Questions about travel to Bogota.

[JR n Atl]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the board. I've lurked for a year or so now but finally took the plunge and I am making my first trip to Colombia the first week of March. I'll be going to Bogota. I went the ad route with Odee and got tons of responses. I've been writing and phoning several of the ladies. Odee is handling all the details of the meetings when I arrive. I've got that end of things covered I think, but I've never traveled overseas and would like any tips you guys could give me. Things to do and avoid in Bogota would be very helpful along with any info with regard to customs in and out of the country. I'd like to purchase some souvenirs for friends and family while I'm there (t-shirts, etc.) and was wondering if I'd face a hassle on the way out if I'm carting a suitcase full of stuff. Thanks ahead for any help and thanks for all the info I've gained from the board over the last year!

JR

[pablo]

... in response to Questions about travel to Bogota., posted by JR n Atl on Feb 13, 2003

Hi JR,

Man, are you going to be surprised being this is your first trip!

I don't know how long you will be in the Bog in March but there is a tour going on at LAI beginning March 13th.  I am sure you can attend one of the socials and meet some of the ladies in the program there.  I have previously talked with a couple guys who belonged to both agencies and they thought Odee was on the small side and preferred LAI.  It only takes one special Latina though.

If you have lurked on the board for over a year then you have gleaned a lot of info.  Blend in as best you can, use common sense, listen to the advice of your lady friends and the agency.  My advice is to have fun, treat all the ladies with respect, go slow, and take notes after the meetings.  First timers can be a bit overwhelmed by it all.  You’re gonna have a blast and won't regret getting on that plane.

There is a great Sunday open air market featuring all kinds of vendors in the north end of town, above the Santa Barbara mall.  I posted a comment about it a couple months back along with some restaurants I went to.  It was less expensive than the malls, a great place for souvenirs and that part of town is relatively safe.  Oh, if you do get t-shirts get them way big as they shrink mucho.  

Looking forward to your trip report.

[JR n Atl]

... in response to Re: Questions about travel to Bogota., posted by pablo on Feb 14, 2003

Thanks for the info. I also have an internet membership with LAI but I've received tons more response from the ladies at Odee. With one possible exception, all the ladies I'll meet are Odee clients. I had figured out that Odee was a smaller operation but what attracted me to them was that in general their selection of ladies was closer to what I was seeking than most of the other agencies I looked at. Also, like I said, I wasn't terribly interested in the tour route and wanted to make contact before I made the trip down. I knew I would be absolutely overwhelmed in a room full of beautiful Colombianas and would not be able to think straight! Talk about information (visual, that is)overload! Not a good plan for me. Anyway, this seems to be working pretty well so far. And I am taking it slow. I've had to pull the reigns back on a few of the ladies. After only a couple of email exchanges, I'd get tarjetas saying sweet things you'd really only expect from a girlfriend. Nice, sweet, ego-boosting, but WAY too soon for that kind of stuff. IMHO, of course. I always make it clear at some point in the correspondence that until we have some face time, it's friends only. You simply can't make that kind of decision via the internet and telephone. I'm asking lots of questions, too. I've had complete understanding on this point from the ladies. Most have commended me for being mature and seem to really respect it. They know the deal.

Thanks for the advice and I'll try not to allow myself to become too overwhelmed! The open air market is right up my alley and I'll do my best to check it out while I'm there. I'm looking forward to it even with all the crap going on down there now. Let's hope I don't literally have that blast you mentioned, though!

JR

[Cali vet]

... in response to Questions about travel to Bogota., posted by JR n Atl on Feb 13, 2003

Odee is an agency that hasn't been talked about much on this board. Usually Nelson's agency gets the nod here so would be interesting to know how it goes with Odee. I've  sort of had the impression they're geared towards European clients. True?

[JR n Atl]

... in response to Re: Questions about travel to Bogota., posted by Cali vet on Feb 13, 2003

So far my experience with Odee has been nothing but positive. I chose Odee based in large part on what I'd heard about the women in Bogota on this board. Only interested in a Colombiana who was a bit older (28-34 y/o), and college educated. I decided that the tour route was not for me and posted a profile back in December. I was overwhelmed with responses. Couldn't correspond with them all even if I wanted. I did send repies to all who wrote me, though, even if just to say thanks, but no thanks. Overall I have been very impressed with the attitude and quality of the ladies. At present I am in regular phone contact with three and plan to meet six, maybe seven while there. I maintain regular email correspondence with the ones I'll meet.

