El Vato Loco has left 26 comments

El Vato Loco comments on

It must be very interesting from a psychological perspective! Pero que feo en ciertos sentidos para las mujeres y los hombres.. que feo que unos se tienen que llegar a esto para tratar de encontrar amor, carino y estabilidad. Hey... makes me wonder what happens to the Pre-pagos as they get older...? They cannot continue to be pre-pagos forever?

El Vato Loco comments on Now I know why I'm having problems with stepson

There's a book (out of print now) called "Surely You Must Be Joking, Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character", Bantam Books, 1985 that has a part that really addresses this issue of education... but at the higher levels! So you can figure how it would be in elementary school and basic educations. Here's an excerpt of this book and it is leveled at Brazil back then, but I am sure it applies to other countries as well. I'm going to enter a few passages from pages 196 - 198. It's really shocking when you think about it and this falls in line with what Lowell wrote from the other source. "I have discovered something else," I continued. "By flipping the pages at random, and putting my finger in and reading the sentences on that page, I can show you wht's the matter - how it's not science, but memorizing, in EVERY circumstance. Therefore I am brave enough to flip through the pages now, in front of this audience, to put my finger in, to read, and to show you." "..." "Finally, I said that I couldn't see how anyone could be educated by this self-propagating system in which people pass exams, and teach others to pass exams, but nobody knows anything. "However," I said, "I must be wrong. there were two students in my class who did very well, and one of the physicists I know was educated entirely in Brazil. Thus it must be possible for some people to work their way through the system, bad as it is." Well, after I gave the talk, the head of the science education department got up and said, "Mr. Feynman has told us some things that are very hard for us to hear, but it appears to be that he really loves science, and is sincere in his criticism. Therefore, I think we should listen to him. I came here knowing we have some sickness in our system of education; what I have learned is that we have a CANCER!" - and he sat down. "..." Then something happened which was totally unexpected for me. One of the students got upand said, "I'm one of the two students whom Mr. Feynman referred to at the end of his talk. I was not educated in Brazil; I was educated in Germany, and I've just come to Brazil this year." The other student who had done well in class had a similar thing to say. And the professor I had mentioned got up and said, "I was educated here in Brazil during the war, when, fortunately, all of the professors had left the university, so I learned everything by reading alone. Therefore I was not really educated under the Brazilian system." ---------- Feynman also writes about how to pick up U.S. women... but from what I have been reading it seems more universal. "OK," he says. "The whole principle is this: The guy wants to be a gentleman. He doesn't want to be thought of as impolite, crude, or especially a cheapskate. As long as the girl knows the guy's motives so well, it's easy to steer him in the direction she wants him to go." "Therefore," he continued, "under NO CIRCUMSTANCES be a gentleman! You must DISRESPECT the girls. Furthermore, the very first rule is, don't buy the girl ANYTHING - not even a package of cigarrettes - until you've ASKED her if she'll sleep with you, and you're convinced that she WILL, and that she's not lying." "Uh... you mean... you don't... uh... you just ASK them?" ------------------- This part you can find on pages 165 - 173... and there's a lot more to it than this... but it sure looks a lot like what people are holding "seminars" for American Men to take to pick up the modern American woman... Crazy ... and Feynman was born in 1918 - and died 1988 OK... this

El Vato Loco comments on why'd you come to colombia???

