Advice for a foreigner living in Colombia..

englishhunk says on Jun 29, 2007, 03:33:

i dont know what people see in Cali. Well, it must just be all the girls and bars i guess. I personally have come to hate the place. Its dirty, disorganised and humid. I stayed there for 2 months and i couldnt wait to get out of there. The roads and noise just drove me mad. I dont recall finding anywhere there that i could relax.

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 03:38:

Well thanks for your comment, I found Cali to be lovely with great people, I am not into bars but I like going to the swimming pools and paseos to Kilometro 18 and I loved travelling from Cali to Periera and the coffee growing regions and the finca's that was beautiful. also there are nice places to travel around and see in the Valle but I suppose what I really like is that there is always something to do...Cali has got culture too, teatro and interesting places it's a shame that the people you were with didn't show you the other side to Cali, personally I dont like Bogota, I find the people stuck up and false but thats only some of them, I know there must be lovely people there too.

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 04:01:

englishhunk you didn't leave any tips....

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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kalder says on Jun 29, 2007, 04:16:

Hi La Mona.

You're not going to work?...Are you going for a long holiday? For study?

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 04:30:

Hi, lets just say a long holiday....haha.

I need a rest! Too much work and stress ....

But I am thinking of working over there if all goes well

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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kalder says on Jun 29, 2007, 04:35:

Good for you.

But you'll have a lot of time on your hands. Spend the day in the gym and the pool; spend the nights socialising. It's what I'd do.

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 04:46:

Hahaha good idea I would come back so fit people won't recognize me....

The good thing is I have friends and inlaws that spoil me so much when I am there...but yes one could get bored being spoiled and from paseo to paseo!!

If I got really bored I might try and teach straight away as one of my friends works in Berlitz and has offered to help me if I am interested....

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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Atrevido says on Jun 29, 2007, 05:21:

englishhunk have to agree. Traffic, dust, heat, lousey food, mediocre museums, boring shopping centers and more heat. Six months in the city? Doing what?

https://sites.google.com/site/colombianaturesite/nature-images

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 08:37:

Que atrevido! hahaha!

Have you ever heard the story about the two groups of people who left the same place and had totally different views on it? Hmmm

Where are you from atrevido? It might have something to do with how you see the city, I know it's hot and dusty but lousy food? I dont think you have been to the places I have been to?

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 08:38:

Maybe Cali attracts positive people only ???

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 08:58:

hahaha rubito

I am sorry but English was quite rude and she is entitled to her opinion but I don't have that view, I have been to other places in Colombia but I like the "ambiente" there and have been to beautiful places.....

I am beginning to wish I hadn't posted this, most of the comments are so negative, gringo I am blonde and blue eyed and I have been in Cali and people did not look twice at me, it's not as bad as people think, obviously you have to be carfeul where you go but I have never had any problems whatsoever.

Que viva Cali!

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 29, 2007, 09:06:

Cool, perfect mornings, pleasantly warm around 10 a.m. hot at noon and early afternoon, breezy in the afternoon and cool and perfect in the evening and at night. What's there not to like? I've never felt Cali climate be extremely humid, well. at times when it's rainy period and thunderstorms every day, but Florida is much more humid than Cali, for example, and so are all the Caribbean coast cities. Being from the North it takes always takes me two to three weeks to feel comfortable in Cali and after that I'm fine. I don't even get the sun allergy I always get here in the spring.

Like kalder said, Cali is a perfect place to make friends, hang out with them at the clubs, pools, paseos, malls, parties. Let your hair down, wear those pretty sandals, get your nails and hair done, eat out in the restaurants, just relax and have a great time.

Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 09:14:

Gracias Desidera, it's not that bad for a holiday is it??

I am also looking forward to seeing family and friends that are very dear to me and that makes a place special as well....

