5 weeks in Barranquilla

[Montrealer]

Hey everyone. Hope you all had a good Christmas and a happy New Year. I got back on Sunday from my 5 weeks in Barranquilla. So let me tell you all my latest events, continuing on from my first trip report in late November.

Hotel Vallclaire - I try to find good things in every situation. So I will say that this hotel has very spacious rooms at very good rates. Other than that, I was not very impressed at all

Bogota Airport - (I had an overnight connection in Bogota) This airport is clearly the most unorganized airport in the world. I have been to 3 airports in India and thought it couldn't get worse. I was wrong. I think between the check-in line and the boarding I waited in about 6 different lines, all for the same thing, but a must do if you want to leave.

Now on to the relationship angle. If you remember, I found someone on my last trip that seemed just perfect for me. Her name was LS, she is 22, 6 years younger than me. And the chemistry between us was perfect. So I went to Barranquilla with the sole purpose of spending time with her.

When I arrived, she picked me up at the airport. When we saw eachother, it was like one of those cheezy romance movies where we ran towards eachother in slow motion and gave eachother a big hug. It was fantastic. I checked into the Dann Carlton at first, till I could find a better rate on a 5 week stay at another hotel. Dann Carlton is great, but for 5 weeks, way to pricey.

For the first couple days we just spent them in the hotel room, hanging out and enjoying eachothers company. Then on December 10th, I surprised her. We had just finished room service lunch, when I got down on my knee, told her what she meant to me and how I think we would be great together as husband and wife. She was speechless, except for the "si, te amo" that she managed to eek out of her mouth. It was just a great feeling in the room and the bond between us just seemed invincible. So I gave her the ring that I purchased in Montreal before I went down. A simple gold ring with a half carat round stone diamond surrounded by 2 baguettes that were .10 CT each. I'll fast forward a bit for a moment. She didn't know it was a real diamond until about a week later, when I told her I needed a photo of it on her hands to send to my insurance company. She freaked out, saying that I'm nuts for buying a real diamond. I thought I was nuts for buying a much smaller ring than I did for my first wife. Wow, I really do come out smelling like roses all the time. Now back to the day of proposal. We went back to her place to share the news with her family. We sat them all down and told them. Her mom cried with tears of joy. Her step-dad was very happy and gave me his blessing. Her brother and sister were very happy too.

So we just celebrated for the next few days. Then on Sunday she invited me to her church. She is Evangelical, which I didn't really know what was all about. I have always been abeliever in God, but do not believe in religion and have never been baptized. I agreed to go check out her chuch. I was surprised it wasn't just some old guy reading from the bible. The first 45 minutes was religious rock music and love songs to god. Everyone up on their feet dancing and clapping. People yelling out Halleluhah, falling down and crying. One person even fainted and was caught. It all seemed a little like something from a movie, but definately a cool experience. The next 30 minutes was bible passages and religious stories. Followed by another 15 minutes of music. Pretty cool church, so I decided to accompany her every week because she is fairly religious. I told her I would never follow her religion or any other, but I would encourage her to continue it and liked the fact that it was important to her.

Now a couple weeks later, it was Christmas. We celebrated at her house with her family. A nice turkey supper. We opened a bottle of Canadian Club whiskey that I had brought down. At midnight, we opened the gifts. I got her a few things, a perfume, white gold chain and bracelt, some clothing and her favorite gift was bunch of paint supplies so that she could return to her passion of art. I also got gifts for the family members such as perfumes, purses, fishing rod. She got me a glass chess set that she purchased with her own money. It was perfect, since I din't have one anymore and I told her that I was making some changes to my game room. Her family also got me some nice gifts like a Colombian bracelet, a soccer jersey, a pair of running shoes, and a CD. Not the size of gifts that I'm used to getting, but being from a middle class family in Colombia, it was clearl that they did put alot of thought into the gifts, which is more important than the value.

The day after Christmas, we had to go to a 15 year olds birthday which was help at the Prodo Hotel. I real elegant affair. She was in a beautiful pink dress that made her look more elegant that the birthday girl. I didn't know I needed elegant wear for the trip, so I had to rent a tux, which was ok, because about half the men were in rental tuxes too. The photos were great.

For New Years, again at her house with her family. The street had rented a huge sound system and blasted music all night long. Pretty big affair, and nice to see neighbors uniting for a good time. One of the other neighbors also mad a life size doll to burn at 12. This is the first time I have ever seen or heard of this tradition. As bizarre as it seemed at first, I have to say it was pretty cool seeing it go up in flames.

On Jan first we all went to the beach, which was great. We went to a beach called Cano Dulce about 20 minutes outside of the city limits. Nice little beach and we all had a great time. Then her family took me to the mud volcano. Now I'm a fan of trying new things, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little weirded out by the concept. But when I got there, I jumped right in. The mud volcano is definately cool and a mustt do for everyone that can make the time. It's impossible to sink, you just sort of bob in place. When you float on your back its hard to even put your feet back down again. Then off to the water to wash it all off. Beware of the giant mosquitoes at the water. We went close to sundown and there were probably about 1 mosquito for every cubic inch of air. In the span of 10 minutes, I got bit about 30 times. Brutal.

