i am here in medellin and..

Peter Miami says on Jul 29, 2005, 09:11:

You lucky dog, have a lot of fun for us. But I will be in Colombia in 13 days and a wake-up.

Peter Miami

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spigrimace says on Jul 29, 2005, 11:34:

Didn´t see you around the stadium jogging this morning But was that you with the face full of bunuelos and a salpicon with ice cream?? lol.

Hope to see you in the sports bar-restaurant on your trip. I have a guy who sings on the weekend. Stop by Saturday like 8PM b4 you go out to the clubs and what not. You can call me at 3434343

I have wide-band in the office upstairs if you need to use the internet. Feel free to stop by to use it.

Chris

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caslug says on Jul 29, 2005, 12:01:

thanks!.. i was planning to stop by anyway, but the direction you gave is a little difficult. I´ll call you later and you can tell me how to get to your place from which metro station.

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caslug says on Jul 29, 2005, 12:13:

i´ve been seeing lots.. of foreigners in town, i guest they´re hear for the same reason i am... for the flowers festival and natural beauty of Medellin!

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tomtom33 says on Jul 30, 2005, 05:40:

Cas Hope you post some photos of the natural beauty of Medellin. Check my photo gallery.

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Hunter says on Jul 30, 2005, 06:51:

As I have been saying for months now, about a year ago you started to see a lot more foreigners in Medellin, mostly in El Poblado neighbourhood, there will be even more there over the coming month for the flower festivel and Colombian Moda.

I know within the last year several dozen have bought apts there, I expect that it is more than that though, they are just the ones I have heard about.

The problem with Medellin there is more money there than many other parts of Colombia and you will tend to find less internet cafes, because many people have computers at home or access to the internet at working, enjoy Medellin Caslug.

Hunter

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calipro says on Jul 30, 2005, 08:35:

caslug, Hunter There is a guy posting on Planet-love that says he just bought a penthouse and coffe shop in Medellin.

He says that he moved there just because he likes the women. If it's true that would be about the 10th american that I know of that moved to colombia just because they like colombianas.

Why don't the two of you drop the guy a line. His e-mail is: michaelconnelly88 at hotmail.com. Says he would like to meet any and all americans that love latinas. Says he'll even let you stay in his penthouse for free if your not a jerk or something.

Check it out and let us know.

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caslug says on Jul 30, 2005, 08:42:

2nd day..or night.. I finally saw sprigmace place it´s a good place for newbies, sprig is a REALLY knowledgeable guy about EVERYTHING in MEDELLIN, probably only HUNTER is more knowledgeable. The other side of his sports bar he has a fast food restaurante, and its pretty decent price.

Went out drinking with him and another PBH memeber, then we hit some afterhour club. I was told Medellin party scene closes around 2AM, then you have to go to afterhour, just like most suburbia cities in the US.

I was joking around with couple of young amigas and asked them about reggaeton music, and if it was for MALO chica, they laughed and said it not. But i didnt check to see if they had tatoos either. BUT i need see couple of girls dancing reggaeton, it definitely is sexually suggestive dance, because most of the movment is in the hips. imagining two people grinding back-and-forth just at the hip, while the rest of the body stays slightly stiff.

I did find a great internet place that has highspeed all the time, its call COLDECON that is close to my hotel. Today i´m planning on going to the horse(calbagata) parade.

PS. saw a few prepago chicas at Centro COmerical San Diego last night. They were muy caliente...

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caslug says on Jul 30, 2005, 08:43:

CP.. just tell him to contact sprig..o paisa29.. both seem to have an excellent network of american friends.

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caslug says on Jul 31, 2005, 15:35:

another another adventure.. On saturday i went to check out the horse parade. it was great saw lots of people and activities with lots of horse and horse shit. I have lots of photo, i will try to post them. The parade goes parallel the river, saw tons of silicon watching the parade and in the parade..

later went with my amiga to el centro to another feria event gots some pictures there too. we then went to this open air mall and as we walked around, there was a HUGE commotion.. lots of yelling and whistling, people got out of the way. I saw one guy running chased by 5 or 6 guys and the crowd was whistling. found out later that the guy was the thief who attempt to run into a store and steal something(this was about 4 pm), well some store employees and good samaritans chased his assed and gave him an ass whopping. Vigilante JUSTICE!! Apparently this happens every now and then. My amiga said it is normal for the general public to step in and help in these situation. In US, the public would just let the thief run..

Later that night, my and some gringos friends with some locals guys tried to go to so clubs in poblado(palmita i think), but couldnt find a table. Then we head to the famous Mangos. It true what everyone say, you gotta go to mango at least once when you visit Medellin. i didn´t think the music was that great, but the dancers female AND male were awesome, looking at dance abilities. LOTS of SILICON!!! It´s funny, i saw several foreigners there that i saw the other day on the street. for 5 people the billed came to $250k, that was with two bottle of rum(ron) and lots of water&cokes.

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caslug says on Jul 31, 2005, 15:43:

family day in Medellin.. it´s sunday and i met paisa29 and some amigas at the metro station estadio. They got this free aerobic class for the public and big plaza, hundreds of people(lots of women in exercise outfit) following the dancers on the stage..Dont worry i got fotos..Paisa29 told me that this happens every sunday...

Then we head to the festival at the cable car station on top of the hill. Totally cool! you take the cable car up all the way to the top and walk around, they have lots of booth selling stuff and food, we ended up having lunch at a hole-in-the-wall place not bad..total bill for 4 people came to 20k with tip...