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 29, 2007, 09:31:

I've been a little restricted in my two or three last visits to Cali by friends and relatives suffering from mild paranoia and haven't been making many trips outside the city. I used to go to Popayan, Silvia, Lago Calima, Carretera al Mar or just pack a picknick lunch and head for the rivers just outside the city. Obviously, that's something out of question for now, for security reason.
I used to work all the time in Cali and when I didn't we went to the Club (mostly just to swim and sit around with friends eating lunch and having a beer or two). Cali is not a big metropolitan hub, it can feel quite charmingly provincial and laid back in spite of the sheer size of it and the great number of people living there.
There's a certain magic to the very air your breath in Cali; the smell of camias and jasmin at night, the sun sinking slowly behind the cordillera occidental, Los Farallones de Cali, the night turning purple and the mist coming up to shroud the mountaintops. On clear mornings you can see the snowcapped peaks of the Nevado del Huila and Tolima way down southeast on the Cordillera Central.
It's the people of Cali, the unpretentious friendliness, the lack of distance, the genuine concern for you, your well-being, your safety. It's their hospitality, their lack of reserve, their warmth that envelopes you like an aura of a sweet memory of bygone days. Yes, it's th epeople of Cali that are her greatest asset (I always think of Cali as a "female" city, while Bogotá feels like a "male" city.)

Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 09:42:

eeeeepa!!!!!!

WELL SAID DESIDERA!

That was very eloquently said, in fact so much so that I now cannot wait to go.......

Many thanks, obviously you are well travelled and cultured which means you can also see the good things in people and places..how refreshing!

If you think of any tips let me know....

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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dwmte7 says on Jun 29, 2007, 10:06:

yo mona... well i had lived in medellin for several years before i ventured to cali on my way for work in buenaventura (yick). i found cali to be hot and dusty. not pretty and in my various short visits, not attractive. now i don't want to be a naysayer, but after medallo and it's surrounds, i found no attraction to cali at all. i do confess that the ladies are lookers, for sure and i certainly do and have found them attractive. but looking for ladies is really the very last issue on my agenda. first i'm married for aeons, old, have false teeth and gray hair and what seduces me most is time with my family (children, suegros, cunadas and cunados, etc.) and all of that is either in the u.s. or medellin.

i know maarit is picturesque when ever she talks of cali and i'm certain she has a deep andloving attachment to the place...almost makes me wish she were my guide to the city. but since i no longer am punished by having to go to buenaventura, i doubt if i'll find myself in cali again so what does it matter.
many of my educated friends who have time on their hands in colombia have taken up painting and sculpture as well pottery, as colombia is so conducive to the arts and creativity seems to just boil out of folks once they've opened to it. maybe that can supercede the need for a visit to the nail aria (salon for nails?) don'[t know the name after all these years and my wife is just about the worlds least vain person you could know. she's always attracftive and well 'kept' but just doesn't spend time on frivilous issues (absolutely no offense meant to anyone...if offense is experienced, i might point out that it is taken, not given)

so, since ;you've found your footing and home in cali, try seeking out some form of hobby. maybe you can find a time filler and fullfillment that way. or do as the campesinos do and raise a few kids.

dw

patriarch

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 29, 2007, 10:18:

Mona,
I demoted the duplicate, it's not deleted but can still be found by clicking on"posts" on ypur profile. I'm sorry I couödn't edit the title of this one and change "Colombia" to "Cali", the editing function seems to be down at this time.

Cheers,
Desi
(and yes, I have a deep and loving attachment to Cali and am sometimes called "Don't Mess With Cali- Desi"

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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LA_MONA says on Jun 29, 2007, 10:42:

DW -Ok , thanks for that - each to their own, I have been to Buenaventura and had a fantastic time there as well, I know it's not the loveliest of places but it comes down to good company again and good memories.....I have never been to Medellin but I like the paisas as well, the ones here are so hospitable and they are so hard working...

Gringo _ Ah, that's another issue, and it must be so frustrating for the ciudadanos....

Desi - I'll join forces with you in defending Cali! Que vivan los recuerdos lindos que Cali tiene para mi que quedaran conmigo hasta el fin de mis dias........tiene que ver con el amor!

