looking for 'Utopia'

kernow62 says on Oct 13, 2005, 15:13:

Utopia doesn't exist, so you will have to settle for a reasonable facsimile.

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ARMacleod says on Oct 13, 2005, 15:19:

Thanks Kernow62 Does that mean that I have to sit inside a photocopier?

My stated facts, although interesting at times, are generally irrevelant.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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opera says on Oct 13, 2005, 15:54:

No, it means you have to buy a fax machine.

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ARMacleod says on Oct 13, 2005, 16:24:

Fax machine? I need a quiet life. I don't even need to be connected to an electricity supply. (other than to kick start my pacemaker after I have had too much Glenfiddich.
Thanks anyway.

My stated facts, although interesting at times, are generally irrevelant.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 13, 2005, 17:11:

I know exactly where Utopia is. Utopia, Texas that is.

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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Lumpy says on Oct 13, 2005, 17:17:

The Desert... I'm in the deserts of west Baghdad and we get "ate alive' by them Iraqi mosquitos GringoB... maybe our thread leader needs to invest in some deet & one of those cool bug zapping lights! = ) Good luck on your quest ARM... I hope you find what you are looking for!

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CanadaMan says on Oct 13, 2005, 17:58:

Way up North in Canada here , eh the mosquito's are so big that I don't allow my kids outside unless they are wearing their harness atached to a 400 lb weight.

I don't want those darn mosquito's flying off with my kids.. After there is only a couple feet of snow left on the ground then the real trouble starts.

You should see those mosquito's making snow angels in the snow when it is -40 f out.. They love the cold weather and go crazy in the warm weather.

Formerly WidowerfromCanada...I am engaged to a wonderful Peruviana.

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la recta final.... says on Oct 13, 2005, 18:09:

Sopo SOPO
Its definatly safe.
The climate is acceptable, probably the worst aspect.
No mosquitos.
It´s a small town.
Great access, 35min outside bogota.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Oct 13, 2005, 18:38:

La Vega I've been to La Vega, it's really nice and close enough to Bogota that you can get your city yah-yahs out from time to time. Also, near there, you might check out Villeta which is a little bigger and a little warmer but still not swarming with skeeters.

I'm told it's a Para paradise, so your safety should be fine if you keep your head down and don't wear your Lenin shirt out to lunch.

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BAQ says on Oct 13, 2005, 19:03:

barranquilla Well, we got bugs so big in barranquilla I caught six of em the last week trying to carry my refrigerator out the back door. Was an easy fix, just attached a chain to the frig and haven;t had any problems since.

Semper Fidelis !

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Lucia Rojas says on Oct 13, 2005, 19:12:

La vega, Sopo, Tabio, Tenjo, Villa de Leyva (paradise)

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Gator says on Oct 13, 2005, 19:13:

Hummm... sounds like you a. need to be near and airport b. at and age where you need to be concerned about health care c. safe

Sounds like the reas of Bogotá, Medellin or somewhere in the "Coffee Country."

If any of this suits you as far as a general area send me a private message and lets see what we can come up with.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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kernow62 says on Oct 13, 2005, 19:29:

Nancledra.

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Rubiazo says on Oct 13, 2005, 20:02:

GIB what is it with the mosquitoes? When i went in January, i saw NO mosquitos. When I went in August and Sept, I was getting eaten every night. Are different areas more mosquito-prone?

Of course, being from Canada I can't complain much about mosquitoes in Colombia. I saw one of them using my toothbrush once and trying on different pairs of my pants!

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BAQ says on Oct 13, 2005, 20:28:

UTOPIA ?? I thought "Utopia" was`having 70 virgins or something like that ?????

Semper Fidelis !

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Rubiazo says on Oct 13, 2005, 22:12:

I have been to both places-- MUCH MUCH worse in Canada. And the further north you go, they just get bigger, badder and more numerous. You can actually die from mosquito bites in remote areas there! And they carry West Nile (of course) but thank Dog for small favors they do not carry dengue.

And the garlic thing never did anything for me.

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ARMacleod says on Oct 14, 2005, 04:09:

Gracias everyone.... For the information gleaned. I lived in the north of Germany (Luneburg area) for eight years and had to sleep in a mosquito net every night for about nine months of every year. My face would swell up and eyes close if I got even one bite on the forehead. That's why I am a bit paranoid about the little fiends, I noticed that they had little square heads and found it hard to pronounce things like; "ve vill vont villies" and so on. There is one part of the old bod that I hung out in hope, but no luck there.

