Semana Santa Week In BAQ Colombia

[EbonyPrince]

I decided to summarize most of the report after the first 3 days of introductions to shorten it a little.  I am however open to any question that anyone may want to ask.  I will answer all questions from my experience and observations of the people that I met.  Please forgive any typos or grammatical errors.  

So here goes:

Hello guys.  I apologize for the time that it took me to write this trip report, but it really couldn’t be helped.  I admit that it was tough getting back into the groove of things with returning to work and returning to my current project, seeing my kids, seeing family and friends and informing them about my trip and pics, and feeling a little under-the-weather after returning home.  Sorry guys but family comes first…lol.  Although I returned to spring weather with temps in the mid 60s and early 70s, I think my allergies were beginning with the new spring growth.  I also got a taste of “revenge” from Colombia (I think).

Anyway prior to planning my trip south, I spent time researching this site; emailing a few people that have been there; and talking to a friend that turned me on to the Colombian experience.  I want to thank all the people that extended time to talk to me and email me regarding their experience in Colombia.  Special thanks to Looking4Wife, WS244, Jamie, Montrealer, and my friend who got me started down this path.

Remember guys that these are my own personal experiences and I am telling it from the way that I saw things from my eyes.  If anyone gets offended in any way, shape, or form it is not my intention.  My intention is to give my accurate thought process as I was going through the experiences.  So with that said, here goes…

The agency that I decided to use was latin-wife.com.  After speaking to Jamie and others that have used the agency in one form or another, I felt comfortable in this selection.  I know that many guys debated writing to women prior to going down, and I took everyone’s advice to heart.  Jamie and others informed me that there was no benefit to writing the women prior to going down, which I tend to agree with.  I am the type of person that likes to explore all options, so I decided to write a few women to see what was up.  I began researching and bookmarking women back in October or November of last year from the site.  I chose the Discover Exotic Latina Women Interested In You.  I chose 30 women from the site.  I had a couple women express interest, but then they later changed their minds.  Jamie explained to me that he thought that was strange, but he removed their profiles from his website.  They tell you that the process takes about 5 weeks to get responses from everyone.  You get an excel spreadsheet list periodically throughout the 5 weeks with the women interested and their email addresses.  You receive 5 email translations with this service.  I spoke through email and on the phone with Jamie a couple of times throughout the process, which was initiated by Jamie.  He informed me that my response rate wasn’t good or typical.  The way the process works is the agency informs the girls that they have email, and the agency checks to see if they plan to write you back.  He even informed me regarding the women that claimed interest but didn’t write as they stated they would.  He would also inform me if he thought that they were interested or not based upon their actions.  I finally began writing to someone that showed a lot of interest.  After writing two letters, her third letter was very short.  Jamie informed me that she had met someone about a week earlier.  Although I had a few others that showed interest, I decided that wasn’t the route for me.  After debating for a few weeks, I decided to bite the bullet and just go down.  I think that out of the 30 women I selected plus about 5 additional that Jamie gave me, I had less than 10 show interest.  Needless to say, I was very skeptical about heading south and using this method.  I decided that I would add the women that showed interest to my list instead of writing anyone else.

My friend inquired about me going down to BAQ from Feb. 14th through Feb. 28th.  I couldn’t stay that long, but I planned to go and stay for 10 days.    Well this was during the time of carnival.  I inquired to Jamie regarding Feb. 14 thru 25.  He checked on hotels, but informed me that I could only stay at the Dann Carlton through the 21st.  Being the cautious person that I am, I decided that that was too risky for my first time down.  I had heard that hotels in Colombia are good at taking reservations, but there really isn’t any guarantees that they will hold the reservation.  So I decided that wouldn’t be a good move on my part, especially around the busiest season of the year.  I then inquired about coming in March, but Jamie suggested I come in April.  He had someone in mind that he wanted to work with me.  So I locked everything down and arranged for my ticket.  When I initially inquired about going down in Feb., the tickets were about $700.  When I began looking in March for an April departure the tickets were around $1000.  I then realized that it was spring break season.

