donmia has left 35 comments

donmia comments on Pizza here sucks--Colombia has become too expensive!

There's an Archie's pizza in Coral Gables. Everyone thinks it's a specialty pizza place that isn't a chain - high end super-good pizza is what my friend the foodie calls it. I had it once, not bad at all. I laughed when I saw one on every block in Bogota. But I'm with a lot of the other posters here - Colombian food is fantastic, just enjoy what you have rather than lament what is missing. If I had a nickel for every New Yorker in Miami that said "wow, you just can't get good (pizza, bagels, corned beef sandwich, chinese, whatever) like you could in New York" then I could probably afford an apartment in Manhattan.

donmia comments on Peanut butter

kind of the point

donmia comments on Peanut butter

roci: I got the idea reading all the PBH'ers commenting on how they couldn't get peanut butter and other american products here. So my misinformation came from here. It was merely people here lamenting how they wish they had this or that thing? As for the idea in general, it's a pretty good one in any country, not just Colombia. I can't think of a country or major city that does not have a specialty food store that specializes in many items with brand names from their home country. If you have expatriates, you have a specialty market waiting to happen. Provided they are not satisfied with what they get. Miami has a Colombian supermarket where you can get all kinds of stuff that they just love. Sure there are other products that are "equivalent" but they want their home-grown brands. Having said that, the idea came solely from PBH comments about wishing there was peanut butter here. And lo! I was in the Unicentro Exito in Bogota and WHAM! easy as can be - small jars of Jif crunchy and Jif smooth. Many of you laughed at me because I said "and other things like mushrooms." Well, read here as well that they weren't here. Guess what else has been in nearly every Cafam, Pomona, Carulla, and Exito that I have been inside the last week. Mushrooms. Doesn't seem to be a need for it. But the guy who was lamenting the canned mushrooms of home probably doesn't know the fresh ones in the produce aisle are even better than the ones he brings from the states. I read a lot of the posts here. Mostly because I enjoy them and learn what it's like to live here as an expat. I have learned so much about traveling here, airline tips, where to find this or that, visa troubles and their solutions, etc. I am grateful for all of those discussions. My post was based on erroneous assumptions of the country based on what I have read here. But that doesn't mean that I don't believe I can get good information here. I've also learned that this kind of post gets some really interesting discussions going. This post, which was not my intention, has been enormously funny to me. The only ones I have liked better are some guy warning of the "dangers" of marrying the "incredibly beatiful colombianas" who are then portrayed as money-sucking leeches. Which then gets the female wing of the PBH community in a tizzy because all women are portrayed in a negative light and then some guys chime in "you mean you can get hot chicks with money?" and I just can't keep from laughing. I wish we didn't discourage those so much. It has a certain midday talk show/trailer park scandal flair to it all. Thanks guys for indulging my ignorance on the topic of foods available in Colombia. Lots of good foods seem available. Probably not a great idea for a business. But my partner and I already started one business and were looking for others. I just hope that when I'm a more experience American in the ways of Colombia, I will be just as helpful and considerate as many of you have been in enlightening me.

donmia comments on Fine For Overstaying Visa?

If you exit the country and re-enter, does the visa re-set. For example, stay 90 days, return to the U.S. and come back one month later. Do you have 90 days left, or a new 180 day time clock?

donmia comments on Peanut butter

Thanks guys for all the input. I always love reading the posts on PBH. Mostly because the topic changes so much and sometimes gets back to the original question. This is definitely going to require some more research. But I will tell you this, my Colombian friend got pissed when I said there was no good frozen pizza here. They've never heard of DiGiorno's or any other rising crust pizza. It's the stuff we had in the 80s in the States: cardboard with frozen mozarella and tomato sauce. I would think pizza was gross too if that was all there is. And don't get me started on what Pizza Hut delivered us the last time I was here. I like the tea idea, and he thinks that bagels would be a big hit here once you got people to try them. But we both laughed at explaing them to Colombians. I think they would eat them if they didn't know they were boiled first. When you know how it's made, it sounds just too weird to even try. As for the peanut butter itself, I've heard that most every colombian that has tried it starts asking americans to pack it when they come to visit. I"m sure there are some that don't care for it - like me for instance. Ate it like crazy when I was a kid, but just don't eat it at all anymore. Anyway, thank you all for your input. You may see us coming to a store in Bogota or on the Internet soon!

