neyger

Latinboyz: I recognize guys from Cúcuta, Medellín, Ibagué... Probably most are from Cúcuta. I guess they don't have a fixed studio, but rather travel all over the country.

Gabanna Club: Visited on a saturday night. The dancers go full nude, but no sex shows. There were four strippers. There is a dark room where you can invite the go-go dancers for some fun. They have their dance routines, so they don't have much time. You can invite them to your hotel / Airbnb or a love motel after closing time. Overall a fun place with lots of eye candy. Roma Club Video Bar: Formerly known as Geminis. Its location has changed (it used to be near Avatar). The Google Maps location is correct. Alfonso, the owner, is a great guy. If you don't see anyone you like, he can hook you up with some local guys. It's a very local spot, although tourists are welcome. Don't expect "models," but more like "guys next door." An affordable and fun place without the frills. Check their instagram for show times: https://www.instagram.com/romaclubvideobaroficial/

I understand both sides. I suppose it all depends on your risk aversion and your willingness to take extra precautions while traveling. My paisa friends also don't appreciate the massive influx of tourists in Medellin the last couple of years. Prices (although still low according to our standards) have skyrocketed for them... and everybody seems to blame the tourists. On my next trip to Colombia, I'll avoid the main tourist hotspots (Medellin & Cartagena) and focus on the coffee axis and perhaps explore a few towns like Villavicencio (while doing my best to follow my own safety tips). And well, I still have to see the first natural wonder that can take away my appetite for sex

I do think that sites like mileroticos are safer than the apps. At the bottom of each profile, you can see the various verifications that have been done, how old the profile is, whether there have been any complaints in the past, .. That was also the feeling I had. It could have happened to me. I think I will make better use of the love motels in the future.

I have also had no problems in eight visits to Colombia, sometimes for extended periods. And I certainly admit that I didn't always follow my own safety list. I don't know if there is data about this specific kind of incident. What worried me was that the police weren't the least bit surprised and seemed to be familiar with this modus operandi.

In my opinion, there were minor and big red flags that James missed: Alejandro contacted him, not the other way round. He used a new profile, without any information. He wore the exact same clothes in his photos with the same haircut, as if they were taken that same day. No cedula, a huge red flag. Alejandro acting very nervous when James invited him to his airBnB. Other tips to remain safe: 'No dar papaya', don't flash with fancy stuff, dress down & blend in. Keep low key. Don't brag about how much you earn or how much savings you have to the people you meet. Be very careful with the apps. Meet in public and watch for red flags. Use your instincts. If something feels odd, just walk away. Nightlife in Colombia can be a lot of fun, but there is a danger in it. Don't get drunk, don't do drugs. Go in a group, with people you can trust and who will look out for you. Look out for them. It helps a lot if you speak (basic) Spanish. The more you know about the guy, the better. If he shares his (real) social media with you (instagram, facebook,..), that is definitely a plus. I would not meet at his location. If you rent an Airbnb, make sure that it has security. Use a love motel if you don't want to bring him to your room. Don't walk alone in empty streets or in bad neighbourhoods, take an uber at night. Always be aware of your surroundings, even more so when using your phone. Take an old smartphone with you and keep your fancy phone at the hotel. Only install the apps you will use (no banking apps). Only take the cash you need when leaving the hotel/AirBnB. If you take a debit card with you, don't charge it with a lot of money (I use a 'wise' card for that purpose). Be careful with ATMs, only use the ones in shopping malls. Put a 20 mil or 50 mil banknote somewhere in a separate pocket (your 'take me home' money). I met a lot of guys in Colombia and never had a problem.. but one mistake can have dire consequences.

