HolandaPaisa has left 50 comments

HolandaPaisa comments on Has anyone been to El Solado? (Medellin above envigado sq)

it's a nice park and it's not cold as it is just a few km from the central park in Envigado. It is called El Salado. You can make your own San Cocho there and they can provide all the stuff (pots, ingredients etc). El Salado is bigger than just the park and the park just opened last year.

HolandaPaisa comments on ROBBED AT KNIFE POINT IN BOGOTA! THIS COUNTRY IS DANGEROUS!!

I had the same problem in Bogota in la Candelaria at night. I was almost robbed at a knife point and my friend was indeed robbed. I do feel Bogota is more dangerous than most other places but what do you want with such a big city. I have lived in Medellin for over 2 years and never felt unsafe but off course shit happens here as well. Everyone should be aware that la candelaria is not the safest place especially after 11.00 pm. Better to take a cab but I was just 2 blocks from the hostel and thought it was stupid to take a cab for just a few blocks. It happened on the street of Platypus, 300 meters from the entrance. I have been there a couple of times and never took cabs and also walked around after 11.00 pm. Yes this time I was drunk and didn't pay attention so I guess I was giving papaya....

HolandaPaisa comments on Work visa for 2 companies

Hi tigre, Thanks for your repl. Could you elaborate a little bit on that? I know it means that you're not an employee of EAFIT but rather work as a third party for them. Is that correct?

HolandaPaisa comments on Work visa for 2 companies

Thanks Pedro, that might be an idea. I will look into that. Although there are a lot of requirements for the business visa. For example a minimum investment of 45.000.000 Cop, at least on paper. plus a lot of other paperwork. Not sure if Eafit will agree with this either, but well worth looking into. Cheers,

HolandaPaisa comments on Best Deal on Internet and Phone - Medellin

I am very content with Une. I have triple play for two years now. Almost no problems. Furthermore they installed very quickly. The first time it took a week when they told me it could be up to three weeks. When I moved they told me the same and they showed up (without appointment off course) in 3 three days. The installers told me this does depend on the neighborhood you live in though.

HolandaPaisa comments on Work visa for 2 companies

Yes Adrienne that's absolutely true, I will do that. Is there anybody else that already has experience with this, or is actually working for two different companies on a visa. Thanks again.

HolandaPaisa comments on Work visa for 2 companies

Thanks for your reply Adrienne. Although I am not too happy with the info :) I would really like to give this course at Eafit but as it is only three hours a week it does not make sense to change my visa for it. I don't think they are interested in doing it under the table but they might be able to arrange something with the MRE as they are a big university. Anybody else that has a tip to solve this. Thanks,

HolandaPaisa comments on Big room in Duplex apartment

The place is still available. If anybody is interested let me know at holandapaisa at live.nl Cheers,

HolandaPaisa comments on Malaria Pills for Leticia - where can I pick some up in Medellin?

You do not need malaria pills for the Leticia area! Palmari Ecolodge 4 hours from Leticia is great place and they state specifically on their site they do not recommend them. You need yellow fever though. VACCINES & PROPHYLACTICAL MEASURES YELLOW FEVER: It is mandatory that each visitor carries his valid yellow fever vaccine certificate. MALARIA: Prophylactical measurs against Malaria are to be decided by every visitor (We do not recommend it!) http://www.palmari.org/vcd/en/visas/index.htm I also recommend not to take any pills as they can have nasty side effects...

HolandaPaisa comments on PBH business venture! looking for an investment partner for a restaurant in Medellin

To add something GIB. Rollos are at least open for some new kind of food experience. Paisas are well known for their tradition and what do they like the most? Yes Bandeja Paisa... They even have a famous saying: "Más vale malo por conocido que bueno por conocer". In other words they rather eat something bad they know than something good which they are unfamiliar with. I have also thought about opening a restaurant but I really think Medellin is an extremely hard market. There were some very good restaurants in "la milla de oro" before. A japanese, Italian and a Mexican restaurant. Everyone I talked to said they served excellent food but they still went bankrupt because they didn't have enough clients. Be sure to do some very good market research about the tastes of Paisas. Don't think that because there are no other restaurants dedicated to international cuisine, this will be your competitive advantage. There might be a good reason why they are not here (anymore). Anyway all the best with your venture...

HolandaPaisa comments on Room(s) available in penthouse in Medellin

bump

HolandaPaisa comments on EPM

Hey Usher, I never had a problem with EPM and didn't need a bank account to get tripleplay. Just my cedula de extranjeria was enough. I did everything by phone and send them a fax of my cedula. I did have to call several times but they installed tripleplay within 8 days. You can check prices on their website. They have a big promotion going on now, so the line may be busier than normal. You should however inform yourself through the website and then call them. Call centre represantatives do not always have the accurate infomation so it helps if you inform yourself and be clear what you want, but this is the same all over the world. I sometimes hang up the phone and call again because the represantative does not know what he is talking about. Good luck

HolandaPaisa comments on Room(s) available in large penthouse in Medellin

No sorry the apartment has three showers but no bath tub...

