THE FIRST TIME YOU ENTERED COLOMBIA

turnmeon (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 24, 2008, 08:44:

bickerss says on Nov 24, 2008, 08:52:

I was surprised at how organised it was compared to other latin countries and how friendly it was. I was blown away by how feminine, good looking and nice the women were.

Investment Strategy - buying when others are crying!! Offloading when others are gloating!!!

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 24, 2008, 08:58:

Desi1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 24, 2008, 09:37:

That was such a long time ago. Flying in to Cali on a red-eye flight from Miami via Panamá with an airline that does not exist any longer....arrived at dawn and the city was lying shrouded in mist. The first thing I perceived was the odd fragrance in the air...the sweet smell of the sugar mills and a taint of smoke. Lots of dark, small people talking all the time...confusion and chaos.

I had no preconstructed ideas about Colombia...I was quite young and barely knew where Colombia was located in the map. I had a vague idea of a country producing coffee and emeralds, Spanish-speaking and people looking like Indians ( from the movies...Geronimo and such, with large noses and square jaws) and the movie they showed on the flight was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.....

Colombia welcomed me with open arms.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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cali_brahh says on Nov 24, 2008, 09:46:

Desi1 that is the same exact experience I had when landing in Cali at 130 am on a red eye, only that I honestly felt a sense of vulnerability because I knew poco espanol.

I was a bit uneasy but at the same time it was quite exciting being so far away in an unknown land. Viva colombia

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jonas says on Nov 24, 2008, 09:48:

I agree with bikerss, everything was so much better organised than in other latin american countries, everything was a lot cleaner and the people were a lot friendlier than in the neighbouring countries.
It was a lot more expesive than Ecuador or Peru but on a level with Venezuela. I am talking 10 years ago. The internet was so sloooow that if you tried to check your email it would sometimes take 10-15 minutes just to load the login page. Many times this would start to open when after 15 minutes you would get a time out error. Sometimes one would try for 1 hour and give up without even knowing if one had a new mail. And don´t forget, at the time they charged by the minute and it was expensive.

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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johnny2008 says on Nov 24, 2008, 10:36:

"Thank you for your answers, it may help other tourist to clear their thoughts about coming to Colombia."

First time I came to Colombia it was shit! "other tourists" should avoid coming with my ex-girlfriend

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 24, 2008, 10:50:

The truth is that Colombia has a VERY bad reputation abroad...

I won't even bother to start a discussion of whether it's justified or not (although I did start a thread http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/why-is-life-so-cheap-in-colombia... which has the merits of offering several explanations...

As in any country in the world, Colombia has its due share of "problems" and "rotten apples".

But the HUGE majority of colombiano(a)s are simply authentic and friendly people who just wish to get on with their lives.

When visiting Colombia, I simply show a little understanding and lots of respect to what is, basically, a different culture.

Colombia is a GREAT country which has MUCH to offer.

Better to have tried and failed than having regrets all your life about what you MIGHT have missed

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cali_brahh says on Nov 24, 2008, 13:01:

Stick to the topic and read the title of this thread. Bringing a problematic viewpoint is boring to read and you are whining. Who wants to hear it ?

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britabroad says on Nov 24, 2008, 13:07:

I can remember looking down from the plane and seeing fires everywhere - must be FARC right? Wrong - sugar cane fires. Also, BIG electrical storms lighting the sky up.

It was just before Xmas and I remember clearly stepping out through the doors of the airport into a world of noise and crowds. People had "Welcome Home Jose" banners, mariachis, the lot. They had also decided to cheer every Gringo that entered as if they were long lost sons or something, so it was quite a welcome.

Then the in-laws appeared and it went downhill from there really.

Leave the big stick at home...carry a cannon!