The agency asks you for an objective criteria sheet of the women that you would like to meet.  They also ask you to submit the women that you would be interested in meeting picked from the website.  Over the next few weeks I would check the site weekly and submit the numbers of women that I wanted to meet.  Jamie and I exchanged phone calls a few times to touch base.  He also informed me that I would be staying in a condo that he was looking at a few months back.  He told me that it was overlooking the ocean, it was gated, the area was safe to walk, and the beach was one of the nicest in Barranquilla.  I was skeptical, so I just took a wait and see attitude.

April 6, Thursday – Departure Day

I got packed and headed for the airport enroute to Miami.  I was flying Continental and connecting on Avianca in Miami.  The agent at the counter informs me that my suitcase was at the limit, so she suggested that I be careful on my way back.  Everything went without a hitch from Cleveland to Miami.  My baggage was going to be checked all the way through to Colombia.  I packed some extra clothes in my carry-on, because I just knew they were going to lose my luggage.  So I was just trying to prepare myself.

I get to Miami and I search out Avianca airlines.  I arrive at their section and reality set in.  Everyone was speaking Spanish.  Needless to say I started wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into.  There was no way in hell that my electronic translator or dictionary was going to help.  The guy at the gate section asked me where I was flying and directed me to the BAQ line.  I started relaxing a little while sitting in line for about 30 minutes.  I was checking the scenery, and let me tell you the women were fine!!!  The guy came by and told me that I didn’t have to wait in line, since I wasn’t checking luggage.  He then directed me to step over to the next open counter.  I got me boarding pass and I was on my way.

I arrived at BAQ’s airport.  I went through customs in about 20-30 minutes.  I waited, and waited, and waited for my luggage to come off.  I was thinking “Ain’t this a bitch, I knew they were going to lose my luggage”.  After what seemed like minutes and hundreds of people later, my luggage finally came down.  I guess first on, last off.  I grabbed my luggage and realized that I didn’t know who I was looking for.  Jamie just told me my translator/assistant’s (TA) name was Liliana, and that she was Caucasian looking.  Once I got me luggage, getting out was very easy.  No one bothered me or asked me any questions.  When I got outside, I was a little concerned about finding my party.  There were so many people and taxis.  Once again I began thinking “This was such a bad idea and telling myself you do some pretty [snip]ed up things sometimes”.  Then I hear my name.  It was Liliana and Jackie, who was the first lady I was meeting.  Needless to say I was feeling much better and much more positive.  Liliana introduced me to Jackie and Eduardo the taxi driver.  He got my luggage and we headed for the condo in Pradomar.  The ride was about 30 minutes.  The first thing I realized is that Colombia was much more developed than the Dominican.  It was a bonafide city.  We all chatted on the way back to the condo.  Jackie told me about herself and I told her about me.  I was so skeptical of the translation process at first, but it was going great.  Liliana was getting the punch lines in the translations, so I was feeling muy bueno at this stage of the game.

My flight landed about 4:30pm.  We arrived at the condo about 5:45pm.  BAQ doesn’t observe daylight savings time, thus they were an hour behind Ohio.  Jamie was at the condo when I arrived.   The condo has a gate where an armed guard lets you in.  Liliana gave me the keys to the condo, and we headed upstairs to where we met Jamie.  He gave me a quick tour of the condo.  The condo was very nice.  He showed me how to work the A/C and informed me that I had a group introduction in less than an hour.  So I cleaned up and was ready for the introduction.

Eduardo drove us to my first intro, which was at a very nice Italian restaurant called “La Dolce Vita”.  If you like fine places to dine with great character and excellent food, fellas please check out this spot.  It is owned by a little, wonderful Italian lady (I believe Rosa is her name) and her Colombiano husband.  They met in New York.  Her Spanish seemed a little better than her English, but she made me feel so much at home.  It was so cute how her husband was always correcting her English…lol.  Anyway I was led to this little room where I met other ladies that worked for Jamie’s agency.  They were there taking photos of the introduction and assisting us with the introductions.  Everything was so well-organized and planned.  It honestly felt like I was some type of star with the bulbs flashing and everyone catering to me.  There were about 7-10 women in this room.  Throughout the introductions, I think about 5 more women came during the introductions.  They served appetizers and drinks.  The drink was good, but I then realized that dummy you are drinking a drink made from the water.  I was thirsty answering and asking all those questions.  So I sipped just enough to quench my thirst.  I was just praying that I didn’t run into problems, especially with all these fine women here.  That would be very embarrassing.  

