cali travelblog

utopiacowboy says on Oct 14, 2005, 22:05:

Very interesting post. I'd be interested in hearing whether you notice any differences between the Paisas and the Calenas or between Medellin and Cali in general.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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toneloc24 says on Oct 14, 2005, 23:05:

Keep it coming Cas!!!! Very informative. Looking forward to keeping up with this blog. How long do you plan on staying in Colombia this time?

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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go2pr says on Oct 15, 2005, 00:37:

Medellin/Cali Caslug

Medellin in August and Cali in October !!!!

When do you find time for working ?!

Nice report, hope you'll have time for more. BTW, I'm surprised with the caracters you met (gringos) : i REALLY can't understand why some guys travel halfway around the world to Cali to chase girls for who several days or even weeks of work and headache are needed before shagging. Better stay home IMO.


Cheers

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caslug says on Oct 15, 2005, 11:30:

another day another hangover... Last night my buddy and I hit chipichape for happy hour, Desi should have gone gringo hunting, because she would have napped lots of gringos. We personally saw 6 gringos(all over 40) walking around or sitting around. I was very suprise to see so many of us in on area. We later went dancing with a amiga of mine, she told us that Las Brisa(a huge club on sexta) is suppose to be dangerous now, don't know if that's true, but she recommended we dont go there. We went to another club, and they had some beer girl doing promotion for an hour. It was pretty nice to watch, all the beer girls are of course hot. What I didn't know was that they also do a dance routine after they handed out the free beer. as i watched them i had an ephicany..

I was talking w/ my amiga and mention my stories and that i notice in colombia many girls have plastic surgery(especially those beer girls, models, etc.,). I said to her many women in COL are already naturally beautiful why get surgery, she replied to look even better. It occur to me, with own observation, that for all the surgery these girls get to look better, it only delays the inenviatable. I met gals who are MODELS with enhancements AND STILL get cheated, dumped or stopped getting work, generally because they got older(getting to 30yr old) and are replaced by a younger model(pun intended). Sure the surgery helps get a guy or job, but it's not for long term, it's a short term gain. BECAUSE guys cheat or dump gals generally NOT because of looks, but they're bored or want something new, i'll explain it below.

Anyway, after i put my amiga in a taxi, my buddy and i walked around aviedna 8 and bars around there(the more expensive bars). we walked by a place and i smelled pot, i head over there put it turns out to be a private party(looks like a college crowd), so we didn't go in. Then we went to another club till 3am, while waiting outside for a taxi, i struck up a conversation with a group of COL guys. These guys were tall, good looking, spoke english, and got money, i stared asking them questions about POV of COL guys regarding chicas & dating culture. THey told me couple of funny and englighten things,

a) in CALI(maybe all of COL) it's VERY EASY to get girls WITHOUT having lots of money, and they laugh at foreigner that spoiled gals with money for clothes, rent, etc., they ONLY give money for girls if it's serious, not casual dating and definetely not long distance. Because they said, if one gal gets complicated they dump her and get another one(because it's soo easy) less complicated.

b) i asked if they had girlfriends, yes we do, they answered. I asked why are you at this club hitting on girls that were NOT your girlfriend(they dropped there gf off earlier BEFORE they hit this club). They replied,"for variety!" So for them, cheating is NOT because the first girlfriend is not good looking or sweet enough, etc., but because they eventually get bored of the same one and want a little variety. Of course they still like their gf, but want a quick "harmless" fling. And since it's easy to to do it COL, they do it.

c) I asked if they think their nice/loving GF would go for threesome? Alas, they replied no regular no, prostitute yes.. ahh.. there goes my pet project fantasy! LOL!

d) I then asked if they think it's acceptable to have "amigas espcial" with NO commitment. Ahh.. "of course!, but ONLY if you tell the amiga AT THE BEGGINNING!", they replied. They said, it's normal in those situation to spend the night with the "amiga" then the next day you're back to regular friend mode. Good info to know!

e) they also mention they(uppercrust COL) think avienda sexta is a "low class" place and they don't party there as much. They party other areas. I suspect that, because when i check out the clubs on avienda 8, the crowd was DEFINETLY not the same. the avienda 8 crowd LOOKED richer and whiter. I notice in MED the classes mix a little more, parque llerlas or poblado you'll still see all type of people. But in Cali, the avienda sexta crowd(regular folks) are way different than the avienda 8 crowd.

Overall it was a very enlighten evening.

during my short time here, i didnt really notice any major difference between gals in MED or CALI, it looks like gals are gals, the only differences i saw was between social economic situation, rich gal act the same, middle clas gal act the same, poor gals act the same, irregardless of city.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 11:53:

caslug, I have no interest for gringo hunting in ChipiChape. I was just making a little clean, good fun of calipro with that line since that's where he loves to hang out. You probably met his ex-wife there:)

I think the dating scene in Cali is distressing. It must be a bitch to be a girl in Cali, always trying to look better than anybody else and yet being cheated on and dumped just for variety. Thank gods I'm not a young caleña and don't have to compete on that market.

Anyway, the guys you talked with on Ave 8 were probaly just bullshiting with a foreigner trying to impress you. It can't be that simple.

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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caslug says on Oct 15, 2005, 12:35:

Desi.. i dont think the guys are BSing me, BUT Keep in mind that their view is ONLY from the exp of them and their friends. and since they come from the upper crust crowd, their views are not neccessarily the views of guys from middle class or lower middle class. In my travel i see that guys with money in a society were money is at a preminium, will take advantage of the situation, for career or girls. In col, with majority of people struggling to make ends meet, lack of jobs, sexist/male dominated society, are you really that suprise that COL guys with money think that way? I'm not, because i've seen that same POV with other upperclass guys in other developing countries.

Poor girls rather go out with guys with resources/money, in some society(ie, US/europe) the rich guy don't have as much leverage. But in a south america(or any developing country), rich guys have LOTS of leverage and many take advantage of it(because they can). Power corrupts. If you think well-to-do guys in col are not using their "power" to get girls, then you're very mistaking. Guys are guys, no matter where there from.

I agree with you that being a single girl in Cali(or COL) it's tough, unless you have something to offer beside looks. You'll get trade up&out. BUT that's the same in any part of the world, if all you have to offer your mate is one dimensional. JUST like guys who have NO personality but lots of money, EVEN they get dumped when the GF find a better guy. Again, human nature is to settle until you find someone you REALLY LIKE. Hence that is call dating, when you end up with someone you REALLY LIKE(love) you call that marriage.

As for "amiga espcial" that is not a myth, it happens ALL over the world, so why not in COL.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 12:46:

oh, I don't doubt that thingie "amiga especial" at all. It exists here in Sweden as well. There are two kinds of gals that can think of being an amiga especial/amiga con derechos. One type is the feminist girl who will have what she wants and no commitment. The other, quite the contrary, is the girl with a low self-esteem. I wonder if the same can be applied in regards to Colombian girls...

