cartagena

[jediknight]

Well guys, I wanted to thank Mike(Junfan68), Eddie (DCNUPE) and everyone on this board who have posted on their experiences in cartagena, barranquilla and Colombia in general, my trip definitely benefited from it. What I wanted to do with my, as Mike put it, trip report/epic/saga, was to encourage and inspire your guys who haven't made the trip to go. For those that haven't traveled to Colombia yet and are in the early stages of this journey you may want to keep this in mind.....
Read the posts and ask questions from those that have some experience.There isn't one way to go about finding the right woman for you, there are many and you need to find out what is the best path to take. Some of us started by getting addresses and writing, others found it better to do a tour or stay a bed and breakfast. Maybe you want to goto an agency or just fly down and meet women on your own at the malls, clubs or universities. Figure out what kind of woman it is you're looking for and what to look for from women you want to stay away from. Determine what cities you would feel comfortable visiting again and again. If you know spanish, great, if not, start learning now, you'll benefit from it. If your spanish is limited, don't let that stop you from making the trip, only by making the trip will you be able to see if what you know is enough to get to know a woman and enough for her to get to know you, if it isn't, learn some more and then go back to try again.  Above all, be honest with the ladies, don't play with their heads or emotions and don't rush into anything, but definitely go ,go go. good luck to everyone
steve

[JunFanTX]

... in response to cartagena, posted by jediknight on Jun 25, 2001

Steve,
Thanks for the thanks...but just like you, I wouldn't have ever made that all-important first trip had it not been for several gringo's with alot of experience sharing their experiences.  Heck, I still learn alot from this board.  There is no doubt in my mind that forums like these are THE BEST sources of info because they are real time and the info comes from people who, generally, are going for the same purpose.

Looking back, some of the guys who helped me are long gone...sometimes I wonder what happened to them or how their deals are working out.  I am looking forward to continue to learn in here as well as share the experiences that lie before me with Beatriz.

You are right, get off this fence and go if you haven't....you won't regret it, unless of course you are one of the 1% that gets kidnapped...lol.

'every man dies, but very few men truly live'

Later,
Mike

www.sparhard.com/colombia.htm

[Doug Y]

... in response to Re: cartagena, posted by JunFanTX on Jun 25, 2001


 What are you tryin' to do Mike?  Are you single-handedly trying to put the Colombian MOB agencies out of business?

 The Braveheart quote, "every man dies, but very few men truly live" still rings true for many aspects of life that require courage.

 When I was in Colombia last month, I read "Against The Gods,The Remarkable Story of Risk" by Peter L. Bernstein.  It's mostly about the history of financial risk, but one quote may ring true for some readers of this board:

 Amos Tversky a prospect theorist wrote;

 "Probably the most significant and pervasive characteristic of the human pleasure machine is that people are much more sensitive to negative than to positive stimuli...Think about how well you feel today, and then try to imagine how much better you could feel...There are a few things that would make you feel better, but the number of things that would make you feel worse in unbounded."

 Spend money, conduct research, write letters, study Spanish, go south for the 50-99% (depending on the individual) chance of meeting an incredible, beautiful,  woman...............

 OR, stay home cuz there's a .00001%?? chance of gettin' shot, kidnapped, shanked, blown up, jacked up, or otherwise "F"ed with.  

 Is it any more complicated than that?

 Best of Luck to All!!!!

Regards,
Doug Y.