After about an hour and half of talking to these women, I was told to say my goodbyes since my dinner date Gina was here.  I was asked if there was anyone in the group that caught my eye or who I wanted to see again.  There were definitely two women that stood out (Lynn and Ann).  I remembered Lynn from the website and she was gorgeous in person.  She was one of the women that showed interest, but I didn’t write her.  Gina my dinner date was beautiful and we had wine and dinner until about 11:30pm that evening.  Eduardo came to pick us up and they all drove me back to my condo which was around 12:30pm.

April 7, Friday

I was picked up between 9 and 9:30am enroute to the Dann Carlton for a breakfast date.  I was still thinking about (Lynn, Ann, and Gina) from the previous evening.  The breakfast was uneventful, although Ophelia was well-built and attractive.  I just didn’t feel any chemistry.  We broke about 11am, and we headed to lunch at a Chinese restaurant where I had another group meeting with about 4 women.  During the meeting about 3 more women came.  The hottest woman in the group was either 18 or 21.  The best personality in the group and the hottest body was about 23, but she loved animals and had way too many pets.  Although I like animals, I am not trying to raise an animal farm.  The meeting was pretty uneventful.  I was asked if there was any one that I wanted to see again.  I guess the women are so hard to get in contact with, so it was suggested to me that we setup meetings with the women while they are in our presence.

After about an hour or so, my lunch date (Beth) arrived.  (Beth) arrived pretty casual, but she immediately caught my eye.  She was one of my selections, but I didn’t remember her.  We hit it off well, but I didn’t really get the impression of how she was feelin’ me.  My TA felt that she wasn’t really interested, but she admitted that maybe she was just real shy.

At about 6pm, we headed for another group meeting at another nice restaurant.  This group meeting had more faces that I recognized from the website.  This was another meeting with about 7-12 women.  There was one girl who just wanted to party in group, which I found out about a little later.  If time wasn’t so short, I may have taken her up on the offer.  There was one person that spoke English pretty good from the group.  She actually asked her question in English.  Since I was so used to hearing Spanish, I totally didn’t realize that she was speaking English.  I turned to the TA, and she asked if I was going to answer her.  She told me that she asked the question in English.  I felt so stupid, and I had to ask her to repeat the question…lol.  This actually happened at least twice during my stay.

Ann was my first dinner date from a previous introduction.  I said my goodbyes to the ladies and thank them for coming.  I then sat down for a couple of hours to talk to Ann.  Ann and I were making good eye contact from the previous evening.  She mentioned that she was supposed to be working on a report, but she left work early in order to see me again.  After seeing her a second time, I was really attracted to her.  We made plans to get together Monday around 6pm, since she had to work late Saturday and she also worked Sunday.  Once again Ann, Liliana, and Eduardo drove me back to the condo around 12:30am.

April 8, Saturday

This day began with breakfast again at the Dann Carlton with Bianca at about 9:30am, who was one of the ladies that I met at lunch in the Chinese restaurant.  The breakfast was uneventful, and I didn’t find myself to be as attracted to her the second time around.  She was however very good company and we talked and laughed.

I had a brunch and group introduction at an Arabic restaurant with about 4 women.  This was uneventful.  This was followed by lunch with Sadie from this group introduction.  She was attractive, but got on my nerves because she was so evasive in her answers.  She apparently studied psychology, and I guess she figured that she could psycho-analyze me.  She was really, really irritating.  My TA felt the same way.  After we ate lunch, I was just interested in getting the hell out of there.

