leaving Colombia

LilaM says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:32:

Sorry to hear that, if you are still colombian citizen yes they will, just go and put a complaint at the police, and call to the airline to ask what they know about that, but yes always they ask for that bc you are colombian citizenship.

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:35:

sorry to hear that, how sad, the first thing you have to do is report the lost of the cedula, driving licence and cancel cards, I am a resident in the UK and so far they never ever been ask for my cedula at the airport, i don't know why.

engage brain before opening mouth

paulr says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:38:

Hello Panda, Sorry to hear that you were robbed, how did this happen and where were you exactly? . They don´t ask for a cedular at the airport, how did you get a cedular if you were only here for 3 weeks?

Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.

Albatross says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:41:

Bummer man... but all those things can be replaced.
Just out of curousity, where and when did this happen and did something precipitate the robbery ?
(i.e. did you just leave an ATM on a dark side street late at night ?)

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

paulr says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:42:

SOrry, making presumptions, got the impression you were an English citizan.

Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:42:

paulr maybe he is a colombian leaving in the UK, like me, i have Colombian cedula too

engage brain before opening mouth

elmodefoque says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:43:

yeah pana, please tell us how it happen, i plan to visit a friend in medellin, but people in barranquilla keep telling me not to go there, not alone

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

paulr says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:45:

Just realised that Kat, it is early, not had my shot of caffeine yet

Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:46:

jejeje paulr, you are forgiven, i know what is not to have the shot of caffeine first thing in the morning :)

engage brain before opening mouth

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:49:

I was robbed last September, someone broke into my mum's house and stole all my jeweleries , we think it was someone we know, he or she took 16 million pesos worth of jewels.

yep part my fault i shouldn't have taken all that things to Colombia and I never do, but by mistake i threw the jewelery box in my suitcase. I went to la sijin and they are investigating but i know they'll never going to find them

engage brain before opening mouth

ellbee2 says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:52:

They took your car too? Where you carjacked? How much cash? Sounds very premetidated to me.

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going because you might not get there." Yogi Berra

paulr says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:54:

Hey Elmo, So, people in Barranquilla are telling you not to go to Medellin alone!! Man, that´s a first. Medellin is a fantastic place and shouldn´t be missed at any cost, it´s far safer than you might think. Just come and see for yourself.

Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.

elmodefoque says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:12:

i love medellin, been there a few times but i really gotta do is get out of el poblado

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:15:

uhmm GIB is late what its taken him sooo long .....

engage brain before opening mouth

jaramillo says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:15:

If you are a Colombian or dual citizen you will have to show your cedula. I've been through it many times. I'd venture that you will need to have a copy of the denuncia showing that all your documents were stolen, at least. Otherwise you will have a very unpleasant morning.

Panda says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:16:

Thank you guys very much for your help. As Kat said I am a Colombian citizen with residence in the UK, hence all my Colombian documents.
The 2 bastards were waiting for us at my family´s home and as we were getting off the car they just came out of nowhere with guns and started threatening everyone.
I would like to point out that it wasn´t my car, it was my sister´s and 6 months ago something very similar happened and they took my other sister´s car and a couple of months later a friend that was visiting fell too and lost her car. We think it was the same people and as the saying goes: Tenemos ladron propio.
We live in barrio San Pablo off the carrera 65 near the Holaya Herrera airport and the area is infested with thieves. I can´t wait to get the hell out of here.
I don´t really know where the goverment and the media get their figures to say that Colombia is safer now, when we went to the CTI the queue was massive and had to wait several hours to be seen. I talked to several people on the queue and everyone had had or knew someone that had been through the same.
If you visit Medellin be very careful and watch every step. The people from Medellin have a reputation of being kind and friendly but a big percentage of the population are bunch of rats.

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:18:

jaramillo i think that only applies if you live in the USA, as i said i have been every year in Colombia twice last year and never been ask for my cedula.

engage brain before opening mouth

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:20:

btw i always enter with the British Passport and never had a problem

engage brain before opening mouth

elk says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:46:

If your a resident in Colombia, and hold a pensionado visa/cedula etc, then they ask for it at the airport upon your departure. I had a problem last year trying to leave Medellin with only a copy of my cedula. They wanted to see the original, but gave me a break and warning. (my fault)

I never carry my cedula while in Medellin, but rather a copy and have never had a problem. I carry the original only when going outside of Medellin. My credit cards also stay at home unless I'm going to the ATM for cash which is once or twice a month. I carry enough cash to make most muggers happy.

SamGompers says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:46:

Yeah, I think it depends on what passport you're traveling under. If with a British passport, I wouldn't worry as much about the cedula. If with Colombian, I'd start by contacting your airline (which might be easier than dealing with police or government bureaucracy) and ask them. As Jaramillo says - - in any case, make sure you bring a copy of the denuncia and whatever other documents relating to the crime and your report to the police.

I believe someone higher up is definitely "massaging" the numbers on crime in Colombia. Perhaps the political crimes are down - - but street crime seems to me to be the same as ever, maybe worse.

Lowell says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:55:

I'm increasingly glad that I live in a smaller city where it seems that the mafia/narcos, police and military keep fairly tight control of things. Threre's an occasion incident. However, the people are usually found out and receive their rewards. I'll forever remember my visit from a mafioso who was interested in info about problems I was having with someone. He very calmly told me that there are rules in his town that must be followed. The guy almost lost his life. Sometimes that's the way things need to be here. Toto, this isn't Kansas.

