cedritos has left 65 comments

cedritos comments on Got a new TV, but how do I get digital reception?

I had the usual EPSN, HBO, Cinemax etc pipped into my flat in Bogota a while ago (it was about 6,000 pesos/month!). If you want digital TV you could get a telefonica box and an aerial put on the roof/outside a window. http://www.telefonica.com.co/televisiondigital/

cedritos comments on Digital radio – DAB do i pack it? or sling it?, do colombian radio stations transmit digital radio???

They do have digital telly-in fact they use very similar boxes to the freeview ones in the UK (obviously NTSC rather than PAL), I think it's via Telefonica with a subscription and a decent aerial on the roof.....I've used it in Chia. As for DAB, a friend who works with Telefonica tells me that there are no plans to implement DAB in Colombia in the near future...if they have any sense they should go for DAB

cedritos comments on Spanish transit visa for travel to the UK via Madrid

I wrote the 'madness in barajas' post mentioned earlier in this thread. My mother in law is coming (to the UK) in November and we decided to go with Air France after knowing all too well about coming via Barajas with Air Comet and Easy Jet; almost not being allowed home, lost baggage etc. If your friend wants to risk coming via Madrid make sure his luggage is marked (clearly and securely) with both flight codes (Avianca and BA) and an contact address in the UK with a phone number. I'd also print out the Timatic details. I see "Passengers may be requested to show visible means of support covering their stay" is new. I would have thought the fact of having a UK visa shows means of support but I wouldn't count on the spanish authorities interpretation being the same as mine.

cedritos comments on Tigo Website SMS Messages

http://www.text4free.net seems to do the trick

cedritos comments on wanted: netbook

Buy from Dell online http://tinyurl.com/y9sd3td

cedritos comments on

Hi, I've got a citibank standard visa debit card. Is that charge fee in Colombia?

cedritos comments on how to get Argentina TV in London?

try http://www.multivisionlatino.com/ will work with a standard Sky sized dish (you'll need to buy a box and card from MVL)

cedritos comments on Argentina vs Colombia

Is this live on Caracol? Thinking of watching it live at http://www.flaxbin.com/caracol.html 10pm BST kick off?

cedritos comments on Flight Bogota to London...

Wouldn't necessarily fancy her chances of getting a US transit visa-my wife didn't get one this may be of interest http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/madness-in-madrid-transit-in-barajas/ Avianca were supposedly starting to fly direct to London sometime soon but nothing seems to have happened.

cedritos comments on Cheapest way to send small package UK-Colombia

woops 'charge'

cedritos comments on Cheapest way to send small package UK-Colombia

Nationwide will soon outside of Europe-they're still cheaper than everyone else but no longer swallow up Visa's own charges. Royal Mail (recorded or it'll never get there) are reliable to big towns in Colombia.

cedritos comments on Anybody use a MAC and SKYPE? Sorry for another SKYPE THREAD!

I've got a Mac and use Skype. I've got a Plantonics bluetooth headset but don't always use it-I've not really had an issue with feedback. I've not been impressed with Skype charges to mobile and landlines. We use an American First Card to call Colombian landlines and mobiles and friends in Colombia call my three Skype phone here in the UK for free from their computers.

cedritos comments on

Royal Mail parcels (recorded or registered, I never remember which one they do) takes 2-3 weeks (Edinburgh to Chia). If it's sent normal post it's very likely never to arrive.

cedritos comments on

I've used SJPhone (Mac version) in UK to call Ekiga (Ubuntu) in Chia. Works fine although it's not as good as Skype Mac->Windows. Our preferred method at the moment is Skype on Windows (in Colombia) ->my '3' mobile (£8/month) with Skype on it in the UK.

cedritos comments on Requirements for Expats Wanting to Buy Property in Colombia

Thanks. Yes, my wife still has a Colombian passport and is picking up a new cedula this weekend from the Consulate. I think I'll give my mother in law power of attorney. As for the funds that will be used to pay for the plot, these are from a recent sale of another lote my wife bought before we got married [I then pay her back in £s]. We got married in Colombia and in the UK.

cedritos comments on Requirements for Expats Wanting to Buy Property in Colombia

Mmm how about this scenario...... Wife (Colombian) and me (British), living in UK, buy a plot in Colombia. Each of us owns 50%. Full payment through her funds in Colombia. I then pay her my 50% in the pounds equivalent here. Can I still be a part legal owner? I was going to citibank transfer my funds over but the 'pounds equivalent' looks like the simpler option.

cedritos comments on Caracol on Hispasat (Europe)

The above no longer works. Except TeleSur (Chavez TV) which is free to air as is TVE International A better bet is www.multivisionlatino.com but it's not cheap

cedritos comments on Caracol Radio

I very much doubt it.

