medellinwomen

[bdman]

has anyone purchased a tour from this company? i think its the same as loveme.com. medellin is certainly a diamond in the rough.

[william3rd]

Yep- just another phony front page for that agency. Moving further afield as the fishing dries up in the bigger cities.

[mudd]

sorry to burst your bubble, but since colombian love connection, AKA medellin mansion opened, it has put gringos in a bad light in medellin. a lot of girls dont want anything to do with a marriage agency or a gringo.

[papi]

i would not put the blame on CLC but concur that the go go years are long gone for a variety of reasons

[el_ruso]

Medellin has gorgeous women, at least not worse than Cali, perhaps better.  The city itself is a lot nicer too.

The CLC mentioned above is operated by, from what I understand, a whorehouse.  I have never been to either, but I would imagine, any normal decent girls will steer clear.

I would recommend Medellin over Cali for a number of reasons, but meeting women requires more work and imagination, since it doesn't have the agencies like Cali.

[daytrader]

Thanks for the intelligent feedback el_ruso; please elaborate on the "number of reasons" Medellin is better than Cali for those that may be interested ---  I will be visiting my Cali Diamond soon, so the info isn't for my benefit. 

DayTrader

[papi]

I would not say Medellin is better than Cali…but there are differences

1. Paisas or folks from the Department of Antioquia which includes the cities of Medellin, Manizales, Pereira and so forth tend to be proud, hard-working, intelligent people and in fact own a lot of the businesses in Cali

2.  They have their own unique culture and foods including the popular dish called Bandeja Paisa consisting of fried pork rinds, beans, eggs, avocado and is quite fattening and delicious

3.  Paisas take pride in their city and it shows – there is a garbage can on every post making it a far cleaner city

4. Medellin is called the land of eternal spring and the climate is perfect

5. Medellin is in a beautiful valley and there are some great restaurants with beautiful vistas

6.  The women are largely of European decent and very beautiful.  They tend to be fairer skin color with very straight jet black hair

The biggest downside is that is it such a beautiful place, most of the women outside the agencies are not that interested in meeting gringos or leaving but some do.  I like Medellin but Cali has some pluses too

[mudd]

Hola papi,

Colombian Love Connection or Medellin Mansion sure didn’t help the reputation of gringos or foreigners in Medellin. the stories coming out of that place, about the owners and the clients who stay there are pretty bad, bordering on criminal, well,  in the USA, some would be arrested. How much of it is true, probably half, but still half is pretty bad,

Also read that the owner is opening a place similar in Cali, so normal guys visiting in Cali will also have a much harder time meeting local girls, soon as the stories get out to the local population.

[papi]

Hola Mudd, i met the owner of CLC in cali and found him to be a likeable guy...he is not running a whorehouse but maybe something along those lines. I really doubt it is having that much of an impact...but gringos over time spoil a place. San Jose is a perfect example yet ticas still marry gringos. I can tell you that the marriage agencies don't have the best reputations for that matter either. Either way, the whole process is far from perfect yet admittedly as we get older our choices are limited

[el_ruso]

In response to DT and Papi:

1. medellin women will marry a gringo if they like him.  they will go out with him if they like him.  I am NOT Bruce Willis lookalike like some here claim to be, but have not had a trouble meeting women in Medellin with minimal groundwork.
2. medellin is nicer than cali for many reasons.  it is cleaner, better run, has better climate, etc.  when you are in Cali, you can't forget you are in the 3rd world, when you are in MDE you might, depending on your area and activities of course.
3. Papi is repeating stereotypes about "paisas" as people in Medellin are called.  In fact, during the height of drug cartels from what I understand it was far worse than Cali, but has pulled itself up since.  Difference in leadership makes a difference.
4. Bandeja Paisa is originally from Medellin, but is available everywhere in Colombia.  It is even available everywhere in Miami.  It does not necessarily include avocado.  There is Bandeja Valluna in Cali, which does include avocado, tamal (which is different from the Mexican version), and Bandeja Paisa includes steak or ground meat, egg, rice, plantain, beans and chicharron.  You do NOT have to go to Medellin to have Bandeja Paisa.
5. Since Cali is obviously more depressed economically, there is a higher likelyhood that the woman dating and marrying a gringo will be driven by material concerns rather than true feelings.
6. Almost all colombians are part-European.  As in most of Latin America they are largely of European stock on the DNA transferred from fathers, and Indian on the DNA transferred from mothers.  Even if colombian women marry european men in successive generations, it will not change it, because very few european women moved to those areas, and they will inherit genes from their mothers unchanged.  Only argentina and chile and perhaps southern brazil has population of a predominantly european origin.  in contrast to Cali, however, there was not much slavery in Medellin as it seems, as there are very few blacks or mulattos.  Which is probably why an average Paisa is perhaps lighter than an average Caleno.
7. Regardless, women both in Cali and Medellin are IMO the most beautiful in the world, and also appealing on other levels as well.  It is probably easier to hook up with a girl in Cali, but Medellin is a nicer place to visit, and the women there are at least no worse than calenas, and it is completely possible to meet them just as well.

