Tribute to GringoInBogota:

utopiacowboy says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:00:

I'd be frigging euphoric if a bunch of gringos got kidnapped.

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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rocinante says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:05:

? UTC - in all seriousness why? I'm not saying I agree or disagree - but in my opinion I think it's only a matter of time.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Not that the US president actually runs the US." Feb 5, 2008

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platano says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:11:

Be happy UTC! In the past five years, 30 more American citizens were reported kidnapped. Although the U.S. Government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of American hostages, and the Colombian Government has had some success with its hostage-recovery teams, rescue capabilities are nevertheless limited. Colombian law requires that private persons coordinate efforts to free kidnapped individuals with the Director of the Colombian Office of Anti-Kidnapping (Ministerio de Defensa/Programa Para la Defensa de la Libertad Personal).

plátano

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:15:

Why? Who wants Colombia to be a place where just anyone can get on a plane and go without getting killed and/or kidnapped? Like it was Cancun or Cozumel. It would be like putting in a cable car right to the top of Mt. Everest. It used to take balls to go to Colombia. You were a bad ass mf'er even going there.

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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rocinante says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:24:

2 americans were killed in Medellin a few days before election sunday in March. It never made the news in the US. Must have been bigger better stuff going on in the world of news....

Did you ever take the cable cars in Medellin? Pretty scary.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Not that the US president actually runs the US." Feb 5, 2008

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daver says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:26:

¿Colombia is dangerous? Geeze! Why didn't anyone tell me this before I moved to Medellín! To think I've been walking around El Centro with my bank statements hanging out of my back pocket, whilst taking pictures of the police and flipping the bird to these "paras" or whatever people call them.

You think someone could have warned me....

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platano says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:35:

Daver, right on, bro! I was walking to work one morning in Medellín and got kidnapped by guerrillas. It is highly overrated as "dangerous"... I actually enjoyed talking with so many different guards. And the guerrilla women are hot!

plátano

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daver says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:37:

GringoD...I take more risks too now tha I take more risks too now that I've been living in Medellin so long. For instance, I ate lentle soup BEFORE going to a job interview at UPB. That could have been deadly.... I was too nervous to let go at the interview, but the people on the Metro were not impressed on my way home.

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:42:

What is it about paisas and the frigging lentils? We're eatng those damm things all the time and I've started developing a taste for them. Which reminds me, we haven't had plantains for a while.

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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daver says on Apr 29, 2006, 15:53:

UTC,

Not too sure what's up with the lentils (thanks for the spelling correction) but HOT DAMN! I love them! My wife is quite sick of them now, and she actually makes a vomitting sound in the bean isle of the Exito when be pass the 2m high stacks of those delicous little seeds.

I'm not sure if I've told anyone on PBH this yet, but after living here for a while, the most dangerous thing that ever happened to me in Colombia was the first time I used the pressure cooker. My wife was giving me directions over the phone (I was making beans, not lentils) and she told me to make sure all the steam was out before opening. What she didn't say was after all the steam was out, wait another 10 minutes then open.

Anway, los frijoles were frikk'n all over the damn place in less than the blink of an eye. Including half way up my arm. Anyway, I lost my pride, and all the hair on my right arm, and I got some not so serious burns from my thumb to my elbow.

I held my dog (puppy at the time) up to ceiling to clean the mess that made it up that far.

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kernow62 says on Apr 29, 2006, 16:14:

Daver that is clever using the puppy as a dustbuster. I use the cats to wash the dishes. Don't tell my mother-in-law. :-0

GringoD, GIB did give the opposing view it is true, and he seemed like a genuinely good person. However his delivery of the warnings fell on deaf ears because of the way he delivered his message. He was always keen to say that all his Colombian friends know he is right etc. as if that added validity to his tales, yet Colombians who post on PBH are all blind. So somehow his circle of Colombian friends because they politely agreed with his views were right and anyone who opposed this view was looking at the world through rose coloured specs. There may have also been the need to always point out how we were in mortal danger but he could handle himself, not doubting that he could handle himself, but it made his warnings seem less credible. IMHO

I still think he just wanted to be the only gringo in Bogotá. ;-)

poco says on Apr 29, 2006, 18:52:

Darn it Platano U.S. department of state

Your post contains the exact words as a “portion” of the article. You take the time to cut and paste, why don’t you include a link.

