PBH / travelers / kenblanquito

kenblanquito

Send private message	Activity:	12 forum posts, 1076 comments, 12 friends.
	Member since:	August 2008
	Lives in:	Colombia medellin
	Sex:	male
	Born in:	United Kingdom
	Has traveled in:	Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Greece, Turkey, Holland, Belgium, France, Ireland, Florida
	Wants to travel to:	Chicago and New York (for the music), Ireland (because my Colombian wife would be fascinated with the landscape, the Guinness and the paisas of Europe), New Zealand (because an old friend lives there), Canada, Barcelona, Prague, Venice, Berlin, Moscow, Norway, Peru, Equador, and hopefully back home to the UK every 2 years to recharge my British roots, see friends and family and catch up with the music scene!
	Favourite traveling style:	Flying (because it is more efficient, even with the delays and queues due to enhanced security). For more relaxed and informative situations, I prefer to travel by bus if the quality of the driving is good (which is a rarity here).
	About (hobbies etc...)	I am a retired analytical chemist/industrial consultant. I wish to work part-time in Medellin but opportunities are limited other than the obvious teaching of English (which I do at present as a favour to the children of friends). I do not particularly fancy the idea of studying my own language to gain certificates in order to teach; I would prefer to direct my energies in other directions. Thanks to having to work too hard for many years, I quite like the idea of becoming an "eternal student". I wish to complete my Spanish course at a local university, then recuperate some French and afterwards study environmental science and psychology in my "second language" Spanish if I ever manage to attain a sufficient level of competence. I enjoy travel and places of interest, art, reading (particularly certain sciences), real ale and good wine, nature and environmental issues, my Colombian wife (who is certainly among the most interesting and intelligent people that I have ever met and has coped very well living with a Brit for 11 years), various sports as a spectator and playing table tennis, socialising with Colombians and I am a music addict (decent rock, blues, jazz, soul, some folk and reggae-and adore live music and festivals, being a veteran of in excess of 1000 live bands) among other things. I have lived in Medellin for nearly 3 years and maintain my enthusiasm of absorbing another culture; I have met a diverse range of people and they are generally very decent and among the friendliest on the planet. Unlike us strange suspicious Brits!
	Websites:

New friends:

Maojaimes says on Mar 4, 2009, 16:41:

Hi, there is a property that might interest you. You can see it posted at http://www.buycolombiarealty.com/vendo-hermosa-casa-en-la-estrella-ant...

Mauricio

www.buycolombiarealty.com - The most complete guide about How to buy Colombia Real Estate

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dwmte7 says on Mar 23, 2009, 09:38:

ken. hello, interesting to hear your comments on the smoking thread.

i started smoking in my mid thirties in india and have smoked near 35 years...certainly enough. i've stopped a couple of times, both times for a couple of years.

i jumped on this band wagon to join the others who are fed up with the habit. i can't use gum as i have dentures and they stick together. too, i don't want to. i just stop. this time i gave way to a painfully boreing and obnoxious family issue that just sapped my nerves and energy and rather than 'tough it out' i gave in. like i said, when i finish this pack of butts, i'll begin anew. que pena.

douglas

patriarch

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Rocco81 says on May 12, 2009, 11:11:

I am looking to befriend a strange and suspicious Brit...do you know of any?

Sic semper tyrannis

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thepieman says on Jul 3, 2009, 04:25:

Hi Ken, thanks for adding me, i hope your back to top health as soon as possible, great meeting someone from my own backyard..
regards to the wife and see you soon fella

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dguittar says on Aug 26, 2009, 16:14:

Hi
Although I do collect art and like to paint myself, I am not interested or qualified in importing any Colombian "art".
Besides, all the good stuff was probably stolen years ago. The current trend in the US allow for significantly higher prices on quality specialty products. Coffee products from specific plantations and salt from specific shores are a few examples. Colombia, for a variety of reasons, has not been accessible. I see on the Internet Colombian purses are being sold in the "High Fashion" stores, all individually made in a certain village.
I read your profile online. My oldest son, John, is working on his "Eternal Student" degree. His specialty is environmental ecology. In college John spent several months in the Costa Rica jungle working on a research project studying scarlet mccaws. He also worked on a research project in Belize. When John graduated from college, he was offered a Fulbright scholarship (paid) in Bolivia. He turned it down to do Biological work with the UN in Namibia. (hardly paid) The Fulbright people offered him another scholarship, teaching in NE Columbia. He turned that one down too. It was not what he wanted to study. But he did want to learn Spanish. He is currently volunteering at a university in Medellin doing statistical biology work. He has been on a few field trips, one to a fishing village in Choco. The University of Arizona is holding a spot in their PHD program. That will only last 5 years.
By the way John is quite good on the saxophone and I think jazz is one of his favorites. If you are interested, email John at jguittar at gmail.com. I also know he likes good beer, so if you do meet him, I'll stand for the first round.

Dave

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