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Buy Colombian!

A couple of weeks ago a neighbor of ours invited us to her house to see the new remodeling that she had done. It was impressive to say the least. She had new furniture that was made in the U.S., lights from Spain, a rug from Argentina and more. All well done and an excellent design.

Yesterday, we invited her to our house to see a new stained glass window we had made and installed. It was magnificent...2.5 meters by 4.5 meters. It is just above our front door. We also had our kitchen remodeled. When she asked us where we got some of our new over head lights I was very proud to say, “Mayra, everything that we bought or had made was bought and made in Colombia by Colombians. Nothing against Mayra...she may have had a need to have something brought from Spain. I just wanted to show my pride that if you want good quality stuff, lights, appliances, etc., you do not have to go very far. We have a very large patio with a bunch of furniture, rugs, lights and a hammock. All from Colombia made by Colombians.

I have had the occasion to hire painters, carpenters, cement finishers etc., in order to fix up the house we bought here in Armenia. Every one of the workers did their jobs well. They came to work on time, didn’t goof off on the job, and did excellent work. The only problem with the work ethic in Colombia that needs to change is this counter productive 2 hour lunch. You see, it isn’t really two hours. At 11:45 they stop work to clean up, at 12 noon they go for lunch, at 2-2:15 they return, and around 2:30 they get back to work. At 5:00 they go home. This does not sit well with me, but what can you do?

Anyway, I still believe that if you by from a Colombian manufacturer you are going to get quality products and if you hire a Colombian to work you are going to get a good, loyal dependable worker who is proud of his/her work. It also makes me very proud to tell my Colombian neighbors that all of our new furniture and appliances are from Colombia and made by Colombians.

Try it…you will be surprised.

By Rikito on Jul 9, 2008, 06:05 in Friendly Talkzone.


sloopskipper says on Jul 9, 2008, 06:18:

How about some fotos, Rikito?

Seems that some people think "everybody's outa step but me".

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Rikito says on Jul 9, 2008, 06:27:

Will do...the workers finish today and I will post tomorrow. But posting picuters in here is very difficult and not user friendly so I may make some mistakes.

...and so it goes

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Monpirri says on Jul 9, 2008, 06:34:

Rikito you are 100% right, buy Colombian products and help the economy because in a way you are also helping in the employment industry.

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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sanandressi says on Jul 9, 2008, 06:49:

I am an American and I live in the United States and I buy MADE IN THE USA! Nothing against Colombia mind you!

BTW My wife (Colombiana) makes Empanadas and she buy a 5lb (2K) pound of Masarepa from Goya. The bag is exactly the same but one package says MADE IN COLOMBIA and the other says MADE IN CANADA. She says the made in Canada product is better.

Kind of makes me laugh. Colombian woman making empanadas in the USA and the Canadian product is a little better than the Colombian. Either product works OK but the Canadian product is a little better. Hehehehehe!

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sloopskipper says on Jul 9, 2008, 06:49:

I use www.photobucket.com for fotos. It's a bit clunky, but not too bad once you get the hang of it. You can upload a few at a time, but you must copy the resulting URLs and paste one at a time here, in the comment. (You can also do videos)

I don't know of an easier way.

Seems that some people think "everybody's outa step but me".

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Catfish35 says on Jul 9, 2008, 06:53:

While in Colombia my favorite store is Velez. They advertise total Colombian, Medellin even..I like the stuff mucho!! Went a bit over board this last time. I am not sure how authentic Colombian everything is. I mean if the leather, and assembly is totally Colombian however mi gusta mucho

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

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Rikito says on Jul 9, 2008, 07:16:

sanandressi, I am also an American and when I am in the U.S. I try to buy USA products which are extremenly difficult to find. I would guess that the % of products that are made in america is in the single digits. Go ahead and buy America...that's great, but I live here now and it gives me a lot of pride to tell friends and family that I buy Colombian. It shows that the products are of good quality and the people who make them are good people.

...and so it goes

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webmanco says on Jul 9, 2008, 07:24:

Thanks for sharing.
Here is a nice house in Chia guadua made, I was impressed.


Amigos de Colombia



Amigos de Colombia

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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webmanco says on Jul 9, 2008, 08:05:

Amigos de Colombia

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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Monpirri says on Jul 9, 2008, 08:10:

Sanandressi

"BTW My wife (Colombiana) makes Empanadas and she buy a 5lb (2K) pound of Masarepa from Goya. The bag is exactly the same but one package says MADE IN COLOMBIA and the other says MADE IN CANADA. She says the made in Canada product is better."
Please don't be surprised because there are "Colombians" like that in the dozens and some of them are here on pbh.
In the states I buy products from the US but it's hard to find them. In Colombia I buy stuff from COLOMBIA! And I do not care what the voltiarepa Colombians tell me.