I totally reject the money=love equation. Yes, you can buy sex, companionship, representative beauty to boost your own ego but never true commitment, true love, true affection. Nothing less is worth anybody's while.

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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caslug says on Oct 15, 2005, 13:12:

desi.. where in my post did i mention love equal money, of course it doesn't. people date lots of people before they meet the right one they marry. So gal/guy will date a person with NO intention of marrying that person, many date for fun. Go down to avienda sexta club on weekend in cali, i see lots of single folks just looking to have fun. In those situation, they look for person that can provide fun companionship. That usually means you have to have a little money to pay for taxi, clubs, dinner, drinks, etc., so if you a COL guy with money you can do this LOT easier than guys w/o money.

poor gals marry poor guys in COL, so obviously NOT all the poor gals are marrying ONLY rich guys. BUT i bet, while they LOVE their poor husband, they certainly prefer if their POOR husband had a little more money(to pay for better school, house, clothes, food, etc., for their children). Don't most gal in the world dream of marry a prince on a white horse and living in a castle? they certainly don't dream of growing up a marrying a peasant riding a donkey and living a hut w/o indoor plumbing.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 13:33:

no, we don't dream about meeting a prince on a white stallion rescuing us from poverty. We dream of a sweet, nice, decent guy who's honest and faithful and hard-working; we'll be right there on his side helping our common dreams to come true. We'll work hard, strech the pennies, make smart investments, do without the plumbing and carry the water buckets meanwhile as long as we're working towards the common goals. We'll be faithful, understanding, supporting and nurturing; all we expect from our men is that they stay true to us.

Yes, we (the poor girls) would prefer us (not our husbands but us!) to have more money and to improve our lives and make things more secure and safe for us. However, we'll be willing and able to struggle for the things that we want together. It's always easier and more productive that way. It also bonds us together on a totally different level.

The problem, as I see it now, is the growing isolation and a way to much individualism. We love to possess a lot of things: a house, a car or two, a summer house, a sailboat, a new pc, a DVD, the state of the art cell phone that takes pics, records videos what not, trips to popular resorts twice a year..the list will have no end. We want everything but we don't like to share anything. We meet at parties, birthdays, Christmases, Thanksgivings to brag about the things that we have bought, yet we're lonelier than ever. unhappier than ever.

That's one thing that always changes when I'm n Cali: people seem to become much more important, getting together with family and friends becomes a joyful meeting where you swap stories about your life, admit affections, bond with your peers.

Am I getting carried away? Peeing beside the potty as they say in Colombia? MFT (meando fuera del tiesto)?

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 13:33:

no, we don't dream deleted, double post

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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calipro says on Oct 15, 2005, 14:41:

LOL !! Desi and Caslug..... An interesting exchange between someone who thinks the glass is half full and an another that thinks it's half empty. hehehe !!!

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 14:46:

Talking seriously, if I were living were Desi lives, I would not have to look at a gringo never ever, she lives were there are the most GORGEOUS men in the planet

AH"! BTW The Nordics girl they are stunning, long legs, blonde and soooo beautiful. even my husband got cross eyes when we went to Denmark :(

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 15:01:

that's funny kat an elderly aunt of my husband visited us here in Stockholm and she was totally awed by the men here:) She commented on a guy who was driving the commuter train: " gods we never see something like that back there where I live... a blond God driving a train....I've never seen anything like that in Austin, Texas!"

I thought she was beeing silly..blonds are commonplace here and nobody pays the least of attention to that.

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Colombiche says on Oct 15, 2005, 15:07:

The most ironic moment of my trip ..was at the Casino at unicentro, I was playing the little cheap low risk slot machines. I walk around in jeans and sandals, wearing a mochila... looking like a starving university student.

I noticed this old gringo sitting at one of the tables giving me the "hey mami, come here gringo got what ya need" eyes. My first though was "PBH'er PBH'er ra ra ra!!".

Ja ja ja ja!

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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Colombiche says on Oct 15, 2005, 15:16:

Desi... I thought blondes were common place in Texas as well!

I don't know, but I love those charming, dark haired, strong willed, tough middle aged Colombianos with great senses of humor, who have beerguts and are old enough to be my dad. I find them so intriguing and alluring far more than any young, spineless, pretty-boy, freckled faced punk.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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caslug says on Oct 15, 2005, 15:30:

desi..i don't know how you could.. feel you know what "poor" gals in COL think/feel.

"no, we don't dream about meeting a prince on a white stallion rescuing us from poverty."-desi

Even when you were in single in COL, you say yourself you taught english and was a teacher. English teacher make LOT more than some shop girl or secretary, so while you maybe poor by US/European standard, you're not poor by COL standard. Plus you know, you could, if things got REALLY bad, go back to sweden and find a decent job(which you got when you went back). Also, most of the post regarding "dating" in COL on PBH are made by poster with EXP with going on date in COL in past 5 yrs. When was the last time you were single and dating in col? 25 yrs ago? How many 18-25 yr old poor col chica do you know? I've meet lots of COL gals AND guys(fr all social economic status) and i just notice that well-to-do-col guys have a easy time(and many take advantage of their status) and poor col gal do what they need to do to get by.

In my travels i have YET to met a COL guy with money(good job, good education, good english) that DIDNT take advantage of the situation and playing around behind their "serious" GF's back. They're not doing this everyday, just every now and then. Sometimes, all that entials for them is going to a hooker house couple of times a year. I'm sure they're some faithful guys out there, but they're the minority NOT the majority.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 15:30:

hey, I've never been to Austin, Texas. Her words, not mine! Maybe Texas is full of blonde gods with freckles and long legs, what do I know!

I like the middle-age colombianos too, my favorite kind. Never mind the beer gut, short stature, a couple of crooked teeth. They're fantastic. Beats the gringos with their pasty complexion by a country mile:)

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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caslug says on Oct 15, 2005, 15:34:

a few errant observation on walking around cali.. My buddy and i were walking around avienda 8 during the day, the trash truck was collecting trash. My buddy saw a body(human) in the back of the trash truck. Don't know where it came fr, if it came from another area or around that area.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 16:17:

caslug, while I don't deny any of the points you've made in your previous post (yes, it's been a long time since i was single in Colombia and yes, I went back to Scandinavia and to a safe and secure job and yes, I never felt I had to bargain for anything) I was thinking of a caleña friend of mine when I was writing my previous post. She supported her husband while he was getting his degree at the university; he cheated on her but recapacited and now, both, well in their fifties are having a good and harmonious life together.

