cremaster has left 136 comments

cremaster comments on Colombian bread recipes

I think part of the problem is the altitude difference between Colombia (except the coast) and Cinncinnati. When adjusting recipes from Canada to work in Medellin, I usually end up using WAY less flour than called for in the recipe. Have you tried adding additional flour?

cremaster comments on Colombian Marriage Visa Check List

Thamks, Gator...but I was actually talking about a visa for ME to stay in Colombia. It´s called ¨visa conjugale¨ or something like that. I belive that what the original poster was referring to.

But, thanks for trying!

cremaster comments on Colombian Marriage Visa Check List

2 questions Does anyone know whether you need to travel to Bogota for the marriage visa, or can you do it in Medellin?

Also, do you need to have a civil ceremoney or will just the Catholic ceremony suffice?

Thanks in advance,
Patrick

cremaster comments on NCAA football on TV in Colombia

spigrimace,
does your bar still carry Monday Night football?

I´m jonesing for a fix,
Patrick

cremaster comments on Married in Korea to a Cololumbian girl with a passport?

cheetah Cheetah,
I was never in the army, but I DID live in Korea for a year.
You should know that:
1)The Koreans are VERY picky about letting people into their country. They want to keep drugs out. (Pop-quiz: what is Colombia known for?)
2)It will probably be VERY difficult for 2 non-Koreans to marry in Korea. When I lived there, they had different regulations for 2 Koreans marrying, a Korean man marrying a non-Korean woman, and a Korean woman marrying a non-Korean man. (The last was discouraged).

You could probably get help from someone at www.eslcafe.com. They have a discussion board about living in Korea, and some of the posters have lived there for years, are fluent in Korean, and VERY helpful.

Hope it helps,
Patrick

cremaster comments on Meaning of street numbering (Medellin)

Corne,
The second set of numbers is the distance from the cross-street (in meters).
So, Carrerra 54#18-31 is On Cra. 54, 31 metres from Calle 18 (going towards Calle 19).

Hope it helps,
Patrick

cremaster comments on For Rent: Great room in Medellin

Shane,

can you pm me more info about the room?

Thanks in advance,
Patrick

cremaster comments on getting a Canadian tourist visa

It all comes down to convincing the consular official that your girlfriend will return to Colombia. How, exactly, to do this is anyones guess. Children, property, a good job all help obviously.

You should try telling the Candian embassy workers that you've explained to your girlfriend that Canada is a 'crappy' country, and that she'd never want to stay there long-term. It might work...

cremaster comments on i want to go to college in Colombia-any english speaking universities there?my spanish is horrible

¨These hundreds and thousands¨ of Colombians don´t really amount to a large percent of the population.

To put this in perspective, I lived for a year in South Korea, and it is NOT neccessary to learn Korean - I´d say that well over half the population could converse in English. (if they wanted to!) Try getting by in Colombia with just English.

Almost ALL the children were involved in after-school english programs. In a city of 1 million there were about 100 English language schools, compared to Medellin with maybe 10 ESL schools.

My 2 cents/40 pesos/20 won

Patrick

cremaster comments on Should I go tanned or whitey-white?

The really hot look for winter in Medellin is the ¨taxi-driver¨ - thats with the left arm REALLY tanned and the right arm as white as Casper.

You might have to tan in your doorway or something, but it´ll be worth it,
Patrick

cremaster comments on How would this buiness ideal go over in Cali ?

lost Oderpurley (not sure of the spelling) offers basically the same thing. Mostly for document (ie. passport) pictures.

Patrick

cremaster comments on Online sources for apartments for sale in Medellin?

Matt Do a search - this question has been asked before.

Off the top of my head, www.elcolombiano.com has an online classified section.

Patrick

cremaster comments on Bogota from Medellin by bus?

Go during the day, it´s much safer.

Patrick

cremaster comments on Why are Colombian men so attracted to blonde gringas?

Hunter there´s even a family of Albinos here in Medellin. I see one of them all the time in the Estadio/Suramericana area.

Patrick

cremaster comments on what would u like to see in a colombian website

kwame check out caliescali.com.

It´s a great site about Cali and its nightlife.

Patrick

cremaster comments on Owe $16,000 (US) to Clinica del Country. Can they cause problems with my re-entry?

I stand corrected.. If I had known that you ¨actually saved the hospital the burden and expense of an even prolonged hospital stay¨ by agreeing to pay your debts, and then reneging, I would have posted something else.

If I had known that you ¨have been hoping and preparing for a revised payment plan¨ instead of actually getting on the phone with the clinic, I would have posted something else.

If I had known of your ¨disability¨ which necessitates your ¨income¨ being ¨deposited in the states¨ I would have written something else.

So, just so I understand, you are planning to rip off the clinic, you are planning to collect disability checks - tied to residency, no doubt - while living abroad (fraud I believe), and you only want non-critical and non-accusatory answers from a bunch of strangers on the internet. Am I right so far?