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dwmte7 says on Nov 24, 2008, 13:09:

johnny....is there some problem with a lot of 'other tourists' coming with your ex-girl friend?

or did i mis understand something?

coming to colombia.....that's such a long story. am i ready for this? are you ready for this?

it was 1989...i was going to the enauguration of pres. caesar gaviria. it was maybe 3 or 4 days prior and i would be staying at the newly completed hilton where the ceremonies were to take place. it was a long los angeles--bogota flight, twelve hours with a one hour layover in mexico city. we arrived at about 7-8:00 a.m. in the morning and i dealt with the airport for about an hour and finally got outta there.

the thing i noticed most were the amount of military personal all over the place. inside the airport there must have been at least a thousand military...everywhere. when i finally got my bags and got out by the taxis, the military presence doubled. trucks, armoured vehicles, tanks....machine gun nests built around the building with sandbags. it must have taken an hour to secure a taxi and finally get headed out of the airport. while driving into bogota, again the military presence was overwhelming. every 5-10 ft was a soldier. all the overpasses had soldiers positioned facing both directions across the tops. the walking overpasses were the same. when we finally got into town. every corner was chaos, the soldiers weren't allowing traffic to head for the area around the takendama...the hilton was about two blocks away.

i told the driver i was going to the hilton and he said he couldn't get within a mile of there. i explained to him in my very limited spanish, i was a guest at the hilton and a guest for the enauguration for pres. gaviria. about a mile or two from that area, the soldiers where turning everyone away and forcing traffic to go anywhere else.

finally, i saw a soldier that looked like he was in charge of this group of soldiers and i told the driver to stop. i got out of the cab and all hell broke loose. these soldiers came running towards me with their guns at the ready and i just put my arms up. the driver got out and explained that i was staying at the hilton and was a guest for the enauguration. finally, the guy i thought was important came over and took charge of this crazyness. the driver explained everything to him and i showed him the presents and my reservation confermations. he assigned a couple of guards that walked in front of the taxi for over a mile to within about a block and a half from the hilton, where we ran into stiff opposition and a comandante who wouldn't let us go any further. he told me to get out of the taxi with my bags, presents and had the driver and a couple of soldiers carry my stuff down to the hilton.

when i finally got inside, i gave the driver and the soldiers some money i thinkit was thirty dollars for the driver and maybe 15 apiece fot the soldiers. they were very thankful and really friendly with me.

at the doors, they shook me down like ive never been shaken down before. they went through everything and frisked every square inch of my body.....remember, not a month before, escobar had assassinated galan and these folks were on the edge of 'freak out'.

then i went through a lengthy process of registering in the hotel and registering my presence for the enauguration. they opened the presents which really pissed me, but i understood.

at last, i was escorted to my beautiful, huge suite on the--i think--20th floor. i showered changed clothes and went to the bar were i proceeded to inebriate myself with other guests and finally went to my room and crashed.

the following 5 or 6 days went by and the festivities were pleasant, but overly boring. all of colombias landed gentry were there with a smile and a hand out for future 'grease' that might come there way. i took it as long as i could and finally said adieu to bogota and decided to see medellin which i had heard about for years as the faucett of cocain and the home of the notorious pablo escobar.

i caught an evening flight to medallo and landed about 8:00 pm and shared a taxi with another gringo and a colombiana. both of them were well familiar with where we were and where we were going. i asked the gringo about medellin and where i should stay. he just said hang with him and for me to stay at the intercontinental where he stayed every month or so when he came to medelloin.

we stopped at an estadero near the peaje and started drinking with the taxi driver. we proceeded to hang one on before heading on down the hill.

the taxi dropped me and the other fellow off at the intercontinental which had all the appearances of heaven by that time. the other fellow, whom i only saw one other time, i figured was a dope dealer. he looked like it and acted like it, and he told me he came down all the time.

that night, i got my initiation to the gunfire. all night. and it continued for the next month and a half or two months until i left the hote. it continued at my nest home as well. in fact it continued for the next 3 years.

after this, i've writeen many times. no need to repeat.
dw

dwmte

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Planb says on Nov 24, 2008, 13:16:

First time I entered colombia, was in Ibague. I was coming from Guayaquil Ecuador.. out with a business colleague and translator for my business. I checked out the various strip clubs and being my first time out of the country, I didnt really think twice about the beer, so I drank whats called club in ecuador, kinda like Club Colombia.. just a lot worse in quality.