donmia comments on Let Colombia Win

I think it's a bit naive to think that these other countries don't have agendas hidden from the world stage. France likes to sell weapons. It's a big industry. But somehow they have a reputation for peace I don't think they particularly deserve. Maybe it's all the moral stances they take on sovereignty. But that's a great way to sell more arms. Defend your customers. However, they are far from alone. Standing from the sidelines of this, I think this is part of the death blow to FARC that has been coming fast these last weeks. Probably seizing on some of the popular support of late inside Colombia, the government was willing to take the chance and attack inside Ecuador. I also doubt that they only learned of this camp just moments before it happened. They probably just didn't have the will to incur an international incident. someone recently said to me that America's Blackwater was slated to move into Colombia to act out on the military's behalf to eradicate FARC. Can't prove it. But they are hired to "get a job done" and to not "care about borders" and stuff like that. sounds like that may or may not come out also. it's so hard to tell with these things because the people who gather the facts also decide what facts we do and do not need to know. As for Chavez, he seems to be hastening his own departure. There is only so much hollering and ranting one can do before no one can stand you anymore.

donmia comments on bringing stuff into colombia on flight

it's a real good idea when flying out of Miami to shrink-wrap and/or lock your luggage. not necessary, but we've got lots of stolen items from luggage here. there was a big story in a local paper about it several years ago. just because it's the u.s. doesn't mean we don't have thieves, or opportunities to steal. even if it's a domestic US flight.

donmia comments on bringing stuff into colombia on flight

I just flew down last week with a 42" LCD tv. it was overweight and oversized for American Airlines. it did really well, no bumps or bruises in the original box (with a comforter and some pillows placed inside where the styrofoam was not). the customs form i was given on the plane said i could bring in $1,500 worth of goods, no questions or taxes. I had a receipt for the t.v. saying $989 in my hand. that helped. after that, they didn't even bother to look at the other stuff i had to see if it would be over. I brought dishes, etc. lots of breakables. they were in bubble wrap and taped with postal tape. I guess i could have dropped them on a wood floor and they would have been fine the way i did them. but that may be a stretch. they aren't great with the bags, but they're not horrible either. we've sent three lcd t.v.s this way and all have arrived unharmed and working great. if you have the receipts, keep them handy. i was told they may check the internet and try to find a price for it and tax you on that - rather than what you actually paid. when i handed the tv receipt - again- they just shrugged after seeing the price was way below the $1,500 limitation. Nobody even bothered with my personal ipod, cell phone, other electronics that would have easily tossed me over the threshold. they seem to be looking for "regalos" that are electronic and expensive. Nothing else is on the radar screen. Have a great trip!

donmia comments on Colombian Peso highest level since 1999

it's the stock market that takes a hit in the last year of an 8-year presidency. but it always hits a "surge" when the new president comes in, provided it is the opposite party. I think it might have something to do with exhausting the ideas the pres was elected to enact. not any measure of how good either side's ideas might be.

donmia comments on AA Flight MIA-MDE last night was Empty First Time I have seen that......

i think it's mixed on the economy, but one thing i can say for certain is that for the last 5 years i have never been able to get around Miami so quickly. Living in South Beach, the traffic just isn't that bad - which means tourists aren't visiting, but neither are the snowbirds. i'd say it's down 30% (just a guess). We're not out completely, but it is definitely down. Even from two months ago.

donmia comments on WHAT SHOTS ARE NEEDED

if you can, get the shots at the local health department. i just paid for it at the doctor for twice what my parents paid for all the shots for an African safari. so, remember that price is a consideration. oh, and insurance usually doesn't cover it. mine didn't.

donmia comments on

seems like somebody just hates home ownership. which is fine. but it's not a bad investment vehicle. just not what one of us seems to prefer. but rather than slam him, I would love to know what stocks you've been getting at least a 20% return on? i can't make that kind of return on anything legal. Not with any certainty.

donmia comments on

yes you pay several times for the value of the house, but in most markets - the price of the house always goes up not down. so borrowing to buy is not that bad. but it seems a personal choice. buying only works if you plan on holding onto it. paying $1,000/mo for a mortgage now seems absurd - but at the end of the 30-year, you have something that is worth nearly 4 times what you paid for it - possible more. at least that's the rate in the u.s. and at the end of the cycle, the $1,000 mortgage is a bargain. because if you get it fixed, your payment never changes while the cost of living rises over 30 years. $1,000 will look like $200 by the end. for me, it's a security question. paying rent for life is not appealing.

