Why are guys coming to Colombia in the first place rather than other countries?

[DesmondID]

  But Desmond, I had spent ALOT of time in Mexico prior to going to Colombia.Mexico is where I learned Spanish and had gotten to know many people there as well as travel to many parts of that country. Now I did return to Mexico later to try out an agency there but I still returned to Colombia....hhmmmm.....While all the attention on Colombia is probably the initial reason many guys go there the women and the country is the main reason they stay.Now Colombia isn't for every guy.There are those that go there and then end up somewhere else later.But many guys stay with Colombia and heck, a few have even moved there!

  All true - no one answer will fit every circumstance or fit into every persons experience. The original question is why guys are flocking there now. Why does a new person find his way to Colombia? The abundance (in comparison to the others) of information in my opinion is the main reason. I never said it did not deserve its status as the #1 Latin destination - I'm sure it hit critical mass for a reason... Though if those that go there and live there are the ones asking the question then the "nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd" argument still works for me

[Researcher]

         The only flaw in the "nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd" theory is that it could be correct initially but what keeps the crowd there? And what makes those that have returned well, return.For me it wasn't the nostalga of my first place because Colombia wasn't my first place.And after trying other countries, I still returned to Colombia.Is there something in the water? I don't think so.There is something with the women.

     Researcher

[whitey]

I have to admit that part of the allure of Colombia for me is the element of risk and danger ... not that I've ever been or felt I was in danger yet in Colombia after 11 trips.  I like the rush of going where most other people are afraid to go.  Which is ironic, because I consider myself overly cautious and conservative in several other aspects of my life.

But although Colombia is a beautiful country, it is of course the women (really just my wife since I'm a "one and done" guy) that keep you coming back.  For my taste, the most beautiful and passionate women in the world are from Colombia, Brasil, and Venezuela.  Women from Brasil I believe (only from what I've read and seen - not by experience) are the only ones that can beat out colombianas in the sexiness/passion department.

But, Brasil is too far away, too expensive, and the women don't seem particularly interested in gringos or in leaving ... and Venezuela is ruled by a lunatic and is anti-gringo.

 

[Researcher]

 Hey Whitey, I've been to Manila, Seoul, Bogota and other foreign big cities.None of them compare to the feeling of being in danger I had when I was in Mexico City.

       Researcher

[whitey]

 Hey Whitey, I've been to Manila, Seoul, Bogota and other foreign big cities.None of them compare to the feeling of being in danger I had when I was in Mexico City.

       Researcher

I can tell you that I'm much more scared driving through Detroit to the airport for my flight to Colombia, than I've ever felt IN Colombia!

[Micky]

Res -

Have to agree with your point on "the crowd draws the crowd".  If there is no substance,  it will not last and Colombia has stood the test of time.

The other countries of SA - Chile,  Agentina,  Uruguay their flavor is Latin/Euro,  not Latin American. Venezuela - Chavez.  Peru and Ecuador are close.  Other than the Portuguese thing,  I think that Brazil and Colombia have much in common,  close in their demeanor.  Number 1 - 2 in the world in diversity/amount of flora and fauna.  Number 1 - 2 in esoteric surgery.  Number 1 - 2 in Carnival.  Personal opinion,  number 1 - 2 in a people that love life and LIVE it.  If Brazil had a lower requirement of their pensionado visa back when I made my move,  Micky may well have been a transplant there,  but I am happy here.

Bolivia - that would be like moving to the U.S and CHOOSING to live in N. Dakota.

Micky

[Researcher]

       How many other SA countries have instruction books sold on Amazon on how to "bang" the women there!....This book is a joke to me.I can't believe someone wrote some crap like this.

http://www.amazon.com/Bang-Colombia-Textbook-Colombian-ebook/dp/B003TFENWO/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1


    Researcher

[Gato4Astrid]

 Hey Whitey, I've been to Manila, Seoul, Bogota and other foreign big cities.None of them compare to the feeling of being in danger I had when I was in Mexico City.

       Researcher

Try Johannesburg!!
 
 

[utopiacowboy]

       How many other SA countries have instruction books sold on Amazon on how to "bang" the women there!....This book is a joke to me.I can't believe someone wrote some crap like this.

http://www.amazon.com/Bang-Colombia-Textbook-Colombian-ebook/dp/B003TFENWO/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1


    Researcher

That's not Dennis's book?

[Gato4Astrid]

That's not Dennis's book?

lol
 
written by a Roosh Vorek !!!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Roosh-Vörek/e/B002L1UJD4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
 
 

[Gato4Astrid]

Dennis's book would have been:  HOW TO HAVE A COFFEE WITH 240 WOMEN
 
 

[jb]

the most beautiful and passionate women in the world are from Colombia, Brasil, and Venezuela.  Women from Brasil I believe (only from what I've read and seen - not by experience) are the only ones that can beat out colombianas in the sexiness/passion department.

But, Brasil is too far away, too expensive, and the women don't seem particularly interested in gringos or in leaving ... and Venezuela is ruled by a lunatic and is anti-gringo.

that's good to hear except the part about Venezuela being anti gringo.  As when i was searching on LAC this week, i was lost for a moment thinking i was going to change my Colombian plans to Venezuelan plans. 

