After my first visit to Panama City back in May, this time I brought my friend Oistins to show him the monger scene there. It was only a two night stay for me as I was continuing on to Medellin. After dinner and some rest, I took my buddy for a stroll past Alejandro's at about 9:30 pm Saturday night and there were several chicas sitting there. Some were quite cute too as they called out to us. There were no customers there. We didn't have any intentions of staying unless Cafe Foto was dead (but of course I didn't expect that to be the case for a Saturday night). Sure enough when we got to Cafe Foto at about 9:45 pm, there was already a line up of chicas inside on the street side of the bar. There were customers there but I would say the girls outnumbered the guys two or three to one at this point.
This was my buddy's first time in such an establishment since we have nothing like this in Toronto. Being in a place with lots of girls all hoping to get our attention was an overwhelming initial experience for him as he couldn't decide who he would choose. We got a table close to the bar and very quickly girls approached us. Anyway, my friend ended up leaving with a girl who came to sit and drink with him. I declined a few girls as they approached me but I spotted another girl I liked standing in the line up and left with her.
Both my friend and I stayed at Airbnb units in a building just three minutes walk away from Cafe Foto behind the casino across the street. Being located so close, I advised my friend before hand that one of the criteria I look for when screening the girls is that they would have to be willing to walk three minutes back to my room. If they insisted on taking a cab for such a short distance, I would not take these prima donnas. Of course if we were to pull from Alejandro's, this would be a different case since it was located a bit further from our rooms which is why I wanted to focus on Cafe Foto instead.
The next day on Sunday, we were checked out Casco Viejo where I showed my friend the daytime brothel La Bocoterena for possible quick day action but when we visited, it was dead with only three fat girls there. We basically walked in and straight out. This is too bad because when I visited last May, I had a great short session with a girl there for only $15 US.
After a full day of sightseeing and dinner, we returned to Cafe Foto at about the same 9:30 pm on Sunday. This time we got a table right in the middle of the bar so we could get a better view of the main line up of girls which was already forming upon our arrival. This was good given that it was Sunday night. Again, girls approached us pretty well as soon as we sat down. My friend bought drinks for two girls who sat down with us which in my opinion was a mistake since I had not committed to the girl sitting with me yet. Like most girls at Cafe Foto, my potential girl was asking for $200 US. Unlike the girls we had on Saturday night who agreed to $150 US after initially quoting $200, this girl who sat with me refused to go under $200. This made things quite awkward because my friend already bought drinks for the chica who sat with him as well as the one sitting with me. She asked me if I wanted her to stay and I just told her to enjoy her drink. Knowing that I was not going to take her, she got up as soon as she finished her drink.
Meanwhile a lady who was watching all this unfold came up to me after the seat beside me was vacated and it turned out to be a girl I took back in May. This was a chica I was hoping to meet up with again so this was a very interesting turn of events for this chance reunion. Needless to say, of course she was going to be my girl again tonight. As I left with my girl, I saw the one who didn't budge on price looking at us really pissed off. My friend and I both ended up with fun with our respective ladies which wasn't bad for a Sunday night.
Sometimes I think that some of these Colombian girls don't think things through. I've read reports of them doing the same thing at other places like Costa Rica and in Colombia too where they refuse to budge on price even when there is a lack of customers available. Many of them end up going home empty handed without getting any business. In our case at Cafe Foto, girls who wouldn't budge on price would have at least earned $150 US which is still good money but end up with zero. If it was a packed night full of other customers like on Saturday, this would be a different situation as they could afford to wait for the dudes willing to pay their quoted $200. But on a slower night with few customers, their prides prevented them from getting any business.
This brings us to a few key lessons we learned with this weekend at Cafe Foto which could easily apply to other similar venues too.
1) When seated in front of a line up and scanning the available girls, even a brief moment of eye contact might be mistaken for a go ahead signal by a lady to come sit with you. It might not be the lady you want. So it might be better to sit at a table that is a bit off to the side but still giving a good view of the lineup. This might reduce unintentional approaches by ladies you don't want. Of course the chicas already parading around the bar will still approach you wherever you are sitting.
2) When asked by the ladies to buy drinks for them, it's better to confirm your most important requirements first. Don't buy drinks just because they look hot. The reason for this is that we got caught buying drinks for ladies who subsequently refused to budge on price or some other requirement we might need as part of our screening process. In my opinion, buying drinks for ladies who we are not going to take is a complete waste of time and money. So if asked to buy a drink, I would ask them about price first and if we agree on an acceptable rate, then I'll buy a drink. If price is not a big deal to you, you could easily ask them about some other non-negotiable requirement for you whether it's kissing, bbbj, etc.
3) Don't take the first lady who sits down with you. It may seem that these more aggressive ladies save you time and effort of approaching girls throughout the bar but they might not be the ones best for you. In my opinion, it's always better for you to pick them out of a nice selection rather than have them pick you. Some guys even think that the more aggressive girls might not be the ones giving the best service either.
Another thing I want to report is the way the waiters and bartenders at Cafe Foto can rip you off on price of drinks. On the first night, my friend bought tequila and sodas which cost $20 US per drink for a total of $40 for the two of us. The next night, it was my turn to buy our first drinks and once again my friend had the same tequila and soda while I ordered a cranberry juice. My total came out to $22 US for both of these drinks. So my friend obviously got ripped off big time when he paid for the drinks. It seems that the waiters there charge whatever they feel like. This is another reason not to buy drinks for girls unless you pretty well know that it's a high chance that you will take them.