The evening was followed by spending a few hours with Gina at the mall.  We then called and picked up Lynn and headed back to La Dolce Vita restaurant.  It was much busier than the first time, but they accommodated us with a totally private and personal area.  Rosa came back to welcome us and to just say hello.  I can’t say enough how wonderful I thought that Rosa was.  She was one of my most favorite people that I met during my stay in Colombia.  After dinner I made another date with Lynn for Sunday, and we drove her back home.

April 9, Sunday

I had breakfast at the Dann Carlton once again with Angel from a previous meeting.  Angel family was originally from Medellin.  She was total wife material from my impression and conversation with her.  Although she was about 24, her parents were within a couple years of my age.  I felt that she was diggin’ me.  I had an attraction to her, but it wasn’t the type of chemistry that I was looking for.  I think I just really liked who she was as a person.

We headed across the street to the mall.  My TA told me that we had our last introduction today, and that from there it was my responsibility to decide who I wanted to spend time with.  She told me they recommended that I not spend all my time with just one person a day.  The suggested that I have at least two dates a day.  

I headed for the final group introduction brunch.  This introduction was with about 7 women.  By this time, I was really wearing down with the introductions and didn’t really give a damn at this point.  I told myself to suck it up like a man and be polite to these ladies.  There wasn’t really anyone that I was feelin’ in this group.  There were a few fine ladies in this group, but most of them were between the ages of 18 and 22.  So I considered this introduction to be uneventful.  I was asked if there was anyone that I wanted to see again.  I chose one but she wasn’t interested.  I was actually having dinner with her sister later than evening.

I told my TA that there was only two, possibly three, people that I was interested in dating for the remainder of my time.  We called Lynn again and went headed for lunch at a monastery, but the monastery was closed.  We decided to go to the Pradomar Hotel for a late lunch on the beach.  They had a nice Reggae Bar on the beach.  The owner greeted us and asked where we wanted to sit.  He also asked if we minded the music.  The music was Reggae, so I was totally cool with it.  Lynn wanted to sit closer to the beach so we did.  We at and talked for about 3 or 4 hours.  We then walked back to the condo, which was about a 15 minute walk.  Lynn and I talked and interacted at the condo, while my TA was checking in with the office.  My dinner date called to cancel, so we asked Lynn if she wanted to stay which she replied yes.  We spent the next several hours just talking and getting to know one another.  My TA called for a taxi to take them home around 11:30pm.

April 10, Monday

This was the first day that I didn’t have to get up early, so I planned to just enjoy my time relaxing around the condo.  My TA called me about 9am, and told me that Gina called her and wanted to bring her friends by to see me.  Since I didn’t have anything until around 1pm, I agreed.  Gina shows up with her 4 young friends, and they took some pics of me and Gina with their camera phones.  I then took some pics of them.  They inquired about going swimming, but they didn’t have their bathing suits.  They asked the guard if they could swim in their underwear.  The guard came up to check them out, and he said that it was okay.  So I spent the morning swimming with 4 pretty hot young ladies.

The rest of the week was spent with Lynn, Ann, and Beth.  Lynn and I went to the movies (Vida Cruzadas, which was Crash).  She wanted to see Ice Age 2, but the movie was in Spanish for the kids.  Most feature movies are in English with Spanish subtitles.  This was the night that I got a slight temperature.  I think it was my sinuses acting up with the constant change in temperatures with A/C and the humid air in BAQ.  Lynn wanted to see me before I left, so we had a night cap at Barranquilla Hotel the night before I left...

Ann and I spent some time at the condo on Tuesday, but she had to work a lot so our time was very limited.  Since she was going to be off Friday and she seemed that she wanted to spent time with me prior to my leaving Saturday, I decided to spend the day with her in Cartagena on Friday.  I had a great time in Cartagena.  Cartagena was much hotter than BAQ.  There was always a nice breeze that kept the temps very nice while I was there.  The wind from the ocean was blew very strongly through the condo, which was very nice.  

