Medallo on my mind...

caulfield2 says on Apr 30, 2006, 17:48:

Umm...I´m not sure that you would necessarily be any safer in those countries you listed. There was a Univ. of Kansas student that was killed in Costa Rica named Kristy Martin. Anything can happen if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As far as first impressions, I think you need to take your time and let things settle a lit. I have lived down here for 9 months, work here full-time as a teacher, and have seen the positives and negatives of that transition. In reality, I probably am saving more money than I would in the US, but, yes, you can fall in love and do something really stupid financially...although I think throwing money at a girl or situation is going to get you in less trouble than marrying someone or uprooting your life based on one trip.

I do think there are many advantages, if you are seeking a mate, to living down here. For one thing, you don´t have to worry about her cheating on you, and second, you can truly find out how much her motivation is to marry and move to the US, versus living together in Colombia. I see pros and cons to both...I was married to someone from another country and brought her to the US and that didn´t work out. I learned a lot, and I´m not in significantly worse shape or condition financially...you just have to spend a lot of ¨real¨ time together instead of it always being fun and vacation time. Be careful with your money...don´t try to impress anyone, just be yourself and try to date as you would if you were in the United States. Just because you can, don´t always eat in the nicest restaurant or stay in the most expensive hotel. Try to project the same image and lifestyle you have in the US...believe me, it´s better to be realistic than exhibit an unsustainable lifestyle you could never afford in the US. You´re going to lose the gold-diggers that way, and you hopefully can end up with a good girl.

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dwmte says on May 1, 2006, 08:48:

justino... there's dangers in your bathroom, down the block, behind the church, here, there, irak, london, medellin...you name it. don't let all this clutter and fear drive your life.

i've lived in medellin for about 5 years. first time back in the late 80's early 90's when danger was a capitalized word DANGER...
then again in the late 90's. in fact, we own a home in envigado. yes indeed there are some issues that take some common sense and alertness to avoid, but once one understands this about colombia. they're good to go. i've gone out to eastern and southeastern antioquia where any intelligent person--even colombians--would never go, and i'm here to tell about it. it's not that i'm recommending such excursions to you or for that matter anyone else. it's only to point out that if fear drives your life, danger follows. one is a magnet of the other.

once you've developed your 'colombian ship's legs' and know where to go, where not to go, who to go with and what to do once you're there, you can venture out and explore the country in a more relaxed fashion. too, you'll find that you avoid risky situations/places and people automatically.

as for the ladies and mate search. trust your heart and take your time. colombians date for years before marrying. don't be in a hurry for anything. there are so many wonderful colombian women, especially when you get out of medellin and visit places like el retiro, marinilla, llano grande, rio negro, etc. and these gals have no incling about 'ripping off the gringo' like the gals in medellin, cali, bogota and cartagena. just take your rosy sweet time and all will be wonderful. one wonder leads to another, one great lady leads the way to another, etc. be patient, and you'll find all you seek and that which you find will truly be yours.

all the best,

d w martin

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jaramillo says on May 1, 2006, 13:59:

Hey dwmte... Enjoy east Antioquia! A hot chocolat with quesito and arepa de chócolo. Best to you.

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justino says on May 2, 2006, 14:59:

Gracias a los dos Thanks guys, for the thoughtful responses. Truth be told, I did a fair bit of driving through the countryside with my paisa friend - Medellin to Ayapel to Barranquilla to Cartagena and Medellin to el Parque del Cafe not too far from Cali - and I've lived to tell about it with great memories. We got stopped by the military several times - bands of 5 or 6 guys in uniform with machine guns strapped to them - but all they wanted was to assure us that the military was protecting the roads and to give us advice about which roads to take. A couple of them asked if we had anything to drink - understandable since they were poorly supplied and it was hot out there. We gave them some juice boxes from El Exito. My fears made the drive an adrenaline-filled experience, but then again, my heart races here in the States whenever I see a cop on the road and think "I hope he doesn't pull me over". So, I just scare easily, I guess. You'd think that with scuba diving, sky diving and solo world travelling I'd have the jitters out for just about anything by now.

dwmte, you were are a brave soul to be there during the peak violent years. I know a number of people who lost family or friends during those times. But, maybe it's not bravery, but rather a realists view of the odds of something actually happening and confidence in your ability to avoid problem situations. That's what I need, and I hope it will come with time, as you suggest it will.

Caulfield2, that's great that you can save more in Medellin than in the states! It's an IDEAL situation for you!

Take care,

Justin

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caulfield2 says on May 2, 2006, 15:17:

Justin, Parque del Cafe is about 20-25 minutes outside Armenia, which is where I live.

It´s another 2 1-2 hours, at least 2 hours to reach Cali, to the south in the Valle.

I´ve been robbed once down here, but it was mostly my own fault. I did wake up in a hospital, but it never would have happened if I were with someone else.

I remember when I was riding to Armenia to Cali in a taxi last year, the police stopped us about halfway through the trip and went through ALL of my luggage for about 20-25 minutes under the hot sun, but that´s the worse experience I´ve had yet with them. I had my passport with me at least, and proof that I had a teaching position in Colombia (work contract, etc.)

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justino says on May 2, 2006, 15:40:

caulfield2, Yeah I passed through Armenia on the way to el Parque del Cafe. I went to some hot springs around there.... oh what was it called.... ah, los termales de Santa Rosa. I still have some little soaps and shampoo bottles from that place. I loved it there. I hear there are some nicer termales, but this one was just fine. I also went to Panaca - an agriculture/livestock theme park around there. Here's a link for any home gamers following the thread: http://www.turiscolombia.com/quindio1.html

That's scary about the cops... sounds like they wanted to find a rich foreign guy for a big bribe, but let you off easy assuming that being a teacher means not too much money to be had. I keep my passport in a safe at all times except coming from the airport... and I just keep a photocopy in my pocket.

The girls in the Quindio area seem to be quite attractive. We stayed in a little place near el Parque del Cafe and oh man.. the owner's daughter - who's about my age - was smokin... and chatty.. and wearing a see-through night shirt to breakfast in the morning... woooo hooo! I think her mom caught me looking :-D

Justin

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caulfield2 says on May 2, 2006, 20:43:

Yeah, this whole string of cities is full of excitement, lol.

Going from south to north, you have Cali, Armenia, Pereira, Manizales and Medellin.

Termales is really cool, I went with my ex there, both (new and old termales) are very hard to get to because the roads are horrible. The only way we got through was my girl had a cousin who agreed to drive us and we paid for his admission. Didn't stay overnight, I heard that is really a fun time. Did you have any chorizos in Santa Rosa? That's typical food there.

Did you make it to Salento? Any horseback riding?

Panaca and Parque del Cafe are both places you probably only visit once. I have a student whose dad is one of the owners of Panaca, wonder if it was her? Maybe I am better off not knowing that one.

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justino says on May 3, 2006, 08:54:

caulfield2, It wasn't an owner of Parque del Cafe's daughter I'm talking about - but rather the owner of the little bed and breakfast place we stayed near there... so no worries... would be funny though if it were the same girl.

We didn't get to Salento... would have liked to, but time didn't permit. I ride horses at my paisa friend's finca, though. It's amazing to ride in the hills of Antioquia.

Yeah, the road up to los termales de Santa Rosa is pretty rough. It's about a half hour drive up a rough dirt road that winds up and around mountains. We got there at night, and there are no lights anywhere on this whole trip. The sky was so clear we saw hundreds of shooting stars - a couple VERY bright, very low in the atmosphere. When we got there we were so hungry - eating fried trucha under the stars next to steaming hot springs was like heaven.

Justin

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