At the same time, I was thinking of my own life; how poor we both were at the beginning and yet how we managed both to get our degrees and get ahead in life in spite of the hardships. Starting from almost point zero but being together, struggling together towards a common goal. Ok, I'll have to grant it, we did have the safety net of his parents (with the economical backup just in case we'd need it) but yet it wasn't that easy and we had to cut a lot of corners to get to where we wanted to get.

What do I want to say with all this is that you really don't have to have all that money to make a wholly satisfactory life for yourself. You need to have a partner that is true to you and is willing and able to work towards the same goals with you. It's enough.

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Miguel says on Oct 15, 2005, 21:31:

Colombiche... As an "old gringo", a member of PBH for a while now, and one that has an affinity toward your country, I take offense to your last post.

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Colombiche says on Oct 15, 2005, 22:38:

Miguel I didn't mean old gringo as an insult for the following 2 reasons:

1) Gringo is just a word I use to describe Americanos, no insult intended, kind of like I call myself spiccola, spic, colombiche etc etc... I love poking fun at myself.

2) If you reread my post, you will notice that I think old men, like with grey hairs and old enough to be my dad are the most alluring, attractive, hottest, interesting thing on earth.

Now, if you were a colombian girl like me, would you take offence to the generalizations that are being made on this thread about colombianas?

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 15, 2005, 23:05:

I was thinking about Elmo reading Caslug's comment "they certainly don't dream of growing up a marrying a peasant riding a donkey". How about dreaming of growing up and marrying a peasant humping a donkey? And then again reading Colombiche's comment "I think old men, like with grey hairs and old enough to be my dad are the most alluring, attractive, hottest, interesting thing on earth". There you go, Elmo, all yours dude!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Miguel says on Oct 16, 2005, 05:59:

Colombiche I take no offense whatsover at the term gringo; my first take was that you associated the guy in the casino hitting on you as being like a "PBH'er", which I thought was an unfair stereotype. As far as the generalizations here about colombianas, I pay no attention to them. I have my own experiences with Colombian women, both good and bad..."depende de persona".

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 16, 2005, 10:54:

actually I take back that what I said about "pasty gringos". I've met some very attractive older non-latino men too. Some silvery-haired old vikings look still fine, met a ruddy and cheerful Scot in a bar and for an old chap he was fine. Not all the pasties age well but the same can be said of the brownies to. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

Back to caslug's blog: I have understod that you are a professional gambler and visit these cities to play at the casinos. That's a certain type of crowd that you meet and cannot be taken as anything representative of Colombian middle or upper class. Yes, there are rich guys hanging out in the bars cheating their wives and girlfriends in the party zones of all cities all over the world.

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Colombiche says on Oct 16, 2005, 11:45:

.... Just because you have travelled to Colombia, frequent bars and casinos and chase after girls, it does not mean you know anything about the real Colombia. That would be like judging the morals of the US based on what you see on Jerry Springer. Those people are not representative of the general population. I have seen that kind of shit happening here in Canada, New york, Miami, Barcelona...etc etc.

Be careful of what kind of information you are disseminating, some people might just read it and believe it.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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quindioman says on Oct 16, 2005, 13:12:

uffff ese dolio Colombiche.....no te gusto el blog?

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caribgirl says on Oct 16, 2005, 14:29:

Desi, My husband is part Desi,

My husband is part Sweede part German. 6'1",blond hair and blue eyes.Probably the best looking man I've ever see but then I'm bias :). After reading some of this board I can't believe so many of the guys are going so far to meet women. There are gorgeous Latinas,Brazilians all over the U.S. and lots of guys dating and marrying them. Go to Miami, New York the internet there is an abundance. There are also of course lots of playboys in the U.S. with lots of women too. Men in the U.S. can be as bad as men in Colombia.

My husband gets hit on all of the time by beautiful women in the U.S.. I see some guys say it is very difficult fto get beautiful women in the U.S. to pay attention to you unless you had a lot of money. I wish this was true because but I don't think so.

The other day I met my husband at a coffee shop where he was talking to a girl. He introduced me as his wife and the girl looked nervous. I got the story of what happened after she left. She had walked out of the coffee shop and walked back in and went to his table and sid "I never ever did this but I could'nt help but notice you and had to come back in here. She was 19 and had a killer body. I sort of laugh at this sort of thing but at times the attention he gets from women even if I am with him is aggrevating. We deal with models and other pretty women so I know what beautiful is. Where is the shortage??? If you are only getting hit on by fat or ugly women in the U.S. that seems strange if you are decent looking ,in shape and have a good job.

I am thinking even gorgeous girls here in the U.S. are just as DESPERATE for a good man as anywhere around the world.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Oct 16, 2005, 14:37:

You know I would like to read a Colombian travel blog that don't mention the women.

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flaleo says on Oct 17, 2005, 06:31:

Then don't read travel blogs from single men, as it has to be a very rare single man that travels to Colombia with no interest in women, especially Colombianas, and writes a blog on the internet. No different than a single man traveling to Brasil or Russia or Sweden or Italy or Japan or Thailand...

Caslug, are you single?

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caslug says on Oct 17, 2005, 08:06:

some folks are getting their panties in a ruffle! LOL! My travelblog is suppose to be a POV of a foreigner IN COL and what i see, hear, and discover. Now there are MANY foreigners that i've meet that are MUCH more knowledgeable on COL than me, but i notice they don't post much or don't belong to PBH. When i was trying to find info on COL(or other places) i remember i enjoy reading personal observation on everything(dating, safety, tourist places, etc.,). I figure i do this for entertainment, enlightment, and a little social commentary. There's NOTHING in my post that DOESNT happen, i'm not making stuff up and i'm not sugarcoating. Everytime i post my blogs here, i always get bunch of PM fr guys(and gals) that have more questions.

MOST foreigners i've meet that are in COL are single men and a few women(either backbacking, studying, working, or vacationing) so of course you'll get into a discussion of what to do as a single guy in COL. Actually i think dating locals(men/women) is a GREAT way to discover different places, learn the culture, and practice your spanish. If you read my blogs more carefully, you'll actually notice many good points and description of places.

For example, last night an amiga took me to Santa Antonio park in cali, it has a great view of the city, very safe, in the amphiter they had live entertainment, from comedians to clowns FOR FREE. Now i know where local COL can go to have a good time for FREE. dindn't see many foreigners(most of us foreigner stick to avienda sexta or chipichape) so i'm VERY glad my amiga showed me this. Also, i found out why people walk on the street in COL. 1) is because the sidewalk are uneven and have holes, so many women prefer to walk just off the sidewalk on the street so they dont step into a hole in their high heel. 2) at night in "iffy" areas they walk on street(next to the sidewalk) for safety reason. They feel that most robbers hide in the crevices or alleyways next to the buildings, so by walking on the street they are little safer and can spot potential problem earlier, less chance of being suprised. Now i didn't know that, and i'm glad i found out, now i'll remember to walk that way too. Gringos tend to walk on the sidewalk in our cities, because the sidewalk is more comfortable.