Overall, Cafe Foto is still the prime mongering spot in Panama City. It's a happy place where you will lots of available girls dressed to kill and party. In comparison to Medellin, Panama City is priced high in my opinion. It was probably a bargain for my friend given that Toronto is priced even higher but for me who throws Colombia and Thailand in the my international monger travel mix, Panama City is still a bit pricey.
This was my buddy's first time in such an establishment since we have nothing like this in Toronto. Being in a place with lots of girls all hoping to get our attention was an overwhelming initial experience for him as he couldn't decide who he would choose. We got a table close to the bar and very quickly girls approached us. Anyway, my friend ended up leaving with a girl who came to sit and drink with him. I declined a few girls as they approached me but I spotted another girl I liked standing in the line up and left with her.
Both my friend and I stayed at Airbnb units in a building just three minutes walk away from Cafe Foto behind the casino across the street. Being located so close, I advised my friend before hand that one of the criteria I look for when screening the girls is that they would have to be willing to walk three minutes back to my room. If they insisted on taking a cab for such a short distance, I would not take these prima donnas. Of course if we were to pull from Alejandro's, this would be a different case since it was located a bit further from our rooms which is why I wanted to focus on Cafe Foto instead.
The next day on Sunday, we were checked out Casco Viejo where I showed my friend the daytime brothel La Bocoterena for possible quick day action but when we visited, it was dead with only three fat girls there. We basically walked in and straight out. This is too bad because when I visited last May, I had a great short session with a girl there for only $15 US.
After a full day of sightseeing and dinner, we returned to Cafe Foto at about the same 9:30 pm on Sunday. This time we got a table right in the middle of the bar so we could get a better view of the main line up of girls which was already forming upon our arrival. This was good given that it was Sunday night. Again, girls approached us pretty well as soon as we sat down. My friend bought drinks for two girls who sat down with us which in my opinion was a mistake since I had not committed to the girl sitting with me yet. Like most girls at Cafe Foto, my potential girl was asking for $200 US. Unlike the girls we had on Saturday night who agreed to $150 US after initially quoting $200, this girl who sat with me refused to go under $200. This made things quite awkward because my friend already bought drinks for the chica who sat with him as well as the one sitting with me. She asked me if I wanted her to stay and I just told her to enjoy her drink. Knowing that I was not going to take her, she got up as soon as she finished her drink.
Meanwhile a lady who was watching all this unfold came up to me after the seat beside me was vacated and it turned out to be a girl I took back in May. This was a chica I was hoping to meet up with again so this was a very interesting turn of events for this chance reunion. Needless to say, of course she was going to be my girl again tonight. As I left with my girl, I saw the one who didn't budge on price looking at us really pissed off. My friend and I both ended up with fun with our respective ladies which wasn't bad for a Sunday night.
Sometimes I think that some of these Colombian girls don't think things through. I've read reports of them doing the same thing at other places like Costa Rica and in Colombia too where they refuse to budge on price even when there is a lack of customers available. Many of them end up going home empty handed without getting any business. In our case at Cafe Foto, girls who wouldn't budge on price would have at least earned $150 US which is still good money but end up with zero. If it was a packed night full of other customers like on Saturday, this would be a different situation as they could afford to wait for the dudes willing to pay their quoted $200. But on a slower night with few customers, their prides prevented them from getting any business.
This brings us to a few key lessons we learned with this weekend at Cafe Foto which could easily apply to other similar venues too.
1) When seated in front of a line up and scanning the available girls, even a brief moment of eye contact might be mistaken for a go ahead signal by a lady to come sit with you. It might not be the lady you want. So it might be better to sit at a table that is a bit off to the side but still giving a good view of the lineup. This might reduce unintentional approaches by ladies you don't want. Of course the chicas already parading around the bar will still approach you wherever you are sitting.
2) When asked by the ladies to buy drinks for them, it's better to confirm your most important requirements first. Don't buy drinks just because they look hot. The reason for this is that we got caught buying drinks for ladies who subsequently refused to budge on price or some other requirement we might need as part of our screening process. In my opinion, buying drinks for ladies who we are not going to take is a complete waste of time and money. So if asked to buy a drink, I would ask them about price first and if we agree on an acceptable rate, then I'll buy a drink. If price is not a big deal to you, you could easily ask them about some other non-negotiable requirement for you whether it's kissing, bbbj, etc.
3) Don't take the first lady who sits down with you. It may seem that these more aggressive ladies save you time and effort of approaching girls throughout the bar but they might not be the ones best for you. In my opinion, it's always better for you to pick them out of a nice selection rather than have them pick you. Some guys even think that the more aggressive girls might not be the ones giving the best service either.
Another thing I want to report is the way the waiters and bartenders at Cafe Foto can rip you off on price of drinks. On the first night, my friend bought tequila and sodas which cost $20 US per drink for a total of $40 for the two of us. The next night, it was my turn to buy our first drinks and once again my friend had the same tequila and soda while I ordered a cranberry juice. My total came out to $22 US for both of these drinks. So my friend obviously got ripped off big time when he paid for the drinks. It seems that the waiters there charge whatever they feel like. This is another reason not to buy drinks for girls unless you pretty well know that it's a high chance that you will take them.
Overall, Cafe Foto is still the prime mongering spot in Panama City. It's a happy place where you will lots of available girls dressed to kill and party. In comparison to Medellin, Panama City is priced high in my opinion. It was probably a bargain for my friend given that Toronto is priced even higher but for me who throws Colombia and Thailand in the my international monger travel mix, Panama City is still a bit pricey.
