I understand that this type of tourism (resorts) don’t really show you the real way locals live, even more, you don’t really meet locals more than the people working in the resort. But I would like to tell you my experience as it was my first time in this type of all-inclusive resorts.

The plan I got was around $1200 USD, including everything I mentioned before plus they pick you and take you back to the airport. As soon as I arrive to the airport nothing really to complain, migration was quick given that around 3 flights arrived at the same time. Is a small airport, give me vibes like any other airports in the Colombian Caribbean coast. After I cleared migration, asked for the transportation company and they took me to the van, I went alone and dropped me to the airport.

Highways were good and in my way to the resort I was surprised of the number of hotels and how big they were. As soon as I got to my hotel it was surpassing how big and well organized everything was, checkout was smooth (but I was arriving essentially alone so it helped). It surprised me the number of employees I saw everywhere, everything was clean and well organized.

Rooms are clean and everything you need they can provide, it was clear at this point the service is good and the employees try to help you all the time.

Now, if you never been in that type of resorts (as I did at that point) you go there to essentially relax and not doing more than going to the beach or the pool, get tan, go eat and drink as much as you want, then just go to sleep. After one hour of being there you get used to go to the bar and ask for something to drink or just go to the buffet to get food. Is not expected, but people usually tip in USD, they give 1 or 2 dollars and I did see a lot of people tipping.

I did see a lot of families with kids, lots of couples and to a lesser extent groups of singles men and women. I also got to see a wedding happening at the beach the first day. I imagine the resort I went was a more popular destination for families and couples. Obviously if your plan is to go as a single guy/girl you can find a resort specialized in parties and singles trying to meet new people.

In terms of capacity I see tons of guest, it was busy always and you get to see people from different parts of the world, I see a lot of Canadians (particularly from Quebec), Spaniards, Russians (surprisingly), Americans and latinos from Argentina.

I notice how important tourism is for Dominican Republic and how hard they work towards attracting people to the country, the business model of all-inclusive resorts certainly is working. Just imagine, I got to see only one resort but the city is full of them.

It bring me to the main thing that I notice and a lesson for Colombia. Everything is organized and you can see how tourism is a well establish industry there. Everything works towards providing a good service:

-You arrive and the transportation company provably has an arrangement with the resort, so you the tourist don’t need to worry about it or worrying about taxi overcharges.

-At the resort you see how many people work there, so I guess employment for locals is high.

-You get to see the usual plans for going to buggy cars, excursions, parties, going on tours etc… But I was in the beach all the time and people obviously will come at you to try to sell tours, cigars or crafts, but is not like Cartagena where you feel bombarded with people trying to sell you things.

I feel thats a lesson for Colombia tourism. I could feel how everything there was organized with the purpose of serving tourist a good stay there. I bet there may be instances where they try to scam, but never to me while I was there. Sadly, when you go vacationing in Colombia, you arrive defensively and you know people will try to overcharge you and try to sell you things all the time.

On the other side, I still feel surprised on how big and how much people work in the resorts. It made me think on how they profit, I was always wondering how much they spend on food daily, on salaries (again I see a lot of people working plus the people you don’t see at the kitchens, cleaning, clerks…), all the alcohol, and the utilities. I mean, if they still working and receiving that many people they should be on profit but in my mind still crazy.

It was a good experience, you go for a full days of relax and the hotel and the people working there help you to do that. I see a lot of thing that can be learn for Colombia specially in the tourism organization, specially because the growing number people arriving to Colombia and becoming day by day a tourism attraction.

I understand now how Punta Cana specialized on this type of tourism and completely respect how well it is going for them (or at least it looks like it). I can see as a costumer that the industry provides a lot of employment and money to the country and they deserve that for the good service they provide.

Land ownership in Colombia has always been a contentious issue among guerrillas, paramilitaries, drug traffickers, and indigenous people. Even the state is unsure of who owns the land, which is why it seems strange that 150 German families invested 30 million dollars to buy 33.000 hectares in Puerto Gaitan, Meta. For them, this land is the promised land, a paradise in Colombia.

Of the 6 million hectares of cultivated land in Colombia, approximately 1 million are owned by foreigners or foreign companies (around 30 foreign companies). This is equivalent to seven times the area of Bogotá.

Meta is the department that has 300 active land restitution claims. Before 2006, people in this area suffered greatly from land dispossession by paramilitaries. In other words, locals were forced to relinquish their lands and leave the area.