One reason i enjoy meeting many different amigas from ALL background and age range, is to get a diverse and balance view on the culture. If i ONLY meet one type of gals, then i would only see fr their POV. Also by meeting gals AND guys i see both side of the "fence", i learn fr guys whey they do certain things(ie, cheating) and fr gals how they view their lives and guys. My personality is disarming and respectful, so i tend to get people to open up and discuss stuff with me in a foright truthful manner, with subject ranging from drugs use, safety, economic, politics, family life, tourist places, etc., I get this info fr everyone expat, other tourist, but mostly locals. Tourist and expat have different stories to tell than locals so it's good to have all perspective.

In general(generaltization warning) i think COL is a wonderful country to visit(and maybe live). The good people are good and the bad people are really bad. for MOST of us(foreingers) we will meet WONDERFUL, FRIENDLY, HELPFUL COL locals, that will extend a very generous hospitality to us, this includes people we date and people we become friends with. I never amazes me to be the constant subject of this hostipitality, I've had guys i've just met drive me around show me places, or strangers taking their time to help me translate or find a place. at the same time, I ALSO see my fellow COL and foreigners become victims of violence, scams, and cons from bad COL. So observation of dead body on the street, people we know getting mugged, guys getting scammed for money fr girls, etc., these things happen. So my blogs are to show other foreigners that are thinking of traveling to COL the good and the bad that they MAY encounter.

I'm staying at a VERY nice area of Cali(estra 6), the other night my buddy and I were walking down the street and a car with two cute chicas were returning to the building next to ours. They yell hello to us, and started talking with us in english, these girls live in the building next to our(also very expensive), just came back from Panama(which they had business there) and proceed to invite us to hand out with them sometime. They gave us their number and we cont our walk. We didn't ask them out that time because we were running late for a date. I'll invite them up to the apartment when I cook later this week. This obviously doesn't happen all the time, but this is an example of how some COL are very friendly.

As for the subject of poor girls in COL. Life for them is VERY tough. Remember that COL(like most developing nations) has more poor than middle class(around 60% general population is poor) so being poor sucks and is a hard life(in any part of the world). THEN you add the sexism/macho society aspect into the mix, poor girls get dinged a second time(1 for being poor and 2 for being a girl). Poor girls can lose their jobs very easily, and when they lose it, it's difficult to get another one. So does anyone REALLY find it suprising that they do what they do? Or that SOME well-to-do-local-guys(foreinger AND COL) take advantage? If you're a poor girl in COL, what do you think your options are? Think it's EASY to get out? If you think this is suprising then you have your head in the sand.

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elmodefoque says on Oct 17, 2005, 08:25:

Caslug, you lucky dog, I never had broads in colombia call me from a passing vehicle and invite me anywhere. How the hell do you do it? For me to get a woman, I gotta get them drunk first, nearly passed out.

any colombianita willing to date me, IS UP TO NO GOOD

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Oct 17, 2005, 09:07:

Flaleo Then caslug should put in the title Cali travelblog for single men wanting to know about "colombian women and relationship" I have been reading many travelblog of Colombia over the internet, single guys traveling there and i find some of them very interesting and amusing i was readinf this guy travelblog http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Cali/blog-20458.html
and is interesting. of course a single guy will go on holiday and will try to meet a girl or girls, but according to the guy that wrote this travelblog, there were more thing to do in Colombia than just meeting girls . and that is the kind of travelblog I though this was, until I read it.
sorry :(

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Crazy4Cali says on Oct 17, 2005, 09:20:

Just Remember caslug you can't please all the people all the time.

Some people will like it, some won't. Much like poetry or art. Just keep telling it like you see it.

While I'm personally not interested in finding colombianas in bars nor drinks in submerged cantinas, I think your writing style is a much easier read than that of the pub crawl through Colombia.

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Colombiche says on Oct 17, 2005, 09:20:

Yeah it would be nice to read a Colombia travel blog that isn't about how easy colombianas are, how women are throwing themselves at foreigners, how colombian men are all these short, little dark latino lover types who cannot keep it in their pants if their lives depended on it... supposedly in colombia there are corpses lying around everywhere you look, go to the corner store.. oops there's a corpse!!!

I guess being a full blooded colombiana who understands the ins and outs of the culture, was born and raised in colombia, in spite of many of the material things I lacked, very strong family values were embedded onto my psychi by my colombian family while I grew up. This stuff I read strikes me as sensationalist bullshit.

Sorry, don't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers. Just stating my POV.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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Crazy4Cali says on Oct 17, 2005, 09:37:

POV I can understand Colombiche's disgust, but the "real" Colombia she describes is difficult for the casual tourist to discover, let alone, blog.

To know the "real" Colombia, you have to stop moving long enough to get to know people in their natural habitat. That can take weeks or months if you don't have any family connection. In my experience, Latinos, in general are very polite to foreigners/visitors but only so far. To get past that veneer of hospitality and "get to know the REAL Colombia" takes time to build relationships and friendships.

Tourists, who are either there for a short time and/or moving from one popular spot while living in a hotel or aparthotel, are going to have a much more difficult time just seeing life in Estrato 3, for example, much less being invited in to share that and then Blog it.

So, while some prose about how rich and rewarding the family life and friendships are in Colombia would, indeed, that's going to be inaccessible to the casual tourist.

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Tinto (Moderator) says on Oct 17, 2005, 10:01:

Whatever one thinks of these travel logs, they have a long history. Che was picking up women throughout South America...Bolivar and his mistress/concubine and/or a virgin in every town...the guy who supposedly designed the Colombian flag and so on. Dogs, all of them!



