Cali Reports

Hi Saint,

This is El Cubanito from the Cuba section of this board. I have been reading your post and after reading your post I might be interested in going to Cali before or after I leave Cuba if I can can hook up with you I am flexible with this. Let me know if this is ok with you. You can PM me. I am set to leave to Cuba on March 31 and stay until april 12. I would like to go to Cali for 5 days. I know this problably will not get me enough time to meet a nice girl, but it will give me time to meet somebody down in there. Let me know if anything can be done, if not I will go down by myself.

El Cubanito

El Cubanito,

You are fluent in Spanish so you have that extra advantage. I've read your reports and you sound like you have some "game" so I think you'd really like it. The girls are super sweet there. Yes, 5 days is very tough to crack non-pro scene but you can meet up with non-pros and then also visit the casas and nightlife to ease your stress.

I was going to go back to Cali after my French Riviera trip this week but I'm going to fly in my girl to Peru instead for my Machu Picchu trip next month. I guess I won't be hobbying in Peru. No biggie.

5 days is plenty of time to have fun in Cali. Have fun and let us know how it goes. You'll be perfectly fine going alone. The key is speaking Spanish which you already have mastered. Good luck.

Hey Fellas,

Saint, I have that information for you, Check your PM´s. You keep on saying that you cannot say it enough but its not that easy to score with the none pros. I COMPLETELY understand. The situation is somewhat similar here in Panama City. Just because you are from the states DOES NOT mean it will happen the first night. All you can do it try. About Ramon, lord knows by NO means am I locked into a contract with him, lol. I will give him a shot, see what he comes up, then I may call your guy. I really dont want or need a guide considering I have tons of information from this board. Well see what happens. Ok, so everyone get ready for him reports and pics, I will give my 2 cents about Cali starting the second I touch down. Oh, and once again, if anyone is reading this and is in cali now, or will be for the next week. Send me a PM, I will be there tommorow March 16. Alright fellas. Wish me luck, see you when I get there.

After reading on the Colombia boards, I am finally going to take the plunge! Want to know a few things, how easy is it getting to the city from the airport. Is it fairly safe to walk around? What hotels are girl friendly and have safes, etc. etc.

I am from Puerto Rico so Spanish is not a problem getting around but there only for this weekend so have to make the most of it!

Hysteromania,

Perhaps guys like Antifreeze can give you better information. I know that he was extremely busy these days working and traveling so he might not be reading but I'd say he is probably the best source for info. To answer your questions, it's very easy to get from the airport to the city. It's about a 25 minute taxi ride. I had it prearranged to have a driver. It might be $2 more or so but it was good peace of mind. There are TONS of taxi's though so no worries. I think I paid something like $18 to get from the airport to my hotel.

As far as the hotels that are girl friendly. I stayed in a hostel instead of a big hotel because I heard the hotels could be a hassle sometimes but I honestly don't think that's the case. A few guys that I was emailing told me that and I think they were just saying that so I'd stay in their casas. Since you are fluent and will have no problems getting around the city you might want to check out the Intercontinental at around $75 a night or the Dann Carlton next door to it. Both looked like nice hotels. Some other guys listed other alternatives so don't be lazy and go read back. Lots of good information out there. Guys take the time to post and help others out so the least people can do is take time to go back and read.

If you are from Puerto Rico you probably look Hispanic. You'll blend in well. I stuck out like a sore thumb and had NO problems the 10 nights that I was there. I walked around even at night and had no problems. Use your best judgement if you should or not. I tend to be the adventurous type.

For me, part of the fun of a new city is going out exploring, talking to the locals and seeing the entire city. I can't stay in my hotel room and only hit the clubs. Not my style. Good luck.

Hysteromania:

It is misleading that the Intercontinental does not allow ladies! I always stay there and have had NO problem whatsoever bringing in company. They may ask for and ID from the ladies, but that is only for your security.

Listen to what everybody writes here. Go to Chipichape. Go to Unicentro. Go to Avenida Sexta. Mix and mingle. You will definitely have fun.

David

Saint, the normal girl cellphone phenomenon you refer to is called "pinging".

It's not quite true the girl won't call your cellphone. She will if she genuinely likes you (or has something to gain from the relationship) but it's true that her financed will determine whether she will actually speak with you on the phone for a long time.

The reasons for this are straightforward. Cellular rates in South America are far more expensive than say if you called on a landline, and if you call a cellphone, that is much more expensive than calling a landline. Therefore, most people, especially those on a budget, tend to keep their cell phone talking to a minumum though of course some will yak and yak and just can't help themselves (then all of a suddent their prepaid tarjeta is out of credits)

Text messaging is very popular among cellphone users. And it's a lot cheaper than calling.

for economic and perhaps somewhat cultural/macho reasons, the girl will often "ping you", meaning call let it ring once or twice and then stop the call. On your cellphone you will see the number trying to call you or that tried to call you - and then you can call her back and talk. In any event, it's certainly a clear indication of interest and the fact she does indeed want to talk.