The department of Meta has 516,000 hectares under cultivation. This is where the Mennonites from Germany have their land. The department aims to increase the cultivation of sugarcane, cereals, and palm by 40%.

The Mennonites living in Colombia came from Mexico, motivated by the optimal conditions for farming on the eastern plains, specifically in Puerto Gaitan, Meta. They own over 30,000 hectares for planting corn and soybeans.

They are currently in a dispute over more than 8,000 hectares of unclaimed land, which belongs to the Colombian state or has no known owners. They are required to relinquish these lands.

Additionally, they face sanctions because they were unaware of Colombian law and cut down trees they should not have.

There are also indigenous Sikuanis who claim these lands, arguing that they focus only on extracting products. These indigenous people are claiming 53,000 hectares that they say are ancestral territory.

In my opinion, the indigenous people in this country have caused a lot of harm because they ally with drug traffickers and produce coca. It might sound bad, but it's the truth. Land was meant to be cultivated sustainably and to bring development to rural areas. In this case, the indigenous people want the land to negotiate with drug traffickers. Here, indigenous people are involved in every drug trafficking process and malicious protest. I don't believe what they proclaim, but that's just my opinion.

Other companies besides the Mennonites own hectares in this area, such as Poligrow, Mayor International Oil, and Timberland Wood Holdings.

The Mennonites are very kind and loved by the local community. They are said to be very generous.

People criticize and say that these foreign companies and the Mennonites mostly sell their products abroad, which does nothing for the local economy. They defend themselves by stating that they sell both internationally and domestically.

In Colombia, there is no law that dictates how much land foreigners can own. Therefore, they can buy as much land as they want without issues, but a bill is being considered that aims to regulate and limit the amount of land foreigners can buy.

What do the Mennonites produce? They produce 100,000 tons of soybeans annually and pay 13.500 millones de pesos in VAT (taxes)- $3.550.000 (dollars); they also produce 300,000 tons of corn. About ten thousand trucks enter to transport the products from the area. All the fertilizers are produced in Colombia. They generate 450 jobs. When there was an oil crisis in the region, most people from the department of Meta went to work with the Mennonites.

Who are the Mennonites? They are Germans, many of whom went to Russia, Canada, and Mexico. They like to settle in places where it rains a lot. Klass Wall is the leader of the Mennonite community in Colombia, and they came on the recommendation of a Colombian who told them that Colombia had very fertile lands.

They came to improve the soil and the land because where they arrived, the land was very poor. They improved it, liked it, and decided to bring 870 people to Colombia in 2016. They do everything themselves in Colombia: the electricity, the children's schools, the houses, absolutely everything. They build it themselves. They have their own schools within the hectares of land they own in Colombia and teach their children both low and high German, as well as Spanish.

Why do the Mennonites come to Colombia? They mainly come because of the rainfall and see much more future here than in the desert where they come from. They believe in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Literally, rain means everything to them; they are trying to see if they can produce cotton in Colombia.

Children usually go to schools that they build themselves and then enter agriculture when their parents can no longer continue with their work or with the churches, become teachers, or ranchers, etc.

Most sold their lands in Mexico, Canada, Germany and bought land in Colombia because most Colombians wanted to sell. They completed all the legal paperwork with two lawyers and a notary in Colombia. At first, they bought some lands, then liked it, and eventually, more neighbors began to sell them more lands, and that's how they acquired their lands.

They are very open and are willing to talk to anyone who wants to visit them.

Each family has their own land, some have more, and others less, but they live in a community. They have achieved things that Colombian farmers have not been able to do.

The advantage the Mennonites have is that they work united and manage a lot of money together in the community, which is why they did better with the lands than the Colombians. When there are problems, they come together strongly to pay and correct all mistakes. Colombians do not have that kind of support among themselves. Apparently, the Mennonites do have technology.

The Mennonites each have their own beliefs; they hire Colombians and Venezuelans, but they respect the beliefs of others. They have financial advantages because banks lend them large amounts of money.

Romantic relationships tend to be among Mennonites. In Mexico, Mennonites often marry Mexicans, but this has rarely happened in Colombia. Generally, if a person has a good income, they can join the community. They need to negotiate to have a romantic relationship between a Mennonite and someone who is not a believer.