Beth and I spent time at City Park, an arcade in the top of the mall, for a few hours.  We went to Las Flores, where the the ocean meets the Magdalena River.  This is the night we took this broke-down little train that trapped us in the pitch black dark night.  We were stuck on this strip of land between the river on one side and the ocean on the other.  You could literally take two or three hops from water to water on each side.  Needless to say, this was probably my worst night of the trip.  I also spent Thursday morning with Maria, someone from the first introduction, just swimming and having conversation.  Since she spoke English, we were totally on our own.

My TA and I had ample time to discuss my opinions of each woman that I was interested in.  She told me that you typically either ask someone to be your girl or you select a couple of girls to remain in contact with after you leave.  Jamie explained to me that it was unusual to not spend most of my time with one person that just did it for me after the first 3 days.  For me there were two ladies that I had a strong attraction to.  They didn’t want to rush and neither did I.  I decided to remain in contact with two ladies (Lynn and Ann).  The both represent two different personalities.  Lynn is career-oriented and we have a lot in common.  We laughed together the whole time, and she was so sweet and understanding.  Ann is more shy and more the housewife type.  She enjoys her work, but told me that she preferred to stay home and care for her family.

Overall the experience was wonderful.  I really enjoyed the country, the ladies, and the people in general, the accommodations, and my TA.  I would highly recommend the agency.  Jamie has been very honest in my dealings with him.  Some people think that his price is too high, but I felt that it was well worth it for the service I received.  If you can’t afford his price, then I suggest looking elsewhere.  You also have to pay for your TA’s meals and fees for excursions.  I spent an additional $1200 for the 10 days, which $90 included airport parking and $98,000 pesos for departure.  The cab fare for the girls averaged about $70,000 pesos a day ($30).  The trip to Cartagena cost me $360,000 pesos for the cab ride with toll fees ($156).  This also included picking up and taking home Lynn, my TA, and Ann.  I also spent about $70 on groceries which included wine.  I didn’t each much in the condo except for breakfast and snacks.  I would suggest using your ATM debit card for everything; because I felt I was getting great exchange rates from my bank.  Have them charge your debit card as a credit.  I was having trouble getting my pin to go through on the credit card machines.  I didn’t have any problems withdrawing any money.  I informed my bank of the days I was going to be in BAQ and the cities that I was traveling to.  

The women are gorgeous in BAQ.  A lot of the women were heavier than their pics, but they looked great in jeans.  I saw some of the most average or below-average looking men with some of the finest women.  When you sit and watch the women in the mall, you will see so many stars.  I am too convinced that I can find my next bride in Colombia.  Although some women have their preference in men, I found the majority of women just looking for a good man regardless of race.  I had an excellent time.  I somewhat wasn’t ready to leave, and I definitely plan to return in the very near future.  I also feel that my response was much better, when the women knew that I was coming down.  There were even a few that asked to meet me while I was down there.  I also wish that I could have stayed maybe an extra week.  I would definately suggest staying for as long as your schedule and bank account will allow.

[Looking4Wife]

Excellent trip report!  

I knew you would love the women in BAQ, and Jamie took care of you as I knew he would.

As you saw first hand, its hard for the girls to take a "correspondence gringo" seriously, when another guy is actually coming there to see them.

Best of success to you in finding your wife!

[Hoda]

Wonderful report Bro,

   Reading your adventure brought back many fond memories of my early trips to Cali. Best of luck to ya.....Now get yo narra ass back down ASAP :lol:

Peace....

[Maestoso]

EbonyPrince, do you think any of those women can dig living in Ohio? It seems to me that they are accustomed to the sun  :?:

Anyway excellent trip report.

[fathertime]

Great report man.  A satisfied customer is a great advertisement for an agency.  
fathertime

[Parlay Rey]

Awesome account, thank you. Puts things into perspective and points out a few things that one might not have thought of originally.

[soltero]

This was an extremely good report, EP. If your experiences were the ones used in the GQ article, BAQ would be swamped with guys right now. As usual, the people that actually stay with Jamie give him high marks, and from your description of his services, he deserves them. He has a very interesting way of getting as many women in front of you as possible, and it sounds very interesting, if possibly overwhelming! If I ever decide too include BAQ in my search, I will definitely give Jamie my business.

