Just spent 9 days in Bogota
Rather than pontificating here is just my report from boots on the ground:
Santa Fe.
Seemed pretty busy, lots of girls on the street, going rate seemed to be 30-50 k for 15 minutes and about 10 k for the room. The streets are disgusting and covered with trash. I didn't go into the clubs. I didn't feel it was unsafe; The biggest risk is probably being robbed by a streetwalker when you are in the room. I did see a few trannies and based on hearsay they are the most dangerous. If streetwalkers are your thing, maybe to avoid problems you could pick one of the girls who is standing in front of one the short time hotels and if she works in the same place every day she is less likely to rob you vs some gal on some random street corner.
SA.
I did hit some Seeking girls. The prices ranged from 150 k to 250 k plus taxi for two to three hours at my room, to 350k for overnight. They ranged from gals living in the southern barrios to a medical student, so quite a wide range actually. I asked them to bring an ID every time and I cancelled an appointment with one girl who said she had lost her ID. They all have an ID (Cedula), so if they don't there is probably something wrong. I do feel that Seeking gals tend to charge more especially if they speak English. One girl asked for 600 k. I'm sure that if you could find the same girls in another way, eg. On Facebook, they will probably charge less. Unless you are Tom Cruise you should expect to pay for Seeking girls. (The whole premise of the platform is an "arrangement" whereby you trade something. E. g. Sex for money). The overnight girl showed up, then at midnight claimed her kid was sick and she had to go...i didnt beleive a word but was happy for her to go actually as she was lackluster. She claimed she was saving money to study english in Seattle.
Tinder.
I used Tinder but it just sucked, hardly any hits.
Transportation.
Uber and Didi sucked. Not many cars, cancel all the time. It seemed easier to to hail a yellow cab. One time I called a Didi for a gal and it broke down in the middle of a slum. The gal was panicking but the driver finally got it going.
Covid test.
As mentioned by another BM I used Profamillia on CL 34 #14-52. It is like Planned Parenthood and I guess they are just doing testing on the side. It opens at around 7 am, pay 90 k at the cashier for antigen test, wait under the tent for about 30 minutes, get tested, then wait about another 30 mins for the paper result. Can be a bit tricky if you don't speak Spanish. Synlab has a place at the airport but it had a huge line when I passed by.
ATMs.
BBVA reliably gave me 300 k, rate close to 4 k COP / USD, with a fee of about 20 kCOP. BancoColombia denied me every time.
Other sources of girls.
I did strike up a conversation with the security guard in the place I was staying. He told me freelancers usually charge 100-150 k for three to four hours. I didn't get to try, but getting to know a local you can trust could let you tap into sources that are not usually available to tourists.
Accommodation.
I stayed in an airbnb near Santa Fe. It was $35 US per night. I think if you want to hit Santa Fe you are probably better staying within walking distance of it. However, if you want to hit casas you are better of staying in Chapinero as there are more casas up there. The downtown near Santa Fe is safe enough in the daytime but its a graffiti covered dump and is dead and pretty sketchy at night. Santa Fe / Centro wasnt bad for meeting freelancers though as most of them lived in the barrios (slums) in the south.
Foreigners.
I felt there were very few tourists in town. I think Bogota isn't on most travellers list, vs Medellin which is getting on the (sex) tourist trail. Most of the girls I met claimed they had never met a foreigner before.
Vaccine card
Several places, e.g. Montseratte and the museums asked to see vaccine proof and a picture ID for entry. Most restaurants didnt care.
Coming back to the US
At Copa airlines check in I needed to show antigen Covid test within 1 day of travel, US online Covid attestation, check Mig and vaccine proof....damn.
Response to your questions
[QUOTE=Ggekko2009;2646430]I did not bother with SA when I was last there. I felt USD100 even for a month to use the platform is a waste of money. However, based on your feedback, it may warrant a second look the next time. I like girls with lower mileage who do not do this full time and whom I can engage her as an escort if there is chemistry between us. The price that you mentioned above is reasonable for multiple hours and relatively cheap for a long term LT service.
When I was last there in Bogota with my Colombian amiga girl, we were both looking for girls via mileroticos to service us. Then again, the price is at a higher premium since we need additional services from the chicas like atenciand a la pareja (attention to couple). Might be nice if I can find more bi-sexual girls in SA.
Reply: Interestingly, one of the seeking girls said she was bisexual, and that her gf forbid her from meeting girls, but it was ok for her to meet guys!
I got cancelled a few times by Uber as well, until I switched my payment from credit card to cash. I was told that these drivers do not like credit card as payment since it will take a while before they seem them from Uber.
I paid extra for them to just come to my hotel for the test. More convenient for me that way. Also, avoid paying for any extra covid test service when purchasing your ticket from Avianca. I made that mistake since there is no communication from Avianca or anybody even up to the day when I am to fly out. Luckily I have scheduled for the test with another company as a backup. Pure money grab from Avianca if I may say so.
From my last trip, Banco Davivienda seems to be the better option for me. Best ATM rates that I had seen, and better yet, it allowed me to withdraw up to 2,000 mil at a time. The only downside is that they only offer the 50 mil cash and no longer the 100 mil. Is 100 mil cash not in circulation anymore? I prefer not to carry around thick wads of cash.
Reply: I only saw 50 mil bills
I believe there is the old pa
rt of Bogota where the Santa Fe is and the new part of town which I think is called the Zona T, Zona are? Anyway, I went to the area for a breakfast one time and the area was pretty nice. They even have Audi and Maserati dealerships there. Good enough for me, LOL.
Reply: I think Zona T is further north, near Chapinero.I stayed in the downtown area near BD Bacata.
Very true on the girls who would claim about prior experience with foreigners. I think by that it would mean non-Central or non-South Americans.
Reply: Yes, by foreigner I mean north Americans, Europeans, etc.
Avianca even made me sign a few pages of declaration, with everything in Spanish, saying that I am fully vaccinated yadiyada. Not sure why I have been singled out on the flight back to sign this, even after I had shown my negative covid test. Are they not allowed to legally ask for my vaccination status to fly back home (who knows?) While they can demand to see that for non-Americans? I would have gladly just shown them my vaccination status if they were only to ask if I can just not waste my time signing those damn declaration papers. Anyway, it's weird and I see it as a cover your ass thing by Avianca.[/QUOTE]Reply: Copa airlines had a similar thing, but it was online.