A quick story about honest calenos

britabroad says on Jan 24, 2008, 11:28:

I don´t find honesty in Cali a problem. It´s at least as common as dishonesty.
I recently went to a sporting event and parked on a grass verge, along with everyone else, where I had been lured by a red-rag waving ´vigilante´.
Two hours later I returned to the car and had it pointed out that I´d left the drivers window wide open - with mobile, some cash, and various other things on full view.
Nothing had been touched and the guy in question had sat next to my car for the duration, to make sure. That was a good day in Cali too.

Leave the big stick at home...carry a cannon!

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Lauthra says on Jan 24, 2008, 11:32:

YAY! As a Caleña that makes me happy. I can't even recall how many mobile phones I've been knicked here in Bogotá...

Nato (='.'=)

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webmanco says on Jan 24, 2008, 11:47:

Well I had let a few things unattended in Bogotá and nothing happened. I got my bad experiences. The good ones outnumbers the bad ones.

(I really hate it when women get their panties all bunched up their butt, they can get so cranky!) Poor butt happy

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arthur brode says on Jan 24, 2008, 12:28:

the other day i was at Galeria Alameda and i was securing my bike with the security cable.but i forgot to run the cable around a thin steel pole that was on the curb.as i was walking away this guy that was sitting in a Cevicheria called me and brought it to my attention.
i have have left on diferent occasions a cell phone and a credit card in the back seat of the taxi and they were both returned to me.but once i had left my keys in the back seat of the taxi and i never saw them again.my landlord had to change the locks on the front door of my building.
and one time i left my camara sitting on a busy counter and walked away.as i was walking away someone came and returned it to me.

http://www.calirentals.net/

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jack_jason says on Jan 24, 2008, 13:24:

Honest Caleños? lets film it and send it to "The World Most Amazing Videos".

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

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jack_jason says on Jan 24, 2008, 13:26:

Honest? Honest my father in law who told me that I was a son....ch.

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

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britabroad says on Jan 24, 2008, 15:29:

Maybe they were from out of town.

Leave the big stick at home...carry a cannon!

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jack_jason says on Jan 25, 2008, 00:54:

May be they were from Manizales who I think are the most honest people in Chibchombia.

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

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miamimike says on Jan 25, 2008, 00:58:

I've run into similiarly honest Cab&Bus drivers in Bogota so I'm not surprised! Here inMiami, a few times I left my Keys and/or Cellphones on a Store Coutertop to return minutes later and it was long gone. It happened in small town North Carolina and the Phone was gone also so it had nothing to with Big vs small town USA. Nothing was returned in either types of situations in the USA!

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.

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ujay says on Jan 25, 2008, 06:18:

maybe you had no credit on it ,or the phone was not worth much,thats the only reason you got it back,honest.

www.unionjackedfilms.com

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GregYohn says on Jan 25, 2008, 06:40:

Hola!

The waiters see so many cell phones left there, so they know what to do when they see one as they clean off the table.

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

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nueva york bombero says on Jan 25, 2008, 06:56:

Good post.... My trip to Cali a few weeks ago was full of courteous people and not once did I encounter a bad vibe from anyone.
Even when I got warnings from friends in Medellin to be careful of Calenos!!!

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Man Tequila says on Jan 25, 2008, 09:33:

My story of honesty in Cali is this one.

I bought a couple 10,000 peso fake Cartier watches at a market in el centro.
I pointed out a watch similar to one I bought when elsewhere in Colombia and said I had trouble replacing a broken pin (pasadora). It was a size unusual in Canada and to replace the pin alone would cost $20. They gave me five of them for free. And six free batteries.

I returned to the watch store the next day. They fixed a broken watch I had bought somewhere else, and refused to take any payment for this. I mentioned I wanted to buy an extra duffel bag since I had bought too many CDs and DVDs. The lady closed her watch store and insisted on coming with me to the bag store at the other end of the market ¨porque tengo miedo que te daria un precio pa' gringos.¨

So I bought a few more watches there, since they would not accept a tip or fee.

My hotel let me check-out seven hours past the check-out time. No big deal. No charge.

My experience in Cali was generally one of tremendous courtesy. I did have a waiter fail to return with my 10,000 peso change on one occasion until I had a friendly chat with his boss. One taxi driver refused to put the taximetro on from a somewhat isolated spot at 5am when I was somewhat drunk who overcharged me 2,000 pesos. So even the bad stuff was small potatoes. Many people warn me of mala gente, which I did not encounter.

Frankly, my experiences in Medellin were worse. I met many more paisas aprovechadas.

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

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MaFe says on Jan 25, 2008, 11:00:

I am from Cali and I find that they are honest everywhere I go in Cali, or anywhere in the country...but that is just my experience...

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire. "-Aristotle

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Man Tequila says on Jan 25, 2008, 13:31:

A significant minority of Colombians do try to rip off gringos. A few probably see it as their duty or birthright.

The amounts are usually small. I have had a bigger problem with this in Italy than Colombia, so it is a problem travellers face everywhere. It is common enough in Colombia to be frustrating. Taxis, fast food places, mercados and nicer restaurants, hotels... I´ve seen them all pad the bills. And take off the padding very quickly when it was politely called to their attention.

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

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manu1999 says on Jan 25, 2008, 13:49:

Chaps in Cali are a kind and friendly bunch. Mantequilla, I have also had a problem in Italy moreso in this regard than in cali in particular.

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la campiña says on Jan 25, 2008, 19:04:

AGAIN, derogartory stories about colombia,, wwoooooooooooowww what a suprise that a colombian is honest, get a grip or get a ticket back home

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jack_jason says on Jan 26, 2008, 09:51:

It is easier not to find a male from the states talking BS to a lower class chibchombiano (like me) about his annual income than to find a honest caleño.

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

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Man Tequila says on Jan 26, 2008, 10:47:

I found calenos honest. More importantly, it´s tough to spell sicalípsis without calí.

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

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