[william3rd]

Hmmm- the AFA shill has not been back for a week.  . There is not much good to say about that agency and its affiliates and their hundreds of bogus mirror pages.

[papi]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In response to DT and Papi:

1. medellin women will marry a gringo if they like him.  they will go out with him if they like him.  I am NOT Bruce Willis lookalike like some here claim to be, but have not had a trouble meeting women in Medellin with minimal groundwork. I have spent a lot of time in Medellin and have friends that live there.  They will tell you that the women from Medellin and outside the agencies are less interested in meeting gringos than other areas. Yet, I too have dated several from Medellin and almost married one

2. medellin is nicer than cali for many reasons.  it is cleaner, better run, has better climate, etc.  when you are in Cali, you can't forget you are in the 3rd world, when you are in MDE you might, depending on your area and activities of course. Not much argument with this statement

3. Papi is repeating stereotypes about "paisas" as people in Medellin are called.  In fact, during the height of drug cartels from what I understand it was far worse than Cali, but has pulled itself up since.  Difference in leadership makes a difference. I am not sure what stereotypes he is talking about but paisas are hard working people with a heritage of their own and many own businesses in Cali

4. Bandeja Paisa is originally from Medellin, but is available everywhere in Colombia.  It is even available everywhere in Miami.  It does not necessarily include avocado.  There is Bandeja Valluna in Cali, which does include avocado, tamal (which is different from the Mexican version), and Bandeja Paisa includes steak or ground meat, egg, rice, plantain, beans and chicharron.  You do NOT have to go to Medellin to have Bandeja Paisa. True, I have ordered Bandeja Paisa in Cali. It is usually served with avocado which I happen to like

5. Since Cali is obviously more depressed economically, there is a higher likelyhood that the woman dating and marrying a gringo will be driven by material concerns rather than true feelings. makes sense

6. Almost all colombians are part-European.  As in most of Latin America they are largely of European stock on the DNA transferred from fathers, and Indian on the DNA transferred from mothers.  Even if colombian women marry european men in successive generations, it will not change it, because very few european women moved to those areas, and they will inherit genes from their mothers unchanged.  Only argentina and chile and perhaps southern brazil has population of a predominantly european origin.  in contrast to Cali, however, there was not much slavery in Medellin as it seems, as there are very few blacks or mulattos.  Which is probably why an average Paisa is perhaps lighter than an average Caleno. Not much argument with this...basically paisas are fairer skin and very beautiful. Many of the top models are paisas

7. Regardless, women both in Cali and Medellin are IMO the most beautiful in the world, and also appealing on other levels as well.  It is probably easier to hook up with a girl in Cali, but Medellin is a nicer place to visit, and the women there are at least no worse than calenas, and it is completely possible to meet them just as well. There are beautiful women in Cali and Medellin. Calenas tend to be somewhat easier to meet outside of the agencies but that does not make them better, only more available

[el_ruso]

1. I have had Bandeja Paisa numerous times, and not a single time I had it with an avocado.  In contrast, Bandeja Valluna does come with an avocado.  Perhaps the avocado addition is the "Valluna thing"?

2. You are repeating verbatim the some kind of a tourist brochure about Medellin.  Yes, Paisas are proud of their identity, and frankly there is no reason they should not be.  However, the vast majority of colombians are hardworking, not just Paisas.  They frankly have no other alternative as jobs are scarce, and except for the elite they grow up without much of a carefree childhood.  And many calenos move to MDE or Bogota, and many even own businesses there as well.

3. Many "models" are not the best looking women one can find.  Most of them are too skinny.  In Latin America the "skinniness" is not as bad as say in Europe, but neither is the number of models an indication IMO of true beauty of the general population.  IMO, paisas on average are neither more nor less beatiful than calenas.  Both are no less than stunning.