Then paisa29 took us to the parque de deseo(park of wishes), she said on sunday it´s family day so tons of family with their kids, its was some kite festival so people where flying kites...I notice today because i went to more local places that i got lots of stares for being a foreinger... Dont worry i got tons of fotos from the whole day..

Overall my experience in Medellin has been spectacular. Anyone foreign tourist in town that doesn´t know there way around, really should contact Paisa29, because she is a great local guide. She trying to organizer a tourist group event for August 7th, the big flower parade. Anyone interest should contact her.

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adrimm says on Jul 31, 2005, 20:04:

thks for trip report Glad to hear you seem to be enjoying yourself!

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caslug says on Aug 1, 2005, 08:08:

easy come easy go... late Last night hit the casino in centrol comercial san diego. ran into bunch of israeli tourist backpacker. After seeing and talking with them, now i understand why you see many travelling south america. This one guy i was playing blackjack with told me that it´s a tradition for young people(men&women) to travel for a year. After they do their 3 yr military committment(2 for women), they get out work a year to save money then take off for 1 WHOLE year to travel the world. South America and India are the popular places because it´s cheap, they can have a great time for $15k USD for the year. They usually stay in HOSTAL and there are HOSTAL catering to israeli backpackers in those places. After traveling for a year, they´ll go back to school at complete their studies.

After seeing bunch of them, now i know why they are very popular with the ladies. Unlike the fellow american/CAD men i see,who can be older, balding, out of shape-incl me. In my travel in COL, i rarely see young college age American, normally the american i meet are older 30´s to 50´s. The young isaerli are all in shape, well built, look like they can take care of themselves..all Because of their military time. AND they all have funky cool hair, lots have long or even dreadlocks..My buddy told me it is because of the military service, when they are in they have to keep their hair short, so when they get out they go wild. Interestingly, this is UNLIKE the young US military VETs i see. I theorize, because in US it´s a volunteer army so only the guys who WANT to join and those guys tend to be a little conservative in nature. THe young american vets, in their earlier twenties tend to have their hair short even after getting out. My buddy said, because Israel is a draft, guys who are liberal, hate to conform(ie, hippies) still have to go in.

We had a great time playing till 3 AM(i losted 80K peso in 4 hrs), he travelled all around s. america for 10 months, he has couple of months left before heading home. He said the women in Medellin is TOPS!! Only Argentina is close second. He was in Casino for the same reason as me..no place to party on the weeknights(sun-wed). They´ll moving to Casa Kiwi because they heard that it´s nicer than the hostal(the famous israeli owned place in Medellin) they are staying at.

Speaking of gambling, with vegas rules, MOST(80%) COL locals DONT know how to play. Dealer has a 5 showing and they have 13, they´ll hit to try to get a higher card. I guess they were never taught to allow dealer bust. Most of this is because they dealers here DO NOT give advice unlike Vegas. They rarely have a sense of community for the table, interestingly the i notice the people that play bigger stakes(20-50k peso or more per hand) are more likely to know how to play. Last night saw LOTS over 10, chinese(don´t know if they COL-chinese or not) but they look straight out of china with fashion, mannerism and hair style. BUT gotta give it to them, they know how to play the tables... One guy one 300k peso in one hour!! Of course he knew how to play..

One thing that struck me odd was it was late sunday night and locals COL were at the tables till 2 or 3 AM playing and losing over 200k peso or more. When the average wage per month in COL is 300 or 400k A MONTH, these people were playing and losing like VEGAS..Where the table minimums are (5USD=11k peso)..one guy was betting(he was winning more than losing) 50 to 100k per hand, that´s more than most table players in vegas..

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viewpoint says on Aug 3, 2005, 04:53:

CASLUG YOU STILL THERE OR WAS IT A BAD NIGHT AT THE TABLES ?

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caslug says on Aug 3, 2005, 07:37:

lost another 50k(22USD).. but saw some young COL guys betting 100-200k PER HAND! and WINNING! They were 4 of them and they ALL had HOT!!! girls with them. I swear I NEVER see LOCALS tips the dealers EVEN when they win that amount. In vegas, its customary to tip the dealer when you win big(40USD or more typically). YOu can tell ALOT about a person personality when you watch them play blackjack. People who play by the rules tend to be cool people, but i saw some stupid guys that bust the table for the rest of us. Sometimes it fun watching some idiot that has 50k peso on 13 HIT against the dealer showing a 5. Of course most of the time they pull a 10 and bust or bust the table for them and everyone(incl me, luckly i only bet 2500). Or other times watching them split 10 or 2s because they are greedy..

The only part that sucks about Medellin for single, tourist is that on sun-wed night there is NOTHING to do after 10PM. ALL the clubs or bars area are close, all the good girls have to sleep by 10PM. So it´s either the casinos, back to hotel or unmentionable night activities. So i lost at the casino...

Another thing i found that was astounding, but explains alot is..
apparently petty thief is punishable(if caught by police) by ONE DAY in jail, then they let you free TO DO IT AGAIN!! Same with beating someone up!!! Now i understand why there is vigilant justice(posse style) here, BECAUSE they want the thief to know, that the he´ll get a MAJOR asswhopping BEFORE spending ONE day in jail. SO he doesn´t come back and steal from the same place. OH..If you beat up a thief, then YOU DO NOT get thrown in jail, only if you beat up law abiding citizen...

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viewpoint says on Aug 3, 2005, 07:41:

Caslug I sent you my phone number in a PM.

