judgeschmails has left 43 comments

judgeschmails comments on fast internet in Medellin?

EPM is the fastest I found. I had Meganet once. That was a joke.

judgeschmails comments on Visa interview questions?

I have heard they will ask if you use condoms. It seems to catch alot of people. But they are pretty good at telling if you are really married. You are Ok it seems.

judgeschmails comments on US children born in Colombia

I am sure you will not be the first or last. This is an interesting subject.

judgeschmails comments on Good steak in Medellin? Where?

Looking for a good steak in Medellin is like looking for a beautiful paisa. It is pretty easy. I need top head back to Angus Brangus. That was so clearly the best.

judgeschmails comments on Good steak in Medellin? Where?

Angus Brangus still creeps me out a bit as I was on my way there when someone got killed last year on a moto. Granted they found the guy, but I still have not been back since. I would second the San Carbon comments, but the one in Las Palmas is better than the one in Lleras. Not sure why. But IMHO, this is true and my friends always remind me of this. Also, don't sleep on Hato Viejo. Although, while a year ago I would go there and it would be packed, now it seems to be lees crowded. I have no idea why. But the food there is super tipico de Colombia. And delicious. And there are a few others that I cannot remember the names of, but I seem to find them randomly as the steak there is typically incredible. But there is a place under the overpass on Calle 33. But I cannot remember the name of it. Best steak I have had in Medellin. Apparently, it is a big lunch spot and not so much for dinners. If I think of the name, I will write it. And there is a place on the way to the airport that is INCREDIBLE with a view to match. But I only know where it is and cannot recall the name.

judgeschmails comments on Baby daddy drama....Complicated

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26867370/ This might be extremely difficult if she doesn' t want the baby to leave Colombia. There is no real way to force her to. I can only think of the difficulty's this guy is having getting his son from Brazil. And yes, as I understand it, she can file for child support in Colombia. And if the baby is there in Colombia, as the father, he should pay. I don't know the specifics, but I do know if she makes a claim for child support in Colombia, if he enters Colombia for any reason, he will be asked to pay it.

judgeschmails comments on Colombian Pesos in Venezuela

Not sure if this helps. But my friend who is from Venezuela always comments that she sells her dollars on the black market over there and never uses the bank/ATM and she gets double than from the banks (about 5 to 1 for dollars where the rate is today is 2.1445BsF). I of course make fun of her and comment at how that is what you get when you have a socialist society and not a true democracy like Colombia. But if what she says is true (and I have no reason to dought her as she is 100% Venezuelana), you might want to consider dollars or at least ask someone in the know about this...ie. not a cop. Again, I know you were asking about pesos. But I am about 3 months behind you on your trip so this question intrigues me.

judgeschmails comments on Cartagena: Not yet ready for prime time

I agree that the beaches have gotten out of control. I was walking with a friend there in November and I saw a gringo (could have been British, but my gut said US at the time) get hit by a big 2x4. I do not know how the fight started, but a Colombian and the other guy, who was a big guy, were yelling at each other, one in Spanish and the other in broken Spanish/English. THe next thing I know the guy runs across the beach and grabs the wood and comes running towards him. My instincts when seeing a man come at me with a Cartagenean 2x4 would have been to run. As in rock paper scissors, where nothing beats rock...a two by four will win every time. And it did. The guy got crushed cause he stood his ground and didn't initially run anc called his bluff. Mind you, this probably took 60 seconds. And then they guy got back up and was running from the guy, there were about 30 police who I never saw there. Mind you, I am not bold. I kept what I perceived as a safe distance. But I did note at the time that the police did not (while I was there watching) arrest the Colombian. I am sure there is plenty more to this story that I do not know. But I had never seen anything like that on any beach. But this shook me a bit. I was with a friend who was visiting for the first time and his attitude was, I love Cartagena, but let's get back to Medellin where it is safe. HA! I don't read into things and can handle the vendors with a 'no hay plata' But when I was there, I did have to get stern a few more times than I prefer. And this was not just on the beach. This was everywhere I exited a cab. It is more sad than anything and I try to help when I can. But it does get overwhelming there. And that is why I prefer other places. But Cartagena will always have a place for me.

judgeschmails comments on Dollar slumps to $2,463 (closing price) - Exchange rate at $2,506

I was thinking the same thing DF. I guess I prefer a strong US market. But, can't we have both!