I arrived in Ibague feeling very, very sick to my stomach, after 6 days in Ecuador driving through mountains and eating very lightly, I just wanted some soup. The friends we were visiting could tell I was feeling horribly. They brought me some that looked like Ramen Noodles, and a glass of Aguardiente with Lime and ice. (the ice was a special request from me ofcourse) They told me it would "mata los amoebas" and it sure did. Downed the medicine water they gaveme, ate the soup and then slept for about 5 hours. I woke up feeling like a million bucks lol!

I wasn't apprehensive or scared about being kidnapped at all, though I do admit I have the tendency to rationalize things rambo style, and if worse came to worse, I would singlehandedly destroy the Farc. haha. Anyway felt COMPELTELY safe the whole time, I didnt go off wandering around alone, I stayed with the family I was there visiting. Also met a gorgeous chica that I kept in contact with and have since visited this past october. I have travelled by bus for hours at a time. Back and forth form bogota to Ibague and from ibague to armenia. Parque Nacional del Cafe. Also a really cool experience, I definitely think you should check it out.

In summary, Colombians have been some of the nicest, most caring individuals I have met yet. Their sense of family leaves much to be desired when returning back home. The culture difference is very big in regards to this. I didnt feel in danger, and I had a blast every minute. Sure there were seedy looking people at times, but you look people in their eyes with confidence, I find you rarely have an issue.

I will return when the funds permit it, no question about it!

El aire nos ciega, hay vidrio en la arena, ya no me da pena dejarte un adiós

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johnny2008 says on Nov 24, 2008, 13:20:

Hi Douglas, yes you are right, I should not be so protective about ex girlfriends

In seriousness second time I came it was fantastic

Third time i came i hated it and swore never to return.

Decided i wouldnt let it beat me and came back for a fourth time and am still here. I'd say it took about a month to adjust though which what makes me think it isnt necessarily a place for a short holiday.

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dwmte7 says on Nov 24, 2008, 13:41:

it was wierd, john....i came...and we had businesses and investments (property developments) in california. and i didn't go back for near three years. talk about shining things on. sure i flew back and organized the ranks to deal with stuff, but i was in medallo to stay. they party never stopped, the blow was cheap, legal and fantastic. and i could run myu affairs like i was on vacation. only problem was, i got married and found out that chicken little wasn't lyin....the fuckin sky WAS falling. here it is twenty years later, and even though i have a good wife, the sky's still falling. beware, bretheren. great ass lasts a a couple of months, maybe more. a rope around your life lasts forever.

dwmte

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 24, 2008, 13:52:

goin_south says on Nov 24, 2008, 14:18:

confessions: it took me 9 months, of talking to my novia and IM'ing with her every day, and researching Colombia on the internet, and getting to know other people who were somehow 'connected to' Colombia, before I felt like I understood enough about Colombia to go there.

Hey! my novia lived in Pasto! Nobody nowhere, not on pbh or elsewhere was talkin about Pasto. All I heard was BQ, Bogota, Cartagena, Medellin, Cali.

I've got two teens that I am still responsible for. Hence, the concerns for security.

Pasto, being way_south, I remember actually talking to my gf about meeting in Quito, ECUADOR the first time. jajjaa.. she was goin_for it, until I remember reading probably Gomezman5 here, about El Intercontinental Hotel being quite secure,... in Cali. I remember reading about how the airport was about 22 miles from Pasto... and thinking... it must be 20 miles of jungle roads in between, MOST CERTAINLY INFESTED WITH FARC AND OTHER THUGS along the wayside, waiting to pounce on gringos. (And, don't think about taking the night bus, I read!)

And, I really couldn't place Colombia on the S.A. map, exactly, when I first crossed pathes with some colombianitas on the web.

Upon first landing in Cali... about 9:30 pm, direct from Houston...expecting my gf to be there in waiting.... (nice line outside the exit door of the airport, of ladies waiting for their guys :-)).... she, knowing I was feeling a lil timid about this trip.... SHE WASN'T FREAKIN THERE!

And, my spanish back then... VERY LIMITED!... I wandered over to a corner outside, where people were waiting for taxis, and asked this one young latina I remembered being on my plane: "habla ingles''?