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quindioman says on Aug 3, 2005, 07:50:

lol very interesting posts caslug....keep 'em coming

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utopiacowboy says on Aug 3, 2005, 07:55:

Yeah, caslug, keep on writing about your adventures.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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viewpoint says on Aug 3, 2005, 08:22:

Caslug Don't tell me that you can't find any action as you are within one or two blocks (from San Deigo Mall) of where you can find all the action your want at Calle 33 and Ave. Poblado intersection (northwest side of circle drive). You will find plenty of girls there when you are leaving the Casino (rain or shine). Even you could get lucky any night of the week. jajaja

Don't ask me how I know but someone just told me.

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caslug says on Aug 3, 2005, 08:45:

on women and the city.. since there´s been some hashing on this subject lately, i´ll add my 5 peso..YOU CAN FIND WHAT YOU WANT IN MEDELLIN... I´ve met LOTS of women, just casual for coffee, drinks or going to tourist sites. AND it´s´only been less than a week in COL. FIRST it´s VERY EASY, SECOND MOST are VERY sweet, THIRD ALL work there ass off, and FOURTH there´s ones that want to party on YOUR DIME..

Just meeting the few(ok not so few) that i´ve meet, i can see why guys like Daver, UC, and others can be committed, but i can ALSO see why poster like Hunter, and others think differently..I´ve met and seen lots of both side.

It´s VERY easy for anyone with a little plata(money) LOCAL OR FOREIGNER to meet party girls. GO TO THE CASINO, notice who is with the guys with big stack of chips, usually girls with big stacks themselves! LOL!.. ALSO, You meet them on the street, in bar, or clubs. MOST cannot afford to go to a club, heck many cant afford to take a taxi ride to meet YOU for a date(esp the younger ones), let alone going to club and drinking. it is ALSO VERY EASY to meet responsible, nice, educated, respectable, hardworking girls that you can have serious relationship with. As UC mention, you don´t really met them in the club, because if they are hardworking and responsible then they are NOT going clubbing alot because it´s a waste of money(the percentage of dispoal income in COL is ALOT less than 1st world country-DUH!).. So the good ones will use the money to help family finances versus spending on drinking & dancing.

BUT talking with many expat, especially single ones that arrive single to MEDELLIN.. I can see why they are jaded on the dating scene.

OHH, found out that the METRO is NOT convienant for ALL of Medellin. Especially many poor, lower & middle class areas, they use bus instead. ANY of you guys coming to Medellin for vacation i recommend staying NEAR THE METRO, it´s a fast and cheap way to get around during the day. Personaly i did NOT like Poblado, while it´s very quiet and safe, it lacks character and energy. PLUS it´s hilly and many areas are a long walk to the metro. YOu´ll have to have a car or taxi to get around. THAT means your COL friends will have a slightly more difficult(and expensive) time getting to you

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caslug says on Aug 3, 2005, 08:47:

viewpoint..(women near san diego).. you know you have to be careful with the girls on the street near SD mall.. SOME ARE MEN(trans)!! Ja, ja.. Beside, since i lost at the casino, no money no honey..

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robhaynie says on Aug 3, 2005, 13:07:

caslug? what did you mean by this.. "BUT talking with many expat, especially single ones that arrive single to MEDELLIN.. I can see why they are jaded on the dating scene"

care to elaborate?

THis is contrary to my colleagues' and my own opinions. I know alot of expats who come to Medellin every weekend from Bogota or Caracas just because the dating scene is so rich in Medellin for the gringo male.

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caslug says on Aug 3, 2005, 19:50:

ROB..That is EXACTLY what i mean.. its TOO RICH, ITS TOO EASY, ITS VERY HARD to STAY IN a LONG RELATIONSHIP.. SO the guys here just have good times to good times but with no LOVE.. THERE you MADE ME SAY IT!!! I DIDNT want to and get flamed.. ;-) READ my exerpt below..

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caslug says on Aug 3, 2005, 20:51:

good start to another day.. Started out great, had a date setup with one pair of sisters. was heading out to meet Viewpoint for lunch.. when the hotel receptionist an older women(but still got together) wanted to talked with me.. yesterday we were talking about touristy stuff when i was at the front desk, for about an hour. Today she asked if i would like her to show me around after she work one of these days. She just warn me i can´t let on to the hotel that she showing me around after work..hmm..WTF? Anyway, i had to go meet viewpoint and an amiga later, so couldnt take up her offer today..

Viewoint picked me up at the Exito market next to Metro station Poblado. Took me to his office & house, WOW!!! I got some gorgeous foto from his bad, but it doesn´t do justice on the view he´s got. It´s like the PLAYBOY mansion except without the bunnies(which i pretty sure he can stock with if wanted too).. This places was HUGE! Now i know where the filthy rich COL lives in Medellin..

He then took me and his secretary to eat at the ritzy country club for lunch, next to his place. This place is freaking right out of town&country magazine, spectacular the view, the food, the service, everything. It´s a buffett, but he waiters DONT EVEN let you bring the plates to the table.. They follow you with the plate or in my case one guy follow me back to the table with a bowl of soup! Viewpoint said he had to pay 450K per month for membership, but hey the food was cheap! we had buffett, great food for 12k(5.5USD) that´s VERY CHEAP, even by COL standard for a place like that. I promise i won´t talk him up more(other than say he´s a very cool guy) for the fear that the rest of us PBH members will bug him when we arrive in COL.