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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gimmedub says on Jul 9, 2008, 08:30:

buy whatever gives you the best bang for your buck...I'd love to buy local to support the local economy but unfortunately free markets rule

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Monpirri says on Jul 9, 2008, 08:30:

1.2ct Colombian Emerald and Diamond Baguette 14K Ring

Here's a nice thing to buy for your fiance or wife ;>)

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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Monpirri says on Jul 9, 2008, 09:19:

Café con Aroma de Mujer
Or how about a cup of coffee?

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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dwmte7 says on Jul 9, 2008, 10:18:

that's an incredibly large vitrale...4.5mtrs X 2.5mtrs. are those actually the dimentions? huge.

patriarch

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Timba says on Jul 9, 2008, 11:41:

According to the UN, doing business is difficult in Latin America due to the lack of transparency. The exception is chile.

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vicshere says on Jul 9, 2008, 13:57:

Grey try changing the white pipe for black pipe you water temp will rise by double....the water will come out at about 130 and burn....I have a system all ready to go except I need to build a stainless steel square tank (then insulated) to hold the hot water a lot longer hopefully all night long

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vicshere says on Jul 9, 2008, 14:00:

by the way I measured the temperature on my "tirnial" roof cement board yesterday in the full sunlight and I got a reading of 145 F I would only image the water could get to that range

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dwmte7 says on Jul 9, 2008, 14:57:

necessity is the mother of invention.

patriarch

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webmanco says on Jul 9, 2008, 18:46:

Colombia exports furniture.

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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webmanco says on Jul 9, 2008, 19:12:

http://www.misionpyme.com/mision/index.php?option=com_content&task=vie...


Según Gómez Escalante, los muebles nacionales son apetecidos por ser innovadores en su diseño y estar manufacturados bajo altos estándares de calidad, "factores, ambos que les han permitido ir ganando terreno en los mercados foráneos" puntualizó.

Según las cifras de Proexport, los principales destinos de las ventas de muebles al exterior en 2005 fueron Estados Unidos, con una participación de 29% y unas ventas por 24,3 millones de dólares; Venezuela con 26% y 22,2 millones, Panamá con 8% y 6,7 millones, Ecuador con 6% y 4,9 millones, y Puerto Rico 5,5% y 4,6 millones de dólares.

Las exportaciones a estos cinco mercados representaron en el período el 75% de las ventas totales de muebles colombianos al mundo. Otros destinos de importancia para el sector, fueron México, Chile, Perú, España y Centroamérica.

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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webmanco says on Jul 9, 2008, 19:13:

Faustino if there were Colombian furniture a Christies Auction house, I doubt very much you could afford it. Let alone at Sothebys

Faustino
But the thing is, Colombian furniture is clunky with no resale value other than at a garage/yard sale to other Colombians!


http://www.misionpyme.com/mision/index.php?option=com_content&task=vie...

Según las cifras de Proexport, los principales destinos de las ventas de muebles al exterior en 2005 fueron Estados Unidos, con una participación de 29% y unas ventas por 24,3 millones de dólares; Venezuela con 26% y 22,2 millones, Panamá con 8% y 6,7 millones, Ecuador con 6% y 4,9 millones, y Puerto Rico 5,5% y 4,6 millones de dólares.

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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webmanco says on Jul 9, 2008, 19:18:

There must be value on goods exported. Colombian furniture included.

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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MaFe says on Jul 9, 2008, 20:01:

Monpirri that's the ladye ring right? Love it!

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

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dwmte7 says on Jul 10, 2008, 06:00:

well, i can testify as to the fact that colombia exports furniture, i was mfg and exporting as early as 1990. too, i restored and exported antioquian antique furnishings. those mfg were around 450. antiques maybe 150-200.

now you might think that ain't much furniture, well, just trying to make 450 pieces of furniture. it was a labor of love and cost me a fortune. had it not been for the rodney king riots i'd still be doing it.

btw...all colombian furniture is not heavy. sure, tipo rustico, is by far the most popular and constituted at least 70% of our production...we specialized in 'ranch style' furnishings. but the lighter, european enspired designs sold well, too. however, since our specialty was western or ranch, the more graceful were seriously out of place, no matter how fine they were.

patriarch

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Timba says on Jul 10, 2008, 06:43:

Colombian furniture is heavy and clunky because the masses want cheap and durable.