;-)

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elmodefoque says on Oct 17, 2005, 10:10:

GIB, i gotta tell you, i envy your life, except for one thing, i'll have a different girl every weekend.
here in new york city at 5:45 am i put on about 5 layers of clothing and jacket, carry my bike down 5 floors to a cold, dark street, check to see if the car is ok, no busted window etc. and ride to riverside park all the way to work. i then buy a bagel and a snapple ice tea for a $1.75 from the arab guy in the corner. i sit my ass in front of this computer and type all day long.

any colombianita willing to date me, IS UP TO NO GOOD

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Miguel says on Oct 17, 2005, 10:19:

Great post GIB I think you need to start posting in Spanish though, because your written English has left you. Seriously, I enjoyed your post.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Oct 17, 2005, 10:54:

thanks gib always want to said that, if you want to meet a nice girl in Colombia you won't find her in a Bar, maybe there are but I think very few and usually they never stay late.
or parading in Malls, if they are doing that, they are fishing :)

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elmodefoque says on Oct 17, 2005, 10:59:

am i the only guy that' s not looking for nice girls? i like them real nasty!

any colombianita willing to date me, IS UP TO NO GOOD

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Oct 17, 2005, 11:02:

Yep, elmo you like ruff like Maria Elena, i bet she kicked you in the B** many times :)

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elmodefoque says on Oct 17, 2005, 11:03:

she kick me in the nuts once, she kicked me in the nuts once, but that's only becaue i was pissing all over her.

any colombianita willing to date me, IS UP TO NO GOOD

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Rubiazo says on Oct 17, 2005, 11:42:

Surprise surprise I like them real nasty too!!!
The only thing I can't stand is somebody who is a liar, and that goes for in and out of romantic relationships.
How do you find a nasty girl who is not a liar? Nasty girls tend to feel they need to dissimulate because they will have a hard time in life if they are 'nasty and proud of it'.
I could tell you how I did it, but it's really a 'do not try this at home' type of thing.

My tenants just got their van window busted for the third time this year. I think its all the fucking Albanians coming in here in this neighborhood :P

Colombiche, I have had the girl in a car thing happen to me a few times, but it was in the Dominican Republic. Colombians seem to be a little more tactful.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Oct 17, 2005, 12:11:

Girl's in a car Last time girls in a car yelled out to me like that, I looked and realized a car full of cross-dressers thought I was hot.

Oh well, you gotta take the compliments wherever they come from, I guess.

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caslug says on Oct 17, 2005, 13:02:

i never pretend that this is a one-all-be-all type of info i post. my observation are exactly that, a POV of foreigner. In my case i tend to be more detailed and observant than other foreigners i've met(it comes fr being in sales where you learn how to read people and situation very quickly). AND i tend to stay in one place for several weeks(versus hitting 5 cities in 3 weeks). Post like GIB is very truthful, i know he gets slammed for being a nay-sayer, but i noticed living in COL as an expat(foreigner), is different than if you are a COL. Sometimes people on the forum forget that. GIB and other expat(antifree, pete, Mr.H, platano, GIB, Spigmace, viewpoint, etc.,)have gone natived, which i've seen happened w/ lots of expat. They know the ins-and-outs soo well that sometimes when it's second nature to them(esp regarding safety or reading people). So you look at them and think, ohh COL is SOOO great and SOOO safe, nothing happens to them, so nothing will happen to ME(ie, newbie). BUT that is wrong, they make it SEEM easy, because the precaution they take seems natural(but it was developed over time living in-country) Luckly, w/ my nerdy background, i tend to ask lots of observant questions, THAT's when I get info on how and why they take certain precaution. Example of that was what expat(like GIB) told me regarding USERS gals, if any gal ask you to buy them soemthing of some money(ie, a pair of studio f pants) then run quickly or know the game and use it to your advantage(ie, sex for pants! LOL!). BUT don't try to kid yourself and ignore the red flags. BECAUSE you'll get taken for a ride(when it comes to user gals) or harmed(if you ignore safety red flags).

The reason i've go on lots of "cita" is NOT for sex, if you can beleive that. The percentage of amigas/cita = sex is VERY LOW. AND i am not interest in getting NOVIA(i tell ALL my amigas that right away). it's really to learn and practice spanish and find out local hangouts(i know the tourist hangouts even before arriving in a city). In little more than on year, my spanish went fr NON-existance to conversational, i can now have conversation on all those types of subject w/ my COL friends.

Personally i've only met a few(small percentage) of COL gals that try to scam me, BUT i've met many more guys that got rolled on way or another in COL. I think i am less of a victim because i tend to LEARN FR OTHER EXPERIENCE. A mistake i think foreigner(that are victims) make in COL is being oblivous to things(ie, thinking they're in their home country). Or the other extreme, a foreigner becomes TOO cautious and is worried about EVERYTHING and doesn't get to expereince "life" in COL at it's best.

Also, most people on this board that travel to COL either a)COL abroad(ie, colombiche, kat, elmo, (desi), etc.,) that have LOTS of family/friend connection and they know the basic "survival" stuff regarding people and safety in COL. So for them to read these types of blogs, it's quite boring or "sensationalist". They tend to know it already. Ex. there's nothing i can post that ELMO hasn't seen, know or expereinced regarding crime, sex, drugs, gals or violence.

another group on the board is b) foreign guys(and a few gals) in monogamous relationship w/ COL gal/guy. In these group(UTC, GringoinLa, Rubiuzo, crazyforcali, Slivie, syndeygirl, etc.,) they tend expereince ONLY the lives of the gals(and her friends/family, etc.,) AND their COL signaficant other(and her/his family/friends) look out and watch out for them. Other than Rubizo, who has an pyscho-adventurous streak, most of these posters do not go out of the "comfort" zone of their's COL GF/esposo(a) zone.

Another group on the forum(a smaller group) is COL IN COL(juanelo, pasia29, colombiaboard, webmanco, etc.,). These folks know everything regarding safety or people instintal, they don't need ANY advice or observation because they grew up and are lived the majority of their lives in COL. But unless they are very outgoing or adventurous, their POV is "lock" to their societal level. I dont see to many post fr anyone living in Bello, Medellin..Hmm wonder why?

then there's the single folks group on the board, that are in COL for whatever reason(work, school, vacation, etc.,) This group is(roofus, tone2loc, me, go2pr, andync, eclipse, etc.,) some are more savy than others.

Finally there's group(quincera, crazyeagle, mrwave, etc.,) on board that's haven't been to COL, but are planning to go in the future.

I hope my post helps the newbies, because i was a newbie(kinda still am) and i've managed(knock on wood) to stay safe and have an great time and met lots of wonderful COL people, BECAUSE i've taken notes, asked alot of questions, fr people i've met on the board when i met them and with my col amigos. for those who dont like what i post, Feel free to ignore it, i won't take it personally! It's only the internet anyway! LOL!

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caslug says on Oct 17, 2005, 13:05:

i was talking w/ my landlod yesterday.. he's a gringo living in here in Cali, he has a guy/gal that works with him. we'll the other day, the gal was bored at work and decided to walk fr the office(near casa cerveza, avienda 8/calle10) down past avienda sexta, as she walked couple of blocks past avienda sexta, she got mugged by a whino(homeless guy) stole her money AND SHOES! what guy steals shoes fr a girl? A cross-dressing whino? THIS happened at around 2/3pm on a regular workday.