Whewwww, luck. She was bilingual, and was flying in to visit, while working and living in the states... she understood immediately, MY PREDICAMENT. She was waiting for her family to pick her up. 5-10 minutes later, her family arrived, mom, dad, lil sis... They took care of me. TOTAL STRANGERS. They took care. The mother said (in spanish of course), "We are not going to leave him (me) here, until his novia arrives". And, lil sis called my novia on her cell phone.... She had driven all day long, from Pasto.. and was ... jus... then... arriving at the airport parking. That family hung with me there for the 10 or 15 minutes until she arrived.

Right then, I knew what I had heard was true: Colombian people are some of the best people anywhere! I guess that moment was the defining moment for me and all the rest of my experiences in Colombia....

Never have I had any problems, and have most usually been treated with a very cordial sort of respect by most colombian people I've had contact with. Including most of the ones here on PBsH. I've gotta say, I don't remember where in the usa I ever encountered the same sort of respect or warmth. Close... here in Acadiana. Elsewhere? No way.

Very first impression: The people all clapping as they landed de plane in Cali! Is that sort of pride/love of country unique, or what!

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 24, 2008, 14:27:

AlaOrde says on Nov 24, 2008, 14:45:

cali_brahh says on Nov 24, 2008, 13:01 (today): flag

Stick to the topic and read the title of this thread. Bringing a problematic viewpoint is boring to read and you are whining. Who wants to hear it



*************************

AMEN

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dwmte7 says on Nov 24, 2008, 15:01:

mind you darloup.....i could go on forever about colombia and it's gente....my wife, incredible as she is, love her as i do, devoted as i am....is one tough cookie. period.

i don't have a love/hate with colombia, nor colombians...it's my adopted homeland. it did to me what it's done to so many of you....just a long time ago when things were TOTALLY different. so different, one would be pressed to compare then with now.

one couldn't drive from medallo to rio negro or any of the outlying pueblos with out something going down. without gunfire or bombs or all manner of chaos. the guerillas weren't even an issue. farc, eln, were sort of folk heroes compared to the ruthlessness of the capos and their henchmen. sound strange? believe it. paras didn't exist. but pablo did! and pablo was one bad dude. his fingers and influence spread across the country. he had just killed the president elect and was taking out police and military by the hundreds every month. he paid a hefty bounty on every confirmed kill....the result was an army of sicarios which spread across antioquia hunting down targets at every opportunity.

the sicarios were everywhere, young men on motos, riding around with guns in their belts, killing on whim or order. it's really hard to conver the meyhem that prevailed. but over and above the meyhem and chaos, the killings and bombings, the sequesters and robberies, there was something so overwhelmingly romantic about medellin in those days. it just had the ability to seduce one and make them blind to the hell that surrouded you.

the salsa played around the clock, people went to work, lived their lives and smiled, played and partied as if nothing was out of the ordinary. in fact, the hell was the ordinary. daily in rio medellin, the bodies would stretch from caldas to centro. the gallinaso (buzzards) filled the sky and lined the banks. the poor who lived in shantys along the river and under the overpasses, bathed in the river even with the bodies lying around.. our home was in barrio manila (poblado viejo) in el poblado. my wife and i would take walks in the morning and on many, many occassions we'ld walk down by the river and see the same thing...the bodies.

the homicide rate in medallo at the time was over 5,000 annually. now that's a lot of killing.
i saw folks murdered more than once, right in front of me. it really gave me a different, almost perverse perspective, on life and death. i became colombian. i could get up and real el colombian in the morning and think nothing about the daily body count. i'd sit and talk about it with my suegro and he'ld simply say, "regular". really, REGULAR..... it went on for the next three years, with out let up. bombings daily, shootouts in restaurants, on busses, in the streets, bank robberies...it never stopped. and the party wen on and on and on. in the streets, on weekends, you'ld hear the horns of cars...'beep" "beep" "beep"...national, national, national. around the clock before the game. total pandamonium. national, national, national. then the game. everyone was charged.....and if something went wrong, pablo would kill the goalee. how many times did the goalee pay the price?