donmia comments on

I'm interested but know very little about this. Sign up for Vonage in the U.S., have a strong internet connection in Colombia, plug the box into the house in Bogota, the U.S. number rings in Bogota. No long distance charges. Just the monthly fee, right? And they don't realize the router is in Colombia, so it basically works off the internet. trick is to buy the router in america and bring it to colombia, right? I know I sound a bit slow, but i'm trying to make sure I understand. Can't wrap my head around it all. is it that the company doesn't know the u.s. number is being used overseas because it's all internet routed? And if you get the unlimited plan, you can call any u.s. number for free because it's a u.s. number that the phone thinks it is using, right?

donmia comments on Colombia in speech

unfortunately, i don't see it happening this year. i'm a big liberal, but the labor unions have got them tied up. and they don't want this. if it weren't a presidential election year, maybe. but this isn't about Bush at all - it's about the unions stopping any free trade agreements. and, maybe i'm wrong, but i don't see how Uribe has anything to do with it. it's all about the unions. nobody is gonna kick them with a bill this year. and that sucks because it'll hit me right in the wallet.

donmia comments on /.

I'll have to chase down a link in which Romney calls mandated healthcare Hillarycare and has sworn not to do it. Forget that he did it himself. You can't get the nomination with mandated healthcare - Rs will crucify him like they did with McCain on immigration. It would be easier to nominate Mary Cheney Secretary of Education. Romney was pro choice and pro gay in the past (to get elected). then he started looking at the presidency and both ideas got dropped. he's pledged not to raise taxes at all when president (something ronald reagan promised, but then raised them 4 times due to reality). He's generally against social security, but like all of the other positions - only because his party argues for their dismantling. (FDR & Johnson) Not going to address the merits of that one, there are pluses and minuses to that equation. As far as guys without a political backbone, I am surprised that anyone could dump McCain for that position in favor of Romney. Regardless of their positions, they are total fish out of water (flipping and flopping so much all you can hear is the smacking sound). I am a little surprised at your take on immigration, though. Maybe I'm putting to much into your stance because you disagree with McCain, but at a site that is about S. American countries I would think a more sympathetic and open border approach would be expected. Nearly everyone here spends at least 30% of the time asking questions about "how do i navigate the visa nightmare of U.S./Colombia?" Not that it would be a surprise, I'm strong liberal. There is a small part of me that would like to see Hillary as the nominee - but only to see the most rabid of the right burst blood vessels all across our Great Land. To see all those blood-red faces exploding with anger, the mouths frothing with spit - it would be a beautiful thing. Except that it would tear our country even further apart. I would just like to see reasonable immigration, expansion of the middle class, and a stronger safety net. It brings more people into participation in the system and improves most Americans lives. But if too many struggle to "get by" or scramble for healthcare - then participation in democracy drops. and that leaves only the fringe elements doing battle with each other. (See South America)

donmia comments on /.

mike, can't really pin you down where you are politically. lots of praise for progressive ideals and proposals, but then you're backing Romney. He promises to undo everything that Roosevelt and Johnson did. And as for the social security, healthcare and other stuff he did in Massachusetts, his argument is "I was governor of Massachusetts; the liberals made me do it" and now says he's anti-choice and super-mega hates the homos. Of all the candidates, i can't believe anyone believes this guy. He's been both sides of everything.

donmia comments on /.

I'm not so sure i understand the point of the history lesson, Rikito. Much of it seems to be poorly informed at best. No offense, but I'm not aware of anyone who takes the position "FDR should never have gotten into WWII." Sure, Americans would not have died in the war, but what kind of world would we have had? Grumble about Chavez all you like, but his plans are nowhere in the league of Hitler & Co. As for our current president, it's getting harder and harder to find anyone who supports him. Even those who agreed with and pushed for his election (my brother) are embarassed at how badly he's done what he said he would do. No disagreement with the vision, just that he is incompetent. Biggest complaint among Republicans here has been "cutting taxes good, spending like a drunken sailor to keep constituents happy bad" our approach (both Dems and Repubs) has been a credit card economy: spend like you just got a new credit card with a low interest rate and live like you are rich. When the bill finally comes due: don't be in power and let someone else pay the check. (see: Reagan)