That's basically what happens. I find it funny how so many people get upset about what the Mennonites are doing in Colombia. Considering that the lands they bought weren't as productive as they are now.

They improved the land, and now that they have crops and are selling their products, magically, indigenous people and a bunch of others have appeared to claim and complain.

They're called colonizers even though they're not doing anything illegal. They buy their lands, produce, and live their lives peacefully. Previously, these lands were in the hands of Colombian paramilitaries who displaced people and took over large amounts of unproductive land without paying any taxes.

I feel it's necessary for more foreigners to come and help with the Colombian countryside because the average Colombian doesn't know how to improve the land and could learn from their techniques to do so.

They are liked by other local farmers. Others envy them for owning large amounts of land, and I understand there should be a limit to avoid jeopardizing the country's food sovereignty.

A foreigner shouldn't be able to buy huge amounts of land; there should be a limit, but right now there isn't one, and they have the right to produce on the lands they bought. I feel this is a useful migration, and if someone would like to buy land, I could put them in contact with them to schedule a meeting.

They only bought land in the Department of Meta, and I'm sure they do it for a reason. It's worth talking to them and asking more questions.

“How should I approach Colombian girls?” That’s a question a lot of people always asked me, I can’t tell you how often. My friends, today I would like to tell you some insights and experience I have gain by going in dates with Colombian women and experience from some friends.

When going on dates, everything happened very organically, I mean, in university almost every weekend there was a party going on so if I liked a girl, it was easy to invite her to go, her group of friends also showed up, drink some beers and go to the night clubs. Now, it was university and you know how it is, you meet a lot of people even if you don’t try.

Imagine you and your friends in a night club, surrounded by attractive women…

I used to be shyer and more reserved, but I understood that dancing and music is a big part in the art of flirting with a Colombian girl. There’s even a popular believe stating that if a man knows how to dance, he is really good in bed. I learned the basic moves, dancing merengue is easy, regueton even easier, practice on your salsa moves. And don’t be shy, just ask a girl to dance with you and tell her “I’m just learning to dance but I would kill myself if I didn’t dance with you…”.

Congratulations, you broke the ice and now have a chance with her. Personally, I don’t engage in too much talking while dancing, music is loud and you’re there to dance, your moment to prove yourself, not necessarily as a good dancer but as a guy with enough confidence to ask her to dance with you. At this point is a numbers game, dance with as many women you can, improve, and enjoy the music. Obviously, when you find a girl you feel a connection with, invite her a drink or make some excuse to have the opportunity to speak with her.

Colombian girls aren’t different from any other women, play your cards, make yourself interesting and always listen to her life stories.

Hear me out, one-night stands happen but don’t be naïve, you need to be smart about it, always think with your big head, always remember about insecurity and that there are criminals that use hot women to seduce you to rob you. If you’re going with friends and they introduce you some close friends you can be a little be more certain that its everything fine, but when meeting strangers, ALWAYS play safe.

Now, meeting women in night clubs is not the only option, think outside the box and remember what I told you: dancing is a big part of any Latina, join a dancing school. You’ll meet ladies there that share your same interest. What about the gym? Of course, but from what I’ve seen nowadays everyone goes to the gym just to have time for themselves and probably will be more difficult to cold approach. But don’t be shy, remember is a numbers game, the more women you talk, more probabilities you can get someone you like on a date.

Here is a great insight I have seen from gringo friends that have a lot of dates with tons of beautiful girls:

Instagram is the greatest dating site in the world, period. 

My advice for you, optimize your Instagram profile, make yourself interesting: pay for a professional photoshoot, a few of you traveling (trust me on that), and showing that you are a interesting guy. This strategy to work your profile needs to be on point. After that you can do two strategies: cold approach in real life, you can try this strategy that the one an only Top G explained in this video

The other strategy is exactly what you are thinking, just follow them, send some messages, and start to get some girls interested on you. I have seen this work with my gringo friends, just remember that their profiles were on point, quality pictures and presenting you as an interesting guy.

Now, Tinder I would say to have be more precautious about it. Remember, security is always the number one priority, and you need to be aware of that. Some people use Tinder to approach naïve men that are thirsty to guy on dates.

I have a guide that explains in more detail how to identify how and when they are using you, it will help you to navigate the dating market in Colombia with more clarity, click here to check it out.

Understand this, even if a woman is hot she might be part of a criminal band organized to rob people. Don’t be fooled, be smart about the decisions you make and with who you’re meeting with.