It is good to see someone with a clear head who is not in a hurry give a written account as to how their process is going. I hope that you will continue to make reports such as this one. I am glad to see that your trip was an enjoyable one and that you are setting your own pace. Good luck with the women you are interested in. Keep us posted with any further developments and congratulations on taking that step and hopping off the fence!

[jediknight]

very nice report and i'm glad you had a positive experience in barranquilla. smart move not to rush into things, keep in touch with your two favorites and see how things go. my fiance is more interested in staying at home and taking care of me and future kids, this was a big plus as i didn't want someone who would put career first, i could have gotten that here. we've spoken about it and i mentioned to her that if she wants she could goto school or get a job once the kids are in school but for now she'll be staying at home. i just got back myself so i'll post a mini report of my week there.
good luck
JK

[conocerme]

EP - great trip report..  Take your time and get to know the women as best you can.  Don't settle for someone who you are not certain of or be in a hurry.  Glad you followed through and went down to Colombia.  Good luck.

jediknight - also good luck to you and your fiancee.

conocerme

[EbonyPrince]

Maestoso wrote:

EbonyPrince, do you think any of those women can dig living in Ohio? It seems to me that they are accustomed to the sun  

I asked that question specifically a few times.  A lot of the women didn't really seem to have a problem with it.  Most women responded that they would want to visit home at least once a year preferably around Carnival.  Ohio is very centrally located, which is one of the things I love about Ohio.  I was asked if we had a beach close by, and I responded that Cleveland was about an hour away with a beach on the lake.  The women seemed to be just happy with being able to visit a beach on vacation, which I told them we had very nice beaches within a 2 hour flight from Ohio.  WS244 even told me that he knew of people that married guys from the midwest.  He mentioned that they were fine with the weather, but most missed the fresh fruit.  Overall, I didn't get the impression that it would be a problem.  A lot of the women seemed to be intrigued by the four seasons.  As they put it, Barranquilla is pretty much the same with little change.

 

fathertime wrote:
A satisfied customer is a great advertisement for an agency.

soltero wrote:
the people that actually stay with Jamie give him high marks, and from your description of his services, he deserves them. He has a very interesting way of getting as many women in front of you as possible.

Jamie was on the girls to keep me dating.  He wants you to meet as many women as possible in the hopes of finding a match.  He checked in several times with me, and informed me to call him if I needed anything.  I was having such a great time that I really didn't need him.  The agency wants you to have a schedule with preferably a breakfast, lunch, and dinner date everyday of women you met or new women.  He also doesn't bull[snip].  He will ask you questions about a girl, and if he thinks something is screwy he will suggest that you not waste your time with her.  I had to trump him a couple of times in order to get more information from the girl to make my own decision.  You are the client.  He only offers suggestions.

The way the intros worked for the 3 days was that you would have a breakfast date, a lunch and/or dinner group introduction followed by a lunch and dinner date with one lady for each of the three days that you are there.  I would suggest sticking to the format regardless of how you feel about one lady or another.  The translator/assistants (TAs) work their assess off and deal with a lot of stress trying to keep the client happy.  My TA was with me from 9am to 12am daily on average, and this doesn't even include the drive to get the girls in the morning or making the phone calls.  We actually had a lot of fun and I picked her brain and learned a lot from her.  The condo was totally off the chain.  It was one of the biggest highlights of the trip.  I will try to post some pics when I can get them edited.

jediknight wrote:

very nice report and i'm glad you had a positive experience in barranquilla.

I loved the city.  I didn't realize how large the city was until I got to drive around it picking up and dropping off the ladies.  It is absolutely huge!  I also got to see the numbers of people out and about during Semana Santa week.  The streets were packed with people from like Wed. thru Fri.  The mall is very nice.  I really liked the Pradomar beach area.

[doombug]

Kudos, EP!  Flawless report.

Liliana (your TA) and Madame "Rosa" seem like quite a saintly duo.  Kudos to the both of them, as well.

[FanMan]

Good story EP, I plan on using Jamie's services when I travel down to Colombia next year. Nice to know that the city has quite a few things to do and see.

