Santa Cruz, Bolivia is one of the hidden gems of South America.
My story there: I ended up there on a tip I got from a local friend in La Paz in 2009 and happened to be there during an annual event they have each September called Feria ExpoCruz. This is an outdoor business fair with hundreds of booths and models working at all the booths. This fair is a great opportunity to walk around, talk to the models and get some numbers. That night, a French guy from my hostel and I walked around and ended up getting about 10 numbers each and going to an after party with a group of models from a tractor company's tent. One of the numbers I got that night was from a girl in a little fashion show that I ended up having lunch with two days later (She is with this modeling agency promocionesgloria(dot)com/galeria/main.php so you get an idea of the quality. I know models are never representative of the average girl but they are still attainable if you have game and you will see those girls at the clubs.) The girl and I kept talking after I left and I have since gone back to Santa Cruz several times for a total of about 6 months spent there in the last two years. I have some decent information...
Ease of approaching: (9 out of 10) Even though I was always visiting this girl, I would often play around a bit while down there. I'll admit she kept me content so I'd rarely get the itch to try to get laid by new girls while visiting her. But even if I wasn't trying, it was hard not to get some because they would aggressively pursue me. When I walk into clubs down there I always get a lot of looks immediately upon walking in and it continues throughout the night. Any of the girls I approach are receptive and interested. Lots of stares = easy approaches. I feel the USA-God effect in Santa Cruz more than anywhere else I've been in Latam (and I've spent a while in 13 LatAm countries including Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Venezuela). For example, on a daily basis I would walk to/from the gym on Avenida San Martin and on numerous occasions I have had girls pull their cars over to talk to me (7s-8s, one time it was three flight attendants from Aerosur (they hire hot flight attendants btw)). That has never happened to me anywhere else.
Girls: 8 out of 10. Most of the girls here aren't that attractive but the hot ones are very hot. While that isn't normally a good thing, it works out well in SC because the hot girls are very approachable and friendly. It's easy for me to meet and talk to 8s-9s there at nice clubs, restaurants and gyms. It's very easy for me to hook up with 6s-7s there if that's what I'm going for. While the overall quality in the city isn't good, I'd say the quality in the good night clubs is excellent.
Their faces aren't as nice as the faces you'll find in Medellin, but their bodies are more naturally beautiful. I'd compare the look of the hot girls to the look I saw in Cali, Colombia. There are actually a lot of similarities between Cali and SC.
The girls here aren't very worldly. They're definitely uneducated. Their focuses are partying and family. They despise Bolivian men.
Ease of hookup: (7 out of 10) SNL is possible. Within a few dates for sure.
Day game spots: The streets during the day time are filled with ugly girls for the most part. I'll be the first to admit that the average girl in SC is NOT attractive. There are no good malls or plazas to hit up. The only day game should be worked at universities in the Equipetrol area. Some of the high-end gyms and spas are also very good for meeting girls. Guembe biopark is also good for day game on the weekends.
Night game: The popular night clubs are constantly changing so it's hard to say what's hot right now since I haven't been there for 9 months. The hot clubs last time I was there were Set and Giza. Plenty of hot girls there. You'll also find the nicer karaoke bars have good selection (one called Space is good).
Avenida San Martin in Equipetrol is a happening street where you can find people parking their cars and drinking on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings. Just walking up and down the street, I would often have girls staring at me. If I was alone, the approaches were easy.
Santa Cruz is close to the border with Brazil so there is a large Brazilian population. There are a few Brazilian clubs that I've done very well in. Lots of looks and interest just like the other clubs there but with a different flavor.
Activities: Santa Cruz is not a beautiful city. They don't take care of their city so there is trash everywhere. Only some residential areas are nice. There are some nice places to visit such as the Guembe biopark where you can swim in some nice pools and man-made waterfalls. 4 wheeling on the weekend is also popular. The local guys with rent 4 wheelers and get wasted. That's one of the more exciting weekend activities. There are also some nice tennis clubs around the city if you play.
Prices: You can rent a decent one bedroom apartment for $500 for one month. For a long-term rental you can get a very nice 5 bedroom house for that price. This city is cheap. Dollar taxis. Dollar beers. Big meals with drinks on dates for $10-15.
Food: There are some very good Italian, Mexican and typical-food restaurants but you won't find world-class cuisine there. No good sushi.
Gringo infestation: Non-existent. I'll go weeks without seeing any gringos around.
Infrastructure: Internet is slow and crashes everywhere. Streets are crappy.
Conclusion: Honestly, it's an easy city to get bored in unless all you need to be happy is drinking and fucking... so that's the main reason I don't go back more often. If you're in the area, I definitely recommend visiting for a while. I don't think it's a place to plan a trip around.
Important info that could effect my experience there: I speak perfect Spanish, a definite advantage since English isn't popular there. I have light-brown hair with brown eyes but I imagine the blond-haired, blue-eyed guys would do even better (especially if tall and of a decent build).
Surrounding area: The girls who win Miss Bolivia are always either from Santa Cruz or Beni (a small state north of Santa Cruz). I've never checked out Beni, but the girls I've seen from there are hot. I imagine that area has great potential for uncharted territory with hot chicks. If I end up back in Bolivia, I'll definitely check out Beni.