Glad you posted. 

[utopiacowboy]

that's good to hear except the part about Venezuela being anti gringo.  As when i was searching on LAC this week, i was lost for a moment thinking i was going to change my Colombian plans to Venezuelan plans. 

Glad you posted.

No one in his right mind would choose Venezuela over Colombia.

[Researcher]

lol
 
written by a Roosh Vorek !!!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Roosh-Vörek/e/B002L1UJD4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

   Sounds like something written by Johnny ZonZon! hehehe!

     Researcher

[Brazilophile]

For my taste, the most beautiful and passionate women in the world are from Colombia, Brasil, and Venezuela.  Women from Brasil I believe (only from what I've read and seen - not by experience) are the only ones that can beat out colombianas in the sexiness/passion department.

I have been to Brazil many times after going to Colombia several times.  In my experience, Colombianas are sexier.  I think they are more passionate possibly because they feel a greater need for a man in their lives for economic security.  Brazil is a much bigger and much richer country with a more advanced and well maintained infrastructure.  The reliability of the electricity, the modernity of most airports, the condition of the major roadways are at or near first world levels.  My impression is that the Brazilian university system is more extensive and of higher quality than Colombia's.   This leads women in Brazil to not need men for economic security as much as women in Colombia.  They need men for companionship.  This makes them choosier and appear less passionate.

But, Brasil is too far away, too expensive, and the women don't seem particularly interested in gringos or in leaving ...

Brazil is still Brazil!  There are LOTS of women AND men who want(ed) to leave pretty badly.  It is very difficult for most people to earn the kind of money that Americans used to earn before the Recession.  If you are well educated and earn a good salary, Brazil is a fantastic place to live.  No well off Brazilians want to leave.   

Lots of women are interested in relationships with foreign men.  I have met many ex-pats from England, Germany, France, Italy, the US, and even Nigeria, who are married to Brasilieras. 

Brazil is expensive NOW!  It wasn't a few years ago.  But the economic fortunes of Brazil and the US and Europe have reversed.  Brazil's economy is doing well due to the high demand for its raw materials by China and its widespread use of ethanol- and natural gas-using cars.  Lots of Brazilians have decent jobs and appreciable discretionary income, while we are ... well, you know.

For me, despite the longer, more expense flights and the different language, Brazil wins hands down over Colombia.  Bogota may hold its own against Sao Paulo and Rio, but Cali and BAQ lose badly to the other major Brazilian cities like Recife, Salvador, Manaus, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Curitiba, and Florianapolis.

[whitey]

Interesting perspective Brazilophile ... thanks for posting ...

[Researcher]

   Good points Brazilophile.It's easy to equate situations in Colombia with situations in more developed countries and come up with a conclusion that is way off. The points Brazilophile makes about the universities are correct.

  My wife is writing an essay, in English, about what city she would like to live in.She was looking over US cities and I asked her why she didn't choose a city in Colombia that she would know alot about.Her answer was that she didn't want to live in Colombia. Mostly due to the fact that it would be extremely difficult to find work.Even if she returned to college and got a degree it wouldn't help because companies look at a persons age when hiring.She wouldn't have a chance against younger applicants even with a college degree.This is the reality there.Here in the US her chances are much better.I returned to college at her age and immediately got a job after finishing.

    Even if someone has an education in Colombia they betteer take advantage of opportunities when they are young and be setup with some kind of business when they are older.The chances of someone getting work as they age gets slimmer.

      Researcher

[JWR]

, some things that happen in Colombia are really bad.......but no worse than the worst parts of most American cities where drugs and gangs are just as bad as they are in Colombia.

I'm interested in this post because what I've found after spending time in Colombia, and being married to a Colombiana, is that I am more surprised by the danger and stories as they unfold, then less so as time goes by.  I know one Agency owner that carries a gun on his ankle all the time.  They beheaded a girl and left her beside the road while I was recently in BQ.  My ex wife's brother was kidnapped 4 years ago, and killed 2 years later. Here cousin was just shot in his car and is now a parapalegic. Here other cousin was beheaded and left on the front door. Her uncle the Arch Bishop of Cali was murdered soon after we were married, her Grandfather was murdered and her family's ranch was taken by the farc. My ex wife has scars from bullet wounds in her leg.  While I was in BQ a few months ago, the police shot a guy right outside my apartment window.  And on and on and on.  We can sit around and blow sunshine up each others ######, but it's a dangerous country, and life is cheap to many.  Is it more dangerous then a bad gang banger neighborhood in the US?  Who knows, but Colombia is dangerous, and things are always just fine right before they aren't.  Is it worth the risk?  Yes, I think so.

[benjio]

JWR, all except for the beheading thing (I mean seriously, who does that besides terrorist when you can just shoot someone), I'll give you a list of neighborhoods I've passed through where these things happen so often people don't even call the police afterwards:
 
Houston: 5th Ward (Nicknamed "The Bloody Fifth...and for very good reason)
Miami: Pork and Beans (Not a nickname, but an extremely dangerous part of Florida...the murder rate is absolutely ridiculous every year).
Dallas: Southern and Eastern Oakcliff
New Orleans: Melpomine and Callioppe Housing Projects (After Katrina these areas are now literally lawless. NOPD does not even pass through them anymore and YES, there are still people living there).
 
