is Bogotá and Medellín all that to those living in other places???

dwmte7 says on Dec 17, 2007, 15:12:

well, bufalo, been around medallo for 19 years, and basically left it about 10-12 years ago in preference to the pueblos up country in llano grande. actually, although i like the other small towns/pueblos better than medellin, i really don't like any of them over much. i prefer the finca/country, where there's basically nobody...but family, close friends,etc. as for traffic, screw it. i avoid it like the plague. when were there, the wife stays with the family in envigado where we have a home, and the youngest either stays there or with me in llano grande. i just have no interest in the things that interest most of the younger brothers and sisters. just no more of that in me....must admit, i had more than my share of the fast lane, but now, peace, quiet and friends are the only things that drive me. too, the smell of the cows, chickens, horses, etc. bars, chicas, rumba i burned myself out many years ago. i'll go out with the sisters and parents everynow and then but i'm not exactly the life of the party, i'd rather drink up in the finca with friends rather than go out. unless 'out' is to someone else's finca. but, hell, i spent years, drinkin, doin all kinds of "party favors" and partying, so i've had my share of good times...no complaints. i'll just leave the young lads, to the young lasses and stay relaxed. i was telling one of my daughters to turn the radio down, some time back and she mumbled loud enough for me to hear, '....dad, if it's too loud, you're too old. i guess it's just age.....jack is a dull boy.

dwmte

Rob77 says on Dec 17, 2007, 15:14:

Just my opinion, but seems the answer to your question should be obvious. People hang out in the cities because they enjoy access to a wide variety of commerce. You are not going to find a Thai restaurant out in the small towns. If you are doing business in Colombia, the major cities have the highest densities of consumers.

Lastly, the major cities offer a higher degree of security, especially if you stand out, as some foreigners do.

BOYCOTT CITGO - CHAVEZ SUCKS!!!

tomtom33 says on Dec 17, 2007, 15:33:

You got it, Rob. Not everyone likes the same thing. I like living 5 minutes from Medellin Centro. I can walk to everything I need. And the security of a good, large barrio is important to me.

Gator says on Dec 17, 2007, 17:01:

Tom Tom and Rob77 answers would be ours. We live in Bogotá around 7th and 74 north end and have everything close by.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

bufalo says on Dec 17, 2007, 19:23:

more security in the cities? tend to doubt that one. Little towns are quite secure. And are the Thai and such type restauraunts really that good? (I really don't know that's why I ask.)

It just seems to me that when I meet people who have only visited Bogota or Medellin, they rave about it (and think they know a lot about all of Colombia), yet the ones who've been around aren't as gung-ho on those two cities. I admit, Armenia is a dinky city, but the countryside is awesome and 5 minutes away by bike. I look at all the negatives in the two big cities and don't see how they outweigh the positives. This however doesn't inlude if you have family there, a business, etc...

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

Gator says on Dec 17, 2007, 19:45:

I'll bet it was not a lot of fun in January of 1999

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

coffee beaner says on Dec 17, 2007, 20:20:

Well bufalo, thats your opinion... I love living in Medellin and I would get bored living in a finca. For me I only go to fincas on holidays and they better have a swimming pool.. I don't know about Thai food in Medellin but they have great sushi and lebanese food here. Anyways, who the hell really comes to Colombia for foreign foods, I'll stick to my arroz con frijoles!

bufalo says on Dec 17, 2007, 20:39:

Definitely wasn't! What freaks me out is that now, since time has past and people have forgotten a bit, there are a lot of new apartment houses being built right where the old ones disappeared into the earth with the quake! Someone is getting paid off because there not supposed to build in a lot of places...

gotta agree about the foreign foods, I stick to the local stuff too. Most countries I like the cities, just haven't seen the big deal with Bogota or Medellin yet. I'm in Medellin now for the first time and haven't gotten to know it yet too much maybe I'll get it the next couple of days...

