Definitely Moving to Santa Marta!

sallya says on Sep 29, 2006, 00:31:

Shipping Aus to Colombia Also, has anyone shipped stuff from Australia to Colombia before? Any recommendations on who to use? prices?

Sal.

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cali373 says on Sep 29, 2006, 06:54:

What is your husband going to do in Colombia?

Smile if you are a thinker!

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caslug says on Sep 29, 2006, 07:21:

is your husband teaching? if not then what is he going to do for visa? tourist visa only gives him 6 months(he has to renew every month after the 2nd month). Or he can try for a student visa at the local uni.. that might give him 1 yr. also if you're TOTAL pay is 1.8million peso for TWO people.. that's not that much. that comes to about $800usd/month.. the cost of the apartment doesnt include utilities i believe, and you'll be using the a/c ALOT. plus internet. food is pretty cheap, but lots of other things are alittle expensive.

Also, as a certified public school teacher, you can apply to the internation school(i dont know if they have one in santa marta). but the pay in those school are ALOT higher.. 2000USD PLUS free housing..

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Gator says on Sep 29, 2006, 08:43:

El Rodadero is.... a long way from where you will be teaching in the school is out by the new bus station east of SM on the Troncal Caribe. ER is very tourist oriented and I, from my experience, think you will have a hard time finding rentals in that price range.

Better check REAL close on you husbands status without some type of more permanent visa.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

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landcruiser77 says on Sep 29, 2006, 14:25:

you're not gonna like it £æ i was born in that shit hole santa marta 23 years ago! i don't regret at any time never never come back there

£æ

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robi666 says on Sep 29, 2006, 15:01:

Wow, Landcruiser... where are you living now? Just curious...

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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robi666 says on Sep 29, 2006, 15:08:

Sallya,
you'll have hard Sallya,
you'll have hard time in Rodadero Estrato 6 with 1,800,000 per month. You can do it, but... Also, as Gator, I do not think that you can easily rent a decent furnished apartment for 600mil pesos at El Rodadero.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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sallya says on Sep 29, 2006, 16:34:

Thanks The school says my husband can get an spousal visa that gives him the right to stay there as my husband since I will be on a working Visa. He won't be teaching but his job here in Australia has offered for him to keep working a couple of days a week using the Internet to communicate (he is writing a legal text) so that pays very well and provided they will go ahead with it we will have that extra bit of money too. He just wants to learn Spanish and write a novel - cook and learn to salsa etc. Lucky him.

Regarding the money, there is also an extra bonus amount of US$6000 for the first year and then US$9000 for the second year. They say we could save that but it's fine if we have to spend it. Do you think that this extra amount makes it more tenable?

I am registered with a big international teaching agency that places teachers in International schools but I decided that I liked the sound of being in a school that is for Colombians not westerners in Colombia. It seems that at the international schools the teachers are there to earn loads of money and basically have a 'colonial' lifestyle as they can earn a western salary in a poor country and then live like kings. I don't want that. I want a cultural experience and so long as we can get by on the salary and bonuses (and hopefully with a little extra money from my husband's work from Aus) and not be required to spend any of our savings I wdon't mind that I won't be paid the same as the International schools.

Regarding El Rodadero, it's just that the other western teachers live there and car pool to get to school. From what I have read about the area I was wondering if Tangana would be more my kind of place. Is it cheaper there? and if so is there still enough shops, restaurants etc there?

Thanks for your thoughts :)

Sally

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caslug says on Sep 29, 2006, 19:57:

sallya.. sounds like u have a good idea of what to expect.. the bonus will DEFINITELY help.. but see if you negoiate bi-annual bonus, instead of lump sum annually. that way, you're a little less expose if the school tells you at the end of year, "sorry? we have no money to pay the bonus." then what can you do?

Also, int'l school in COL(outside of bogota), are 99% colombians, well-to-do, same as YOUR school. but seems like the money situation(w/ your husband working) is not going to be a problem. so you'll be able to enjoy colombia. I would think most househould in santa marta will not have a/c(electricity is expensive), so right away if you are planning to use a/c, you'll be living above the average person.

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Gator says on Sep 29, 2006, 20:26:

Several Problems You Can't Overcome. You have been misinformed and you DO NOT want to live in Tangana.

First: The Spouse Visa (called a TC Visa) is only given to individuals who wish to live temporarily in Colombia and who are married (common law included) to a COLOMBIAN NATIONAL.

In order to apply you will need;

A Certified copy of the Marriage License or certificate. This certificate is known as Registro Civil de Matrimonio. This certificate must be translated into Spanish if originally issued in a language other than Spanish. Both versions (English & Spanish) must be notarized and certified with an APOSTILLE from the secretary of state of the State where it was issued. If issued in Colombia, a Colombian Public Notary must notarize it.

Certified (notarized) copy of the ORIGINAL Colombian national's ID Card (Cédula de Ciudadanía)of the spouse.

An original letter, in Spanish, from the Colombian CITIZEN spouse requesting the TC Visa be issued. This letter must be translated into Spanish. It must be notarized and certified with an APOSTILLE from the Secretary of State of the state where it was issued or, if issued in Colombia, a Colombian Public Notary must notarize it.

