for food (in Spanish). I ignore him and zig and zag my way out of there. I'm amazed at how desolate the place is compared to 2 days previously. Now for point of reference, it's about 12:15 pm In the afternoon, broad daylight. There were some chicas out and some might have been new, but I decided to wander down to Danny's supermarket and grab a beer to have in hand for my tour. What I did notice was a high concentration of tranny's that had moved north from their usual spot and how they had skillfully tried to integrate themselves in amongst the girls working out of the parking garages.

So just before I go into Danny's to grab a can of Aguila (local beer), some crack head tranny makes eye contact with me and is on me like flies on shit. "It" starts rambling on in Spanish, I duck in to by my beer with 20000 mil and "it" sees me getting change. I stay in the store a bit thinking "it" will move along and this son of a * is waiting for me outside. I leave and head up toward where more people are and this piece of shit won't go away. I keep saying, no gracias, no gracias and get to a real busy area, thinking "it" will tale off, and no, this scumbag is still up my ass. Now I'm feeling agitated and decide to head to the Avenue with traffic and potentially crossing guard cops. I make it out to the Avenue and start heading north and this crackhead tranny is still telling me to give "it" money. Now I'm pissed and see two "police" ahead. I yell at "it" and say and getting the police and "it" is still not phasesd. So I get to the 2 police cadets and tell them that this piece of shit is harassing me and get "it" off my back. They stare at me like deer in the headlights. I continue walking north and still can't shake this jerk and now notice "it's" got a bottle of mace / pepper spray in it's hand threatening me. I could have taken this POS out with one punch to the face or broken the skinny bitches arm to get it to drop the pepper spray, but in a fleeting moment, it dawned on me, that how would it look if I punched out a Colombian tranny. I'd be charged with assault. And trust me after the way things turned out, it was the right move to restrain myself.

So seeing "it" being aggressive with pepper spray in hand I decide to turn around and head back to the two dumbfounded "police". Now we've got a full fledged incident going on. She's screaming, I feel totally unprotected by the cops from a legal perspective (I'm 6'2" but this tranny saw me eye to eye) so I'm not looking for them to protect me, I just want them to get this idiot off my back. I giving my best in Spanish explaining that this thing is harassing me and these wannabe kid cops are looking at me like I've got 3 heads.

Now this just so happens outside a guy who had an upholstery shop and he's taking everything in. I look to him ask him if he speaks any English, he says yes, I explain that I was just walking and this crackhead is all over me. He tells me to go use the bathroom in the back of his shop, meaning he's trying to help diffuse the situation, as now we have 6 police cadets appear and a mob scene brewing.

I go to the back of his store and his wife and sister come to me and say, just pay her and get rid of her? Pay "it", for what? I didn't do anything wrong. Now we're up to 9 police cadets and they are offering me nothing in terms of covering my back or being my advocate.

The store owner comes back to me and says that I owe this Tranny for a blowjob she gave me and that I didn't pay and she won't leave until she's paid. I say what? You've got to be fucking kidding me? I'm angry and laughing at the same time to think that these fucking idiotic kid cops would think that I would stoop so low as to let this potentially AIDS infected crackhead anywhere near my junk.

So now we've got a Mexican standoff and the only person at this point that I have any respect for is the shipowner. Since he was cool about telling me to go use his bathroom to get me away from the situation, I now say to him I don't understand totally and hand him my cheat pad with pen and say "escribe por favor". He writes in English to me that to make this go away, give the fucking tranny 8 bucks, bite the bullet and that will get these cops off your back and I know you didn't do anything wrong. Now remember I just bought a beer for 2000 mil so I think if I pull out 8 mil on the button, they're going to further believe "it's" story. So I grab 10000 mil and slap it in the cops hand and for all that theatrics, it was one hell of a show for about three dollars and 33 cents.

What a f*cking scam, extortion game. I know the money is negligible, but it's the principle. At no point was I asked for my passport or any identification, which one would think would be the first thing these cops would ask for to validate my identity. It was almost as if they've seen this game played before.

Bottom line, I had this impression before this happened, and unless the 10's come out at night, or even a bevy of 8's, avoid Santa Fe. Just my opinion from a seasoned world traveler.

