Brians has written 51 posts
FARC Demobilizing?
Things happening fast according to this article today. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/USA/Colombian_rebels_offer_to_give_up/articleshow/3071683.cms
Investor Visa (Gator)
I am sick of dealing with the Colsulado in New York renewing my Spousal Visa every two years. Can I change to an investor visa after the fact. Meaning I meet the requirements for Investor Visa. I made the investment in 2006. I have documentation. I was wondering how long an investor visa is valid. I have to renew the Spousal ever two years and if Investor Visa runs longer I would rather have that visa as this is a pain in my ass dealing with these people in the Consulate. My cedula was obtained ...
Cedula Extranjeria and Visa renew
OK my Cedula and visa are expiring. I need to renew and wifey is 7 months pregnant. We are in the USA and I was hoping to do this via a Consulate in NY. However I was told I have to go through DAS in Colombia for the renewal of the cedula. I am assuming that I can still renew my visa at the NY Consulate and thus avoid a trip to Bogota. Is that correct? Then I will just have to jump on a plane and could do the cedula in Medellin? Any help or suggestions is appreciated. I am trying to do this with ...
Colombia robbed of beating Brazil
Great game yesterday as far as 0-0 goes. Colombia should have had a penalty kick in the first half. The team looked so much better than July in in Venezuela. Anyway 6 players from Atletico Nacional on the team to shows you how strong Nacional is. ...
What happened to "Medellin violence hit's home" Thread??
Seems to have disappeared. Funny how this stuff is here one second and gone the next. I didn't have a chance to read it until last night. Good stuff getting off thread (as usual) but fun. Anyway I finally had a chance to add my 2 cents and it vanished? I suspect Scooby emailed the monitors and asked to have it taken down as he usually can't take any heat from questions. ...
Earthquake Insurance
I have bought Insurance on my place in Colombia. The premium was equal % wise as my USA home insurance. I used Suramerica which is the best company in Colombia. The insurance covers terrorist, earthquakes, bombs, water damage etc.. Anyway the reason I bought it was because I don't want to wake up one morning and see on the news something like what just happened in Peru. My mother in law and friends in Colombia think I was being parinoid etc.. Why do you want insurance? All I said is if my apartm ...
Getting frustrated with my spanish
I have now been studying spanish for almost two years. The last 6 or seven months I have taken a class 4 nights a week. I do it either through SKYPE or at the school in Philadelphia. I can communicate but I just don't know what to do to get ot the next level. I am 41 next month and it just seems my brain can't take in this change. I am sure there are plenty here who have gone through the same process as me and any suggestions are appreciated. When I started I didn't have any idea how difficult t ...
How will these new restrictions enacted by the Colombian Govt. effect me
The new requirement that Foreign investors must keep 40% of the money in non interest bearing accounts for 6 months. I assume this does NOT mean if a I wire money down to my bank account the bank has to withold 40% for six months does it? Anyone have any idea. ...
Why did you delete the Scooby stuff Tinto?? We are good people and finally having some fun
this week.
The mid market Peso rate is now 2,001 this morning. The ATM exchange well
below as Sprig noted yesterday. I just wanted to say: "I told you so". Not that it was going down so much but there were so mony people on here telling everyone not to buy and to just rent. My argument back was you have to be crazy to live in a country and not have some income (rental) in that countries currency. I also would think them crazy to not own a place to control your rent. These currency moves of recent probably will reverse or at least I expect them to as the Peso is overbought. Howev ...
Trade deficit in Colombia
I think this Trade Pact will determine the short term direction of the peso. Colombia has been running a Trade Deficit versus a surplus. Interesting how ex-oil Colombia is running a deficit. The Peso will need to weaken to adjust this factor and the fact that 20,000 labor jobs have already been lost. This is not a huge figure but don't expect 6.8% GDP growth with the Peso this high. Implications: Lower real estate values and continued job loss. Loss of US Aid would or a cut back would also have ...
Colombian goverment annouces new measures to curb Peso rise
Colombian authorities announced a set of measures intended to curb rising prices and counteract the peso's rise against the dollar.
Exporters, such as coffee and flower growers, have been demanding the government put the brakes on the peso, complaining the strengthening local currency is making their products less competitive abroad.
Under the new measures announced Sunday night, companies that borrow abroad will now have to leave 40 percent of the loaned money with ...
Hey DG Dollar looks prime to rally!!
Peso holding it's own today with US markets down but smells like last year around April when we saw the Market sell off followed by the Colombian Stock Market then the Peso to 2,500 (flight to quality). I told you last week I was waiting for an opportunity to wire another batch over and was waiting for a pullback. It was looking bad for me last week but now I am licking my chops. I feel 2,400 would be a good number to wire money over. Another note is I do think Peso will eventually trade to 1,80 ...