HolandaPaisa comments on Room(s) available in large penthouse in Medellin

the rooms are still available

HolandaPaisa comments on Language course at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellin

I heard very positive things about this university. I have not studied there myself but I know a guy that did. I think he paid something like 13.000 COP an hour for private classes. Maybe he was just lucky but in general the classes are 2-3 people depending on demand and your level. Eafit is more expensive.

HolandaPaisa comments on Looking for Bogota teaching job.

It is hard to find a pure daytime teaching job as most people want to have class before they start working or after their work. I guess that's what cderek means. I am teaching myself but in Medellin.

HolandaPaisa comments on Room(s) available in large penthouse in Medellin

It is available as from next week again...

HolandaPaisa comments on Room(s) available in large penthouse in Medellin

Hey y'all, The rooms are available as from next week again as the current renter is going back to the States. If interested send me a pm or mail me at holandapaisa at live.nl cherio,

HolandaPaisa comments on Room(s) available in large penthouse in Medellin

Off course, the apartment is fully furnished so the bedroom has a bed, a night table, a nightlamp, a closed etc.

HolandaPaisa comments on Cheap private spanish lessons

I didn’t want to react but I feel I have to as you are really negative. I am sorry that you didn’t have a valuable learning experience but I think you are exaggerating. First of all you state that she didn’t have a lesson plan. She does have those as I personally helped her with that. The first lesson however is to see what your level is and what your strengths and weaknesses in the language are. So indeed for the first lesson there was no strict lesson plan. I remember I talked with you and you didn’t know yourself what you wanted or needed. It is then hard for a teacher to get to the point directly because he/she first has to find out what exactly your problems and objectives are. I know because I am teaching English myself. Second, she is not an official teacher, which is right. However she has taught a lot of foreigners and has gained a lot of experience by doing this. Moreover, she always got positive feedback; you are the first one that is negative (and not a little bit). Therefore I think there is something else that is bothering you. Furthermore she does speak English (although certainly not fluent) but it is usually enough to explain things. What I think is even more strange is that we met each other and you didn’t even have the nerve to tell her straight in her face but decided to do it anonymous via the internet (6 weeks after you had your class???) . I don’t know if there is some other problem that you have with her or me but I think this is a strange way to solve it. Cherio,

HolandaPaisa comments on bus medellin to pereira

It is more comfortable and also a bit faster to go in a minivan. They use the big Kia's and can fit up to eight people. They also leave from the terminal del sur. I don't know the name but there are several companies just ask at the terminal. The price is about the same as the bus but it is faster and more comfortable as the road medellin-Pereira mostly zigzags through the mountains and you can better be in a car than in a bus. This route is also safe so don't worry about that.

HolandaPaisa comments on Flying vs. Bus

Bus Bogota-Medellin is about 50.000 and a plane ticket 220.000. You may get it cheaper if you have it included in your original ticket from overseas, but that's what it costs (e.g. when flying Avianca I heard you can have a free national flight, although you should specifically ask for this before paying for your international flight.

Bogota-Medellin by bus takes 9 hours and by plane about 45 min. You also have to add the costs to go to and from te airport which for Medellin's main airport in Rio Negro is about 45 min (45.000). In Medellin there are two airports and I always try to fly from the one in the centre. A good and cheap airline that flies from the centre is ADA. It saves you time and money for the cab to Rio Negro.

Medellin-Cartagena costs something like 80.000 Cop and by plane 240.000. It takes between 1 and 1.5 hour by plane and between 12-15 by bus.

The bus is absolutely safe (also the night busses) on the Bogota-Medellin-Cartagena-Santa Marta route. I have done it plenty of times in the last two years and i know so many others that have done the same thing. In my opinion the Colombians that try to scare you that it is too dangerous by road are the ones that live abroad or the rich in Colombia.

One tip if you go by bus you should always negotiate a lower price if it is low season. You can easily get a ticket for 70% of the initial quoted price and maybe more if you bargain hard. For example, Medellin-Cartagena's offical price is 115.000 but I never paid more than 80.000 in low season. The best bus companies are Brasilia and Rapido Ochoa. You do not need to buy a ticket in advance as there is a bus going every two hours more or less and they usually not full if you go there one hour in advance.

In the end you should make your decision based on your time, comfort level and money. Flying is faster, more comfortable and more expensive. Bus is cheap but takes more time. The comment of Pedro about the scenery is valid. There is not too much to see although it is an experience in itself to see the people that live along the road and all the people that try to make a living selling stuff, especially if you are only going to do one busride. A night bus saves you even a night in a hotel.