If you have any doubts about this I strongly suggest you e-mail MRE (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores) in Bogotá for guidance. Unfortunately, Colombia no longer maintains an embassy in Canberra, closed in 2002. All embassy affairs are now handled by the Colombian embassy in Tokyo.

www.minrelext.gov.co




"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

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adrimm says on Sep 29, 2006, 21:44:

Rodadero vs town proper It's been a while (over 10 yrs) since I was last in Santa Marta, but when I was there Rodadero was super touristy (fun to visit, but dunno about full time living, it seemed quite expensive compared to town where there were more services readily available)....

So you might not want to strike Santa Marta proper off of the list, its large enough that there are surely some nice buildings near the ocean, that and you will be closer to services and probably the school.

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dave_travels says on Sep 30, 2006, 10:55:

couple of towers on Rodadero beach There are a couple of new tower at the very west end of Rodadero beach. There are a couple of teacher that already stay there. The teachers told me they pay $450 USD for these high-rise condos on the ocean. Long term renter do get these affordable prices. If you want to stay in SM, it will be much cheaper, but stay in a estrata 4 or better neighbourhood. In Mamatoco (near Buena Vista Mall), a judge's house was shot at a couple of days ago. That Judge is still pretty shook up.

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sallya says on Sep 30, 2006, 16:31:

Thanks again for the info Caslug, Gator, Adrimm and Dave thanks for your advice and info.

Gator, I really hope that you're wrong about the visa situation otherwise it will be difficult. It would seem strange to me that the spouses of people going to work in Colombia wouldn't get a long-term visa... in other countries I know that they do. But if that's not the case I suppose he will get to do a bit more travelling than me to have his tourist visa reissued.

Caslug, the bonus is biannual so that's good.

I guess regarding the apartment we will just have to wait and see. Hopefully the school will come through as they have said and have a few affordable places lined up for us to check out. I will not write any area off yet. Do any of you know of a place nearby to Santa Marta called Bello Horizonte? Apparently some teachers live around there.

Dave do you know the names of those towers?

When you say electricity is expensive, any idea how much roughly per month?

Does anyone out there live in the SM area now?

Sally.

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robi666 says on Sep 30, 2006, 17:23:

Sallya,
Bello Horizonte is Sallya,
Bello Horizonte is something like 15 kms from Santa Marta, down the Troncal of Caribe to Barranquilla. I wouldn't live there, too far from everything, but that's just my opinion.
If you live in Estrato 6 area and use A/C, then be prepared to pay something like 400.000 pesos for services.
Gator is absolutely right about the Visa. As always.
I actually live in Medellin and Santa Marta, cannot decide which one I like most. I have a small house in a nice unit, Villas del Palmar, just outside El Rodadero and a finca two kms from the entrance of Tayrona. You two and my wife and me can go out for a beer one day.
If money is not a problem, don't be afraid to make the move. I am sure you'll love it here. I have been sailing all the Caribbean and Tayrona is surely one of the most beautiful place if not the most beautiful!

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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sallya says on Sep 30, 2006, 19:05:

Visa issue clarified Thanks Robi, it would be nice to meet up for a beer sometime. If you spend time near the road out to Tayrona you might have seen the school. Apparently it's out that way. It's called Colegio Bureche. That A/C service charge is pretty crazy. I guess we'll be getting used to a fan...

Just for anyone else's info that may have been following this thread regarding the visas, I checked out the Colombian consulate's webpage in Australia - and yes, it does now seem to be based in Japan. But my husband will be entitled to a long-term visa (2 years) but without working rights - which was what we had expected. So he will be able to stay with no problems for the 2 years. The visa I will get is called a 'Temporary Ordinary Working Visa' and then it states there that:

'This type of visa can be granted to the spouse and direct dependents who will not be allowed to engage in gainful activities, in this case it is indispensable to present the Marriage and birth certificates and present also the Police Certificate.'

So that's cool. This is a completely different visa from the TC type Gator described.

Gator, why do you say not to live in Tangana? Is it dodgy?

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Gator says on Sep 30, 2006, 20:36:

I Think... the visa you were told about is called, officially, a Beneficiario. This visa is granted for a husband or wife, a permanent companion, parents or children who is economically dependent on the person granted with a Colombian visa, in this case you. A proof of kinship or link is required. Since this visa will be issued for more than six months your husband MUST register with the DAS Office of Immigration: (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad) within 15 days of entering Colombia. There is an office in Santa Marta. Your husband could, with no trouble, work under the table with this type of visa. If he does find a job just make application through MRE for a work visa.

Taganga is, IMHO, small, dirty with almost noting to do. No real place to live other than a couple of hostel type hotels. Mrs. Gator hates the place because of the continual attempts to sell us drugs. Several bars on the beach but on Friday and Saturday nights the juke box is so loud it will drive you out. The last time we stopped El Garaje is the most popular gringo Saturday night hang-out. To tell the truth worth at best an hour of your time at best.

Don't get me wrong-we both LOVE the Santa Marta area and spent a LOT of time looking for a place to live. You will be amazed at the low real estate prices. In the end it was just too damn hot and humid so we did not buy and just vacation when we feel like it. We just Bounce between SM and Cartagena because we love the sea.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

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