I've been in Cali for about 10 days now and have one more week to go. So far, about ~30 approaches total between both day game + night game (worked out to 8 phone #'s so far), plus a few Tinder matches but no bangs.
I went on a few first dates as well and it's actually a bit frustrating how it's A) difficult to get the first kiss, B) Refusal to be pulled home and C) some leads who seemed real keen initially will ghost over text. Typical Colombian flakiness. FWIW I speak low-mid intermediate Spanish and have previous experience gaming in Colombia and other LATAM countries such as Mexico.
Here are a few random thoughts / insights on the city and some venues I've been hitting up:
MIO public transit vs Uber: the MIO buses cost only 1,900 COP per one way trip and I've been using it to get to places like Unicentro, University de Valle and my salsa classes as they're all close to a station. I believe the busses run until only 10PM. At night, I only take Ubers between bars / clubs / neighbourhoods and would highly recommend it for safety.
Manicero Dance Academy: A few local girls I talked to about taking salsa classes in Cali mentioned this place so it's quite well known. I signed up for it and it costs 10,000 COP / single lesson or 60,000 COP for set of 8 lessons or 80,000 COP for 16 lessons. The emphasis is on rapid footwork as that's the style of salsa here. The instructors are quite good and they have 3 levels of salsa classes that run for two hours everyday from Mon-Sat. There's a few cute girls around here but environment not that conducive to picking up. Would still recommend if you're just looking to learn salsa.
New Body Performance Gym: Close to my Airbnb in Versalles, I stumbled upon this place and it's awesome. 14,000 COP for a drop-in and it's a spacious, two story gym with free weights, barbells, bodyweight equipment, stretching area, kettle bells, TRX gear, cardio machines and everything you'd want. They have a snack / smoothie bar as well. They offered me a free drop-in pass and I was sold after that. I previously went to Fitness Training Centre in Grenada for a work out and it was 1/3 the size, plus was super crowded with less equipment. Would not recommend that place.
Unicentro & Chipichape: I day gamed at both these places ready to put in work, but honestly it was pretty disappointing to see the lack of approachable single girl sets. The volume just wasn't there and a lot of couples, families, girls with their mom & dad & baby brother combos or just high school aged girls. I did managed to pick up one shop girl but cold approaching here was pretty low RIO for time invested for me.
University of Valle: It's south of the city but IMO it's the best place to run day game as the campus is a decent size and the talent concentration is good. The downside is that it's hard to pull off massive volume and the library is very strict about their no-noise policy. So depending on whether you want to play it direct and spam approach every one, or play the lost-gringo / ask-a-spanish-question game by patiently sitting at an outside cafe with a prop, your mileage may vary.
Bourbon Street Pub: Quiet on weekdays and Sundays as I came here on a date initially. Good mixed cocktails, expensive international draft beers or cheaper national beers. It really excels on Fri / Sat with a pretty good live cover band. Saw a few foreigners here but a lot of them were middle-class - yuppie Colombian mixed groups / couples. The decor here is New Orleans style and is pretty cool. Worth checking out as a date spot or warm-up spot on weekends.
Zaperoco Salsa Bar: Just off la Sexta. Came here on a Sat night and really digged the vibe. The DJ's really knew their craft and played some classic salsa songs and mixes. The beers are fairly priced and the crowd is pretty chill and sociable if you like to dance. There is a small dance floor but you can just invite people in your proximity to dance in the area without going to the dance floor. Saw a few girl-only sets here and they were all down to dance. Fun place for people who like to use salsa to meet people.
La Purga: Fun little Halloween themed 2-story bar / club in Versalles. I came here on a Thurs night on a date and it's a good spot to drink plus dance. The line probably gets busy on weekends but on the night I went it was just the right mix between being hopping but not overly crowded. Would recommend.
Cafe Mi Terra in Menga: Came here on a Fri night by myself. There is no cover and the venue is very big. It's a plastic chair / table type set up with multiple dance floors and DJ's. You can't buy a bottle of beer or drink here. You need to buy a whole bottle of rum (around $20-$30 depending on the size) plus something to mix it up. There's no much mingling and it's 90+% mixed sets which were pretty unapproachable. I chatted up a few people but not much came of it. Would only come back with a girl or a bigger group.
Lolas Night Club in Menga: Came here on a Sat night by myself. I had to pay 20,000 COP cover because there was a "special event" but turned out there was! They had a whole run-way setup for a fashion show event which started at 1AM. As far as top shelf talent goes, it was probably the most Colombian 8's, 9's and dimes I've seen in one place as the models strutted down the catwalk. It was a pretty enjoyable show as the security guy gave me a table close to the action but I had to pay for it with a rum bottle purchase.
The whole place is a large circle under a tent type set up with some plush white leather couches and tables all over. So again, no bar to mingle and almost 90% seated mixed sets. On the night I went at least, got the feeling that the crowd was quite high-end and judging from some of the dudes, there were definitely a few narcos in the crowd and I didn't want to be trying to pick up the wrong dude's girlfriend. Fun night, but without social connections / niche status, no chance I was picking up any models.
Here's a few eye candy pics from the night
Overall, I would say that on average, Calenas have better bodies and curves but Paisas have prettier faces. The average Calena walking about is not that attractive, but there's enough volume around that I still fall in love 3-4 times a day. The city does indeed have a dangerous vibe, especially at night. That said, there are way less gringos here and the cost of living / value for dollar is quite good. It may get boring for a longer term stay though as previously mentioned, but I suspect that's what it might take to land a solid Calena girl, so it's a bit of a catch 22 IMO.
One week left in Cali and will try to put in more numbers but not that hopeful. From what I've read about Calenas being easier than Paisas, I personally haven't found this to be the case. If anybody has some advice on how I can reduce the the flakes and close out leads in this short time, would definitely appreciate it.