4. MDE has practically no agencies.  Is it a bad thing?  Hardly.  Women join an agency specifically to meet gringos.  Why would a young and pretty, say 20 yo, join an agency to meet a guy, on average say in his 40s, and not at all a Hollywood actor lookalike?  I am not saying that ALL the "agency girls" are of low moral character, but logically and anecdotally many are, so why would you consider a greater availability of them in Cali as a plus?  At the same time, I have not noticed that paisas are averse to the idea of dating a foreigner, but are less likely to do so out of desperation and ulterior motives.

5. Now, let's tally Medellin vs Cali:
a - women's beauty - a tie
b - safety & infrastracture of the city - Medellin wins
c - less golddigger agencies and more sincere women - Medellin wins
d - more authentic Bandeja Paisa - Medellin wins (unless you insist on avocado)
e - hardworking people - a tie

[Dan Las Vegas]

thanks for the informative post el_ruso,
Have a good holiday

Dan

[papi]

5. Now, let's tally Medellin vs Cali:

a - women's beauty - a tie Both El Papi and El Bradley both favor Medellin so you're off on this one. Those requiring a little more flavor/booty may favor Cali.

b - safety & infrastracture of the city - Medellin wins it wins infrastructure for sure..safety - debatable

c - less golddigger agencies and more sincere women - less agencies but on the other issues hard to say...have you hung around parque lleras much?

d - more authentic Bandeja Paisa - Medellin wins (unless you insist on avocado) I don't recall having had Bandeja Paisa without a serving of avocado. I can't say the same for ketchup with my fries. You sure that you are not ordering a hamburger with pickles instead?

e - hardworking people - a tie You would probably find some argument among Colombians seeing paisas own much of the country

[papi]

Doombug, any reports on crime ranking by city?? El Ruso might be correct Cali vs Mde but I am curious

[el_ruso]

1. re women's beauty, it is a question of taste.  I prefer Cali and Medellin over the rest of the world altogether when it comes to women.

2. yes, I have been to Parque Lleras, it is a nice area, with a nice concentration of discos and restaurants.  for golddigger/ narco gfs/ prepagos the hotspot is Mangos actually.  My point was, and is, that the greater number of marriage agencies is hardly a plus.  Medellin women are gorgeous, and open to a relationship with a foreigner if they like one.  There was ample discussion before about the types of men and women using those agencies, and I am not interested in repetition.

3. safety statistics are not worth much.  If you are not visiting poor barrios, flashing unnecessarily wealth, buying or selling controlled substances and such, the chance of violent crime against you in both cities is not high.  However, I have an impression that Medellin has more safe areas, and particularly more safe areas at night.  Also Cali is DIRTY.  I don't like plowing through garbage.  I would NEVER live in Cali, unless a model from CaliEsCali was my gf.  And even then I will want to relocate her.  Medellin on the other hand would be a nice place to live, and hopefully I will be able to do that in the forseeable future.

5. Paisas and calenos are colombians.  There are differences in infrastracture and climate amongst different cities in Colombia, but after visiting different parts of Colombia and meeting people both in Colombia and here from various cities, I did not find any specific attributes I could give to paisas and not calenos.  ALL colombians generally are ambitious and hardworking people.  The ones who are not die of hunger and we don't get to meet them.  Are Chicagoans more hardworking than people from Boston?  Are people from San Francisco more proud of their city than people from Dallas?  Silly questions, aren't they?  And Colombia is a lot more homogenious society than US is.

[doombug]

crime ranking by city??

A bit dated (which I'm sure some will use as a perfect reason to ignore it), but among the very first things to pop up...



"The rise in crime and violence has been particularly acute in the largest cities and metropolitan areas, where homicide rates tend to be significantly higher than in the rest of the country. Homicide rates in the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro reach 55/100,000 and 52/100,000, compared to 23/100,000 in Brazil. They reached 95/100,000 in San Salvador, 101/100,000 in Guatemala City, 112/100,000 in Cali and 248/100,000 in Medellin."

http://laii.unm.edu/conference/mesquita.php


Both cities are relatively the same size:



Medellín:  2,187,356 potential drug mules
Cali:  2,039,626 potential drug mules


Other interesting factoids:

"60% of respondents to a poll by El Tiempo report that they do not practice their [religious] faith actively."
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51632.htm

"At a total of 5,181 (for the years 1992–1999), two-thirds of the world's reported kidnappings occur in Colombia."
http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/co-colombia/cri-crime&all=1


Peace out, yo!