We also made a family trip to Cartegena. Gorgeous city. I was a little disturbed by the amount of litter on the beaches. It made me a little disappointed with the way Colombians treat the beautiful things they have. We also checked out the castle.

Now after New Years, she had told me that she had made a promise to God that she would not have anymore pre-marital relations with me prior to the wedding date. If it wasn't a promise to God, I would have been a little pissed, but I respected her religion enough not to question it. However, she was only able to last about 2 days, until she started making ammendments to her promise. I guess I am that good, lol.

Now for the next 2.5 weeks we started wedding thinking. We decided on June 18th, 2006. We put together a basic plan and I set the aproximate budget at 10 million pesos, about 5000 CDN dolloars, which is a steal compared to my first wedding. We talked color patterns and ideas about the kind of wedding we wanted. We agreed that the ceremony would be in a church, and we are leaning towards the Prado Church. And the reception would be at a beach club. The concept is going to be "Where the ocean meets heaven". She did her guest list, and managed to keep it at 110 people. I may have a few people coming down, but told her probably not because all my friends are broke and I am not that close to my family. We are thinking about a 9:30 ceremony, then buses would take our guests from the ceremony too the beach. Then have a reception lasting about 12 hours with live music for half and a DJ for the other half. I left her in charge of going to get price quotes on most of the things and places we need. Then when I go down again in March, we would both go and make the final decisions on things together. By doing it this way, we will get non-gringo prices, and still get great quality. She left me in charge of the gifts for the guests. I decided on decorative sppons for the ladies engraved and cigars with the paper having our names and dates for the men. All relatively inexpensive. As well I have a couple other responsibilities which are solely mine as does she. Right now, were trying to find a contact at the local newspaper for taking out a half page article/ad for the ceremony. Does anyone here have any contacts so we don't get ripped off?

Now I'm back in Montreal and it is really cold. With the wind it is like -20 C. And I got some major problems with my business, but nothing I can't take care of. I can't wait to get back to see her in March.

As for the immigration, we are going to apply for a student visa before getting married. Then get married in Colombia and when she arrives in Canada on the student visa, we will just apply to change her status from student to sponsoring as my wife, which if we start that while she is in Colombia, she will have to wait about 2 years for the approval. By applying from inside the country for permanant residence, she is not forced to leave, but if she does leave, she may not be allowed to return until the paper work is done. So Canada will be her only home for the first year or so, unless we re-new her student visa as well. Canada allows for duel intentions with immigration. And I finally found something good about living in Quebec. If a foreigner comes to Quebec and studies french at a University level, they pay the same rates as a Quebec resident, and not international student rates, which are a rip-off.

Well, thats about all I got to say for now. I know it was a long read and maybe not as thourough as my first trip report, but I took a lot of criticism for giving out too many details last time. And there won't be any pictures like last time because of comments made last time.

Hope you enjoyed my story and if anyone has any comments, or other people who may be going down looking for love in Colombia for the first time and have questions, I would be more than happy to answer them.

Chao

[Montrealer]

Well, i just found out that I won't be getting married in a church in Barranquilla in July.  Since my first wedding was in a catholic church, it will take at least a year to get it annulled.

So I called LS and thinking that she would be diappointed, told her the problem.  She was actually relieved because she was having trouble with the church as well.  She never had her confirmation and first communion, so the church was giving her a hard time.  She wanted to do it, but it required alot of time and money.  (It's amazing, a child can do it as a normal right of passage, not knowing really what they are agreeing to, but an adult who understands it and wants to do it is given the third degree).  

So we decided on a civil ceremony, which will be held at the same place as the reception.  Might even end up saving a few bucks.

I really do come out smelling like roses all the time.

[kunfuzed1]

I just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading your post and wish you the best of luck, I plan on going down there for the first time later on this year.  I plan on going  with a friend or two but we haven't set a date yet.  I have decided on visiting barranquilla as my destination.  Is there a any one time of year better to go than others?  I have checked out a few websites and it's easy to get overwhelmed with all the beautiful women.  I did for a couple of reasons get drawn to one woman more than everyone else.  I just wanted to know if you or anyone else had any advice on places to visit and things to do and what not to do etc...  I'm thinking of going around the end of aug or sept.  I'm not going down looking for an overnight marriage, but I do hope to meet someone nice and possibly form a relationship with no pressure or expectation on a quickie marriage!!!  It would be nice to hear from someone that has a story with a happy ending, but I also want to hear about the not so happy endings also (It lets me no what to possibly expect or look out for).

[Montrealer]

Hey there Kunfused1,
I hope I can share my happy story and some advice with you.  There will be lots of others that will probably step forward and give you a bunch of warnings as well.  Listen to them, but try to remain positive is all I can say.

As for you planning your trip, I would suggest going solo.  In my experience, unless you and your friends are planning to go down next week, then you probably can't count them in to your plans in ink.  Alot of people talk about it and get even excited about the idea, but when it comes to closure, they just seem to back out.  But you know your friends better than I do.

