honey has left 74 comments
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honey comments on Blacks not allowed entry at Nigth clubs in Bogotá Monoke - I agree with everything you said. How about all the no taste jokes that everybody knows and everybody laughs at? Or the sayings...I don't get them at all... In my own personal experience those jokes are commonly told in my immediate circle of friends in Cali; however, my non-Colombian circle of friends in NY would never even think of repeating something like that. Last night I went to a babtism party. The baby's parents are a young Puerto-Rican/American couple, and the guests were pretty diverse. There was an older woman that I know from the neighborhood sitting at my table. She was speaking to my friend, who is also older, about the biracial couple at the party. "Look at him, so nicely dressed and such lovely manners, and look who his wife is, she's black, BLACK!" And she went on to convey her disgust. I of course overheard, and before I had a chance to say anything my friend gave her a dismissing wave of the hand, turned her chair away from her and no one spoke to the bigot the rest of the night. That was better than anything anyone could have said. Yes, of course there is racism in NY, I just feel it is so much more part of the culture in Colombia, it's so much more accepted.
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honey comments on Colombian uncle/tio Elmo call him by his first name, somehow I cant imagine you as anybody's "mijo." And you're right if I saw the two of you in a bar like you describe, it would crack me up!
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honey comments on Once again....deleted...ho hum ...or in Visa/Paperwork...you should take back your #$ at #** back...
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honey comments on Palabras que hace tiempo no escuchamos how about... "sobremesa" Que hay hoy de sobremesa? jugo de maracuya. Every time I say that my mother cracks up.
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honey comments on Palabras que hace tiempo no escuchamos "encaramar" Si te encaramas en ese arbol te vas a caer!
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honey comments on Colombian holidays You're right Desideria, I had it backwards, my "oops"...I guess there are too many for me to keep track of...but you have to love the part of the article that says: "...Most of the holidays -- mandatory for both public and private-sector employees -- pay homage to Roman Catholic saints. But don't ask Colombians which ones. Most are blissfully ignorant..." This has definitely been the case in my experience, nobody ever knows why they have the day off from work.
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honey comments on Colombian holidays El Dia Del Trabajo is a moveable holiday (in Colombia), which is why it's celebrated on Monday. I have to admit that I find it amusing that in a Catholic country some religious holidays are also moveable to accommodate a 3-day weekend. USA TODAY ARTICLE: Colombia leads world in public holidays By Joshua Goodman, Associated Press Writer BOGOTA, Colombia — Looking to get more time off? Move to Colombia. Renowned for its high murder rate, this Andean nation also leads the world in public holidays with 18 each year. Second-place Slovenia has 16, while Slovakia, Cyprus and Chile have 15 each, according to a new study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which advises busi nesses in 42 countries. The United States has 10 federal holidays. As overworked Americans bemoan their shrinking leisure time, a month rarely passes in Colombia without a three-day weekend. Most of the holidays -- mandatory for both public and private-sector employees -- pay homage to Roman Catholic saints. But don't ask Colombians which ones. Most are blissfully ignorant of what allows them to pack their car trunks for the beach or mountains for yet another "puente," Spanish for "bridge" and Colombian for three-day weekend. So much loafing around takes a toll on the economy. Every June, which can cram in as many as three "puentes" depending on the year, factory and business output ebbs even while workers continue to collect their regular pay. "There's no doubt this crushes productivity and increases costs for business," said Juan Carlos Echeverry, an economics professor at Andes University in Bogota. "But maybe it's the reason in survey after survey Colombians are always rated among the happiest people in the world." Thanks to a 1983 law designed to stimulate domestic tourism, the bulk of the religious holidays are moved to the following Monday, even when they fall on a weekend. Poorly paid street merchants, security guards, taxi drivers and those among the ranks of Colombia's vast informal economy do not take the days off. Nor does workaholic President Alvaro Uribe, who this week even during a rare "vacation" is engaged in outdoor chores at his cattle ranch. An effort last year to overturn the 1983 law, by a senator loyal to Uribe, went nowhere. But Colombia is hardly a workers' paradise. Union leaders are subject to regular intimidation or worse. More than 800 were murdered over the past six years, mainly by right-wing paramilitaries. And while three-day weekends may be great breathers for fatigued office workers, they are no substitute for long vacations. For that, you'll want to consider Finland or France, which according to Mercer lead the world with 30 paid vacation days a year. In that department, Colombia doesn't rate. It has just 15. U.S. law, by comparison does not require paid vacation days for employees. http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2007-08-01-1523656937_x.htm
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honey comments on Colombian holidays Today is Ascension Thursday, the day Christ ascended into heaven - 40 days after Easter Sunday and 10 days before the Pentecost (coming of the Holy Spirit). I teach in a Catholic Elementary School so it's a holiday for us because it is a holy day of obligation (must attend mass).