I am an avowed cell phone hater in general but they're a must in Latin America if you're staying there for any length of time.

Catire,

Yep. I totally got that in Cali. I didn't mean to imply a girl wouldn't call your cellphone. I only meant to be aware it's not cheap for them. I had several girls calling my cellphone. Most of the time I was already with someone though so I didn't answer anyway. I couldn't figure out my voicemail so I couldn't even retrieve them.

A few times I would call the chicas back and I ran out of credits and they were nice enough to call me back on their dime. Ha, ha. I didn't mind being "pinged" though. As you mention...I was happy they wanted to talk.

As mentioned, the only thing that sucks with the club girls and the girls from the casas like Kaliente is they have to work everyday except Sunday and on Sunday they spend most of it with their family. One Sunday when I did go out on a date with a FF girl she brought her kid with her!

I don't hate cell phones. In fact, I make it a point to try to rent a phone or preferably buy a SIM card. I like having the same number when I go to Rio. In Europe I just use my GSM phone from the USA. It's not that cheap but super convenient. You gotta be available to talk to these chicas and the cell phone is the easiest way.

P.S. For any of the Colombia pros like Antifreeze, Ricker, et. al..... Do you know if I'm being quoted the right taxes for leaving Colombia? I talked to a travel agent and she is telling me the prices below:

>-Impuesto visita PERU : U$ 13
>- Impuesto salida Colombia : U$ 47
>- Impuesto Salida Peru : U$ 23

The taxes for leaving Colombia seem awefully high. I think I only paid $25. Why would a Colombiano have to pay almost double? It's not going to be cheap but I'm flying my girl and her brother to Peru to go to Machu Picchu with me next month. Should be fun.

Hey guys can anybody tell me whats the rate at the DANN CARLTON hotel, usually when I travel to cali I stay at the inter or if I go for more than two weeks I stay at the aparthotel rayda but I think I want to upgrade. I really enjoy that area, in general its the safest area in town.

This is a report related to safety in Cali, Colombia.

Saint:

I do not mean to flame, but stating that:

"I can honestly tell you to ignore the warnings. Cali is a very safe city as long as you don't stray outside of the city."

Is not only erroneous - it is simply downright irresponsible.

The experience of a few days as a tourist is simply not illustrative of any city's level of relative safety.

I have been living in this city for five years now, and I can tell you, it is NOT a "very safe city" by ANY objective standard.

Right before I came down here, one of my cousins (Mr. Hugo Antonio Castaño R.I.P) was found dead right outside of town. He had been kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. Since I have been down here, a friend of mine (Mr. John Fernando Palomino Montoya R.I.P) was shot in the head five times at point-blank range.

The national and local governments just had a special security council intended to address the incredibly high murder rate. This is a city of over two million, and there have been well over 400 murders so far this year.

This is not someone posting opinions on the Internet. It's all over the news!

Check this out:

http://www.citypopulation.de/Colombia.html#Stadt_gross (population figures for Cali as of the middle of last year)

http://elpais-cali.terra.com.co/paisonline/notas/Marzo092004/A409N4.html (an article from a local newspaper)

I just checked the links - they work. Yes, the article is in Spanish. It's an online article from our local newspaper dated March 9, 2004, which outlines the state of affairs in this city.

434 murders this year, as of the time when the article was published. Yeah.

NOT "a very safe city" at all.

Now, is this city the equivalent of Beirut in the 1980's? No.

Bosnia in the early 1990's? No.

But is it a safe city?

NO!

Am I saying stay away? No, HOWEVER, everyone needs to know and understand that the city of Cali, Republic of Colombia, is not - as is evidenced by the above cited info - repeat not, a "very safe city".

Come down at your own risk. Be careful. Use your head. But then again, using common sense and knowing a few things about this city is no guarantee at all that you will be safe, it won't even make a difference in many, many situations. This is what I have always said to people when asked about the level of relative safety in this town.

No amount of flaming or endless conjecture will negate the facts I have stated.

Be safe y'all.

Okay, got a reservation to arrive Saturday night and will probably play it safe at first and stay at Intercontinental. Then if I meet a nice chica I can invite her over on Sunday for a leisure day at the outdoor pool for lunch. :)

Saint, I researched some of the past pages but could not find much in relation to prices (only saw Flores Frescas for 3 hours) or how much the Hotel Cali is for example. How about apartment rentals? Would be nice to have a little party on my last night there. Also, I am fluent in Spanish because of my background but don't look hispanic, just a white boy from Miami.

