Colombia here I come again

elmodefoque says on Dec 20, 2005, 11:53:

desi, what the hell is a sabbtical? and can i get that same deal here in USA?

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

elmodefoque says on Dec 20, 2005, 11:54:

is that like maternaty leave, if so, how do i get myself knocked up?

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

Mr. Hollywood says on Dec 20, 2005, 12:06:

Answers Best airline is airfrance via Paris. Cheapest might be something different, depending on the day. Baggage allowances vary by carrier and exact route. Might be higher if you go via the US.

Buy your phone in Colombia. It's fast and cheap and easy.

Buen viaje.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Dec 20, 2005, 12:08:

thank you tinto! It's actually the only thing I asked from Santa Claus this year!

Elmo, it's one of these nasty socialist government programs we have here in Sweden. You can get up to a year sabbatical from work with about 30% pay cut. The government agency that handles this will provide a substitute for you, preferably from these groups listed as unemployed for at least two years: 1) immigrant, female 2) immigrant, male 3) anybody with the right education but under 25 years of age. My substitute comes from this last group; it's necessary to be able to speak Swedish at my job.

Cheers,
Desi
Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

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

Albatross says on Dec 20, 2005, 12:24:

USA #1 Here, we can take ALL the time we want with a 100% pay cut...

(Just another reason we're better than Yurp)

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

Albatross says on Dec 20, 2005, 12:28:

:( Of course I'm jealous

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

Desideria (Moderator) says on Dec 20, 2005, 12:28:

alba We've got that alternative too..I prefer the deal that I got. If you can top that I'll freely admit that your country is better than mine.

Cheers,
Desi

(hollywood, thanks for the advice; I'll be looking into the matter of best vs. cheapest flights soon. I had already thought that the prepago was preferable; thanks for confirming it.)

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

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

Lauthra says on Dec 20, 2005, 14:35:

YAY! I'm happy for you Desi. Whatever you do, don't fly Iberia, Barry's mum flew with them yesterday and said it was horrible, the luggage limit its an outrageous 20 kilos and 10 kilos for hand luggage. It also not the cheapes, I remember someone mentioning Air Canada was quite cheap.
Good Luck!
Nato

(='.'=)

Nato (='.'=)

litost says on Dec 20, 2005, 15:10:

Air France is good service and tastey food... unfortunately they are nuts with their luggage limits... only 20 kilos!!!

Lostgringo says on Dec 20, 2005, 16:07:

Visa Card Please remember to call Visa personally and notify them that you are going to Colombia. I went to Cuba last month and did not notify Visa. I was stuck at the Airport with absolutely no money and Visa put a stop on all my transactions. They later told me that they thought the Visa card was stolen. Using your Visa works great here. Also, I would attach your checking account to you Visa card. You can make payments via the Internet that way. Hope this helps.

One last thought, I like to pay cash for my purchases here in Colombia instead of using my Visa card. I only use it to withdraw money from my account.

Your Home Away from Home:http://www.welovebogota.com http://www.apartmentinbogota.com "Luxury apartment and rooms Cheap" Only 2 blocks from the American Embassy!

quindioman says on Dec 20, 2005, 17:58:

air france must have changed the menu....last time I flew with them from London to Madrid I got a glass of water and a piece of bread that was so hard I swore that if I threw it at the trolley dolley I would have been done for griveous bodily harm.....sacre bleu...quelle horreur!!!!

Good luck Desi ....I'm sure you're very happy at the prospect of going back.

quindioman says on Dec 20, 2005, 18:07:

I didn't have any problems at all using my visa debit card in Armenia and Cali....the bank that gave me the least amount of hassle was A V Villas.

litost says on Dec 21, 2005, 02:06:

I assume they reserve the good meals for the transatlantic flights... the food on my Bogota-Paris flight a couple of months ago was delicious. I thought it was the french attention to cuisine, but somebody told me the meals on that route are supplied by a colombian company.

greg says on Dec 21, 2005, 07:19:

Great to hear you are going back to Colombia soon. Happy for you and also
a bit envious

CosteñoUSA says on Dec 21, 2005, 11:25:

Feliz Navidad (and Feria de Cali) Desi,

Hej, Hur mor du?