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caslug says on Aug 3, 2005, 20:52:

strange days Then he dropped me off at poblado metro station to meet an amiga at 2:30. which is where my day got strange.. 3:15 rolls by and i still waiting for her, by 3:30 i´m starting to get peeved. Once again the famous COL past time(pun intend) of being late. BUT a very attractive 23 yr girl(who happens to have to wait for her female cousin, who was also a hour late) comes up to me and ask if my amiga was late like her cousin. So we strike up a conversation about women being late, ja,ja.. I told them my sob story about my amiga being late and i need to call her on her cell phone. I was simply going to head out to the and use the cell guys on the street, but she insist i use the pay phone. Her cousin and the cousin 3 kids show up, and the four of them go with me to the pay phone and pay for the call to my amiga. After talking with my amiga, turns out she couldnt make it(this was AFTER she told me she was 2 station away 20 minutes earlier) and she asked i reschedule the date for later tonight. Anyway, the 23yr old, then asked if i wanted to join her group because she was taking her cousin family from Ecuador up to Metro Cable. Just like that i´m off with a COL family on the tour of the barrior top of the metro station. Which i did already with paisa29 on sunday. We get there, one of the tourist guide takes us on the STREET TOUR of the barrior. I got stares like by tons of people, because this was a very poor area(and they´re not using to seeing foreigners, but it´s safe because it´s in the day and in conjuntion with feria. I went from country club to dirt lot in one day.. Bought the family ice cream for being just very welcoming and nice to me..

Then headed back on the metro to metro station industrial for another tourist place. On the metro, couple of college kids(guys) who spoke english, asked me if i was foreign, obviously when they heard me butcher their langauge. They whipped out their camera and wanted to take a foto of me..what the heck right! talked with them, cool guys, if i wasn´t with the family i think i could´ve have hook up with them to go check out girls.. I was quite amaze i got the amount of stares that i got, i mean, my hair wasnt gell and i was wearing shorts(which shows my skinning, white legs), in other word i wasnt on top of my game in look department.. I imagine if i was wearing pants and gell the hair, i get double the stares, and from girls! LOL!

Then the family and i headed out to Pueblo(town) Paisa, basically it´s a like OLD TOWN MEDELLIN, tourist spot on top of this high ass hill. We HIKED up the stares, it´s a exercise i tell you.. when we got up to the top, i realize that they had roads so we could of taken the taxi, but it was good exercise. spent the evening there looking around, taking fotos, then it was time to go home. well after my friend talked with her cousin family(my spanish was not good enough to follow), we got two taxis one them one for me.. no big me.. But the my hot young 23 tour guide said she´ll ride the taxi with me to my hotel to make sure i get there ok, then take the bus home from estation estadio. I took her to dinner and asked her to pick the place, it was between CHEAP COL fast food or sit down restaurant, she insisted on the cheap place. I felt guilty and told her no, and we went to the sit down restaurant. This is CONTRAST to two hotties my israeli buddy and i went with yesterday who picked MONDONGO for lunch(which is exp by COL standard).. It´s amazing because this girls has been up since 4AM showing her family & me around.. Needless to say, i also pay her taxi home and thanked her profusely for being such as nice&helpful person. I have to confess, if i was living in Medellin and looking for a decent gf, i be hard press to find someone sweeter..BUT i´m not living in MED and NOT looking for a gf...such is life..

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toneloc24 says on Aug 3, 2005, 21:43:

Cas - that was a bird in the hand if there ever was one. What are you doing? LOL!!!

Seriously, I'm glad you're enjoying Medellin. Can't wait to make it there next week. Keep writing, buddy!!!

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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caslug says on Aug 4, 2005, 07:35:

yeah tone.. it´s quite a problem..

Too bad i cant stick around when you get in, i have to head out on the 8th. If you can try to stay in poblado BUT near the metro, because many of the apartments in Poblado is too far to walk to the metro, espeically w the hills. Estadio area is good, i like that area personally and when you arrive next week the hotel won´t be as full. Tons of hotels on cr 70 i would stay there if they had rooms.

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toneloc24 says on Aug 4, 2005, 07:57:

In which hotel in Estadio are you staying? Which of those others in that area would you recommend?

I like Poblado, but I understand your reluctance to stay there as well. I will probably explore other areas of Medellin to stay for future visits, including Laureles & Estadio.

I might be in the minority on this, but I did find Parque Lleras partying to be a bit overrated. I did a lot of walking around, which I don't mind, but I got tired of walking up that hill. LOL!!!

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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tomtom33 says on Aug 4, 2005, 08:06:

Parque Lleras I haven't spent nearly as much time there as I would like to have spent, but the eye candy on Fri. and Sat. nights is incomparable.

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caslug says on Aug 4, 2005, 08:10:

rigth on.. i´ll pm you address on my hotel.. i´ll ask if they have rooms starting next week. they should because the feria is over. Llaruels is good BUT unless your place is near the metro station, again it´s taxi all the time. another thing that is good about cr 70 hotel is LOTS of activities on the street and bars, restaurants, etc.,

Lleras is not bad, it´s good to maybe walk around have a drink but not some place i want to hang night in night out, and since you already know that Medellin is good size city. on the weekends, there´s couple of places other than lleras anyway. you should stop by spigmace place and talk with him, he knows which places to party pretty well. Palmitas is good, but when spig and i arrived it was packed, so if you go go earlier or have dinner. Its no cover and cheap drink and nice club, which is why it get packed early.

I like poblado area, just wish most of it was close to the metro.

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utopiacowboy says on Aug 4, 2005, 08:24:

Caslug, after your experience with that girl, do you see why those of us married to women like that have died and gone to heaven? You have a wife like that - nothing on earth can beat it. I really enjoy hearing about your experinces - keep it up, dude!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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tomtom33 says on Aug 4, 2005, 08:27:

UC I have a Paisa novia like that. The only problem is that I'm a pig.

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paisa29 says on Aug 4, 2005, 08:30:

caslug I`m glad that you are having a great time here, you are very lucky because you`ve had the opportunity to meet different kind of paisas and like you said good paisas like your friend are not easy to find specially at the bars.

"Fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality" Conrad Hilton

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morphus says on Aug 4, 2005, 08:40:

if you stay in Poblado around calle 10 its not far from the metro. just walk down the hill passed Parque Poblado.

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jacobtafler says on Aug 4, 2005, 09:47:

pr lleras it is nothing to do for single man in pr lleras the girls what are there looking rich colombian guy and not intresting in any tourist this colombian guys that are there eating have money more than 70 perocent of the tourist going there and the best place are arounnd the estadiom end better places are in cale 33 near carbonzinho bar there are about 8 nice places just walk around friday and satrday is fuul and middele class girls and buys in parque lleras 70 perocent of the girls have selicons and the others 30 perocent hope to meet rich colombian man to pay the selicon it ios just nice to walk there 1 or 2 time from 19 to 21 that all and sunday to wensday it is dad place if any body like to meet nice peoples just go to sabaneta la doctora st there are 5 nices places to meet normals good colombians peoples it is 20 minutes by taxi from povlado medelin is the best place in colombia and in sauth america i was traveling in all this countries

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morphus says on Aug 4, 2005, 10:42:

sometimes i meet Colombians in Poblado but there are times i walk around Parque LLeras alone like a freak. i been invited to parties and treated to drinks. sometimes they like to prove to the gringo how their country is better and they have money. its still possible to steal away their girlfriends. a lot of the "rich" guys have hot girlfriends from middle class barrios in Medellin. a lot of Colombianas and even one of those mafiosa princesas will take a visa over a life of leisure in Medellin. i ran into a girl i met the first time i was in Medellin at the movies in Oviedo mall. she was with one of those so called rich guys. we talked a little and then she got into a new Mazda with her "rich" guy, WOOOO. my new girl was wondering who they were. i said "i don't know, they just started talking to me"...lol.

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caslug says on Aug 5, 2005, 10:14:

WOOHOO!!! finally go away to upload fotos.. I just post some foto from my first couple of days in Medellin..
you can see them at. i wrote short description on them. I hope it shows those of us who HAVNT been to MEDELLIN(even COL) a good diverse view of the city. I visit many areas some that are very well off while other are dirt poor poverty. I´ll post the yahoo photo address in a little later. All the foto was taken with a 4Mb Minolta Digital Camera, most of the shots were with wide angle lense. I´m total newbie with fotography, so bear that in mind.

Andy-NY and I meet up at the plaza de BOtero yesterday and immediately got SWAMP(i´ll post fotos later) by school kids wanting to talk with us because we were foreigner. That was nice, we answered all their questions and took fotos with them. BUT then the street kids, panhandlers started to swamp us too, to talk, to sell, to take fotos. That was a little more annoying..

Yesterday went to Paisa29, PBH meeting, saw Viewpoint, Pabacito, Andy-NY, Jessman, Wayne, Sprigmace, colombiaboard, and many others at Buffalo. Everyone had a wonderful time, some of us ended closing out the place. Thanks goes out Paisa29 for organzing it.

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caslug says on Aug 5, 2005, 10:18:

here´s the link.. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/binh_hoang/album?.dir=/a521&.src=ph&.tok=phjGkaDB3mTqzsq1

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caslug says on Aug 6, 2005, 08:13:

flower power.. Yesterday i went with two amigas(sisters)-once again they show up 2 hr late- to the botanical garden, they were having an event for the feria. It cost 7k per person due to the feria, normally it cost 5k. The garden is near metro station universidad. I really came in touch with my feminine side at the garden, FLOWERS WERE EVERYWHERE!!! dont worry i got lots of fotos of flowers for you fellow girlie men or flower lovers..LOL!

Because it´s the feria week, its was packed plus had bunch of food stand inside, like food fair. If anyone is in Medellin now, and hasn´t visit, i highly recommend that you do. go by yourself if you have to, it´s not an experience to miss.

GUYS, the place is a GREAT place to take a date that you want to impress.. it´s cheap, it has a little pond that you can chill or have a picnic. I was told that the local guys use it to take their girls also. alas it not very romantic when you go with two girls(and one girl is bored because no one is hitting on her) and standing room only(lots of people this week).

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utopiacowboy says on Aug 6, 2005, 09:09:

Babes, babes, babes. I like that one of you surrounded by about 20 chicas. Rough life, man.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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caslug says on Aug 6, 2005, 09:40:

too bad they.. are all under 18.. they were part of the medellin traditional dance troupes.

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utopiacowboy says on Aug 6, 2005, 10:45:

Jailbait!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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caslug says on Aug 7, 2005, 15:53:

Desfiles de Flores.. i went today to it, it was WILD!!! GOT TONS OF FOTOS. i´ll post them later this week. I went with w a friend we got down the main starting place at around 1:30pm, and it was packed. The rich folks paid 15k per ticket to sit in the bleacher, we decided to check out the peanut gallery, which is the area on the street sitting on sidewalk. if you can get through the crowd it´s worth it.

The people were amazing(ly) helpful. I started asking where i can foto the parade and all the sudden the people started yelling to other people to let me through to take fotos. They saw i had a camera and a foreigner. The parted the crowd of humanity and next thing i know me and my buddy got street level access, the cops waved us through. From their it was wild, guys were offering me shots of aguardeinte with them once they saw i was a foreign tourist interest in their parade. As i got to the middle of street to take fotos they started yelling´CHINO, CHINO!! MIRAR MIRAR!! FOTO FOTO!!´they wanted me to take fotos of them. When i did they went wild. Guess they had to have some sort of tentertainment before the parade start.

When the parade started i got a great shots because i was ON the street WITH the parade, i walked back and forth taking fotos. You sure couldn´t do that in a parade in the US unless you´re press.