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

adrimm says on Dec 17, 2007, 23:21:

I think part of the confusion is that for some reason people don't consider the smaller cities to be *cities*.. which is bizarre to me. I think it is becuase (North Americans) may look at them in terms of size, rather than population.. and since Colombia cities are denser than most in North America, the extent/size of the city is very small for it is population. Population is a better indicator for size.

Cities of various sizes:

The biggies: 4 million plus. Huge metropolises.

The mediums: Bucaramanga ( the 700,000 - 3 million range).. includes Baranquilla, Cartagena,

The smalls: Anything from 300,000- 700,000 people and older than 200 years old in Colombia will be dense city, complete with buses, taxis, good shopping, amenities and services. I spent time in Pamplona (300,000) seems to be a very well-functioning if small city, but home to a big university, and tons of services. Villavicencio, Armenia, Pereira would fall into this lot..

The smallers: Anything over 50,000 will still be pretty good.. Leticia, with 35,000 people seems to be a very livable place, tranquil and relaxed, very well equipped & serviced, more on par with what I might expect at the 300,000-400,000 rangel.. BUT I didn't need to think twice about walking around alone late at night.... actually North American visitors might find it more familiar than other places in Colombia, it is a spacious city, with more detached homes than attached. San Gil with 55,000 also seems comfortable.

The Town/Villages: This past trip I spent more time in some small (touristy) towns.. Barichara being one of them. Barichara is quaint and charming, but with only 10,000 people can't support a whole lot. Villa de Leyva didn't seem a whole lot bigger population-wise. Great artesanias and history but not super livable.


So in Conclusion: forget Medellin and Bogota, and forget the finca and tourist towns..

What do we think about mid-sized and small Colombian cities? I admit I haven't been to many of them, but I am definitely interested and don't believe that a smaller city in a stable area could be any more dangerous than Bogota or Medellin.

tomtom33 says on Dec 18, 2007, 04:21:

Let's see. I live in Medellin but have visited Armenia, Manizales, Pereira, Cali. Bogota, Barranquilla, Guarne, Rio Negro, Sante Fe de Antioquia, Guatapé, and San Jerónimo. And I lived in Cartagena for 4 years.

Is it okay if I choose to live in Medellin?

Rob77 says on Dec 18, 2007, 04:26:

"more security in the cities? tend to doubt that one. Little towns are quite secure. And are the Thai and such type restauraunts really that good? (I really don't know that's why I ask.)"

Outside of common crime, usually higher in large cities, the security situation in the major cities is better. The security infrastructure exists in larger cities to discourage frequent activities by armed groups. This is not the case in smaller cities distant from the larger metropolitan ares. You may find a small town that has not experienced violence in a while. But it is much more vulnerable to attack than the larger cities.

Are foreign food restaurants that good? I have not found them to be too authentic. But the point is about the variety, not quality.

BOYCOTT CITGO - CHAVEZ SUCKS!!!

Rob77 says on Dec 18, 2007, 04:33:

Absolutely GIB, the traffic in Bogotá is at critical stage. I'm running out of alternative routes, as they are all getting full at peak times. Now, you have to plan to be out of certain areas before commute time, or you might as well just park and hang around for a couple hours.

BOYCOTT CITGO - CHAVEZ SUCKS!!!

jorgegdiaz says on Dec 18, 2007, 09:03:

Gator, you have been around for a while, haven`t ya?
TomTom, when are you going to cross the river of La Magdalena and travel to the East side?

Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.

bufalo says on Dec 18, 2007, 11:59:

Just to sum up a bit or restate the OP, I'm not attacking either Bogotá nor Medellín. What I tend to see is that when people from the outside, say EEUU, come here for the first time, they tend to rave about these cities, because it is the only thing they know about Colombia. From what I have seen those who travel/live outside of the two cities and more towards the smaller towns tend to talk about BOG and MDL (I forget the airline symols) less so.

Had these cities been my first/only stop on my first trip out of the US, I would have thought them the cat's meow as well, but after knowing a good part of the rest of the country and other cities of the world, I don't see the major deal as the newbies seem to.

Again, not knocking them so tomtom, feel free to live in Medellín or anywhere else, personally I would have stayed in Cartagena.