I'm curious to go see what life is like in Colombia, attracted by a significantly lower cost of living compared to the SF Bay Area, California in the U.S. (at least from appearances). I have been curious since around 2000, but I just haven't gone... I figured Mexico would be my main destination for vacations and future retirement, though things in Mexico are pretty sketchy with the drug wars being stoked up by the pinche presidente Calderon (who stole the election, sort of like Bush, his master). Areas that were never affected by the Narcos are now seeing a lot of activity and the local police are getting their rear-ends whopped. And things have gotten more expensive in Mexico -- too many billete verdes flowing in from the U.S. have made local inflation go up and up over the years and salaries haven't kept pace at all. The general population relies on remesas sent by family in the U.S.and without that money many families would be on the streets. It's still cheaper though, but Mexico has become contaminated by U.S. attitudes and behaviors... Mexico is now home to the 2nd LARGEST population of Gordos! (Mexico now ranks #2 in Obesity). Una gordita is not my idea of a girlfriend, at least not until I am old and gordo too... And of course Colombia has the fame of having some of the most beautiful women in all the world AND that they age quite gracefully! Latinas in general I have noticed age quite gracefully compared to non-latinas and my guess on this over the years has been their diet and natural exercise from walking all over the place versus what happens in the U.S. and now Mexico (Mc Donald's Dollar Menu / "Mas Masa y Grasa Menu") But what attracts me most is the cost of living -- I am more pragmatic, and given that the FARC is likely to go the way of the Irish Republican Army, the threat of being blown up in a random carbombing or busbombing is going to go way down. Plus the U.S. will implement a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia and that is going to funnel a lot of investment into Colombia. Mexico right now is entering a "Narco-guerra" phase... I don't see this easing up while Calderon is president (5 more years). I prefer his political party (PAN) to the old ruling elite dictatorship party (PRI) - the PAN party actually DOES improve the country, they build up the infrastructure, spend the money they receive for public works mostly ON the public works and not steal it to spend on prostitutes and for their own pockets like the PRI. But the PAN and the PRI take up the A-- from old "Uncle Sam"... the only party that would stand up to the U.S. is the PRD, the leftists who actually DID WIN the presidency but had it stolen by fraud (much like Bush's two elections) So this saying comes to my mind about Mexico... "Pobre Mexico, Tan Lejos de Dios y tan Cercas a los Estados Unidos"... At least Colombia is not as close to the U.S. and that is a big plus culturally.

El Vato Loco comments on Mexico seizes drug submarine in Pacific

Well, I have always supported the legalization of Marijuana :) But not just for smoking but for making all kinds of things, like paper that lasts and lasts (The Original U.S. Constitution is written on Hemp Paper!), hemp rope, hemp clothing, etc... Just making Marijuana legal (and all of its by-products) would really impact the oil industry and the street drug market somewhat. Hey, is it legal to chew coca leaves in Colombia? I have seen documentaries with indigenas chewing the leaves to help deal with the high altitude, but they're not eating gobs and gobs of it, just a manojo (a handful). I guess I'm curious if you can go to a mercado and buy it in the produce area hehe... though the nature of the leaf and the way things are in Colombia I doubt it would be available and if they found some on you they'd arrest you and throw you in jail for 15 years on drug charges... I have seen it is legal to sell coca tea bags and ground up coca leaves in Peru (not for export to the U.S. though).

El Vato Loco comments on Mexico seizes drug submarine in Pacific

Hehe... exactly... A lot of the stuff seized in drug raids goes "missing"... No se robo nada... solo cambio de dueno ;)

El Vato Loco comments on

Very similar to Mexico -- only not too many Afro-Mexicanos, but there are some areas with "mulatos" as they're referred to. Memin el Penguin is a very old but still popular cartoon character who is very African featured and is depicted as a child who's always getting into trouble and sometimes it can be taken very off-color (sexual jokes / social commentary / racial jokes). The whiter you are the higher up in social class you tend to be and are treated. Just like in the U.S.

El Vato Loco comments on Obtaining K1 for Fiancee and 5 yr son.