judgeschmails comments on Dollar slumps to $2,463 (closing price) - Exchange rate at $2,506

I predict 1500 by the end of closing tomorrow. Or someone will predict that I am sure. On a personal level, I have been buying pesos every opportunity at 2200 and above. But shoot,and after some careful analysis, I have concluded that I have a 50% chance of being right and a 50% chance of being wrong. As I pay bills and invest in Colombia, I hope it stays low and think there are reasons why it will (less US dollars there as the economy takes its toll). But who knows, maybe these $99 flights are flooding the market with dollars making it fall. Either way, the dollar will not stay this high forever. We print too much money in the US. That is something I am fairly certain on.

judgeschmails comments on

HAHA!!! They have two profesoras now. They are good and the people are quite nice. I enjoy my classes. Just go.

judgeschmails comments on Anybody watching "Sin senos no no hay paraiso"?

www.ebay.com It is there.

judgeschmails comments on Anybody watching "Sin senos no no hay paraiso"?

I bought both series for practice in Spanish. And man, I got hooked on Sin Tetas. I always laugh when I think of how the girls were all arguing and hanging out in their barrios and then when the guys arrived and the music changed, they were all trying to be sexy and hola con los narcos. I laugh every time and I call out my friends when they start being all sweet to me in Colombia. Seeing the series was 100% just for the practice of understanding the paisa accent. But I ended up enjoying the heck out it (although the ending was a bummer). And I learned alot about the culture in the process. If nothing else, the fact that STNHP was the number one show a couple of years ago makes you understand a bit how different Norte Americanos and Colombians are in their TV shows. That show would have been rated X here and banned to HBO or worse, Cinemax. Now I am starting El Cartel. But my Colombian amigas keep borrowing it from me before I can really get started. I would recommend Sin Tetas for practice if you are trying to learn the language. It has no subtitles so you probably have to somewhat fluent. But it will help you with the vernacular of los Colombianos, especially, los paisas.

judgeschmails comments on Colombia's Bancolombia ups dividend despite crisis

I bought some stock on them last year. If it make up for the 33% decline in share price, I would be a happy man. If not, let's just say they are still doing well compared to many others in my portfolio. :)

judgeschmails comments on Colombian Spanish

I know how I felt when I was in Colombia and someone told me the wanted to go to England to study English cause it was the purest. And when I started going to Colombia, many people told me that it was a good place to learn Spanish (Colombia in general) because it was good Spanish. Living in Florida, when I talk to other latinos, I always tell people that Colombians talk better than everyone else. Of course, I am joking and just like to stir the pot sometimes. But I do genuinely love the paisa accent and can generally recognize it quickly.

judgeschmails comments on Colombian Spanish

jajaja depending on how you ask, Paisa Spanish, while beautiful and fun to listen to, is not as pure as someone from Bogota. Whenever I come back from Medellin, my friends tell me jokingly how bad my Spanish has become because of all the slang I am using. This is of course IMHO. Pero me abro del parche antes de un paisa me mande de la moto pues.

judgeschmails comments on More Avainca Flight Problems Please Be Aware and Forewarned!!!!!!!

I love when they say in English..."we are leaving on time....fullfilling our commitment to you" For some reason, I enjoy that. I have only been on one delayed flight as well. And it was because the plane arrived late the night before and the law made the crew take a longer rest.

judgeschmails comments on Cali -Gringo TAX Restaurant Balocco- Update- I'm Down but not out ...

In Cartagena it happened all the time. Very rarely in Medellin. But I will say that I do get upsold on the wine quite often. I take it as a compliment and explain that I want the Santa Rita reservado (normal to high price, but quite rico). I think you handled it johny on the spot. There is very little you can do there. And knowledge is power. They may do it again. They may not. But you will never sit there and order the same thing without confirmation of the prices. I would have handled it exactly the same way. Let them know you know. And leave. Granted they get the money, but so what. Principal can get you in trouble when you are not in your native country. And it was hardly an expensive lesson. Now go to Cartagena and take three taxis. See if you get the same price once.

judgeschmails comments on Has anyone read this book

Those guys deserve every book deal they get. They experienced the nightmare that all extraneros keep locked in the back of their mind (although most of us are not flying single engine sesnas over the selva looking for cocaine. I will put this book on my list. I was pumped when they were released and somewhat amazed at how few people knew about it in the US.

judgeschmails comments on More Avainca Flight Problems Please Be Aware and Forewarned!!!!!!!

