La_Huella has left 2120 comments

La_Huella comments on Health insurance.

I have EPS.... I don't think the prepagada is worth it... I have very comprehensive coverage and also have a copay of 2000 or sometimes 0 depending on what it is... I have and have used dental, chiropractic, and physical therapy, I could also get appointments for homeopathic medicine, acupuncuncture etc ALL COVERED... the only thing is if I needed something more serious than a deep cleaning I would probably pay a private dentist out of pocket because I'm really picky about dental work...

La_Huella comments on Colombia - recession finally biting?

Not from where I'm standing... and who's ass did you pull 85% out of? Just had lunch with my friend who works at Unilago who I hadn't seen in a while... she told me sales are WAY UP from this time last year... and this despite local authorities cracking down on pirated software there... Sorry it's so hard for you guys to bear but the recession is pretty much OVER in Colombia, and just getting STARTED in the US...

La_Huella comments on PTSD A lot of Colombias are suffering from one form of this or the other I think. Time to heal......

Life doesn't have as much value as you think it does. THAT is your problem my little green friend. Let go of the illusion. We're all very much expendable.

La_Huella comments on Rio or Colombia?

That's excatly what he's saying....

La_Huella comments on 94% de colombianos son atendidos por instituciones de salud

Oh y adela estas completamente fuera del tiesto, espero sinceramente que ud no esta viviendo aca por ser tan confusa sobre el asunto.... que verguenza...como puede ser tan ignorante para no saber de SISBEN???

La_Huella comments on 94% de colombianos son atendidos por instituciones de salud

I am very very familiar with healthcare in three countries, Canada the US and Colombia... Canada.... free but many things are no longer free, I had to pay through the ass for prescriptions, dental, and lab work when I lived there. Quality of care HORRIBLE. Wait times enormous. US... quality is by and large excellent and wait times are very short, but insanely expensive and real easy to find yourself not being able to get insurance, in which case your options are very limited... Colombia.... quality ranges from that of Canada in the worst public hospitals to approaching that of the best US instituations in the best private clinics. Free for many people, but the free care is the worst of the system. Others pay a VERY modest(subsidized) amount and get VERY comprehensive coverage. Wait times at this level (EPS) in line with the US. If you want the highest level of care you pay for prepagada and get truly excellent coverage. Uribe just needs to make more public funds available, problem solved. He's thinking too much like a fucking gringo. Both the US and Canadian models are horribly broken, Colombia should look internally or elsewhere for inspiration.

La_Huella comments on Time to put Colombia high on the list, Beautiful People

Jesus, I look 15 years younger than I did a year and a bit ago when I was still eating the rotten poisoned food in the USA. I dunno how you could even say that... almost without exception Colombians who move to the US or Canada gain weight look worse and worse and wind up with a bunch of health problems they never had before. I know a lot of college age girls who look like in their mid 20s but I also know a lot of 30 and 40 something women who look like their in their mid 20s too... and believe me I've had opportunities to see them at their worst hahahaahahhaah.... If you go to CTG in January you see so many absolutely stunning women, man, no place in the US can even COMPARE to that... not even with more than 6x the population... I think Colombia is a country of young people because they had a big baby boom 20 years ago, more than for any other reason...

La_Huella comments on Rio or Colombia?

MPB isn't even the biggest thing in Brazil, much less the world... the big music in Brazil right now is sertanejo and axe, like I said already.... Caetano rocks my world and Shakira leaves me kinda cold, but there's no doubt Shakira has had more commercial success...as has Juanes... Colombia is BY FAR the Latin American country best represented in the Latin Grammys over the past 3 years and that with its small population compared to some other countries...

La_Huella comments on Rio or Colombia?

I love the music from both countries, but Colombia wins for me for music because they are more ecclectic and more open to the outside world... I think overall Colombian musicians kick Brazilian musicians' asses... try to find a Brazilian musician who can play rock with the proper flair.... very difficult...

La_Huella comments on Senorita Colombia was chosen for special reason

nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... on each other, at least at first...

La_Huella comments on Time to put Colombia high on the list, Beautiful People

Women in Miami are much more busted looking than women here on average... and never mind what I'm going to see in Manizales in January :P

La_Huella comments on Colombia - recession finally biting?

It's not that big a deal here.. in the Dominican Republic it's like the 2nd biggest source of income, here it's way down the list, the white stuff rules the day, and so does oil and a bunch of other things. I certainly have no desire to see the US fail, I have two kids growing up there... I'm just looking at the writing on the wall. There's NO WAY it's going to recover. Already the fact is they are in an economic DEPRESSION, not a recession... here in Colombia we had a mild recession we are coming out of now.

