george_in_medellin has left 29 comments

george_in_medellin comments on Nice hotel in Bogota well-situated AND with nice Colombian feel

I checked out the Abadia Colonial and found several very negative reviews. But they did reply promptly to my email.

george_in_medellin comments on Nice hotel in Bogota well-situated AND with nice Colombian feel

Don't worry I have been checking it out.

george_in_medellin comments on Nice hotel in Bogota well-situated AND with nice Colombian feel

I currently live in Colombia, been doing so for 8 yrs, married, etc, so don't assume too much.

george_in_medellin comments on Nice hotel in Bogota well-situated AND with nice Colombian feel

I mean I don't want the equivalent of a Ramada Inn. I want something with Colombian architecture or that looks like it's in Colombia and wasn't cut and pasted from an airport somewhere. :)

george_in_medellin comments on Wired 5 grand to my account in BanColombia yesterday..........

beware! I did this exact same thing for several months running, same amount, and after about 6 months they embargoed my latest wire. i had to figure out on my own that i had to visit the manager of the branch where my account was opened and present documents demonstrating that my source of income is legal. after this, i had to keep coming back to see her each time i sent money in order for her to manually release it. this was in medellin.

george_in_medellin comments on What is the best way to send and receive money via Internet from the US to Colombia

at dianabrito2002 you need a cedula to open a colombian bank account. you can only get a cedula if you have a visa that allows you to stay for some work-related purpose. in '01 I brought traveler's checks and cashed them in downtown Medellin. It became a PITA though. Debit cards with Visa logos are much easier. at miamimike I despise PayPal, not surprised.

george_in_medellin comments on What is the best way to send and receive money via Internet from the US to Colombia

Yes, Paypal is now approved for Colombia but there are limits on it. It depends on how much you're sending. Some options are: - western union or similar - a debit card with visa/mc logo - bank transfer to their bank account - if the sums are more than a few thousand and you need to do it regularly, get set up with a firm on the bolsa. it's the cheapest way and you can move lots and lots of cash. there is a regulatory burden though. basically you have to prove to the central bank that the source of funds is "legit".

george_in_medellin comments on Duration of stay in Colombia -- the maximum

right, 6 mos in 1 year on a tourist visa. You might still be able to get around this by staying 6 months, leaving, "losing" your passprt, getting a new one and re-entering.

george_in_medellin comments on What kind of short term financial instruments do you recommend in Colombia..

Careful, once you wire more than approx $20K USD to your bancolombia account they freeze further wires and demand documentation like us bank extracts, the compra-venta promise for your real estate and a notarized, apostillado letter from your accountant with evidence of how much you make and that it's legal. If you want to get great conversion rates and move lots of money for whatever reason, deal with someone on the Bolsa, for example in Medellin, Alianza de Valores. IIRC the same documenation with them gets you wires of up to $100K USD which you can move into investments, real estate etc. If the money comes in for a non-Colombian citizen though you have to present some paperwork to the central bank every 3 mos. If you're married to a Col citizen and want to put it in their name, you only have to re-present same paperwork annually. I'm going thru this right now, buying an apartment and also have resident visa. hth

george_in_medellin comments on Looking for an apartment in Medellin

envigado is a nice place to live. it's cheaper than Medellin, too.

george_in_medellin comments on Looking for an apartment in Medellin

What's the problem? Consult any of the many rental agencies and they'll hook you up. You'll need 1-3 guarantors though of course, people with jobs and/or assets.

george_in_medellin comments on Anyone know of a cheap Spanish Conversation Tutor (per hour) in Medellin?

hey scouser LOL ujay and I have heard from multiple sources that the whorehouse experience is wonderful. You stay for a few days and then pamper the hell out of you.

george_in_medellin comments on Medellin business idea

go to the Camara de Comercio downtown and they will set you up with a legal entity quickly and cheaply. I did that in '02 and still have it - there's a small annual renewal fee. I was on a temporal visa at the time that I got from working as an English teacher. When I went to renew (having just married) and to get the conyuge visa, they scolded me for registering the business before I had permission. So be sure to find out what the rules are on that before actually registering it. They let me off though and I got the business name put on my visa as my employer, thus legally freeing myself to work for myself. Now, several years later, I have my permanent resident visa, still married, and the lawyer I hired to renew last time convinced the visa people that since the business was of indefinite duration, so should be the visa. And they agreed. Good stuff.

george_in_medellin comments on Where to buy Size 14US joggers in Medellin

I don't think you will find that. Use amazon. If you need an address in the US to ship to, and then reship to you in Colombia, see http://www.myus.com/

george_in_medellin comments on K-1 Visa Question

I have read 6-9 mos.

george_in_medellin comments on Can I fly from Bog to Medellin with just a US Drivers License or do I need my Pasaporte?