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

gringoloid says on Jan 11, 2008, 07:04:

What is the 'CTI'?

billyb says on Jan 11, 2008, 07:16:

"uhmm GIB is late what its taken him sooo long ....."

He's checking his memoirs for an appropriate annecdote :)

tomtom33 says on Jan 11, 2008, 07:44:

I have had a VISA for the last 4 years. Sometimes they ask for my cedula when I leave the country. Sometimes they don't. It seems that recently, they do.

I don't live very far from Olaya, near 65 con Bolivariana. From what my novia says, the aeroparque(water park) is safe, but a block away is not. You just confirmed that.

Thanks for the news. And I am sorry to hear of your misfortune.

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2008, 07:47:

Now that you mentioned GIB uhmmm where were you last august eh?

engage brain before opening mouth

LilaM says on Jan 11, 2008, 08:01:

CTI= Cuerpo Técnico de Investigación is like the FBI takes and keeps the evidence

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

LilaM says on Jan 11, 2008, 08:05:

No no GIB, Elmo sometimes pays with MasterCard or visa, this time only applies ForniCard!!! jejejeje

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

elmodefoque says on Jan 11, 2008, 08:05:

yes, with my family jewels jijjjij

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

nomad says on Jan 11, 2008, 08:09:

Sucks to hear, but it happens everywhere. Sad, but true.

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2008, 08:24:

yes Gib and I remember you were the middle man (so were you working for elmo?)

engage brain before opening mouth

rocinante says on Jan 11, 2008, 08:43:

Panda sorry to hear about your misfortune.

"We think it was the same people and as the saying goes: Tenemos ladron propio."

o

Vaca ladrona no olvida el portillo

Hindsight being 20/20 - next time change your method. Good luck.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008

aztec says on Jan 11, 2008, 10:08:

Samuel Gompers was the first and longest-serving president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL)

miamimike says on Jan 11, 2008, 10:58:

i was robbed big time. They took everything, car, camera, money and also all my local documents such as cedula, drivers license, bank cards.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is Colombia ; In this day and Age, How could this be says the Wise man,,,,Sorry About your Misfortune Panda and I agree with your post BTW,,,

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? ... That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.,

Medellin Traveler says on Jan 11, 2008, 13:56:

Panda,
Sorry to hear about your misfortunes.

I wonder if you and/or your family have done something to set yourselves up for hte thieves. Just curious about your post regarding similiar prior incidents.

And as they cops say, you usually get robbed by someone you know. They know you are someone worth robbing, an easy target because they are also familiar with you and your habits.

Medellin es una chimba! www.medellintraveler.com

spigrimace says on Jan 12, 2008, 06:29:

tomtom. aeroparque is on the 70, the other side of the airport from where this unfortunate incident happened. Not to say that Belen Las Playas accross the street from aeroparque is perfectly safe. It´s a solid estrata 3 safe but I have walked alone there at night. In fact in between Hospital Las Americas and the triangle that gets formed with it by the 70 and 80 intersecting now has a lot of new nice gated apartment complexes. The 65 can be tricky. By where u live is really safe, over by the 80 like, calle 1a, 2, etc is also safe and like estrata 3-4, but where it´s a little industrial, like around calle 25-30a can get a little dicey and it gets really nice after the 31 heading towards the 33. We´ll do deliveries to the industrial area to businesses in the day but wont go there at night.

tomtom33 says on Jan 12, 2008, 06:52:

Correct, Spig. This incident prompted me to look more closely at my maps. My novia says that Trinidad is pretty much no go at any time of the day.

I'll be down by la 80 more now. I just bought a house in Santa Mónica (cra 90 con cll 36). We close on Tues. This is estrato 4, but my novia knows it well. She went to grade school here. Her brother has lived 2 blocks from our new house for 22 years.

I'll be over this afternoon for the Packer game. By the way, we walked all the way back from your place after the Badger game. Nice hike.

spigrimace says on Jan 12, 2008, 07:45:

Cool beans. I love Santa Moncia. QUIETEST barrio in Medellin. Just don´t venture too far the other side of that light on cr 92 with cl 35 that goes up to Belencito. I did one domicilio up there and got pissed at my cashier for accepting it. It was like cr 106 with calle 33c. ugh. I knew the area well as one of my oldest friends in Medellin lived up there. It´s all paracos and thieves. Thankfully it was a delivery to a bunch of nuns but I hightailed it out of there. Good luck and enjoy the new home. Anytime you need a baked salmon domicilio, just call us! c u this afternoon.

cait says on Jan 13, 2008, 16:19:

If you do not report the theft of your documents and they are used by someone else, you may well have problems later on - so go to the police and fill out the Denuncia de Perdidia de Documentos. A friend of mine had problems leaving as someone using his name and cedula no. had got into problems and was wanted by the Fiscalia. Fortunately, he had the Denuncia and so could prove that he had reported the theft of his document prior to when the crimes were actually committed. Nevertheless, the whole exit interview with the DAS was fraught and he nearly missed his flight.

The vuelta (of reporting the loss) takes only about 15 min.s. The thing is you must keep the document handy to 'prove' it's loss. It is also necessary to present a copy of this to the Registraduria to process your cedula de ciudadania again.

According to Ley 43 (93) any dual Colombian national MUST identify himself (herself) as such on entering or leaving the country, so you will need to start the whole process either to get a new cedula if you do not have a passport. Notwithstanding, in Colombia the official document for identification purposes is the Cedula, leaving the passport for international travel only in general terms.

Hope this helps!