ds has left 30 comments

ds comments on My friends in Bogota say 2.5mil pesos month, not good.

60% of the Colombians live from less than 2 USD per day. An young professional coming from university starts working for 6-700.000 Pesos a month. Present those ladies to me, I am interested!

ds comments on FedEx / DHL from the U.S. to Bogotá - How reliable & taxes??

Freight depends on size and weight. For 1 pound calculate 70USD shipping expenses on FedEX Int. Economy. On top you will have to pay 26% tax (10% import 16% IVA) based on the invoice and a handling fee of about $30.000 Pesos. Make sure your provider won't put shipping fees on the same invoice. Taxes and handling fee you will have to pay to local FedEX agent in Colombia. Shipping takes 3-4 business days, no problems at all if you stay below 1.000US.

ds comments on OpenStreetmap.org - Colombia

Actually I don't have experience neither. The Wikipedia article may be helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenStreetMap#Usage and of course: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Main_Page

ds comments on Is it safe to stay in El Getsemani in Cartagena?

Casa la Fe hotel is in a safe neighbourhood and much cheaper, nearby you find Casa Curato and Hotel 3 Banderas at a similar price. Getsemaní is nice but kind of tough.

ds comments on Seeking Bogota Lawyer

If nine lawyers fail miserably the problem might be on your side.....(Won't recommend my excellent lawyer to you!)

ds comments on Best Cellular for calling and recieving calls from USA

Yeah, I just had a cheeseburger in Hard Rock Cafe Cartagena: Not only the most expensive burger I had in my life, I spent the whole night shitting my soul out. The same happened to the friend who was with me. - for half the price you find excellent "Lomo Fino" or whatsoever....

ds comments on Bancolombia wire problem

If you wire international to a Bancolombia account the bank holds your money until you sign a declaration. Usually they call the account holder by phone and you have to go to their office. If the account holder is not in the country you may send the paperwork by email/fax. The account holder should call his branchs divisa department for details. The document you have to sign is called: DECLARACION DE CAMBIO POR INVERSIONES INTERNACIONALES/FORMULARIO No. 4 Hope this helps!

ds comments on Apartment in Cartagena 4 NYE

It's highly recommended to book in advance for the period between 26th of december and 15th of january. On www.caribenet.com you find hotels and apartments .. (including Casa Relax).

ds comments on ECOPETROL Shares

The boost is caused because Chávez is buying all the shares!

ds comments on Woman kidnapped and killed to get money off her Internet American BF

This comment on the story, posted on El Tiempo shows how sick not only the involved people are but how insane people think here: "Que tristeza, pero cenide tal vez fue la culpable de su propia muerte; como se le ocurre contar que tenia a una persona solvente que la ayudaba ! fue imprudente y a lo mejor en " .....blah blah blah. In a few words: The victim was guilty. - If you receive a few greenbacks and don't hide them they rape and kill you, but its your own fault. Sick country we are living in!

ds comments on

First of all congratulations for the baby! ... but DO NOT TRUST! - If everything goes fine you will be a happy father until the end of your life. If something goes wrong the baby is the reason to plunder you. Once you have and love your baby there is no way back. Save your investment, sell it to your company abroad just to be prepared for the legal fight to come. Be prepared to loose your girlfriend, your son and all your property. And -as long as your girlfriend keeps sewing you you may not leave the country. Safest solution is to leave the country with her, before the baby gets born.

ds comments on

What for the gringos sent you 15 years to jail, George?

ds comments on Questions about Colombia!!! Need your knowedge!!!

If you want to "kind of escape America" you might want to try kind of Asia. Neither Argentina nor Colombia are the perfect places to "escape America" ....

ds comments on Anyone ever heard of a chupacabre?

I found one!

ds comments on What do I need to do to open a business and bank account in Colombia?

To open a business you don't need more than your passport. This is quick and easy. The second part is more difficult: You can't open a bank account without Visa/Cedula. Before you have your Visa you may not work in your business, sign etc. Even with a Visa opening a bank account for a foreigner is difficult and slow. Getting your business up and registered takes only a few days and your passport. To get all the paperwork done for a bank account takes lots of hassle, paperwork, time and money - Especially in Cartagena. Another option is to register a visa holding person or Colombian as "Representante legal". This person may open a bank account in the name of the company, though even then banks use to make trouble. Definitely you need an account to run a local company and it takes long to set it up. Whenever you send money to this bank account from outside colombia you will have to declare it and the money will be taxed. To do your first steps in setting up the company you don't need a visa: First you have to create the company. When the company is registered and you have an accountant you can apply for the visa. In case of a business visa this means you have to apply from outside of Colombia. From Cartagena many people just go for a day to Panama to do this.

ds comments on Renting in Cartagena

On www.caribenet.com are listings of apartments, hotels etc.

ds comments on New Rules on EPS?

The EPS is an insurance exclusively for employees. Whoever is insured also has a right to pensions etc. A company that inscribes employees has the obligation to pay not only healthcare and pensions but also stuff like SENA, Confenalco etc. ( Anyhow many companies used to pay only healthcare but no pensions. Since this year companies have to pay insurance, pension etc in one single web-transaction. This benefits the employee but you caan't opt anymore for just healthcare. - The only way is to leave employees insurance and sign up for a private health insurence.

ds comments on Flights and places to rent in Cartagena

Cartagena Website On CaribeNet, Cartagena you find information, hotels, apartments etc.

ds comments on Colombian Travel Agencies / Sites

Cartagena Hotels & More Check the directory of www.caribenet.com for Cartagena hotels, apartments etc. No real package deals as most of the listings are small hotels. You will have to book flights on your own. - There is also a listing with flights, - Bravofly is quick and easy.

ds comments on No IVA for foreigners since 1.1.2007!