You want Colombian furniture in North America ? Go to IKEA

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Monpirri says on Jul 10, 2008, 09:13:

MaFe, yes it is. Buy me one!

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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Monpirri says on Jul 10, 2008, 09:13:

Jr Colombian Emeralds


Shawn O'Sullivan - Best Emeralds are in Colombia

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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mranderson says on Jul 10, 2008, 10:46:

unfortunately colombian stuff is the only thing I can afford. All the quality stuff is too expensive. :)

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Monpirri says on Jul 10, 2008, 11:45:

rico
Ok, try one of these, they are not too expensive.

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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dwmte7 says on Jul 10, 2008, 12:56:

monpirri......dear, you took the words right outta my mouth.

timba, i'm not just a little curious.....what all do you know about colombian furniture. too, i have real serious doubts about finding colombian furniture in ikea...at least not here in florida. unless colombia is spelled china.

patriarch

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Timba says on Jul 10, 2008, 16:08:

I am not saying that Ikea sources all its furniture from Colombia but,

Ikea sources from a furniture company headquartered in Bogota. I had discussions with one of the owners.

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dwmte7 says on Jul 10, 2008, 16:31:

and, friend, what did you learn?

patriarch

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Rikito says on Jul 10, 2008, 17:40:

where do i get info on how to post photos?

...and so it goes

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dwmte7 says on Jul 11, 2008, 06:33:

same problem here, rikito....my problem, even after tinto and others made lengthy explanations to me, is that, being old, and even after working years with computers, both platforms, it just pains me to learn, apply something new.
being from the old 'farm' school, it's like this...'if it works, don't fuck with it...if it dont work, fuck it."

one of these days i'll pay attention long enough to to it, but until then, it's letters only. i've promised many to post a lot of fun pics of colombia and one day, i will. i even have a horribly heavy film of burying my son on the mountains above las palmas, in the rain. one of the heaviest days of my life. it's just to remind others, we ain't supposed to bury our children, they're supposed to bury us.

patriarch

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webmanco says on Jul 11, 2008, 06:42:

Save the picture in your computer, then go to http://tinypic.com/ upload
where it says file and go to where you got you picture on the hard drive, if
you believe the picture is too big then select on picture size for message
boards then hit upload, one the opening window copy a pasted the code
under

HTML for websites

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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Rikito says on Jul 11, 2008, 08:12:

Well...let's try it:

It worked...yeah! Some of you asked to see the pics of our kitchen remodel so here they are. I wanted you to see that buying Colombia is a good deal. Good for you and good for the country. The first pic is the front door b4 the remodel. The next is after the remodel and the stained glass was installed. The third is the Kitchen b4 remodel and the 4th is after the remodel. If want other pics, let me know.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

...and so it goes

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webmanco says on Jul 11, 2008, 08:15:

!

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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Rikito says on Jul 11, 2008, 08:48:

Ok...I can do that..thanks. Frist 2 are b4 & after the Stained glass was installed in the front door. The second 2 are the Kitchen b4 & after remodel.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

...and so it goes

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Rikito says on Jul 11, 2008, 09:11:

Some of you all have also asked to see a pic or two of our house in armenia so you can get an idea of what $92,500USD gets you here.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Enjoy...if you want more info let me know. There are 24 homes in our community and 3-4 are for sale. I need some gringo or English speaking blood...sorry no French please...I'm alergic!

...and so it goes

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kernow62 says on Jul 11, 2008, 12:47:

Beautiful house Rikito. I might move at those prices, no French blood that I know of. I do like to walk around in the nude a lot is that OK?

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jul 11, 2008, 13:02:

Great pictures, Rikito, loved your kitchen. Some day my Cali kitchen will look something like that when I finish remodeling.

When in Colombia I always buy Colombian, work with Colombian materials, designs etc. When we lived in Cali we had Colombian-made furniture, the dining room furniture was also made by a Colombian company that specialized in exporting their furniture in native woods and leathers to Europe.

We had an ongoing discussion with my mother-in-law (r.i.p.) who despised local manufacture, workmanship, materials and styles; at her home the furniture was Louis V, the floors marble, the decorations were Murano crystal, Sevrés porcelain...I had everything made in Colombia, Indigenous handicrafts, chocolateras made of copper, kuna weavings ...according to her I had very poor taste, I thought that her home looked pompous and uncomfortable.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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lpdiver says on Jul 11, 2008, 20:47:

I could be enticed. Although I am Coonass, is that too French? I am about two years out from making my move.