I don't have a clue about the other male clientele. I'll find out from William about the European thing when I'm on the ground there and be glad to let you know. Also, I'm happy to keep everyone posted with respect to my experience with Odee and am happy to answer questions anyone might have. I've received plenty of good advice here in the past so I'm more than happy to reciprocate.

JR

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Re: Questions about travel to Bogota..., posted by JR n Atl on Feb 13, 2003

That sounds great thanks. If you're interested in activities in or out of the city check the Platypus website: www.platypusbogota.com or give Herman Escobar, the owner a call. He's super helpfull and has all kinds of information for travelers. Speaks several languages.

[JR n Atl]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Questions about travel to Bo..., posted by Cali vet on Feb 14, 2003

Glad to help. Thanks for the head's up on Platypus. I've scoped the Platypus site in the past and the place looks incredibly hip. Might even like to stay there on future trips. This go around I'll be limiting my activities  to stuff in Bogota. I want to concentrate on getting to know the ladies, although I already have a pretty good idea of which are candidates for a more serious relation from email and phone conversations. On later trips I plan to visit the surrounding country and cities. I'm especially anxious to see Cartagena.

JR

[DavidMN]

... in response to Questions about travel to Bogota., posted by JR n Atl on Feb 13, 2003

If you're standing in front of the Gold Museum and then turn left and cross the street, you'll walk right into an artesenia display.  There are maybe 30 booths and I've found it to be a good place for souvenirs.  T-shirts, candy, coffee, small inexpensive pieces of pottery, some woven items, some leather goods and a ton of knick knacks.  It's not real high end but it's better quality than a similar set of booths further up the street and closer to the presidential palace.  

There are also some stores in the "indoor mall" area adjacent to the Tequemanda Hotel (I know I butchered the name but I think you'll know which one I mean).  Those stores have some pretty nice things.  I've been to the malls of Santa Barbara, Atlantis, Andino and Unicentro but never paid that much attention to whether they had souvenir stores. Also, if you're interested in bringing back coffee, candy or books you can get them in the duty free area when you leave and jsut carry them on the plane.  

As for a suitcase full of junk - I believe the U.S. customs limit is $800 so spend away!  They may go through it piece by piece when you're checking in, but hey, that happens everywhere these days.  When I left shortly after Christmas I think I gave them a good laugh at the airport because they looked at me kind of funny as they carefully unwrapped my prized possessions - a few bottles of Aguila Imperial beer...valued at less than a buck a bottle!

[Wasp]

... in response to Questions about travel to Bogota., posted by JR n Atl on Feb 13, 2003

You've never been overseas? Got your passport?

As far as safety, just take due diligence as you would in any big city. Don't carry all your money in one spot on your body. I split it up between a money belt, a pouch under my shirt, and various pockets.

Customs doesn't care if you bring back a trunk load of stuff, but you're going to pay duty on it if it's more than a couple hundreds bucks value.

[JR n Atl]

... in response to Re: Questions about travel to Bogota., posted by Wasp on Feb 13, 2003

Got my passport. I've not been overseas but I have been across the border to Mexico a couple of times so I know the drill about due diligence. I plan to have my stuff stashed somewhere besides my pocket and taking the additional step of splitting it up is a good idea, thanks.

I brought back some tequila when I went to Mexico but that was a very long while back and I don't recall how they calculated the duty or whatever it was we paid. Would it be different for Colombia? How much and does it depend on the item?

JR

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Questions, posted by JR n Atl on Feb 14, 2003

You probobly won't have to worry about that since there isn't any liguor in Colombia worth taking back.

[Wasp]

... in response to Re: Questions, posted by JR n Atl on Feb 14, 2003

I forgot how much the duty-free allowance is. Seems like you'd need an awful lot of stuff to be over it.
You calculate it yourself. The airlines hand out the customs tickets in flight. You list the stuff and give dollar values to them.