[QUOTE=ClubTed;1778107]OK, so now after having experienced Santa Fe this past Saturday, and taken a respite from the mongering scene by climbing Montserrat on Sunday, I decided to check Santa Fe district out during the day, again this past Monday. I walk my usual route and get to Santa Fe, but am surprised how few people are there for a Monday vs. The Saturday. The place is somewhat of a ghost town but traffic is still heavy for a block on Calle 23 with taxi drivers gawking at the talent standing out on the street. So now here's where the wheels started to fall off for me.

I get to the center of the action and there's a panhandler in the street that locks on to me and says, hey, gringo, give me some money for food (in Spanish). I ignore him and zig and zag my way out of there. I'm amazed at how desolate the place is compared to 2 days previously. Now for point of reference, it's about 12:15 pm In the afternoon, broad daylight. There were some chicas out and some might have been new, but I decided to wander down to Danny's supermarket and grab a beer to have in hand for my tour. What I did notice was a high concentration of tranny's that had moved north from their usual spot and how they had skillfully tried to integrate themselves in amongst the girls working out of the parking garages.

So just before I go into Danny's to grab a can of Aguila (local beer), some crack head tranny makes eye contact with me and is on me like flies on shit. "It" starts rambling on in Spanish, I duck in to by my beer with 20000 mil and "it" sees me getting change. I stay in the store a bit thinking "it" will move along and this son of a * is waiting for me outside. I leave and head up toward where more people are and this piece of shit won't go away. I keep saying, no gracias, no gracias and get to a real busy area, thinking "it" will tale off, and no, this scumbag is still up my ass. Now I'm feeling agitated and decide to head to the Avenue with traffic and potentially crossing guard cops. I make it out to the Avenue and start heading north and this crackhead tranny is still telling me to give "it" money. Now I'm pissed and see two "police" ahead. I yell at "it" and say and getting the police and "it" is still not phasesd. So I get to the 2 police cadets and tell them that this piece of shit is harassing me and get "it" off my back. They stare at me like deer in the headlights. I continue walking north and still can't shake this jerk and now notice "it's" got a bottle of mace / pepper spray in it's hand threatening me...[/QUOTE]First and for most what Mexicans had to do with this situation and if you were using the term "mexicans" to point out two Colombians arguing / talking then sir you deserve what just happen to you.

Second, this board points out that Sanfate is not the best, unless you fully understand the underground and dirty scene that is beyond "paisas" and the other places in that are and the best to avoid any of this is to be with a local.

[QUOTE=PeterSmith;1777714]Are there places in Bogota that you can recommend where the atmosphere is casual and there is availability of semi-pros, students, or pros that are interested in being with foreigners.[/QUOTE]Zona T (zona rosa)(specifically for students).

Obviously, you have no clue about American phrases and terms and what their underlying meaning is. And since you appear to be clueless, this had nothing to do with Mexicans. Next, you obviously didn't read my post or understand it, since I didn't deserve to be harassed for just walking down a street. My trip reports were intended to be informative and useful for others so they can learn from members previous experiences and be further armed with as much intel as possible, in the event they decided to venture to Santa Fe. I suggest that you give your fingers a rest and post only when you have something of value to give back to the board.

[QUOTE=PipiLoco;1778212]First and for most what Mexicans had to do with this situation and if you were using the term "mexicans" to point out two Colombians arguing / talking then sir you deserve what just happen to you.

Second, this board points out that Sanfate is not the best, unless you fully understand the underground and dirty scene that is beyond "paisas" and the other places in that are and the best to avoid any of this is to be with a local.[/QUOTE]

Very sorry ClubTed for your bad experience. I came also to Colombia after my amazing experiences in SXM, but that was nearly 10 years ago. At that time traffic was not the issue it is now, there were very few foreigners who dared to come to Colombia and girls looked at me in the street with open mouth. I had the blast of my life and felt in love of the country forever. I guess it was also because I was 10 years younger. I now live here, love the country, the people, the food, the culture, the music, the party atmosfere. Bogota has changed a lot however, traffic made the people change in stressed and unpolite people, foreigners are not as exotic anymore as it used to be. Another reason of your bad experience is that you hardly speak spanish. Without spanish you lose 90% of the interaction with the people which is the best part of Colombia and dangerous situations get easily out of hand.