Is there like a particular area where all the clubs are like in Manila or Buenos Aires or is it casas spread out around the city? What are video bars and are they only in Bogota? How does the mall scene work, is it cherry picking like Ayala Mall in Cebu where girls are looking for you while you are out looking for them.

Also, is it true the departure tax is that high, $47!!! Then again, I may fall in love and never want to leave, possibly......

Saint ... regarding the departure tax ...

You talked about before how you went to this office in the airport upstairs prior to getting your boarding pass ... in this office they gave you what is called an 'exemption' of tax because you are a tourist.

Your departure tax cost about $25-28 ... your novia and her brother will most likely have to pay full price ... unless maybe you can BS your way for an exemption for them too because they're with you ... probably not but you never know.

Suerte.

Hysteromania,

In regards to prices, I thought I listed all that stuff. Most of the girls at FF seemed to all throw out the same price. 150,000 pesos ($56) for 1-2 hours or so plus you have to pay an exit fee of 70,000 pesos ($26) to pull them out of there. You can opt to see them in the club but I usually never do this. I don't like the dirty rooms at places and I prefer the atmosphere of my room. I usually go out and buy a TON of candles. The first thing I do when they get in my room is light all the candles, turn on music and give them a brand new toothbrush and sometimes I bring extra first class amentity kits that I get on American Airlines.

Right away it sets the mood and makes things really smooth and comfortable. It seperates the GFE session from the mediocre or rushed session. You are also signaling to the girl that you are attracted to her and you're treating her special. If you don't fly First/Business you can go out and make your own kit. Just go out and get a small little zippered kit and fill it with sample sized items like toothpaste, lotion, mouthwash, etc. I'm telling you I do this often and it works like a charm. The girls can't believe it! Definitely have music that you can play. You can bring a portable CD player or Ipod and bring external speakers. You MUST have music.

You might spend $10 or so on these kits but it's a great investment. Plus, it's a genuinely nice thing to do for them. It will distinguish yourself as a gentleman. (Of course if everyone does this I guess I won't be so special anymore...ha, ha).

*** Keep in mind that your experiences with FF girls might not mirror mine. I have pretty good luck. My buddy T.B.D. that is one of my best friends and has traveled with me some and met some of the escorts I ended up dating in the USA told me to emphasize in my reports that I have extremely good luck. It might not be as easy for some of you. I hope so though... ***

All the FF girls I saw were in NO hurry to leave. In fact, I was the one that told them they could leave in every instance. You set the perfect environment and they won't want to leave. Same thing goes for my apartment in BA. If they have the choice to spend the night in a crappy apartment that they share or a nice pad with lots of amenities they almost always will choose the latter.

The normal clubs are spread out throughout the city. Go back and do some research. Leo did a good job listing some of them in his report from last year. Take the time to go back and read. I didn't do the normal clubs because I was too busy.

The mall scene isn't what you think. These are just normal girls full of normal girls shopping, hanging out with their friends, eating and drinking. The girls aren't there to pick up guys. Remember there are virtually no tourists there so there are not really guys to pick up. These are for the most part sweet girls. Nope...no "cherry picking" going on. I'll emphasize unless you have some 'game' it's not going to be that easy.

Since you speak Spanish that will give you a big headstart. Don't be cheesy either. These girls are intelligent and can probably detect someone genuine from someone looking for a quick score.

As mentioned in my report, I paid no additional departure taxes by going upstairs and getting my passport stamped. The airline I believe already charged me $25 on my ticket and I paid no additional taxes. Good luck.

Hey Ricker,

Hola amigo. Nope. I won't be able to avoid paying their taxes. I'm meeting them in Lima so no biggie. I'll just give her some money for the taxes. I hope you're doing well. Hopefully we can hook up soon. I plan to head down there a few times depending on how things go with my novia. I also plan on coming down this summer and traveling to a few cities in Colombia. Let me know if you'll be around and want a running partner to go to a few cities. I have Medellin, Cartegena and Bogota on my list. Also, do you know anything about Armenia? Is it a really small town? Some of the hotties I met were from there. Thanks.

Mo714,

I definitely think I misspoke when I typed that. I think guys need to evaluate the risks and FACTS before coming to Cali or any other city in South America and especially Colombia. Obviously it's not as safe as other destinations. My only point was that it was NOTHING like the US State Department portrays things to be. They would have you believe that you are going to get kidnapped upon entering the hotel. That just isn't the case and if you live there you know what I'm talking about.