-Lots of congrats for your trip to Cali. I'm happy for you. I am sorry I have to stay here in cold USA for the holidays.

-If you are a college professor here in the USA you CAN get a sabbatical year or semester every three of four years. The pay is 70% of your salary more or less, it depends on the university. When I worked in Colombia, I got two 'Licencia remunerada' leaves and the money was not bad at all. Of course, you have to justify it with academic research or international travel.
-From Europe you can bring two bags of 50 pounds each (around 23 kilos). IATA is making changes on the baggage allowance for most trips. My suggestion is to call the airline and double check with them before you pack, unless you are willing to pay 100 Euros (in Swedish Crowns) for over weight or excess baggage. I recently did Newark-Madrid-Newark with Continental and they made me pay for overweight bags, ouch! Avianca is still allowing two bags of 70 pounds each from Miami to Barranquilla, but some American airliners make you pay more if those same bags are not checked all the way.
-You can use your VISA and MASTERCARD in most ATM's to withdraw money in Cali. Just watch out for the 'bad guys' that are after your money.
-About phones: Much better deal to buy a pre-paid cell phone, it costs about 45.000 Col Pesos and they give it to you activated right away. I don't recommend using a tri-band phone or a SIM card there, it is more hassle than just getting one to use there. Go with Comcel, Movistar and Ola suck bad and their signal is very weak.
-Sit back and enjoy your stay in Cali and Colombia. The Feria de Cali is a lot of fun!!!
TAK, HEJDO!















La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla... Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Dec 21, 2005, 11:55:

never better, costeño I'll be missing the feria de Cali, la feria de Manizales and probably even the carnaval de los Blancos y Negros in Pasto and Cauca, but I'm really looking forward to this trip. Thanks for the information on luggage allowance and cel phones and I'll take a bodyguard with me to the ATMs.

I know I've never talked to you on this board; how come it feels like talking to an old friend?

God Jul och Gott Nytt År!

Ha det bra,

Desi

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

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

dwmte says on Dec 21, 2005, 14:00:

young lady... i'm jealous...right behind being supremly happy for you. i hope you have a marvelous, safe and memorable time with your family and friends. are your children going with you?

well, just a bit more/longer, and you're flying outta the frozen nether regions into the land of oz.

via con dios.

dw

lunachild says on Dec 22, 2005, 08:30:

cheap flight i just read your post and not sure if you've booked yet, but if you haven't it is worth checking out air madrid. i have a few friends who have flown it to chile and brazil who found it reasonable and my boyfriend just booked a flight to bogota for under €600. it depends on what time to travel though. hope that helps!

LC

CosteñoUSA says on Dec 23, 2005, 21:37:

Hola Desi!
Desi,
This is the first time we talk here, I just wanted to impress you with a couple of Swedish words that I learned on my last trip to Stockholm! hehehe
If you had time you could get a nice tan in Cartagena before going back to COLD Scandinavia.

¡Feliz navidad!




La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla... Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

Save the Wildcats says on Dec 25, 2005, 08:48:

Hi Desi.... That's wonderful news! Enjoy your trip!

Kim

Lucia Rojas says on Dec 25, 2005, 08:57:

have fun desi. are you coming to Bogota?

awesome says on Jan 23, 2006, 11:12:

Pay via CC!! Don't know whether you left already... A warm recommendation for everyone I myself have experienced, and would like to share is to pay with your CREDIT CARD for the sake for the extra travel insurances applying. On my outward journey (Air France - stuck in Paris - ARN-CDG-BOG) the luggage popped up after 3 days. And we had continued to Popayan so it was a sheer mess to have it delivered. Anyways, now, both AF and AMEX, have to deal with the aftermath.

In terms of luggage, both Iberia and AF allow for 20 kg (23). Think they both should be in the same service range. AF fly the new Airbus 340:s, yet the leg space is fairly narrow.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Jan 23, 2006, 11:33:

no, I'm still here stuck in the snows of Scandinavia and in a legal limbo with my Inmobiliaria in Cali. Things are moving very slowly in Cali, but now I've made an offer to pay up two months severance to the family that's living in my house, (one month notification) and the people in the inmobiliaria are negotiating with the family. The inmobiliaria should be able to rent them another of their houses, it's not like there's any housing shortage in Cali and the lady living in my house has been making a nice, round business subletting bedrooms to other people; no wonder she is not that keen on moving .

