... in response to An upcoming Colombia report......, posted by donb2222 on Dec 16, 2002Well, a buddy of mine has been wanting to take a trip to LA for a long time, and when he asked me if I would
like to join him in a trip to Colombia, I jumped at the chance to learn more about that part of the world.
The city that we decided to visit is Cartagena Colombia.
Cartagena is resort area in Colombia that is visited mostly by vacationers from inside Colombia, it seems
like a combination of Las Vegas, and a really nice beach resort. I really do not know how the city and its people
compare to the rest of Colombia, but as far as just a city to visit, it blows away anything and everything
that I have seen in my 5 trips to the Phils. The food, accommadations, and the culture are incredible.
The city is almost 500 years old, and is breathtakingly beautiful.
As far as a place to visit, IMHO, it is much nicer than the Phils in the following areas:
The food: it is cheap and incredibly tasty. You can have a filet mignon with all the extras for only about
$4, and the meat is tender enough to be cut with a fork. Seafood is plentiful and cheap. Quality
shellfish is easier to find, and is as cheap as the Phils.
The hotels: nicer hotels are about $50-60, with budget hotels, near the ocean, for about $20 a night.
Culture: the old part of the city with its fortresses and churchs it just incredible. You can spend
days just checking out the buildings that are hundreds of years old.
The weather: the climate is about the same as the Phils, but the air is much cleaner. It is near the equator, so the sun rises and sets about 6:00 every day of the year, just like the Phils.
Poverty: Cartagena definitely has its beggars and touts, but the people as a whole seem to have a much better standard of living than the Phils.
Taxis: just as cheap as the Phils, and less likely to try and rip you off. Most short trips are $1-3, and I very rarely
was hassled by the drivers.
Okay, lets talk about the women :0)
Most of my experience has been in visiting the Phils, and I have only visited one city in Colombia for only one visit. So, my opinions are just that- opinions.
In Colombia I met women three different ways; from the internet, talking to them in restaurants and stores, and by visiting A Foreign Affair.
The women that I met all spoke little or absolutely no English at all. I do speak enough Spanish to have a simple
conversation, and there were actually several that I could communicate with for hours at a time. But, then there were also those whose Spanish was so heavily accented that I could not understand them, and they could not understand my bad Spanish. So, IMHO, having a relationship with one of these women would be extremely difficult unless you are fluent in Spanish. And, some of the women did have an attitude similar to many Americans
of "what are you doing here, if you do not speak the language?".
I met several women thru the internet, one of whom I spent a lot of time with. She was educated, mature, feminine, and seemed to come from a good family. She made it very clear that if I were just looking for sex, that I needed to look elsewhere, and we never did more than just hold hands.
She spoke very little English, but did not seem to have much of a problem with my limited Spanish. She was a great companion for going out to eat and touring the city. She did surprise me by not suggesting we go out dancing, as all the others had. When I met her family, they lived in a
neighborhood that was crowded by American standards, but was clean, well maintained, and friendly. Most of the housing that I saw was much nicer than the Philippines, and did not have any of the walls that are so common in the Phils.
The women in Colombia are very feminine, and dress to kill. Many of them seemed annoyed if you did not look
at them as they were walking by. If you are a fanny man, you will be in heaven. Filipinas all seem to wear the same uniform of jeans and a tight fitting top. Filipinas don't dress as sexy, but if you are a boob man, there are plenty of Filipinas that will give you a pleasant surprise.
The cheap tall shoes seem just as common in Colombia as they are in the Phils. Also, many Colombians carry cell phones, but they use them for conversations, not for that annoying texting.
One thing that I found in common is the number of women that tried to tell me that they absolutely adored cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes. It sounds great, but I doubt it is always true in either country.
The meetings: some of the women met us at our hotel ready to party- for a price. It was obvious that some of them use the matchmaking services to supplement their "business". Some incredibly beautiful women showed up at our door expecting to get paid.
None of the other women (the good girls) seemed hesitant to meet us at our hotel, though some did bring a friend or sister along. The preferred evening activity was dinner and dancing, and these women are incredible dancers.
There was very little, if any, of the shyness that is so common in the Phils. The women in Colombia seemed more outgoing, mature, and eager to talk
Meeting women did seem more difficult than in the Phils. Colombia seems like a more formal country, and you are expected to dress well, and not be the typical sloppy American tourist. In the Phils it seems like the Filipinas truly find any foreign man to be attractive, while in Colombia your appearance and charm are more important.
Safety: I have always felt safe anywhere I have gone in the Phils. In Cartagena I felt just as safe, but that would probably not apply to the rest of the country.
I met 3 women thru A Foreign Affair. Basically you can just show up, and pay $25 per introduction, or $100 for 5 introductions. They have books that you look thru with hundreds of photos and profiles. The profiles did not provide more than the simplest of information, and the staff did not seem too eager to provide more info about any of the women that you were interested in. Out of about 15 women that I chose, they scheduled 3 introductions for the next day. The meetings are held in their small office, and I was not happy with the lack of privacy, but the staff was very helpful in assisting in translations. The first girl that I met arrived with a frown on her face, and had a very cheap look about her. I thanked her for meeting me, and we said goodbye. The staff seemed to agree with my guess that she was probably a working girl.
The second woman that I met was on time, to the minute, and was very friendly, attractive, and talkative.
She suggested that we walk to a nearby restaurant, and talk in a more private setting. With her bad English, and my bad Spanish, we were able to talk for hours. The only negative was when I asked about her family she mentioned several times that she had a two year old sister, and that if I met her mother, the mother might try and tease me and tell me that the sister is really the daughter of the woman that I was talking to. Never did learn the truth, but it did leave me suspicious.
The third woman that I met was much prettier then her picture, and did not speak one work of English.. In addition to that, she did not understand one word of my Spanish. The translator kept asking her why she did not understand me, when he could understand me perfectly. Also, I could understand most of her Spanish, and I would have really liked to have talked with her more, but I just did not want to want to always need the services of a translator. I thanked her for meeting with me, and I tried to say goodbye, but she wanted to go with me.
I had the translator explain that I wanted someone that i could communicate with, but she still wanted to go with me. I tried to leave gracefully, and I really do not know where she expected us to go without being able to communicate.
I did watch one American meet a woman at the agency my first day there, and 95% of their conversation was thru the translator. The next day he is there to get information on how to start the process to bring her to America.
I told him that I had been thru the process once before, and to give me a call if he has any questions.
Poor guy, I hoped he doesn't get screwed over too bad.
I guess that the type of man that you are would help determine which country you prefer. The Colombianas seem more outgoing and verbal, while the Filipinas seem more introverted and reserved.
Anyway, IMHO, it seems like it would be easier to find a nice, sweet woman in the Phils. Filipinas seem more approachable, and most do speak English. I could not see going to Colombia for a wife unless I were fluent in Spanish. The city of Cartagena makes for a much more pleasant place to visit, but the language difference just would be too much of a burden for me.
Just my experience and opinions,
Don
