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I don't get it...

I get such conflicting reports as to what it's like in Colombia. I"m coming there in a few months, but when I read the bad stuff, it scares the hell out me. Take the following post taken from lonely planet. How can there be such a divide between what this guy is saying and what the people here are saying? I really want to come to Colombia, and I've had experiences before (israel, egypt) where things seem extrealy dangerous on TV but turned out to be much less so in reality. But this guy is claiming hundreds of muggings a day! And says it can happen anywhere in downtown Bogata? Someone please help me put my worried mind at ease.

Of course you have read that Bogotá is dangerous. So did I, and I was also arrogant enough to believe that I am an experienced and careful backpacker, who knows what to do. I thought I would deal with the dangers of this city as I have done during the last 12 years of regular backpacking, with the experience of four previous trips to Latin America and living half a year in Guatemala City (not the safest place on earth). Please note that Bogotá, Colombia for that matter, is a different story. Of course bad luck can hit you anywhere but the risk of something happening to you is really different in Colombia. Common sense like "beware of pick pocketing in busy areas, watch your bags like a hawk in terminals, don't wander off in quiet areas by yourself, keep a low profile or don't go out after dark" etc. etc. is not enough! Anywhere in the centre of Bogotá you can be robbed in broad daylight. I was walking in a nice sunny street just a block from Avenida Jiminez. It was a national holiday so many people (families, couples) were walking around. People were standing and sitting in front of their houses and there were even two police officers 30 meters away. However, when they were called they refused to come while I was being stripped by eight boys with two knifes in my face. The robbers even take their time to check your underwear as nobody around them bothers them anyway. This story does not stand by itself. The police station on the Avenida Jiminez on the way to Monte Serrate records about 150 robberies a day; many Colombians and about every foreigner that dares to stroll around the neighbourhood. What do you think of the nice square in front of the gold museum...yes people were violently robbed and beaten up there just a few weeks ago. We counted 4 violent robberies in these last 3 weeks in this hostel alone. Some things in Colombia are really great and some people are wonderful, as many travellers will testify, but yes, it is getting really bad. Common smart travellers sense is not enough for Bogotá. Please believe that you are taking a different risk than most other countries. I am far from the only one that was surprised by the vicious criminals of this place. Nearly half of the people that I spoke to during my month in Colombia had been robbed. Nobody got hurt...but I was amazed.

By liquidlove on Aug 3, 2004, 07:52 in Friendly Talkzone.

seattlejames says on Aug 3, 2004, 08:46:

I think... I should not repond to this because I have only been on the coast twice...But, please relax...Damn, I wear my digital camera around my neck half the time. One time in Santa Marta, I actually left my wallet on the table after dinner and drinks loaded with pesos and the waiter ran down the block to give it back to me. Yes, try not to do that..All I know is when I am in Colombia, I have never had a problem or witnessed anything weird. Except in Cartagena I think, most people like baseball more than soccer...This still confuses me...

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gato-bandido says on Aug 3, 2004, 08:52:

Common sense I have been to both Egypt (once for two weeks) and Colombia (many times, including Bogota and its downtown). Although I did like Egypt (most of it anyway) I would choose Colombia any day.

Just do what I'm sure you've always done: use common sense. Read this site, you will find tons of info on what parts of Bogota are unsafe and be extra careful if you go to those places. Also it is best not to go there alone. If you are with somebody, especially a local, chances of anything bad happening go way down.

In my experience many Colombians have a strong tendency to exagerate pretty much everything, from how cold Bogota is and how it rains all the time (yeah, right) to how dangerous it is. And when a journalist hears that stuff, guess what happens? Right, he adds even more exaggeration and then publishes it! As a consequence, Colombia has this real bad image problem.

Of the nine times I've travelled to Colombia (always visiting Bogota) I think only once I was about to get in trouble, on that same square in front of the Gold Museum. Walked out of the museum, with a golden ring on my finger, basically giving papaya. (you'll find the "papaya" thing is a popular subject on this site). Stupid me. Fortunately I was with my father-in-law who knew how to react when approached by thugs, so nothing at all happened.

So just be careful, use your experience and intuition, don't give papaya, but also don't believe everything you read on the Net. People can be telling the facts objectively, or they can be exaggerating or simply lying. You will even find tales by folks who obviously have never been to places they are talking about. Also the security situation did improve significantly in the last few years, in Bogota particularly, so a lot of stuff you read will be badly outdated.

And above all, enjoy Colombia. It is a country almost impossible not to fall in love with.