La_Huella comments on Time to put Colombia high on the list, Beautiful People

I don't find Swedish or Danish chicks attractive, with one exception and she's half Caleña :P There is no doubt that people in general are more attractive here than in NYC and Miami... I go back to the States and I feel I wanna gouge my eyes out with all the ugliness... and the personalities... OUCH....

La_Huella comments on Colombia - recession finally biting?

The whole world is a mess. Always has been.... the US is the BIGGEST MESS OF ALL... your precious country that's supposed to be the greatest country in the world no longer holds that honor. YOU are the one with the rose colored glasses on. I have other investments and things going on now. No problems on this end either.

La_Huella comments on What is your favorite colombian insult...

Depends where.. in Tunal they use "sapo" a lot as a term of endearment...

La_Huella comments on Time to put Colombia high on the list, Beautiful People

I don't like blondes.... so that list makes no sense to me on anything more than an intellectual level.

La_Huella comments on Colombia - recession finally biting?

The US isn't all you guys think it is... the world will find a way around it much faster than you think. It's already been happening for some years now.

La_Huella comments on Rio or Colombia?

There are lots of female Colombian singers, just as many proportionaly as in Brazil. Some of those you listed on the Brazilian side like Bebel Gilberto are really American artists, Bebel works out of NYC and has lived there for decades. And not to mention up until 11 years ago it was actually LEGAL to kill your wife in Brazil if you caught her being unfaithful. So much for Brazil being a paradise of equality of the sexes!!!! Simon, Colombians defend Colombia when it NEEDS defending, they would NOT get worked up over stupid bullshit on an internet forum like you do. They could care less, really. And YES there is something wrong with being a gringo, many things, THAT is one of them. Every day I spend here I realize more and more how absurd and ridiculous the gringo mentality is, and how FINISHED the US is as a country because it lacks the people to keep it in any way up there in the grand scheme of things. Man, gringos by and large are ignorant, brutish, arrogant, and clueless. They are like a bunch of pigs wallowing in their own shit. The whole world is sick of them, including 99.9% of Colombia. That is why you are SO not a Colombian anymore. You are blissfully unaware of this obvious fact.

La_Huella comments on Colombia - recession finally biting?

Colombia is NOT "going into this" .... just because the US jumps off a cliff they don't have to N.B. Brazil is TOTALLY unaffected by this, looks like Lulo is not as dumb as people made him out to be... Colombia is wisely opening up more trade with Brazil, this will help.... I say 2010 will be better than 2009 here by any indicator.

La_Huella comments on Can U.S. anchor childs be created in Colombia?

Not to mention here in Colombia he'd be liable for a whole slew of things... and family court is MUCH more effective than some people on here give it credit for...

La_Huella comments on Senorita Colombia was chosen for special reason

I wonder how much it would cost for those twins to get nice on each other.... DAYAMMMMMMMM ............... I think the 2nd runner up should have won but I'm biased because she's a good friend of mine hahahah

La_Huella comments on Colombia - recession finally biting?

How much you wanna bet? I'm taking bets right now! I say FULL RECOVERY in early 2010 and the US continues to slide further into the mire...

La_Huella comments on Rio or Colombia?

MUCH worse. Oh and Mitch I agree with you 1000% about the DR... it's all about quantity and not quality over there... Colombianas can be hard to get at times but they are SOOOO worth it in every way... and the DR is a cesspool of STDs because people there are much less willing on average to put the jimmy hat on.

La_Huella comments on Rio or Colombia?

Brazil and Colombia actually have an amazing degree of cultural similarity, much more than I would have thought before actually being in both places... I agree with GS regarding Simon, Simon, your attitude and forma de ser is so NOT Colombian it's not even funny. You're a gringo, brotherman. Sorry to say. HAHAHAHAHAHHAH In my experience, it's NO PROBLEM to sit down at someone else's table in a bar and just start hanging out. Hell most of the time they will invite you before you even think about it, as long as there is actually something interesting about you in a good way. Brazil and Colombia both have good food. I chose Colombia to live and was SERIOUSLY considering Brazil about 5 years ago, for many reasons. I think overall quality of life is much better here in Bogota than what I saw of Brazil, the bureaucracy is MUCH less intense and confusing, and many other reasons. The music scene is definitely better here, especially if you don't want to play axe and sertanejo for the rest of your life. And Brazil is very insular culturally, they do their own thing and ignore the rest of the world. Colombia loves ALL culture. People here play rock just as good as the Americans and Brits do, they play samba as good as any Brazilians do, PLUS they still have all their own music. There's no other place on Earth I know like that. The violence factor is real in just about ANY country. The same shit that goes on in Colombia goes on in Brazil, the media just interprets it differently. Those narco gangs in Brazil are every bit as organized as the FARC and paras have ever been. Hell, in Canada indigenous groups are starting to open fire on oil fields these days even. It's the same shit everywhere. Oil and drugs are real dirty businesses because they move incredible amounts of money, and behind that money are lots of people fighting for it.