There are so many more I can't count...ESPECIALLY in the midwest. What a lot of gringos forget is your average American criminal has much easier access to guns and unlimited ammunition. Especially in the Southern States. Things are bad here...you just don't see the worst of it on the news.

[utopiacowboy]

While the PoorButHappy Colombia site was alive, I took to translating the daily crime reports from the Monteria and Sincelejo daily newspapers and posting them. It was a never ending chronicle of murder and mayhem and we're talking about two of the safest cities in Colombia. All the gringo Colombia lovers cried foul about my posts when I was simply reporting the news - I even gave them the links so they could read the original accounts in Spanish if they chose to. A lot of those characters always had the classic "I feel safer in [name a Colombian city] than I do in my own home town."

[Researcher]

While the PoorButHappy Colombia site was alive, I took to translating the daily crime reports from the Monteria and Sincelejo daily newspapers and posting them. It was a never ending chronicle of murder and mayhem and we're talking about two of the safest cities in Colombia. All the gringo Colombia lovers cried foul about my posts when I was simply reporting the news - I even gave them the links so they could read the original accounts in Spanish if they chose to. A lot of those characters always had the classic "I feel safer in [name a Colombian city] than I do in my own home town."

      And usually those stories in the newspaper are accompanied by graphic photos.

        Researcher

[Micky]

This is NOT hearsay or this guy told me that this other guy crap.  I will not give any real details for obvious reasons.  I hang in a very small circle,  I do not know even one gringo here,  I have nothing to do with drugs.  Other than family,  although with second cousins and my aunts' aunts type of typical Colombian large family,  I do not party with anyone outside of that circle.
A boyfriend of someone is 17 years old,  last month he bought a 200 million peso car,  that is slightly over U.S. 100 K.  he does not have a "job".  His dad is a high up,  very specialized person in a certain business.  He owns several fincas,  the most,  and largest are in the area UC referred to.  A completely different guy that a someone I know does work for,  not illegal,  but crafty kind of work.  The guy is really nice,  seems like regular kind of guy that we all know.  This man also has fincas over in the Sucre area,  as in more than six.  He did not make his money from stock in IBM.  These people do not play,  at all.  The kid has a bodyguard,  looks like he is a pimple popping punk kid,  you would be wrong,  he pops more than pimples.  I have said many times that I do not worry much about living here and the bad things that happen.  The truth of the matter is that the narco business is HUGE !!!!!!  Couple that with the displaced paramilitaries,  how many thousands (?) and your regular Colombian mafia and what do you think you have?  I have said before that the real bad players here,  of which there are MANY,  literally have more of a thought process involved in pulling out their piece,  than in using it.  I believe that I read that the U.S. spent 25 billion on illegal drugs last year.  There is also increase usage in Europe,  do not know how much they spent last year.  What percentage of that is coming to Colombia?  It is not checks and iou's,  cash money.  You can be a safe as you want,  but the crap happens in the best barrios in Colombia.  I fully understand what BenJ is saying about crap holes in the U.S.,  and it's true.  Here is a totally different ballgame.  You guys that are statistic freaks can do homework,  what do you think the per capita crime dollar is in Colombia?  Then you add that a huge ammount of that money finds it way into "legit" businesses,  because it needs to be cleaned and you have more crap.  That is the reality that is Colombia.  I love it here,  I do not plan on leaving anytime soon,  but it is what it is,  rose colored glasses never stopped a bullet.

Micky

[AndyLee]

Fear mongering is easy to do when you are talking about Colombia. It's a small country with a terrible past, a deadly present and an uncertain future. I think what Bj was pointing out is, and I am paraphrasing what I read him to say "yes, there are terrible things happening in Colombia, but this country is not alone in its dangers........our own country, the USA, has pockets of crime and terror that are just as bad as anything seen today in Colombia".
I may be reading something out of context here, but primarily I think we all agree with each other.....rose colored glasses will get you killed in this country, but what Bj and myself and others on this forum are quick to point out, the same rose colored glasses will get you killed in many other countries, too.

[benjio]

Fear mongering is easy to do when you are talking about Colombia. It's a small country with a terrible past, a deadly present and an uncertain future. I think what Bj was pointing out is, and I am paraphrasing what I read him to say "yes, there are terrible things happening in Colombia, but this country is not alone in its dangers........our own country, the USA, has pockets of crime and terror that are just as bad as anything seen today in Colombia".
I may be reading something out of context here, but primarily I think we all agree with each other.....rose colored glasses will get you killed in this country, but what Bj and myself and others on this forum are quick to point out, the same rose colored glasses will get you killed in many other countries, too.

Well said...

[Gato4Astrid]

But, Brasil is too far away, too expensive, and the women don't seem particularly interested in gringos or in leaving ... and

and also the language too.  If you have already learnt Spanish (even before you met your wife), you would have to learn Portugese!  Buy another Rosetta Stone CD lol