As far as Barranquilla, the city is full of beautiful women and you will not be disappointed in that field.  I would recomend using an agency or some other form to talk with women prior to your visit.  It's nice to go down with a plan, then if you want to try to pick up in a club or something, go ahead.  Try to make plans to meet at least 3-5 women.  Maybe even more, whatever you feel comfortable with.  Also, try to learn as much spanish as possible before your trip.  Sincere women generally don't like the use of a translator, as it feels like a third wheel.  If you don't know any spanish, then only stick to using the agencies.

As for things to do in Barranquilla, it mostly depends on what you're interested in.  I recommend the mud volcano just outside the city.  It may seem really strange, but definatley a cool experience (Google it).  There are alot of casinos in Colombia, mostly blackjack, roulette, and slots with some electronic horse racing.  For clubs and bars, I didn't head out too much, but I believe all the good ones are on Calle 72.  If I'm wrong, someone please correct me.  Santa Marta is a nice city that's close by to visit.  As well as Cartegena is gorgeous and only about 2 hours away.  The city has alot of museums and some other historical sites.  Make sure you check out the Magdalena River, it's pretty fantastic.

As far as safety, Barranquilla is one of the safer cities in Colombia, from what I read.  But don't think too high of it.  This is still a relatively poor city and you being a Gringo, you will be automatically thought of as rich, so don't make yourself a target.  Don't wear flashy jewellery, avoid ATM's when possible, don't carry large amounts of cash, split your carry cash in two places (wallet/shoe/pocket/etc.), and try not to go out after dark.  If you can find a trustworthy taxi, many of them carry cell phones and like to do private calls.  They may charge you a little extra Gringo tax, but as long as it's within reason, it's better than getting robbed.

There is some good shopping as well at the Buenavista mall and I liked the Villa Country mall as well.  Great quality at much cheeper prices than in US and Canada.

In case you are looking for an agency, I used www.latin-wife.com and I would definately recommend it.  The owned is a no BS kind of guy and has a great site to browse profiles.  Here's a link to my first trip to Barranquilla that was posted on the old forum, in case you want to read it.

http://www.planet-love.com/wwwboard/search/searchdisplay.php?page=latin&archive=000283&id=86607&bold[]=montrealer

[kunfuzed1]

Thanks for the reply Montrealer,

I did check the link and read your trip report from your first trip (you didn't spare many details, good report).  As for whether or not my friends will be able to travel with me to Barranquilla I don't care, I already made up my mind that i'm going.  I have between now and aug to practice my spanish.  I did already however use an agency to contact a nice young lady in Barranquilla.  I'm a bit anxious to see if she replys.  I did feel a little funny writing because I didn't know what to say so I just told her a little about me and sent a few pics.  I have also selected a few more women that really stand above the rest (at least to me and for what i'm looking for).  I don't even know if I can hold out until aug i'm pretty restless right now, but I know financially it makes more sense.  I'm hoping at least by my second trip if I really like it that my spanish will be at least reasonable enough to not use a translator..  I really appreciate the tips and sugestions about the city and things to do.  I plan on staying for a week when I go this year.

[Montrealer]

Kon1,
When you go down this year, I would plan to spend a little more than a week if possible.  As far as costs, there are some inexpensive hotels that you could stay at that are not represented much on the web.  A decent 3 star will run about $40 USD/night.

As for the girls that you have sent messages to, try not to get your hopes up too much, especially if you chose the hottest women that you can find.  If you read my report, I started with over 90, and narrowed it down to meeting 3, and choosing only one that I would be compatible with.  It's not as easy as it may seem.  Some women get about 10 emails a day and may not even give you a second look.  But you have lots of time before your trip, so you will hopefully be able to narrow it down.

As for your spanish, try your best.  It's what really makes the difference of finding a quality woman and possibly a green card shark.  If you really want my advice, I would hold off on contacting women until at least about 2 months before your trip, because the women in Colombia can often be impatient about meeting you.  They may not be able to wait and may move on to someone else without giving you a chance.

As far as financial stuff, if money is an object for you, then I would suggest not to think of anything long term.  Finding a foreign wife, or at least a serious relationship abroad can get very costly.  Theres a post in "Latin Discussion" about the costs, you should check it out.

If you have any more questions, go ahead and ask me.  You can tell by my reports that I have no problem sharing my experiences.

[kunfuzed1]

Thanks for the advice on holding off with the contacts I didn't think of that.  As far as the money is concerned I just put myself on a budget until the end of the year.  Just by coincidence I will be going into business for myself towards the end of the year, so I have to stay on track for that..  As far as the hotels go I will definately be taking advantage of this site to see what comes with high recomendations before I take my trip.  I might can stay for more than a week if I like, i'll just have to wait and see.  I only got a week of paid vac. but I can stay longer if I want.  To help with my spanish I just ordered an audio course to help me out and I also bought an english/spanish talking dictionary so I could practice and learn with that also.  Do to the nature of my work I travel alot so I can't enroll in any type of classes..  Thx again for the reply all info is welcome...