I am into Deet and this seems to work fairly well. The ‘anti malarial' tablets just made me puke. I like the garlic thing, I love the stuff. My previous employer says he could tell when I was within 3.5 miles of our office.

Health care is a very small concern, other than crappy food belly tremors, I have never been sick in my life. I am as fit as a flea and exercise every day, especially now that I am retired.

I had no trouble at all in Bogota from that point of view, but for personal reasons I do not wish to go there.

Anyway I will have a look at the places you have named and try to make a decision. La Vega, etsupendo, la sol, el vino, me gusta mucho.

By the way, Utopia, Valhalla, Nirvana, Glasgow, Cairo, they are all the same thing: Paradise!

Y (what's a virgin? the only virgin that I ever knew had 350 people inside, it was owned by a guy called Richard Branson,)

Thanks again everyone.

My stated facts, although interesting at times, are generally irrevelant.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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carter says on Oct 14, 2005, 08:43:

Barichara safe, nice climate, friendly people, only a few mossies. Just busy with tourists on weekends.

This weekend is the ferias in Barichara, I expect to see you all there.

ARMacleod if you want fotos let me know

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Miguel says on Oct 14, 2005, 10:33:

"Skeeters" Rubiazo nailed it, and from my experience living in the high country of Colorado, when you get up to serious altitude in the summer when snow is still on the ground, those bastards are big and hungry.

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Rubiazo says on Oct 14, 2005, 11:02:

The mosquito sheild theory first of all, YES that is exactly what the mosquitoes are like in northern Canada.

It seems to me that mosquitoes LOVE foreign blood, wherever you go. When I went back to Winnipeg, they went straight for my ex-wife, who is from here (NYC). When I was in DR and when I was in Bogota, they went straight for me. My gf loved it because we would go to sleep and when we woke up, she would be untouched and I would be covered in bites :/

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Mr. Hollywood says on Oct 14, 2005, 11:22:

Mosquis AR, have you noticed a difference in reaction from different types of mosquitos? My wife is badly allergic to the majority of mosquitos in the US but only mildly so to the ones here in Bogota. The costeño mosquitos, however, give her a bit more reaction.

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Colombiche says on Oct 14, 2005, 13:25:

Pulgas react differently to foreign blood... Not that I am foreign or anything, but maybe some Canadian maple syrup snuck its way into my bloodstream and now when I visit Colombia, the pulgas mistake this spiccola Colombiche for a Canadian and prey on me. Same happens to the people that travel with me.

The other night in manizales I went to a theater to watch Rosario Tijeras and when I walked out I had been attacked by a pulga, right on my navel, I had to wear tops that covered my belly for the rest of the trip, lest I be mistaken for a pulgosa.

What a buzz.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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kernow62 says on Oct 14, 2005, 13:49:

Mosquitos rarely bite me, nor do ants for some reason, must be all the blue cheese I eat. ;-)

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 14, 2005, 15:52:

the mosquitos of Lapland are the size of sparrows. They zoom on you, unawares, take a bite and fly off to a branch of the nearest conifer to eat up the chunk of you they ripped off from your living body. You don't want anything to do with them.

Ok, Colombia: a utopia for me would be a small town just out of Cali, climbing the Cordillera occidental. Too bad the guerrila is there too.

In times of peace and prosperity, I would have loved to live in Popayán or Silvia, for the invigorating smell of eucalyptys, for the morning mists that enshroud the mountains, for the peace and for the serenity. Right now, I don't even dare to hope any longer.

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Gator says on Oct 15, 2005, 07:58:

Desi... how do you think Jumadi, Buga or Ginebra would do? I also thought of Popayán. I think the immediate area would be safe. There is a battalion, Batallón José Hilario López, stationed in Popayán. Allegedly one of the best in the army so things in the immediate area of Popayá tend to be "under control.".

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 09:39:

I believe that a small town inthe zona cafetera would also do. Buga or any Valley town would be too warm and have too many creepy crawlies and flying fiends for our Scottish gentleman. My first choice would still be Popayán for that rather special serenity and historical feeling of the town; the climate is near-perfect; the mountains all around green and lush.

