As some of you may recall from an earlier post, I lurked here for a while then took the decision to head south to Bogotá the first week in March. I recently returned, though I wanted to stay longer because I had an absolutely great time. I used Odee as my agency and a few of you were interested in my experience with them since apparently not too many men here choose them as an agency. Starting with this post, and as time allows, I'll give my account of my excellent experience in Colombia. I hope that something I relate will be helpful to everyone, but more importantly, I hope it will push those of you who are undecided about all this towards the airport and the first plane bound for Bogotá. Trust me, you will not regret it.
So, here goes. Let me begin with a little background. I am 44 y/o never married, no children. My main motivation for looking south is that I want a family of my own and that requires a women much younger than me, 28-35 y/o. I gave up trying here. The age difference is just more than the average AW can stomach. I don't require a centerfold, I prefer educated, intelligent women and from what I have been able to learn, in Colombia the highest concentration are in Bogotá. In Bogotá there are basically two agencies to deal with, LAI and Odee. I chose Odee because I don't care for the tour thing, I'd rather know something about the person going in. Odee is cheaper, the meetings more intimate and the clientele seemed more up my alley. I had email correspondence and telephone conversations for several weeks with all but one of the ladies I met so already we had established good communication. Also, I eliminated several ladies before going based on these email and phone conversations so I saved myself some time and trouble.
I left Atlanta on Saturday, March 1 at 4:05 PM. I took the non-stop flight to Bogotá via Delta because I wanted as much time as possible in Colombia. No layovers for me. I had arranged for one of the ladies to meet me at the airport when I arrived. Odee can arrange to have someone meet you, however depending on your level of membership it can cost an additional $25. I chose not to pay and one of the ladies had already volunteered. I had packed two suitcases and had a carry on with all my valuables. The airline promptly lost one of my suitcases so I had to burn a half hour or so filling out the paperwork at the airport before I could head out to the hotel. A word to the wise: purchase additional insurance for your luggage. I did about an hour before I left and man am I glad now. It's cheap and you may need it. Also, my other bag had been tampered with. I had put a good lock and cable ties on the thing but they still managed to get into it. They took nothing, I guess because it held nothing of real value, just clothes. Of course, I am now thinking that this is a bad omen and I will probably regret the moment I stepped on that plane. Not so, and in reality this was the worst thing that happened. I eventually got my other suitcase back, but I'll get to that later.
Anyway, by this time I've been on the ground for about 45 minutes and I am not even sure if the lady I'm meeting is still hanging around. I'm not disappointed, though, when I walk out the door I recognize her and sigh a big sigh of relief. She is much prettier in person than her pictures so that is a plus. We have a little trouble communicating at first because my Spanish and her English are both a little rusty. But after a while things smoothed out. First I have her take me to an ATM to grab some pesos for the taxi and then we head for the hotel. Odee has a deal with the Plenitude, a set of apartments/condos in the Hotel Fontana complex directly across from the Unicentro. The hotel is about a 20-30 minute taxi ride from the airport depending on traffic and how much coffee the driver has had. I quickly see that I have much more to fear from the taxis than from the guerillas. I thought Atlanta drivers were ruthless but we are absolute wussies compared to drivers in Bogotá, especially the taxis and buses. Anyway, P. and I (I will refrain from using the real names of the ladies out of respect for their privacy) exchange pleasantries on the way to the hotel, she points out landmarks, neighborhoods, etc. So far so good, the weather is incredible, cool and nice. P. is 28 y/o, and very sweet. We have shared many phone conversations but of all the ladies I had spoken with (4 at this point in time), the communication between us is the most difficult. So I know less about her and have been able to ask fewer questions at this point than some of the other ladies. We make it to the hotel about 11PM I think. She handles most of the check in because at this late hour none of the employees on duty speak English very well. I can speak enough Spanish to hold my own but still it is difficult to understand what others are saying, especially when they get wound up. Which is usually all the time. The hotel is very nice and I like the apartment. Security everywhere. Odee has provided a complementary vase full of roses on the coffee table in the apartment. They come in handy later on. Also, William (Angela's son) has left a folder with all my appointments on the inside of the door. Be careful here, P. grabs this first and clearly sees what it is. I'm not sure what her reaction will be, however I have made it clear to all that I plan to meet with several ladies while here. Just making friends first. Anyway, she hands it to me and all seems well. She's hungry as am I and after I settle in and freshen up a bit we head out to have a meal. It's late and the hotel restaurant is closed so we find the bar and order a couple of sandwiches. I have my first glass of limonade. For those of you who have not been to Colombia, limonade is similar to our lemonade only made from limes. Excellent!! I don't drink alcohol so this becomes my staple drink here. With the help of a pocket translator, we talk and relax for an hour or so. P. is very nice and seems sincere, is much nicer looking than any I'd find here and we have a lot in common. However, I still have several to meet so I'm not investing anything just yet. Just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere and company of a lovely young woman. Guys, it doesn't get much better. We agree to meet in the morning for a workout in the hotel gym and I walk her to the lobby for a taxi. We take a couple of photos together, I give her some money for her taxi and we say goodbye for the night. Then I immediately get lost in this huge hotel/apartment complex and am forced to use my Spanish to find help!!! No problem, they direct me to my apartment, I turn in and try to sleep but I am still pretty nervous and excited about being in Colombia. Eventually, I doze off.
Coming up, Day Two.
