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long-time lurker here-----I'm currently on vacation in Bogota and Medellin and thought I'd post info. Will be returning to Bogota in 2 days so will do a post on it in a few days. I read up on both cities here and on the web and some of the info is different than my experience. First, in Columbia there are not technically sex workers in saunas (although it is legal). They are called masseurs although the only difference is the title. From worst to best so far: Barbacous Sauna- There are a few internet pages making you believe this place is hot. NOT. It's tiny and has one masseur who is maybe a 3. It is right on the 57A strip but not worth it (even tho it's the cheapest). Spartacus Sauna- Small but OK. I didn't see any masseur who was above a 4 or 5. Club 55 Sauna- Very nice facilites and customers are almost up to Club Tobi. Unfortunately the only masseur was maybe a 5. Club Tobi- WOW- Movie-star like customers in a very nice building. 3 Masseurs at least always on duty and while one's just a 6 or 7, the other 3 I saw in 2 days were solid 9 or 10's. "Massages" are 40K COP ($18) for a "relax" massage, 60K ($27) for a "Normal" full release erotic massage and 90K ($36) for a "Complete" no-holes-barred anything session. The $27 session usually gets a little less actual sex, more hand-jobs. As in Brazil you pay the door (admission is usually about $8). Tips personally are very rare and get a lot of appreciation.The guys working the snackbar are exceptionally good looking and often are masseurs. Open every day from 2-10pm usually. There's a lot of bad info on the hustling scene. A couple stories elsewhere say that the block of 57A west of the cathedral is where it is. What's there on the west side is one block of Calle 57A which has a few trannies and it leads into 57 where there are 2 big pool halls and dozens of thugs who love to beat up and rob anyone who remotely looks gay. Both times I went of the west side of the cathedral I got robbed by guys threatening me if I didn't give them some money. There are a lot of drug-addicts especially on the west side- 70lb guys sleeping barefoot on the sidewalks who haven't bathed in a month. Unfortunately when awake their minds are so crazy they harrass the hell out of everyone. Medellin in those parts is a lot like bad parts of Tiajuana. The east side of the cathedral is wonderful, hustler heaven. The block of 57A where it meets Oriental, the main street, is full of gay bars, hustlers, lesbians, gays, and a $15 sex hotel.Most nights 2-3 dozen hustlers at a time.The bars mostly have roll-up door fronts and the people spread into the sidewalks and street. I met the bartender at Andres Carbon and used the sex hotel to get into the routine. There are several guys who certainly rank up with the best, 7 or 8's, but also a lot of 4's. Sex in a sex hotel isn't very pleasing or fulfilling but I was hesitant to bring guys to my hotel. The rates are between 50COP ($19) and 100 COP ($39). The gay sex area is Chandeleria and it's hard to find a decent hotel there. I stayed at the Gran Hotel which is on 54th and Oriental, a couple short blocks from everything. It overlooks the gay hustling area in the rear and Club 55 sauna is directly behind the hotel. It's about $40/nt and is a 14-story older hotel which is kept up nicely. I didn't try to bring anyone in. The other hotels in the center are awful. Most of the "nice" hotels are in Estadio or Poblanbo, which are over 3 miles out and yellow street cabs are not super safe in Columbia for tourists. English is non-existant. I didn't have much luck with PlanetRomeo or with Manhunt in Medellin, but Grindr lights up like a Christmas tree with "Prepaygos" sex workers. If I thought half of them looked anything like the photos.....wow. Just wow. Set your location to Medellin and see what these guys look like ! Bogota is a much more modern city but my first 3 days were spare pickings. I go back for 2 more and will report.

I just got an email from my friend . After having bought and sent the air ticket to the GP, the GP wrote him a message that he has to cancel because his brother is getting married !! Well, I warned my friend, now he should be happy that he has limited his loss only to the value of the air ticket ! My advice : shop locally !!

The 50 year lease re-starts when you sell the property. for example the couple i am buying from have 43 years left on their lease but when i close it becomes a new 50 year lease.

That scenario is very common here as well! The vast majority of the properties on the market in Rio and Bahia (the two markets I know) have major title issues. One reason for that here is apparently the estate taxes at the state level that are imposed on inherited properties. The issue is not so much the rate (mainly 4-5% in most states) but the appreciated value - market valuations are updated frequently by tax-hungry states! So heirs tend not to pay, and they cannot take proper title to the property, although they have possession rights. Brazil does not force sales of inherited homes or family businesses for unpaid estate tax - which I believe is different from the US(?) So you have generations of family properties that have never paid the tax, and so also have no possibility of sale - unless they negotiate a hefty discount to account for the chain of accumulated unpaid taxes.... Speaking of succession, one point that you have probably already researched but I just mention as I would be interested in this as a potential buyer in Mexico: would the 50-year clock re-start for your intended heirs? And would your US estate documents be recognized, or would you have to set up say a local will.

Nice promoting.