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honey comments on Avianca Minus UPDATE: I went to Manhattan to pick up my daughter's ticket, and I wasn't asked for anything at all. None of the photopcopies I had ready were requested, but I insisted the agent take them. All she wanted was the record locator and the taxes. I finally got my own e-ticket e-mailed to me after many, many requests. The phone calls had been going on for a couple of weeks - which was very frustrating, they just kept giving me excuse after excuse. It is my understanding that they will only e-mail the e-ticket to the address they have on the AviancPlus account. Again, you can pay for your own ticket taxes (using miles) using a credit card on the phone, as long as it is your name on the credit card. In genereal, I don't have any complaint about the Avianca flights I have taken. I stopped taking American after their own delay made me miss the connection in Miami...this was on a Christmas Eve! I took Continental once because it was only $500 but the connection in Houston is just too time consuming for me. I have to say that I like the idea of a night time flight. I always seem to need that extra "day" in Cali and now we will be leaving after midnight from JFK as well. I didn't even know that departure existed!
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honey comments on AA no more Rubito, I also prefer Avianca despite what many think of the airline. I don't fly to Colombia as often as a lot of the others here, about 4-5 times a year, with a child. When I first started traveling to Cali I would just look for the best price, but after a few trips and the ability to compare I started to have a preference. The last straw with American was when we left 3 hrs late from JFK and I missed my connection in Miami, which meant I had to stay overnight. It was Christmas Eve, can you imagine? Avianca has always offered me ideal itineraries and the staff has always been very helpful with my daughter. Once on an AA flight the flight attendant pointed out that my daughter had dropped a crayon. My daughter had fallen asleep leaning on me and I would have had to move/wake her to get to the crayon. This was all very obvious to the attendant, and when I looked up at her with a helpless expression, she looked away and kept walking. I've been online pricing NY-CALI for the summer and AA consistently comes up $200 less than Avianca. That's $400 that I could spend on my vacation, but with everything I've read it just confirms my belief that I'm better off with Avianca. Thank KAT!
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honey comments on Before you buy an expensive emerald in Colombia READ THIS FIRST. What an interesting and informative post! Thank you.
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honey comments on Some Ideas for Booking Reward Travel I saw your more recent post and decided to come check this one out. What a savvy traveler you are and I am going to take your advice and use my Avianca miles. Thanks for the info.!!!
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honey comments on AIRLINE TICKETS ARE RISING? I completely agree. I'm in NYC and even looking ahead to the summer months it looks more expensive than ever, and Avianca seems to be the most expensive. Personally, I prefer the Avianca flight that gets me in to Cali by 1:00 PM and I can do an evening return which works for me. American, which has been cheaper for all the dates I checked, has a connection in Miami that I have missed before which means an overnight stay. The best I've paid is $500 when Continental was promoting its new routes. Hopefully we'll see some promos soon.
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honey comments on Semana Santa dates 2008? John Stark, You mean it actually has something to do with the church calendar???? And by the way in Cali it's "Parranda Santa."
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honey comments on looking out my penthouse window in NYC Now for the typical NYC question...Elmo, is that penthouse rent controlled???
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honey comments on 53 famous sentences from Colombian mothers These are all very funny and very true. Here's mine... I'll never forget the day my three year old got away from me for a second as we were nearing a corner. I thought she was going to run right into the street, but I managed to grab her in time. My first reactions was to put my hand on my heart and say to my daughter, "Quiere que me de un yeyo???" I had never in my life said that word, yet there it was. My daughter just looked at me wondering what the hell I was talking about. I still smile when I remember that.
