capt_j has left 22 comments

capt_j comments on Immigration scumbag in Miami

File a complaint. They are not supposed to act like this. CBP has a few assholes on power trips, it's a hazard of travelling.

capt_j comments on Secretaria de Salud de Medellin never ceases to amaze me

Do you think somebody is looking to get their palm greased?

capt_j comments on medellin - a word to the wise

I wouldn't get into a car with a bunch of strange people in the US, much less Colombia. I believe the story was there were guys and girls in the car, I'm betting more girls than guys. If it looks to good to be true, it probably is.

capt_j comments on Leaving mid-way through flight question for airport experts

People used to do that in the US, because it was cheaper sometimes. Then the airlines caught on and if you didn't get on the second leg, the ticket was cancelled. Post 9/11 airlines may get suspicious if you get off the flight. If the flight to Cali was cheaper than the flight to Bogota, they are probably not going to let you use that loophole. If the flight to Bogota was cheaper, they won't care but you should probably just change the ticket to Bogota to avoid any trouble.

capt_j comments on Interpol authenticates files from Reyes' computers

The standard communist response to any revelation of evildoing on their part is, "It's all lies! All fabrication! The person saying this is a tool of the imperialist warmongers!"

capt_j comments on Feds Bust 83 in Florida Marriage Fraud Scam

Why don't more Colombians get relatives to sponsor them? I'm betting most of these people have relatives who are legal residents. I get the impression the requirements for sponsorship are too high for a lot of legal immigrants to meet, is this the case?

capt_j comments on Colombians in the Pacific Northwest

Bogota is one of the few places on the planet with worse weather than Seattle, so she should enjoy the improvement. Just kidding- well maybe a little.

capt_j comments on Message from GIB

I think the point should be, learn from somebody else's experience what the potential dangers of travel in Colombia can be, not who knows more. I think everybody here has enjoyed visiting Colombia but no trip is worth being the victim of a serious crime, and while life always involves some risks a prudent person takes reasonable precautions. So, we now know that disabling drugs can be administered through an ATM keypad or other touch. I had never heard of this before so this is good to know. I think being experienced and familiar with the country is no guarantee of avoiding trouble, from GIB's and toneloc24's experiences. GIB's experience would have been a lot worse if he had not had a friend to help him out. I guess part of the lesson is when you can, go out with people you trust, who can help you out if you get in trouble. Another part would be, anytime you are getting money out of an ATM you are a target, and must be careful while approaching, at the ATM, and for some distance after you leave it, and need to be especially vigilant. I would like it if people would share stories not just about actual crimes, but close calls or fishy situations they've experienced, so we would know what to look for.

capt_j comments on Looking Beyond Juan Valdez; Congress Daily Reporter

Congressmen, like other high officials, everywhere and always get a dog and pony show, that's what they want. You can always find a few left wing activists with axes to grind to put something down but I don't see how such predictable comments illuminate anything. They're always pretty happy when communists are murdering people.

capt_j comments on Good chilean wine prices in Pomona, today in Medellin

Stuff is really not that much cheaper in Colombia, at least at the big markets. I think I paid 16,000 for a quart of rasberry ice cream at Pomona. What stores do the estrato 3 or 4 people shop at?

capt_j comments on Air carriers closing down....(colombia routes affected?)

None of these companies have Colombia service. There is some speculation about the long term future of JetBlue, but they are not in any imminent danger.

capt_j comments on A los gringos les parece terrible

I don't think Americans think single women living with their parents is bad. I think in general it is appreciated as a cultural difference, to some extent good, to some extent not so good. It's good to be close to your family, as long as you're not *too* close.

capt_j comments on

Unfortunately having the Q-tip stuck up your unit is a part of the STD test. That is where the nasty bacteria are and they have to get some and see what they are. It sucks but the alternative is being a monk and that sucks more.

capt_j comments on FARC Women in Colombia and the death of a rebel leader

How grotesquely pro-FARC. Basically just a press release.

capt_j comments on Why people love to talk bad about El Poblado?

Why are cars so expensive in Colombia? Somebody mentioned the import duty? I read someplace Peugeot has a factory in Colombia, does anybody else manufacture cars in Colombia? If I lived there, I would want to have a vehicle, but only to go out to the country. Driving in the city is just too hair-raising. Of course the cratered roads you see out in the country are pretty hair-raising too.

capt_j comments on An agent, a green card, and a demand for sex ( No problems so far, the immigration agent told the American citizen and his 22-year-old Colombian wife at her green card interview in December.)

Could we have the link to the story?

capt_j comments on "Colombia: the Genocidal Democracy"

Puke. "Interested in civil rights in Colombia" = "hopes to see a Marxist-Leninist dictatorship established." The Catholic Church, the original totalitarian organization, is hardly in a position to criticize anyone over anything. And there *is* a difference between the guards and the inmates- the inmates committed serious crimes, for which they were tried and convicted, which is why they are confined, and the guards are there to keep them from hurting others.

capt_j comments on Credit Card Problems

I can't shed any light on your specific problem but it is tricky getting your money in Colombia. I have a card from an HSBC owned bank and for some reason it only worked at Banco de Bogota. No idea why that is. I only learned this by going to a bunchof different ATMs and it finally worked there.

capt_j comments on

It is a little funny though, all the brick buildings, from the poorest hovel to the ritziest high rise, are all pretty much the exact same color. Do all the bricks come from the exact same place? Or is all the clay for some distance around the exact same color? And what's with the hollow bricks they build poor places out of? I doubt that the cost of clay would be an issue, although I suppose that's possible. I guess a lighter brick is good if you want to build high walls or second stories, or need to carry a bunch to a difficult to reach place.

capt_j comments on Avianca takes deliver of first Airbus A320

Pilot joke- What does a new Airbus pilot say? "Oh no, what's it doing?!" What does an experienced Airbus pilot say? "Oh no, it's doing it again!" Apparently the software does some weird things. Not a very well constructed airplane but Airbus basically gives them away with free maintenance, so it's a good deal for the airlines. From the passenger standpoint it's a little wide inside than a Boeing which is nice.

capt_j comments on Commentary: Latino voters want a better idea of 'change'

Obama offers us change and hope! Or hope and change! Or the change of hope! Or the hope of change! Or the changing of hoping or hoping of changing, or maybe all of them at once. I'm a little confused, and I would ask for a more detailed explanation, but he would just say I'm against change and hope, so I'll just shut up.

capt_j comments on Mail to Colombia?

I mailed a Christmas card from Atlanta to Medellin last November and it never got there.