Colombia is full of amazing and beautiful people, I know you want to go out and meet some girls, practice your game and your Spanish. Remember this, if you were not born here and think you are not street smart, try to find the red flags that women have.

I have talked of some strategies and ways to find quality women here and the guide can help you understand more how everything works:

Red Flags in Colombian Women

Just remember my friends: enjoy your time in Colombia, I’m here to show you my experiences as a native and as your friend. I truly believe in Colombia and want everyone to enjoy it without being lost in the meantime.

Till the next time, amigos.

This is one of the inquiries that people who believe they are experiencing the effects of some kind of magic frequently ask priests.

First and foremost, it is important to note that from a Christian perspective, talking about good or bad luck is a superficial way of considering things.

I use the term "superficial" because, although it may be acceptable as a mode of speaking, it is incorrect from a theological standpoint.

What may appear as bad luck externally should be seen as a test, and what may appear as good luck should be seen as a blessing. In this sense, God allows evil through various secondary causes, including the devil.

Read more

Today, I decided to open a new section on Sundays about random topics that I like, apart from Colombia or travel.

This is the first one…

If you observe how you make love, you will yourself feel that everything is boring.

And particularly for the woman, it is more boring because the man finishes in two or three minutes and the woman hasn't even started.

And across the world, cultures have imposed on women's minds that they are not supposed to enjoy, move, or play because they are called "sluts"; sex is for prostitutes, not ladies.

Ladies are supposed to lie down almost dead and let that old man do whatever he wants;

there is nothing new, there is nothing new to see even.

You should not take it as a personal disrespect when she complains about your performance.

Have you given her orgasmic pleasure or have you just used her to release your sexual energy?

Have you reduced her to a commodity?

You make love in the same bed where you fight every day.

In fact, fighting is the prelude: throwing pillows, shouting at each other, arguing about everything, and then, tired, making love.

Your love is just a negotiation.

If you are a man of aesthetic sensitivity, your love room should be a sacred place because that is where life is born.

It should have beautiful flowers, incense, fragrance; you should enter with deep respect.

And love should not be just something abrupt: grabbing the woman.

Love should have a prelude of beautiful music, dancing together, meditating together.

And love should not be a thing of the mind, where you are constantly thinking about how to make love and then go to sleep.

Love should be a deeper involvement of your whole being and it should not be projected by the mind, but it should arise spontaneously.

Beautiful music, fragrances, and dancing. If love happens spontaneously in this sacred atmosphere, it will have a different quality.

Sincerely,

César

Guess who ate oysters every day for breakfast...???

Giacomo CASANOVA!

If you don't like oysters you can try a supplement I ordered to test it. Contains extract of Oysters, Magnesium and Zinc. It is called (ZMO) = Zinc, Magnesium and Oysters.

You can order it here: https://www.transparentlabs.com/collections/bestsellers/products/strengthseries-zmo?variant=39945573662813

Oysters have been considered a natural aphrodisiac for hundreds of years and are widely used to increase sexual drive and desire.

In fact, the greatest Italian seducer of the 18th century and probably history, Giacomo Casanova, ate copious amounts of oysters for breakfast every day due to their stimulating properties.

Oysters are an excellent source of zinc and contain more per serving than any other food.

For example, a 3-ounce (85-gram) serving of raw oysters contains 33 mg of zinc, which is more than 300% of the recommended daily value.

Zinc is essential for male sexual function and fertility. Low levels of this mineral can negatively affect testosterone levels and cause sperm quality abnormalities.

According to a 2009 study in rats, zinc supplementation raised testosterone levels and improved sexual competence.

Some research suggests that increased dopamine production increases sexual arousal. It can also help treat erectile dysfunction and other sexual symptoms caused by medications such as antidepressants.

Other studies indicate that dopamine, along with several other neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine, may also play a key role in promoting sexual function and desire in women by regulating pathways in the brain that are activated by sexual cues.

Because oysters are rich in zinc, they can help maintain healthy dopamine levels to improve sexual function.

People always talk about eating aphrodisiac things and no one knows why something is considered an aphrodisiac.

It is an aphrodisiac because it is high in zinc. Anything that is high in zinc improves our sexual performance in men and women.

Eat more oysters or, failing that, the supplement that I tell you. Your partner will thank you, you will see.