I don't want to look as if I'm giving lessons, but Sante Fe just is one of the most dangerous areas in Colombia. Yes, Colombia is not as dangerous as it is used to be, you will not get kidnapped or killed by guerilla, but petty crime and scams have an extremely high rate. Going as a foreigner, first timer, alone, and without speaking spanish in the zona de tolerencia is just looking for trouble. It just isn't worth it. The experience you will get in SXM, Curacao or Aruba is way better than Santa Fe. There is a simple reason for that: in the Caribbean, the girls are alone, far from their country and their family and have deep emotional needs. Going to Colombia just for the pro scene is not worth it.

Learn Spanish, meet the girls you met in SXM in their normal life, do a couple of all nighter from the upper scale clubs, try the amateur scene, get out of Bogota and you will have the experience of your life in Colombia.

Thanks for the reply Routard! I remember reading many of your posts on the SXM board. Aside from the one incident I enjoyed Colombia and had no other problems. Yes there are tons of cars and I figured out that the people walking around wearing surgical masks, weren't medical professionals. They're trying to preserve their lungs due to what I assume is the poor air quality. Their are many walking around with surgical masks. First I thought there was some epidemic going around. LOL! I speak enough Spanish to get by. I just ran into the wrong whack job this past Monday. In retrospect, I should have given "it" 2000 mil when I left the mercado and that might have done the trick. But hey, then I wouldn't have had a story to tell, would I?

This past Sunday, they closed down Carrerra 7 (southbound) and it was loaded with joggers and bicyclists. I walked from Calle 56 (my hotel) all the way down to the base of Montserrat. Didn't see the Cable car working, so I decided to do the pilgrimage and walk up the path to the summit. Made it to the top, hung out for a bit, then made the descent and walked all the way back to my hotel at Calle 56 without incident.

Again, had it not been for this one isolated incident this past Monday, I would have pulled off a flawless trip. I just wanted to share my story, so that others could take note and be forewarned about what they might get themselves into by going to Santa Fe. Again, it was like two different Santa Fe's. Saturday vs. Monday. Whether you're in Bogota, or NYC, if you run into a desperate crackhead tranny at the wrong time, shit can happen anywhere.

Thanks for reaching out and glad you're doing well in Colombia! As for me. I prefer walking around in shorts and a tank top, so SXM might be calling me next month!

[QUOTE=Routard;1778328]Very sorry ClubTed for your bad experience. I came also to Colombia after my amazing experiences in SXM, but that was nearly 10 years ago. At that time traffic was not the issue it is now, there were very few foreigners who dared to come to Colombia and girls looked at me in the street with open mouth. I had the blast of my life and felt in love of the country forever. I guess it was also because I was 10 years younger. I now live here, love the country, the people, the food, the culture, the music, the party atmosfere. Bogota has changed a lot however, traffic made the people change in stressed and unpolite people, foreigners are not as exotic anymore as it used to be. Another reason of your bad experience is that you hardly speak spanish. Without spanish you lose 90% of the interaction with the people which is the best part of Colombia and dangerous situations get easily out of hand.

I don't want to look as if I'm giving lessons, but Sante Fe just is one of the most dangerous areas in Colombia. Yes, Colombia is not as dangerous as it is used to be, you will not get kidnapped or killed by guerilla, but petty crime and scams have an extremely high rate..[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=PipiLoco;1778212]First and for most what Mexicans had to do with this situation and if you were using the term "mexicans" to point out two Colombians arguing / talking then sir you deserve what just happen to you.

[/QUOTE]So funny, I had to respond.

The guy, ClubTed, said he was in a Mexican standoff.

[QUOTE=ClubTed;1778107]

So now we've got a Mexican standoff and the only person at this point that I have any respect for is the shipowner. [/QUOTE]



It's an expression, not a put down.

Wikipedia dictionary:

"A Mexican standoff is a confrontation between at least three parties in which no party can proceed nor retreat without being exposed to danger".

No reason to get all angry over a common expression dude, Lol

[QUOTE=Ricker;1778345]So funny, I had to respond.

