After several years of lurking on this and other forums, i feel it's finally time for me to "come out" and introduce myself to you all.
I am a Londoner who has harboured an interest in latinas more or less since adolescence and my first GF of Hispanic origin. My roots are East European, my professional background is technical and educational, and I'm also a keen rock musician. I live on my own with no children or dependents and have never married, and despite having turned 40 not long ago the years have been very somewhat kind to me as with my over-regulation blonde hair and fit appearance I often get complemented on looking closer to 30
I've never been a keen traveller; I was always too busy with career and hobbies to backpack and the countries I have visited are mainly within Europe. But this never got in the way of my desire to learn about LA or to meet Latinas, and over the past 15 years or so i've become something of an "armchair veteran", exploring the Latin scene here and mixing it with London's established Colombian community, some smaller Andean communities, and a more recent but expanding Brazilian population. In this time I've enjoyed broadening my knowledge of most subjects related to the history, politics, culture and trivia of LA, gained through attending various events, meeting Latinos from all walks of life, reading books, articles and forums, and improving my Spanish and Portuguese. The two biggest drivers behind my interest in Latin culture are, firstly, my own Catholic faith which I'm glad to say still plays a big role in the life of most LA societies, and secondly music. My roots are in rock and metal, but i discovered traditional Latin music as something of a Ying-Yang compliment to my own hardened tastes, and Colombia above all stands out as the LA country with the richest diversity of music styles that I can easily lose myself in (and occasionally dance to but only when pushed as I'm no big fan of dancing.) I'm also famililar with parts of the underground Latin rock scene and find it gratifying to know that in some parts of Brazil and the Southern cone, metal seems to be more popular than it is here in London.
I'll gladly admit I've had my fair share of dates with Latinas in London. Many were enjoyable, a few were disasters; some led to lifelong friendships and a few resulted in relationships which, for reasons mainly to do with my career, sadly didn't work out. But the majority of my experiences with Latinas here were, unfortunately, disappointing. This may be party my fault for going out to meet Latinas in the wrong places. It could also be due in part to the local demographic: London is a city known for a liberal and self-indulgent culture, and the UK has until recently had porous borders and a social welfare system notoriously open to abuse; these factors which have encouraged relatively high numbers of low-class immigrants from LA to come and settle here for the wrong reasons. And so my mixed experiences with meeting Latinas in London coupled with my ties to the UK have hitherto prevented me from travelling to the Americas in search of a soulmate. However, a recent development in my circumstances here have finally forced me to look in the mirror, face the facts, and come to a decision as to what i really want from my personal life. That's why i have finally decided to join this forum as a contributing member, and join the party.
Like most seriously-minded guys here I've done my soul-searching and have a clear idea of what I'm looking for in any future relationship. I do keep a mental checklist of essential and desireable qualities to look for when meeting a prospective gf and I've developed a proven red light/flag "early warning system"; these things may take some of the romance out of dating but have also protected me from getting burned more than once. I have worried occasionally if my "head leads the heart" approach has made me into a hardened "connoisseur" ever destined to pursue achieveable but unrealistic ideals, and the fact that I value conservative and intellectual qualities in a woman way over any superficial charm or sex-appeal has prompted me on occasions to consider the alternative options of searching for a soulmate in Asia or Eastern Europe instead of relying on finding success within LA. However, i must confess that whenever disappointments or doubts have begun to get the better of me, something somewhere has always come around to help keep my eyes on the prize - maybe a client "testimonial" on an intro website, or a post on a forums such as this from a guy who shares many of my experiences and ideals and who has struck gold on a trip to LA, or maybe even reading the profile of an exceptional latina on an intro website. And all this has finally forced me to face up to admitting something about myself that I was suspecting for some time - i am, simply put, addicted to Latinas. And nomatter where in life i end up going or end up doing, I realise i'll never be able to get them out of my system. But when i also consider the fact that the vast majority of LA's vast and diverse population of women live their lives light years away from the ups and downs of the "gringo trail", and that hardly any of them would show outright hostility towards the idea being approached respectfully by a foreign guy interested in them, their culture, and able to converse in their own language, I simply have to give in and admit that if I really cannot find what I'm looking for in LA then i almost certainly won't find it anywhere else either. In other words - a success story IS entirely possible for me within LA and it's now down to my own decisions and actions as to how/where/when I manage to realise it. That's why I have finally decided to get out of my armchair and spend at least 3 months of this Summer on making my own personal "pilgrimage" to Colombia and the Andes.
