Medellin Agency

[Zon]

"friendly taxi driver is a reasonable idea, just so long as you feel you can trust him.  If the gringo is reasonably social and good looking, the taxi cab driver might think it is neat to let him meet his extended family. "

I don't know ....

When the meter is running they are ALWAYS friendly.    It sounds like a perfect little stage that can be set to fleece a gringo.  The same girl that your introduced to as a potential wife is the girl the Taxi driver will call next week when a guy wants a romantic night for fun - so, there you go.

[fathertime]

"friendly taxi driver is a reasonable idea, just so long as you feel you can trust him.  If the gringo is reasonably social and good looking, the taxi cab driver might think it is neat to let him meet his extended family. "

I don't know ....

When the meter is running they are ALWAYS friendly.    It sounds like a perfect little stage that can be set to fleece a gringo.  The same girl that your introduced to as a potential wife is the girl the Taxi driver will call next week when a guy wants a romantic night for fun - so, there you go.

Your concern may be valid.  From what I’m gathering you would have concerns that the Cabby would set the gringo up with prostitutes rather than regular ladies.   That is possible, but if the gringo is very clear about his intentions, the cabby would be clear there will be no money transactions in exchange for sex taking place. Another valid concern would be the safety of the gringo.


 If I were to employ this technique, I’d take some of the same types of precautions that women take here in the states i.e. neutral place to meet, different modes of transportation, etc.  Once the gringo starts talking with the prospective ladies, he can slowly make determinations about their character and either move on, or start moving in! This could work for some gringo's, others would probably make poor judgments and get sidetracked, or foul it up.




Fathertime! 

[AndyLee]

Your concern may be valid.  From what I’m gathering you would have concerns that the Cabby would set the gringo up with prostitutes rather than regular ladies.   That is possible, but if the gringo is very clear about his intentions, the cabby would be clear there will be no money transactions in exchange for sex taking place. Another valid concern would be the safety of the gringo.


 If I were to employ this technique, I’d take some of the same types of precautions that women take here in the states i.e. neutral place to meet, different modes of transportation, etc.  Once the gringo starts talking with the prospective ladies, he can slowly make determinations about their character and either move on, or start moving in! This could work for some gringo's, others would probably make poor judgments and get sidetracked, or foul it up.




Fathertime! 

Yep, all true FT.
This reminds me once again why I like the cupid dating sites. I can send lots of questions to the woman and do video chats to convince myself she's legitimate before I meet her. And I can keep track of her for an extended period of time to see if her manner wavers. I met my fiancee on cupid 2 years ago but didn't reconnect with her until 6 months ago. during that 2 years her profile and her mannerisms didn't change, but she did update her pictures.

[Zon]

This is the kind of "in between the lines" thing you have to be aware of - JUST TRYING TO KEEP IT REAL.   FT - "with prostitutes rather than regular ladies.   That is possible, but if the gringo is very clear about his intentions, the cabby would be clear there will be no money transactions in exchange for sex taking place.

Being "clear" is not going to change one little thing!   In hese are not Black and Whitle lines

The cabbie gets an extra hour or two on the meter (most normal guys would give a tip of 10 - 20 bucks just to be a good Joe - and that is motivation enough).    Then, the girl / date - come on! who does not meet a girl and NOT buy a little gift, dinner, or whatever ... and; 8 times out of 10!  Oh que pena!  tengo una problema - it is always coming ... and it only needs to cost 10 - 30 bucks - and that is motivation enough.

My point is IT TAKES TIME - especially in Medellin.

[Big_Al]

I don't think avoiding being fixed up by a taxi driver is going to keep a guy from getting scammed. Neither is taking time. If you are looking for a pic-a-nic basket you simply need to be smarter than the average bear.

[Traveler]

What I meant by talking up a taxi driver, is that 1) if you are cool, it is very likely he will agree to invite you to come along with his friends when they go out, 2) they most likely go to places where there are no gringos and more importantly that are cheap enough for women to go there unescorted, 3) you will be exposed to real life in Medellin that most foreigners don't get to see and 4) you will have an advantage of going with a local, i.e. if you happen to like a girl who is a novia of a local criminal, they will be able to warn you about it.
 
Sure, you can instead let them hook you up with their cousins or friends, but as Zon pointed out there is a high chance of those girls being in it for money.  But I would say it is silly to forego an opportunity because of a fear of being "scammed".  I would rather just make friends with those guys and go out with them and meet people myself than let them introduce women to me.

[Zon]

Exactly Traveler!

