gato-bandido has left 157 comments

gato-bandido comments on Who's Been to Providencia?

Disagreeing with the above, you can spend at least three days in Providencia doing all the standard excursions, plus you can arrange some just for yourself. Diving/snorkeling is better further off shore than normal excursions go, supposed to be the best place in Colombia for diving. For a meal the best place is the Suroeste beach, where you order a whole plate of seafood including a whole langosta fresh from the sea, very cheap too, and it's right on the beach. Which hotel to choose is up to your tastes, but Decameron is fine. You can also rent a vehicle (not everyone would call it a car) and drive around the island to see more places.

gato-bandido comments on Almost 10 years!

I found the site some time in mid 1999, while planning my first trip to Bogotá. At the time it was almost the only site with any kind of positive info on Colombia. The original travel stories, like the papaya story, were simply great. From there the site went way downhill, to a low point in like 2002 or so, but has been slowly improving since then. What was the original address? The earliest I remember was move.to/colombia. Or was it poorbuthappy.com since day one?

gato-bandido comments on Carlos Castaño is Dead-Has Been For Some time Now

UN MILLAR de ONGs?!?! Wow!!! De donde es que sale tanta plaga? O es que cuentan cada una como 500?

gato-bandido comments on chiquinquira colombia

Basílica de Chiquinquirá es casi lo único que hay para ver. Hace dos años cuando fuimos toda la plaza en frente estaba en obras, espero que ya la hayan terminado. http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiquinquirá

gato-bandido comments on Colombia segun Jose Obdulio

That's the problem, there's too many people hiding under NGO umbrella who want nothing good for Colombia and couldn't care less about its people, only about their braindead agenda. It's about time those get kicked out of the country so that those who are really willing to help (as opposed to help the FARC) can regain the credibility and respect they truly deserve. Or is this too much of a wishful thinking?

gato-bandido comments on

Hmm... So pretty much everything FARC say is true, and everything Colombia says is a lie. Other than that, no issue at all. He should try writing for rebelion.org maybe.

gato-bandido comments on The Next Step; The "Uribization of the Constitutional Court"

You can bump this crap all you want, but the truth is that the whole judicial system in Colombia needs a major overhaul so that it serves the interests of Colombian people and not criminals. People are very sick and tired of hearing about police catching all kinds of criminals only for a shithead judge to release them right away.

gato-bandido comments on Venezuela turns a FARC terrorist over to Colombia

http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/?p=16403

gato-bandido comments on Venezuela turns a FARC terrorist over to Colombia

All that is true (what MrH and ML wrote anyway), but it's still a major shift in Chavez's ways, even more so than calling on FARC to stop kidnapping and disarm. To me it seems like Uribe was able to talk some sense into this guy. What kind of talk it took we can only guess...

gato-bandido comments on Venezuela turns a FARC terrorist over to Colombia

Surprised this is not in the top headlines of Colombian news sites.

gato-bandido comments on Sapzurro

I'm quite certain you can stay at Sapzurro too, but if going by plane you will be landing in Capurganá most likely. It will be a big change compared to Cartagena and Santa Marta. Much more down to earth, remote towns, no roads, no cars. We loved every second of it. El Aguacate, El Cielo, La Miel, Playa Soledad and Playa Capitancito are some of the excursions you can take. If you are crazy enough, rent a rowing boat and go to Isla Narsa, the tiny island that's right in front of Capurganá. That trip is not for weak people though. Other than that, just enjoy the beach and tranquility of the place. Don't remember seeing a single beggar/street vendor/massage vermin there.

gato-bandido comments on You Don't Know Jack About Medellín!

http://www.antioquiadigital.com/norte.htm

gato-bandido comments on You Don't Know Jack About Medellín!

San Pedro de los Milagros is a town in the Norte region, part of la Ruta de la Leche. Couldn't find any real (unpasteurized) milk in the two days we were there though. Didn't see any place by the name Vía Láctea while researching. We did book a night at a place called Proyecto Lechero La Manuela. Booked a few weeks out, called a couple times to reconfirm, showed up at like 6 PM (by bus), only to have the guard bark at us and refuse to let us in. Ended up staying at a hotel in the town. The town itself doesn't have much to offer, mostly tavernas for people to get drunk, but also a good restaurant or two and a nice panadería to have a breakfast. Next morning went back to the La Manuela place. The people were very apologetic, but couldn't get us any milk anyway, it was all gone for the day, at 9 AM. The place was nice though, worth a visit. Even so, Norte turned out to be the region we liked the best out of all the places we went to (including Rionegro, Retiro, Peñol, Guatapé, San Jerónimo, Sopetrán, Santa Fe, Jardín, Andes, Jericó, Pintada). Why? Probably for the scenery and the climate. Santa Rosa de Osos is also in the Norte, definitely worth a visit to see all the churches. Supposedly Salto de Guadalupe is also worth seeing. For sightseeing, Santa Fe de Antioquia takes the top spot easily, second being El Peñón, and third Jardín and Jericó I'd say. Medellín doesn't really offer much to see. Pueblito Paisa, Plaza Botero, and that's about it. Poblado is probably the most overhyped place in all of Colombia. It's allright, can find a nice restaurant there for example, but if you skip it entirely you won't miss anything.