The parade started out with a tribute to the soldiers and police who were wounded in action. They had pairs of soldier moving through, with one healthy pushing a wounded one in a wheelchair, many of those guys in the wheelchair lost a leg(fr landmines). The crowded went wild in tribute to them. Very touching. Then the rest of the parade started with the famous flower on the pack, from small to large(that require couple of people supporting). As the peasant moved through the crowded would yell PARE PARE! if they stop and turn to show their flowers, then the crowd would go wild.

The parade moves through several part of town, but it only last 2 hrs if you sit at one spot.

PS. Yesterday while i was at the autoparade with Paisa29, viewpoint, colombiaboard, and andy-ny something odd and unfortunate happen. Andy-NY, obvious tourist looking guy got scammed by the beer selling guy. He bought a beer and gave the guy a 50 mil bill to break, the guy was suppose to give him back his change. Instead the guy SWITCH ANDY´S REAL 50 bill with a FAKE(counterfeit) 50 BILL. AND he told ANDY it was fake, while andy was walking to the atm to get money. Our local friends started arguing with the guy and telling he´s a cheat. When Andy return from the ATM, he paid for the beer a SECOND time. So he was out 50k peso plus cost of beer. One guy told me that it´s easy to spot fake bills, hold them up to the light, and the number in the stripe should be seen on BOTH side of the bill. WITH fake ones, you see the serial numbers on one side ONLY.

One thing i´m starting to understand about nightlife in Medellin is that you better start your night early. It´s not like you can hit a club at 11pm, another at 1am, and another at 3am. Places closes 1 or 2AM ON THE WEEKEND! there´s only one afterhour place and it´s seedy. ANOTHER thing is if you´re at a out of the way place when you part till 2am, good luck finding taxis. Last night i had to hike to parque poblado to wait 1 hrs for a taxi. I waited a total of 2 hrs after the club closed to get home!

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caslug says on Aug 7, 2005, 16:04:

JAILBAIT!.. The other night my buddy and i met two girls at obelisk near estadio, we asked them to go party which they did for a bit. BUT one girl kept getting call on her cell phone from(mama, yeah right!) she had to bail after a bit. Put while the four of us were at a club on calle 33, two other girls were checking us out. Well when the girl i was talking to had to go ´HOME´, she was putting on lipstick to go home at sleep...yeah whatever. i started talking with two new girls at the bar. going with option B.

Funny thing happen, my buddy´s girl who liked him, kept asking us to go back to a friend´s apartment with her. At first we thought she wanted to bring another AMIGA to replace the one that left. TURN outs it was a AMIGO, who is fluent in english(hope its not boardmemeber) to translate for her(guess she wanted to talk serious stuff w my buddy). I´m thinking, two obvious tourist in MEDELLIN, are invited to an apartment of people WE DONT KNOW to talk with A GUY. I´m imagining getting robbed, hacked up and dumped. i told my buddy NO WAY, ESPECIALLY going to a GUYS APARTMENT. MAYBE if it was another girl we would go.

No big lost, because i ended up getting the two new girls numbers and they wanted to party with us the next day(sat). Took those girls out last night, during the normal conversation, i asked her if she was working or studying, she said she´s studying, cool a young student. ASKED her what year, she said 1st semester. I´m thinking oh oh..i asked how old do student when they start uni, she replied 17 or 18, i asked are you 18..she replied no i´m 17. just my luck! LOL!... I quickly went to option B and called another amiga, told the 17yr old that i wished she was one year older...

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utopiacowboy says on Aug 7, 2005, 16:09:

Caslug, 17 isn't legal?

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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robhaynie says on Aug 7, 2005, 17:04:

Its legal......but If you really want to get technical in Colombia 14 is the legal age of consent. For me personally I will not touch a girl under 17(which is the legal age of consent in my hometown NYC). I met a really hot girl at Ovieda but found out she was only 16. A couple of gringos who live in Med. and who I met at San Diego casino proceeded to tell me how is very normal for 50 year old me to have 15 and 16 year old girlfriends. The colombians guys there also told me its no big deal and to just go for it. When i told them i am 28 they told me all guys my age have girlfriends that age.

This may be very normal in Colombia but it is very strange to me and I decided to pass. There are no shortage of (US legal aged girls) down there. I have a pretty good life back home and I dont want to have to say
"Well its legal in Colombia" as my defense one day.

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robhaynie says on Aug 7, 2005, 17:04:

Its legal......but If you really want to get technical in Colombia 14 is the legal age of consent. For me personally I will not touch a girl under 17(which is the legal age of consent in my hometown NYC). I met a really hot girl at Ovieda but found out she was only 16. A couple of gringos who live in Med. and who I met at San Diego casino proceeded to tell me how is very normal for 50 year old me to have 15 and 16 year old girlfriends. The colombians guys there also told me its no big deal and to just go for it. When i told them i am 28 they told me all guys my age have girlfriends that age.

This may be very normal in Colombia but it is very strange to me and I decided to pass. There are no shortage of (US legal aged girls) down there. I have a pretty good life back home and I dont want to have to say
"Well its legal in Colombia" as my defense one day.

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tomtom33 says on Aug 8, 2005, 07:41:

Rob Even though 17 is legal in NY, under 18 may be a problem for US citizens outside of their home state. I doubt that the US would attempt to enforce this law in the case of a 17 YO, but anything is possible.