I think that for a guy to make this work, they are going to have to handle and overcome the presumption that another gringo just landed looking comprar amor - in one form or another.   When, and if, you can do that ... then the sky is the limit.  But, you have a little challenge ot over come right off the bat. 

PLEASE DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS

[fathertime]

This is the kind of "in between the lines" thing you have to be aware of - JUST TRYING TO KEEP IT REAL.   FT - "with prostitutes rather than regular ladies.   That is possible, but if the gringo is very clear about his intentions, the cabby would be clear there will be no money transactions in exchange for sex taking place.

Being "clear" is not going to change one little thing!   In hese are not Black and Whitle lines

The cabbie gets an extra hour or two on the meter (most normal guys would give a tip of 10 - 20 bucks just to be a good Joe - and that is motivation enough).    Then, the girl / date - come on! who does not meet a girl and NOT buy a little gift, dinner, or whatever ... and; 8 times out of 10!  Oh que pena!  tengo una problema - it is always coming ... and it only needs to cost 10 - 30 bucks - and that is motivation enough.

My point is IT TAKES TIME - especially in Medellin.

I agree that some cabbies would just try to suck up the 20 bucks extra that they might get out a dopey gringo, but I would say it is worth the chance, IF the person feels they can trust the cabby.  This maybe difficult for a gringo that is just in town for a week or two, but for somebody there for a little longer it seems like a viable option. 


I don't see the great motivation for a cabby to set a guy up with a 'prostitute' if the gringo makes it clear he will not pay for a woman's time.  The woman would be wasting her time and be unhappy with the cabby to boot for giving them both a bum steer. Besides it a gringo gets a bum steer, he can always bow out anyway and try again.    To me, it seems like a worthwhile risk for a guy who is trying to get a foothold.  One  key would be finding the taxi driver that you can you would trust and is willing to be of some help.  Another key would be that the gringo presents himself well enough to where the cabby would think he might be a catch for some of the young ladies he knows.


Fathertime! 

[Zon]

FT = "I don't see the great motivation for a cabby to set a guy up with a 'prostitute' if the gringo makes it clear he will not pay for a woman's time.  The woman would be wasting her time and be unhappy with the cabby to boot for giving them both a bum steer. Besides it a gringo gets a bum steer, he can always bow out anyway and try again.    To me, it seems like a worthwhile risk for a guy who is trying to get a foothold.  One  key would be finding the taxi driver that you can you would trust and is willing to be of some help.  Another key would be that the gringo presents himself well enough to where the cabby would think he might be a catch for some of the young ladies he knows."

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POINT, so I will try again. 

There are transactions that are clear as a bell, then there are instances, where you say to yourself "did that just happen" - welcome to Medellin.  When I have said that there are alot of interasadas - that's what I ment.   Many / Most of the occassions are NOT obvious and explicit nor FEEL LIKE you are buying ...  But, you are left wondering?  And, if you have to wonder 9 times out of 10 it happened.   

[fathertime]

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POINT, so I will try again. 

There are transactions that are clear as a bell, then there are instances, where you say to yourself "did that just happen" - welcome to Medellin.  When I have said that there are alot of interasadas - that's what I ment.   Many / Most of the occassions are NOT obvious and explicit nor FEEL LIKE you are buying ...  But, you are left wondering?  And, if you have to wonder 9 times out of 10 it happened.

Maybe it is worse in Med than it is in other cities, I couldn't say.





In retrospect, I can remember feeling taken advantage of a couple times, but only for a meal or two, so I didn’t really let it bother me much. At the time, it pained me to let these women go because they were very attractive, but I could sense that something wasn’t ringing true, so I wasted a few bucks on a woman that was hungry.  Not too big a deal for me!   


 At some point you got to be able to trust your judgment in these cases.  If you know your judgment is poor then I guess you gotta get some practice making it better. 


Most people that have poor judgment don’t have the judgment to realize that their judgment is poor and they keep making the same poor judgments over and over! Ja! What a sentence that was!


Fathertime!

[Researcher]

    I don't know about letting a taxi driver fix you up. It all depends on the situation.I do agree with Zon's point that it isn't a good idea to look for love in all the wrong places. Doing that puts you at a disadvantage right off the bat. I will say that, while a valid topic, where or how you meet a woman isn't that big of a deal. Where most guys go wrong is by ignoring red flags once the relationship has begun. In this regard I really like the comparison that "you  need to be smarter than the average bear" !!! hehehe! Good one Big Al.

     Researcher

[V_Man]

It could be different in Medellin, but I have been warned to never do something like Travelers idea in Cali.

[fathertime]

It could be different in Medellin, but I have been warned to never do something like Travelers idea in Cali.