Sure Cali has crime. Sure it's dangerous. But I think you'd have to agree for the average tourist going down for a few days or weeks the danger isn't the same as someone living there day to day. I would venture to guess that most of your statistics are about locals. Still, thanks for posting that information.

It's good to have all sides of every story and all the facts when going somewhere. The other thing guys need to remember is if you have ANY doubts at all you shouldn't come. Part of the fun of vacations is to relax and have fun and not have to worry about anything. You can't quite do that if you feel like you have to look over your shoulder all the time.

Remember that bad things happen. You could get mugged, beaten or even killed in Cali. But you could get mugged, beaten or killed in Rio, Sao Paulo or even back in the USA. You could have been in the World Trade Center on 9/11 or on that train going to work in Madrid. There are no guarantees in life. Live life to your fullest. I won't feel guilty if something bad happens to you because you went to Cali. Only you can make the decision to travel and see the world.

Also, I don't consider that a flame at all. In fact, I think it's important for people to state their opinions. My posts are NO more important than anyone else's. We can all agree to disagree. As I stated many, many, many times. I'm only a guy with a few pesos in my pocket, that loves to travel, and I can sure type really fast. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Best of luck to all.

Saint ... just let me know when you're doing the Colombia tour and we'll figure something out.

Great idea about the little toiletries for the chicas ... I always bring a bunch of little boxes of chocolates you can buy in Walmart for about 75 cents/each ... the chicas love you for it.

Have fun in Peru with your novia ... I'm heading to Guatemala tomorrow for a couple days then off for a while to Colombia.

take care

About two years ago I made my first trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I fell in love with the city and the people there. It broke my heart to see so many people less fortunate than us. There are many children that don't have adequate clothing or food. Shortly after my first trip I had a goal of starting a non-profit foundation or charity to help out these people. I was surprised when Jackson (owner of WSG) was at my apartment in BA and told me that he was in the final stages of starting the same type of charity. I was amazed and touched that we had the same idea. There really was no need to redouble my efforts.

The news media likes to talk about a side of the hobby that the majority of us aren't a part of yet they don't talk about the other aspects. I'm not quite sure how much WSG Charities has raised over the past year but I'm proud to say that many guys have contributed. Some have made very generous donations of $1,000 or more. I think that's wonderful! There are so many guys that receive benefit from WSG. Directly and indirectly. I posted the following below and I would ask you to read it and make a contribution.

Maybe Jackson will decide to branch out and help feed the poor of other cities. I think Cali or other cities in Colombia or Brazil would be great too. After meeting Antifreeze I think maybe he would want to be part of something like this to help direct funds to those that need it. There is nothing better than helping someone less fortunate than yourself. Please give generously.

I know some of you will have the response, "yeah, I already donate to charities in the USA" or make up some other excuse. Many of us donate to charities in the USA as well but I'd ask that you consider helping out this cause.

________________

"Hi amigos. Some of you may be aware that Jackson has taken the time to start a charity to help feed the poor of Buenos Aires and the surrounding communities. It's ironic because we both had the same thought about trying to do something to help the poor of Buenos Aires. He was much further along and took a lot of time and effort to put it together. Several of you have emailed me over the past several months asking if I still had plans to start something like this. There is really no need to double my efforts as we have the same goal.

I am asking all of you that have received benefit from my posts in the past and all of you that have received benefit from WSG to make a donation. This probably includes just about everyone reading this forum. Even if you have no plans to visit Buenos Aires you have probably received an indirect benefit of living vicariously through members from this forum. I'm not asking you to contribute a huge amount although if you could that would be great. With the sheer number of guys that read this board all it would take is a small donation of $10, $15, $20, $25, or $50 a year to make a big impact. If you can afford it then donate a few times a year.

I'm sure many of you could care less about the poor of Buenos Aires. If that is how you feel than so be it. I strongly feel that everyone can afford to contribute AT LEAST $10 or $15 to this cause. Several of us at the Thanksgiving Dinner last year contributed money to help with this cause. I hope that in the next few months I see more and more people with a designation under their handle that says they have donated. I didn't even know Jackson was doing that but it's probably a good idea. I would personally feel offended if I'm down there and out hobbying with some of you and you didn't contribute at least a little to this charity.

I feel like I've taken time to contribute through my posts and I've never asked any of you for anything. This is the first time and I hope you can find it in your heart to help out. You can make a donation with Paypal.com and that is probably the quick and easiest way. (To make it easy for him you might want to include your handle with your paypal.com donation). Please keep in mind that this is Jackson's project and he is the one that took the time to put it together. I know he probably didn't want to solicit donations and he never asked me to. I'm asking on my own behalf. Thanks in advance for your generosity!"

Saint

www.wsgcharities.com