ducaticole has left 24 comments

ducaticole comments on Racial Discrimination in Colombia

About Crepes and Waffles, I've heard the same thing. If that's true, I think that is great. Everytime I've been there, it's packed so the servers probably do quite well with tips too. I love how you can goto one of the more trendy restaurants in town and eat for $10. The food, especially the desserts, is great too.

ducaticole comments on

I'm from Vancouver too; going to school here. I can't wait to be finished up so I can move on. Canada was a great place to grow up but I don't want to spend the rest of my life here. There is very little culture and the people don't have the passion for life or the warmth that you see in Latin America. I'm studying geology because, for me, it's the best way to get a great paying job overseas. I can't wait to really experience living and working somewhere other than here. I find the weather and people here to be so depressing!

ducaticole comments on DRUGS

My Lonely Planet guide to Colombia said that 20 grams of marijuana and 5 grams of cocaine are allowed in posession for personal use but buying anything is illegal. All my friends there said that any amount of drugs are illegal.

ducaticole comments on questions--

A long distance relationship can work out I think. I met my girlfriend while travelling in Bogota. We dated for about 2 months while I was in Colombia and we've continued our relationship for 2 months now since I've been back in Canada. Things are still going well, we talk everyday. I won't be back to Colombia until August so we'll see if things are still going that well. For now, there is no pressure. We are both young with no plans to marry. We are just inlove with each other so we've kept our relationship alive.

ducaticole comments on

I'm curious, about how much a month does it cost to have a driver in Bogota? That is the only way I would consider owning a car there. No way I would want to drive around in that mess and then have to worry about finding parking.

ducaticole comments on An outdoorsy 4day weekend: Bogota or Medellin??

Regarding Bogota, it might not be that easy to go mtn biking shortly after landing in Bogota. For me, it took at least 4 days to adjust to the altiude.

ducaticole comments on Neiva

Neiva? Bring your jacket! Haha, that seems to be a popular joke among the locals there. A lot of my friends here in Bogota are from Neiva so I've visited a few times. It's fun but I like Bogota a lot more. There is an amazing lake, I forget the name, about 45 minutes outside of Neiva. If you get the chance, go!

ducaticole comments on Nice guy and Colombian Girls

I've only been here for three weeks and these posts surprise me too. One of my amigas who I hang out with quite a bit probably pays for me more than I pay for her and she does not have a lot of money either. She always says that she has a job and makes her own money and loves being independent. Last night, I was out with friends, they paid for the transmil ride out and the bottle of Aguardiente and then argued with me when I insisted on paying for the 5800 peso taxi ride home.

ducaticole comments on What are my options for staying more than 180 days?

You could study Spanish and get a student visa.

ducaticole comments on Comcel question

Found the answer. For my phone, it's not possible. Some Canadian carriers use phones that don't have SIM cards. My phone happens to be one of those. The actual phone is a different version and doesn't even have a slot for a SIM card to be installed.

ducaticole comments on Comcel question

Okay, how do I save the info from my SIM card? I would hate to lose all my Canadian phone numbers.

ducaticole comments on Shirt makers in Bogota? Leather shops?

Thanks! I obviously don't know my way around Bogota at all but if I give these addresses to a cab driver, they will have no problems finding it?

ducaticole comments on Packing my bags

I'm in the same situation as you are. Next week, I'll be packing my bags and taking off to Bogota then who knows where for four and a half months. I can't wait.

ducaticole comments on Is this normal?

The one girl is an engineering student and her english is quite good so I've been enjoying talking to her quite a bit. She definately seems like someone who could be trusted. The other girl hasn't said too much about herself but the language barrier is in the way there I think. My Spanish is pretty bad so she's probably trying her best to understand what I'm writing to her.

ducaticole comments on Lifestyle... Cartagena vs. Bogota

Any recommendations on staying safe then?

ducaticole comments on Lifestyle... Cartagena vs. Bogota

I'm not too worried to be honest. My Dad's business partner in Colombia has an entire team that works for him and the company they're with. They'll be accompaning us almost full time until we learn what we need to know. We'll also be living in a staff apartment complex for the first 6-12 months. I'll be arriving in Colombia fall 2007 and starting Spanish lessons right away. I should hope that my Spanish is strong enough to start attending classes by fall 2008.

ducaticole comments on Lifestyle... Cartagena vs. Bogota

My Dad is a director for a gold exploration company with property in Colombia. This has been in the works for years but they have finally got their funding and are going public. We're going to be starting our drilling program sometime next year. We are moving this fall to familiarize ourselves with the country and to start learning Spanish. One of my Dad's business partners grew up in Colombia and currently lives there as well so he is helping to get everything set up as well.

ducaticole comments on Lifestyle... Cartagena vs. Bogota

I'm from Vancouver, lack of sunshine shouldn't be an issue at all. We hardly even see the sun from October to April. I'm also assuming that it's not too expensive to take a weekend trip out to Cartagena. I can get flights for free since I charge them to company expenses.

ducaticole comments on Lifestyle... Cartagena vs. Bogota

I'm really looking forward to experiencing things in Bogota. I've done a bit of travelling but other than that, I've lived a fairly sheltered life in Canada. I'm not a stranger to hard work or a challenge but I've never really experienced any cultural changes or anything. My brother isn't really into the party scene either and he hates big cities. His ideal life would be a small house on the ocean, an old boat that he fixes up and a beautiful, loving wife.

ducaticole comments on Lifestyle... Cartagena vs. Bogota

Thanks, that's good to know.

ducaticole comments on Studying in Bogota

One more thing, I'm just curious, are there any universities worth attending in Cartagena?

ducaticole comments on Considering moving to Colombia... what should I expect?

Yeah, we are definately visiting first before making any decisions. My brother and I maybe got a bit carried away when we were talking about wanting to buy property right away. We'll definately be renting for a while. Would Medellin or Bogota be better places to consider? Personally, I would rather live in a bigger city but my brother doesn't feel the same way. He really wants something a bit outside of town that won't be so busy. I'm sure similar things exist around Bogota and Medellin.

ducaticole comments on Considering moving to Colombia... what should I expect?

Thanks Lostgringo, I figured Colombia would be more like what you described. There are dangerous parts to every city and common sense goes a long way. We're going to be spending a month in Colombia this fall. Planning on a week in Bogota, week in Medellin and then two weeks in Cartagena or something like that. I know a little Spanish and I'm studying in Canada at the moment and will be until I leave for Colombia this fall.

ducaticole comments on Considering moving to Colombia... what should I expect?

Well do you guys really think that it will be that bad for us? I mean, we can consider something else if that's the case. My family is not rich by ANY means and wouldn't be able to pay ransom or anything like that. I'm serious here, I have no idea what to expect. We are both mature kids for our age and don't cause trouble but I don't know what it would be like down there. Also, for what its worth, my brother and I both have French blood in us and have a darker complexion and we're actually both pretty tanned and we both have dark brown eyes.