The North Valle towns of Sevilla and Caicedonia might also do; personally I think that they lack that very special charm of Popayán. Armenia, Manizales or Santa Rosa de Cabal could also be good choices.

Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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CaryGrant says on Oct 15, 2005, 12:43:

I would like to say that Victoria, Canada is virtually mosquito-free. Not totally, but pretty close. Apparently, this is partly because Victoria is on an island. You might want to look into San Andres or similar; it's possible the mosquitos haven't been able to make the hop there.

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BAQ says on Oct 15, 2005, 13:12:

Sulpher Taking Sulpher tables will keep them away, only down side is you will STINK when you start to sweat. haaha

Semper Fidelis !

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Mr. Hollywood says on Oct 15, 2005, 13:22:

San Andres has lots of mosquitos, as do most of the Caribbean islands.

I'm very curious why Victoria doesn't have many mosquitos. I would have expected them there.

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CaryGrant says on Oct 15, 2005, 13:38:

Mr. H. I don't know the reason - I had heard it was because Victoria is on an island - however, Vancouver Island is a very big island! Plenty of places for mosquitos to breed. There are mosquitos here, but I've noticed very few in Victoria proper. This woman did, though:

http://www.tourismvictoria.com/Content/EN/1305.asp
Tsimshian legend tells of a mother whose child was killed by a blood-sucking mosquito. She hid in a tree by a lake and when the chief of mosquitoes came along, she laughed at him. Enraged, he dove at her reflection and when he got out of the water, he froze to death. They burned his body, and the ashes became hundreds of tiny mosquitoes.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Oct 15, 2005, 14:26:

I must admit I thought that dear ARM was looking for Utopiacowboy is the only utopia I know :)

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Mr. Hollywood says on Oct 15, 2005, 14:29:

On an island The "on an island" explanation doesn't seem all that solid when you consider all the thousands of islands that are just swarming with mosquitos. Anyway, good for the people of Victoria. One more reason to like the place.

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 15, 2005, 22:56:

Kat, that was exactly why I was Utopiacowboy. I had a ranch just outside of the tiny pueblo of Utopia, Texas and I was a cowboy. Damm, I sure miss having horses and cattle so maybe you never stop being a cowboy.

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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ARMacleod says on Oct 16, 2005, 17:03:

Sorry, a slip up Woops, what a careless (but handsome) Scottish person I am. Cut and pasted the wrong note.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 16, 2005, 20:40:

No, GIB, unfortunately I didn't. In any event, devotees of bestiality here tend to stick with sheep or goats. I did have Angora goats at various times but they never appealed to me on a sexual level.

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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caulfield2 says on Mar 11, 2006, 08:07:

I live in Armenia.

I would personally pick Salento, but it´s a little too small for me, and doesn´t have some of the modern technological advances like high-speed internet that I would like.

You´re close enough to Pereira and Manizales (here in Eje Cafetero), as well as Cali...to enjoy the big cities when you want to, and about a 45 minute plane ride to Bogota or Medellin.

The area south of Armenia....Tebaida, Rio Vieja...that´s some of the most beautiful and green scenery you could imagine. Unfortunately, the cost of that greenery is the constant rain for at least half the year.

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Miguel_Clavo says on Mar 11, 2006, 10:33:

Colombiche...una pregunta... Know of any video/dvd stores in Manizales where they might have a DVD copy (legal or "bootleg")of Rosario Tijeras? Cable Mall, maybe?


Miguel_Clavo

"Ignorance is a Weapon of Mass Destruction..."

"I would rather die living life, than to live a dying life."........ Oh, and my PM is always ON. Great Bumper Sticker: "Home of the Free, Because of the Brave"

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SPECTRASORT says on Mar 12, 2006, 09:02:

Answers for the Scot Hello Macloed,

You have more chance of finding Utopia in the Scottish Higlands then in Colombia , but I will try to answer your questions.

1...Most places in Colombia are fairly safe these days , but you must abide by common sense rules.
2...When you say most Acceptable Climate , do you require something like a perpetual spring .?. If so I would head for Cuernavaca in Mexico.
3...Above 800m , I would narrow your search to the Coffee Triangle.
4...Medium Size Town , theres mant to choose from in Colombia.
5...Has Good Access , choose a town in the coffee rejoin that has an Airport.
6...Is in Colombia , for you with your concerns you may be better of in or Around Bogota , there are some nice places , but Bogota had good shopping , good restarants and medical and an International Airport.

