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Santa Marta Safety

Hola!

I am considering going to Santa Marta for work in the middle of October, 2007. I have heard there has been a recent increase in local violence there? Does anyone have any comments on the safety for a gringo like me in Santa Marta? I will be in the city most of the time, but working outside within the city most of the time.

Thank you,

Patrick

By patrickflorance on Sep 25, 2007, 11:37 in Friendly Talkzone.

Chelesupercono says on Sep 25, 2007, 20:28:

I was there in July and it was a little scary at night in the center of town after 10:00 pm Lots of guys hanging around with nothing to do....so I would just be careful where you go at night and probably no alone. Never had any bad vibes during the daytime and I found most of the people very friendly. I did hear the locals talking about some stuff happening......just enjoy the beaches to the north like Taganga, etc.

never go to bed with someone crazier then you are, you will do it and you will regret it.......

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SteohenB says on Sep 25, 2007, 21:36:

No problema amigo. Santa Marta is safe, safer than where I live here in Oakland, California. I have been there 10 times, don't listen to any BS, go for it, have a nice time, learn a little Spanish, and enjoy the beautiful people of Santa Marta. If you need a place to stay, email me at: cartagena172003 at yahoo.com Will give you FREE references. Santa Marta is the OPEL of the Colombian Coast. Is awesome. Of course, if you are a WHIMP. A guy who is a wiesel---stay home. Go to the local movies. Santa Marta is for a TRAVELER, a person of International Adventure. Buenas Suerte.

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bufalo says on Sep 26, 2007, 10:56:

opel?

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

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Boatygringo says on Sep 26, 2007, 11:01:

Went to the locale Flower Festival in Santa Marta last year and got my pocket picked while watching the parade. I think it was by a buch of cute chicitas standing next to me, caused me lots of problems because they got my passport and other important papers.

Boatygringo

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Boatygringo says on Sep 26, 2007, 11:01:

Boatygringo

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patrickflorance says on Sep 26, 2007, 17:36:

Cool. Thanks for all the info. I am going, just wanted to get a sense of things.

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robi666 says on Sep 26, 2007, 18:24:

I don't know what does "OPEL of the Colombian Coast" mean and not to scare anyone, but nice to know that in the first three months in 2007, Santa Marta is number 8 for homicide and number 2 for "secuestro y extorsion" in Colombia. By far the most dangerous city of the coast.
Just wait for the second three months... it will be number 2 in homicide.
http://www.seguridadydemocracia.org/news_desc.asp?s_year=2007&s_news_i...
I would not define it a "safe" town...

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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robi666 says on Sep 26, 2007, 18:47:

And, of course, do not forget to try good fish at a notorious restaurant...
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

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robi666 says on Sep 26, 2007, 18:53:

Will it stop me from spending half of my time there? No. Santa Marta's surroundings are among the most beautiful in the Caribbean.

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BxUnika says on Sep 26, 2007, 19:29:

BTW, wnhat is the location of the picture with all the blood on the floor? think was there in February...huy...What exactly happened?

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robi666 says on Sep 26, 2007, 19:31:

Nothing special, they made a show for the tourists. :-)

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Mr. Hollywood says on Sep 26, 2007, 19:38:

I hate it when they drop Colombian "Ceviche" on the floor like that.

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cali373 says on Sep 26, 2007, 19:47:

SANTA MARTA! I was there for almost a month in july/august. Safest place I have been to in Colombia. Had a great time, although not as much to do as cartagena or a major citie. Safety was neve an issue. I even stayed two night in Calle 10C, which is supposively the dangerous spot and I admit that it is not as safe as the rest of the city or El rodadero. In Santa Marta and Bogota is where I ran into the most europeans, foreigners, etc. Even in the hostels.

Go and enjoy, damn I wish I could work there.

Smile if you are a thinker!

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robi666 says on Sep 26, 2007, 19:52:

So Calle 10C is the dangerous spot... ehm... yes, yes...
Is it written in the Lonely Planet Guide or?

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cali373 says on Sep 26, 2007, 20:03:

BTW! Do not automatically go for the first price quote when paying for anything in the entire coast. ALLWAYS ASK AROUND WHAT THE MINIMUM TAXI RIDE COST IS. WHEN i WAS THERE IT WAS 4000. IT COST ME 6000 (SOMETIMES 5000) TO GET FROM RODADERO TO SANTA MARTA CITY. IN THER DAYTIME I WOULD TAKE A 1000 BUS.

Smile if you are a thinker!

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cali373 says on Sep 26, 2007, 20:07:

I don't know if it is written in the lonely planet guide regarding calle 10C, but cab drivers and people will tell you that it is not the safest area in santa marta. I stayed at the casa familiar, along with many other gringos. I must say I ran into more israelis and europeans than US Americans.

Wow Lonely planet, there's an up to date travel guide for colombia (sarcasm) Well patrickflorance if you take Robi666 analysis, then don't go. Most places outside the US are better without Americans anyway.

Smile if you are a thinker!