Thanks for the advice, awesome. It looks like it might be Iberia right now, even if I don't especially like them, have flown them before and the service was pretty crappy and the plane was not clean.
I still haven't booked, but will do that in these coming three days. I can't wait any longer for the inmobilaria that's taking forever to give me a date the house will be empty and I can start the reparations.

Cheers,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

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

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 23, 2006, 11:53:

Desi, As you know I travelled Air France, I don't know how much the tickets are from Findland, and maybe is cheaper because you are going low season maybe, AQir France was fine arrive on time and left on time, the service was good, and the planes are comfortable, the only problem i found was the luggage allowence. 20 kilos was ridiculous, i don't know how much is from Finland, and 12 kilos hand luggage, and they will weight it at the airport, both luggage. I paid a fortunate there and back.
I did use my debit card at ATM's in Colombia and it work fine.
have you try checking with luthansa I flew with them when I went to Rome and they are excellent I know they flight Bogota. It's worth checking.

engage brain before opening mouth

Desideria (Moderator) says on Jan 23, 2006, 12:31:

kat, it looks like they're not flying to Bogotá any longer (Lufthansa). Checked the price and the itinerary on my intended dates on AirFrance (my favorite too) and the best price seems to be still Iberia which'll take me from Stockholm (that's where I live) to Cali and back for a just tad over thousand dollars. The arrival in Bogotá is also an early one, at 15:30 which'll give me plenty of time to catch the flight to Cali the same day. But I'll keep on checking.

Cheers,
Desi

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

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

Goodison says on Jan 24, 2006, 05:00:

Desi... I booked my ticket to Bogota a few weeks back. Air Madrid were by far the cheapest. I have had to take an Easyjet flight from Liverpool to Madrid, but in total I've paid £445. Next cheapest I could find was Continental at £705, so I think I've got a good deal.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Jan 24, 2006, 05:43:

Iberia I'm getting Stockholm-Cali-Stockholm for £665 all the way, 20 hours travel time leaving Stockholm early in the morning and arriving in Cali late the same day. Two changes, one in Madrid, one in B/tá.

Yes, Air Madrid has the best rates, but the connections and schedules from Stockholm plus the flight from Stockholm to Madrid and possibly a night at a hotel makes it both inconvenient and very slow; in the end the price difference isn't that much since I have a domestic flight to catch in B/tá which is included in the Iberia ticket.

Damn if that inmobiliaria isn't going to let me know soon so that I can book.

Cheers,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

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

awesome says on Jan 24, 2006, 13:48:

Carry on bag Just talking from recent experience, a warm recommendation is to bring along a carry on bag with the most needed things for the first days -- in case your luggage won't make the fairly tight MAD connection.

Lycka till!
/åsa

Desideria (Moderator) says on Jan 24, 2006, 14:07:

good advice, Åsa I'll follow it. I wasn't aware that the connection in MAD was so tight...hate sressful situations. Haven't booked yet, though.

Tack,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

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

juanalejo says on Jan 24, 2006, 14:15:

Desi You should not have many problems with bags as high season has come down by now, but this Christmas was hell for travellers to this country. From my own visitors record the worst this season were Air France (bag came in 10 days after) Iberia, (off loaded them in Madrid due to overbooking) and Delta (which even made it to the news due to its problems with everybody). Avianca for a change seems to be doing things better, the new owner must be doing something well as I have heard people happily surprised, I have used them, nothing special, but seem to be now always on time (my experience this past year).

Desideria (Moderator) says on Jan 27, 2006, 02:20:

ok, I'm all set now finally. I've just booked and paid the ticket with Iberia, will be flying on Feb.20. No sense in rushing now since I won't have access to my house before the 1st of March; this gives a week to get the people I need to do the job all set and perhaps even an estimate done.

It's a tight connection in Madrid, but since it's the first flight from Stockholm I don't expect any delay and suppose I can check my pitiful 20 kg. all the way to CLO.

Cheers,
Desi

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

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