Clown Killers
Who kills a Clown??
Clowns Killed In Colombia
10:13 am, 22 Feb 2007 Print this story
Two circus clowns have been shot dead during a performance in Colombia.
Police say the motive for the attack, which happened in the east of the country, is unclear.
One clown was shot in the head while he was on stage, the other is said to have been killed near a ticket booth.
Last year a famous clown, known as Pepe, was ...
Colombia to raise rates today
By how much is the question. Economy growing at a fastest rate since 1978. Reference to DG's prices up at Exito probably more an indication of inflation. However Peso still holding value against dollar (which is unexpected if inflation is running). Should be an interesting week for the Peso.
Colombia Central Bank Set to Raise Rates Highest in Five Years
By Helen Murphy
Feb. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Colombia's central bank will probably raise its benchmark l ...
Want to move to Colombia this year
I have been trying to pospone this for a few more years but I just can't seem focus on my life here any longer. I wanted to ask the question again to people who are living in Colombia. What monthly income do I need? I now own a great place. I will have about another 1 or two rental properties by the end of the year. It is myself and my wife(hopefully a kid by the end of next year as we are trying). I plan to find a job teaching english which I know is not going to pay me much but need to do some ...
Uraba and Necocli
Anyone know anything about these ares? I was invited by my wife's cousin to visit their Banana Plantation in this reion. I would like to go but am concerned about the safety of the region.
Peso at 2,609 to the dollar
Wow,
This is great for me. However is it possible that we see a reversal after the Fed meeting this week? I don't know but I am still a month away froming doing a wire for my real estate. Hopefully it can at least stay at these levels. ...
Help with Colombian Spousal Visa
Alright I am still working on getting this Spousal Visa. My wife and I visited the Colombian Consulate last Saturday and were told they won't do Visa's on the weekends. Anyway in order to not waste another trip to the Consulate I called them to make sure of what I need. Here is what they sent me:
SPOUSE VISA REQUIREMENTS
1. Valid Passport with at least 3 available pages and good for a minimum of 6 months.
2. Two (2) passport copies. plain copies please.
...
Help with Colombian Spousal Visa
Alright I am still working on getting this Spousal Visa. My wife and I visited the Colombian Consulate last Saturday and were told they won't do Visa's on the weekends. Anyway in order to not waste another trip to the Consulate I called them to make sure of what I need. Here is what they sent me:
SPOUSE VISA REQUIREMENTS
1. Valid Passport with at least 3 available pages and good for a minimum of 6 months.
2. Two (2) passport copies. plain copies please.
...
Colombian Spousal Visa and Cedula question
I thought this might go in Visa section but then I really think the main question about a Cedula should be asked here. I see I can obtain a spousal visa from the consulate. It actually seems quite easy. This would allow me to get a Cedula at the DIAN office after I arrive and hence could open a joint bank account with my wife. The purpose would be to recieve a wire for the closing of a real estate property. However we would probably not be traveling back every 90 days and thus I would loss the v ...
Curious about living costs
My wife wants us to move to Colombia. I am partial to the idea also as I really have no family here. I am 40 and we plan to have kids. She wants them to be raised around her family. Now the problem. I have no idea what a decent income would be in Colombia. Obviously I know I couldn't find a job. However I do have some money. The problem is I look at worst case scenarios. If we paid cash for a house so I owe nothing. What king of income will I need to generate on my investments to meet a simpler ...
Best way to convert US $ into Colombian Pesos
I am going to settle on a proerty in Medellin in a few months. What is the cheapest way to convert US$ into Pesos? We have a Bank Account at Banco Colombia but my wife can set up a bank elsewhere to recieve the wire. My bank will not convert to Pesos so I have to have he recieveing institution do the conversion. Since it is a large wire I would like to save as much as possible. Any suggestions on who generally does it cheapest? ...
Search: Buying house or apt in Medellin
Help with any connections for buying a place in Medellin. This will be a rental property and we were thinking Envigado or Sabenata. Price range $50,000-$100,000 since mortgage is not an option and we need cash. Please post your email under topic and I will contact you as Private Messager has been disabled. ...
Free Trade Agreement reached
Signed this morning. It is interesting that if you buy a car in Colombia it was about 40% more expensive than in the USA. The prices are actually going to fall a lot instantly. I think the free trade agreement with the USA is a good thing. However I do think that it will cause short term weakness in the Peso. There are a lot more goods and services ready to be shipped to Colombia from the USA than vica versa. Longer term this will be great but shorter term expect weakness in the Peso.