How does the climate there compare to Bogota or Medellin? How much would a parcel of say ten cuadras run? Inquiring minds want to know?

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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Rikito says on Jul 12, 2008, 06:34:

Don't know bout 'cuadras.' Armenia is cooler and probably a little rainier than BOG or Medellin. A good Coonass is needed here in Armenia. Sometimes it is too tranquil here and some good fiddle playin would wake this place up. That and some cheap wine with about 10 pounds of cooked up Crawdads. Also, Armenia has good restaurants, affordable and good quality housing, two excellent universities and another to be built, a forecast of 30,000 to 50,000 people moving to Armenia in the next 5-10 years, good secondary education, mediocre shopping, but changing.

Look, I am not trying to show off what we did although I do have to give mucho kudos to my wife for her Colombiana taste in furniture. I just wanted to point out that it is worth the effort to give Colombian products and Colombian workers a good look. Certainly there is some bad stuff out there, but you can find that anywhere. Not everything we own is made in Colombia, but what we do have is good quality. Colombians right now, have a wonderful eye to the world to show that they can be apart of something other than the third world. I have been fortunate to have lived in places like Saudi Arabia, England, Egypt, UAE, and Gabon. I have also visited many other countries as well. They all have good products they all have good people. Even France has some good products like the Tour de France, some but not all of their wines, Catherine Deneuve, and the only French woman I would love to wake up next to…Juliette Binoche.

Just consider, that when you buy Colombian or even consider Colombian you are giving the country a chance to show the world that Colombia and its people is a can do place.

...and so it goes

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aztec says on Jul 12, 2008, 06:38:

Although I am Coonass, is that too French? lpdiver

No. Maybe for those who don't have any idea what it means

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Rikito says on Jul 12, 2008, 08:07:

there is no meaning unless you came from Acadia New Brunswickhe. They are a world of thier own.

...and so it goes

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webmanco says on Jul 12, 2008, 09:27:

Plus they got El Parque de la Vida



Amigos de Colombia

Amigos de Colombia

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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Robert Jorge says on Jul 13, 2008, 11:41:

Coonass is it's own culture. In many ways, similar to Colombia. Coonass is definitely not the same as a guy who just flew in from Lyon or Strasburg. One general big difference between French and coonass, is if you are coonass, you actually work hard.

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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dwmte7 says on Jul 13, 2008, 12:07:

that, and you eat 'daddies'

it's all beautiful

rikito...my question still stands unless i missed the answer....now it's clear...the vitrale above the intrance is not 4.5 mtrs X 2.5mtrs. more like ft. si o no?

patriarch

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Monpirri says on Jul 15, 2008, 17:48:

Photobucket

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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lpdiver says on Jul 16, 2008, 09:57:

Wal-Mart sells clear glass piggy banks made in Colombia for ninety nine cents. I buy a few every so often and keep them around until they are full and store them away. I joke with my wife that they are for her "nuevo tetas grande". I think she thinks I am serious. jejejeje
ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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Monpirri says on Jul 16, 2008, 19:55:

Lpdiver, wow, would you post a photo? I would like to buy one or two.
I have also heard that Wal-Mart sells Alpina avena or oatmeal flavor it is true?

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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Monpirri says on Jul 30, 2008, 07:59:

Productos Desde Latinoamerica a Su Mesa
http://www.mylatinfood.com/categ_e.php?b=0&k=3&c=0&p=1&gclid=CMXfgvrs5...
I just found out where to find Alpina avena :>)

"Anyone who still thinks that Colombia is not a gastronomical paradise needs to have their head examined." Darloup

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papiChulo says on Aug 1, 2008, 20:35:

Rikito... really you can get somethin like that for under $100K... man I envy you... suerte

I'm givin'er... givin'er HARDCORE

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papiChulo says on Aug 1, 2008, 20:35:

Rikito... really you can get somethin like that for under $100K... man I envy you... suerte

I'm givin'er... givin'er HARDCORE

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More posts by the same author:

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Hacienda Napoles 3

Central Colombo Americano 8

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Need some advice about a Ara Macaw Parrot 10

Notary Scadal in Colombia 14

Eye Glass Repair 7

Morales wants referendum on U.S.-Colombian pact 15

Off Topic "poorbuthappy--Nigeria" 7

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Medical Care...What Insurance company to Use. 12

For all of you resident expatriates...what comapny do you use for healthcare in Colombia. 22

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