I got down here yesterday and my realtor picked me up an we dropped off my stuff at the house I rented for the weekend and headed out to dinner where we were joined by 5 of his friends! 3 were very goodlooking and after dinner we headed to a gay club that combined drag queens and a stripper fashion show! As the drag queen did her number the guys would come out on the stage and do a catwalk in either different speedos or shirts and shorts. Several times during the 2 hour show they would take everything off and twirl their speedo around their dicks! we stayed until 2:15 am! today we looked at 3 more homes and i found one i really like, but more then i originally intended to spend. But it is beautiful and the american couple that own it have to move back to the states....so now the negotiating will start! tonight there is a party at my house for 12 guys! 6 are "new" friends and 6 i know including one other American who owns a bar and restaurant down here. For those that are interested Grindr is really active down here! 24/7. Lol

What you don't see in the video is the master suite on the second floor accessed by a starway by the pool and has a master bathroom with a tub for 4!! It must have been designed with me in mind! :-)

Here is a house i looked at but decided on a different one , but gives you a good idea of the historic homes for sale down there.

Rios sauna scene continues to be a heaven for older, whiter gentlemen who adore young, Latin guys... I went to 117 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday....they were closed Saturday and I would bet that Sunday was extremely packed... Weather was in the mid 90s during my entire trip...PERFECT beach weather... Rates increased with most boys asking for $150R initially and a few staying with that asking price...most accepting $120R or $120R... I get the whole service for pay scenario but couldn't help Thanking God I have other options and wondering if many of the boys work there for ease of money, necessity or because it pays better than other service industry jobs ...No judgement...Just observations... Clients are mostly older, whiter gents ranging from mid 40s to 70s with a few Euopeans and Canadians in the mix and a few African Americans, who stand out, including myself....Goratos range from 18, 19 to early 20s and early 30s with a few OLD guys who I have seen for years that need to retire but maybe still somebodies taste... -Tuesday was extremely packed with boys and clients....free locker night... -Wednesday-packed but not as crazy as Wednesday....a lot of the same boys....a lot of the same clients who I have seen on the regular and maybe this is their social club -Thursday-packed again, more clients and boys than Wednesday....I think the holidays had a lot to do with that... -Friday was extremely package, hard to walk around....got there around 6:30 and left around 8:30...Way too much going on... I tend to stick with the same guys I like...one from October, extremely hot lighter skinned latino with an amazing ass and is resourceful enough to use Whatsapp and a translation app... Met a very, very hot muscular guy with red hair, naturally red hair...great ass, amazing body and definitely not a type that I would find often in the states Overall-117 continues to be the go to place for locals and visitors, friendly staff, clean, professional with a great assortment and variety to satisfy all requirements... Rio is still my favorite city on earth thus far, I appreciate and love it for what it offers...the dirty, trashy, beautiful, helpful, luxury, high end, the beaches, the culture, the boys, the girls, the food, the energy....All that Rio offers....

Left Medellin this morning via a yellow cab the hotel called for me with a driver they know well. He charged less than the white cab I had taken in. In Bogota I was approached by a white cab wanting $20 for the short trip but instead got in the line for yellow cabs and had a fine ride for $10. Then later in Bogota I flagged another yellow cab and had a fine ride for less than half what white cabs cost. I now realize it's the white cabs that are less professional and the airports and hotels make money off them and try to scare tourists from using yellow cabs. Bogota is still not panning out but I'll post tomorrow. Babylon Sauna's website has photo galleries of their 3 masseurs......they open at 3pm.

and Medellin is no more dangerous than other places on the wrong side of town. If I had known to stay on the right side of the cathedral it wouldn't have happened. And all that happened both times is drunk thugs grabbed me and threatened me and I had to give them a couple dollars to leave me alone. I was scared they were going to assault me and steal my money. It could have been much worse in other cities. I always carry a roll of 5-8 50 COP bills with 10's rolled around them in my pocket, 4 or 5 extra 50's hidden under the insole of my shoes, a photocopy of my passport, and never carry my wallet or cellphone. (On the way back from Club Tobi I'm carrying a lot less money).

The reason I went is because Avianca had a $400 r/t special from the east coast. It's just a 5-hour non-stop from DC to Bogota and Avianca is a wonderful airline with the best economy class I've ever seen. American flies non-stop to Medellin from Miami and it's a 3-hour flight. Be warned that the Medellin airport is some 25 miles from town over mountains and a taxi is 70K COP ($28). Save some air-sickness meds for the twisting 2-lane road trip with an insane driver. However there is an airport bus I'll use going back that's much cheaper and hopefully slower. Flights between Bogota and Medellin are usually about $175 r/t every hour and take an hour. Avianca is vastly preferred over LAN. Forget the bus. Bogota is 2 miles high and Medellin is 1 mile high and the mountain roads between them are so twisting that it takes the bus 18 hours to go the 120 miles. Bogota is a little cooler than Medellin and may require a light jacket at night but Medellin is warm all day and night. Both cities get several rain showers every day. Bogota is a great sight-seeing spot with the incredible Inca Gold Museum that displays some $5 billion of ancient Inca gold artwork from 3000 years ago. The world's greatest living artist, Fernando Botero, is from Medellin but Bogota has the huge Botero Museum, next to the Gold Museum. Medellin is the center of the coffee trade (although it's hard to get a decent cup of coffee here that doesn't taste like instant). It's also the center of the flower industry where most of the cut flowers we buy in the US come from. Bogota has 8 million people in the city, same as New York, and is a regional financial center with a large middle-class and several 50-story skyscrapers. The gay neighborhood of Bogota is called Chaperniro and extends from about Calle 50 to Calle 75. One of the largest gay nightclubs in the world is Theatron on 58th and the NYT calls Bogota a new gay mecca. read...thousands of middle class gay clones. Coke and pot are both legal and super cheap. Most of the world's coke starts out 100% pure in Columbia for less that we pay for pot.