This post is not meant to scare anyone or discourage you from visiting Colombia. But it is a reminder that Colombia is still a third world country. With great people, and a few bad apples. You should take certain precautions when visiting Colombia. I still think Colombia is a great country, with friendly people, beautiful nature and handsome men, but you should never let your guard down. TinT, this is not Thailand. A few months ago I was visiting Medellin. On Wednesday night I was having drinks at the Chiquita bar in Parque Lleras with a paisa friend. I met an American gentleman, let’s call him James (not his real name). James is a solo traveler in his late forties. It was his first trip to Colombia. He was accompanied by a handsome Colombian hunk he picked up on Grindr. We started talking, mostly in English, since James only spoke a few words of Spanish. Later that night we went to a nearby nightclub called Premium. At the end of the party we exchanged WhatsApp. It is customary (at least among my paisa and veneco friends) to create a WhatsApp group and everyone sends a message when they get home safely. Everyone got home safely, a normal night in Medellin. I had no contact with James for the next days. Fast forward to the following Monday. Early in the morning I received a phone call. James. He sounded in distress. English is not my native language and it was difficult to understand what he was saying. Since he stayed only a few blocks from my house in Laureles, I told him I would meet him at his place. When I arrived, I could tell right away that he was not doing well. His face was swollen, he had a black eye, and he looked completely miserable. This is what he told me about what happened: On Saturday around noon, he was contacted on Grindr by a guy named Alejandro. It was a empty new profile, but Alejandro shared his details and photos in a private chat. Alejandro was a 28-year-old handsome university student. He said he was into older men, but that he also needed some money to pay the rent. They moved the conversation to WhatsApp, discussed the price and agreed to meet at a shopping mall that same day at 6pm. He went to the mall and they had a drink at one of the bars. He had a good feeling about the guy. He looked exactly like in the photos, he even wore the same clothes. He was polite, smiled a lot and seemed at ease. This whole conversation was done via google translate. He did mention that he didn’t have a cedula (identity card) and asked if that was a problem. He had lost it the day before, but he had some paper that was supposed to prove his identity. James didn't make a big deal about it because it was obvious that he wasn't underage. James called an Uber and they drove to his airBnB. His airBnB didn’t have security, which James wanted for privacy. During the ride to the airBnB, Alejandro was nervous and texting on his phone. Once at the Airbnb, they chatted and had a beer. Alejandro still seemed very nervous and kept texting. He said a friend was writing to him about something that happened at the university. James didn't think much of it and went to the bathroom. That was the last time he saw Alejandro. When he came back from the bathroom, Alejandro was gone and there were two rough guys with guns pointed at him. They beat him up, gave him drugs and made him give them everything. His money, his phone, his credit and debit cards. He obeyed. He gave them everything hoping they would leave. They didn’t. Instead, they put him in a car and drove him to a location in a neighbourhood called "12 de Octubre" (this was reconstructed from his Google timeline). Once at that location, more guys arrived, beat him up even worse, threatened to cut off his dick and fingers if he didn’t tell the truth. It was a complete nightmare. He had to give them the codes to his cards. He had to show them everything he had on his phone, including his banking apps. The kidnappers were snorting drugs the whole time and were very tense. For at least the next 24 hours, the kidnappers plundered his bank account and credit cards, withdrawing cash and buying expensive items. They forced him to take more drugs, and his memories of that day are blurry. He woke up, lying on the sidewalk in a street in the Robledo neighbourhood, with his passport and Airbnb keys in his pocket. He had no idea how long he had been lying there. Still dizzy and confused, he took a taxi to the Airbnb. Once inside the Airbnb, he remembered that he had hidden his laptop in the oven (since there was no safe) and forgot to tell the kidnappers. He had WhatsApp on the laptop and contacted the only English-speaking person he knew in Medellin, who happened to be me. When I arrived, he didn’t want to go to the hospital. We checked his banking apps on the computer (and blocked his cards) and when he saw what had happened to his savings, he was devastated. I didn’t feel confident enough in Spanish to explain his story to the police, so I contacted a bilingual friend and the three of us went to the police to file a report. To be honest, the police were cooperative and compassionate. We filed a ‘denuncia’ and gave them as much information as we could. I thought it was strange that they gave his passport back, but according to the police, it’s a well-known tactic: the kidnappers hope that the victim will be ashamed and/or terrified and leave the country as soon as possible without reporting it. The police also told me that this is not specifically aimed at the LGBT community, but that it happens on all dating apps. For obvious reasons, James didn’t want to stay at that airBnB any longer. I loaned him some money to buy a phone and pay for his hotel and living expenses (which he later paid back in full). We saw each other regularly over the next few days. He was still in shock and wouldn’t leave his hotel room. I eventually accompanied him to the airport to catch his flight home. James was able to get some of the money back, but he lost thousands of dollars (he asked me not to reveal the full amount). He is now feeling better, although he is still in therapy to recover from PTSD. He hasn't heard anything from the Colombian police yet. Posted with permission of 'James' This post serves as a warning and to learn from, not to start a victim blaming spree. James knows that he made mistakes. Let's keep this civil please.

I only stayed there for a few days during a trip through the coffee region from Bogota to Medellin. I stayed in an airBnB close to that hotel (near the big shopping center). It is one of the better neighborhoods to stay in. Grindr was popular and the quoted prices were the lowest in the coffee region (50mil - 100mil). Actually everything was cheap in Ibague (restaurants, accommodation, ..). 'Very safe': in my perception and confirmed by a grindr contact, Ibague was one of the less safe cities in the coffee region, compared to Pereira, Manizales, Armenia,... but a lot safer than almost all other cities in Colombia. As long as you take your precautions (no walking at night, keep an eye on belongings during the day, keep your rolex at home..), you will be fine. The whole coffee region is beautiful and a paradise if you like hiking and nature. I can see the appeal for retirement, but I would also visit the other cities in the region.