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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kalder says on Jun 29, 2007, 14:38:

I don't think englishhunk was being rude per se. She proffered an opinion and her thoughts, presumably, were refracted through her experience. And Cali is dirty, humid and chaotic.

It's also seductive, magical and haunting.

It's all of the above.

Rum place.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 29, 2007, 15:10:

Kalder: Cali being dirty, yes , right now, but this is very recent. I've been going to Cali for a long time, and believe it or not, Cali was the most progressive, the cleanest , the best maintained city in Colombia.

Humid? I don't really get it. Cali is warm, subtropical and Andean, meaning warm days and a considerable drop in temps at nightime. Buenaventura is humid, Cartagena is humid, Barranquilla is humid, Palm Beach, Florida is humid. Cali is NOWHERE near those places in humidity .
(Hot? Only during a few brief midday hours.It's perfectly possible to live in Cali without air conditioning. perhaps a couple of nice ceiling fans and an extra fan to bedroom. that's really all that you need.)
Chaotic? Yes, but only because they haven't finished building the MIO. Traffic in Cali was nowhere as chaotic as it was in Bogotá before Transmilenio. Cali used to be the only city in Colombia where people queued at bus stops. Where the traffic police were high school graduates to start with.

No, englishunk was not rude. She gave her honest opinion of Cali in its decline. As it can, perhaps, be seen by a passer-by at this time. But it won't be forever.

Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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kalder says on Jun 29, 2007, 15:29:

Good post Desi. I'm too drunk to respond at the mo. I'll log back in tomorrow.

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manINred says on Jun 29, 2007, 15:50:

What's your poison kalder?

I don't like Cali so much. It is fun for a week, then gets old, boring, humid, etc... You get great food there, and it's close to a lot of places, so you will have lots of things to do. Cali is well-located, get out of the city and explore the places around, you will have a great time. But you can get tired of it quickly. I like it better than Bogota definitely, but it has nothing on Medellin.

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kalder says on Jun 30, 2007, 03:00:

Just beer MiR. But I was exhausted after work and it was on an empty stomach...

My thoughts on Cali- It is dirty and humid and chaotic. But so is London in the summer; sometimes much more so. So I'm used to all that. Cali has also been very ill-served by its urban planners. How many beautiful old buildings were thoughtlessly torn down, to be replaced by concrete monstrosities? But you can say the same about 2/3 of the cities in the UK as well.

On the plus side, Cali has some areas that are magical and evocative. Santa Teresita, San Antonio by night are haunting. Looking out at the city from the Belalcazar monument at dusk. It's quiet oases of culture- the theatres, churches, bookshops-as good as any city's in Europe. Those wonderful 'mom and pop' restaurants in which the city abounds. Even Chipichape, early in the morning when it's more or less empty, is a nice place to get a coffee and enjoy the sunshine.

It's a city; it's a lot of things.

Yes, Desi, I've heard that it was the most appealing city in Colombia at one time.

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 03:31:

Kalder you seem to know your way around Cali, thanks for the plus side comments, they are appreciated..

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 30, 2007, 04:08:

Kalder, you're right about the urban planners. Cali has always had a problem with it's own superficiality. Cali is a frivolous, vain, shallow, materialistic and sensous woman, not a serious, cultivated, philosophical, ponderous gentleman like Bogotá.

Take for example the Palacio Rosa at the beginning of Avenida Sexta. I don't know what posessed the architects to build such a monstruosity. They tore down the lively. old mansion where Meyer's Language Center once was located, (Woody you'd remember that) and buolt that horror in it's place.

I was told by a Colombian architect that back in the sixties the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto had lots of influence among Caleño archtiects but the people financing the new constructions wanted somethong more "American", more Miami or Honolulu. What a shame. Anyway, it was at that time of Aalto influence that one of the loveliest new buildings, La Tertulia was built.

Downtown Cali is full of small architectonically fine houses fallen in disrepair. The house of the Asamblea where the deputies were abducted from (I published my photo of the building
in the thread about the murder.

