PBH / colombia (travelguide, pictures) / post

Good and bad about my Colombia trip

The bad things...

1) Pobreza

2) The taxistas in Cartagena, always trying to take advantage to squeeze out another $1-3 mil (it's the little things that count, and while 50 cents here or a dollar there aren't much, the principle is what gets you mad)....I wish they were all metered like Cali...and they all drive like Montoya, but not as bad as in Russia, where they create lanes that don't even exist

3) The climate in Cartagena if you don't have A/C

4) Getting our shampoo stolen on the way out to Las Islas del Rosario...more sad that they need to take such small things but not big enough items they get into trouble

5) Vendedores and women forced to massage feet or necks just to make $5 or so per day, while walking 2 hours combined back and forth from home to the beach

THE GOOD

1) The people and their indomitable spirit
2) Futbol, music and dancing
3) That Americanization hasn't totally taken over the country
4) The women, of course....the good ones, not the ones you might meet at La Dolce Vita, Candela, La Carbonera, Mr. Babilla or Q-Kayito
5) That "nightlife" actually starts at 11:00 or so and goes on all night
6) The clima in the mountains and Cali is perfecto
7) Chipichape mall, while overrated, is nice because I got to see Batman Inicio and Sr. and Srta. Smith
8) Beisbol on the northern coast
9) Mimo's ice cream (green sherbert)
10) Crepes & Waffles/Enoteca...would like to start an Enoteca in Armenia when I return in Agosto, they are looking at Medellin
11) Negro Maravilloso, our horse from the carriage ride
12) Beachfront property in Bocagrande or Manga that would cost 4-6X the cost in Florida
13) Not seeing many gringos (or any) near Comfenalco, Villa Hermosa or Barrio San Francisco, where they would have had an eye-opening experience
14) Castellano shopping mall
15) The kids playing everywhere and enjoying life

By caulfield2 on Jul 1, 2005, 11:28 in Friendly Talkzone.

rona says on Jul 1, 2005, 12:10:

caulfield - you just took me back - I hope you enjoyed your trip

la pobreza will break your heart and at the same time make you appreciate a people's resilience . . .

I won't even get into los taxistas, but the mototaxis are downright reckless . . .

. . Crepes and Waffles is great a any time - esp. the salad bar . .

. . . which Castellano shopping mall did you go?

. . . I miss the kids always playing outside - here I live across the street from a park and rarely see kids

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carter says on Jul 1, 2005, 12:38:

one of the greatest things for me about my town Is that my street is filled everyday with kids playing. They would rather play games, football etc with family and neighbours than watch television.

Also parents can send there kids to the shops to buy things with out fear of anything happening to them.

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carolain11 says on Jul 1, 2005, 13:15:

The mall you're talking about is La Castellana, in Cartagena, right???
I grew up with many of the things you mention, and now that I'm an adult I so miss them, like playing on the streets without having to be worried about being taken away, and the ice cream parlor I used to go to with my grandma, sometimes I wanna be a child again, with no responsabilities... it's a good thing I live in Colombia, and have never thought about leaving, I can still enjoy some of those things.

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caulfield2 says on Jul 1, 2005, 13:32:

It was the one that was in the "normal," media clase part of the city away from touristville...it was an indoor mall, but only the stores are A/C....there is a 4 theatre Cine Colombia on the second floor

I heard that the woman who started Crepes & Waffles did it as a way to also provide job opportunities for single mothers (as waitresses)...not sure if this is true or not, but it seems like a successful franchise, the decor in the Old Town/Centro is more to my taste, the Bocagrande one is too "beach-resort"ish for me

We really enjoyed the ice cream deserts there in particular

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kernow62 says on Jul 1, 2005, 13:33:

caulfield2 I take it you didn't ride in taxis in Bogotá. They always add an extra lane where none exists. At least they are metered though. I though overall Cartagena drivers were pretty laid back compared to Bogotá.