If you stay in Bogota, Chapinero is the best place to stay for a first-time visitor. And teatron is a great disco. I'm into the same type of guys and had no problem finding them in Bogota or Medellin. Still I would go to Medellin. The city is more attractive, the climate is better and plenty of things to do (and an exciting gay nightlife as well). I also suffer from altitude sickness in Bogota (I come from a country at sea level). Always be wary about the location of guys on webcam. What's mentioned in the profile, is often not their actual location.

A bit of a late reply on this topic, I was having a great time in Colombia 😊 If you want to spoof your location in grindr, the only way that works fine (or better said, that I know of) is using bluestacks on your PC / laptop. The 'mock location' apps don't work well with grindr and can even get your phone blocked. A small tutorial I wrote for another user a while ago: My take on this: Only use it a couple days before your arrival (instead of weeks) When I chat with an interesting profile, I ask for their Whatsapp and take the conversation to there. Most guys react almost immediately on Whatsapp messages, while grindr messages are often ignored. You can always wait until you are in Colombia, like @speedoo1 proposes. There's no shortage of guys willing to meet you. Instagram: if they are not following you, you can only send them one message that arrives in their 'spam' mailbox. To be honest, I never had much success with instagram. Nobody seems to read those messages.

I can't vouch for all of them, but the couple guys I know are definitely 18+

A soon to be published photo book with gorgeous photos of Colombian guys (mostly twinks): https://igormattio.com/ Some more pictures from the book: https://igormattio.com/skin-and-under-the-book I recognise at least a couple guys from Medellin and one guy from Bucaramanga.

Regarding prices: The guy who quoted you 100USD maybe asked for 100$ ? The dollar sign is sometimes used for pesos as well, in that case 100$ = 100 COP = 100 mil = 100.000 pesos. This 'misunderstanding' only happened to me once though. Their asking price normally does not include transport costs. Always tell them to take a motorbike taxi, it's faster and cheaper. From my experience, paid sex for pollos (18-24y/o), boy-next-door, not overweight or ugly: Cheapest cities (40mil - 70mil): Cucuta, Ibague, Baranquilla, Villavicencio* Cheap cities (50mil - 100mil): Pereira, Armenia*, Manizales, Bucaramanga Average priced cities (100mil - 150mil): Bogota**, Medellin, Santa Marta* Expensive cities (150mil+): Cartagena*, San Andres* For webcam models / very fit & handsome guys, add +- 50% (although what webcam models ask can vary a lot). * I only met or contacted one or two guys there ** Only a couple guys that I liked in Bogota asked for less than 100 mil, but they were far away (Soacha, Bosa, ..) - I've been told multiple times that Colombians pay maximum 50 mil for sex .. - If I have to pay less than 100 mil and I had a great time, I give them 100 mil anyway. I still haven't visited Cali.. it's high on my 'places to visit' list

I enjoyed my visits to Bucaramanga (BGA). I was also combining doing remote work and hollidays. The city vibe feels a bit like Medellin, but without provenza or the metro. The climate is also moderate. Cabecera is the more upmarket part of town and a good place to rent an Airbnb. It's the Laureles of BGA, but without the gringos. Prices are moderate and plenty of good coffeeshops & restaurants. There are large shopping malls as well. Gay life (bars / discos) is a bit limited, the only (gay) disco I visited was 'Deja Vu'. You can visit Giron, 30 minutes from BGA, a nice colonial town. An other nearby town, Piedecuesta, was a success for boy hunting and I made a couple nice nature walks and a visit to small waterfalls with a local guy. San Gil is a must visit if you like adventurous sports (rafting, parapente, ..), but it's a 2,5 hours bus ride from BGA. There's also a natural park that is worth visiting, Chicamocha. It has a small water park that the uni guys love to visit. The area just before the airport is nice to visit as well. Take a coat, since it can get cold, but there are a couple restaurants with impressive views there. That's probably my main beef with BGA. The airport is in the mountains and when it rains, the clouds hinder air traffic. In both occassions I had to fly out of BGA, it was raining and my flight was delayed.

Free and Poblado, you never see those words together. But I'm biased, I'm not a big fan of Poblado. Manila (in Poblado) has some charm, but overpriced like everything else in Poblado. Laureles is imho a better & cheaper option.

