Another recent trip to Cali provided no home runs, just singles & doubles.
The first week of my trip, I followed up with ladies I'd met at agencies (mostly LE) in 2003. There were 2 very promising gals who wanted a long friendship to check me out before committing to a relationship. This is entirely reasonable in a normal situation where you both live in the same city, but unworkable for long-distance, short/infrequent-visit relationships.
When it became clear things weren't going anywhere with these two, I returned to LE (& wished I'd done so sooner). As many Colombians are on vacation during the Holidays, it's notoriously difficult to get dates during this period. I met some nice new ladies, including 3 solid prospects. My #1 lady actually called me her novio, & she seems like a wonderful gal: sexy, sweet, fun, & educated. I'm hopeful, but only time will tell if we're really right for each other.
My goal for these trips is always to return with a solid, committed relationship, but I usually manage only a list of 3-5 prospects. It's time-consuming & tiring to try to communicate regularly with more than one lady, but experience has shown that my #1 amiga either loses interest or proves incompatible. A friend of mine used this method & eventually (with the guidance of a wise Caleña translator/advisor) married the gal who was #4 or 5 on his original list. It cost a lot, & it took him several visits over a year, but he did it. He & his wife are now happily married. (Too bad I can't get him to post his experiences here.)
I've come to see that the Agency Dream is very difficult to realize, at least for one like me who has been unable to visit more than once every 3 months or so, & unwilling to live in Colombia. Long-distance relationships are extremely hard to maintain, especially with beautiful 20-something ladies (Latinas included) who are not yet sure of what they want & face being propositioned at every turn.
One amiga opined that the agency girls who want quick marriages are all dishonest golddigger types. An exaggeration, I think. But I will generalize that the most beautiful, classy ladies in Cali are not in agencies. And the more attractive they are, & the higher their socio-economic level, the higher their expectations are in terms a marriage partner.
The recently engaged lady from LE who was discussed below is a perfect example of this. I went out with AK a couple of times in August. This lady seems the epitome of what we, or at least I, am looking for: young, beautiful, sweetly feminine & classy. And like many ladies in this category, she knows her worth. Thus, she's been in the agencies for so long. She's been looking for the perfect guy, the guy who has it all: youngish, very good-looking, successful & a gentleman. I hope she's found him.
Experiences like these have taught me that the only way to win the heart of such a lady may be to follow Pete E. & live in Cali for a while.
But I think the most important lesson I've learned (& am still learning) is to look beyond the physical to find & embrace the inner beauty that is the essence of a great, loving relationship.