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honey comments on I'm a minor in colombia (IMPORTANT PLEASE ANSWER PLEASE) JONJON: I speak from personal and direct experience - I travel to Cali, Colombia about 4 times a year with my daughter since she was 2 (we live in NYC) . Before each and every trip I am told by my travel agent that I need permission letters from her dad for her. Of course, before my first trip I called the Colombian Consulate to inquire. I was told that I did absolutley need it. Her dad signed the permission letter at the Consulate (and paid) and then had the letter sent to Bogota, and then from Bogota had it sent to me while I was in Cali. After a couple of times of traveling to Colombia and never being asked for the letter I actually went up to a DAS agent and asked what the deal was with this requirement. He said that she didn't need it because she had a US passport. Even so, I have personally seen minors (US citizens) traveling with their parents prevented from leaving Colombia because they did not have the letters. As with many aspects of Colombian life, there is conflicting information. Since it seems that you were already actually stopped at the airport and prevented from returning to the States I would send both letters to Bogota. Below is what appears on the Colombian Consulate web site: PERMISO A MENORES Este documento es exigido para salida del país o expedir pasaportes a menores de edad en Colombia CONFORME A LA REGULACION COLOMBIANA Solo los menores nacidos en el extranjero pero con domicilio en Colombia requieren permiso de salida de los padres; quienes hayan nacido en el extranjero e ingresen a colombia como tales no requieren el mencionado permiso. La firma del cónsul o agente diplomático se abonará por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Colombia para lo cual una vez tenga el permiso debe enviarlo a la oficina de Legalizaciones del Ministerio. Transversal 17A #98-55 Bogotá Fax 522 3538 Telefono:525 1862 o 525 1860 Es menor de edad toda persona menor de 18 años y en Colombia se requiere permiso para salida del país o para expedir pasaportes PARA SALIDA DEL PAIS En general, para salir de Colombia todo menor de 18 años nacional o extranjero debe presentar: Registro de Nacimiento Permiso del padre que no viaja con el menor Si alguno de los padres no está presente en Colombia para otorgar el permiso a su hijo, debe acudir al Consulado de la jurisdicción en la cual resida y tramitar el permiso. Para ello necesita lo siguiente: Cédula de ciudadanía o pasaporte vigente. y una fotocopia de la misma. Si el padre es extranjero debe presentar pasaporte vigente o licencia de conducir. US$19.oo dólares en efectivo. Cuando se desconoce el paradero de uno de los padres, el otro debe realizar un poder ante el Consulado, autorizando a un familiar o conocido, para que en su nombre y representación, solicite para el menor, ante el ICBF, el permiso de salida de Colombia. Vale la pena advertir que en el poder debe constar el número de la cédula del autorizado. Dicho poder debe ir acompañado de la fotocopia de la cédula de ciudadanía del que da el poder. En el permiso de salida del país debe ser uno por el Padre y uno por la madre y en cada permiso puede incluír los nombres de los hijos que viajan el mismo día. Para el permiso de salida del país de los menores en otros países debe contactar el Consulado del respectivo país para obtener la información concreta. Nota: estos permisos tienen una vigencia de cuatro meses a partir de la fecha de expedición. jonjon - cover all your bases and call the phone number, that is your best bet at this point.
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honey comments on K - 1 Visa Jake, Just go to www.visajourney.com and click on the Forums tab. The very first Forum you see is the information you are lookin for. Also, click on the 5th Forum - The Foreign Embassy and Consulate General Discussion - and then look for "Colombia Club." You will find a lot of excellent information from people who are going through the process or have already completed it. BTW, no nuts on my brownies. Good Luck.
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honey comments on Is this normal? MiamiMike - EXCELLENT ADVICE! You always give the best warnings. Keep it up.
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honey comments on Debit/Credit Cards Clonning The one precaution I have always used is to cover the keypad with one hand as I key in my PIN with the other hand. Thanks for the heads-up Lily.
