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Colombia is a very, very dangerous place.

It was late at night and the streets were empty as I made by way down the sidewalks of the commercial district. The cooling breeze off the Caribbean was bringing me the favorable scent of a large plumeria as I approached the dark corner of an old, overgrown residential mansion. I was enjoying the perfumes and comfortable temperature of my late walk with barley a flicker of concern for my safety when the unmistakable break in the silence brought a chill to my back. This was not the sounds of leafs fluttering in the trees I knew I was being stalked. I knew I had to be careful with every upcoming moment or pay the consequence from one or more attackers. I tried to listen to the distance of the approaching danger and whether to fight back or run. But I knew running would only delay the inevitable. The more I thought the more I realized I was wasting precious time to act. I quickly turned around to challenge my predator when I felt a sharp stink on my neck... it was too late, as I brought my hand up in defense I realized the futility of a strike would not erase the pain that I would have to endure. I was defeated. A walk in the dark was met by those that prey in the night. I had no one to blame accept for myself I had lost, and the blood thirsty Colombian mosquito had won.

By JamieJ on Jan 19, 2005, 10:49 in Friendly Talkzone.

Albatross says on Jan 19, 2005, 10:52:

:o Oh, the horror... the horror...

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

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LaloG says on Jan 19, 2005, 11:01:

Yeah, those bloodsuckers are after everything they can get!

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Miguel says on Jan 19, 2005, 11:06:

Mire Jamie Voy estar alli en B/Quilla el domingo...Te gustaria OFF?

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elmodefoque says on Jan 19, 2005, 11:14:

JAMIE, excellent!! did the mosquito get you in your ass too? for mosquitos barranquillero, you need a bat.

I'll get there, when I get there!

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ACBlessing says on Jan 19, 2005, 11:15:

I knew it! I'm going to alert the state department over this atrocity! The Marines should be arriving soon!

Alex Blessing, Spokane, WA USA
alex at acblessing.com
www.acblessing.com

Just plain poor

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Gomezman5 says on Jan 19, 2005, 11:19:

I agree with AC...Urgent Travel Advisory Update is needed ! May I suggest that you submit this warning to the United States Embassy without haste or further delay.

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JamieJ says on Jan 19, 2005, 11:22:

Miguel Send me a private email jamie at latin-wife.com if you want to meet at a Salsa club I can bring my dance partner. I will be watching the playoffs on Sunday.

Jamie
Engage The Exotic - Colombian Women

Jamie

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Mariangela says on Jan 19, 2005, 11:44:

They are everywhere Those dangerous criminals are everywhere in Colombia. So beware of them. If you think that you won't encounter them in Bogotá because of the cold weather, you are wrong! The renown Zancudos Bogotanos are really mean. Be prepared and have some insecticide or repellent on hand to prevent an attack that will leave you itching for days, especially if you live in an area surrounded by luscious gardens.
Mariángela

Mariángela

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oldbongo says on Jan 19, 2005, 11:49:

it's very simple... eat raw garlic garlic...
the moscas hate your blood,
and the no one will want to come close to you.
you'll be safe.

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ARMacleod says on Jan 19, 2005, 12:04:

Its even more simple Background:
Blood feeding, or hematophagy, is a behavior exhibited by female mosquitoes required both for reproduction and for transmission of pathogens. We determined the expression patterns of 3,068 ESTs, representing ~2,000 unique gene transcripts using cDNA microarrays in adult female Anopheles gambiae at selected times during the first two days following blood ingestion, at 5 and 30 min during a 40 minute blood meal and at 0, 1, 3, 5, 12, 16, 24 and 48 hours after completion of the blood meal and compared their expression to transcript levels in mosquitoes with access only to a sugar solution.
Results:
In blood-fed mosquitoes, 413 unique transcripts, approximately 25% of the total, were expressed at least two-fold above or below their levels in the sugar-fed mosquitoes, at one or more time points. These differentially expressed gene products were clustered using k-means clustering into Early Genes, Middle Genes, and Late Genes, containing 144, 130, and 139 unique transcripts, respectively. Several genes from each group were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR in order to validate the microarray results.

