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Great trip stories II...Was I being set up for a robbery?

After spending a week in Bogota we arrived at our hotel in Medellin and found it did not match up to what we were told. Sooooo we scouted and located better quarters. The lady needed the money at check in so we had to do some banking.

Off to the trusty Exito and three withdrawals of $400,000 peso and all set. I can't recall now exactly what my wife had to do but I decided I would wait outside. What ever she was doing took longer than I expected and I got thirsty.

I strolled down the side to the little panaderia and ordered a gaseosa and pan. The the problem set in. I had no small change and one point two million pesos all folded together in my wallet. DAMN! Bobo gringo.

So I proceeded to pull it out and offer the twenty thousand peso bill. The cashiers eyes nearly popped out of her head. She asked if I had anything smaller (she was smooth) and I replied no.

I proceeded to the bench seats near the exit and waited for my wife. I young man sat down near me and was listening to his i-pod. My wife took a long time and I began to get wary as to why the boy was sitting there for so long.

After a bit his left leg started to bounce and it wasn't to the ritmos of his music! He put his hand on the leg and stopped it. Then the right leg started to jump. I guess he thought I might not be as easy a mark as at first sight. (six foot 260) Man my wife was taking a long time. Finally his nerves got too raw and he got up and walked off to "shop" some cell phones all the while keeping me in sight. DAMN my wife was taking a long time.

I kept a close eye on the muchacho and decided it might be a good time to give myself a manacure. My boss had given me a kershaw knife which I keep very sharp and it has a fast opening finger cam on the back of the blade.

Anyway the next time he was eyeballing me I slid the knife out of my jeans pocket and flicked it open while maintaining direct eye contact with the muchacho. He literally jumped! Well I proceeded to trim my nails and clean the dirt from under my nails and keep an eye on him. Where were his buddies? Hmmm?

Finally my wife shows up. I directed her back into the store and we went out the other exit. There was a similar aged kid sitting on a bench and talking on a cell and looking at the people leaving the store. I made direct eye contact and shook my head no and wave a finger no.

We elected to take a taxi and had no problems. Perhaps it was my imagination, who knows?

Anyway, that was the only experience I had where I was concious I might have been a potiential target in my three weeks in Colombia and it might have been my imagination. Who knows?

t

By lpdiver on Sep 12, 2007, 22:20 in Friendly Talkzone.

scotty says on Sep 12, 2007, 22:37:

It may have been your amagination, but then again it may not have been. You can't be to safe, you have to always be aware of your surroundings.

Get Rhythm, when you got the blues. Johnny Cash

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john_stark says on Sep 12, 2007, 22:39:

But did you feel safer than you do back in your own home town?

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lpdiver says on Sep 12, 2007, 22:46:

As a matter of fact I do.

t

"cook some rice!"

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Medellin Traveler says on Sep 13, 2007, 03:29:

Better safe than sorry.

"Huevos Rancheros en Medellin, No Quiero Taco Bell." - www.medellintraveler.com

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gringolondinense says on Sep 13, 2007, 04:21:

the fact both his legs were twiching and he couldnt stop them means he was all pumped up on adrenaline...for whatever he was gonna do next.

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jaramillo says on Sep 13, 2007, 05:52:

lpdiver you should listen to your instincts. Otherwise you'll be one more gringo that gave papaya. Well done.

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orestesdd says on Sep 13, 2007, 07:55:

Never carry that much catch in Colombia. Just remember not to give "papaya". I was in Bogota for 10 days, and never had a problem. I do speak Spanish fluently, but I was very careful and never carried lots of cash with me since I found that most of the stuff was very cheap. Besides, I was always with my best friend, a local Colombian woman, whom I want to marry.

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Dan says on Sep 13, 2007, 08:32:

I would say that if you HAD to carry a lot of cash.. don't carry it all in one place.. in other words, keep a little in your wallet and try to hide the rest elsewhere if possible. i usually put extra in an inside jacket pockets or if you are somewhere where no one can see you, maybe you could stash some on the inside of your socks.

God Bless America!

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dwmte7 says on Sep 13, 2007, 11:00:

diver, your hunches were undoubtedly on target. if you always believe in and act upon your intuition, it will not fail you. when i was mfg furniture in colombia in the late 80's, i had 12 workshops and around 60 employees. even with colombian pay standards, this required a lot of money. i had no bank account and i had to wire funds from city bank in n.y. to the bank of the republic in downtown medellin behind the 'fat' botero sculpture. not one of the more desireable tourist areas of medellin!

once when going to the bank to pick up $40,000.00 us in colombian pesos, i had to take the money in two grocery bags, get safely out of the bank, cross that large plaza and find and get into an empty taxi without being killed. i couldn't even trust the bank guards;...they'd kill me themselves right there in front of the bank for that money. needless to say, everytime i relived the experience, picking up u.s. funds, i went through the same fears.

it took 14 months to get my bank account in oviedo at BIC (bancolombia). they thought that since i was the only foreigner living in poblado at the time (rough times then in medellin!) and having a lot of money, i was a drug dealer. ha! finally the caved and i got my account.

dwmte

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danronian says on Sep 13, 2007, 11:59:

Sounds to me like to were a target. As a gringo in Colombia, with very little Spanish skills, this type of situation is something I am constantly trying to avoid.

Good job on getting yourself out of it.

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danronian says on Sep 13, 2007, 12:02:

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Lowell says on Sep 13, 2007, 18:49:

women have intuitions. men have gut feelings. had bad gut feeling the other day about going to town, didn't pay attention. had accident in taxi before we even made it out of our neighborhood. fool.

Alfred E. Newman. "What. Me Worry?"

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la campiña says on Sep 13, 2007, 21:54:

Kershaw knife, my second name is kershaw and I live in cali, 2 blocks from my place is a shop that sells that stuff and advertises amongst other brand names kershaw knives, I'm english and have never seen this brand back home, illuminate me please

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Aaron21 says on Sep 13, 2007, 22:03:

Campina,

Kershaw knives are some of the best made for the price. They are very durable, ultra-sharp, and extremely easy to ready for whatever purpose. Go to www.kershawknives.com.

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la campiña says on Sep 13, 2007, 22:59:

thankyou Aaron21 it's an unusal name ( kershaw) my grandfather fled germany during the war and changed his name from kirschnier to kershaw thanks again

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lpdiver says on Sep 13, 2007, 23:07:

And as Aaron state a great knife. It takes and holds a razer sharp edge very well.

t

"cook some rice!"

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la campiña says on Sep 14, 2007, 00:58:

police escort, aqui en cali no wayyyyyyy bought a moped not long ago kept on running across the road with bunddles of cash quinta cali ' but the little monster is rokin, well for my wife anyway, you can only paint with coloures you have

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miamimike says on Sep 14, 2007, 05:49:

LPdiver-those Kerhsaws are good knifes-when I was in the Coast Guard and Merchant Marine, a lot of Seaman used Kershaws aboard Ship. Great Knife,,,

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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Robert Jorge says on Sep 14, 2007, 20:34:

That's funny. I couldn't figure out why the security at the banks were so obsessed with people not talking on cell phones while waiting in line. Now I know. And it makes sense.

He who farts in church, sits in his own pew.

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