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utopiacowboy says on Aug 3, 2004, 09:21:

I have only been to Bogota twice so I do not have a lot of experience with the city. My experiences were similar to those of gato-bandido.

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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ShazCas says on Aug 3, 2004, 11:15:

gato-bandido correct I agree with everything gato-bandido has said.

I would just like to add that when something bad happens to a person, they think that that place is MUCH more dangerous than any other, and no-one can tell them otherwise. If nothing happens to them, they proclaim that it's incredibly safe, and that nothing will ever happen there. Both opinions are subjective and exaggerated. That's why you hear such varying stories about Colombia.

I am a European female who lived in Bogota for four years. I walked around the centre every day, as I worked there, and I also lived quite near the centre. I often walked around by myself too. In that time, I was pickpocketed once - I had my wallet in a stupid place - my front pocket, and they took it. I was in what you would call a hot-spot - the Carrera 7 with Calle 24.

There were two attempts to mug me - once on the Calle 19 with Carrera 10. (Not a safe place to be) It was during the day. A guy pulled a knife and told me to give him my ring (I was stupidly wearing my engagement ring) but I jumped behind a man that was beside me and shouted that I didn't have a ring, so he went away.

The other time was again on the Carrera 7 with Calle 24 (very stupid place to be at 1am!!!) These guys were very dangerous, but we gave them the carton of wine we had and they went away.

My dad's video camera was stolen at Eldorado airport. He put it down on the floor while he hugged my husband, and when he looked down it was gone.

In Cali, in the park in the centre of town, my husband and I were mugged with broken bottles, and they got away with my wedding ring and my handbag.

So that's what's happened to me in the last four years. Bogota is not an entirely safe place, but you just have to be very careful. In the above examples, I was being very stupid, wearing gold rings and being in dangerous places, so of course something was going to happen!!

But does that stop me loving Bogota? No way!! I'm hoping to go back there in a few years and buy a house with money I've saved in Europe. It's getting safer every day as a city, and it's a pleasure to live in, in my opnion!

Just follow all the advice you can find on this site and others, and do take them seriously. But don't let that spoil your trip - the odds are nothing at all will happen. Both pictures you are being given are true - that's the mystery of Colombia.

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liquidlove says on Aug 3, 2004, 14:46:

I get it now... I guess that sums it up. That's pretty much what I had thought. But I've read so many negative things, that it's just hard to make it make sense. But this helps clear it up.
I've seen color coded maps of Colombia that tells you where it's safe and not, does anyone know of such a map of Bogata?
Thanks

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ShazCas says on Aug 3, 2004, 14:50:

Maps Yes, I know the Britsh Council in Bogota had them, because they gave me one a few years ago. I'd scan it and e mail it to you, but I don't have it any more. You could ask them for one when you get there, or maybe call them and ask them to post you one? I can give you advice on certain areas, as can other people here.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Aug 3, 2004, 15:38:

Common sense better than a map While it'd be easy to block off a map in big "safe" and "unsafe" zones, you're much better off just keeping your wits about you and using common sense. For example, there are many parts of town (Candelaria, for example) that are perfectly safe during the day and get dodgy late at night. Other parts of town are block by block. Then there are huge swaths of the north that are much safer and pleasant than you would ever imagine.

On the whole, Bogota is really no more threatening than other big cities. My philosophy is that I'm always willing to part with my possesions but not with my life or my loved ones. So far, though, I've had the experience of Colombians stopping me to point out that my money was about to fall out of my pocket, so it's not all muggings and crime.

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daver says on Aug 3, 2004, 16:38:

I was worried too when I went Colombia about getting mugged. But then again, I put it into prospective about when I lived in California (on a temporary work permit from Canada). I lived on a safe street, in a safe city, and my car got stolen. They found it, but I had to pay inpound fees and towing fees, and since it was a crappy car, my insurance was minimal, so I had to pay for the brakes as they were completey rusted (it was abandoned for 3 months)

So, that theft cost me $1000 US. It would be hard for me to lose this amount in Colombia, no matter what I did, and no one warned me against going to a nice city in California, despite its high cost of living and huge car theft problem.

Just to keep things in prespective...

Dave

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Dan says on Aug 3, 2004, 17:50:

Bogota I love Bogota. So far, I have not had any bad experiences. I do get quite a bit of looks from other people at times. I think it's because I'm a 6'5" guy that's taller than most people, even for the US but more obvious in Colombia. Now, many of the places I go is with my girlfriend and I feel just fine so long as I'm with her.

Enjoy your time in Colombia. Like someone else said above, it's almost impossible not to fall in love with this country.

God Bless America!

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