The guy, ClubTed, said he was in a Mexican standoff.

It's an expression, not a put down.

Wikipedia dictionary:

"A Mexican standoff is a confrontation between at least three parties in which no party can proceed nor retreat without being exposed to danger".

No reason to get all angry over a common expression dude, Lol[/QUOTE]I apologize, guess I didn't read far enough to get the whole thing. Moving on with the Santa Fe situation, yes that section is pretty bad mainly because a lot of the organize crime "meetings" if you could say that take place among other underground (guns purchases, gun exchange, drugs and money laundering) stuff, sometimes take place during the night at the places such as paisas. But everything is not bad, a lot of the 8-10 girl will go there (mainly from Medellin and Cali) and you could score big for not much and not just your typical 20 m action.

Hey Club Ted. Thanks for the great reports. I really appreciate your information since, like you have done, I have been contemplating venturing away from SXM on some future mongering trip. While I have considered Aruba and Curacao, I did meet a very lovely (and talented) chica earlier this year in SXM and was giving serious consideration to paying a visit to the fatherland. Although I surely would like to spend some quality time in Bogota with my "novia" I would like to have the chance to venture out solo to test the waters too. Now I am a little hesitant to possibly have my time spoiled by some unfortunate incident such as the one you described. Having spent quite some time in Peru and Bolivia many years ago I still am comfortable with speaking Spanish. This may or may not, however, be of help in resolving a tricky situation as you have presented. Who knows. Like you said you could run into problems anywhere but in NYC or here in LA I'm sure you nor I are too likely to place ourselves in a location that could lead to similar problems.

In spite of my intentions to be a bit more adventurous, I resisted the urge am planning on another visit to SXM. While a visit to Colombia is still on the bucket list the fact that I am now very comfortable visiting the casas on SXM, knowing kind of how things work, the relative ease of "point and shoot" mongering on the island sounds more and more appealing. We will see. If I am fortunate enough to repeat the fantastic experiences I've had with the ladies on SXM in the past, the urge to go seek more in Bogota could still be in the cards.

Damn, didn't know you were in Bogota through Monday. I was there Sunday night until Tuesday morning. I was in Santa Fe on Monday from about 4 PM until 9:30 PM at night, I should have hit you up. Sorry you had a bad experience, I actually had a good time this past Monday but you have to hit the right clubs at the right time. Atunes was actually good (not great) in the late afternoon, and La Piscina had a few beautiful chicas in the early evening. El Castillo was the last place I hit up and was absolutely solid, but you left before it opens at 8 PM. I honestly think if you had hit up more of the clubs later in the evening, you would have liked it more but if your experience earlier in the day isn't going well then I can understand why you wouldn't want to give it a shot at night either. Santa Fe is going to be one of those places where you either have the tolerance for the negative things, or you simply don't and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

I went to Chicas Milenio as well, I want to say about 10-12 chicas and 3 that I would say are very good looking. The rest were mostly OK, I selected a tall chica for an hour. Price was 100 k for an hour which included BBBJ, DFK, CFS, and Anal. The only thing she offered extra was BBBJ which I paid 40 k for, the standard rate was 60 k for an hour that included CBJ and CFS. It was my first time there, and it is directly across from Chicas 2000. It's one block down from one of the universities, fairly easy to locate and there are a couple guys standing outside the casas that will give you the hint you're at the right place.

Bogota is definitely not easy, and it's a city that can overwhelm people. The traffic is horrible, but the Transmilenio works for me and this time around I stayed at the JW Marriott on Calle 73. Very nice hotel and in a location which has some good eating options within walking distance. At night though (especially on a Sunday night), it gets quiet enough to where it might be better to take a taxi. Security at the hotel was pretty tight too especially during the day, and it was quite busy. You can walk to the Transmilenio station in maybe 12-15 minutes and Chicas 2000/ Milenio is right near the station as well. Made it easy to go from there to Santa Fe although the buses were packed, as always.

