arfgoblue has left 119 comments

arfgoblue comments on Dating and Marriage Rituals of 20 something Colombians

...big hearted round eyed as long as the colombiana in question is big brested round assed. But I digress...here's to the gringos and other assorted foreigners!

arfgoblue comments on United, Continental Team Up

Unlikely, as CO is shutting down their CLO station, I doubt they will be adding the route back anytime soon...

arfgoblue comments on Dating and Marriage Rituals of 20 something Colombians

Well, I would say that "30" is a bigger age for women in Colombia than in the US; if they are single, they will probably remain so or if they do get married, it will be with a sixtysomething (Gringo or Colombian). The availability of younger girls, plus the perception of "ovaries turning to dust" as mentioned here both play a factor (through as we know fertiity/incidence of birth defects really spike after 35)... And as atrevido said, a single mom will not find a colombian to help her raise her kid...no way!

arfgoblue comments on United, Continental Team Up

...but that won't be until late 2009 at the earliest. Copa is probably coming along too, especially as they use OnePass as their frequent flier program.

arfgoblue comments on Update Avianca/JetBlue Flights from USA

Patience...Spirit will soon have its normal $9 sale to promoote this new route (just like with CTG)

arfgoblue comments on apparently

Armenia doesn't even have an international airport, so what you are stating gorgabob is an impossibility. However, I can confirm that service to BOG is starting July 24th...it was even today added to the drop down list of destination on spiritair.com. their normally crazy sale is sure to follow soon thereafter...

arfgoblue comments on Update Avianca/JetBlue Flights from USA

BOG is now on the drop-down list of destination on Spirit's website, but still pricing really expensive...

arfgoblue comments on Is Ecuador a better dollar deal over Colombia?

bickerss: Is the "Disco area" of Quito estracto 3 or higher? One can still stay in downtown Medellin by Parque Berrios (probably about estracto 2) for $12 a night with bathroom. I am sure Panama, much like Ecuador, is now also a bigger bargain than CO. The only good looking girls in Panama from what I hear, however, are the Colombian hookers working there...

arfgoblue comments on Citibank thinks Colombia is the most risky market in Latin America

I don't see any significant negatives...the only money that would be dissuaded is money that isn't beneficial for Colombia anyway.

arfgoblue comments on Citibank thinks Colombia is the most risky market in Latin America

Hardly...they are an effective policy instrument to prevent short term "hot money" flows that inflate the currency and cause inflation without the meaningful tangable employment/other effect as normail FDI (Foreign Direct Investment).

arfgoblue comments on Madison, WI, Colombian Independence

cool maybe we will see each other :)

arfgoblue comments on Help: is anyone coming to Medellin next week?

Lisa, Most important question: Is your sister cute? 2nd equally important question: How about the pig...is it a he or she?

arfgoblue comments on Madison, WI, Colombian Independence

Well, the ones here are estrato 5 or 6, and know they are hot (after leaving Colombia) so I doubt anyone would do well...do you plan to be in Madison are the time of the festival this summer?

arfgoblue comments on Update Avianca/JetBlue Flights from USA

Well, I hope that JetBlue and Spirit are sooner rather than later, but the airlines are caught scrambling in this environment. I tend to think they are good investment at this point, but that is another matter alltogether...

arfgoblue comments on Madison, WI, Colombian Independence

Don't want to hate, but that is a good thing :) A lot of Colombia U W/Madison coeds? =)

arfgoblue comments on flying with children on taca

no kidding sandressi...look at what happened in Honduras.

arfgoblue comments on Update Avianca/JetBlue Flights from USA

That BsAr flight comes and goes seasonally, and has been dropped and come back in the past, but it would not surprise me if it were more permanent with AA's dire straights.

arfgoblue comments on Madison, WI, Colombian Independence

...but most at Colombia festival are Boriquas/Mejicanos. A Puerto Rican never met a party that he/she did not like :)

arfgoblue comments on Madison, WI, Colombian Independence

Tom, Do you have any info on this year? Web site only pulls up prescription drug site...cheers!

arfgoblue comments on Update Avianca/JetBlue Flights from USA

Just flying and talked to some JetBlue people, so some news: to BOG has been suspended indefinately b/c of high oil prices. Spirit to BOG was to start June 26th, but it may be pushed back (otherwise they would have already run some wacky $9 promotion) so September 1st as sanandreddi says may be accurate...

arfgoblue comments on Bolivia is Gorgeous!