Hope you can make an informed decision now,

HolandaPaisa comments on Cheap private spanish lessons

Hi everybody,
My girlfriend Hi everybody,

My girlfriend gives private Spanish lessons for 10.000 Cop an hour. I have learned perfect spanish through her. She is living in Medellin and you can come to her house or she can come to yours.

It is way cheaper than most spanish courses where you are stuck with 5 or more people in a class. In Eafit for example you pay 600.000 or even 650.000 Cop for a 38 hour course (last year prices). I have studied there one month, it is a nice place to meet people but the spanish learning progress is slow.

Give me a pm if interested or mail me at holandapaisa at live.nl

Take care

HolandaPaisa comments on Room in Medellin

Rooms are available again as of june Hey everybody,

The rooms are available again from next week as the current renter is leaving. If interested drop me a line at: holandapaisa at live.nl.

cherio,

HolandaPaisa comments on student visa -> tourist?

You will have no problem. I did the same thing. If you go out of the country you can come back within three days (officially) but also two days is possible as long as it is not on the same day ( i tried). I went to the border with Venezuela near Rio Hacha and got two months. After that you can go to the das to get your monthly extension up to six months.

HolandaPaisa comments on Apartment Rental Medellin

I am not sure where to look for that, maybe some others can help you out. I just heard somebody rented a studio for something like 1.3 or 1.4 million Cop. I don't think he had internet.

Good luck

HolandaPaisa comments on Apartment Rental Medellin

Hey dbldareu,

Just to inform you the price for the two rooms is not US $850 but 850.000 Cop or US $ 404. That does make a big difference!

I heard you can get a furnished 1 bedroom studio in Poblado for around 1.200.000 - 1.400.000 Cop or US $ 570-660,- Also depending on whether you want to have internet.

HolandaPaisa comments on Room in Medellin

e-mail Sometimes there are problems using the pm function on this site. So if you are interested you can send a mail to holandapaisa at live.nl

Cheers,

HolandaPaisa comments on Cheap private spanish lessons

El Feliz, I do not understand why his post got deleted. I do not think Rocinante made any wrong statement. He just said by studying at Eafit they help you to get a student visa so you can stay longer than the 6 months you get as a tourist. He also said that Eafit offers one on one conversation courses. However he also stated that the price my girlfriend asks for her private lessons is very competitive and a good deal.

So i don't know what happened,

HolandaPaisa comments on 2 Rooms Available in Medellin - Barrio Laureles

Room I have a very nice penthouse on the fifth (highest) floor of the bulding with a huge terrace overlooking the mountains. The appartment is located in Envigado and big (195 m2), close to the Exito and metro station. It is three stations from Poblado (about 7 min). The appartment is fully furnished and has high speed wifi internet (700/256), cable T.V., telephone, hot water, and the room has its own private shower.

Price is 600.000 ($270) all utilities (bills) included. Give me a pm or mail me at holandapaisa at live.nl if you are interested.

HolandaPaisa comments on Room in Medellin

Info room It seems that the PM function on thuis site does not always work. Therefore if you are interested in the room or have any other questions send me a mail at: holandapaisa at live.nl

Cherio,

HolandaPaisa comments on Room in Medellin

Pictures Hey fullpopper,

Offcourse you can come by and have a look. Just give me a pm and i can send you my mobile or fijo and i can also send you some pics. I am sure you like it. It is located in barrio el portal, a very nice and quiet area and close to the exito, metro and the centre of Envigado.

Let me know,

HolandaPaisa comments on Room in Medellin

yes, I have a garage and bills (servicios) are included. Just sent me a Pm if you are interested so we can talk about.

cherio,

HolandaPaisa comments on Salary and taxes English Teacher

Hey Greg,

I am not sure what is going on but I still didn't recieve your mail. Maybe you can post your message here or send it via email to:
rindert_bijl at hotmail.com

Thanks for your help

HolandaPaisa comments on Salary and taxes English Teacher

Greg I haven't received any message. Could you please send it again? Thanks. Loliita offcourse you can just send me an email as a pm.

HolandaPaisa comments on Buying an Apple iMac

Way better to bring one. As Podborski mentioned electronics are way more expensive here. I think in US you can buy an imac for about US$ 1200-1400 while here it would cost you at least US$ 2000 or even more.

HolandaPaisa comments on Salary and taxes English Teacher

anybody has some info?

thanks,

HolandaPaisa comments on Internet Acccess in Medellin Apartments?

EPM has cable internet and television and VoIP telephone (you use your computer to call or a Voip telephone, but is not very good quality). I have heard that they also offer a package with cable internet+television+fixed phone service (as EPM also offers fixed phone services in Medellin). Have a look at their website.