cedritos comments on RCN 24 Horas available in Europe for free

http://www.multivisionlatino.com/ has more info

cedritos comments on RCN 24 Horas available in Europe for free

Get a mpeg 4 compliant satellite receiver box (or a standard box with a mpeg4 cam )and point the dish at 24.5 west. You might need to type the video and audio ids in manually see http://en.kingofsat.net/pack-multivisionlatino.php I'd recommend a Technomate. I have a 1000CI with a Neotion VIACCESS NP4 CAM

cedritos comments on Broadband in the sticks

Update: Comcel have the most 3G coverage (area) in Colombia but still nothing other than GPRS in Simijaca.

cedritos comments on Lovely Corsa Saloon for sale (Chia)

wanting 21,000,000 ono

cedritos comments on Cheap return flights to the UK (Help Needed please)

I'd recommend reading my old post on transit in Barajas..... http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/madness-in-madrid-transit-in-barajas/ As for the wiki entry about direct flights to London......I believe it'll be more like Summer 2009 [from correspondence with the company who host Avianca's UK site]

cedritos comments on Wanted! - Internet Radio URLS

thanks - forgot to mention that it's for an internet radio or itunes so no flash based ones got Colombia Dance http://200.116.1.9:8011/listen.pls from Azunioman's url

cedritos comments on marital question

Colombian trained teachers (with recognised qualifications in English) can register with the General Teaching Council of Scotland and teach in schools in the UK without having to retrain/do a PGCE. I might be wrong, but I think Scotland is in the minority of EU countries allowing this.

cedritos comments on Caracol TV in Europe

It's now encrypted with nagravison 3...although it's almost cracked

cedritos comments on Broadband in the sticks

Unfortunately, there'll be no wifi signals to piggyback on. Happy to wait till Tigo get the mast updated. In Bolivia a 1GB 3G service costs the equivalent of 35.000 pesos/month which seems reasonable - imagine it'll cost roughly the same in Colombia.

cedritos comments on Broadband in the sticks

Interesting.....at least we'll know for sure before the end of the year "Hemos recibido su comunicación vía e-mail del 1 de octubre de 2008, en la cual nos solicita información acerca de los servicios de tercera generación (3G). Por lo anterior, le indicamos que nuestra compañía ofrecerá esta tecnología celular en el segundo semestre del presente año, incluyendo servicios como Videollamadas o Internet móvil; sin embargo, aún no tenemos una fecha exacta en la que entrará en funcionamiento." (from Tigo) Your T Mobile plan looks unlikely to capable of using Skype, so I'll hold out for 3G and keep my fingers crossed that the rollout is quicker than in the States and UK. At least there is a Tigo mast less than 2km from the house.

cedritos comments on Broadband in the sticks

Just found out they have 3G modems in Bolivia http://www.tigo.com.bo/v2/tigo3g/telefonos.php?id=30 There's hope!

cedritos comments on Broadband in the sticks

IFX looks to be for companies and too expensive. I see Tigo has announced that it will launch 3G services before the end of the year. Maybe the usb dongle approach will arrive in Colombia.

cedritos comments on wimax - oribtel

Thanks. Have tried to find information from the Orbitel website but can't seem to get any useful info on Chiquinquira at all. I imagine WiMax is the best broadband option without a having landline (for adsl).

cedritos comments on Bluesdude

Could you tell me who you get wimax with and their website url? Thanks

cedritos comments on Transit Visas for Colombian Nationals

By the way, my friend did get his bags through Easyjet (after numerous phone calls) on the day before he flew back to Colombia! I agree with viajero123 on the agreement between airlines for luggage. Until Avianca fly direct to London (I have it on good authority that it will happen next year-it should already be running but fuel costs have made them rethink) the best bet for Colombians visiting the UK is with Air France. I imagine Iberia to Barajas then BA to the UK would be ok but only if you get both legs on one ticket.

cedritos comments on Transit Visas for Colombian Nationals

There is no transit visa for Spain. The Spanish themselves seem to have little idea of the rules. If, like my Colombian friend, you don't have to change terminals in Barajas (easyjet and air comet both fly from and into terminal 1) you may still encounter problems. see http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/madness-in-madrid-transit-in-barajas/

cedritos comments on Teaching in Bogota with PGCE and Masters

I taught in the Colegio Anglo Colombiano (www.anglocolombiano.edu.co), had friends at the English School (www.englishschool.edu.co) and knew the Head of Secondary at Gran Bretana (http://www.cgb.edu.co/). All were good schools. Your PGCE is required to teach in all schools mentioned and you'll probably get a pay increase with the Masters. Not sure if this is still the case but they recruited teachers from the ECIS conferences - when I got my job the conference was in the Docklands in London (handily the February Half Term) - looks like the main one is now in Portugal. There was a proviso at the Colegio Anglo Colombiano that if you were recruited from abroad (ie at a conference) then you got paid more than an ex pat already living in Colombia. Have a look at the ECIS website (www.ecis.org) to find out how they are recruiting now. They used to have a list of schools attending a month or so before the conference.

cedritos comments on Air Comet-Is it as bad as all the reviews say

My brother in law (Colombian) flew from El Dorado to Barajas with Air Comet and had no problems until Spanish immigration got involved before he got on his onward Easyjet flight to Edinburgh. As your mother in law wont have to change airline all should be fine [not sure you can book a Bogota->London ticket from Air Comet, buying the legs separately might cause problems]. You might find the link below of interest. He had no complaints about Air Comet. http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/madness-in-madrid-transit-in-barajas/

cedritos comments on Avianca to resume flights from London and Frankfurt!