JustoXT, Assuming you've been to Colombia, how would you compare the prices? Did you go to Santa Cruz? Cheers!

arfgoblue comments on Santa Cruz

Is Bolivia a lot more expensive than it was 4 years ago...like Colombia, or is it more or less the same? Cheers!

arfgoblue comments on Spirit Airlines -- My First (and maybe last) Experience

Does Spirit allow 2 bags as carryon for no extra charge at least? Cheers!

arfgoblue comments on FYI: Bogota Airport Problems - Expect Delays

Not soon enough...I am returning next friday and I am not especially sanguine about my arrival time (which would be late anyway since I am leaving from EWR...ahhh!).

arfgoblue comments on FORT LAUDERDALE BASED SPIRIT AIR TO CARTAGENA STARTING THIS PRIMAVERA!

Cartagena (CTG) is part of the "Open Skies" initiative, so there is no bilateral nogotiations of landing right, unlike what you are describing with other airlines. It is true that Spirit is applying for landing rights in other cities that are not part of Open Skies, and there they are competing against other airlines to recieve unused AA slots.

arfgoblue comments on FYI: Bogota Airport Problems - Expect Delays

thanks for the heads up CG...seems like the majority of the US-BOG flights (which are the bigger planes, the 737 and 747s) arrive in the 8-10pm window, so I wonder how they are going to manage that...cheers!

arfgoblue comments on FORT LAUDERDALE BASED SPIRIT AIR TO CARTAGENA STARTING THIS PRIMAVERA!

double-checked...and it is not possible to book the travel yet online, nor has there been any announcement apart from the december press release, so i think althrough they are moving towards service (which should be a forgone conclusion under the "open skies" agreement for Cartagena), it may be summerish when finally get it all started. but let us know if the route hits the $9 fare club, which it should to encourage the new route.

arfgoblue comments on FORT LAUDERDALE BASED SPIRIT AIR TO CARTAGENA STARTING THIS PRIMAVERA!

NIN...do let us know if the route hits the $9 fare club. what is the firm start date? cheers!

arfgoblue comments on ¿POBREZA EN COLOMBIA?

Lisa, no es solo un estilo colombiano...por esta razon hay muchas quiebras en el mercado estadounidense ahorita.

arfgoblue comments on Colombia versus Lehman Bros, as reported by Bloomberg

It seems to me the article is a bit deceptive, as I believe the comparable 10-year Colombia note yield more than even 6.3%. Best I can muster is the article is comparing discount to the coupon yield...

arfgoblue comments on

BTW Tinto, where did you get those charts from? There not bad...and usually it is pretty hard to find good info on Colombian bonds, save from a Bloomberg terminal (which is very, very, very expensive).

arfgoblue comments on

Risk premiums are rising everywhere due to the recent jitters caused by the annihilation of subprime mortage-backed securities. By everywhere, I mean sovereign, corporate, and asset-backed markets. Having said that, the actual damage is less than 100 basis points, because of the rally in the underlying benchmark U.S. Trasuries that the EMBI is measured against. That weakness in Colombian debt have translated into COP weakness as well. Overlay the two charts and you will see a pretty high correlation.

arfgoblue comments on How bad is USPS/ regular mail?

hmmm...in that case, i may prepare the packge to be just under 4 lbs...interesting and thanks for the info.

arfgoblue comments on How bad is USPS/ regular mail?

Yeah, I think mine is going to be the same...about 2 kilos...so I guess I will send it Priority Mail too. How long is that Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note?

arfgoblue comments on How bad is USPS/ regular mail?

I am definitely NOT shipping it DHL or UPS. It would be (almost) cheaper for me to just go down there and hand deliver it. Servientrega from Miami after shipping it USPS there is an intriguing option; anyone know roughly how much a 2 kilo packge would cost? Clavo, do you ship you packages Express or Priority Mail, or is just 1st class mail? btw, Clavo, you are a lucky mf. After all, you could be smelling like lighting fluid...

arfgoblue comments on 'Frisby' vuela a Queens

off! un microsegundo de pensar en el corral es suficiente para darme hambre! ya regreso :-P

arfgoblue comments on 'Frisby' vuela a Queens

aun estoy esperando para el corral.....

arfgoblue comments on Okay Finally Found a Bank that absorbs all Currency Exchange Fees.....