I personally love Bogota , but also there are some other great cities that I would alao live in , being Manizales , Bucaramanga , Pereria , and Ibague.

In my humble opinion I would take a trip to Colombia , base yourself in Bogota in say the Zona Rosa and select 5-8 cities that you wish to visit and take two day trips to each to establish if or not you like them.

For me Bucaramanga would be an Ideal retirement destination.

By the way do you speak Spanish , If not learn before you go.

An its hard to find Haggis and Drambuie in Colombia , although not impossible , Centro Andino has a store that sells specialized food and drink from around the world , its expensive but what the heck , you only live once.

Ciao.

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litost says on Mar 12, 2006, 09:30:

Call me regionalist... but all this sounds to me like my hometown, Santa Rosa de Cabal. I mean, really, it fits all the requirements beautifully!

1. Safe - one of the safest areas in the country, even featured in Diners Magazine as one of the five safest towns in Colombia.
2. Has the most acceptable climate - perfect springlike weather, a little cooler than Medellin but warmer than Manizales.
3. Is above the 800 m level (mosquito allergy) - it's a comfortable 1800 m above sea level
4. Medium size town/large village - population 80,000 which in Colombia is considered a big town or small city
5. Fairly good access - very close to Pereira (20 min) and Manizales (45 min), good roads. 4 hours to Cali, 5 to Medellin, 8 to Bogota.
6. Almost forgot, is in Colombia - well, yeah.

Not to mention the scenery, coffee culture, termales, and great people.

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utopiacowboy says on Mar 12, 2006, 13:55:

What were the other safe towns that they mentioned?

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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caulfield2 says on Mar 12, 2006, 14:00:

I like Santa Rosa. It didn´t seem like the most technologically advanced town in the world, but it is close to Pereira and Manizales, as mentioned.

As long as I had access to DirecTV and high speed internet, I could live almost anywhere, lol.

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litost says on Mar 12, 2006, 15:48:

I have lots of friends and family who live there, well connected with high-speed internet and the option of Direct TV, though with much cheaper and almost-as-good operators like Cable Union, why bother?

UTC: the 5 towns were Villa de Leyva (Boyaca), Santa Rosa de Cabal (Risaralda), Marsella (Risaralda), Neira (Caldas) and Palestina (Caldas). I'm looking and googling, but can't find a link to the article which may simply not be available online anymore. This was like 5 years ago. I only have the part about Santa Rosa, which I had sent by email to someone and kept in my mailbox. It's long and not a simple spanish, but here it goes:

En Santa Rosa de Cabal las explicaciones para el talante y la tradición de excepcional armonía oscilan entre lo histórico y lo teológico, lo anecdótico y lo meramente especulativo, lo antropológico y lo culinario. Cada profesor de colegio, cada intelectual, cada sensiblero tocado por la ansiedad lírica, cada ciudadano picado por el virus letal y no pocas veces soporífero del raciocinio, fabrica la suya y la va postulando por todas partes, con un convencimiento que llega a emparentarse con la pedantería. Pero en algo están todos de acuerdo: que desde su fundación, el 13 de octubre de 1844, en Santa Rosa de Cabal se ha visto muy poca sangre, y que la violencia ha sido un nombre recóndito y hasta cinematográfico, a pesar de que la ubicación estratégica que le confirió el destino, hizo que por allí tuvieran que pasar forzosamente, blandiendo sus banderas utópicas y haciendo resonar sus tonadas guerreras, ejércitos, justicialistas o infames, libertadores u opresivos, harapientos o ataviados con suntuosos uniformes operáticos.

Explicando la paz




Uno de los más aplicados al estudio del alma y el talante santarrosanos es Jaime Fernández, jefe de su oficina jurídica, historiador obcecado, con figura de ajedrecista o profesor de trigonometría, quien lleva más de quince años reconstruyendo, desde las astillas y la dispersión, toda la verdad y la memoria de esa tierra sosegada.