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caslug says on Oct 17, 2005, 13:16:

inexpensive medical care.. Pete(he's fr the board) has been sick and getting treatment. Well the other day he had to order some treatment, intially they wanted him to go into the hospital, which would've cost $1mil peso/day. So he told them he prefer home stay. Well, the hospital sent over 1 doctor and 2 assistance(nurses) with drug&IV unit. They were here the other day for about 3 or 4 hrs(incl about 1 hr of consultantation in the living room). The whole cost? 70K peso!


EDIT: Pete does NOT have insurance, so that was how muched he paid for being unisure. I think if he had insurance at $40USD/mo, then it would have been EVEN CHEAPER.

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DayTripper says on Oct 17, 2005, 13:20:

Good Info Caslug Very good information/observations on Colombia/Cali.
Very usefull for a new visitor to Colombia like me.
Thank you.

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Rubiazo says on Oct 17, 2005, 13:42:

He probably took those shoes to sell em later! It's not like the US where no one would buy that.

BTW I have lots of experience in really rough situations, so my radar is up and I feel confident going where a lot of other people (maybe rightly) don't feel confident. And who said my relationship was monogamous anyways?? Don't feel you're left out BIG BOY (wink wink nudge nudge) :pppppppppppp

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Eclipse says on Oct 17, 2005, 13:45:

Speaking of Medical care What is the cost of medical care? If 60% of the population is poor, can they even pay for medical care? If people are already paying for rent, food, etc. and a family member gets sick or worse, is it feasible for them to pay for treatment, or does the government help? Just curious. 70k pesos for a house call....damn, that's my co-pay and I would still have to drag my ass to the doctor. And after all said and done, it would cost more for the prescriptions, which half of the time doesn't even work!

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 17, 2005, 14:45:

She gave you a full exam, GIB? Did that include the prostate check?

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Rubiazo says on Oct 17, 2005, 15:40:

Eclipse You can get 'seguridad social' if you are of sufficiently low income, in which case the government covers the most part of medical costs. You would do a lot better feeling sorry for the uninsured and uninsurable here in the USA, but even here there are loopholes if you know where to look.

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flaleo says on Oct 17, 2005, 15:59:

that's crazy... he only mentions some things about meeting a girl(s) and you comment that it would be good to find a blog that's not all about girls. this isn't all about girls. thus, no need for a title change - as women and relationship doesn't seem to be the focus of his pov.

and my point was that most any single man traveling to colombia will have something to say about the girls... maybe a lot to say :)

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caslug says on Oct 17, 2005, 19:16:

GIB's story is a mirror of what i hear.. fr EVERY single expats(or guys who spend lots of time in-country) when i talked with them...at first it's exciting(kid-in-candy-store) eventually they calm down and either have a GF or at least don't meet new girls everyday! LOL! BTW, the single, female expat expereince in COL is pretty much the same. Foreign female get LOTS(if not more) local attention.

after reading GIB hot doc story, now do some of you naysayer understand why i say it is easy to meet girls and hard to stay faithful when you live for long period in COL. imagine if he was single or willing to cheat, what would've happen.. It takes a VERY good guy to keep it zip, i tip my hat to them, because i can see that they really love their wives/gf. I would say 2/3 of couples in US are unhappy and just punching the clock in staying in the relationship, 1/3 are truley content and in loving relationship. The only difference in COL is the 2/3 unhappy group will cheat, while in the US they they can't(no opp't) or they just break up and move on. And since it's more acceptable to be divorced and date people with children(esp women w/ children) than COL, it's easy to break up. While in COL, things are slightly different and latin society doesn't really accept women w/ children as much. Plus on average many women marry younger than in the US and they have kids at a younger age.

Another reason i enjoy learning about dating "culture" in COL(or anywhere) is that society and economic situation play a BIG role(influence) on why things are the way they are. As an econ major and history buff, i find the stuff that happening in COL society today MIRRORS what happend in US society many years ago, when it was more male dominated with males controller education and business. Anyone that study american history will see that and can see the parallel. Also, what is happening today in COL is NOT unique to COL, women in China, Vietnam, Chez, Russia, Africa, and otherdeveloping, male dominated countries will certainly understand what COL women are going thru, BECAUSE they are in the same boat! at the same time, men fr those countries can also sit and share a beer(beer is universal) and share the same stories.

another thing i found interesting is, while life is cheap in ALL developing nations, some nation has more predomiance with crime/violence than others. Example, Vietnam, china, thailand, chez, poland you don't see the level of violence crime as you do it COL, Brazil, mexico and some others. And how different society accept or condone violence is different. I was talking to my gringo buddy who travelled to brazil many times. One evening he was sitting have dinner in a cafe in a decent area in a brazilan city, when 3 or 4 guys came up INTO the cafe and choked him and stole his watch and wallet. being a victim of street crime is not suprising, but what was shocking to him and me is was the lack of help. He said while this was happening, the other dinner and workers DID NOTHING, not even yell or try to call for police. THEN afterward, he walked over to the hotel across the street to the security guard to ask for help, they told him to fxxk off! This was in contrast to what I saw in el centro in Medellin where a thief was chased by 5 patrons and store worker thru the crowd and as he ran thru the crowd people were hissing, yelling, and pointing at him. One thing i am curious(however, i hope to NEVER experience personally) is see if crime against foreigner is "accepted" while crime against "locals" is not. I hope that if that thief robbed me(a foreinger) in public, that COL people would do the same thing for me as they did for a COL victim. Based on my observation of COL treatment of foreigners, i think they would help me.

One has to wonder why in some society, while poverty and petty street crime is common, there's VERY little violence street crime.

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Rubiazo says on Oct 17, 2005, 23:45:

It's not hard IMO once you find the right girl. I have no desire to cheat now, whereas with my now-ex-wife not a day went by when I didn't think about it.

Caslug, unfortunately, that very much is the way Rio is going. There is a lot of anti-tourist sentiment there. The perception is that tourists are there to spread disease and disrespect.

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flaleo says on Oct 18, 2005, 05:14:

I go to Rio regularly - you say that's only 'perception'? ;)

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caslug says on Oct 18, 2005, 10:24:

first day of class.. i had to attend an orienatation with 3 other students, one col and the rest us were foreigners. So the instructor and the col student talked about safety precaution in cali. They gave us advice that would get many posters here up in arms. ie, avoid the area aguablanca, which is the east side of cali, about 1mil people live there(1/3 of CALI resident) because it is consider dangerous even to locals(let alone foreingers), watch out for drugs in drinks, watch out for home brewed aguardentente, make sure the bar opens the bottle in front of you, when getting lots of money from banks, don't use same taxis, and don't go directly fr bank to taxi(go thru the mall or something). There was supposed to be another american student in the course, but her boyfriend got into a motocycle accident in cali and they had to fly back to the US for treatment.