gato-bandido comments on THE MARCH / July 20th

Last time around it seemed like many of the hostage families preferred to gather in churches and not join the march. Did they march this time? That profe Moncayo guy has been kinda quiet lately...

gato-bandido comments on THE MARCH / July 20th

Like several of the rescued hostages said, back in the jungle when they heard about the first march, it helped them a lot emotionally. I think for many people that was one of the main reasons to march yesterday, to express solidarity and to let the remaining hostages know that they are not forgotten.

gato-bandido comments on Is the word "Ahora" only used in Colombia to mean "Later on"

You can also say "ya" to mean "right now". "Ahorita" is sooner than "ahora" but can still take a while... LOL

gato-bandido comments on short-term health insurance for those visiting the U.S.?

Also nriol.net lists many plans. But it seems you get a different deal if you are a US citizen than if you aren't.

gato-bandido comments on Vaccinations for Leticia?

Waiting period is 10 days. You can get the shot at El Dorado. Like Gator says it's good for ten years, so OP doesn't need another one.

gato-bandido comments on Betancourt running for PRESIDENT

``I continue to aspire to serve Colombia as president.'' Actually if you watch the video what she really said was quite a bit different. It sounded much more like a remote "maybe". "Dios sabe" or something like that.

gato-bandido comments on Are Ingrid Betancourt and the Three Americans Free

juancegomez says on Jul 2, 2008, 19:19: I can imagine her, basically, living in France for a while and then coming back, depending on how things go. That would be a bad bad mistake imho. The momentum is right now, some years down the road noone will care about her. Nobody really knew what to expect from her, and she came forward and said some very sensible things yesterday. If she's to have any future in Colombian politics, the very last thing she wants to do is to go relax in France for a while.

gato-bandido comments on

The last one of these six hostages is now free. http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/justicia/2008-07-03/liberaron-a-biologo-colombo-noruego-secuestrado-por-las-farc_4359711-1 Liberaron a biólogo colombo-noruego secuestrado por las Farc Alf Onshuus Niño se encontraba privado de su libeertad desde enero, informó hoy el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de Noruega. Las autoridades noruegas aclararon que la liberación de Niño no está relacionada con la de la ex candidata presidencial Ingrid Betancourt, rescatada ayer por el ejército colombiano tras permanecer secuestrada desde 2002 por las Farc. Niño fue secuestrado junto a un grupo de cinco viajeros por los guerrilleros el 13 de enero pasado en la zona rural de Nuquí, en las costas del océano Pacífico. El Ministerio rechazó dar detalles concretos sobre la liberación o sobre la suma desembolsada supuestamente por la familia para lograr el rescate de Niño. Cuatro de los secuestrados, incluida la esposa de Niño, Ana María Aldana, fueron puestos en libertad en marzo, mientras que el quinto, el estudiante universitario Jorge Alejandro Torres, quedó libre dos meses más tarde.

gato-bandido comments on RESCATADOS 15 SECUESTRADOS. ENTRE ELLOS LOS 3 NORTEAMERICANOS E INGRID BETANCOURT !!

Some more videos at http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/?cat=3 Sarkozy habla rodeado por los hijos de Ingrid: “Bravo, Presidente Uribe� http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/?p=15656 Uribe se da un “baño de masas� http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/?p=15655 La operación de liberación fue un engaño al Secretariado de las FARC http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/?p=15651 Those military intelligence have some balls don't they? jajaja Santos for President! (If Uribe decides not to run that is. jejeje)

gato-bandido comments on Uribe Asks For New Presidential Vote In Colombia

It probably would be best if the referendum resolved all three questions: - whether or not a (first) reelection should be allowed - whether or not the last elections should be repeated - whether or not a second reelection should be allowed That would take care of all the (real or perceived) issues, and also allow Uribe to run again in 2010. I hope that is what he means to do.

gato-bandido comments on INTERPOL in Colombia 3 + 3 = 8

> Or do you think that Interpol detectives are a bunch of dumb guys? No, they think we are.

gato-bandido comments on Travel Guide

Let me check my understanding of the licensing issue. PBH guides are NC-SA, while WikiTravel for example are just SA. Because of this, content can be copied from WT to PBH, but not the other way, right? If so, depending on the author's intent he may need to publish his stuff on WT or explicitly include a different license on his PBH page.

gato-bandido comments on queso para pan de bono

Hace harto no he intentado hacer buñuelos. Tengo que conseguir el queso seco primero. Este viene en bloques de una libra, y no es lo mismo que cotija.

gato-bandido comments on Has Peter added this URL to his site?