Gracias a él es posible soñar con la historia de Santa Rosa de Cabal, y entonces aparece nuevamente la figura legendaria de Fermín López, el fundador, quien ya imprimió a su gesta los primeros mandamientos de la armonía: resulta que en el sitio donde quedaría Santa Rosa, corría hacia 1840 una sorda pugna entre un terrateniente feroz y autoritario que reclamaba vastas leguas —desde lo que hoy se llama Risaralda hasta el sur de Antioquia, exactamente— con base en una cédula real, y las turbas de campesinos que habían labrado la tierra durante varias décadas y pedían por ello la titularidad de sus parcelas.

—Fermín López era un hombre de montaña —afirma Jaime Fernández—; salió de Salamina en el punto más álgido de aquel tenso enfrentamiento, luchó contra la adversidad, remontó la inclinada montaña, y en Cartago obtuvo la autorización para fundar un sitio llamado Cabal, ubicado en la República de la Nueva Granada, cantón de Cartago, Estado del Cauca. Aquella fundación acabó con el pleito, sin que corriera demasiada sangre de ninguna de las partes en conflicto.

Y después agrega: los habitantes de la ciudad se caracterizaron desde un principio por su inclinación a una vida sosegada y apacible, calidades propias de su condición de labriegos. Lo otro que también resulta fundamental, para explicar nuestra inexplicable armonía, es que desde sus albores Santa Rosa de Cabal tuvo un muy notable potencial educativo. Los exámenes eran rigurosos y evaluados por jurados integrados por un sacerdote, un juez y un comité municipal. Las pruebas empezaban a las nueve de la mañana y terminaban a las tres de la tarde, y establecían una integración entre gobernantes y educandos muy singular, civilizada y poco vista entre nosotros.

Jaime Fernández continúa el periplo de la memoria y la historia santarrosanas, y a grandes saltos pone de relieve otro elemento sustancial: la influencia francesa, inoculada por la comunidad religiosa vicentina, que fundó allí la Escuela Apostólica, vanguardista y hasta cierto punto cartesiana, a la que se deben los flirteos filosóficos, humanísticos y hasta literarios de los hijos de la ciudad. Fue tanto y tan demoledor aquel influjo, que los jóvenes llegaron a cantar la Marsellesa con la naturalidad de cualquier francés, y se leyó prematuramente a Pascal y a Voltaire, a Balzac y a Gustave Flaubert, a Victor Hugo y La Rochefoucauld. Por eso, algunos de los orgullos de Santa Rosa de Cabal son las pilastras de su parque, que simbolizan la torre Eiffel, el Hospital de San Vicente de Paúl, fundado por los mismos vicentinos, y el recuerdo aún transparente, aunque ya minado por un tufillo mítico, del glorioso día en el que los aliados liberaron a París: en Santa Rosa de Cabal hubo día de festejo, con flores y guirnaldas en las ventanas, hermosas mujeres estrenando vestidos y escuchando melopeas parisinas, hombres ataviados con sus mejores trajes y corbatas blandiendo pañuelos, y un desfile de niños y niñas sonrientes en dirección a la Escuela Apostólica. Todo como si aquel hubiera sido también un territorio francés.




—Esta tendencia a la paz —concluye Fernández entusiasmado— es entonces una mezcla de elementos, una bella conjunción, donde se fusiona nuestra naturaleza con la sabiduría de los visitantes y colaboradores que vinieron de afuera. Sin embargo, exageran en optimismo quienes afirman que nuestra tendencia a la armonía es inagotable, y que la paz es tan santarrosana como los famosos chorizos que aquí se preparan…; cotidianamente recibimos los embates del "mundo de afuera" y será mucha la imaginación necesaria para conservarnos incólumes.

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Monpirri says on Mar 12, 2006, 18:02:

Litost A group of turist would like to visit Colombia in May, would you like to tell me the best and most economical way to travel from US.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

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litost says on Mar 12, 2006, 18:26:

What kind of tourists, I mean are we talking about families, backpackers, businessmen, nature lovers, desperate singles, or what?
Where in the US are they travelling from, and where in Colombia would they go?

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utopiacowboy says on Mar 12, 2006, 19:04:

Muy interesante. Muchas gracias, Sr. Litost.

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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Monpirri says on Mar 13, 2006, 14:53:

Litost Please contact ColombianoX ASAP. He is at his headquarters office.
Thanks,
Monpirri

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

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litost says on Mar 13, 2006, 16:24:

:-S

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