Then they moved on the topic of drugs, and they said drug use is not publicly accept in COL, even when people use it themselves, it is NOT accept to light up a joint in public, EVEN when people are more apt to do a line of coke, joint is a no-no in public. If stopped by police usually a 20k peso will get you out of most jammed. One guy told how his wife the other week got helded up at gun point on aveinda sexta, luckily the guy was so nervous and his wife was drunk that she ran away and escape. He also told us that the DVD store that is in the same building as their apartment, the cops would bring the pot that they confiscate from users and sell/give to the store owner to turn around and sell! ja,ja (capitalism at it's finest, buy free sell high!!!) The instructor warned us NOT to used drugs in public and be careful of are surrounding. The COL student told us that there is an area(building) near the art school off of avienda sexta that people go to smoke out. Now none of the above safety advice is anything new, the only thing is i hear it from locals that actually have a vested interested in me(other students) being safe and finishing the courses, versus posters on the internet saying how this make COL looks bad. They were VERY forighted and patience and answer all are questions or concerns.

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caslug says on Oct 19, 2005, 12:38:

new mall in cali.. well new for me anyway. It's called Palmetto, i heard it opened back in august very close to comsocentro, and about 5-6k taxi ride(w/o traffic) fr avienda sexta. Has a movie theater, they've been having some sort of promotion $3k/movie and 3k more for drinks,popcorn,plus hotdogs. I really like the surrounding area, it's more residential and quiet, not the hustle/bustle of chipichape, unicentro, or comsocentral. It's not as far down as unicentro so it's not a long bus ride or taxi ride to avienda sexta.

Had dinner last night a crepes/waffles in barrio roosevelt, also nice barrio, quite safe at night to walk around. My amiga and i walked to a bar a few blocks for drinks after dinner and felt very safe.

I was telling my amgias, that everyday i spend i cali my little world expands little by little. My first trip, i thought cali was Chipichape, El Centro, & Unicentro. The second trip i knew about comoscentro, this trip i discovering the residental side of cali. And i confess now, that it's quite nice, laidback, and safe. I can see why posters like Desi really like living in Cali, especiall if they live in those types of barrio.

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caslug says on Oct 21, 2005, 12:14:

Today i was talking with my fellow students and teacher.. both COL and foreigners in class. We were talking about their exp in col, good and bad. One fr gal fr Oz, taking the class was traveling thru COL for 6 weeks prior to the class with her ozzie BF. They were seeing COL via motocycle and loved it, the loved the people and countryside. Her BF did visit COL before this trip and on one trip, did get kidnap by the para for a few days and let go. Earlier this month they were in cucuata and had a serious moto accident, they were trying to avoid an old man on a bike, and they ated it, the old man wasn't touch. It happenned next to a house and the guy in the house ran out and help them by driving them to the PUBLIC hospital. Which was where they're nightmare started.

The hospital took them in, the hospital was pretty bad. to clean the wound they simply pour alchohol on it(just like in the movies!). When they want to switch to a private hospital but the public one refuse to let them leave, THEY had insurance. The hospital even perform an unauthorize sugery on her BF to get more insurance money. They finally was able to checkout of the public one and get to the private one. At the private one, the staff wouldn't let them in until they paid 4mil peso(or have their insurance company do it). This was happening while waiting IN the ambulance outside the hospital. They finally got it resolved and was able to get in. Got treatment. Unfortunately her BF got a bad infection and it wouldn't go away. They had traveller's insurance and the insurance company flew them to miami where her bf and her got treatment. The insuranced paided for EVERYTHING(airflight to col AND BACK-they're back in COL now, hospital stay at the col and miami hosptial). Luckily everything is all right now and they're in a good shape. I told them their experience was much different then the experiences of my american friends who had NO problem with the COL healthcare. But of course, cucuata is difference then Cali, MED, or BOG. They love COL and will be staying for a few years.

Moral of the story, DONT USE PUBLIC HOSPITAL in a small town!

PS. She does read PBH and i encourage to post her experience and have her BF post his expereicne of driving around COL in a motocycle.

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creamontop says on Oct 21, 2005, 14:03:

different people, different POV, different reasons Why do foreigners(men/women) want Colombian (women/men)? Why do colombian (women/men) want Foreign (men/woman)? Ask yourself (the majority on this board is, has or is looking for a relation with a person not of his own country (in short).
I am one of them (I admit at fullest extend). I am not writing my reasons in here, this is not my blog.

Is it obvious that : The grass is always more green at the other side of the fence ?
For many people it is an escape out of their own personal situation (culturaly/economicaly/politicaly). A way to change their life and environment to live in. For others it is because they are "fed up" with the counterparts in their own country. And... unfortunately there are some that want to take the advantage of the "good-will","trust","belief" of the person they are meeting, going to meet with or without descent intentions.

I deeply understand the feelings of some ladies on the board. And I regret this is "again" about women, overhere especially Callientes. I suggest the liberated and feminists to start a blog themselves about their "achievements","POV"about foreign man, ..... whatever. As a balance to this blog. I am sure a lot of gentlemen will be eager to receive the URL to read/comment whatever your POV will be.

---------------

yo me puse tengo un guayabo ahora, yo seguro hace cuando estoy en Colombia

yo me puse tengo un guayabo ahora, yo seguro hace cuando estoy en Colombia

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caslug says on Oct 22, 2005, 09:24:

cheap but entertaining hangout in cali.. i was meeting two hot doctor chics for dinner last night, they suggest cosmocentral(a mall about 10-15 min taxi ride fr avienda sexta, about 5-6k peso). When i arrived at 9:30pm, they had a live band playing, lots of people just sitting/standing listening/dancing. I don't know when the band started playing, but it's a great place to go with your friends that's cheap and affordable. The girls picked me up and we droved to Palmetto another mall, and it had bunch of little bar/stand for people to hangout and have drinks(kinda like a row of bars on a street, but it was inside the mall) good place to checkout not lots of gringos because it's off the gringo path.

PS. apparently in COL it only takes 6 yrs to graduate with a MD, you still have to do a few years of residency. The girls i was hanging out with were 23-24 yrs graduate uni as doctors and are now doing "praticica" or residency at various hospital around cali.

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caslug says on Oct 29, 2005, 08:20:

crazy taxis in cali.. and watch out for pharmacist yesterday i was walking back from my class in zona avienda sexta. As i was walking, i heard this taxi wailing it's horns, driving VERY agressively and flashing it's lights. I know taxis in col drive pretty crazy, but this one was over the top.