friends, i'd go to the nice restaurants up on las palmas and shootouts would start...if not int he restaurant i was in, then next door. the parking lot would have anywhere from 1- to 20 espaldas gurarding the patrons. when they'ld leave, the espaldas (lit: back...body guards) would get on their bikes and escort the "important" to where ever they were going. pablo would still walk the streets in poblado...like a king and no body, i mean NO BODY fucked with hem. not military nor police. he ran things. and i just went about my affairs. ran my manufacturing and partied. yeseree...that was medallo. now...it's different. you can go to lleras play bon ton, have your lunch, court the chicas, get laid, get high, play and party and nothing happens. zip.

i guess others paid the price for you. cause the war has passed. the capos were either killed, retired, moved to miami or went to jail. the lucha moved to the selva and the guerillas took over and moved HELL from the cities to the jungle.

it's safe and quiet for the most part, but there's still a bad guy or two in the shadows, but these loosers are lightweights. back in the 'when' the bad guys carried '50-shooters' in hand and made no effort to conceal their life and intentions.

so friends, enjoy the quiet. poblado now has paved streets. many, before were dirt. there were no restaurants and party places, it was quiet and residential. the only bar on the south side of cl 10 was la casa de los cinco puertos. it's still there and i recommend all go and see it. it's the only relic to survive. it's been there for 50 or more years. the patrons are all good locals who aren't on a 'kiss my ass' mission and wanting to show off. they're just local folks, but the kind you'ld like as freinds. if you're gonna spend your money in dumps like the body shop...save some and go t cinco puertos. and down in sabaneta, up in the hills, is a place called por si lo vin...another ancient hangout. see if you can find it. and town (centro) there's the infamous 'aqelare' (reunion of brujos) another don't miss.

so have fun, be safe--not foolish--and enjoy the wonders of colombia....your friend,
douglas

dwmte

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 24, 2008, 15:15:

dwmte7 says on Nov 24, 2008, 15:58:

what can i say? it's been the ride of my life.

dwmte

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Don Pedro says on Nov 24, 2008, 16:01:

after over 20 hours of flying I landed at Rafael Nunez airport at 5pm. When they popped the hatch, I felt like entering a huge greenhouse. The heat was just unbelieveable and breathing took some time to get used to. The greenhouse illusion was almost perfect with all the humidity going around. The only indicator of being outdoors was a gentle breeze.

That was my best vacation of my life up to this date.

El mayor riesgo es que deseas permanecer

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manINred says on Nov 24, 2008, 16:13:

I saw large "wanted" signs of many paras, narcos and guerrillas who have since been captured. Also, my bus and taxis got stopped by people in masks asking for 'propina'.

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mandotech says on Nov 25, 2008, 06:12:

Last night was my first time entering Colombia. When I went through customs, I was surprised at how fast things went. In about 10 minutes, I was out the door with my luggage. A few years ago I went to Cabo San Lucas. It took forever to get through customs. So this was a nice surprise. I was also expecting tons of solidiers because of the stories I have read. Of course, that was not the case.

I arrainged for someone to pick me up and the first thing I did was get some aguadente, good stuff. I also heard that the drivers in Bogota were crazy. This was not the case, some drivers were aggressive but so what. Where I am from, LA and San Francisco, drivers take much more risks and drive MUCH faster.

So far the people here are great. They are patient with my bad Spanish. Maybe because, I speak without much of an accent, my parent are both native Spanish speakers. Also many people have offered to help me when they saw I was a little confused -- ie, purchasing the aguadiente.

As we were driving last night, I was surprised that the streets were relatively quiet. Once again, blowing away my preconcieved notion of the city. The streets of LA are way more intimidating than here. But then again, much of the intimidation in LA is just a facade. One thing that did capture my eye was that the cops always have their warning lights on or at least every cop I saw last night did. So far, Bogota is not like I imagined, I guess you cannot always believe what you see in the movies or 24.

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Chriscan says on Nov 25, 2008, 06:52:

Colombia was everything I would expect on my first day. I was greeted at the Ecuador border by a bunch of riot cops in some mean looking plastic gear. As a walked into the country, I passed several soldiers on foot patrol that looked dead serious.
Popayan was my second day. It was the nicest city I had visited in Latina America. Unfortunately Cali was my next stop. I was in a rough neighbourhood and it seemed like the roughest, most dangerous city I had ever been too. Maybe it was.
Things mellowed out after that.

************* WARNING ************* my words often come from my ass. www.independentbanff.com

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