[QUOTE=ClubTed;1778342]Thanks for the reply Routard! I remember reading many of your posts on the SXM board. Aside from the one incident I enjoyed Colombia and had no other problems. Yes there are tons of cars and I figured out that the people walking around wearing surgical masks, weren't medical professionals. They're trying to preserve their lungs due to what I assume is the poor air quality. Their are many walking around with surgical masks. First I thought there was some epidemic going around. LOL! I speak enough Spanish to get by. I just ran into the wrong whack job this past Monday. In retrospect, I should have given "it" 2000 mil when I left the mercado and that might have done the trick. But hey, then I wouldn't have had a story to tell, would I?

This past Sunday, they closed down Carrerra 7 (southbound) and it was loaded with joggers and bicyclists. I walked from Calle 56 (my hotel) all the way down to the base of Montserrat. Didn't see the Cable car working, so I decided to do the pilgrimage and walk up the path to the summit. Made it to the top, hung out for a bit, then made the descent and walked all the way back to my hotel at Calle 56 without incident.

Again, had it not been for this one isolated incident this past Monday, I would have pulled off a flawless trip. I just wanted to share my story, so that others could take note and be forewarned about what they might get themselves into by going to Santa Fe. Again, it was like two different Santa Fe's. Saturday vs. Monday. Whether you're in Bogota, or NYC, if you run into a desperate crackhead tranny at the wrong time, shit can happen anywhere.

Thanks for reaching out and glad you're doing well in Colombia! As for me. I prefer walking around in shorts and a tank top, so SXM might be calling me next month![/QUOTE]

Ted,

Parts of your story are hilarious. Some good lessons there for all of us. However, for a seasoned traveler I think you made a few errors. One, by basically running from the tranny you became prey. Two, nobody says "no gracias", I believe waving your index finger back and forth saying "no moleste", would probably have worked better. In any case you should have talked to her / him and to diffuse the situation. Once you realized 'it' wasn't going to give up, I would have said that I just finished up with a girl and won't be ready for a while but here's 5000 pesos, (less then $2) go have a beer on me. I really believed it would have worked better. I have been confronted a time or two by aggressive panhandlers and putas in Santa fe always stood up to them and spoke firmly and they eventually got the message. Also, you expected the cops to protect you from a tranny?? Remember you are in a city where they see people getting shot and stabbed on the street for their cell phone daily, protecting a gringo sex tourist from a tranny is little more then amusement for them. As far as the most dangerous place in Colombia goes, I believe it to be Buenaventura, I know some Colombians who must go there for business on occasion and they won't even go out for dinner at night, they order delivery to the hotel. All in all I love Colombia and Bogota. The traffic has become intolerable from the 70's to the park 93 area, especially with some recent road closures in the area, so I try to stay in Chico Navarre area around CL. 109. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Thanks for your input. In retrospect, you are correct, I could of / should of handled things differently. Just didn't expect the tag-along to go beyond a block, and especially during broad daylight. And the can of pepper spray / mace wasn't expected, but I guess it was better than a knife! This was my maiden voyage to Bogota, and I garnered a ton of intel and feel much better equipped to make a return trip, if I were to do so. Nothing against Bogota, but the urban setting just doesn't do it for me. Kind of thought I was in New York City. I'm a tropical, shorts and tank top guy and love the water and a place with a pool, and unfortunately, Bogota doesn't offer that. But I'm glad I checked out Colombia. That's more than anything anybody that's plopped down on a barstool in their local tavern can say! And I had the balls to do it by myself. I have enough frequent flyer miles to cover a free flight to the Caribbean or back to Colombia. SXM is my honey hole, but have Curacao on the bucket list, but have read mixed reviews about the lineup and read they bumped the price up as well. Maybe I'll return to Bogota and try to reclaim my 10000 mil, wouldn't that be a hoot! LOL! ClubTed OUT!