donmia comments on Need Advise

Uh, guys. the U.S. has one of the lowest tax burdens in the world. Definitely has the lowest tax burden of an industrialized nation. Just because politicians say "you're being taxed to death" doesn't make it true. As for which party raises taxes more, Reagan did it four times. He talked about slashing taxes a lot, but he only actually did that once. If someone says something is so, does not make it so. Look before you leap. Well, except I've lived in Northern U.S. winters. I'd give up half my income if I had to do it to never live in a snowy climate again. jejeje

donmia comments on The U.S. is an immigrant nation and Colombia is not

joe texan: there was nothing censorious about my post. merely a suggestion of a way for the discussion to evolve. i'm sorry it offended. maybe you should look less at those that are "attacking" you and more at your sense of "being attacked"

donmia comments on The U.S. is an immigrant nation and Colombia is not

i would have thought the discussion would have been more interesting if it were framed in terms of people immigrating to colombia versus the u.s., mostly because this site seems to be dedicated to ex-patriates. what about the population of people who choose to move to Colombia today? who are they and what are they like? why do they choose to live here? now that would be an interesting discussion, not a string of misstatments about the racial makeup of the u.s. or their origins. especially the native americans. sorry, they were being chased off the continent from east to west. just because they were able to stand their ground just shy of the pacific is not evidence that there was no attempt to erradicate them.

donmia comments on Religion is forbidden on this board?

i can't believe you forgot the Indulgences. That is my very favorite part of human history. Buying the right to rape your sister while keeping your seat close to God in the afterlife.

donmia comments on Surprise

wow, thanks everybody. there was another option of getting the relatives to come and pick me up for the surprise, but it seemed like it would be a big hassle. further complicated by my limited spanish and none of them speak any english. I've met many of them and know they would come and get me, especially to surprise him. but i wanted to avoid getting a translator to explain my idea, when i'm coming in, etc. His region is Norte, but i'm not sure of the exact neighborhood. he's just had to get the apartment and isn't settled yet. thanks everybody. looking forward to coming. reading this site has helped me a lot in getting ready. (I wasn't at all scared when i went to visit the doctor for immunizations and he tried to convince me that I should not go because I will be cut into tiny pieces and disappear in the jungle forever) I used the info on this site and other sources to contradict that understanding. He had not been since 1992.

donmia comments on

this is everywhere, not just Colombia. After years in South Beach (Miami) I've seen my fill of unattractive men heading toward the golden years down here blowing what took them 30-40 years to build just so they could have a pretty woman on their arm. Both sides are scammers. The men and the women. They're just using different weapons in the same war. What surprises me is that the men act like victims. Hello! Fat guy that is twice her age with the huge wad of cash - she doesn't love you for who you are. Sorry, but it's just so obvious.

donmia comments on What's the latest rules @ carry - ons???

we just tried to ship a flat panel t.v. back to bogota on Avianca yesterday. don't even bother to take them to the planes. Avianca charges $80 for being overweight and then another $80 for being oversized. I called American Airlines (I'm flying them in a few more weeks to Bogota) and the deal was $100 for oversized and $50 for overweight. After going round and round with all of them, both said "oh, and if we break it - tough, not out problem" So, I'm shipping separately with insurance and additional taxes door to door. it's a little more expensive, but it's better to actually have it get there. I'm especially cautious because it's an LCD screen and they are supposedly extremely fragile. It's well packed, but why take a chance. Problem is I've been told the plasma won't work in Bogota's altitude. Anybody got any better ideas? Or know of any tips?

donmia comments on What’s so great about Tourism ?