I've stayed in Belen, Medellin serveral times and had a great time. Don't expect anyone to speak english though. I would consider to stay in the northern part of Belen (around cc molinos, pq bélen, San Bernardo, Rosales). For meeting local guys and enjoying the local paisa life, the area around parque de la Floresta and Calasanz (lower part) is also fine (there are nearby universities) and reasonable safe (and the metro is nearby). the metro is safe, even during night time (but watch out for pickpockets). Bucaramanga isn't that small. Together with Floridablanca, it has a population of 1 million. It would have been a good option for a week. Plenty of things to do and see and lots of university students eager to practice their English (and more). I would strongly advise against visiting Cucuta nowadays. Neighborhoods that were rather safe a few years ago became no-go zones. The Cucuteños are still the nicest people I've met in Colombia and it's almost too easy to meet friendly, good-looking guys, but the security situation is dire.

1. To be honest, I've never searched for gringos over 40 years old in Medellin. It's not my preference . Grindr is the most popular app for hookups. 2. In theory, Venezuelans need a passport (valid/expired < 10 years) or a residence permit (PEP/PPT). In practice, their venezuelan ID card is almost always accepted. If not, you can use a love motel. I don't think Venezuelans have digital cedulas. The only guys I met with digital ID cards were Colombians. For some reason, they can't take a screenshot of their digital ID, so I normally take a picture with my phone of their screen and send it to the hotel / airBnB. Until now, that has always been accepted. 3. They are scattered around town. Poblado is probably the commune with the fewest studios. Most models still work in webcam studios. 4. Sorry, I have no idea what their attitude is towards PreP.

You already have a 'no'. The only way to get a 'yes' is by asking him. The worst thing that can happen is that he declines your offer. I would contact him on X.

1. I personally prefer to stay in Laureles. It's less touristy (although only a bit less nowadays) and the prices tend to be lower than in Poblado. It's considered safe, with the usual precautions (like not walking alone at night or flashing your latest iphone). 2. Like floridabob already said, uber is the safest option, but I used didi, easytaxi and indriver in the past with only the occasional, minor problem. 3. No GP sauna afaik, but you can subscribe to @EventosGayMed on twitter X to get the latest updates on finca parties, popper sales, gay massages, ..

Indeed a handsome bunch of guys! Any idea what the T/B stands for? I would think 'Top / Bottom', but at the other hand, all of them are 'chaay the', real men. Always confusing.

I am always interested in an update on gay life in Medellin, although I don't normally visit saunas

In my (limited) experience, the offerings in Cartagena were not to my liking or exorbitant prices were requested. Another option, if you want to stay in Cartagena, is to import the guys from Barranquilla. It's only a few hours by bus and the guys from Barranquilla love to visit Cartagena. One webcam model from B came by for a day & night for a tip of 250 kCOP + 50 kCOP (bus fare). It was worth every peso. I found several handsome guys on grindr in B who were more than willing to spend some time with me in Cartagena for free. After a few video calls, I selected a cute guy to spend the next few days with me. I used bluestacks to spoof my location (for the apps) and I prepaid both guys the bus fare (round trip). They both had nequi (a mobile payment solution). You just need to go to a bancolombia corresponsal where you can send cash to their mobile phone number. I would normally never pay upfront but in this case I can understand these guys wanting to make sure they can get back to their place if I would not show up. In the worst case, I lose 50 kCOP and that didn't happen.

regarding the love motels in Avenida Colombia: I was refused access to plenty of them (collins, eva, ..), because they don't have a 'lcense for foreigners', whatever that means. Eventually ended up in 3D suite motel, pricey at 95k COP, but great looking rooms with jacuzzi and hassle free. The only other motel I ever used for short time is hotel roma, very LGBT friendly, rooms are simple and a bit noisy at 60kCOP, in centro. There's also a cluster of motels on av 33 in Laureles, but didn't try any of them.

I certainly agree with macdaddi, at least about the industry, purple & city club. I didn't visit the other clubs yet. Since this topic is about Cartagena, the city club was thriving on my last visit last year. The airconditioning was in arctic mode. You better dance or freeze to death. Drug use & sales had moved to the balcony that doubles as the smoking area. A lot of working boys and the 'hiso' of gay Cartagena. I don't remember the drinking prices, but it was expensive, like everything in Cartagena.

Money: there are plenty of ATMs at the airport. Pick an ATM of BBVA or davidienda bank, they don't charge any fees. Do not accept the money exchange rate, it's always a lot worse than what your bank will charge you. I would just take some cash with you as backup, but not exchange anything in advance. Sim card: you can buy a sim card at the airport. In the arrival hall, take the escalators to the 2nd floor. There's a small shop on the corner that sells phone covers and accessories. The provider claro has the best coverage. My claro sim card with 10gb data for 2 weeks was 45k COP. Last time, a taxi driver from the airport tried to scam me and asked for 100kCOP for a short ride to Chapinero. Bogota taxis don't show you the price of the ride, just a number of 'units' and you are supposed to calculate the price yourself. You can install an app called 'Calculadora de Tarifas' to calculate the cost based on those units (or always use apps like cabilfy / indriver / didi / uber / ..)