[Disclaimer:  The preceding reference to Colombian drug mules was nothing more than jest. If you are a Colombian national, please accept my heartfelt apologies. I injected this bit of humor only to highlight your impatience with gringo "stereotypes" of Colombians. I'm a reasonable man, though. In lieu of never doing this again, please hand over the woman you call "Shakira."]   

[doombug]

Are people from San Francisco more proud of their city than people from Dallas?  

Hell yeah!

Can Dallas' homeless do anything near as tight as SF's "Bushman"??



I highly doubt it!

SF owns Dallas!

[daytrader]

IMO, definitely ignore 1998 crime statistics shown previously!

... Since President Uribe has been in office (just got re-elected to another 4 yr term) Colombia's economy, war on terror and city crime statistics have substantially changed for the better. There are numerous web findings proving this (see one  link below), but no hard and fast city by city statistics for Medellin and Cali that I can find.  As a general trend throughout the big cities of Colombia, crime has been reduced under the Uribe administration easily more than 50%.  Earlier research I did correlated the same % drop in crime that has occurred in Bogota as also occurring in Cali and Medellin. 

Just yesterday on this forum's news webpage, tax revenues for Colombia are at an all time high, thus strengthening the currency, economy and keeping  interest rates stable to maximize future borrowing.   

** source link below **

 http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2119.cfm

"....In 1994, there were 4,457 homicides in Bogotá, representing a rate of 80 deaths in each group of 100,000 inhabitants (similar to Rio de Janeiro, which had a rate of 73.6 / 100,000 last year). In 2003, the city recorded 1,607 homicides, or approximately 23.4 / 100,000 ...."

Medellin definitely looks like an interesting visit! 

DayTrader

[papi]

Doombug, thanks I knew i could count on you for the numbers.

[BogotaJim]

I have been following this post with a good deal of interest.  For 16 years I have travelled to Colombia and am familiar with most major cities.  In July I moved to Medellin from Ft Lauderdale.  I moved here because it is hands down the nicest city in Colombia to live in. Colombians have always told me that from day one and when I came here it proved to be true.
 
Most of the info posted here is right on the money especially about the foods, the habits of the people, the city itself etc.  El Ruso noted something that is very important and true.  Over the past 5 to 10 years Cali has been going rapidly downhill while Medellin is improving daily as a place to live.  Its a clean, well run city with a public transportation system second to none. 

The biggest problem facing Medellin for us gringos is the Medellin Mansion aka Colombian Love Connection.  I have about 20 American friends who live here mostly full time and they are responsible, good citizens and well liked in the community.  They tell me that CLC is bringing dozens of mongers down here every month for sex and parties.  These are the same guys who were going to San Jose and Cali previously to pleasure themselves  and now have discovered Medellin thanks to CLC.  Their biggest offense is underage girls and drugs. I have been told that the Mansion is on the police radar screen and its only a matter of time so BEWARE.

The agencies here are poorly run and AFA is probably the worst.  Most gringos go to a locally owned agency where the owner does not even speak English but he has the best women.  The women in Parque Lleras, Oleveido and Tesero shopping malls are spectacular to say the least.  They are fair skinned,  know how to dress and come from good families.  The only other city in Colombia with a similar class of women is Bogota.  ALL of these ladies are interested in meeting a  gringo  but mongers and low class guys stay away.  It takes time to meet and date these ladies so its much easier to go to working class areas where the girls are friendlier, easier to meet, and ALL gringos have a good shot at a gorgeous lady. 

I had a Christmas party at my new apartment on the roof and 42 girls and 18 guys showed up so my new life here appears headed in the right direction.  Here are some  photos. to get an idea what the girls look like.      http://medellinparty.shutterfly.com/action/?a=0EaOXDJs3aMXiQ&notag=1  Happy New Year  - Jim

[papi]

Jim, are you not the owner of an agency in Bogota?  If so, some folks might question your commentary covering your competitors.

[papi]

also curious, i thought most gringos went to CSH...are they poorly run too? what is the name of the agency where the owner does not speak English??

[utopiacowboy]

Those statistics are seriously out of date. Thanks to DB and the AUC taking control of the city the murder rate has dropped precipitously. The City of Medellin stats show that in 2005 there were 781 murders down from 3722 in 2002. Here is the web page: http://www.medellin.gov.co/AdmonContenido/EstadisticasGobierno/DocumentosEstadisticasGobierno/OtrosInformes/homimujer.pdf