Solution:

Tie a sugar lump to the back of your collar. Given the obvious dislike for the species ‘gringo nono latinium', the little bugger will go for the sugar.

Being of unsound mind and dubious disposition, I cannot be held legally liable for any indiscretions."¡El diablo me hizo hacerlo!" But don't worry, be happy.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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ARMacleod says on Jan 19, 2005, 12:05:

Being of unsound mind and dubious disposition, I cannot be held legally liable for any indiscretions."¡El diablo me hizo hacerlo!" But don't worry, be happy.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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caslug says on Jan 19, 2005, 12:28:

Big problem for Gringos!!! I really don't know why our(US) gov't don't do more to protect US travellers from this danger. Forget about robberies or kidnapping, this is a much dangerous situation because it ALL of us have been victims of those blood sucking maniac at one time or another in COL. Our gov't needs to divert some of that Plan Colombia money to combat this menace.

In CTG, i was attacked several nights by gangs of them. Even the electronic protection i purchase in the US did not work. I eventually had to resort to wearing long pants and spraying chemical on myself to prevent further bodily assult!

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caslug says on Jan 19, 2005, 12:29:

Garlic? I thought that was to protect from the other kind of blood sucker?? There's vampires in COL??? :-0

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jan 19, 2005, 12:37:

yes there are vampires in Colombia...of several kind. The reason why many people in the low-lying coastal areas like to sleep in hammocks is to prevent vampires reaching their nostrils to suck blood.
Cheers!
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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Atogob says on Jan 19, 2005, 12:45:

Los Mosquitos must pay for their incursion into your personal space!!!!

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fzrdan says on Jan 19, 2005, 16:17:

During my first trip to Cali I was almost carried away by this huge flying cockroach. I hit the thing with my shoe and I swear it looked up at me and laughed. I had to put my shoe on and step on the damn thing before it quit moving. It made a lot of crunching noises like bones were breaking. Freaky. I am glad I saw it before I went to sleep or I may not have made it out of Colombia alive.

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stevens says on Jan 20, 2005, 01:57:

Nice try everybody, but I'm coming anyway. I know you're just trying to scare away all other gringos so you can have Colombia to yourselves, but I ain't biting. jajajaja
BTW JamieJ, I want to you site and found a link that doesn't seem to be working, the one with the $95.oo written on it.

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TechGromit says on Jan 22, 2005, 22:20:

Columbian Insects I just returned from Cartagena, and I didnt see a single flying biting insect. I can't even recall seeing any swarms of flies around trash. In fact there wasnt much trash to speak of, they kept the area very clean. Now maybe I live in a sheltered world, having stayed in the tourists area most of my trip, but I found Cartagena very clean and bug free. I did see a few tiny ants though.

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Sonny says on Jan 23, 2005, 08:17:

The horror and the pain My last night in Cali was a horror story. The power went out, and it was very quite. I heard two mosquitos talking. One asked the other if they should just eat me here or take me home. They other in a very stern voice told him that they must eat him here. If we take him home the big ones will get him. They attacked me 11 times as I slept. When I checked my blood I was a full quart low.

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Hunter says on Jan 30, 2005, 09:03:

TechGromit If you were living in the Bocogrande area, there are few mosquitos, but off the headland, there are certainly plenty.

The trash in the streets is found more in the poor areas of the Ctg, to the South.

Hunter

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katiebird says on Dec 29, 2005, 22:39:

Cockroaches???!!!! I truly believe that cockroaches are minions of the Devil - please tell me that Cartagena is not full of them - will I need holy water?

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adrimm says on Dec 29, 2005, 22:47:

?? Are there many places in the tropics that don't have cockroaches?? Obviously if things are kept clean they aren't a problem, but let things go and they show up. The good thing is that there are also tons of cute little lizards (maybe not so many in the heart of the city).

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