As for FF extensions, I also find these useful: CustomizeGoogle, FlashBlock, and FlashGot.

gato-bandido comments on Has Peter added this URL to his site?

It is also possible that your network somehow resolves the name "post" to some address that either is that .org thing or redirects you to it. Just a crazy idea. Try running traceroute post

gato-bandido comments on Uribe meets student dissent

Also http://web.presidencia.gov.co/sp/2008/junio/05/03052008.html and http://web.presidencia.gov.co/sp/2008/junio/04/01042008.html Finally the govt started to clean this university mess up. That was long overdue. About 9 times out of 10 a Colombian university is mentioned anywhere, it's because of some kind of violence.

gato-bandido comments on Has Peter added this URL to his site?

With Firefox the AdBlockPlus extension is practically a must have, a life saver the way Internet is today. With IE you are out of luck. AdAware is what I use for clean up.

gato-bandido comments on queso para pan de bono

He intentado con cotija, queso fresco, queso de quesadilla (imagínese el desastre), queso seco salvadoreño, feta bulgaro, rumano, etc. La mejor consistencia dan el queso fresco y el queso seco, pero el fresco es desabrido como dijo Diana, y el seco tiene sabor demasiado fuerte. Entonces creo que lo mejor es mezclar mitad seco y mitad fresco, o un tercio del seco y dos tercios del fresco.

gato-bandido comments on Has Peter added this URL to his site?

Yes, the malware is called Internet Explorer.

gato-bandido comments on any help out there?

I thought H1A was the nurse visa

gato-bandido comments on Vermicultura

I would also like in general how valuable composting is in Colombia. With the soil so rich I am just not sure if it needs any amendments at all, unlike some other places where the soil is mostly clay.

gato-bandido comments on “Chévere" From Nigeria

here's a link btw http://www.semana.com/wf_InfoArticulo.aspx?IdArt=111866

gato-bandido comments on “Chévere" From Nigeria

candonga I think is an earring.

gato-bandido comments on Mexican in Costa Rica contradicts both Colombia and Ecuador about FARC camp

Glen Cerda Guajardo... I sure hope it's not a real name ROTFL

gato-bandido comments on letter to allow children to travel

No such letter is required if the child entered Colombia as a tourist to begin with. Call DAS at the departure airport if unsure.

gato-bandido comments on Fleshing out the wikis

But frankly, if you start adding stuff, you'll be duplicating a lot of work that's already been done at wikitravel. http://wikitravel.org/es/Colombia They have lots of content already, a framework for translation into many languages, and probably tons of other wiki features too that are not on pbh.

gato-bandido comments on Fleshing out the wikis

Just hit Edit on any of the pages with links and you'll see how links and other stuff are made.

gato-bandido comments on Fleshing out the wikis

Well looks like I found a way to add new pages. You go to an address like http://poorbuthappy.com/app/post/wiki.php?page=ZonaCafetera§ionid=1 replacing ZonaCafetera with a title of your choice, and then put whatever you want in there and hit Save. I used QuimbayaQuindio as a test and it mostly worked, except for accented letter retardation. You can then access your brand new page using an address like http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/travel/QuimbayaQuindio/ and probably link to it from other pages in the usual way. Whether Peter actually intended it to work this way is hard to tell.

gato-bandido comments on Jerga de Colombia / Colombian Slang

Here's a good size vocabulary of expressions by Colombian department: http://www.sinic.gov.co/SINIC/ColombiaCultural/ColCulturalBusca.aspx?AREID=3&SECID=8&COLTEM=220

gato-bandido comments on FARC's "Ivan Márquez" on the attack to the camp in Ecuador

Of course it's a load of crap. But between the lines you can read some (not much) of what is really on their mind, what their nightmares are made of, and what the future looks like in their sick minds.

gato-bandido comments on Colombia presents plan to free hostages

Sweet. Now watch PDA & Co. have a hissy fit when paras demand the same deal.

gato-bandido comments on Sending to Colombia- Other than Servientrega?

What about the other way - from Colombia to US? Is Servientrega any good for that?