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caslug says on Aug 8, 2005, 11:58:

Sisters sisters..and sad goodbye.. I took out two sisters last night, told them that i like both of them. I said that each had personality i like and i cant decide who, but i would like to cont. spending time with both AT THE SAME time. they were totally ok with me working both together. I reassured them that their mother would be less worry if both are out together versus me being with one only, for safety of course.. Never know about those foreign men, safety in numbers i say..they both agreed! Was working pretty good, until another PBH member unexpectly showed up while i was waiting in my hotel. So i took one for the team and invited him to join us. Cool guy, he got the info on one of the sister, oh well... there goes my fantasies..BUT i´ll be returning to MED next week, so the saga may cont..

Going on dates in COL is weird sometimes because of the social, economic, & cultural differences between COL and 1st world countries. For example, most of the time you pay the girls TAXI TO AND FROM the date, i had girls asked me to buy their mom food(hamburger or hotdog-$5k peso) at the end of the date.

This morning left medellin for Pereria, staying near plaza de bolivar.. Thank for the hotel info ROOFUS, those guys still remember you, tall CAD..

The bus trip was interesting and great experience. The first part was snake winding road that went on for 2 hrs, several people threw up because of the motion sickness! After throwing up in the barf bag, they simply tossed it out the door WHILE moving..Stop for quick lunch(20 mins), make sure you dont be tardy or else the bus LEAVES WITHOUT YOU! Luckily the second half was lot better, BUT we got stop at military checkpoint. They took us(passanger) ALL off the bus, search our carry on and documents, very polite and friendly, we went on our way.

I got some decent fotos because the bus driver allowed me come up to the front between him and another passanger and take fotos. very welcoming and friendly these col people..

i have to admit, i´ve never been outside the cities(cali, CTG, BOG, Medellin), so it´s a great exp to see the country side and how people go about their business in the small towns and villages. The view is very beautiful with mountains, rivers, valley, etc., quite breathtaking. I´ll try to post fotos later. I´ll post my observation on how pereria is..

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caslug says on Aug 8, 2005, 12:09:

THANKS guys!!.. I want to publicly thank Spigmace, Papacito, Viewpoint, Paisa29, Andy-NY, Colombiaboard, & chris66 for being sharing time with me. They all made my visit to Medellin memorable and enjoyable and were very generous with me and my amigas.

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utopiacowboy says on Aug 8, 2005, 12:40:

Great posts, Caslug! Keep 'em coming.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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toneloc24 says on Aug 8, 2005, 13:01:

Nice report Cas!!!!

You'll find another set of sisters, lol!!!

I'm ready to hear your Pereira report. I'll probably be doing the same type of trip later this year. Therefore, I will probably look back at this report as a guide.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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caslug says on Aug 8, 2005, 16:05:

there´s LOTS of money in Pereira.. Most of the city i´m been too (CTG, Lima, Cali, BOG, Med) all of which is bigger than Pereira has a blackjack table minimum of 2500 peso or equilvanet(1USD). Here at two casinos i´ve check out it was $5000 peso minimum and this was before 9pm! Once again the locals dont know how to play, so they lose more than they win. but they burn money pretty quickly. They have some nice stores, it´s cleaner than any city i´ve been too.

But it also seems sterile, lack the waves of humanity you find in bogota, lima, or medellin. Definitely has a small town felling, which is what is good in a lot of ways i guess.

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quindioman says on Aug 9, 2005, 06:08:

jailbait? there ain't no such thjing as jailbait in Colombia....30 year old guys going out with 15 year old girls....tell me something I haven't seen....BTW in Colombia a girl celebrates becoming a woman on her 15th birthday

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caslug says on Aug 9, 2005, 06:40:

you´re on the money quindoman.. i´ve heard fr my amigas that´s its very common for young girls to date older COL men. But i think as a foreigner i stay away from that.. Unless i was 18 again! LOL!

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caslug says on Aug 9, 2005, 06:52:

Where do the coffee growers go to sell.. do they use Pereira as the hub to do business? I think that maybe a reason why i see TONS of money changing places, jewlery stores, and nice shop. Pretty odd for such as small town..i didn´t remember seeing as much money changer in Medellin(and Medellin is 6x bigger).

Went out with a hotel guy on a beer tour(i paid for the beer and taxi and he was my guide). Show my some places the local party, but of course on monday it was dead, but it´s good to know for the next time, i can see that on the weekend it would be pretty cool. BUT if you want to go to the coffee park, stay in ARMENIA!! it´s a pain to arrange transportation from Pereria to the coffee park, it either cost lots of money 90k round trip or take several buses. If i´ve known that(my fault for not reading my LP guide), then i would have stayed in Armenia.

I´ll hit the zoo here, supposely it´s known for it´s tiger and bird displays.

PS. Food overall is pretty cheap, i average 5 or 6k for lunch and 10k for dinner if i´m not taking out a date. I´ve been eating lots of empanadas from the street vendors, they cost 1k or less, so you can eat lunch for 3 or 4k if you wanted. Transportation cost isn´t much, even Medellin a decent size city, most taxi rides cost 5-10k depending on time of day and distances.

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viewpoint says on Aug 10, 2005, 05:50:

CASLUG Give the city of Medellin another weeks rest before returning. You really are the "PARTY" in the phrase "PARTY ANIMAL". jajajaja

The Medellin girls need some more rest and sleep before they can keep up with Caslug. I think he met all of them during his visit.

Paisa29´s PBH get together started last thurday evening (August 4) but continued non-stop until sunday evening (Augst 7). I don´t know what they do in Bogota at the PBH events but in Medellin this first event was a multi-day event.

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Andy-NY says on Aug 10, 2005, 12:14:

Hey Rob, I live in NY too (obviously). I think the legal age here is 18, not 17. I had a similiar debate with a friend a few years ago and we found out that the legal age was 18. Unless the law has changed since then, I think 18 is the magic number.