[latinadreaming]

Great report.  As soon as I figure out how to PM you I will.

[Montrealer]

Hey Prince,
Just got back from my trip yesterday and was glad to see you had a great time in BAQ.  Sorry we couldn't bump into eachother, but it looks like you had your hands full anyways, so I might have just been in the way, haha.

Great report.  I knew you would be very satisfied with your trip.

Keep us posted on how things are panning out with Lynn and Ann.  Also, when do you plan on making a follow-up trip?

Anyways, keep us all posted.

[EbonyPrince]

What's up Monty!  Welcome back.  

It would have been nice to bump into you down there.  Since BAQ is so huge, I highly doubt that unless it was at the mall.  My translator actually was seeing a lot of people that she knew.  I actually saw a lot of gringos during my stay there.

I will admit that I miss Colombia.  I would like to get there within the next 4-6 months.  Everyone can't be a big Mac Daddy like you.     I will definately keep everyone posted on future trips.  

I look at the distance as a good indicator of the potential of the person.  I have been in steady contact with one lady.  She is definately on-point, but she is the ultimate professional.  I saw that down there.  The other is more spotty.  She just isn't as reliable.  That is not a bad thing, but I just don't think that she has the drive.  She mentioned in one conversation about how her ex-Colombiano complained about how she didn't seem like she cared.  So I think that it is just her nature and a trust issue.  I think that she has lost trust in men.  I see a lot of that with women in the states.  So I keep it real and remain patient with her.  All things are revealed in time.

Ciao.

[younggun]

nice report.  I have been researching for many weeks now and plan on going down in 3 months.

question:  Did being black pose any restrictions on the dating scene? I've heard that it doesnt matter at all, but did you feel any strange feeling whatsoever?

[EbonyPrince]

Did being black pose any restrictions on the dating scene? I've heard that it doesnt matter at all, but did you feel any strange feeling whatsoever?

The good thing is that you will only be seeing the women that are interested in you from your picture, profile, or both.  Going to Colombia as a black man didn't really concern me at all.  I think that I was more concerned more as an American.  Once I landed in Colombia, I felt totally comfortable because no one bothered me.  Initially I would get stares from the guys, but I think that people were more interested where I came from and who I was.  I think they were trying to figure out if I was Colombian or what.  People would here me speaking in a foreign language and were very interested where I came from like kids and so forth.

Overall the people were great.  After the first day I felt totally comfortable being in BAQ.  In general either the women like you or they don't.  If you are a good dancer, I heard that you will have the women clamoring over you.  So in my opinion, I wouldn't even give that a consideration.  We were actually stopped twice by armed guards on the way to Cartegena, and once they patted us down and checked the ladies purses they sent us on our way.  When I told my friend that once back home, he commented that he would of pissed on himself.  I wasn't nervous at all.  So I wouldn't give it a second thought.  Just make your plans and enjoy.  Colombia has a lot of good people, its a beautiful country, and has beautiful women.  

[utopiacowboy]

Thanks for the report! I am sure that it took you a bit of time putting it together and it was well worth it. You seem like a guy who's really got his head screwed on. I am sure that you will find exactly what you are looking for.

[bad40]

great report! you convinced me. sounds like the bq and jamie combination is a recipe for success.

would you recommend a condo, the prado or the dann carlton for lodging?

good luck!

[pablo]

Nice trip report EP!  I enjoyed reading it.  I just returned from BAQ and had a great time meeting some very nice women through Jamie's agency.  Your comment about visiting La Dolce Vita brought a smile to my face as I too enjoyed the great hospitality and good food/service there.

Eduardo drove us to my first intro, which was at a very nice Italian restaurant called “La Dolce Vita”.  If you like fine places to dine with great character and excellent food, fellas please check out this spot.  It is owned by a little, wonderful Italian lady (I believe Rosa is her name) and her Colombiano husband.

Your memory serves you right the owners names are Rosa and Rodrigo.  If anyone is interested in their location here is the address:

La Dolce Vita
Cra. 49C No 79-125
BAQ
368 4964

One nice discount they offer is only on Tuesdays if you pay with a Visa card allowing 30% off your bill.