Patrick

PS: if you really had ¨had reconstructive surgery due to [your] particular disability¨ and your insurance company isn´t paying - you should be able to find a good-hearted lawyer in the states to help you. And they´ll do it ´pro bono´ which is Latin for ¨you won´t have to screw them out of their pay¨!!!

cremaster comments on Owe $16,000 (US) to Clinica del Country. Can they cause problems with my re-entry?

kerry ¨ Why should she pay for that.¨
Why did she agree to pay for that?

¨If I was her I would take the hospital to court. Then they may say you do not owe any money.¨
Why doesn´t she do that?

Maybe you need to read the original post, because she did agree to a payment plan, then welched when her insurance company denied her payment for the complications. To paraphrase UC, ¨poor planning on her part, doesn´t constitute an emergency on the clinic´s part.¨

Patrick

PS: what is the name for people like me?

cremaster comments on Owe $16,000 (US) to Clinica del Country. Can they cause problems with my re-entry?

So... You have enough money to take vacations to Colombia, but not enough to repay the money you owe the clinic???

There´s a name for people like you,

Patrick

cremaster comments on fidelity of Colombian men who live abroad

JFK and WJC The difference in the treatment of JFK`s and Clinton`s infedelity is that JFK cheated with really hot chicks. I mean how could anyone blame him for nailing Marilyn Monroe?
Clinton was impeached for lowering the standards of the office. The `fat intern` probably was a hose-bag in high-school.

My two cents,
Patrick

cremaster comments on There goes the neighborhood

Beer diet A friend of mine went on the `beer diet` while in University.

He actually lost a few pounds in one week. Although his grades suffered!

Patrick

cremaster comments on There goes the neighborhood

michael Tim Hortons was bought by Wendys a few years ago. And, they are trying to open stores in the US. I think that they`re starting with the Midwest - Ohio, Michigan or somewhere close.

cremaster comments on the men there

I think we should set this chick up with LondonMale.

They´d make the perfect couple,

Patrick

cremaster comments on Medellin restaurant and bar

ColombiaBoard They (Sasha) changed the meeting place to Una Sur.

Hope to see you there on Thursday.

Patrick

cremaster comments on Medellin restaurant and bar

Paisa You´re changing the bar again?

I´m starting to think that you´re just trying to avoid me!

Patrick

cremaster comments on mountain biking around Medellin

joe there are loads of paths around El Volador - up down and sideways.

Also, there´s probably a cycling club in the Estadio area - try around the veldrome.

Patrick

cremaster comments on Medellin featured in National Geographic

Yep It´s the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree.

a message board on www.lonely.planet.com

theres not a lot there, unless you´re a backpacker

Patrick

cremaster comments on Rumba Feb. 12–Medellín

Will there be a lot of attractive women with low self-esteem at the party?

cremaster comments on

It just makes you wonder who DIDN´T get the job as a reporter!

Patrick

cremaster comments on Cannabis and young people in Colombia

UC is right on obout the smell of MJ in Medellin. I oftern smell it when out and about.
It kind of reminds me of Canada, now that MJ has been ¨decriminalized¨ by the courts.

Patrick

cremaster comments on It’s been a long time but I’m finally going back!!

Ditto to Miguel Didn´t LondonMale write that he had to cancel a Colombian vaction short by 1 and a half months because of the rudeness of the Colombian people?
So, he can take months-long trips, but can´t afford an apartment?

Patrick

cremaster comments on

Sounds like The story sounds like more whining about the income/wealth disparities in Colombia. But it´s not very accurate.

The stratas are supposed to relate to utility payments ONLY. The higher the strata you live in the higher your rates are for utilities. But, there is a big correlation to how nicew the neighbourhood is.

The article says, ¨some large properties are paying less in tax as they are situated inside poor areas¨ but, so what? That makes someone rich? That they have a large house in a Strata 1 barrio?

I´m surprised that the BBC couldn´t do a better job of reporting this non-story, and of proof-reading before publishing.

Patrick
Patrick

cremaster comments on Extortion

Extortion Do a search for ¨Fanny¨ and ¨DAS¨!

cremaster comments on canadian visa issues

Has anyone considered getting their novia/wife into Canada on a refugee visa? It seems very easy for those Muslim terrorists. I could be wrong but once you claim refugee status (ie. life in danger) they will let you stay until your hearing - giving you enough time to marry.
Anyways, just a thought,
Patrick

cremaster comments on i have been in Colombia for 36 days and 3 crimes have been committed to my wives family

I´m hoping that I read about LondonMale winning a ¨Darwin Award¨ Hopefully soon!

Patrick

cremaster comments on cost of apartment ,Medellin

Viewpoint Yeah, it´s overkill. But, what´s the point of talking about the exceptions to the rules, when the guy doesn´t even live here yet? Once, he´s here, he can ask much questions and we can give him much more directly applicible advice. Like explaining what the strata classification is used for.

Patrick

PS: Don´t know much about Sabaneto, but I would consider living in Envigado.

cremaster comments on Gringo owned bars in Mde?