It passed me and made a beeline to the hospital that was 10 meters from me. As the taxi stopped in front of the entrance, a passenger gets out and starts flagging for help from the hospital. A stretcher appears but no attendent or nurse to help. At first i thought, it was a pregnant women. BUT NO, it was a man who was lying in the backseat seriously injured. The unhurt passenger and the taxi driver was trying to get the injured man on the stretcher, but they were having difficulty. I was only about 10 feet away, but was hestitant to get in the way(because i thought the hospital would have nurses/paramedic running out and taking care of it, like in the USA) but after, what seems like an enternity(30-60seconds) no one came out. All of the sudden two strangers off the street ran over to assist, well that was my cue, so i ran over and assisted also. at fast as it happen, it ended. Once the injured man was on the stretcher, all us good samaritan walked away and continued with whatever we were doing. no one said a word, no even goodbye.

what amazed me in colombia is i seen/and was part of several of these incidents where complete strangers would stop to help one another and walk away. That's one side of COL i'm complete in awed of, it's really counterbalance the other negative side of COL(see below). It's quite a hearten sight/feeling to see/experience that, especially coming fr the US where we are condition no to get involve(because there're professional that do it, so there's no need for citizen/community intervention).

Later that day, feeling good about seeing fellow humanbeing helping one another. I went into the drug store(on avienda sexta) to buy miel de rosa, because i bit my tongue(a semi-common occurance) and my amiga recommend that i get that to help with the pain(when i chew). I go into to the pharmacy and asked for the stuff, the pharmacist tells me, "no problem", he gets it, BUT he then started to say i also need this other product to go with it. since i never used miel de rosa before, i thought he knows what he's talking about(he's the pharmacist). It's anti-infection medicine, i figure he must right, so i get it. the two product cost $48k peso, which i thought was a little high, but i figure it better get both.

TURNS out, after talking to my friend who's a nurse, i was told i DONT need the anti-infection. Which i suspected anyway, because i bit my tongue many times in the past and never had to take any medicine then. As i told this story to my COL amigas, they laughed and told me it got conned by the pharmacist in buying stuff not needed, so the pharmacy can sell more! They told me i always should be careful when doing business transacation in COL.

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Hunter says on Oct 29, 2005, 10:32:

Caslug Onto the subject pharmacy selling you an extra product, that is pharmacies and shops the world over, not just in Colombia, they are always trying to sell the shopper as much as they, wether the shopper want the product or not.

Hunter

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 29, 2005, 11:41:

good point, hunter happens in most countries, even here in Sweden.

Ever heard about Colombian car mechanics? The story goes that while they repair your car they break something else in it so that you'll be back in no time....

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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caslug says on Oct 29, 2005, 12:14:

pharmacist in US cannot prescribe medicine.. ONLY MD can. So when you goto into a pharmacy, you give them your prescription and they HAVE to give you the exact prescription the MD prescribe. Hence, no upsell in pharmacy. Obviously in COL, you can get prescription w/o MD so it does open up opp't for upsell.

I guest i wasn't use to having pharmacist upselling me beyond stuff i asked for. I bought drugs at COL pharmacy in the past, and they didn't upsell me, maybe i just got lucky.

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Hunter says on Oct 29, 2005, 14:55:

Pharmacies in the UK can sell many drugs without a prescription, I normally know what medicine I require, so I just buy it, but I have gone into a pharmacy both in Colombia and the UK for some simple ailment and they have given me the medicine after describing my problem.

In both the UK and Colombia I was offered additional items sometimes, I just decline them, but to me a pharmacy is just another shop, but if you have a differant system in the US, its maybe why you were caught napping.

Hunter

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Hunter says on Oct 29, 2005, 14:57:

Desi Lets hope the pharmacies dont try and sell us addtional poison, so we return for future business.

Hunter

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kernow62 says on Oct 29, 2005, 20:18:

Desi I have had "mechanics" here in the US try that one. I took my car into a shop just for new tyres, they of course do a complimentary brake inspection. Sure enough the "mechanic" drags me into the garage and points to a leaking rear brake cylinder and claims he is not allowed to let me drive the vehicle away in that condition. He backs down when I point out that the brake dust in the brake drum and on the backing plate is completely dry. He had tried to con me by squirting a bit of brake fluid on the cylinder to give the appearance of a leak.

Of course I suppose he now knows to damp down the brake dust for authenticity.

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calipro says on Oct 29, 2005, 21:16:

caslug How's Petey doing?

Is he going to be around for Thanksgiving or should I make plans to cook the turkey somewhere else?

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caslug says on Nov 5, 2005, 13:23:

bad day for motorcycle riders.. The other day i was walking to class on avienda 8th near avienda sexta, and a motocycle was going straight, when an old lady in a car try to cross the intersection, the motocyle hit the near the driver side door, and the rider FLEW OVER the car to land with a thud on the otherside of the street. Luckily he got up ok, with a limp, but didn´t get run over by other cars. Traffic came to a standstill, and people rush to help him and surround the car to talk to the old lady, making sure she doesnt do a hit n run. The car and taxi blocked 2 lanes of traffic while they exchange info.

Later in the day i was walking home from class on avienda sexta and saw another accident scene. This time it was more serious. i car tried to cross avienda sexta and took out 3 motocycle with around 5 people, 3 people were standing around, but 2 other had to be put in the ambulance.

The tally for the day was car 2, moto 4 with car leading!

Also, that same day a classmate of mine that lived in zona flora, saw a accident scene between pedestrian and train, pedestrian lost 4 limbs and train came out unscrath. Later we found that the girl was crossing the tracks WITH headphones and DIDNT hear the train coming! I was told the train ONLY recently restarted service in cali, so maybe she wasn´t used to it. Well it was on the news that night, so i´m sure everyone is aware that cali has train service now!

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caslug says on Nov 12, 2005, 04:33:

gringo invasion in cali!.. apologies to charge of the light brigade..

Half a block, half a block,
Half a block onward,
All in avienda sexta
walked the six hundred.
"Forward, you gringos!
"go for the chicas!" he said:
Into avienda sexta
walked the six hundred.

"Forward, the gringos!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the gringos knew
Someone had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to drink and smile:
Into aveinda sexta
walked the six hundred.

gringos to right of them,
gringos to left of them,
gringos in front of them
music and street noise;
played from the various bars,
Boldly they walked and well,
Into the jaws of cali,
Into the mouth of bars
walked the six hundred.

When can they find the chicas?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made,
Noble six hundred.

for some reason my buddy and i walked down avienda sexta for about a hour and saw tons of fellow gringos, must be the word is out that cali is safe city with hot chicas. Alas, while cali was safe, there wasn't too many hot chicas around especially not avienda sexta. It was a little dead due to the 3 day weekend. So my buddy and i head out to greener pasture where it was a little more lively. It's funny all gringos concentrate on avienda sexta but couple of blocks fr sexta or a 15 min taxi ride away are areas that are untouch by gringos. But none dare venture to those areas.

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