Your post:
In the past five years, 30 more American citizens were reported kidnapped. Although the U.S. Government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of American hostages, and the Colombian Government has had some success with its hostage-recovery teams, rescue capabilities are nevertheless limited. Colombian law requires that private persons coordinate efforts to free kidnapped individuals with the Director of the Colombian Office of Anti-Kidnapping (Ministerio de Defensa/Programa Para la Defensa de la Libertad Personal).

The "Consular Information Sheet".

In the past five years, 30 more American citizens were reported kidnapped. Although the U.S. Government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of American hostages, and the Colombian Government has had some success with its hostage-recovery teams, rescue capabilities are nevertheless limited. Colombian law requires that private persons coordinate efforts to free kidnapped individuals with the Director of the Colombian Office of Anti-Kidnapping (Ministerio de Defensa/Programa Para la Defensa de la Libertad Personal).

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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platano says on Apr 29, 2006, 18:55:

Can I take legal action? It appears the Consul has plagiarized my information.

plátano

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Lostgringo says on Apr 29, 2006, 20:10:

GIB is a warm gun!

I have personally met GIB and I know some others on this forum have also have had that pleasure . Unfortunately, he and I had a falling out. In the meantime, I think I should reveal a little about this man. First this is no ordinary man we are talking about. When he talks you take him seriously! He is over 6 feet tall with very little fat on him. He is a young man! I have seen him use the heavy bag and he is awesome. He is no pushover like some on this forum may think! Yet, he is more than willing to give up his money and walk away from a potentially dangerous position. GIB is a warm gun!

So why all the doom and gloom? Perhaps his once lying on the jungle floor in Colombia with his life seeping out of him has something to do with it. The massive scars on his one leg tell the story. Where has he been in his life and what has he done? Maybe it is better not to ask! And, most of all, like many of us who have “been there and done that” his views of the world are somewhat jaundiced. No, he is not perfect.

Yes,I believe that his “own” personal experience has something to do with it. I don’t know the perfect answer to this question.” However, this is no ordinary guy! I went with him to various “out of the way places, some seedy” and felt comfortable.

We walked the streets of Bogotá very late one night after being in a bar (or few lol). He is not the type of person who stays in his apartment all day. He enjoys, no, he loves talking with all Colombians and I mean all. He loves Colombia and people light up when he greets them. I feel privileged to have met GIB.

Lastly, he will be very upset because I said all this about him, but I felt compelled to tell those of you who are less than perfect too, the other side of the story.

And I know he lived for this forum right or wrong.

Your Home Away from Home www.welovebogota.com and www.apartmentinbogota.com "Luxury apartments and rooms Cheap" Only 2 blocks from the American Embassy! 24/7 hour security.http://www.monsterrakebacks.comCome gamble and get money back!

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daver says on Apr 29, 2006, 20:50:

franko_44 Nice of you to tell this side of the story, but I think GIB earned not only his praise, but also his critizism.

I mean, if you didn't agree with what he said, he would lash out at you with totall contempt.

If you were Colombian, he would say that you didn't know what it was like to be a gringo in Colombia. If you were a gringo in Colombia, he would lable you as someone who didn't know what you were talking about, like a tourist who didn't know as much as him. And if you were like me, a person who is a gringo (Canadian gringo if there is such a thing) who lives and works in Colombia, and who is married to a Colombian, if you DARED to disagree with him, he would say (I can't remember the exact words) that you "were like all the other idiots he met from the USA who didn't know what they are talking about".

He did have very good, and very stupid things to say, but he showed total contempt for anyone who disagreed with anything he said.