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caulfield2 says on Jul 1, 2005, 13:38:

At first I was annoyed that there was music playing in the barrio of my novia at 4:00 in the morning, but I adjusted and it just started to seem normal and I found myself wondering why neighborhoods weren't like that anymore in the US? it reminded me of New York City or Los Angeles everywhere you go, although the vendedores can become tiresome after awhile

i never felt in danger, either by myself or with others (gringos or colombians)...i did lots of "stupid" things according to this board, rode probably 25 taxis by myself (of course, this is cartagena and cali, bogota is a little dicier i think)...went to cajeros automaticos with 3 women i'd just met (NOT professionals, lol)...ended up at some beach/bar north of the airport and remember seeing all the camas on the sides and wondering what have i gotten myself into?

the thing that bothered me the most was the 14-18 year old girls approaching me...if i had ill intentions, and i saw enough lascivious viejo/gordo gringos at la dolce vita, well, i just feel sorry for these young girls who often cannot afford to attend university, and even if they do, it's probably a "lower status" university or college that doesn't guarantee them much of a job post-graduation

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caulfield2 says on Jul 1, 2005, 13:41:

no, i was just there in the airport three separate times!!!

miami to bogota to cartagena

cartagena to bogota to cali

cartagena to bogota to miami

I did meet a really nice English woman on the plane who had a Colombian boyfriend/fiance, taught English (to corporations, private tutoring/lessons) about four hours per day

She hated Bogota for two reasons, the cold (and she was from London) and because she was robbed twice, once at gunpoint and once by at knifepoint, which she said was far scarier and more personalized and would stay with her the rest of her life.

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kernow62 says on Jul 1, 2005, 13:48:

Yikes, London gets colder than Bogotá, what was she thinking. The robbery thing would deter anybody, but to be honest depending on where you are in London it is just as likely to happen there, there is a lot of petty crime.

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tomtom33 says on Jul 1, 2005, 14:22:

La Dolce Vita Why were you there? Of course, you wanted to see the lasivious viejo, gordo gringos. Not many good girls there.

Taxistas aren't much different in Cali or Medellin. Even though they are metered, they can manage to find the long way to your destination and still get that extra 1-3 mil.

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rona says on Jul 1, 2005, 14:23:

La Castellana! . . . my fiancee lives in El Barrio San Pedro - just a few blocks from La Castellana - its a great hangout and you can get great, affordable food at their foodcourt - . . . and just outside there's a well kept (air-conditioned and clean) pool hall for us Billiard junkies . . . too bad I'll only be in Bogota in a few weeks, but come October I'm going to Cartagena - I can't wait

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caulfield2 says on Jul 1, 2005, 14:44:

Well, there are many reasons a girl finds herself in a place like that...she is running away from home, her boyfriend, her life...most of the girls there are not from Cartagena but from Santa Marta, Barranquilla, other coastal cities.

Actually, there were more guys from Europe than the United States at this particular establishment, to tell you the truth, and the majority, of course, were Colombianos.

I find myself in disbelief that a girl would ask me for ONLY $22 to spend one hour with her...it's just a different world down there than in the United States.

If you have money and want to "hook up" with someone (paid or not), you could do it pretty much every night...of course, will that lead to any permanent happiness? Of course, not, and I'm sure some men even feel they are doing the women a favor and "helping" them financially so they can have a better life, lol. Everyone uses everyone else, I guess, and this is the ONE clear area of dominance that women have always held over men.

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Rubiazo says on Jul 1, 2005, 14:51:

Check out tinto's photo gallery There is a bunch of info on recent crime statistics. Cali, Medellin, AND Cartagena all beat Bogota out for crime.

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caulfield2 says on Jul 1, 2005, 14:57:

Well, I don't have conclusive proof or statistics which are probably inaccurate in this situation anyways, but I would argue that the crimes in Cartagena and Cali are probably less violent or more likely to be misdemeanor-level transgressions. Thus, more overall crime, but less "serious" or "threatening" crime.

It's the same in the US with NYC, LA or Chicago, all cities with comparable populations to Bogota.

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tomtom33 says on Jul 1, 2005, 18:07:

Crime in CTG We have some. But I feel comfortable walking alone at 3:00am in Boca Grande, Centro, Laguito, or Castillo Grande. I do venture forth from this cocoon from time to time. There are barrios in CTG that I will not visit.

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Rubiazo says on Jul 1, 2005, 20:05:

caulfield actually go take a look at those statistics, they are for HOMICIDES
Bogota is at 23 per 100,000, Medellin at 48, and Cali at 90! I can't remember Cartagena ATM as I really only looked at the 3 big cities (small towns dont interest me much).

LA and Chicago are maybe comparable to Bogota. NYC is actually very safe these days, to the point of being a yawn-fest.

It's a myth that the bigger a city is, the more crime it will have. This is especially true in Latin America; most of the most dangerous areas are far from 'civilization.'

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hopeful says on Jul 1, 2005, 21:16:

My friend was robbed today on the streets in Bogota. She says it is not a bad barrio but she was accosted on the street by a man with a gun. Thankfully she is okay, and she has a good attitude about it - she is happy she is alive. She is a rolita and well aware of the dangers, but sometimes it happens anyway.

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