[QUOTE=LatinaLover#1;1778618]Ted,

Parts of your story are hilarious. Some good lessons there for all of us. However, for a seasoned traveler I think you made a few errors. One, by basically running from the tranny you became prey. Two, nobody says "no gracias", I believe waving your index finger back and forth saying "no moleste", would probably have worked better. In any case you should have talked to her / him and to diffuse the situation. Once you realized 'it' wasn't going to give up, I would have said that I just finished up with a girl and won't be ready for a while but here's 5000 pesos, (less then $2) go have a beer on me. I really believed it would have worked better. I have been confronted a time or two by aggressive panhandlers and putas in Santa fe always stood up to them and spoke firmly and they eventually got the message. Also, you expected the cops to protect you from a tranny?? Remember you are in a city where they see people getting shot and stabbed on the street for their cell phone daily, protecting a gringo sex tourist from a tranny is little more then amusement for them. As far as the most dangerous place in Colombia goes, I believe it to be Buenaventura, I know some Colombians who must go there for business on occasion and they won't even go out for dinner at night, they order delivery to the hotel. All in all I love Colombia and Bogota. The traffic has become intolerable from the 70's to the park 93 area, especially with some recent road closures in the area, so I try to stay in Chico Navarre area around CL. 109. Thanks for sharing your experience.[/QUOTE]

We should thank ClubTed for his honesty in what could be perceived as an embarrassing incident. It actually sounds very funny in print, but I bet it was kind of scary when it actually happened.

I think you did alright, you shouldn't totally cross off Santa Fe. You probably bit more than you can chew because the street scene in Santa Fe is definitely more intense than similar street areas in Medellin, and solid Spanish is pretty much a necessity (in my opinion) to play the street game safely and the right way.

So I'd say just avoid the street scene for now and check out the famous night spots in the early evening (Paisas, Piscina, Castillo). These venues can get pretty pricey compared to the daytime street scene, but basically you cab it there and back to your place (or a nearby love motel if you don't want to do the girl in-house) so there's no real security issue, you're not walking around alone at night.

I'm surprised you didn't check out La Forty-Nine; it's a famous spot on Calle 49 (get it?) near where you where staying in Chapinero. Would have been a quick, cheap, and easy cab ride there and back. The club itself is not cheap, especially if you're coming in with the first-time gringo vibe, but I still think it's worth a visit. It's a fun, safe place to go and I've even had a delicious meal (one of those Colombian stews) there at 3 in the morning.

Going back to your incident, I have to point out the Danny supermercado is a known corner where some trannies hang. It's true their main "drag" (pun intended) is a block down starting at the corner of Carrera 16 and Calle 20 going down to Calle 19 but they also hang at the corner of Calle 21 where the Danny mini-mart is located. I've even seen some YouTube videos showing this.

Your mistake was hanging out too long in this area. You might give off a vibe of a type of gringo who's interested in trannies but is not ready yet to pull the trigger so to speak.

Also, this is more of an advanced psychology thing, so I don't blame you if you didn't know this, but never lock eyes with anyone you think might be a bit cracked in the head or is whacked out on drugs. They will latch onto you no matter what you say or do! I learned this the hard way myself with a crazy dude in the New York city subway; my incident was not as bad as yours, but I was kicking myself later at my error.

It's okay (important even) to establish brief eye contact with young guys walking your way (alone or in pairs) in Santa Fe and similar street areas. Just look at them briefly, put your hands in your jean or jacket pockets, and keep walking at the same pace nonchalantly. That lets them know you're not an easy mark or target.

As for the money thing, it's a tough call. If you plan to visit a street scene regularly, you don't want to be known as the gringo who gives free tips just because a bum or other character comes up to you and asks for a gift. But with today's exchange rates, it's not really so bad is it? It's important to carry a bunch of 1 and 2 thousand peso bills, not just as tips for taxistas, but for these kinds of situations. Even just tossing that tranny crackhead a coin or two might have been enough to shake him out of his obsession with you.

I'll admit that if a guy asks me for some change, and I'm in a situation where I feel a bit "cornered," I'll handle it like this: shrug my shoulders while digging into my pocket with the small bills, carefully taking out ONE bill while not showing any other, and just give it to the guy without looking at him. I don't say a word or establish eye contact. Then I try to leave the area as quickly as possible (in case it's a mark type of situation for a robbery).