You absolutely need either your Colombia cedula or your valid passport. Colombia does not recognize the validity of foreign ID not specifically geared for international use. And you must show valid ID to board any flight in Colombia.

george_in_medellin comments on Anyone know of a cheap Spanish Conversation Tutor (per hour) in Medellin?

Visit the Centro Colombo-Americano, 95% of the teachers are Colombians and many are always looking for extra work.

george_in_medellin comments on Getting Married in Colombia!

I got married in a civil ceremony in el Quindio. There was some requirement that I post a notice in my hometown about the marriage such and such a time ahead of the marriage date. I was living in Medellin at the time so I think we posted it there. Definitely speak with the judge who will be performing the ceremony ahead of time. I may have needed my birth certificate. Don't remember. The judge we used did an atrocious ceremony, going on and on about all the legalities of marriage and divorce, a real pain in the ass. My advice is to minimize the legal ceremony and have a party separate from that. Re/ tourist visa. Canada I don't know but the US embassy refused to give my wife a tourist visa and insisted we apply for the family immigrant visa. Don't stress over the visa paperwork. :)

george_in_medellin comments on What airlines fly into the Olaya Herrera airport in Medellin?

that airport is almost completely limited to short hop regional flights in within antioquia and surrounding departments.

you can charter a round trip in a small plan from the one in rionegro to olaya for about 275,000 pesos, well that was 3 years ago and the charter people were desperate it seemed so prices might be higher now.

george_in_medellin comments on Work Visa Requirements

yes you REALLY do.

but the validation procedure mentioned in the above comment is only necessary for some jobs, for example to work in a university IIRC.

george_in_medellin comments on

i suspect you mean La Pintada? its about 3 hours from Medellin and is hot, very hot.

there's a nice new water park there, and unless its a special weekend you can probably get a hotel upon arrival.

george_in_medellin comments on I need to get out and get to Medellin

there is no road from panama to colombia. you would need to get your car from panama to colombia by boat.

i had the urge to do this once but it would be a really bad idea in practice.

george_in_medellin comments on TRABAJO EN MEDELLIN O ENVIAGADO!

highly unlikely given the high unemployment situation. you might have better luck teaching english, since there are fewer colombians who can do that.

george_in_medellin comments on Questions about Medellin

itagui is not that bad and you have to pass thru medellin to get to it anyway. physically, itagui is part of medellin, if not politically.

george_in_medellin comments on I have the job - now the work visa?

its best to do it as close to home as possible. improves the chances for success.

you will want to get a lawyer to help you with the paperwork. my first work visa a lawyer did the heavy lifting, i went to the chicago consulate and had my visa in 5 mins.

george_in_medellin comments on Oops - Illegal in paisa land

I would not trust this supposed lawyer. Doing things the wrong way means you lose your protection.

Losing your passport would be a disaster.

They don't give 90 days anymore. They always give 30 at the airport and then you can get 30 more if you go to the DAS for an extenstion.

You can not get an extension at the airport on your way out.

You have been careless. Now you need to clean it up. If that means blacklisting well then that sucks but you earned it.

Which do you prefer, leaving the country with your passport or falling into limbo when its been stolen from you and quickly doctored and resold?

george_in_medellin comments on Search: How to rent an apt in Medellin?

try renting a room first if that will fit your needs. its a lot easier and you can deal direct with the owner.

At some places you can show bank transcripts from the US or other country but you can never get around the guarantor rule. I have rented 4 apts, 3 in Medellin, 1 in Bogota and its a horror show everytime.

george_in_medellin comments on I need info about Medellin

There are 2 Caldas'. One is a small municipality to the south of medellin and one is a departement (state) to the south of Antioquia, which is the department that Medellin is in.

What this means is the small municipality. Its not a bad area, its kind of rural but its not bad at all and has a reputation for pretty girls.

george_in_medellin comments on Best way to transfer money

for such a small amount might as well carry it on the plane.

otherwise a wire transfer, but they can get expensive.