... in response to How Prevalent are Scams?, posted by Just Curious on Jun 19, 2001Hi JC,
I have been to Cali three times and I have met about 10 to 15 ladies during those trips. I would say that the majority of the ladies were quite sincere but I did meet one shark and I had a bad experience with her. So I think it is difficult to judge your chances of meeting a "bad" one. It really depends on you and the type of lady your are interested in.
My advice is to be very open and friendly but extremely cautious. Don't feel like you have to "score" a wife on your first trip to justify the expense. I would set a goal to meet at least two or three ladies on first trip that you can continue to develop a relationship. Take your time and don't put all your eggs in one basket on your first trip, or you may get burned.
My experience has shown the ladies are doing the same thing. If they are in an agency and they are reasonably attractive they typically have met lots of gringos. The really attracive ones can be very selective. You may want to steer away from the "super babes" to avoid being dumped later on for a better deal. Remember thay are meeting guys all the time while you are just there for a week or so. So don't get stars in your eyes and let your good judgement down. It is not possible for the agencies to screen out all the bad ones, it is up to you to make that judgement, their business is to make it easy to meet attractive women.
But most of all have fun and be very patient. Colombian women expect you to be very patient and calm. A little aloofness can go along way. Don't ever give the appearance of being needy, they can smell desperation and you will attract the bad ones looking to rip someone off. If they show up an hour or two late for date, don't worry just take it in stride.
As far as the danger, yes it is real in Colombia. If you follow the Yahoo Colombia News daily, you will see that lots of bad things are happening. The kidnappings have been mostly gringos working for "rich" oil companies who can be extorted for millions. An individual tourist is not much of a target.
I see the biggest danger these days is the rise in urban terrorism that has returned to Colombia cities. The recent wave of car bombings in Cali and Bogota have reinforced that issue. I am a little worried of what may happen this summer with the soccer matches going on in various Colombian cities. The terroists may take the opportunity to grab some headlines with more bombings. Don't assume that all the bad guys are in the country side, the ELN has urban members also, professionals who work in the big cities. So be very careful at all times, and take a low profile in public.
Good luck and take care,
mike