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

The best pizza I had was from those street stands selling by the slice in Suba. No comparison to the New York style trash made of tire rubber they have in the US. Amazing what TV can do to people.

gato-bandido comments on Maverick Colombian senator risks her life

No one likes traitors. Not even their new masters.

gato-bandido comments on

http://www.lanacion.com.ve/noticias.php?IdArticulo=84131&XR=1 Es del Frente 38 de las Farc el guerrillero hospitalizado El guerrillero de las Farc, Freddy Martínez Mendoza, de 35 años, permanece internado en el Hospital Militar de San Cristóbal, adonde fue trasladado el martes, por la tarde, por efectivos de la Guardia Nacional, desde la Clínica La Colonia, en Rubio. Este miércoles, el coronel (Ej.) Nicolás Camacho, director del centro asistencial, en horas de la mañana, confirmó a los periodistas la presunta identidad del herido, pero precisó que carece de documentos. Dijo que fue atendido por un equipo de médicos, entre ellos especialistas de cirugía facial, quienes verificaron los daños sufridos en la mandíbula. ---El paciente presentó pérdida de las dos terceras partes de la mandíbula inferior y del piso de la boca, es decir, perdió parte de la quijada, daños que le limitan la capacidad de hablar. Necesita tratamiento y reconstrucción, pero su estado de salud es estable--- expresó al ser consultado por los periodistas. En relación a si la herida fue causada por un impacto de bala, proveniente de un FAL, expresó no estar autorizado para rendir declaraciones al respecto. ---Mi obligación es brindarle asistencia médica al herido, no interrogarlo. Esa tarea les corresponde a las autoridades de la Fiscalía Militar u otras instancias, pero yo no tengo por qué formularle preguntas al paciente--- reiteró. Desde Caracas, el ministro del Interior y Justicia, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, declaró en un programa de televisión que la persona hospitalizada "no es Joaquín Gómez, ni ningún guerrillero solicitado". Aseguró el vocero haber recibido información de la Interpol y de la Policía de Colombia, que le garantizaba no pertenecían a Gómez, pero no precisó la confirmación de la identidad verdadera. 14 años en las Farc El guerrillero herido, Freddy Martínez Mendoza, es señalado de formar filas en el Frente 38 de las Farc "Ciro Trujillo", que opera en Arauca, Colombia, donde se habría producido un enfrentamiento armado con miembros del Ejército colombiano, según consta en el acta de ingreso a la clínica, de acuerdo con versiones de fuentes extraoficiales confiables. Herido, se habría trasladado desde esa zona de Colombia, junto a un compañero, hasta Rubio, directamente a la clínica La Colonia, donde ingresó el miércoles 5 de marzo y se identificó como Jesús Castro, nombre que, según las investigaciones realizadas por las autoridades, resultó ser falso, pero que fue colocado como su identidad en la cama del Hospital Militar, donde está recluido. En relación al acompañante, sólo se ha dicho que es de nacionalidad colombiana, pero su identidad se desconoce. Trascendió este miércoles que permanece internado en la Comandancia de la Policía del estado Táchira, en La Concordia, a la orden de la Fiscalía Militar. (JLG) Colombia desconoce informes Bogotá, (EFE).- El Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad de Colombia (DAS) desmintió ayer haber dado a Venezuela informes sobre las huellas de un hombre hospitalizado en ese país y que puede ser un miembro de la guerrilla de las Farc, como afirmó el ministro venezolano del Interior, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín. El DAS, organismo colombiano de inteligencia estatal y de extranjería, señaló por medio de un comunicado que "no es cierto" que se hayan verificado las huellas digitales de la persona hospitalizada en Venezuela, ya que las tarjetas enviadas no sirvieron para estudios técnicos. La central de inteligencia colombiana recordó que Rodríguez Chacín afirmó en una rueda de prensa en Caracas que "las autoridades colombianas informaron hoy a las venezolanas que las huellas dactilares del hombre que permanece hospitalizado en una localidad fronteriza no corresponden a las de ningún líder de las Farc". El mismo organismo que representa en Colombia a la Interpol señaló que pidió nuevamente "las tarjetas decadactilares a Venezuela y ofreció asesoría de un equipo de expertos colombianos para tomar las huellas y realizar el dictamen correspondiente".

gato-bandido comments on

According to the FARC, the barbuchas guy was a "sindicalista" too. http://www.abpnoticias.com/boletin_temporal/contenido/articulos/colombia_asesinato_reyes4.html

gato-bandido comments on Murió en combate 'Iván Ríos', miembro del Secretariado de las Farc

So it seems like his own buddies killed him, cut off his right arm and turned themselves in with the arm as proof of his death and brought his laptop too. Very nice. http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/?p=12663