Lpdiver, Gringos tend to have more money than Mexicans and Colombians... of course that depends on how high on the take they are in the drug trade. Plus, once in the U.S. you don't go back and take the kid to visit while the dad is alive. (at least that would be my plan... you'd have to go through a land checkpoint or some other way if the computers aren't too sophisticated). There's a saying in Mexico... "Muerto el perro se acaba la rabia". And I was in a situation in Mexico a few years back... a jealous and violent ex husband of my then girlfriend sent 3 guys out to "teach me a lesson" when he learned from his son that his ex wife (marriage had been over for more than 4 years) was seeing someone. The ex was very abusive to her and to the kid while they were together. He was an occasional drug user and his family had money but they cut him off mostly because of his drug use. She still let him see the kid because she felt that he had a "right" to see him... even though she had full "Patria Potestad" and he had none... meaning she had full parental rights and he had 0. Well, I didn't agree with her but hey, that's part of why we aren't together anymore... (and why I won't date chicas with violent ex's or ex's living too close for comfort or ex's with drug problems unless they just smoke weed and are mellowed out...) Fortunately I was able to talk with the thugs (my Spanish is very good) and negotiated to pay those guys more than what he was paying them, plus I pleaded my case as to why he deserved his ass whopped more than me while holding a very sharp military knife that I carried around for protection and still do when I am in Mexico. He (the ex) wound up nicely banged up in the hospital that same night with two broken legs, some injured ribs and a concussion and he lived and didn't say a word about who attacked him (he had ordered the hit first, it just backfired ;) Granted I didn't stick around for "round two" - I paid the men, thanked them and left town that night/morning packing my stuff in my truck and split to the neighboring state. But later I heard from my ex that he was never the same (his mobility was permanently affected - he can walk but with a gimpy limp - and he has since left her the heck alone as far as I know, I lost touch with her in 2006). Do I feel bad about that... HELL NO! Would I feel bad if he had been killed... Let me think... F'n NO! The F'er had it in for me and I had never done anything against him -- I treated his son great and told his son that hopefully one day his dad would be there for him (in my bleeding heart bliss before I found out what this guy was like early on in my relationship with the kid's mom). I was just lucky I made it to my truck and got my knife before the three dudes caught up to me and that I had the nerve to fight back. They didn't have guns, they thought I was an easy mark, a "pinche gringo" Peace Corps worker type who doesn't know how to fight dirty (I was doing volunteer work in that region of Mexico when I met that girlfriend -- and I do volunteer work with disabled children and their families, my training is in social work, but I also have some street training from my youth and a deep hatred of people who abuse kids, especially when the kids are disabled and yes, my then girlfriend's son had a developmental disability - great, sweet kid). I may look like a "pinche gringo" but I grew up in a poorer neighborhood and though I would have lost a 3 on 1 "fair" fight, I didn't fight fair. I fought with the knife I had and a handful of dirt I had in the other hand and I was wearing boots. I would have slashed at least one of their jugulars in the process and severely injured at least one of the other two. If they had had guns, pues me chingaron... but they didn't... they had 1 tire iron between the three (idea that two hold ya and one guy works you over with the tire iron). They weren't able to get close enough to me and their own hides were worth more to them than whatever the guy was paying them. I spoke, got them to listen to me and what I was doing in Mexico and what that a-hole did to his kid. I also showed some "mean green" billetes verdes I had in my pocket that I always carry when I drive for bribes to the police, but I never laid my knife down. They agreed to do it, we agreed on a price, I paid half up front throwing a Franklin on the ground and still holding my knife and they told me he was waiting for them nearby to pay them. We just walked very quickly over to where the guy was waiting for the "resultados" (about 2 blocks away) and I watched from a short distance as they beat him. I paid them the other half when the deed was done by dropping the other Franklin on the ground and backed away with my knife in my hand and thanked them. They said "Gracias, ya vamonos" and ran off. It was definitely not one of my proudest moments, but I think it was the best $200 USD I have ever spent in Mexico. It was very gratifying to watch a man who abused his own disabled child and his ex-wife and who tried to have me beaten up over what boils down to expressing love get some "instant therapy" of his own. I know I have Latino blood flowing through my veins and I could sure become one sickening Caro Quintero (an Early Mexican equiv to Pablo Escobar) myself. I'm glad I didn't go that direction growing up, because it was sure common enough in the neighborhoods where I lived - drugs, gangs, etc... Instead I became a social worker...go figure, huh? And no, I haven't gone back to that town and I don't ever plan on going back there. I'm just going to live my life and try to avoid this kind of trouble in the future. I just won't date any chica who has violent ex issues -- my heart goes out to them, but I'm not taking any bullets for love. There are too many other chicas out there :) But I still think that when you MUST deal with this type of person you only deal with them ONCE.. make it definitive. You can go by means of carrot (bribe the guy / pay him off) or the stick (have him whacked). Which one is more effective? I'm way too pragmatic... I'd go the stick everytime as long as you keep things anonymous and make it happen fast and never go back to the city of the crime... I haven't lost a night's sleep over this except that night as I was packing my stuff up and getting out of Dodge... I sure was wide awake driving on the road that night/morning.