1.  Which part of Traveler's idea are you speaking of?


Even the most recent clarification seemed ok to me.  I'm more of the solo type so I probably wouldn't befriend a cabbie and start having drinks with him, but for more social types, it might be viable.  There is an issue of trust that would have to be established and it would probably be best if he were a youngish cabbie, one who has younger female friends! 


Fathertime! 




Fathertime! 

[Jason1]

If you have to wonder whether a transaction has taken place or not it may be best to pack you suitcase and head home. I have been to Medellin and it's simple as in anywhere in Colombia. If you aren't happy with what is taking place then don't participate.

I met some ladies through friends and didn't have any problems. It is not rocket science. Taxi drivers? So a guy is supposed to check a woman out to see if she knows any taxi drivers? That sounds strange to me.

[Zon]

The best way ... again takes time

"I met some ladies through friends and didn't have any problems."

[Deseo]

Well, the only way to be exposed to large numbers of datable women (and for most of those datable women to seriously consider dating you without ulterior motives involved) is to develop a social circle, and you need to start somewhere, and the taxi drivers are typically very social and know a lot of people.  The good news is that developing a social circle in Colombia is far easier than in the US.

Traveler:  I don't have much to add but just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience using a taxi driver to expand your choices of women while south of the border. 
 
Here on P.L. we typically here the options for guys on vacation are: 1) agencies; and/or 2)Colombian Cupid (or some other internet sites).  There is nothing wrong with either method. I've used both. HOWEVER, getting a foothold with a local is a GREAT idea. 

[Jason1]

The best way...takes time? It takes more than that it takes a weeding out process as well. I didn't find my wife by making sure she didn't know any shady taxi drivers and counting down the days. There is more to it than that.

[robert angel]

I dunno about this taxi driver idea. Seems like every taxi driver I ever met wanted to take me for a ride........

[fathertime]

 

I met some ladies through friends and didn't have any problems. It is not rocket science. Taxi drivers? So a guy is supposed to check a woman out to see if she knows any taxi drivers? That sounds strange to me.

Hey J! 
I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with you on this one!  It would be strange for a man to ask a woman if she knows any taxi drivers! jajaj


Fathertime! 

[Big_Al]

I wouldn't say to run right out and marry the first daughter of a taxi cab driver you can find but you don't have to wait years before you know whether you are being played or not. It's smart to wait and make sure the woman is not going to scam you but you don't need to do a background check and take a urine sample to find Miss Right.

[Micky]

One,  I think that Traveler is just giving some "outside the box" thinking,  nothing wrong with that.  Agree with you B-Al,  I think that MOST of the women that are scammers and players are pretty transparent and not all that hard to weed out.  Finding the "right"  women may be a different story.
 
Micky

[robert angel]

I wouldn't say to run right out and marry the first daughter of a taxi cab driver you can find but you don't have to wait years before you know whether you are being played or not. It's smart to wait and make sure the woman is not going to scam you but you don't need to do a background check and take a urine sample to find Miss Right.

Yea, but at least it's one way to find Miss 'Right Away'.....
 

[fathertime]

Yea, but at least it's one way to find Miss 'Right Away'.....
 

Hey robertangel! 
 Maybe there was some humor I didn’t get because I’m confused by your post robertangel.  How does it make a woman ‘miss right away’ if a visitor meets a woman through a contact like a taxi driver?  I would assume the woman would be like any other a man might meet.   The onus would be on the man to discern  if she is for him or not after that point.   Perhaps there is a gaping hole in my logic that I'm missing.


Fathertime!

[Bob_S]

Hey robertangel! 
 Maybe there was some humor I didn’t get because I’m confused by your post robertangel.  How does it make a woman ‘miss right away’ if a visitor meets a woman through a contact like a taxi driver?  I would assume the woman would be like any other a man might meet.   The onus would be on the man to discern  if she is for him or not after that point.   Perhaps there is a gaping hole in my logic that I'm missing.

C'mon, FT, you know what he's saying.  While any given taxi driver may or may not know where the good girls are, any taxi driver worth his salt always knows where the good time girls are.  He's just making a joke.  And if you don't get his humor, well, a lot of folks don't always get his humor.   

Oh, and to the general assembly, before this thread degenerates into an unsavory direction, let me just state that, for the record, my wife's father, among his various blue collar occupations he's had in his life, was at one time a taxi driver.
OMG!  WHAT KIND OF WOMAN DID I MARRY!?!?!?
[Foghorn Leghorn imitation]
That's a joke, son.  I say, that's a joke.
[/Foghorn Leghorn imitation]