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Vaccinations? Bacterial info? Money exchange?

Hello everyone.

I am going to Bogota to visit my husband in three weeks. It's the first time a) I will fly over a large body of water to get to a piece of land (sad, but true) besides going to Hawaii, b) the first time seeing my husband on his home turf, c) well, I kind of covered a lot of 'firsts' in saying it's my first time going to another country.

I have many questions, and know that you guys are capable of providing quality information, as I've been watching this site for a few months now. So, I will be only in Bogota, what vaccines should I get? where should l get them here in the US? I have a bit of a sensitive stomach and have been known to get diarrhea from canned fish in my everyday life. What's the going advice on consumption of foods and beverages. Also, is there some kind of medicine I can take w/ me to help clear out the bacteria should I suffer an infestation. I have used activated charcoal in the past, anyone have any opinion on this?

And, finally, where should I exchange my money for the best exchange rate? and when should I do it? Should I bring dollars to Bogota? If anyone has any other kind of advice to a novice traveller, I'd appreciate it. I'm only going for 2 weeks, but from everything I've read, it's going to be a spectacular 2 weeks.

Gracias!

By alexyy9 on Feb 28, 2005, 09:52 in Friendly Talkzone.

Mr. Hollywood says on Feb 28, 2005, 09:58:

You don't need vaccines You don't need anything in terms of vaccines in Bogota. You might consider the Hepititis B vaccine, which isn't a bad idea to have in the USA either. But you needn't worry about yellow fever, malaria or any of the things that people think about when they're going to the tropics.

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kernow62 says on Feb 28, 2005, 10:07:

I found the tap water in Bogotá to be very good, especially compared to where I live.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 28, 2005, 10:54:

I am probably the worst person to comment. No vaccinations of any kind and I drink and eat everything. No use for dollars in Colombia. I always return with the exact same bills I left with. You can get the pesos you need from the ATMs.

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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juanalejo says on Feb 28, 2005, 11:00:

ATM Just a bit of clarification on UC´s post, not only you can you ATM´s all over the place, but you get a better exchange rate via electronic means including credit cards than you would if you exchange dollar bills in a bank.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 28, 2005, 11:30:

Yes, that is absolutely right. Exchanging dollars is not the way to go.

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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jaramillo says on Feb 28, 2005, 11:31:

Hakuna Matata Bogotá and Medellin have very good tap water. When my son was 1 month old, and suffering from constant colic, we went to Medellin (from Atlanta, where we lived). He got well right away on Medellin water+formula. When we returned to Atlanta, the colic came back immediately. Eventually we shifted to distilled water…
Bogotá is about as healthy a climate as you can get.

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jaramillo says on Feb 28, 2005, 11:34:

Ooops! We boiled the water in Medellin, I should have added, but that was for a baby (we did the same in the U.S.).

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ARMacleod says on Feb 28, 2005, 12:19:

Hepatitis Hold back on the Hepatitis for a moment, I am waiting for some clarification on that from the NHS.

It would appear that there have been some very serious reactions to the vaccine recently. If and when I have further information I will post it.

James

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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Roncita says on Feb 28, 2005, 14:01:

tetanus Might be an idea to get a tetanus booster too.

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happenstance says on Feb 28, 2005, 15:51:

"I have a bit of a sensitive stomach and have been known to get diarrhea from canned fish in my everyday life. What's the going advice on consumption of foods and beverages."

Bring your own food!!! Canned vegetables, tomatoe soup, fruit.
Bottled water. Don't drink the water from sinks. I wasn't used to any of their stuff and I had the worst stomach problem. Even an entire week after I got back home.

When The Pawn Hits The Conflicts He Thinks Like A King What He Knows Throws The Blows When He Goes To The Fight And He’ll Win The Whole Thing ‘Fore He Enters The Ring There’s No Body To Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, Yo

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jaramillo says on Feb 28, 2005, 17:41:

Happenstance Your previous post suggests it, and this one tends to confirmit: you sound like the kind of traveler that would stay at home.

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Bruce V. Shrader says on Feb 28, 2005, 23:27:

Advice on questions I agree with utopiacowboy.
Don't worry about water, vacinations or ATM's
I have gone to Cali a bunch of times and my Debit Visa
on U.S. Bank works all the time and exchange rate is better
than what you get in Money Change houses.

I take about $500 with me when I go just for emergency but
I bring it back each time too. Haven't needed to use it yet.

I have digestive problems sometimes, but you can find PeptoBismol
in Fedco and a few other stores. There are other remidies available too.

Just be sure and enjoy your trip!

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Hunter says on Mar 1, 2005, 15:10:

It is not correct... to say don't worry about your jabs. It is more correct to say that you shouldn't need any extra jabs than you normally have for travelling and some of them living in your home country. These should be:

Tetnus
Polio
Hep A
Hep B (maybe needed)
Typhoid

Hunter

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