For any other culinary aficionados out there I would also recommend another good Italian restaurant called Nonna Rosa that serves a very good pizza, something that is hard pressed to find for some reason in Colombia.  Their address is:

Nonna Rosa
Cra. 53 No 79-211
BAQ
358 6776

For good Japanese food I thought Subarashi was a good choice.  They also deliver.

Subarashi
Calle 79 Cra 53 Esq. Local 7-8
BAQ
368 3399

would you recommend a condo, the prado or the dann carlton for lodging?

I stayed at the American Golf Hotel and would return there.  It is a two year old small (50 unit) hotel with friendly staff and they were cool with the fact that I was bringing women there for interviews in the lobby.  The rate was around 113.000 pesos a night with a small buffet style breakfast included.  Their address is:

American Golf Hotel
Calle 82 No 58-41
BAQ
373 2000
www.hotelamericangolf.com

[jediknight]

thanks pablo and all for the dining tips, i'll be checking them out the next time i goto barranquilla this summer. great tip by the way about the 30% discount on tuesdays. although i've never stayed at the american golf hotel, my finace and i did check it out for a possible reception place.  the hotel is in nice area, very residential so its quiet but still within minutes and 4,000 pesos from anywhere you may want to go.
oh, any recommendations on good chinese food?
JK

[Montrealer]

For chinese food, me and my fiancee liked a place called Confucious.  It's located somewhere in the mid 50 carreras and calle 70ish.  Also, there is a Nonna Rosa inside Buena Vista mall, but it's not as good as the Nonna Rosa on carrera 53.

For a good steak, theres a place inside Buena Vista called Buffalo grill.  It's close to a steak house you would find in south Texas.  Also, stay away from the KFC there.  I was not very impressed at all.  There are far better chicken places there like American Broasted Chicken and Piko Riko.

There is a french restaurant across the street from Prado hotel.  It says it's a steak house on the outside, but the menu is predominately french food.  I personally love french food, but this place was only mediocre, and the prices were way too high for what it was.  But if you have a craving for french food, I think it's the only french restaurant in all of BAQ.

Overall, the food in BAQ is usually better at the smaller places.  They may not be fancy (or healthy), but they are delicious and very well priced.

The best food I did find in all of BAQ was served at the Hotel Dann Carleton, although extremely overpriced.

[jediknight]

monty, thanks for the recommendations. a question for you, since we are both getting married at the Enmaculada, did you guys share the cost of the flowers in the church with the other couples that are getting married that same day? also, we would love to know what you guys will do in san andres, you are still going right?
JK

[EbonyPrince]

bad40 wrote:

great report! you convinced me. sounds like the bq and jamie combination is a recipe for success.

would you recommend a condo, the prado or the dann carlton for lodging?

good luck!

I wouldn't call it a recipe for success, but Jamie will attend to your needs and deliver on what he offers to deliver.  Your success depends on you the individual.  

Me personally I liked staying at Jamie's condo in Pradomar.  I enjoyed the tranquility of the ocean view and the area, which felt more like a vacation area.  I also liked having a home away from home.  From what I saw of the Dann Carlton, it was a nice hotel.  I can get hotels like that right here in any city.  I don't think that I even saw the Prado.  I wasn't interested in the Prado, based upon Monty's recommendation.  I am extremely selective, and I look for spots that are comparable to my home.  Everyone mentioned about the Prado rooms being outdated but comfortable.  Being my first time in Colombia and not knowing what to expect, comfortable just wasn't good enough for me.

Great information everyone regarding restaurants guys.  I am glad you checked out Rosa's place Pablo.  I love being around terrific people like that, and the food was delicious I thought.  Thanks for the other suggestions!  I plan to head back next month or early August.

Thanks guys!!!

[Montrealer]

Jedi,
You must have missed an earlier thread about where I'm getting married.  Unfortunately, my first wedding was in a church, so we were not able to do a church wedding.  We did however find a pastor at her church to bless the wedding, so he will do that at the reception, but the actual tying of the knot will be done by a notary.