Overall, good advice. I personally walk around Santa Fe wearing a non-branded jacket, basic jeans, and casual / tennis shoes with my hands in my pockets, and I blend in fine. During the day and early evening you'll see plenty of people walking around even in suits. And a person really needs to walk with some authority and look like they know where they are going. I had missed a turn on my very first to Santa Fe a few months back and walked into the Tranny area, did so for a couple blocks before I walked into a supermarket and looked at google maps on my phone (do this discretely and in a store / restaurant always for less visibility). Went down a street and over in the opposite direction to get back on track as I figured going the immediate opposite direction would make me walk by people I had walked by before, and possibly increase the risk for me and I wanted to give the impression that I knew where I was going. That's just how I think anyways. I also don't like to get stopped on the streets by anyone, whether they are trying to sell something, ask for something, even if it's just some money for whatever purpose. I keep walking at my normal pace, I'm sure that some pickpocketers work in teams and it's possible that they will use someone on the street to create a small distraction to stop a person. This is the way I look at these things in Colombia however, and others may view it differently and might be OK with giving a mil peso or two mils to diffuse a situation, and it really is a small amount. I prefer to get off the transmilenio stop and walk around the 2-3 blocks in Santa Fe, and I don't have any issues. I think knowing where the transmilenio stop is, is probably going to be your best bet if you think you're being followed or harassed by someone. The riders don't want to see disruptions and annoyances, and neither do the "police" that patrol the stops. At least in my experience.

[QUOTE=Phunluv;1779033]We should thank ClubTed for his honesty in what could be perceived as an embarrassing incident. It actually sounds very funny in print, but I bet it was kind of scary when it actually happened.

I think you did alright, you shouldn't totally cross off Santa Fe. You probably bit more than you can chew because the street scene in Santa Fe is definitely more intense than similar street areas in Medellin, and solid Spanish is pretty much a necessity (in my opinion) to play the street game safely and the right way.

So I'd say just avoid the street scene for now and check out the famous night spots in the early evening (Paisas, Piscina, Castillo). These venues can get pretty pricey compared to the daytime street scene, but basically you cab it there and back to your place (or a nearby love motel if you don't want to do the girl in-house) so there's no real security issue, you're not walking around alone at night.

I'm surprised you didn't check out La Forty-Nine; it's a famous spot on Calle 49 (get it?) near where you where staying in Chapinero. Would have been a quick, cheap, and easy cab ride there and back. The club itself is not cheap, especially if you're coming in with the first-time gringo vibe, but I still think it's worth a visit. It's a fun, safe place to go and I've even had a delicious meal (one of those Colombian stews) there at 3 in the morning.

Going back to your incident, I have to point out the Danny supermercado is a known corner where some trannies hang. It's true their main "drag" (pun intended) is a block down starting at the corner of Carrera 16 and Calle 20 going down to Calle 19 but they also hang at the corner of Calle 21 where the Danny mini-mart is located. I've even seen some YouTube videos showing this.

Your mistake was hanging out too long in this area. You might give off a vibe of a type of gringo who's interested in trannies but is not ready yet to pull the trigger so to speak.

Also, this is more of an advanced psychology thing, so I don't blame you if you didn't know this, but never lock eyes with anyone you think might be a bit cracked in the head or is whacked out on drugs. They will latch onto you no matter what you say or do! I learned this the hard way myself with a crazy dude in the New York city subway; my incident was not as bad as yours, but I was kicking myself later at my error.

It's okay (important even) to establish brief eye contact with young guys walking your way (alone or in pairs) in Santa Fe and similar street areas. Just look at them briefly, put your hands in your jean or jacket pockets, and keep walking at the same pace nonchalantly. That lets them know you're not an easy mark or target.

As for the money thing, it's a tough call. If you plan to visit a street scene regularly, you don't want to be known as the gringo who gives free tips just because a bum or other character comes up to you and asks for a gift. But with today's exchange rates, it's not really so bad is it? It's important to carry a bunch of 1 and 2 thousand peso bills, not just as tips for taxistas, but for these kinds of situations. Even just tossing that tranny crackhead a coin or two might have been enough to shake him out of his obsession with you.

I'll admit that if a guy asks me for some change, and I'm in a situation where I feel a bit "cornered," I'll handle it like this: shrug my shoulders while digging into my pocket with the small bills, carefully taking out ONE bill while not showing any other, and just give it to the guy without looking at him. I don't say a word or establish eye contact. Then I try to leave the area as quickly as possible (in case it's a mark type of situation for a robbery).[/QUOTE]