Andrews The only Gringo that I know who owns a bar in Medellin is Spigrimace. His bar is called Champions. It´s in Belen, on the Ochenta (80) at 28. Right beside a Hamburger DelOeste place (also his).

hope it helps,
Patrick

cremaster comments on cost of apartment ,Medellin

jack I personally love Medellin, but, it´s not for everyone. If you are planning an extended trip, I suggest staying in a hotel for the first month, and exploring the city. The Palm tree hostel has private rooms with baths available by the month for 350,000 pesos. Or, posting your desire for a place to stay here should get you a couple of leads.

It will be difficult to rent without Colombian credit, and surprisongly a lot of landlords won´t accept a years rent in advance.

You can live like a rock-star on about $20,000 US a year, so you won´t have any money problems.

As far as the stratas go, here are some rules:
Strata 1: never, ever go there
Strata 2: never, ever go there
Strata 3: go there only with a Paisa you know well
Strata 4: go, but be vigilent
Strata 5: enjoy yourself
Strata 6: say ¨hi!¨ to the Gringo millionaires (A Poblado joke)

As far as living goes, I would suggest Strata 5 or 6, Strata 4 is okay, but might be a little seedy for you. I wouldn´t live ina Strata 3 neighborhood unless my wifes family was from there, and had lots of friends in the barrio.

Hope this helps,
Patrick

cremaster comments on cost of apartment ,Medellin

jack May I suggest you consider starting with a short-term rental - either a hotel or a room in someones house. And look for a place to rent while in Medellin. That way you can see what the various stratas look like, and choose a place that´s convienient for your needs.
Also, how old do you want your ¨educated girls¨ to be. How old are you? How long do you plan on being in Medellin? Need much more info.


Patrick

cremaster comments on have to pay bribe. DAS medellin

So... What happened to Gorgonabob?

Enquiring minds want to know!

Patrick

cremaster comments on cost of apartment ,Medellin

well... first of all, do you have credit in Colombia, or someone who will yet you use their credit? Otherwise you´ll have to find someone willing to take the rent upfront.

Next, when you use ´strata 3´, ´nice area´ and 'educated girls´ in the same sentence, I wonder if you know what you´re talking about. No offence.

Third, go to the online versions of the newspapers, and look at housing prices. (http://www.elcolombiano.terra.com.co/portada.asp)

Patrick

cremaster comments on have to pay bribe. DAS medellin

I was just at the DAS office in Medellin, and Fanny was still there, didn´t see Gorgonabob - maybe he was on a cita with the maid???

Patrick

cremaster comments on DAS address in Medellin

An update So, after searching the web for two hours trying to find an address, I finally got it from PBH. I walk over there, and am told to come back at 2pm. (It was 12 when I got there). I decide to go for lunch at Del Oeste, walk around Belen for a while and return to DAS at 2pm. Go inside and get a piece of paper with a list of requirements (photocopies, pictures, deposit slip). And, I´m thinking - you couldn't have given me this at 12, and let me get all this stuff while waiting? Bureaucrats!!!
I told the guy that I´d come back tommorrow with the stuff. He tells me that I´ll be one day over my 60 day visa. I give him a 'look' and leave.
So, back to DAS tommorrow for me,
Patrick

cremaster comments on have to pay bribe. DAS medellin

vic I think you should ¨kick up a storm¨ because I have to go get my tourist visa extended and I wouldn´t mind a show.
Seriously, you should raise hell, because paying her off will make it harder for the next person. If enough people complain, maybe something will be doen to the short, fat lady in charge.

Patrick

cremaster comments on DAS address in Medellin

Thanks guys,

Patrick

cremaster comments on IRS and Foreign income for US citizen

Yep go to:

www.escapeartist.com

It´s full of info on tax-havens, and tax-avoidence articles.
It´s not the easiest site to navigate, though

Patrick

cremaster comments on making money in Colombia

Spigrimace That $4 you pay for the bouquet is the ´Gringo´ price. The Colombians are probably paying only about 50 cents for a bouquet.
So, yeah theres plenty of room to make money. Also, itt´s apparently easy to start whollesaling flowers locally (in America). Get a shipment , drive around to the flower-shops, you´re in business.

Patrick

cremaster comments on What are some of the cultural differences between Colombia and North American people in day to day life?

WFC It really depends on the socio-economic level of the Colombians. For the rich ones lifes a holiday, for the poor ones lifes a struggle. I´m sure that as you get to know some Colombians on the net, you´ll find out about their lives.

Patrick

cremaster comments on Amigos.com vs. ???

Heres a list from Google directory of Spanish dating sites:

http://directory.google.com/Top/World/Espa%C3%B1ol/Sociedad/Relaciones/B%C3%BAsqueda_de_pareja/

And a list of penpal sites:

http://directory.google.com/Top/World/Espa%C3%B1ol/Sociedad/Relaciones/Amigos/

Hope it helps,

Patrick

cremaster comments on Help with graduate project!

Goosekirk ¨Drive-thru automatic carwashes in Colombia might be a tough sell - labor is so cheap compared to machines, it might be cheaper to just hire people.¨

My dream business to start is a ¨Bikini carwash¨ - some good,clean fun!
What do you think?

Patrick

cremaster comments on 8Ball

And, Berlin on Calle 10 in Poblado has a pool table, not sure about the jukebox, though.