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bufalo says on Sep 26, 2007, 20:28:

Leticia is way safer. robbi!, didn't notioce the blood last time I saw that pic! UUUUUUUUGGGG

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

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robi666 says on Sep 26, 2007, 22:18:

"Well patrickflorance if you take Robi666 analysis, then don't go. "
Hey, I did not make any analysis! I just posted a link to an official document.
Anyway, like everytime, there is a big difference between the safety perception of tourists and people living here. Nothing wrong with it... just a difference.
You can bet that the cachacos tourists that were sitting "donde Chucho" one week ago (look at the picture) won't say that SM is safe. But, surely enough, most of the people spending some weeks in El Rodadero will do fine and feel great.
As per doing an analysis, I could talk for hours about the situation in Santa Marta, but I would not do it here. What I can say is that the safety has degraded during the last year and now it is hopefully getting better.
But if you're a tourist, you'll probably never realize who's sitting next to you, what's happening in town or who's in charge of things. On the other hand, if you live here and work or if you own a business, then you will discover things in a heartbeat. SM is small and things always happen near.
So, we could sit side by side drinking a beer and at the end of the night we enjoyed the same things: you felt a lot "safe" and I did not that much, just because I have a better knowledge of the surroundings.
Again, nothing bad, people live in Iraq, now why can't they live in SM...

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robi666 says on Sep 26, 2007, 22:28:

By the way, minimum taxi ride is 3500 (or even 3000 without a.c.) and not 4000 (which is minimum for gringos)... moto taxi is a cheap and fast way to go, if you are not afraid of motorbikes.

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robi666 says on Sep 26, 2007, 22:44:

To make you understand it better, I will just do an example.
You and me are sitting at a restaurant when a famous ex narco, who recently got back to SM, come in and sit at a table just next to us. You go on enjoying the great fish and I'll do the same. But at the same time I'll pay some attention at the people on the street. Got it? Maybe not...

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Morrongo says on Sep 27, 2007, 07:50:

robi666...out of interest, where is No 1 for secuestro y extorsion in Colombia?I tried looking it up on that site,without luck.

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robi666 says on Sep 27, 2007, 08:09:

From the document:

"La Fundación expresa su preocupación porque en Palmira, además, se dispararon los secuestros y las extorsiones. En el primer trimestre pasó a ocupar el nada decoroso primer puesto en delitos contra la libertad. Había terminado el año pasado de 24.

"El incremento de los secuestros en Palmira se explica con la fuerte presencia de bandas y grupos de paramilitares desmovilizados y no desmovilizados, dedicados aún al secuestro y la extorsión", señala.
En el 'ranking' de secuestros y extorsiones siguen, en su orden, Santa Marta, Neiva, Pereira y Popayán. En el caso de Santa Marta, observa el informe, el incremento está relacionado con los paramilitares que no se acogieron al proceso de paz con el Gobierno Nacional. La Fundación también revela el empeoramiento de la situación en Bello (Antioquia) y Armenia, por extorsiones."

http://www.seguridadydemocracia.org/news_desc.asp?s_year=2007&s_news_i...

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bufalo says on Sep 27, 2007, 11:54:

Tourists down here are hysterical, have no idea who they're talking to, let alone the reality of life down here - not saying it's horrible but the usual tourists are quite ignorant to what's going on.

Case in point - brought my retired parents around El Quindio and we were in a pretty secluded area with just one small store. A big fat guy and his broad were all over them "come to my farm, let's ride some horses", etc., etc. Sure, my parents thought it was a bit forward but also thought it was cute as they laughed away. They have no idea, and I'm not telling them, that they were sitting with a ""traqueto", or narco usually from a campesino background. Point is, they had a good "tourist" time here and I think that's great, why ruin it. That's the experience of most tourists here. Try living here for a while, really get to know people - whole different ball game.

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

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toneloc24 says on Sep 27, 2007, 12:22:

Robi/Bufalo - (Being completely facetious) Stop scaring away the tourists. You and I know Colombia is the safest place on the planet. Your scare tactics are nothing more than a ruse to keep it all to yourself. Jajajaja!!!

If tourists want to believe that Santa Marta is safe, go right ahead and enjoy yourself carefree at all hours and all throughout the city. You won't face any issues downtown, trust me....LOL!!!

My own advice to those who go to Santa Marta, stay the fuck in Rodadero. Stop being cheap on hotels. The paracos run the city, including what gets reported. Not the Medellin Poblado paraco dudes. The disbanded, out of work former soldiers who now rely on getting money anyway they can, including street crime and extortion. All that freelancing, hanging with the Israelis and Italians downtown crap, places you closer to the line of fire. Keep fucking around there. It's not a matter of IF, but WHEN.

Robi has warned you, and given you stats. I'm co-signing him, based on what I've seen and who I've spoken to.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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robi666 says on Sep 27, 2007, 20:12:

Perfectly right Tone!
But to be honest, I would never suggest anyone to be stuck in El Rodadero. Hell, things get boring fast there and you go back home and you've seen nothing.
But what is ridiculous is all this talking about safety and comparisons between Colombia and USA or Europe.
Your main concern is safety? Stay home.
Colombia es la madre de toda la maldad, la tierra mas encantadora y la gente mas mala.

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john_stark says on Sep 27, 2007, 21:39:

Come on, stop spreading these stories about the bad bad paracos. Just think of them as costeno good ol' boys. And mind your own gd business.

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robi666 says on Sep 27, 2007, 21:51:

muerte a los gringos, si o no john?

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goin_south says on Sep 27, 2007, 23:33:

""safer than where I live here in Oakland, California.""????
funny stuff, StephenB!

Where do we go from here?

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Monpirri says on Sep 28, 2007, 05:13:

GS, with that new avatar you are not safe in any where because you are subjected to be harassed by the opposite sex.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

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