Help with Certificate of Singlehood
I need some help. I am getting married in a Church Ceremony in Colombia in three weeks. My wife need a Certificate of Singlehood. I think this is a Church document? Anyway where do I get it. I did a search online and the only areas mentioned are on PBH. I am american and I asked in the county office and the lady looked at me with a blank stare. Also I was married before but have been divorced. I was not married in a church the first time so I know that I can get married in a church but apparentl ...
Colombian Stock Market #2 worldwide performer last month
up 18.56% in local currency for the month of November. Second in the world only to Turkey. Colombian Peso also picked up ground versus the dollar again. I am looking at buying a condo in Medellin and at this rate I'll get priced out of the market. ...
Suggestions for learning english
Anyone have suggestions for a good computer practice program? My is going to school twice a week here and we speak it at home and with friends. However she is having trouble with her pronunciation. I was looking online and there are a lot of different courses so I was wondering if anyone has any good experiences. ...
Dogs used to ship cocaine
Another bad story about Colombia. My concern is that if the USA cuts aid because of other issues like their own deficeit then the Peso will fall again. Colombia will never really realize it's potential until the stigma of drugs is removed. This stoty was printed in the Main Philadelphia paper this weekend:
Posted on Sat, Nov. 12, 2005
A losing battle on drugs in Colombia?
"The better we get at catching the ...
Suggestions on things to do while in Medellin...
My wife and I are having a wedding ceremony in Medellin in a few months. We were married in June in the USA. Anyway I have about 25 people coming from the US for the wedding ceremony. Various types of people single guys and married couples. Obviously I want to take out my single friends to clubs like Mangos. We have a Chiva bus rented for an evening. Everyone is staying at the Sheraton 4 Points so they can go to the mall. However everyone is there for 5 days. I don't want people to sit around. I ...
Anyone rent a Chiva before?
I have about 15-20 friends going to Medellin in February. My wife and I are having a wedding ceromony in Colombia for her family. Anyway I never did a Chiva (Not even sure if this is spelled correctly) before and she thought my friends would enjoy it. What do you usually do on these things? How much do they cost to rent? Do people do them at night or the day? Where do they go? All my wife will tell me is they are fun. ...
Cat and dog hair?
My wife from Medellin won't let my cat sleep in the bed. She says it has to do with the cats hair getting in her nose and lungs? Anyway the cat is killing me screaming in the basement all night but she swears that the cat hair will get into her lungs and get her sick. Who else has heard of this crazy old wife's tale? I never heard of such a thing. I still love her to death though even if she is crazy. ...
Learning English
Does anyone have a good suggestion for learning english. My wife is taking her english course in the USA but she really wants to work on her pronunciation and vocabulary. She wants to study on the computer on top of her current course. I have been looking around online but was curious what suggestions some of you may have. She has some fluency (Intermediate) her pronunciation is poor and she really needs to expand her vocabulary. Any ideas? ...
Dann Carlton vs. Sheraton Four Points Medellin
I have about 20 people coming down for a week to Medellin for my wedding. I have only been to Medellin twice so I am not so familiar locations and prices of hotels. Anyway I think everyone seems to like to Dann Carlton better from what I have read and it's location being walking to nightlife. However I have also seen the room rates are a lot higher on travelocity etc.. Should (can) I negotiate a group rate with the hotels. Any suggestions? ...
Whatever happened to Widower from Canada?
I wanted to see if he ever made it to Colombia! I miss the story of his search for a new wife.
Getting Married in Medellin. Suggestions for repsetions
Anyone have a good idea for a fun reception in Medellin. My wife and I were married here in the US in June but want a wedding in front of her family in Medellin. It would be small only about 60 people. She was thinking the Dann Carleton but my budget is only about $10,000. Any other suggestion that I can look into. I would have about 15 people from the US coming down who have never been to Colombia. So I wanted them to experience Colombia's fun lifestyle. ...
Colombian Peso still strong against Dollar
It is interesting to note that even though the dollar has been hitting 8 month highes against the Euro and Yen it is still weak against South American Countries. This shows how strong these economies are as the dollar has only continued to weaken. ...
Visa Fraud
When things like this happen it is the reason our situations become so much more complicated. Although it was Canada I am sure it has been happening in the US also and is why we are put through the hoops in this process:
Visa fraud defendants will face charges of money laundering
Two Vancouver residents are among five people indicted for arranging bogus weddings
Thursday, June 02, 2005
VANCOUVER -- Two Vancouver residents, already indicted for visa f ...
How long in days does it take to get visa
Hi everyone,
Here is my situation. My finacee has her interview June 1 at the embassy. We need her to travel to the States on June 15th. There is of course a couple of weekends and a Holiday on June 6. We are worried she will not have the actual visa by the 15th. They sent it DHL and she is in Medellin. However does anyone have a record of how long it took them to get the actual visa. Nothing we can do about it but hope as the trip is booked. We had to and pray. ...