Andrew-NY

Andrew-NY

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CaryGrant says on Aug 10, 2005, 12:38:

Did you go to the Coffee Park, caslug? Excellent posts, btw, and thanks for sharing.

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lilivegav says on Aug 11, 2005, 13:08:

Its legal... but not all young gilrs likes "catanos" Catano is the word we use to describe the Old guys who liked younger girls!! Its true that some 16 years old girls like older guy, but is not the guy they like, they like the money they have. So If you have a 16 girl in you back, watch out... Im 25, but I dont like guys older than 30. I think 4 years older or youngest guys is the perfect age for me... I bet you understand it!!

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utopiacowboy says on Aug 11, 2005, 14:58:

How about a photo for us "catanos"?

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Peter Miami says on Aug 11, 2005, 15:15:

Calsug Get out of Medellin and get to Cali if you are not there yet!

Peter Miami

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BigO says on Aug 12, 2005, 12:45:

Age of Consent is 17 Yeah Andy (& all others)- the age in NY is 17. Just check the local news about the Mom screwing her son's school friends. She has a couple of counts of satutory rape except the 17 year olds because it's the legal age of consent.
FYI

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Lucia Rojas says on Aug 12, 2005, 14:48:

AndyNY Hi!!!!!! so I hear you´ve been having a great time in Medellin. Sorry about the 50,000 pesos... I should`ve mentioned all that about the fake bills... and the going around with smaller bills in your pocket. Sorry. Now I feel guilty ( chukles). I hope you write and tell me more about your trip.

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robhaynie says on Aug 12, 2005, 21:35:

MILF That mom is a hottie too!!! Fuck up in the head but a hottie....i think all school teachers are fucked up, just read the NY Post theres a new teacher in the news everyday caught fucking his/her students

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caslug says on Aug 13, 2005, 07:46:

heading back to Medellin tomorrow afternnoon.. I am in cali and it was SLOWWWWW, on Friday Night. Me & Peter couldnt find any good places near avienda sexta by 1 AM. He and his buddy took off to try their luck somewhere else, i just hanged out at a bar on aveinda sexta till 2pm, then called it a night... Big part of the problem, was that monday is a holiday so lots of people headed out on friday(that what i was told).

But overall, i found cali less appealing than Medellin. After spending time in BOTH cities(incl Bogota), for tourist i would recommend Medellin hands down. Much more touristy stuff to do and the weather during the day is not as oppressive(in summer). Now i was told that Cali is rocking in Decemember, which is probably true.

I ll cont my observation on Medellin when i return.

PS. as for the young girl old guy thing, it just part of the norm here(or most 3rd world culture). Was sitting eating a ice cream at cosmo centro commercial and walks by a real cute 17-22 yr hottie holding hands with a 35-40 yr COL hombre...ALL my amigas in COL, tell me that it is no big deal. Granted not everyone is doing it, but it happens a LOT..

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caslug says on Aug 15, 2005, 07:50:

BACK IN MEDELLIN!!!! Cali was real slow not alot of stuff to do, because monday was a holiday lots of people left town so the party scene was lame. After visiting cali and medellin, i have to give medellin the thumbs up. Medellin just has more stuff to do, it´s a little bigger, it is lot cleaner. Flew back to medellin, didn´t want to do a bus trip. ANyone know what restriction avianca has regarding carry luggage? I had a backpack and a carryon that i took w/o problem on American Airline. BUT avianca told me i had to check it in because they didnt have room. Then on the plan there was TONS of overhead space! I was sweating bullets for fear that my luggage would go to JFK(the flight was stopped in Medellin before heading to JFK)..Luckily nothing happend..

Went out last night with chris66 and two of my amigas, we all hit it off. First went to parque llerles(pilsen bar) watered down beer! Then wented to replublica, good music.

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caslug says on Aug 20, 2005, 15:10:

going to the movies in Medellin.. OK, this is my first time going to a movie in COL..But do they ALWAYS give you a assign seat, like going to the theater? I bought three tickets for Rosario movie and thought i just wander in find a good seats near the middle of the theater and sit. BUT NOOO, they made me sit in assign seat that is printed on your ticket, we had to sit way in the back to the side. AND the theater was ONLY a 1/4 FULL! If i knew that they assign seat, then i would have asked for better seats!

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Viva-BAQ says on Sep 20, 2005, 02:58:

Military Draft for U.S.-Born Dual-Citizen Male Living in U.S. My Colombian-citizen wife and I (gringo U.S. citizen--born & raised here) had a baby boy this year born here in the U.S. We all live in the U.S. and intend to stay here. My wife came here legally on a K-3 visa and she's applying for her green card. If I register my son with the Colombian consulate (registro civil--birth certificate) and get a Colombian passport for him (he already has a US passport), will he then be drafted by the Colombian military 18 years from now? Si ud. quiere responderme en espanol, esta bien. Hablo ambos idiomas.

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quindioman says on Sep 20, 2005, 03:41:

not sure on this one......on the one side he would have a Colombian passport therefore in theory he would have to do the service....however there are exemptions (namely if he is still in full-time education abroad, bad physical health, poor eyesight and some others that don't come to mind at the moment).
I'd double check with the Colombian Embassy just to get the official response. Of course you can always purchase the card....that's what I had to do (long story).
Good luck

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aztec says on Sep 20, 2005, 05:03:

quindioman will you... ...please provide more information on your comment about purchasing the card. For example how do you go about it, how much, and is it legal?

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quindioman says on Sep 20, 2005, 05:20:

aztec check your inbox....i just pm'd you

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