I have always preferred Avianca. But one time, they did cancel my friend's reservation and we didn't find out until at the airport in Miami. However, they did let him pepurchase the ticket. He did pay a bit more, but we were just happy that he could fly. FTR, he will never fly Avianca. Imagine planning a trip and then arriving at the airport and not having a flight. I simply prefer the newer planes that Avianca has (and Ron Medellin is not an option on American airlines). However, I always make copies of all of my confirmations and watch for my card to be charged. And I carry everything with me. So far, so good. But I am definately more cautious due to posts like these. There are many.

judgeschmails comments on Best deal for internet and TV in Medellin - no phone required

And the most English channels will be on satellite/Direct TV. And it is the most expensive. Regular cable has CNN, FOX, E entertainment, some movie channels and a few others here and there.

judgeschmails comments on Best deal for internet and TV in Medellin - no phone required

I started with Meganet. And they were terrible. Kept dropping my signal. And with Vonage, that is not a good thing. Ended up with EPM. They have been reliable from an internet standpoint. I cannot comment on price. But reliablity is important when you need to talk all day for work to the US. I am pretty sure there are packages without a phone. I do not think you need a cedula. Maybe someone else can confirm that.

judgeschmails comments on ANYBODY NOT, getting his or her Colombiano in Colombia, something for Valentines day? Or will you just wait for >

HAHA! That is fair.

judgeschmails comments on

Good info!!! That is interesting and explains why I heard that version on the radio and thought, who was stealing Jorge's song. JA! Now I know. But please don't tell that Motley Crue didn't write Smoking in the Boy's Room. Cause that would be too much.

judgeschmails comments on

I am actually starting to hear that song on the radio in Florida on mainstream latin stations. Here is another "best" Colombian song that they are playing everywhere. I think they are equally catchy. But I will always prefer Jorge. But this song is played everywhere too these days as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-EKSWQvYCA

judgeschmails comments on Barranquilla Carnival: An ode to bad taste!

More importantly, what is the name of that song porque me gusta me gusta me gusta?

judgeschmails comments on This is an unusual but important question about organ donors

I am passing on everything here. Thanks guys. Hadn't thought about India. And if it saves someone's life, it makes complete sense.

judgeschmails comments on I Phone clones in Colombia

Yes, I have one. They work good, not great. But they work. If it is the one with two sim card holders that you are talking about. I don't like text messaging with it, but for just a phone, it works good. THe internet does not work on it. But for the price, I have been pleased with mine.

judgeschmails comments on Cool, The cast of SIN SENOS NO HAY PARAISO to be at EL DORADO en KENDAL this Thursday Oct 23!

Si estuviera Los actores de Sin Tetas, no Hay Paraiso, hubiera ido. Porque las mujeres en Sin Tetas......que ch***as!!! :)

judgeschmails comments on Grupo Niche Tonight

I saw them in Tampa.....Good show!

judgeschmails comments on Penthouse in Medellin for sale!! HUGE!!

It is a good price per meter. I'll bet is is in Belen or something. But seriously, now is not a good time to sell anything. But it is a great time to buy just about anything. And I have a Penthouse in Poblado....and it is definately not for sale. I love it too too much.

judgeschmails comments on 50 CENT---

He is playing in Medellin. My friend who works for the event said he asked for 90 women backstage. And we thought Led Zepplin had it good back in the day. I should have been a rapper.

judgeschmails comments on

I have noticed a different look I would get from los paisa when I am there now. Ever since that show on Septima Dia (there 60 minutes on Sunday nights) or something like that, people simply think I am there for drugs and sex. I clearly explain to them that I do not do drugs! I would never wish this incident on anyone. But I think I agree with the sentimant that I am not entirely surprised (if it is true). I always wondered why if Colombia were so dangerous, why has the highest profile gringo hotel been pretty much avoided. And to get back on topic, any word from anybody there????

judgeschmails comments on someone shot at Palmitas???