700/256 is the highest connection as far as i know. I am not sure about other providers like telefonica. You can buy a box to connect your normal telephone to the internet and use it as a voip telephone.

HolandaPaisa comments on Special Temporary Visa requirements

Visa You need to register your company at the chamber of commerce. Furthermore you need a statement from an accountant that you are going to invest 40 millions COP (minimum)in colombia. You need some more documentation. Then you can go you can apply at a consulate in another country.

Have a look at this sight for some more info:

http://www.medellininfo.com/visa/index.html

HolandaPaisa comments on Medellin Apt for rent

Eafit I don't agree with lostgringo what he said about EAFIT. I am not sure in what level you started but if you start at level 1 it is dead easy even if you donnot speak any spanish. You will be placed in a class according to your spanish level. And the fact that it is entirely in spanish, I think is only good in that way it forces you to use spanish instead of english. You will never learn another language if you hang on to your native language.

I do agree that EAFIT is expensive and that there are other maybe better places to learn spanish.

Just my opinion

HolandaPaisa comments on Internet Acccess in Medellin Apartments?

EPM I have internet and cable television from EPM. Prices start from 64.900 COP(Ex VAT) for 200/128 connection including all 70 normal TV channels and VOIP (although that service is not really great, but sometimes usefull. I have the 700/256 connection which is 109.900 Cop (ex VAT). With the higher plans you can get a free wireless modem/router

HolandaPaisa comments on Internet Acccess in Medellin Apartments?

Internet speed Hey Colin,

Internet speed is good in Medellin. I have my own appartment with 700 up/256 down. Which is the highest at this point i think. Some furnished appartments come with broadband internet some don't. I guess most of them will have the 200/128 connection. You just have to look around i guess.

Price of 500/128 connection is aprox 100.000 cop (including Vat). And most of them have a one year obligation if you want to do it yourself.

HolandaPaisa comments on Medellin Apt for rent

Room for rent I have my own apartment in Envigado and looking for somebody to rent a room. It is a very nice place with a huge terrace and located near the Exito and the Metro Envigado. It has high speed wireless internet.

If anyone is interested just let me know.

cherio

HolandaPaisa comments on Room available in Medellin

photos of the appartment and now embedded:

HolandaPaisa comments on Room available in Medellin

Some pics Here are some pics of the appartment

http://i1.tinypic.com/2i90ayv.jpg[/IMG]

http://i13.tinypic.com/2djyjva.jpg[/IMG]

http://i16.tinypic.com/2mff8n8.png[/IMG]

HolandaPaisa comments on refrigerator + washer machine + microwave for selling

washing machine Tatiana,

Are you talking about the washing machine or the fridge(430.000)??

Do you also know what type (number) of LG it is?

HolandaPaisa comments on refrigerator + washer machine + microwave for selling

interested What is the brand of the washing machine, how old is it and how much do you want for it?

let me know,

cherio

HolandaPaisa comments on Medellin Furniture Medium to Low Prices Any Good Stores????

furniture Hola dave,

I am living in envigado and bought most of my furniture at a Iter muebles. I have been looking around and they had competetive prices. They will deliver the stuff home.

Some examples:

Bed: 250.000
matras: 450.000
Night table: 80.000
Dinner table + 4 seats: 850.000

Offcourse it depends on what you want. They have a lot, they have some cheaper things and some more expensive ones.

Contact me if you want to know more,

cherio

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

Room available Hey man,

I have a penthouse in envigado in El portal (near the exito and metro) and have a room available. it is a 4 room appartment and i am only living here with my girlfriend. You can pm me if you ar interested.

cherio

HolandaPaisa comments on Renting an apartment/room in Medellin

Room for Rent Hello everybody I am a newbie although i have been following the site for some time. I am living in Medellin together with my girlfriend since May 2006 after spending 5 months travelling in Colombia last year, and for me it is the perfect city. I just rented my own appartment in Envigado. It is located in the barrio 'El portal' close to Exito and the Metro. Is is really safe and quiet and one of the best barrios in Envigado.

Envigado is the perfect combination of a small village but yet close enough to the city centre (15 minutes by metro). Here you can enjoy Antioquian hospitality at its best as it is really easy to get in contact with the locals.

I have a huge appartment with 4 bedrooms at the 5th (highest) floor with a huge terrace and an amazing view on the mountains of Medellin. It is completely furnished. I am looking for a longer term tenant for one of the rooms. Price is 550.000 pesos per months including internet connection and all servicios. The room has its own shower and toilet and also its own door to the terrace.

If you are interested or need some other information about medellin you can always contact me,

Cherio,

Rindert Bijleveld