National Interbank is cool; for some reason, it doesn't work for me at BBVA or at BanCafe. Weird thing is, the first couple of weeks it worked at BanCafe and then stopped all of a sudden stopped...

arfgoblue comments on Okay Finally Found a Bank that absorbs all Currency Exchange Fees.....

CG, Compass bank also doesn't pass any fees, including the Visa/Mastercard 1% Overseas Transaction Fee. I think you have to open up the account in person though, as opposed to the internet, and also to live in a state that they serve.

arfgoblue comments on Connection time Bogota El Dorado international to domestic

also looks like this dude posted the same question before: http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/bogota-airport-connection-time/ i doubt the answer has changed in less than a year!

arfgoblue comments on Connection time Bogota El Dorado international to domestic

and i was (am) also going to Pereira...spooky!

arfgoblue comments on AA flying into BAQ again, since when?

AA did that because other airlines were applying for the 14 round-trip that American wasn't using. As for me, I think AA has possibly the worst service in the industry (and whenever I fly them, I get subjected to "random" searches), so I rather have preferred more Delta/ Continental flights.

arfgoblue comments on Cali to Medellin?

Don't forget that Satena flies to Olaya Herrera International Airport, which is right next to the bus terminal and a 5 minute taxi from Poblado. And since it is a turboprop, you catch a lot of scenery on the flight.

arfgoblue comments on Connection time Bogota El Dorado international to domestic

Greg,

Thanks for the info. I will actually be coming in on Continental, but it will be booked on the same itinerary since I will be using miles. That is important; I wouldn't risk it if it were on two seperate itineraries. I have been burned before by Air France.

I don't imagine I will have a problem since I will have no checked luggage, unless the flight arrives late. After I check in after customs, I would imagine they would wait for me. And I don't think that getting off and going through customs is going to take more than a half-hour, especially since I would be one of the first off the plane.

arfgoblue comments on Connection time Bogota El Dorado international to domestic

Sounds good MT...I would have something around the same. Did you have check baggage with you?

arfgoblue comments on English teachers, we need 7 for Bogota.

Last thing I heard you were some director of something with them earning $3000 a month....are you now claiming not to work with them? Interesting...

arfgoblue comments on Connection time Bogota El Dorado international to domestic

juanalejo,

Thanks for the info. Basically, I am not going to have any bags to pick up and as I am going to be one of the first off the plane...I think I should be clear with customs shortly.

After I pass through customs, do I have to go through security to get to the Avianca desk? I imagine that after getting my bording pass, they (probably) will not leave without me. Should be about 30 minutes after my arrival that I have my boarding pass, so I should be pretty safe on time too.

After catching the internal bus to the gate, I remember there is a connections desk, but how do I get to my gate...by bus or what? I also remember secuirty, but I though to keep people out of the connections area.

Anyhow, without bags and connecting to Avianca domestic, am I safe with an hour for the connection?

arfgoblue comments on Connection time Bogota El Dorado international to domestic

Last flight is a little after 9, and my flight would get in a little before 8:30.

I may have to go through Newark to get in a little bit earlier. Flight from Newark arrives about 10 minutes earlier, to give me a 50 min layover. Seems like a shame, through, to waste an hour more in flight time to arrive 10 minutes earlier....

MT and other, what is the shortest connection you have ever forced in Bogota?

arfgoblue comments on English teachers, we need 7 for Bogota.

in the spirit of full disclosure...

beckloud works for them and/or may be the same person as candelaria under a different handle.

arfgoblue comments on Jealousy

Robert Jorge,

I had the same thing happen to me with two of my gf's (girl) friends. One of them even tried to make out with me (drunk) while I was no more than a foot away from my gf, who had her back turned!

I would say that this has never happened to me in the US or any other country for that matter. And it has happened before to me in Colombia.

I'll leave it up to you guys to draw out the significance of that.