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honey comments on Service and price Good for you! Your story reminded me of what happened to my dad when he first moved back to Cali he would go to the panaderia to get breakfast in the morning. The first few days he saw that even if he was first in "line" the ones to get waited on first would be the loud mouths. He was starting to get fed-up so the next time it happened he spoke to the counter person which was completely futile. Finally, he got pissed off and got louder than the next "loud mouth" and this time the owner happened to be there. Now everyone lines up in an orderly fashion to get their pandebono.
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honey comments on corpusyrostrum.com in cali - anyone had any cosmetic work done by them? Margarita - vete a Corpus y Rostrum con los ojos cerrados. Mona is correct, Triana is great, and Dr. Zambrano is excellent as well. I know many people who have had wonderful results with these doctors, my cousin worked as a nurse for Zambrano and she always raved about them. And I might add that their prices are not exorbitant, but fair...even for the "gringas."
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"I've been told and have confirmed that the cheapest rates are to be found between 12am-2am Tuesday mornings (o sea late monday night). Then, the rates jump back to normal...check it out!! --Critter" Thanks for the info. Critter, I've been looking for just this. I will definitely be checking it out this week. Thanks Again!
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honey comments on cellphones By the Way...In Cali I used a 10,000 peso SIM card that I bought "en el centro" - the prepaid service worked fine AND when I came back to NY and replaced the Cali SIM card with my regular T-mobile SIM my NY service was back to normal.
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honey comments on cellphones evelyn, if you are a t-moblie customer they will unlock the phone free of charge. I have done this myself several times and used the phones without any problem in Cali. Just call customer service and they will walk you through the process.
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honey comments on Rubito, I love stories like that. My dad is 73, he is now "retired" in Cali. Last month during one of our phone calls he nonchalantly tells me that he's building me a house. Of course I though he meant, "I'm paying people to build a house." But no, he is actually BUILDING a house. He claims it's to add to my inheritance...but I know he's having the time of his life. He's also doing all kinds of fund raisers to replace the pews in the church. He's not even Catholic! You have to love a viejo like that. Lencol - The ideal outcome would be that the five other kids owe you a whole lot of back rent...I hope it all works out the right way.
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honey comments on que visitar Warlen, entra en en Travel Guide que ves al principio de la pagina, y vas buscando Cali. Encontraras mucha informacion, pero si necesitas mas con mucho gusto te puedo ayudar. Suerte.
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honey comments on They're cancelling the cabalgata at the Feria de Cali this year Billyb, please don't get me wrong. I think it's a shame that a yearly event like that has to end. But I also have to assume that if the organizers have felt the need to resort to such an extreme measure it's because presently there is no way they can make it a truly safe event. I do sincerely hope that it is merely a temporary measure. I have to confess, that after an especially non-eventful Christmas last year in NY I promised myself that I would be in Cali for the coming Christmas. My cowboy hat has been hanging on a peg all these months and all along I had hoped to wear it and take a peek at the Cabalgata. And speaking of futbol trouble-makers, let me tell you about the last time I went to a "Clasico" in Cali. Of course the game was sold out, and there was a lot of excitement. (And as Desi says, there were many silly-cones, ha ha ha) Anyway, as I look over to the other side of the stadium I see smoke. The fans had started a fire. Can you imagine? A FIRE. One fan had began to burn a banner of the opposing team. I was ready to run out of there, and everyone just sat there calmly commenting but not moving. Thankfully, it was quickly extinguished but I was pretty nervous after that. The last question I have for now is that I wonder if it's the cancelation of the Cabalgata and the resignation of the Director of the Feria Samuel J. Gonzalez is merely coincidental or if one has to do with the other. Hmmm..... http://www.feriadecali.com/portal/cali/mas/con-exito-concluye-su-gestion-samul-j-gonzalez/
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honey comments on They're cancelling the cabalgata at the Feria de Cali this year billyb - If participate means ride, then no - these people years ago were spectators and tell tales of how the event presently is nothing like it was before. AB - The Tascas are my favorite part of the Feria also. I love the big concert at the stadium, but you can catch a concert there anytime. The Tascas on the other hand are only once a year.