This is one of them: Casa Otero on Plaza de Caycedo


Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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brad216 says on Jun 30, 2007, 07:25:

I don't know what people are talking about when they say Cali is humid. Try living in Florida or the northeast like Philadelphia and you will know what humid is. Yes it gets hot for a few hours in the afternoon....but heat does not equal humidity. As far as the city, I agree it has aged quite a bit in the last few years. It has also become quite dirty. But my experience there is it's a fun place to chill. as was said earlier...any city has highs and lows...but it's the people you are with that make your experiences. Loving photography and making many trips to europe and the middle east...Cali is not the place to go for architecture or sightseeing (unless girl watching is enjoyable to you).. but the kindness of the people and the wonderful food makes it a must visit.

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 08:48:

Brad do you live there..

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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brad216 says on Jun 30, 2007, 09:24:

unfortunately, don't live there yet. have been down there 12 times in last few years. my wife is from cali and we just bought land in Candelaria, about 15-20 min outside of cali. hope to build in next few years (hopefully dollar goes up) and spend few months a year there...probably summer to get out of Philly humidity. Can't leave the snow, it's my wife's favorite part of living in the North....and football season.

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 09:32:

Cool, you will have plently of time to enjoy...fantastic to be able to escape there, hope it goes well ;-D

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 30, 2007, 10:10:

I've also heard the comparison of Cali's climate with that of Hawaii.

GIB the Mayor was already removed from his post and the city is run by a suppleant. I'm sure the next alcalde is required to have 20/20 vision.

La Mona, I have a home in Cali as well. You could be my big sister, they called me La Monita when I lived there :)

Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 10:30:

Con gusto,
Las dos monitas!

I am called Mona, Monita, Monarca, Monis, Monarquiviris jajaj en fin

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 10:31:

If you dont mind me asking is it in the South?

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 30, 2007, 10:40:

Yes, near south, in El Lido. Yeah, even now, when I return to Cali as an old lady people still call me La Monita or Monita. I have a feeling you're going to have a great time in Cali with all your positive energy.

Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 10:53:

Me too!!!!!!!

Thanks for that, cheers as you say......

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 30, 2007, 11:12:

Will you be living in the South too?
Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 11:30:

Yes I have stayed in the North once but I like the feeling of the south once as well, where is El Buitrago? I went there once and I was a bit scared mainly because of people being "boleteados" up there ( mind you I think my friends enjoyed scaring me) but it was a beautiful house I stayed in, also I have stayed in San Fernando and it is nice there too, I will be staying there again..

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 11:32:

correction: Il like the feeling of the south once as well? Jjajaj these vallenatos I'm listening to are not letting me concentrate!!

I mean I stayed in the south twice..

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 11:38:

Jjajajajajajajajaja

Desi perdoname

I meant La Buitrera

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 30, 2007, 11:39:

All my inlaw family live in San Fernando; I used to spend a lot of time there. I used to live in Tequendama (antiguo).I don't know El Buitrago, only La Buitrera, coud it be the same place? South of Ciudad Jardín, up a bit towards the mountains?
Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 30, 2007, 11:42:

Jajajajaja yes, La Buitrera. I know the place. Very nice, I have some friends that live there. We almost bought a lot there once, gods I regret that I didn't that was before the place was urbanized.

Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 11:55:

Yes, that place hold good memories for me.

Some day I would like to stay in one of those mansions in Pance, wow!

I think North is more upmarket, but I prefer South for some reason, I also went out into el valle to yumbo y tulua etc...

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 30, 2007, 12:44:

I think the west is the most upmarket zone in Cali, especially northwest, like Juanambú, Santa Teresita, Normandía etc. That's where I would like to live, anyway, good two to three degrees cooler than the rest of the city too. There's actually only one or two places in the north where I'd like to live and that's Santa Monica Residencial and La Flora. The rest is too commercial, too many bars, nightclubs, massage parlours, low-life hangouts.

Cheers,
Desi

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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LA_MONA says on Jun 30, 2007, 12:49:

Thanks for the tip I'll keep those places in mind - you never know one might invest.....

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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kalder says on Jul 1, 2007, 09:09:

Candelaria. You're planning on living there?

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