Believe me, I respect the land there!!! That is why i am asking. I hear about things all the time as I live there part time and speak Spanish. But at first, I had no idea of the level of dangers there. This is actually why i am asking. My friends also added that they never go to the club palmitas as there are shooting inside. But when I first starting going there, I went there all the time...blissfully. It makes sense though that nobody wants to go anymore as everytime I suggested Palmitas the club, the girls always said they did not like that place. I thought it was because it is where Colombianos bring their other woman. But apparantly, according to several conversations, es porque es muy caliente al dentro. I am just trying to find out about the restaurant outside, respectfully. If it was on the news as she said, I thought someone else might have heard about it.

judgeschmails comments on Buying Property

Can you be more specific? the restrictions: you can do it the risks: you may lose money, or perhaps, you can make it the rules: too many to list

judgeschmails comments on ok... I have a slight moral dilemna here...

two words...... "manaja twa"

judgeschmails comments on CP Closes @ 1875 to USD Today! Dollar poised for Takeoff?

Not smart enough to know the direction of the peso and or dollar, but when the fed hinted that he would raise interest rates, I predicted a small rebound of the dollar. There are too many variables, but one is certainly the direction of interest rates. And with interest rates rising, the dollar becomes more (allbeit slightly) more attractive to hold. Unfortuantely, we don't sell anything here in the states to create much more demand.

judgeschmails comments on

My experience is that many want someone who lives there. While there who would consider a gringo, to have a "relationship" would require some sort of a steady communication channel. I have been told by many that paisas, while maybe looking for a man, will have serious reservations about a gringo as many do not live there. If you live there and speak Spanish, you are in for a ride for sure (in a good way). I have had this conversation with many and one thing that certainly effects this is what stata they live in. Good luck if you are fishing in Stata 6. Now, if you are looking for something short term, there are opportunities. But shoot, there opportunities here in the states as well. Your game is your game.

judgeschmails comments on Buying Real Estate, Paying Taxes, Tax Laws, Accountants, Investing in Colombia

Good luck. I will be watching this post as the first time I bought an apartment there, I was given bad information. Now I am suing someone in Medellin. Ojala no vayan a mandarmela de la moto. I used a guy from Bogota who spoke English. While he was OK, it became apparant that it was best to have a lawyer in Medellin, the city where my property is. That is where the major breakdown occurred as all of his recommendations were other attornies in Bogota. Plus, I had to pay for him to fly to Medellin when I needed work done there. It was silly. Good luck. And while I cannot help, I empathize with your situation.

judgeschmails comments on Spanish tudor in Medellin???

thanks for all the help. I am a gringo and just like being able to communicate better. I bought an apartment there a couple of years ago and have made it a mission ot learn Spanish. I just know how important it is in regards to enjoying Colombia. There are a lot of reasons to go to Colombia. But the people is number one for me. And talking better only enhances that aspect. So thanks for everyone's help. I appreciate it. And in regards to the tudor comment, I deserve every comment. As it is not even the first time I have done that. I must have a mental block on that word, or a sublimial desire to be British. Man I hope not. Que boboso!

judgeschmails comments on Spanish tudor in Medellin???

HAHA!!! You know, I think I should take some English lessons while I am at it. Well played!

judgeschmails comments on Property pricing in Colombia. Is there any logic?

I bought my place in Poblado in December 2006. It is 20 years old. Me refurbished it and now it is unbeleivable. It costs us almost nothing to redo the apartment. I tend to agree with the people who say the old construction is of a very high quality. There is new stuff being built is impressive in many aspects, but with so much good construction still out there, I agree....no vale la pena. I paid less the benchamrk at the time of negotiation in August of 2006 of one million per square meter . Is it true that now it is almost 2 million per square in Pobaldo???? Ahh, what do I care. I am not selling. And paper profits are meaningless as was already stated. But I do agree, why buy new when old is still well built, and if you want something new in the place such as floors or something like that, labor is still cheap.

judgeschmails comments on Investor Visa

A US citizen needs 100K to ge the visa. I bought an apartment there and the lawyer registered the money so that it would all go towards the visa. The problem was that while the amount it cost was over 100K, the seller would not budge on the recorded purchase price as it increased his tax liability. Therefore, and I had to register less than the purchase price, yet pay the full price in order to close the deal. It is a bit of Colombian tradition. Any good attorney can help you register the money. You also want to make sure you register it or when and if you bring it back to the US, they will tax you on all of it. The things you learn.... Believe me, I am still learning.


Papapa puesta, papapay partida