Are you sure? Tourist services have been tax-free since some years, under certain circumstances:

They have to be paid in foreign currency AND hotels, restaurants or travel agencies not charging IVA have to be registered in the national tourism registry. - (Very few are!)

This means: If you book a hotel or flight on the web, pay the price in dollars and the hotel is registered in the entity above, they may not charge IVA. If you walk in and pay in pesos you still have to pay tax!

Maybe this changed this year, but I didn't hear or read about this. Tax system is mad in Colombia, impossible to catch up.

(If you understand colombian accounting terms you might want to read this article, page 8 talks about tourism and tax:

http://www.anaya-anaya.com/pdf/boletin05-2005.pdf

ds comments on Brief travel guide to Cartagena

Cartagena Live Webcam + Cartagena Guide On www.caribenet.com/webcam/ you can see live images from Plaza de los Coches in Cartagena. On CaribeNets Cartagena Travel Guide you will find English language articles, Hotels, Apartments, Restaurants, a downloadable Cartagena map and more!

ds comments on Where to find large shoe size in Medellin?

Luck in Cartagena on size 47 (European) or 12.5 (US) After years of searching I found a place in Cartagena. They have shoes up to 47, though they don't even know: They sell them as 45. You might want to contact them, as far as I know they are distributors. If they don't have a shop in Medellin they might tell you their provider:

Calzado La Elegancia
Calle de la Cruz 9-82
Centro
Cartagena
5-6647560

ds comments on Americans

Read yourself to learn why! "site and its pissing me off.." "greastest country in the world" ". "I would never desprect anyones country"

Kind regards!

ds comments on Cheap Flights

Here you can check flights: These online travel sites have flights to Colombia. From UK best offers usually are Online Travel or Lastminute: Flights to Colombia.

ds comments on FLIGHT INFO REQUIRED

Some online agencies serving colombian flights Not all of them offer flights OUT of Colombia. If you speak spanisch try Despegar, lastminute is good for England, travelocity is good for european destinations.

Online Flight bookings on CaribeNet.

ds comments on Hotel in Cartagena

Hotels in Cartagena Old Town Here you find some Cartagena Hotels, Hotel Casa Curato and Hotel 3 Banderas are in the old Town: Cartagena Hotels

ds comments on Indeed, Typical PBH Distortions

Positive ...well, Colombiche. As you have read my mind: The only positive in my life was my AIDS-Test. Thats why I need to bother Uribe, the "Leader of the Year". Think positive, read this:
http://www.latinbusinesschronicle.com/reports/reports/1205/uribe.htm

and send your mother in law to vote: Otherwise the good guys have to spend again serious money to get 120% of the votes in Magdalena....

ds comments on Indeed, Typical PBH Distortions

Uribe is a media statistis expert! All Uribe did in 4 years was to change the way Colombia counts. He kicked out the director of national statistics institute DANE César Caballero after presenting an uncensored report. As we just learned in this thread even the kidnappings count got reenvented under Uribe. Read last weeks news to learn how military presented innocent but daed farmers as guerilleros killed in battle. (Good for the bodycount statistics and military earns tips on killings.) Paramilitaries got disarmed, but now they carry legal arms. Coca fields grew 30% but Plan Colombia is very effcient. In five years they spent billions of dollars on aerial defense to bring down one single plane with coca. Economy grew 5% this year, but only banking and constructing sector.... All this information gets filtered through vicepresidents media house El Tiempo. In literature you call this "magic realism", one of the very big Colombian innovations!

ds comments on single mothers in COL..

I might present you some, ... especially the mother of my son.

I don't sell condoms and and I don't hate women. Neither I believe in colombian law. I don't mind to support the mother of my son as there is no way to get custody. But: Right know I am organizing my receipts of this years aliments: Food, school, rent, clothes and lots of cash. Much more than a watchmans salary! You won't believe who is asking for this: The DAS. The Lady reported me as nopay, offering me to pay a second time full years amount, mentioning that she needs to buy a house. Blackmailing is popular sports in Colombia and they can present an excelent ladies team. I can't leave the country, before I proove the payment. I am not talking of "Sombody told me", I just interrupted the paperwork on my desk to comment this thread!

Whenever you lay a single mother she won't be so stupid to tell you that the dad pays the school and apartment. She will ask you for help in a desperate situation, $$$. As money is a better glew than love and love makes blind : This works.

Use condoms or stay at home.

ds comments on single mothers in COL..

Lots of nonsense in this thread! First of all: Its the men that use condoms, not the women. Anywhere in the world, not only in Colombia.

The cibercafes watchman won't get an extra milion a month for his kids. His salary will be far below this. If he has kids he has to pay up to 60% of his wage to the mother(s) of the kids. This is law, depending on the mother energy in legal attacks it will be enforced.

Without doubt there are lots of single mothers: For them in many cases a kid -especially with a wealthy foreigner- is a good business. The better "business" is having various kids with several fathers. They love kids, and they receive a regular and remarcable income to grow them up. A beautiful way to go. Colombian law takes care of the mothers!

For a foreigner in Colombia its very easy to find a women, but its very hard to get rid of her. If kids are involved its nearly imposible.

Nobody is going to pay you for beeing father! Maintaining kids in Colombia is not very expensive. Maintaining their mothers is. Be warned! Use condoms, Its a good business for YOU.