In need of info about Cali

Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Sep 22, 2006, 10:36:

Ok Qubo, that was a lot of questions and perhaps I can answer a couple of them for you: the bookstore you'd be looking for is Librería Nacional. There's one downtown, on Plaza de Caycedo, south side, and branches at least at Cosmocentro On the Fifth/prolongación Roosevelt and Palmetto Plaza Shopping Center.

The Malls to watch "people"; Chipichape Mall in the north of the city, Cosmocentro, Palmetto in the near south, Unicentro a little further south (near the University of Valle that might also interest you) and Jardin Plaza further south.

Universities to visit: UValle, the biggest and most prestigious, Javeriana, Icesi (private), Santiago, Libre, Autónoma (smaller) (I'm sure I forgot some important ones...)

A nanny shouldn't set you back for more than minimum wage(around 550 000 pesos a month aproximately) but a live-in only around 350 to 450 thousand.

You can have your Pumas to Cali, just don't hang out at Aguablanca at nighttime with them on.

Cheers,
Desi

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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Qubo says on Sep 22, 2006, 11:11:

Muchísima Gracias Hola Desideria,

Gracias por tus consejos. Disculpa por mis preguntas. Es que estoy tratando de prepararme lo mejor posible. ¿Me gustaría saber si tú sabes donde yo puedo conseguir un mapa? Pienso es muy útil. De nuevo, muchísima gracias.

BTW, I think I'll leave my Pumas at home besides I usually where shoes but thought I would bring my sneakers down to feel a tad more comfortable walking around. Bueno, que estés bien.

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Bruce V. Shrader says on Sep 22, 2006, 11:28:

libraria national also has branches at unicentro and chipichapi.
few books in english, but you can get time and a few other magazines there.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Sep 22, 2006, 11:37:

mapa de Cali http://world.maporama.com/idl/maporama/drawaddress.aspx

You type in Cali and get a detailed street map. Just print out as many as you need.

Yes, I thought Librería Nacional would have branches at other malls too, but I didn't know for sure. Apart from that, is there another bookstore in Cali? BTW they are building a new library on the Roosevelt con Quinta. The whole block is going to be called La Cuadra del Saber. The chances are that is won't be finished yet....the library yes but the annexes not quite.




Cheers,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Sep 22, 2006, 11:56:

oh one more thing Don't count on getting 90 days when you enter the country. The DAS official was adamant that the limit is 60 days and after that you need to apply for extensions. I was in a bit of rush to my connecting flight and let it slide.

A few days (4-6) before the date is due you need to go to DAS office in Vipasa or is it La Flora(?) and find out what you need for the extension. I was asked to deposit the fee in Banco Ganadero, bring the original receipt plus a copy, 4 pictures according to their specifications (there's a photograph right next door who takes the pictures), return ticket, fill out their form (the solicitud) and there might've been other stuff I've forgotten but the complete list is posted in the office of the Extranjería.

Then, a day or so before the date is due you need to go back there with all your paperwork in order and you'll be fingerprinted and get a stamp in your passport. It's always a lot of fun to do business at your local DAS:)

Cheers,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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Qubo says on Sep 22, 2006, 12:52:

Dios Mío Dios Mío,

All that to get an extension. Geez, I have to find another alternative. I am going to leave my son their with relatives for 4 months. Thus, the extension would be for him. Do you think DAS will allow family member to request for an extension? I know I am stretching it. I guess an other option would be to obtain his colombian citizenship ( su mama es Colombiana) and hopefully this would cause less paper work. ¿Qué piensas tú? ¿Te puedo tutear, verdad? :) Bueno, te espero.

Gracias

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Sep 22, 2006, 15:05:

Por supuesto que me puedes tutear no faltaba mas!
No tengo ni idea como es la cosa con menores de edad (cuantos años tiene tu hijo?) pero me imagino que son los padres quienes solicitan la extensión para el, pero el tiene que tener su propio pasaporte si se queda en Colombia y va regresar a USA despues. Debes averiguarlo en el DAS tan pronto llegan a Cali. Se puede llamar por telefono pero aveces hay que marcar muchas veces antes de lograr la comunicación.

Si deciden sacar la cédula colombiana para el niño tengan en cuenta que si el niño viaja con uno de sus padres (papá o mamá) necesita la autorización del otro para salir del pais.

Pienso que sacar la cédula es mas complicado que sacar una extensión pero talvez pensando en el futuro la cédula va a ser mas importante y vale la pena invertir el tiempo y el esfuerzo que hay que hacer.

Ya sea una cosa o la otra, esten preparados de que hay que reunir algunos requisitos y presentar documentos y gastarle por lo menos dos dias al proceso en Cali.

Suerte,
Desi



Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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Qubo says on Sep 23, 2006, 17:09:

Gracias de nuevo ¿Quihubo Desideria? ¿Como estás? Bueno, leí tu mensaje anoche pero no tuve tiempo a escribirte. Mi enano tiene 1 añito. Pienso que tú tienes razón. "Solo los padres pueden solicitar la extensión." No sé que hacer porque nos vamos a ir para Colombia en una semana. El tiene su propio pasaporte. El se fue para Colombia cuando el tenía 3 meses con su mamá. Creo valdrá la pena a sacar su pasaporte colombiano. Hay Dios mío mucho que hacer en poco tiempo.

Pues, estoy muy nervioso porque es mi primera vez. Nunca he ido a Colombia. Yo he oído muchas cosas de Colombia, buenas y malas. Pero estoy acostumbrado a viajar en lugares que los occidentes consideran "peligroso". Tengo casi dos años leyendo y escribiendo un poco en este foro. Por fin, ya me voy a ir. Espero que yo tenga un buen viaje y disfruta esta ciudad donde hay los mejores rumberos. Pero prefiero pasar mi tiempo donde hay los intelectuales discutiendo del futuro del pais o en una librería leyendo libros del el escritor más famoso de Colombia "Gabo". Tengo que irme. Gracias por tus consejos. Te lo agradezco mucho. Qué Dios te Bendiga.

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