International Drivers License
I was wondering if somebody had information about how to get an International Drivers License. My finacee is coming next month. She needs to be able to drive here. Anyway getting a license in Pennsylvania is a pain and takes some time. However Pennsylvania recognizes International Drivers Licenses for one year. She needs to get it in Colombia. I have no idea how she goes about getting. She started to look into it. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. ...
So what about the women??
All I hear about is the lack of faithfulness with Colombian males. I have seen it but not to the extent that everyone says in these forums. Anyway from my experience the Colombian women seem to be very faithful. Am I wrong but if the men are not faithful then who are they cheating with? Only the single women! I question that. I trust my fiancee more than anyone I have ever met. As a matter of fact I think that I have trusted every Colombian woman I dated. Am I naive? ...
K-1 Interview. Important for me to be there?
Hi everyone,
My COlombian Finacee is scheduling an interview for next month in Bogota. I had originally planned on attending. However I may have to travel next month for business. This may conflict with her interview date as it will be two weeks of the month. I am concerned about her and the interview. How important is it for me to be there? I have read that if I am there the chances of a problem are really non-existant. What are the chances of a problem or rejection if I do not attend? W ...
K-1 Timeline, Part 2
Hi All,
Well when I sent out my K-1 to Vermont I thought it might take 16 weeks. A lot of people thought I was crazy. Here is my update:
Vermont receives March 23rd
Vermont approves April 1st
National Visa Center receives April 6th
Sent to Bogota April 8th (today)
Now here is my question. I can't have her or relative pick up Packet 3 at embassy as she has no family there. I have an actual copy of a Colombian Packet 3 recieved by someone else this ...
Marrying a Colombian and I want a Cedula
Hi everyone,
I am an American Citizen. I am marrying a Colombian and she will be in USA on K-1 visa in a month. After we are married I would like to buy a place in Colombia for us to stay when we visit and possibly retire there eventually. Anyway my research had been into the K-1 process so far. What about me getting a Cedula? How do I go about this process? Should/Can I become a Colombian citizen? Any thoughts are appreciated. ...
Easter Bunny in Colombia
Hi Everyone,
This is probably the dumbest question to date. Is there an Easter Bunny in Colombia? What I mean is Easter Bunny a traditional figure like it is in the USA. I am heading down for my first Easter in Colombia and was going to bring some Chocolate Easter Bunnies etc as gifts just for fun. Then I thought do they the Easter Bunny in Colombia. Just curious. ...
K-1 Timeline, Part 1
Hi Everyone,
I was just reviewing timelines for the entire process. I am sending K-1 to Vermont today. I no it seems to be luck on how long it will take but I was wondering if anyone could tell me a best case worst case scenario. I think best case getting out of Vermont to the National Service center after NOA2 approval would be 3 weeks. Then 2 weeks at National Visa Center. 1 week in mail to Bogota. 2 weeks get NOA3. Appointment 1 month in future. Approval and 1 week for Visa. This I fee ...
NCAA in Medellin
Hi everyone,
I just returned from my first trip from Medellin. All I can say is that it was one of the most beautiful places on earth. The safety concern was quickly put out of my mind as I realized there was no issue as long as I stay out of the wrong areas. Anyway I am heading back at Easter for a long weekend. The NCAA Tournament is on that weekend and I was curious if I would be able to watch the games on TV or at a Bar in Medellin. ...
K-1 Evidence of Support I-864
I am just completing the K-1 petition. I think I have everything in order. However I wanted to know at what point in this process do they want me to Show Evidence of Support Form 864. I think this is filed later but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I have all my tax returns etc.. However the 129 does not ask for anything so I assume this is requested at a later date. Any help as I am working through this K-1 process. ...
Advice on Asking for daughters hand in marriage
I really enjoy this site. Everyone has been so helpful. Here is a question I have about marriage customs. I met my girlfriend/fiancee on the internet. We then met in Rio and I have since traveled to Medellin to visit her and her family. I actually have Colombian friends that I stay with in Medellin right down the street. Small world. Anyway we are going to get married in September we talk about it and are arranging the Visa. I trust this woman with all my heart and my Colombian friends have scru ...
K-1 Process Help
I could use a pointer or two on the K-1 process. I think I can save the $2,000 the lawyers want to charge me to fill out form. I think it is a cost I could avoid. However if I anyone has any suggestions on something I am missing Please let me know. I don't want to be penny wise pound stupid.
Process
1.Fill out 129 completely and attach with ACCO clips and two punched holes at the top the following:
-Her Cedula translated and certified
-Her Das translat ...
If you're not a part of this travelicious experiment just yet, just sign up here. It's free & easy.
About poorbuthappy | About the travel guides | Travel guide editing | Community rules
© 1998 - 2008 Peter Van Dijck, all rights reserved.