El Vato Loco comments on Anyone traveled to POPAYAN? It's in the Departamento de Cauca south of Cali about 90KM

Hey Gracias a Todos! I had hopes that people would know about Popayan because of the number of the presidentes that have come from there. And also I figured it would be very safe (if boring) because of the number of presidentes that have come from there... every president would have sent some type of support back to their hometown :) I honestly like to live a calmer life --- fancy nightclubs, expensive restaurants and beaches are nice, but I'd rather have peace and quiet and not have to worry about looking after my stuff so much. (I won't forget one time in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico when I went for a swim with my then girlfriend and I had to constantly keep looking at our stuff on the beach because I was really worried someone would take off with our cooler with the beer in it! plus the keys to where I was renting :( Thankfully no one did! :) But I know if it had been in Rio de Janeiro they would have taken everything the second I was in the water. No soy un "viejo" pero si me gusta la vida mas calmada... un ritmo mas tranquilo. Y para hechar una MUY buena fiesta Cali esta a 90 KM de Popayan (y en pendiente). The only problem in a smaller town like Popayan might be that rents are rather high. The hotel costs sound good. $5 a night is amazing... Sounds like it might be a Youth Hostel? $5 USD per night at $1700 Colombian Pesos for 31 days is $263,500 Pesos...From what I have been reading on the Eltiempo newspaper online from Bogota you couldn't even rent a tiny apartment for a month for that. I find this really unusual. Anyone know of Popayan has a weekly newspaper that prints about apartments for rent (en arrendar?) Gracias!

El Vato Loco comments on

Wow, in Mexico women in certain regions are considered "Old Maids" (Solteronas) if they don't get married by 24! I heard this in 2002 and I was shocked!!! And this wasn't some small town... this was in Uruapan, Michoacan! (which is a city that THINKS it is a town I guess...). These were college educated women telling me this! I am hoping that most women in other regions of Mexico don't think this way... 24 is good age to start thinking about marriage but 28 is better -- more time to think things through and work / save plata

El Vato Loco comments on living in Colombia

Hmm.. Watch out they don't pull a "Lorena Bobbit" on you... You know she was born in Ecuador and that's right next door to Colombia! Sounds like it is best to keep all knives under lock and key! Also Pereira is where the book "Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso" is based. Hey, what's the air quality like? Medellin sounds pretty bad, very smoggy much of the time :( and some pictures I have seen have not made me very excited about visiting even though the climate is a lot cooler and looks nicer than both Cali and Bogota (Bogota being too cold)

El Vato Loco comments on Looking for a room in Bogota?

http://clasificados.eltiempo.com/

El Vato Loco comments on Looking for a room in Bogota?

I have been thinking a lot about visiting colombia as well... and I found the "eltiempo" newspaper website the other day and looked at the housing section (bienes raices). Rent is "arrendar" versus "rentar" in Mexican Spanish. I have utterly NO IDEA where these rentals are located at since I don't have a clue as to the layout of Bogota, but the prices are much cheaper than what you have listed here for rooms and for apartments. Granted, they're probably not close to the gym but it's a place to see more prices and what's available right now. I bet there are "gringo" prices if you call in and don't speak good Paisa Spanish though... It would pay off to have a Colombiano or Colombiana make the phone call, set up the viewing and go with you to insure you get the Paisa price and not get Gringoed. It happens to people in Mexico so it's bound to happen in Colombia :( Lots of extra prices to not speaking Spanish like a local :(

El Vato Loco comments on Obtaining K1 for Fiancee and 5 yr son.

Yes it is extreme... but sadly it is very much the reality. Violence is used in third world countries to solve many problems (and by the U.S. to solve them, just in other countries... Iraq, Afghanistan, Grenada, Guatemala, Panama... lots of U.S. backed deathsquads have taken care of problems for the U.S. so... as far as violence being extreme... it's sadly the general order of things). Though this is an individual example... but for a truly worthy purpose -- moreso than most political reasons. But the bribing of an official is probably the best bet and non-violent. Also... why not get this jerk thrown in jail? He's using drugs, how is he paying for it? He must be breaking some laws... get him in with the police and have the signature be part of the deal for him to "get out of jail" or live in jail with some basics. Pues la vida no es facil... hopefully you will only have to deal with this jerk once -- and if the kid wants to see him in the future after he's 18, that's up to him, especially if you adopt the kid.