Being a bike enthusiast, i originally wanted to fly to Venezuela, buy a small off-roader and ride westwards from town to town, checking out the sites and acclimatising myself to Latin life before crossing into Colombia near Maracaibo. Motorcycle adventure holidays are becoming commmon throughout the Americas, and the idea of having my own personal freedom hidden behind the anonymity of a helmet and a locally-purchased runaround (as opposed to having to rely on buses and taxis - and being seen as such) greatly appeals to me. However, having read several bad reports of a deteriorating situation in Venezuela in regard to personal safetly and official corruption, I have been forced to consider starting my journey with a flight to Bogota or Medellin instead. In Colombia already I have friends in the cities whom i plan to visit, but I'm also aiming to explore the smaller cities and towns off the beaten path, principally in and around the Cauca Valley and Paisa regions, and of course i'm looking forward to meeting, and hopefully jamming with, some of the local bands in places like Valledupar, Ibague, and possibly the Llanos. I don't know how much time i'll end up spending in Colombia (I know I could spend my entire 3 months there) however i'd also like to leave at least some time for heading south and exploring parts of Ecuador and the coastal towns of Peru. I doubt i'll have time to see any other countries and will therefore have to leave a much-anticipated trip to Southern Brazil and the Southern Cone for another time.
I like to think I am safely-conscious, well-informed and aware of my surroundings. I am well aware of the dangers present in parts of Colombia but don't want to let this stop me from exploring those parts which most gringos never see (and where i suspect the majority of unspoilt treasures can be found.) I certainly don't wish to spend time meeting women in bars and clubs (unless they are rock venues of course) as I would be much more interested in meeting them in and around colleges, libraries, or other cultural and religious instutions, and during daytime. It's true enough that party girls, shallow models and attention-seeking "princesses" don't impress me no matter how they look; I'm much more impressed by the serious and quiet type of Latina. Like most guys here I'm impressed when a girl has been brought up with traditional pre-permissive family values. However, I'm not looking to meet an "ama de casa"; I would also like her to be someone who enjoys broadening her mind and wishes to study and pursue a lifelong career (something I would be very happy to support her with.) In terms of looks, I admit i am attracted towards taller and less buxom Latinas but not necessarily ones with European heritage; indeed i confess to having a soft spot of those Latinas blessed with that exquisite Amerindian beauty that is difficult to describe but once seen is impossible to forget and seems to occur only in certain Colombianas and not girls from other LA countries (there's a 22 year old member on CSH who illustrates that "indigenous" beauty perfectly - i'll leave you to look for yourself and guess who she is
) Other than that, I'm not turned off by girls who come from poor backgrounds or broken families as long as they maintian their values and dignity in times of hardship. Likewise I'm open minded with respect to age and not discouraged by the idea of dating a young girl
per se provided she proves herself to be mature, responsible and sincere. However, i do have one particularly exacting requirement; it is critical that my girl never been married, has no children, and is a devoted Catholic or protestant Christian (...by all means draw whatever inference from this you may wish to but please don't criticise me if you disagree with my views; the topics relating to this have already been discussed here at length and i don't wish to discuss them further.) I reckon the Latinas who would make a good match for someone like me can still be found throughout LA if you know where to look for them, but as my gut instinct tells me my best chance of finding success will occur somewhere within the Andres or the Southern Cone, i won't allow myself to become too hung up on pursuing Colombianas. I will allow this trip to be my first "tour of duty" into the Latin world, and i'll enjoy it for all sights, sounds and new experiences I will come across. If i don't get lucky this particular time, no worries; the Lord knows i'll be back some other day.
Thank you for reading this. It would be a pleasure to hear from you and share your thought and comments on what I have written. I'll post my travel plans in more detail when i finalise them.
