Things to do in Cali

[Jim]

I'll be making my second trip to Cali this fall. I was there in September and I'm going back over Thanksgiving. I know some of you go there frequently.

What are some things I can do when I'm not doing my #1 activity...chasing women. There are tons of tourist books on Costa Rica, a few on the Philippines but almost none on Colombia.

Does anyone know where I can get a decent map of the city of Cali? What are a few of the nicer restaurants and their approximate location.

If you plan to stay somewhere near bario grenada, check restaurants list at www.barriogranada.com.

[KPunch2]

For a map of Cali, you can go to any bookstore and purchase one. There are two bookstores that I know of in Chippi.

If you like to dance, you can go to Juanchito on the outskirts of Cali. Also avenida sexta, but that is played out and tricky at night. Regarding metropolitan Cali, there is not much to do...but you can take a trip to lago Calima about two hours northeast going towards the town of Buga. You can try the water parks in Juanambu. There is a Zoo. If you are looking for adventure, then you will have to go outside of Cali for that. Try the PBH website for more info.

[Jim]

What is PBH? Thanks for the info.

[Underwriter]

Jim,

www.poorbuthappy.com/colombia

It is a very good website for information on Colombia

UW

Jim -

There is not much to do in Cali ....it´s a dirty town and frankly it´s boring and if you venture outside the city, you must first ask around if the FARC is in the immediate countryside/area. Not to mention the danger as with what happened to Mr. Vignola. A few months ago, they arrested a FARC Commander in North Valle- about two hours north of Cali.

[Cubafro]

OK so if I understand well that's mean beside chasing women, there is nothing more interesting to do there ?

CUBA

Jim -

Things to do in Cali

- Swim in Pance River (south Cali) Weekends only
- Visit Lago Calima (Lake is polluted- swim at own risk)
- Walk up to Tres Cruces (risk bad knees)
- Check out the Christ Statue, but its nothing like Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro
- Spend a Sunday in Dapa and have lunch with your GF.
- People Watch at the numerous shopping malls around Cali

I don´t recommend Juanchito, to far out of town; go with a group if you go. There is just not much to do in Cali and Avenida Sexta´s heyday is long gone- now its street people, scammers, drug addicts and rookie gringos. Cali´s middle to higher class women hit the clubs in north Cali [past Jumbo], far away from Avenida Sexta. In Cali, networking is vital, like in Brasil, the more people you know in the right groups, the more opportunities you will have. Problem is, breaking into these groups is not easy and takes time, maybe even years. The agencies are not like they were a few years ago- thanks have changed. Why? Who knows for sure, but the high quality, attractive women w/good jobs are not in the agencies anymore, or a small percentage maybe 20%. Jim, have you given any thought about Peru or Santo Domingo in the DR? I think Cartagena might be a good choice too.

[Ciza29]

I struggled to find things to do in Cali. If I worked 8 hours a day while there that would have helped. I did go to the hacienda de Maria. The vistas from there were very nice.

I also enjoyed the zoo and the obligatory gold museum that every city in Colombia apparently has. There is a mall in Ciudad Jardin that is nice.

The famous Cali cat and the other cat sculptures were interesting for 10 minutes. I also enjoyed walking around the business center and downtown. I went to the oldest cathedral in Cali but when I went to get my camera to take a picture the girl I was with told me not to let anyone see it.

Cali seemed like a great place to hang out if I had a large network of friends. However, it just lacked a variety of activities for a novice. That is just my opinion. Those who spent large amounts of time there should know much more than I do.

Ciza is right - check out the Zoo, although it´s your typical 2nd-3rd world in cleanliness and organization. Also, the centro area in mid-town is cool but watch yourself if you go alone and if you have gringo looks like blonde hair, etc. The Cat exhibition is joke, one big f---ing joke. The city of Cali spent $30,000usd on that deal. Can you believe that? 10 statues of oversized Cats painted in bright colors and some poem about each Cat. With all the problems facing Cali, the city opted to spend big money on Cat statues. Typical Colombian mentality.

Go figure.