El Vato Loco comments on Mexico seizes drug submarine in Pacific

Wow.. and I thought they were just joking when they mentioned this method on the "Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso" show that's airing now on a local spanish language channel (Not Univision, the other one). They could sure get a lot into Mexico this way. I don't think they could get it across to the U.S. though --- they'd be blown up unless the military was in on the deal. Sort of gives a new meaning to "We All Live in a Yellow Submarine"...

El Vato Loco comments on Mexico vs. Colombia -- Need advice

I always like knowing this info about other countries... Cost of Living: Income: Minimum Wage in Mexico is $50 pesos for a full DAY of work. (approx $5 USD) A registered nurse with a 4 year degree, fully licensed and credentialled makes $120 pesos a day in a private hospital. They get more if they work in the government, but those jobs are EXTREMELY hard to get, you have to have a relative working in the government to get in! (I was lucky enough to date a very cute nurse in 2005-2006 who lived in Michoacan and was able to visit me in Puerto Vallarta :) Gas costs less than in the U.S., but not by much... maybe about $3 to $3.20 USD per gallon now according to a friend in Guadalajara. A 2 liter bottle of soda (pop) costs about the same as in the U.S. $1 to $1.50 USD -- Pepsi, Coke, Squirt, Sprite, etc.. and you cannot find Rootbeer :( A Domino's pizza costs you $100 pesos ($10 USD) for a large 2 topping. You can get 2 of them for that price on certain days, like on Tuesdays for promotion. U.S. candy is very expensive... a regular size pack of M&M's costs $7 or $8 pesos (about 75 cents USD) The cost to develop standard film is cheap... they don't have any of the chemical use and disposal restrictions they have in the U.S. and it makes it cheaper as well as labor costs. I have taken many of my old negatives to Mexico to have amplifications made 8x10's and such -- excellent quality and for a fraction of what it costs here in the U.S. They can do it with digital pics too :) OK... that's all -- I know more about Mexico but I wish I knew all this about Colombia...

El Vato Loco comments on In case you hadn't noticed, Mexico's in ugly drug war

And the Mexican police chiefs are running across the border begging for amnesty and getting killed in record numbers... Mexican police are resigning across the nation by the hundreds. Face it, until the U.S. deals with the "Demand" issue there will be an unending supply. That and U.S. Border Patrol agents are also in on the drug deals and such... (as was reported on the news this week). The fastest way to put an end to the drug wars would be to legalize such drugs so long as they were grown, produced, cultivated and processed in the U.S. and sold with lots of tax and the tax money used to fund drug recovery programs and health centers. It's the same as prohibition was back in the days of the "Speakeasy" and "bathtub gin".

El Vato Loco comments on Learn Spanish in Mexico

I will have to check with a few friends, but I know that there are very good, ethical schools for Spanish Immersion in Morelia, Michoacan. Lots of college students in that city and it has a wonderful plaza, lots of colonial architecture and it's at a higher altitude, so it's not as hot as some parts of Mexico. They remodeled the main bus terminal a few years ago and it looks better than an AIRPORT terminal - very clean and very well designed (especially compared to the terrible terminal they had before in downtown). But the school you mentioned sounds like it has lots of "blue ribbons" too, so it should be just fine, if not maybe a bit more expensive.