My story there: I ended up there on a tip I got from a local friend in La Paz in 2009 and happened to be there during an annual event they have each September called Feria ExpoCruz. This is an outdoor business fair with hundreds of booths and models working at all the booths. This fair is a great opportunity to walk around, talk to the models and get some numbers. That night, a French guy from my hostel and I walked around and ended up getting about 10 numbers each and going to an after party with a group of models from a tractor company's tent. One of the numbers I got that night was from a girl in a little fashion show that I ended up having lunch with two days later (She is with this modeling agency promocionesgloria(dot)com/galeria/main.php so you get an idea of the quality. I know models are never representative of the average girl but they are still attainable if you have game and you will see those girls at the clubs.) The girl and I kept talking after I left and I have since gone back to Santa Cruz several times for a total of about 6 months spent there in the last two years. I have some decent information...
Ease of approaching: (9 out of 10) Even though I was always visiting this girl, I would often play around a bit while down there. I'll admit she kept me content so I'd rarely get the itch to try to get laid by new girls while visiting her. But even if I wasn't trying, it was hard not to get some because they would aggressively pursue me. When I walk into clubs down there I always get a lot of looks immediately upon walking in and it continues throughout the night. Any of the girls I approach are receptive and interested. Lots of stares = easy approaches. I feel the USA-God effect in Santa Cruz more than anywhere else I've been in Latam (and I've spent a while in 13 LatAm countries including Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Venezuela). For example, on a daily basis I would walk to/from the gym on Avenida San Martin and on numerous occasions I have had girls pull their cars over to talk to me (7s-8s, one time it was three flight attendants from Aerosur (they hire hot flight attendants btw)). That has never happened to me anywhere else.
Girls: 8 out of 10. Most of the girls here aren't that attractive but the hot ones are very hot. While that isn't normally a good thing, it works out well in SC because the hot girls are very approachable and friendly. It's easy for me to meet and talk to 8s-9s there at nice clubs, restaurants and gyms. It's very easy for me to hook up with 6s-7s there if that's what I'm going for. While the overall quality in the city isn't good, I'd say the quality in the good night clubs is excellent.
Their faces aren't as nice as the faces you'll find in Medellin, but their bodies are more naturally beautiful. I'd compare the look of the hot girls to the look I saw in Cali, Colombia. There are actually a lot of similarities between Cali and SC.
The girls here aren't very worldly. They're definitely uneducated. Their focuses are partying and family. They despise Bolivian men.
Ease of hookup: (7 out of 10) SNL is possible. Within a few dates for sure.
Day game spots: The streets during the day time are filled with ugly girls for the most part. I'll be the first to admit that the average girl in SC is NOT attractive. There are no good malls or plazas to hit up. The only day game should be worked at universities in the Equipetrol area. Some of the high-end gyms and spas are also very good for meeting girls. Guembe biopark is also good for day game on the weekends.
Night game: The popular night clubs are constantly changing so it's hard to say what's hot right now since I haven't been there for 9 months. The hot clubs last time I was there were Set and Giza. Plenty of hot girls there. You'll also find the nicer karaoke bars have good selection (one called Space is good).
Avenida San Martin in Equipetrol is a happening street where you can find people parking their cars and drinking on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings. Just walking up and down the street, I would often have girls staring at me. If I was alone, the approaches were easy.
Santa Cruz is close to the border with Brazil so there is a large Brazilian population. There are a few Brazilian clubs that I've done very well in. Lots of looks and interest just like the other clubs there but with a different flavor.
Activities: Santa Cruz is not a beautiful city. They don't take care of their city so there is trash everywhere. Only some residential areas are nice. There are some nice places to visit such as the Guembe biopark where you can swim in some nice pools and man-made waterfalls. 4 wheeling on the weekend is also popular. The local guys with rent 4 wheelers and get wasted. That's one of the more exciting weekend activities. There are also some nice tennis clubs around the city if you play.
Prices: You can rent a decent one bedroom apartment for $500 for one month. For a long-term rental you can get a very nice 5 bedroom house for that price. This city is cheap. Dollar taxis. Dollar beers. Big meals with drinks on dates for $10-15.
Food: There are some very good Italian, Mexican and typical-food restaurants but you won't find world-class cuisine there. No good sushi.
Gringo infestation: Non-existent. I'll go weeks without seeing any gringos around.
Infrastructure: Internet is slow and crashes everywhere. Streets are crappy.
Conclusion: Honestly, it's an easy city to get bored in unless all you need to be happy is drinking and fucking... so that's the main reason I don't go back more often. If you're in the area, I definitely recommend visiting for a while. I don't think it's a place to plan a trip around.
Important info that could effect my experience there: I speak perfect Spanish, a definite advantage since English isn't popular there. I have light-brown hair with brown eyes but I imagine the blond-haired, blue-eyed guys would do even better (especially if tall and of a decent build).
Surrounding area: The girls who win Miss Bolivia are always either from Santa Cruz or Beni (a small state north of Santa Cruz). I've never checked out Beni, but the girls I've seen from there are hot. I imagine that area has great potential for uncharted territory with hot chicks. If I end up back in Bolivia, I'll definitely check out Beni.