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Spanner in the mix

Hi all

I just wanted to kind of throw a spanner in the mix.
Ive travlled a fair bit in my time. I have also recently been to Cali twice in a short space of time and spent reasonable amounts of time there. However, In that sense im not qualified as i didnt get the opportunity to travel to other parts in my time.

My feelng is, after just returning to Uk after the second time in Cali is that i am slowly falling out of love with the place. The reason for that is that i have spent more time before in Mexico and i cant help but continually compare the two different experiences. On reflection and In comparison i have always felt much more comfortable in Mexico. The reason for that is that i feel that the people are friendlier and the culture is much more relaxed. Cali seems quite uptight, the roads are crazy and people look at you more aggressively. The other overriding factor is that in cali the girls are less subtle about what they ultimately want which is in general Money. In addition there is one thing i truly dont like. That is that because of the security issue, there are too mnay secuirty guards where you live and too much fear to go out freely at night. I can tell you that i dont spend time orrying about what might or could happen but i dont like the atmosphere and the lack of freedom ie living in an apartment block with my colombian girlfriend and having 24 hour high wire fences and guards.

So, my feeling is that unless people tell me otherwise about other places in colombia so far i dont have a great feel good factor about the place. Still, im trying to learn to feel good about it !

By englishsettler on Apr 28, 2006, 13:20 in Friendly Talkzone.

utopiacowboy says on Apr 28, 2006, 14:51:

You are comparing Cali with what Mexican city? Many of them have their own security issues as well although I have been in some where I felt quite comfortable (Monterrey, Acuna, Aguascalientes). I, for one, feel that Colombians are much friendlier towards gringos than Mexicans are.

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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kernow62 says on Apr 28, 2006, 20:08:

Try a different city in Colombia then. Cali is not known as the safest of Colombian cities.

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bartolo_colon says on Apr 28, 2006, 20:20:

I for one think Cali is like the Bakersfield of Colombia. To me it is the least appealing of the major Colombian cities and should not be representitive of such a diverse and complicated country and culture. Mexico is a rich and complicated culture in its own right, and I find it hard to compare the two. Further I would not try to form an opinion of the U.S. based on a couple trips to Bakersfield or Mexico based on a couple trips to Cancun any more than I would form an opinion of Colombia in general based on a couple trips to Cali. I have been to West Bromwich in the UK a couple of times, am I to conclude that the entirety of the kingdom is an industrial wasteland, filled with a people in a perpetual state of the duldrums, who chose to ignore their dentists. Having been to West Bromwich on a couple of occasions, and being the well traveled sort, I assume this entire isle is comprised of dilapidated buildings and an odd bunch of folks, sporting pasty skin and a sharp sense of humour. I think I shall compare it to France. People in Paris are so friendly, I think I like it better there.

Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!

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caslug says on Apr 28, 2006, 20:21:

ES..I came around to the same conclusion too.. My gripe w/ Cali is/was..

1) Nightlife is boring COMPARE to other cities(in COL and other countries)
2) Traffic, going between Norte & Sur, sucks especially during traffic hours.
3) I did feel SOME(ok, most of the ones i met) chicas in cali were "users". USER is define by chicas that would call me up because they wanted to go out(to eat out, dancing, etc.,) because they were bored and broke. BUT I did meet couple of wonderful selfless ones, that were really sweet and fun. In MEDELLIN i met MORE selfless chicas than user chicas.

However, i felt COL(in cali and other cities i visited) are VERY friendly and helpful to strangers. It was very easy to meet them men/women. As for safety, didn't have a problem or felt unsafe. BUT that was because I took appropriate precaution and never put myself in situation i would feel uncomfortable, incl staying in a very nice/safe area.

After spending time between Cali & MED, i take MED over Cali(or any other COL city). MED is not too big to have big city problem(ie, traffic-bog), but not too small to be boring(ie, cali), PLUS the weather is perfect most of the time.

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expatriate says on Apr 29, 2006, 18:18:

Mexico or Colombia is where it is at Mexico is where it is at, maybe. The food, the comfortableness, the beaches, the scenery, and let me mention the food again! But I'm here in Cali because my wife's family is in Cali.

The downside to Mexico is that in the high plateaus of Colombia, like Cali and Medellin, the weather is perfect 24/7/365. In Mexico, it can get much hotter than Cartagena in the summer, and just isn't as nice anywhere.

The women in Mexico are also unremarkable in my opinion, although I like the way they looked in Merida. They wore pretty dresses, and went about their business.

Prices in Mexico seem to be nearly as high as Southwest USA, like parts of Texas and New Mexico. Mexico doesn't seem to be nearly as inexpensive as Colombia.

I have good memories of Mexico, it's a ton of fun. Although, I seemed to get sick every other time I've been there. It must be the water. But for your cash, for the weather, and for your eyeballs if you're a guy, Colombia seems to be the nicest place overall.

I can always make my own Mexican food here at home, which I do. An example is chipotle marinated steak, grilled, and served with hot Bimbo tortillas, plus imported tomatillos and local fresh red jalapeno sauce. John in Cali.

In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile.

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