El Vato Loco comments on Mexico vs. Colombia -- Need advice

Hmm... I rented a 2 bedroom house in Puerto Vallarta for about 5 months back in 2005-2006 (I was there from late November 2005 to the end of March 2006. I paid a total of $2,500 Mexican Pesos per month (less than $250 USD, the exchange rate was about 10.50 to 1 USD at that time). The house was unfurnished, it was not in a "high class" neighborhood, but it wasn't "low class" either -- it was a medium class neighborhood -- people had cars, a wealthy family of beach clothiers lived 4 houses down from me and the other houses on the street were mostly local families, workers and children. It was about a 15 to 20 minute walk to the beach, though (Or a 7 minute bus ride on a small bus). It was an unfurnished house, but I was able to buy plenty of used, quality furnishings by looking at a local weekly paper that has nothing but stuff for sale (and job listings). It's in Spanish though, but here's their website. They went online last year! www.manoamano.com.mx Puerto Vallarta is a great place to live, especially in the winter months, but you have to live like a local and not buy stuff at expensive rip-off tourist trap areas. You will have to do some searching in local newspapers and (I'd strongly recommend) Mano-a-mano. I think you can live well for $2000 USD a month! I was living like a king on $1000 USD a month, and I spent less than that while in Puerto Vallarta. I bought my alcohol in Guadalajara and brought it with me on the bus, but that was only because you cannot find "Mil Agaves Tequila" in Puerto Vallarta. The cost of a good bottle of tequila outside of the toursity trap zone is not much more than in Guadalajara. Also, the weather was so nice in Puerto Vallarta it was awesome! No mosquitoes either (I hate those critters to no end) and the ocean is still warm for swimming, but be careful where you swim. Some areas are polluted due to hotel "run-off" (you can see it at playa de los muertos when you are out on a boat.. it's a sickly looking brown stain on the water that alludes to what that "stain" is :( Puerto Vallarta is excellent for those who have little Spanish ability. Most people there speak English or know someone who speaks good English. They have a great hospital services and I lived just 5 minutes from the Red Cross Hospital, which in Mexico is a hospital that will treat you and only charge you the medication they used on you. They don't charge a lot of $$$, but they are limited on things - they don't do major surgeries, but if you get food poisoning they can be of great help (I took someone there who got food poisoning from eating shellfish -- we were there from 3pm to after midnight and they gave her 3 types of medication through an IV and when she had recovered enough they let her go. Total cost: $370 Mexican Pesos ($35 USD at the time) and the doctor was really good as were all the staff. I went by there another day to thank them and brought them some supplies I had (basic things, nothing special) and they were really appreciative and really cool. But it boils down to what you want to do... are you planning on eating out every morning, noon and night? Do you want to drive? Would you be willing to take public transit or are you only interested in taxis (taxis are VERY expensive in Puerto Vallarta... the WORST I have seen in Mexico... close to U.S. prices... Buses are cheap at 5 pesos a ride (50 cents USD) Walking is free and you get to enjoy the people and the places and it's pretty much safe at most hours... but after 1AM you should really be taking a taxi, especially if you have been drinking. You are more likely to fall down and hurt yourself rather than be mugged... but why take the chance of either?

El Vato Loco comments on ME DEPORTAN HP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm... If you need more time to address the legal issues see if you can get a Visa for Canada and visit Canada for a month? If your family can help you pay for a stay in Canada you at least will be nearby if you can get some type of intervention. Plus Canada is very nice, one of my brothers just visited Quebec with his girlfriend who is Haitian/American and has relatives in Canada. Otherwise, ni modo... And there are a lot of Mexicanos I know who just keep crossing the border... They get deported, they cross a few weeks later... they get caught crossing, they cross again (not very safe to do in the desert, but they pay bribes to the border patrol agents via Coyotes and get across safely... PINCHE MIGRA!)

El Vato Loco comments on Selling pesos in the United States

The dollar is falling like a brick... Even the Mexican Peso is kicking the dollar around! I remember maybe about a year or two ago I was checking currency values for the dollar and Colombian peso and the rate was about 2,500 to 1. Now it's 1,750 to 1 and still in the freefall. Hold on to your Colombian Pesos... I am sure it'll go below 1,500 before the elections. If you have a Washington Mutual bank in your area they'll probably exchange your foreign currency. Same with Wells Fargo (but they take a big bite out of the value).

El Vato Loco comments on Anyone traveled to POPAYAN? It's in the Departamento de Cauca south of Cali about 90KM

And aguas termales sounds really nice -- Hmm... I am liking Popayan more and more... Do you know if people hike up the volcano to the snow?

