Need a Colombian to Settle Travel Debate

Tinto (Moderator) says on Mar 29, 2006, 10:34:

GIB must be in love the above response is so atypical!



What happened to every plane and bus being wired with C-4 and to the paras and FARC behind every rock, tree and shrub?



;-)

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ValerieG says on Mar 29, 2006, 10:40:

Thanks for the advice, but, with our plans the way they are at the moment, we'd have to fly to Popayan the same day we arrive in Bogota thus not giving us much of a chance to ask around first. That's savey advice, but I'm just trying to avoid buying a plane ticket to Popayan only to find out that we can't make the trip to San Agustin.

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leidy sohad says on Mar 29, 2006, 10:50:

ValerieG, traveling on a bus in Colombia is not safe and less if you are a forigner, no matter if your Spanish is good or not, I have always work with forigners in Colombia an I always advise them the same, "if you cannot flight there, do not go!"

Good luck

Hi everyone!! I just become a member, I am a colombian who lives in Dallas since 2002, I am 25 years old and I found about this webside trying to get some information about plastic surgeries in Colombia, I just stoped breastfeeding my 2-tear-old baby and

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kernow62 says on Mar 29, 2006, 10:54:

What if I just want to go across town, should I fly? Now I am afraid to take the Germania buseta, what to do. Please advise.

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ValerieG says on Mar 29, 2006, 10:58:

Seriously people, I'm just looking for some advice...
Save the testy attitude and the fear mongering please

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kernow62 says on Mar 29, 2006, 11:01:

Go for it Valerie.

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utopiacowboy says on Mar 29, 2006, 11:08:

Someone who is familiar with the area would be the one to advise whether it is safe. There are areas of Colombia where it is fine for a gringo to take the bus. I've taken the bus myself and here I am! We are a testy group here at PBH, Valerie, and ready to take umbrage at any offense real or imagined.

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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Crazy4Cali says on Mar 29, 2006, 11:24:

Ready, fire, aim? WRT: "with our plans the way they are at the moment, we'd have to fly to Popayan the same day we arrive in Bogota"

why are you asking AFTER you bought the tickets?

Do you put the cart before the horse, too?

I guess, ValerieG deserves some credit for at least asking before she arrived in-country. But to ask when it's almost too late to do anything about the decisions she's already made, and then get cranky that people are offering all manner of advice (which, as GIB says, is exactly what you'll find when you ask in Colombia), all I can say is "Hey, don't shoot the messenger."

BTW, didn't we just have this discussion, recently?

WRT: "I'm just looking for some advice"

My advice:

1. do your research before buying the tickets and making plans.


2. remember that ALL information from and about Colombia will contain some bias or another, regardless of the source


3. there is still an un-settled, on-going civil war in the country


4. yet, many people live to a ripe-old-age there


5. and finally, there are no easy, cut-and-dried answers to the question: "is it safe?" other than "no." The question is really, "is it safe enough for you to feel comfortable?"

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ixent says on Mar 29, 2006, 13:25:

See my photo gallery I've been there a few times, and it's a really great place. There are a few foreigners living there (two French people, and one German, and have been there for many years) and they told me they'd never had any problems. Stay at Casa de Nelly (it's a nice place)

I personally know of a couple of incidents when FARC stopped acquaintances of mine on the bus between popayan and san agustin, so it seems they have a regular retén there. They were from Australia and Czech republic, and they showed their passports and had no problems; however I am told it would not be so straightforward if you have a US passport. Everyone there told me guerilla wanted tourism in the area to help the local economy.

A good place to get UPTODATE advice might be the Platypus hostel in the Candelaria, Bogota (http://www.platypusbogota.com/), you are likely to bump into backpackers who have just come from there, so allow you to gauge the situation.

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ixent says on Mar 29, 2006, 13:26:

These guys were there too, recently... See what they had to say.

http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/guest.pl?tweb_UID=stevefn&tweb_tripID=rtw2004&tweb_entryID=1107821280&tweb_PID=tpod

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ixent says on Mar 29, 2006, 13:29:

List of hotels in San Agustín http://www.colombia.com/turismo/sitio/sanagustin_1/html/hosp/hosp_02.asp

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Crazy4Cali says on Mar 29, 2006, 16:02:

More tourists? WRT: "Everyone there told me guerilla wanted tourism in the area to help the local economy."