Looks like 2009 due to current high fuel costs

cedritos comments on First Mobile Consulate visit to Edinburgh

N.B Cedula photos (3) have to be 4cm by 5cm. The person has to wear dark clothes or if they have no/light hair the background has to be blue (rather than light). Furthermore, the size of the face has to be 2.7cm and the top margin has to be a minimum of 1cm.

cedritos comments on US to tighten visa restrictions

kat, careful what you wish for........ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3059968.ece I don't fancy paying £1000 and waiting on a government, that seems very adept at losing things, paying me back when mi suegra returns to Chiquinquira

cedritos comments on Colombian driving license in the UK

theory test costs £30 practical costs £56.50 (week day), £67.00 (weekend) the licence (provisonal) cost £50 [costs nothing to update] An international driving licence will allow you to drive hire cars but will not let you drive on a friend's insurance (you normally need an EU licence for that)

cedritos comments on Avianca to resume flights from London and Frankfurt!

From Avianca UK yesterday........... "Avianca are planning to introduce flights from either London or Frankfurt sometime at the beginning of next year but we are not sure which route will start first."

cedritos comments on bickerss

Where did you hear rumours about BA resuming flights to Bogota?

cedritos comments on Avianca to resume flights from London and Frankfurt!

Spotted this today (Avianca deciding between Frankfurt and London)............ http://www.alternativeairlines.com/aa/news.cfm?ccs=214&cs=2607&highlight=avianca london Interestingly, Avianca's UK site is hosted by alternative airlines.

cedritos comments on Internet Radio

The IR100 is pretty good for £40 - it got a good review from What HiFi and I'm pleased with it. Revo, Tangent, Roberts and even BT also do them but they're a fair bit more expensive. I could connect the Mac to my HiFi downstairs but I liked the idea of having a portable radio that could be put anywhere in the house. Internet radio in the car would be fantastic but rural Scotland has yet to see a wide WiFi network!

cedritos comments on Avianca to resume flights from London and Frankfurt!

probable start in the summer http://www.alternativeairlines.com/aa/news.cfm?ccs=214&cs=2064

cedritos comments on Avianca to resume flights from London and Frankfurt!

Try www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk I've used them for Continental tickets-they were cheaper than the Continental website. I've heard that the Avianca London->Bogota flights may not start up until next autumn, but that's not confirmed.

cedritos comments on Direct flights from Europe to Bogota?

Air Comet (along with Iberia and Avianca) also fly direct from Madrid to Bogota.There are rumors that Avianca will restart the direct flight from London to Bogota this year.

cedritos comments on Spain - getting visa for my girlfriend

You'll be after a 3 month schengen visa. She'll need: To fill in the form 4 photos Passport with more than 4 months left on it Letter of invitation from you Travel insurance (in case of repatriation due to medical reasons, 30k euros cover) Bank Statement (probably last 3 months) Certification of employment Not sure how much it costs see http://www.mae.es/NR/rdonlyres/500B5DD5-D631-47B3-9571-35E5ACF84D0D/13648/normasgenerales.pdf Cónsul General, D.Carlos de la Morena Casado Dirección: Calle 94A n.º 11A-70 Bogotá. Teléfono: 628 39 10. Fax: (57 1) 628 39 38/39.. E-mail:cog.bogota at mae.es

cedritos comments on Madness in Madrid (transit in Barajas)

One final word on this, he was almost not allowed on the return Easyjet flight from the UK to Madrid today (with a connection in Madrid with Air Comet to Bogota later). The Easyjet duty officer phoned Madrid to find out if a visa was required for Spain. She phoned three times; twice a Spanish official put the phone down on her immediately and one told her straight away that a transit visa was required. Because of the rudeness of the official, the fact that he had arrived here ok and my insistence that a transit visa for Spain did not exist he was eventually allowed to board the plane to Madrid. Luckily the duty officer was able to bring up information from the Travel Information Manual (TIM) - the world's leading source for information on air travel requirements, used by the majority of airlines. It states the following with regards to Colombians traveling through Spain (might be an idea to print this out)- IATA TIM/TIMATIC Visa not required provided: -arriving and departing from/to a non Schengen country; and -holding tickets with confirmed onward reservations; and -all required documents for next destination Leaving the airport is not allowed

cedritos comments on Madness in Madrid (transit in Barajas)

Juanalejo, to clarify: my direct translation of what the Spanish Embassy told us should be changed to what it really means "A Colombian can transit an airport in Spain for up to 12 hours without the need for a visa" . The moral of this story, in my opinion, is to label the luggage very carefully with the passenger's name, contact details and full details of the onward flight. Yes, Air Comet should have made him aware of this in Bogota.