Not only that, he was very brash and said some very ridiculous things (I am guilty of this too on PBH). For one, I recently (looking through old posts as I was working in Northern Alberta for some months) read where he said Canadians pretend to be Americans in Colombia to get attention. This is totally ridiculous. Often I get cold looks in Colombia from people who think I am American (and I don't agree with this at all) only to recieve ear to ear smiles when I tell them "No, soy canadiense"

I also remember a post where he declared that the Panama Canal was completey obsolete because new super tankers can't fit through it (someone, hunter I think, posted that they are actually making the canal larger). I do believe he referred to me in a very negative way about my claim the canal was important.

This is not really the point, we all say stupid things (I for one do it almost every day) but the tone, language, and contempt he would show for anyone who disagreed with him (whether the post be legit, or totally stupid) was the main contributer to his reputation. I can't see how everyone else is to blame, and not him.

Some on this site agree with him, others totally despise him, and he is the person responsible for both of these opinions.


Nuff said.

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Lostgringo says on Apr 29, 2006, 23:06:

Take a Break I am not saying who is right or wrong Daver just another side of the man. In my opinion it is good to get away from this forum from time to time. Get a life for awhile and perhaps come back a little fresher. I have said my concerns about PBH many times and no longer feel it is worth explaining.

Your Home Away from Home www.welovebogota.com and www.apartmentinbogota.com "Luxury apartments and rooms Cheap" Only 2 blocks from the American Embassy! 24/7 hour security.http://www.monsterrakebacks.comCome gamble and get money back!

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Lostgringo says on Apr 29, 2006, 23:07:

No opinion for or against I am not saying who is right or wrong Daver just another side of the man. In my opinion it is good to get away from this forum from time to time. Get a life for awhile and perhaps come back a little fresher. I have said my concerns about PBH many times and no longer feel it is worth explaining.

Your Home Away from Home www.welovebogota.com and www.apartmentinbogota.com "Luxury apartments and rooms Cheap" Only 2 blocks from the American Embassy! 24/7 hour security.http://www.monsterrakebacks.comCome gamble and get money back!

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 30, 2006, 07:29:

Franko I agree with You I've meet GIB too, he is a nice guy and very good looking too.

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Gomezman5 says on Apr 30, 2006, 12:52:

Just checking in....... I thought I would come in here to stir up some contoversey. Then I thought........na, I'm enjoying my Sunday...

Catch y'all later. (whenever)

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kernow62 says on Apr 30, 2006, 17:59:

Glad you are having a nice day G5, I wish I was enjoying my Sunday. :-(

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Mr. Hollywood says on Apr 30, 2006, 21:15:

Daver Couldn't agree with you more about your perception of GIB. Hell, I often agreed with the substance of his positions but he'd argue and call you an idiot even then. Clearly he's a very sensitive guy who feels misunderstood and needs to be "right" all the time. I'm just glad that I could help him feel better by being an idiot and an asshole as much as I could.

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 30, 2006, 22:05:

Maybe GIB just wanted to wail like Eric Burdon:

"Baby, do you understand me now
Sometimes I feel a little mad
Well don't you know that no-one alive
Can always be an angel
When things go wrong I seem to be bad

I'm just a soul who's intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

Baby, sometimes I'm so carefree
With a joy that's hard to hide
And sometimes it seems that
All I have to do is worry
And then you're bound to see my other side

I'm just a soul who's intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

If I seem edgy, I want you to know
That I never mean to take it out on you
Life has it's problems and I get my share
And that's one thing I never mean to do"

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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Lauthra says on Apr 30, 2006, 23:37:

Oh My God! "We walked the streets of Bogotá very late one night after being in a bar (or few lol)."

That is hystirical! No wonder he was so scared about Bogota! Well, that just proves what I've always tought of him: stupid things, happen to stupid people. Didn't he preach against shit like that?

And what's with people here not being able to move on FFS! It was just a random poster not your mum!
Nato

(='.'=)

Nato (='.'=)

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kernow62 says on May 1, 2006, 18:42:

That Eric was an animal!

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