I don't know if I can wholly agree with Rob. Armenia has two batallions - one in the city limits and the other just outside of it. In the past 5 years, the only trouble I have heard is a bomb that went off not that long ago in the center - it was somewhat blamed on rebels, but I don't think anything concrete came out of it. But that is only Armenia. I'd agree that smaller towns CAN be taken easier if there is an attack, but are they really the rebel's target? Certain small towns sure, but not all of them. I lived in Leticia, real small in the Amazon that according to lots is major rebel territory - they are completely wrong, it's the safest city I have ever lived in or visited in Colombia, possibly everywhere I have lived.

Salento is deemed safe by lots of people and in my opinion it is, but I also find it interesting that the gov't there finally realized and repaired the bullet holes in the police station a little ways back - tourists tend to frown on that sort of thing.

"Now, you have to plan to be out of certain areas before commute time, or you might as well just park and hang around for a couple hours." - my family and I just found out the hard way last night here in Medellin.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

tomtom33 says on Dec 18, 2007, 13:54:

I have crossed the Magdalena - in Barranquilla, and I do want to get to Bucaramanga. Boyacá is on my list as well. Todos en tiempo.

dwmte7 says on Dec 18, 2007, 15:51:

forgive the clear lack of brilliance, but goin to colombia and lookin for a thai restaurant, is a bit oxymoronic, don't you think...i mean, arepas, frijoles, carne a la plancha, empanadas, pollo, chuzos....but, thai cuisine? duh

dwmte

dwmte7 says on Dec 18, 2007, 15:52:

addendum..i burned out on that during nam.

dwmte

tomtom33 says on Dec 18, 2007, 16:52:

Fortunately, the closest I got to Viet Nam was Ft. Lewis infantry AIT in 1971.

Rob77 says on Dec 19, 2007, 05:46:

"but goin to colombia and lookin for a thai restaurant..."

I'm used to a lot of variety. I can't stand eating he same thing every day. So, I need to throw in food from different places, which fortunately, seems to be in fashion in Colombia lately. Thai, albeit not so authentic, is an example of the variety you can now find in the large cities. Whereas the small towns all serve the same food in every restaurant.

Never been a big fan of arepas... and being Vegetarian in Colombia tends to limit your options a bit.

BOYCOTT CITGO - CHAVEZ SUCKS!!!

dwmte7 says on Dec 19, 2007, 07:15:

i should lighten up....i like all cuisine...from anywhere. it's just that peanut sauces suck for me. there used to be a great japanese restaurant below club campestre in medellin. maybe it's still there. years ago, there was a fantastic italian restaurant and even more expensive than it was fine...this is about 1990 and per person, it was 30.00 to 40.00 u.s. now for medallo in 1990, that was out through the roof. i took my mother and uncle there once and when my uncle also my padrino, saw the menu, he almost died and said he wasn't really hungry. i had to order for everyone. they were the only place, then, that had a real wine menu. what i spent for that lunch for mom, tio, wife and me would feed a family of five for at least a month. but, like so many wonderful things of eras past, it's history. also, near that, was a very svelt restaurant opened by a capo at the time which had the best filet mignon i've ever eaten. i was a lunch regular there 3-5 times a week for a couple of years. my wife said i wasted money--i did, on me--and that she didn't want to accompany me. she's such a frugal paisa!

dwmte

bufalo says on Dec 20, 2007, 04:53:

went to the library yesterday near "Carabobo" - freaking excellent. The kids section is HUGE and very comfy-cozy. Parque de los Pies Descalzos was also excellent.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

Strobers says on Dec 20, 2007, 13:26:

Bufalo, my brother-in-law and I went there too in 2006. Did you guys check out the interactive museum there? It's actually pretty good.

"Life is too serious to be taken seriously"

bufalo says on Dec 22, 2007, 17:29:

missed the museum. We probably could have gone but opted to stay at the library then the park. I tend to overdo it by running around to check everything out - decided to try to slow down. Hopefully next time.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor