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[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2925524]Some may even say it is insane to give money to a chick just because you are having sex with her.
It is nothing new for guys to give money to chicks for nothing. This has been going on since the beginning of time. .[/QUOTE]Big difference between giving her money for having sex with you and giving her money for nothing. I think everyone on here is fine with the first.
Be careful you guys. 29 dead tourists in 2024 alone.
I suspect most were drugged.
[URL]https://nypost.com/2024/06/27/world-news/chilean-actor-alex-araya-found-dead-in-colombia-after-tinder-date-with-two-women/[/URL]
[QUOTE=JohnnyDh;2925869]Be careful you guys. 29 dead tourists in 2024 alone.
I suspect most were drugged.
[URL]https://nypost.com/2024/06/27/world-news/chilean-actor-alex-araya-found-dead-in-colombia-after-tinder-date-with-two-women/[/URL][/QUOTE]We already know about it. In fact it was mentioned that it's on track to be like 65 per year if the current rate continues. Even this article mentions it as "one tourist per week" being killed in Medellin and over half of those are Americans. There were even 2 US border patrol officers who were drugged and killed in Medellin recently. Be safe out there guys.
[URL]https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-06-24/29-tourist-deaths-trigger-alarm-bells-in-medellin.html[/URL]
[QUOTE=Gabacho;2926079]We already know about it. In fact it was mentioned that it's on track to be like 65 per year if the current rate continues. Even this article mentions it as "one tourist per week" being killed in Medellin and over half of those are Americans. There were even 2 US border patrol officers who were drugged and killed in Medellin recently. Be safe out there guys.
[URL]https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-06-24/29-tourist-deaths-trigger-alarm-bells-in-medellin.html[/URL][/QUOTE]I don't know why but this is such a fascinating topic to me. It's a point that has beaten to death. And most importantly we all have different risk tolerances. Understanding your own risk tolerance is so important because it's totally pointless to make a trip when you have to deal with fear.
My own personal take on these numbers: today, there are 10 flights arriving in MDE from the US. Undoubtedly this does not account for Americans connecting in Panama or other countries. But let's just look at those 10. In my experiences, I'd say that every flight I have made to MDE has at least 60 mongers. I'd say that's a very conservative estimate, based on converstaions I've had and overheard both on the plane and particuarly waiting on the immigration line. Extrapolate that out. If today is an average day, you have maybe 600 American mongers entering MDE daily. That's 219,000 a year. With 65 deaths a year, that means it impacts 0. 03% of mongers. I'm not trying to say there's no risk. Of course there is. But I think about my trips. And I watch American mongers in Parque Lleras or on the streets. What I am very confident of is that I'm not in the 0. 03% of mongers making themselves an easy target.
My point. Yes of course there are risks. And no, our hobby isn't worth your life. But with even just some minimal mitigation of risks, the chances you are going to be killed are very small. And you can argue with my math. But I'd also say that 65 per year deaths also includes some obvious non-monger deaths. They also aren't all Americans. I say that just to point out my calculations are fairly sound and fairly conservative.
I'm not trying to argue or stoke flames in a never ending debate. My only interest is that we make sound decisons. Know your own tolerance. Evaluate the situation. And we'll all make the right decisions for ourselves.
[QUOTE=Dcrist0527;2926095]That's 219,000 a year. With 65 deaths a year, that means it impacts 0. 03% of mongers. I'm not trying to say there's no risk. Of course there is.
[/QUOTE]I haven't done the calculations but I wonder if it makes sense for USAns to go mongering in MDE to reduce their safety risk compared to being in the USA and exposed to mass murders, police beatings, incarceration, death-by-McDonalds-and-Pizza-Hut, lack of public healthcare etc. Any takers?
Is mongering only available in MDE? I don't think so. LOL. There are so many safe places in Colombia. I pick Colombia any day.
[QUOTE=JustTK;2926186]I haven't done the calculations but I wonder if it makes sense for USAns to go mongering in MDE to reduce their safety risk compared to being in the USA and exposed to mass murders, police beatings, incarceration, death-by-McDonalds-and-Pizza-Hut, lack of public healthcare etc. Any takers?[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Dcfan77;2926261]There are so many safe places in Colombia. [/QUOTE]Such as? Certainly not any of the major cities.
[QUOTE=Dcrist0527;2926095]I don't know why but this is such a fascinating topic to me. It's a point that has beaten to death. And most importantly we all have different risk tolerances. Understanding your own risk tolerance is so important because it's totally pointless to make a trip when you have to deal with fear.
My own personal take on these numbers: today, there are 10 flights arriving in MDE from the US. Undoubtedly this does not account for Americans connecting in Panama or other countries. But let's just look at those 10. In my experiences, I'd say that every flight I have made to MDE has at least 60 mongers. I'd say that's a very conservative estimate, based on converstaions I've had and overheard both on the plane and particuarly waiting on the immigration line. Extrapolate that out. If today is an average day, you have maybe 600 American mongers entering MDE daily. That's 219,000 a year. With 65 deaths a year, that means it impacts 0. 03% of mongers. I'm not trying to say there's no risk. Of course there is. But I think about my trips. And I watch American mongers in Parque Lleras or on the streets. What I am very confident of is that I'm not in the 0. 03% of mongers making themselves an easy target.
My point. Yes of course there are risks. And no, our hobby isn't worth your life. But with even just some minimal mitigation of risks, the chances you are going to be killed are very small. And you can argue with my math. But I'd also say that 65 per year deaths also includes some obvious non-monger deaths. They also aren't all Americans. I say that just to point out my calculations are fairly sound and fairly conservative.
I'm not trying to argue or stoke flames in a never ending debate. My only interest is that we make sound decisons. Know your own tolerance. Evaluate the situation. And we'll all make the right decisions for ourselves.[/QUOTE]My take on risk in Medellin is based on my experiences there. I've had some minor crimes. Pickpocketed and extorted by "false" police. But neither of those were serious in terms of physical risk. But of the perhaps 50 people I have met that were either visiting there, or lived there, I would say at least half have been drugged, robbed at knifepoint or gunpoint, or been victims of some sort of crime. And these are not stupid weekend warriors, they include many that speak Spanish, are aware of their surroundings, etc. So to me it is a high risk place. None of these, to the best of my knowledge, have been murdered. But the murder stats are the tip of the iceberg, those are the robberies or druggings that have gone wrong generally. So the chances of someone trying something are, in my opinion, high. The chances of it injuring you may depend on how it goes. But of guys that have been drugged, in particular, many never report it because they don't want complications back home, or publicity, or they blame themselves and feel sheepish about it. So who knows what the real numbers are. But it stretches my comfort zone. Having said that the casas are pretty safe, strip clubs (when you are in them) pretty safe, and perhaps Facebook girls that you have had on as friends for a number of years who have regular looking Facebook accounts.
[QUOTE=Zeos1;2926286]My take on risk in Medellin is based on my experiences there. I've had some minor crimes. Pickpocketed and extorted by "false" police. But neither of those were serious in terms of physical risk. But of the perhaps 50 people I have met that were either visiting there, or lived there, I would say at least half have been drugged, robbed at knifepoint or gunpoint, or been victims of some sort of crime. And these are not stupid weekend warriors, they include many that speak Spanish, are aware of their surroundings, etc. So to me it is a high risk place. None of these, to the best of my knowledge, have been murdered. But the murder stats are the tip of the iceberg, those are the robberies or druggings that have gone wrong generally. So the chances of someone trying something are, in my opinion, high. The chances of it injuring you may depend on how it goes. But of guys that have been drugged, in particular, many never report it because they don't want complications back home, or publicity, or they blame themselves and feel sheepish about it. So who knows what the real numbers are. But it stretches my comfort zone. Having said that the casas are pretty safe, strip clubs (when you are in them) pretty safe, and perhaps Facebook girls that you have had on as friends for a number of years who have regular looking Facebook accounts.[/QUOTE]Care to elaborate on the time you were extorted by "false" police?
Were these actual false police in the sense that they weren't police at all but just some random guys wearing a police uniforms and acting as if they were the police and then demanding money? Or were they real police officers who were corrupt and threatening you with jail unless if you paid them?
Find out for yourself papacito!!
[QUOTE=Huacho;2926271]Such as? Certainly not any of the major cities.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Dcfan77;2926261]Is mongering only available in MDE? I don't think so. LOL. There are so many safe places in Colombia. I pick Colombia any day.[/QUOTE]I'm discovering different cities in Colombia and getting off the beaten path sometimes. The midsized cities offer a more tranquil laid back feel and the people there are pretty good. One day I want to check out Monteria, Sincelejo, Tunja, Valledupar, Popayan, Pastor, Ibaque and other cities like that. So many people go to Medellin, Cartagena, Bogota over and over again and that's all they know. They have no idea what Colombia is all about and many are biased.
Now that's what I'm talking about. All people have to do go explore instead of simping these hoes.
[QUOTE=MongerHunger;2926427]I'm discovering different cities in Colombia and getting off the beaten path sometimes. The midsized cities offer a more tranquil laid back feel and the people there are pretty good. One day I want to check out Monteria, Sincelejo, Tunja, Valledupar, Popayan, Pastor, Ibaque and other cities like that. So many people go to Medellin, Cartagena, Bogota over and over again and that's all they know. They have no idea what Colombia is all about and many are biased.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Dcfan77;2926621] All people have to do go explore instead of simping these hoes.[/QUOTE]Exactly bro! I recently have been discovering the Coffee Region of Colombia in the cities of Pereira, Manizales and Armenia. I love the change of pace and tranquility. It also is a very beautiful area of the country. The weather is almost perfect and the people are very friendly. For example, Valle de Cocora is a magnificent place along with the nearby pueblo of Salento. Anybody that says the smaller cities and towns are boring is because all they probably do is chase hoes and flush money down the toilet. Many guys, not all, don't give a damn about Colombian culture or traditions. They could care less. Their whole life is consumed with drugs, alcohol, women and bad decisions. If anyone takes offense to this post then I'm probably talking about you.
[QUOTE=MongerHunger;2926665]Exactly bro! I recently have been discovering the Coffee Region of Colombia in the cities of Pereira, Manizales and Armenia. I love the change of pace and tranquility. It also is a very beautiful area of the country. The weather is almost perfect and the people are very friendly. For example, Valle de Cocora is a magnificent place along with the nearby pueblo of Salento. Anybody that says the smaller cities and towns are boring is because all they probably do is chase hoes and flush money down the toilet. Many guys, not all, don't give a damn about Colombian culture or traditions. They could care less. Their whole life is consumed with drugs, alcohol, women and bad decisions. If anyone takes offense to this post then I'm probably talking about you.[/QUOTE]I agree w you. The last couple of years I've made Pereira my base of operations. It's a nice / friendly easy going / safe mid size town. And has a number of monger options as well. Plus the food. I also go to Cali for a couple of days as well. And lately I've been taking the bus to Armenia. Another friendly / safe mid size town w monger options as well. Never been to Manizales yet. I like the atmosphere in these places.
[QUOTE=Zeos1;2926286]My take on risk in Medellin is based on my experiences there. I've had some minor crimes. Pickpocketed and extorted by "false" police. But neither of those were serious in terms of physical risk. But of the perhaps 50 people I have met that were either visiting there, or lived there, I would say at least half have been drugged, robbed at knifepoint or gunpoint, or been victims of some sort of crime. And these are not stupid weekend warriors, they include many that speak Spanish, are aware of their surroundings, etc. So to me it is a high risk place. None of these, to the best of my knowledge, have been murdered. But the murder stats are the tip of the iceberg, those are the robberies or druggings that have gone wrong generally. So the chances of someone trying something are, in my opinion, high. The chances of it injuring you may depend on how it goes. But of guys that have been drugged, in particular, many never report it because they don't want complications back home, or publicity, or they blame themselves and feel sheepish about it. So who knows what the real numbers are. But it stretches my comfort zone. Having said that the casas are pretty safe, strip clubs (when you are in them) pretty safe, and perhaps Facebook girls that you have had on as friends for a number of years who have regular looking Facebook accounts.[/QUOTE]This is a very fair counter argument. Especially the underreported aspect. But man, 50% of your known compatriots? I'm not doubting you! Like you, I can only rely on my own experiences. I guess in my 20+ trips to MDE, I'd say I've met and befriended 30-40 fellow mongers. At least friendly enough to share stories and discuss safety. I've only heard of one actual crime, and that was a pickpocketing. (And boy was that a story of what not to do. A girl pickpocketed his cell phone. He chased her down, confronted her, etc. But that's another story!
So am I biased towards the "safe" argument? Probably. And it is interesting how different our experiences are. As I said, my math is only valid for reported deaths. There are certainly undesirable fates less than death, so you have a fair argument. But I still think the numbers are HEAVILY in our favor with minimal mitigation steps.