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honey comments on Será que todo tiempo pasado fue mejor? o simplemente diferente. . . top ten de por que nos estamos encucheciendo. 11. Papa, es cierto que ustedes usaban un material llamado papel?
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honey comments on Are you as smart as a Colombian? I THOUGHT THE POST SAID, ARE YOU A SMART ASS COLOMBIAN?...IMAGINE MY DISMAY WHEN I OPENED THE LINK...HA HA HA
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honey comments on They're cancelling the cabalgata at the Feria de Cali this year Desi, I think you are absolutely right. I have never met a person who actually said how great the Cabalgata is. Instead, most complain that it is a "Cabalborrachos." Personally, I am looking forward to the Feria this year since it is the 50th anniversary and it's been a few years since I spent Christmas en mi Cali Bella. I was talking the other night to my dad who retired and moved back to Cali and we were commenting how so much of the Feria really wasn't within the budget of most Calenos....any thoughts on that? But I guess the big big question is what would be the official inauguration of the Feria without the Cabalgata.
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honey comments on VIRTUAL NUMBER IN COLOMBIA Thank you so much for the detailed explanation, that's exactly what I was looking for Frank. Right now my dad is looking into the whole "banda ancha" thing. Turns out my aunt has had "telefono rojo" for a while in Cali and she says it's great. I really hope that long range set up works out for you. Please, keep me posted...and thanks again...Rubito - did you check out the site?
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honey comments on Help, I need to find a ticket to Cali for December I'm in the same boat as you Adidas, and I have my travel agent looking. In the past, no matter what I've found on the web, she's always been able to beat the price. However, keep in mind that I always travel during high peak. In the past Avianca has added night flights from NY to Cali during the Christmas rush. I'm holding out for that, I called Avianca and was told it could be any day that those flights are added. If you time it right you could get a good price.
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honey comments on VIRTUAL NUMBER IN COLOMBIA Hey RoyM...I like free too, lol! The thing is that my dad is not a pc kind of guy. I like that the number that telefonorojo supplies is for incoming and outgoing calls and I haven't found anything else that offers the same, at least not yet. Does anyone know of a similar service out there?
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honey comments on TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL... AVIARIS More Info... Looks good, doesn't it?
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honey comments on YOU MUST CHECK THIS OUT!!! THANKS LALOCA... All weekend I've been trying to come up with a lesson plan for tomorrow. Now I have it, a great video (the kids are going to love it!!!) and writing assignment. Gracias!
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honey comments on The Battle for Summer Airfare has Begun.. PD YOU ARE SOOOO RIGHT!!! I've been doing a little preliminary research myself. All kinds of prices on the net, but too frequently when I "pick a flight" (just for fun) I get the "no longer available message." GRRRRRR.....
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honey comments on Employment section MARIO...Boooooo... I had my fingers crossed for you all along. I'm just about to start my own "Visa Journey" and I've had many a fantasy on how I could wait it out in Cali while pulling a U.S. salary. I was all set to live vicariously through you! It's really too bad, all along I thought that since it was a temporary situation you were requesting it would be granted.
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honey comments on San Andres Island My experience... I did exactly that trip last August with my boyfriend. We left from Cali and used Viajes Oxigeno 552-3535. It was a very last minute kind of trip b/c we had been looking for days but there had not been any flights available. For some reason, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to book that trip. Everyone travels in August I guess.
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honey comments on Explaining Retirement and Care Homes I hope I didn't misunderstand... "I have never heard EITHER of the concept of DAYCARE FOR KIDS.. in Colombia, although it may exist, I do not think it is prevalent."
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honey comments on NEED SOME CALI INFO... LOL Yup, that'll do it...
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honey comments on NEED SOME CALI INFO... Boys, boys, boys... Baileys? Whiskey? Miel El Eden? You're going to have to try harder than that...
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honey comments on NEED SOME CALI INFO... Thanks Strobers I actually have a lingering cough so I'm going to try it!
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honey comments on NEED SOME CALI INFO... MECCA & AB You guys are absoulutely HILARIOUS!!! The level of wit is impressive. Next, someone will post some honey-based home remedies...Any takers???
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honey comments on Brief travel guide to Cali Yaku Info... Parque Yaku 665-0227
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