Hmmm, are they running low on kidnap candidates?

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el flaco says on Mar 30, 2006, 00:20:

Who knows if it is safe. The British Government advice is that it is not safe. Australian backpacker friends of mine went there last August by bus and had no problems. They have holiday Spanish only. You can read about their trip on their website www.cedavril.com

If you survive it is very safe, if you die it is very unsafe!

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pedro says on Mar 30, 2006, 02:18:

Only one Colombian You only had one response from a Colombian and it was to never take any bus anywhere.

So I guess it's settled, then...?

If you want more info, you could look in the El Tiempo newspaper under Conflicto Armado. It would be relevant to find out if the FARC road transport ban is still in force and in which regions.

I have taken the bus in other parts of Colombia on some occasions with no problems. However I chose to fly during my recent trip from Cartagena to Medellin. This was because of the tension and FARC threats on road transport during election time.

que nota!

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juanalejo says on Mar 30, 2006, 06:50:

ValerieG Is your trip meant to be to Popayán or to both San Agustín and Popayán. If your trip is just to San Agustin I would fly to Neiva and then on to San Agustín and you will have no security problems. The road between San Agustín and Popayán is a difficult one, not only due to guerrilla presence but most of all it is a hectic and curvy road. But then again in the Lonely Planet Forum I amaze myself by the ammount of backpackers who do travel on that road constantly. Aires Airlines flies down to Neiva a few times a day. www.aires.aero

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Mar 30, 2006, 08:07:

I travelled that road with my husband and my sister in law, yes there is a guerrilla presence but we were fine, my husband and his sister weren't the only foreigners there, there were lots of them, backpackers like Juanalejo said, I remembered a British guy that used to own a bar there, I don't know if he still is there thought.

engage brain before opening mouth

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Crazy4Cali says on Mar 30, 2006, 09:00:

It wouldn't surprise me... It wouldn't surprise me that the backpackers were safe, everyone in Latin America knows they aren't worth anything (unless the kidnappers know who their mommy and daddy are, perhaps).

In Costa Rica, a taxi driver pointed to a backpacker and said he didn't pick up backpackers porque los gringos con bolsas nunca tienen dinero.

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adela says on Mar 30, 2006, 09:44:

The first advise: Dont go. The whole Cauca department(main city: Popayan) is a risky area. However, there are calm for those days, every time more tourists(colombians and foreigners) are traveling there and are safe.

The last time I visited Popayan(six months ago), I stayed in Dann Monasterio Hotel. The hotel was regarded for US and Colombians militaries agents, also most parts of Popayan.

Second one: go with some locals as you can. Preferable in group.

Màs fe, màs abrazos, màs besos, màs disculpas, màs visitas a nuestros amigos antiguos nos haràn màs plenos cada vez.

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Avril says on Apr 2, 2006, 05:53:

Just do it, but ask first ValerieG, We were there in August last year and had no problem. We were glad that we did do go to San Augustin. We arrived in Popoyan and went to the tourist police office and asked them FIRST. Our Spanish is quite poor, but we understood that he said, that there is no problems and that there are military checkpoints along the way. We took the bus (the big one, which I don't recommend - take the mini bus! it's faster) and besides it being slow, tedious and uncomfortable, we had nothing to worry about. We didn't get stopped at the military checkpoint, but we did see some military guys on the side of the road
San Augustin's archaeology is very interesting and impressive. Do try to make the effort to go there - just ask at the tourist police office in Popoyan first.
You can see our trip and photos at our website (trip stats are at the end of each blog) http://www.cedavril.com/2005/08/28/farc-the-guerillas-colombia-rocks/
http://www.cedavril.com/2005/09/06/mud-in-our-cracks/
Photos
http://www.cedavril.com/wp/gallery.php?album=815728

Another note: a taxi driver in Popoyan told us not to go to San Augustin. He freaked my boyfriend out and we almost didn't go. But I insisted and I'm glad we went. Check the photos out to whet your appetite :)

Cheers
-Avril

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