There are a few ways that tourism benefits the average Colombians. More money coming into the country for whatever reason means there is more money circulating. Unfortunately, it is a short-sighted statement to say that those who have tourist-related businesses are the only ones who benefit. If you have a dry cleaner, you benefit. Not because tourists get their clothes cleaned while on vacation but because the tourism businesses have more money to spend and they are the ones going to the dry cleaners. Now, is this going to make a HUGE impact? No. Marginal at best. But I was raised in Florida. One of the advantages of living there was that so many people came and paid sales taxes and gas taxes that they would not otherwise pay - we got small pieces of their money. We also have a crazy-high sales tax on hotel rooms. All this is to keep our state taxes low here in Florida. We get money from the tourists, which keeps our taxes lower (in theory). We don't have an income tax in our state, but most state's do. We also do not tax groceries in our state. All because we have people coming through our state paying sales taxes on things that tourists buy. It's a trade-off. I'm not endorsing more toursim, either. Don't get me wrong. But there are some good things that come out of it. My grandfather, a politician in Florida, said the biggest pain he ever faced were the thousands of screaming voters who moved to Florida and complained about the tourists after they got here. "they're spoiling our beautiful place with more roads, tacky signs, more traffic, higher home prices - you have to do something to restrict all this growth." He always wanted to tell them "what if' we'd locked the door before you got here?" Be grateful you found Colombia. But like everything else, it will change.

donmia comments on Top 101 cities with the most residents born in Colombia (population 500+)

the miami-area postings are essentially the same city/area separated out into roughly 8 different towns. that would make miami #1, no? i agree with mike's assessment of the colombians who are here in the states. very pleasant, very well educated and have a strong desire to assimilate into their new home if they are planning to stay. I would also add - extremely hard working. But that seems to be a trait of anyone who is willing to leave everything behind and set out in a new country. (well, almost anyone)

donmia comments on Bush seeks support for Colombia

that's a running joke out there among the libs. All over the websites. "Cheney drinks the blood of puppies while stalking the streets of D.C. thinking up other countries to invade for no reason." stuff like that. not really serious. but the blackwater thing is true (as best I can say). cousin in the air force just came back from missions in colombia. he's pretty upset about the push to use blackwater. mostly because he believes war is hell, but these guys take it to a different level. They enjoy what they do. oh, and for the record - not much on cats. I guess none of us can be pinned down to any one thing.

donmia comments on Bush seeks support for Colombia

oops. blood of puppies. and they've just turned Blackwater loose in Colombia. (Um, not that they had anything to do with that directly . . .) That should be fun.

donmia comments on Bush seeks support for Colombia

Yeah, but Republicans still drink the blook of puppies.

donmia comments on Bush seeks support for Colombia

unfortunately, mike makes the point. the entire free trade movement was started under Clinton. Not that the Republicans didn't want it before, but it was going nowhere until the democrats bucked their union supporters who don't want this kind of thing. You can trumpet all the Republican support you like, but they could have done these deals when they had control of the white house and both houses of Congress. the Democrats did not matter for several years there - they voted lock-step together and had whatever they wanted. Truth is, Colombia and free trade wasn't a priority - Iraq was. And that's because it's sitting on 30 billion barrels of oil. No, not an angry liberal about it. We'd have to be idiots to pass up a chance to make a grab for the largest untapped oil reserve in the world.

donmia comments on The word Gringo...is it offensive or not?

no. i really wouldn't. and it has happened. i've been accused of all three, actually. always when traveling abroad. which is weird because i have a southern accent. but getting freaked out, no. Not even irritated.

donmia comments on The word Gringo...is it offensive or not?

I have always liked the term gringo when it has been used to refer to americans. living in miami (soon to be in colombia - hope!) it was just a quick slang to tease each other whenever our cultural differences were highlighted in everyday life. "that's a gringo for you" which was said to me whenever they disagreed with me. I guess I'm lucky that I just see it that way. But a friend of mine raised in upstate new york moved to Miami and taught me a great way to deal with the ones that use it derogatorily. #*$% at Gringo! He would always say "well, what else can you expect from a Mexican?" if you've ever been to Miami, we have very, very few mexicans. This usually illicits an angry response of "I'm not Mexican!" and he would always say "it's all the same to me, now get back to the dishes" Give as good as you get. Sure, it can get you in trouble. But I find showing people how biased they are and seeing how they like being labeled something derogatory is unpleasant. Now if someone can explain why it is the end of the world to call a Venezuelan a Puerto Rican or a Peruvian a Mexican I would love to hear it. The reaction - no matter which country you use - is extreme. All you have to do is get the country wrong and they lose it. Nationalism is one thing, but it's insane.

donmia comments on Iphone for sale

thanks for the tip on the iphone. there's a colombian out there who is going to be VERY happy and VERY surprised when he opens up his christmas present

donmia comments on Iphone for sale

can you use an iphone there? bf is returning to colombia and thought it might make a good christmas gift. but he isn't sure it can be connected there.