El Vato Loco comments on Anyone traveled to POPAYAN? It's in the Departamento de Cauca south of Cali about 90KM

Jejeje.... yes, the lack of a "boiler" as we call them in Mexico. In one place I stay in Mexico (which is an unfinished house that one of my brother's in law / cunados owns in the state of Jalisco) there is a shower but no hot water. The house also doesn't have a water tank (or "Tinaco") on the roof so you only get water during the day until about 1 or 2 PM. So I used a nice, big plastic garbage can I bought new at a department store in town to hold lots of water for showers and the toilet and washing dishes, etc. I am used to taking "bucket baths" (bano de cubetazos de agua fria) when I stay there. I am sure that's how they do it in lots of places outside of towns and cities in Colombia or simply when there is a water shortage. But... I found a nice way to make it a much more pleasant experience... (and no, it doesn't involve a friendly chica to help "heat up"... although that would be very nice!). I brought 2 crock pots from the U.S. that I bought at a garage sale for $1 USD each on one of my trips (no se como se llaman en espanol... hornos electricos que cocinan lentamente y son cilindricos y normalmente se usan para cocinar vegetales o carne de res o pollo). I fill them each with water and in about 20 minutes on "high" the water would boil. I'd mix that hot, boiling water with the cold water in a big bucket and I had a nice steaming bucket bath and usually had some water left over to wash some dishes! But yes, doing the shower with agua fria would result in a lot of colorful language :) jejeje! I wonder if anyone else in Colombia heats up water up on the stove to make a warm bucket bath? (I don't have a real stove in that house... it's very basic, but has sturdy walls, roof, electricity and water and they pick up the garbage everyday in front of the houses on that street -- very clean :) which isn't very common in Mexico.

El Vato Loco comments on A Tribute to the Real Winner, Miss Universe Talian Vargas 2008!

You gotta know that the Miss Universe Pageant has gone to EL DIABLO when JERRY SPRINGER is one of the MC HOSTS!!! I was waiting to see the ladies get full on into some mud wrestling and hair yanking... ;) "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!" Ese buey esta MUY loco pero muy rico de billete verde! Nice to see so many Latinas in the final 5 though! That Mexicana was quite tall though! She definitely wasn't eating just beans and corn tortillas! Vaya...

El Vato Loco comments on Anyone traveled to POPAYAN? It's in the Departamento de Cauca south of Cali about 90KM

Gracias Kat! :) as I was looking around and getting more information about Colombia this place really sounded nice, very colonial and a lot calmer than Bogota, Cali or Medellin. Probably too calm for most backpackers and adventure tourists. Still it's not so far from Cali but higher altitude and cooler :) En verdad esta mas fresco alli que en Cali - me imagino que si.

El Vato Loco comments on PETER PLEASE READ -VERY IMPORTANT!

Yes I agree with El Flaco -- I have been lurking a bit here and found a lot of information that is very helpful... que bueno es encontrar el oro y la plata entre mucha platica de babosos en todos lados del internet... aqui si hay cosas buenas (el que busca encuentra...) Anyway, since Mexico is getting to be what Colombia was in the 90's I think it's better to think about traveling to Colombia... Especially when I read that Bogota has a population of about 9,000,000 gentes... sounds great! (Guadalajara is over 6,000,000 now and DF... forget it!) Anyway... about this thread. There are other websites for the hard core sex people --- although I think anyone who travels to Colombia (pues los hombres) aren't just going there to backpack... Especially if they're single... Pues como no van a querer ir a ver a la chicas... But come on... I've rented a two bedroom house for $250 USD in Puerto Vallarta in a regular barrio (not the worst and not the best) during high season for months at a time and that was just 3 years ago in 2005 and I stayed at (appropriately for this part of the site) named "Hotel Cartagena de las Indias" in Puerto Vallarta for $15 USD a night for about 3 days until I found the rental in the local publication "Mano-a-Mano" weekly. I cannot believe that there's nothing comparable in Bogota or Cali or Medellin... Or is it that the gringos are too afraid to live in the barrio?

El Vato Loco comments on LIVE HERE STOP Fu................about USA wankers

New poster here... I have found looking at local newspaper websites in Mexico works to find apartments for rent at "REAL" prices (Not "Gringo" prices)... what newspaper sites for Colombia would you locals recommend? Que revistas nacionales / regionales pueden recomendar para buscar apartamentos que se rentan por mes para vivir... a precios de Paisa y no de Gringo... Pues, tambien hablo Espanol, pero a lo cabron de Mexico jejeje... Como decimos "a puro huevo" ;)