La_Huella comments on Bogota vs Buenos Aires

chiguiro, birds, snakes, etc. apparently something similar to deer...

La_Huella comments on Job hunting in Colombia....hard work!!!

You are MUCH better off being independent here... you can actually make decent money that way.... if you make a salary you'll never get anywhere.... unless you are in the financial industry or get a cushy government job, which i don't think they'd be likely to give to a non-Colombian.... although I guess it depends on the department... I don't have a problem with moving here to learn the language... Woode sounds like you're way above the curve of the average North American, I wouldn't worry if I were you, within six months you'll be fluent...

La_Huella comments on Big Help for Those Wanting to Change Visas

Ronmoore if you would have called the MRE ahead of time you would have avoided all that... they just told me ALL that you mentioned.... the registro de matrimonio has to be less than 90 days old... And for general info, the old 2 year visas are still good only for 2 years, the renewal will be for 3 years.... DO NOT forget to renew your visa 30 days before the old one expires or you WILL have problems. Like Uncle Gator says follow the Ministry's instructions to the last stroke of a letter and you will be fine.

La_Huella comments on Question about usage of "Mi Corazón"

80% of Bogota is not FROM Bogota.... so that's a lot of people... it's like NY or London except for most people are from within the country and most of the rest are from the rest of Latin America.... but that's a helluva lot of diversity... It's confusing because one girl will be all TE ADORO PRECIOSO but she just wants to be friends... and another girl will be like "hola señorito" but she actually wants the pipi...

La_Huella comments on Rio or Colombia?

I eat tons of international food here in Bogota... the only thing really missing from NYC is some good Jamaican food... although I'm told by my foodie friends this has changed.... And in Rio they were doing some really banging sushi.. better than NYC and at least on a par with LA... that and the meat I think kills Colombia... It's SOOO easy to sit down at someone else's table here it's not even funny... If you really want a place where it's easy to pick up women, the Dominican Republic absolutely destroys anywhere in Colombia or Brazil...

La_Huella comments on PTSD A lot of Colombias are suffering from one form of this or the other I think. Time to heal......

Totally couldn't DISAGREE more. Life IS messy and gory and violent, why hide it? This is a violent universe by design... why try and deny it? I'd rather have my own kids exposed to trauma than have them grow up all soft and weak and incapable of surviving on their own. There is nothing more PATHETIC. Colombia is NORMAL... it's the rest of the world that's all fucked up trying to sweep everything under the rug......that's one of the things i LOVE about living here. There's no getting the taste of blood out your mouth...

La_Huella comments on Rio or Colombia?

The travestis are even better here. Man, one of these days I might just take the plunge..... AY MAMI/PAPI RICO jajajajajaja... NO WAY does Bogota have more crime than Rio. Bogota and SP are about neck and neck. Maybe Cali or Buenaventura or Pereira have more crime than Rio per capita.

La_Huella comments on Colombia - recession finally biting?

Here I see it already turning around... the first half of 2009 was the bottom, things are really starting to ramp up now.

La_Huella comments on Bogota vs Buenos Aires

There is plenty of trout fishing near Bogota and plenty of hunting in the Llanos... Not to mention the observatory, the hot springs, extreme sports, Villa De Leyva... San Gil and Barichara, man the list of stuff within 5-6 hours of Bogota is ENDLESS.... I couldn't think of a better city for things to do near it... And for live music art galleries and theater, Bogota is hard to beat not just compared to BA but WORLDWIDE... this city has more theaters more art galleries and more live music venues per capita than NYC London and Paris, MUCH less BA. It's true most of the city shuts down at 3am, but once we get a new mayor in that will be GONE...

La_Huella comments on Job hunting in Colombia....hard work!!!

IN my personal experience I would be SUNK here if I didn't speak the language. I also find it offensive to move somewhere without knowing the language. That's why I learned Spanish before moving to NYC :P

La_Huella comments on Bogota vs Buenos Aires

BA food is cheap and transport is cheap but just about everything else is more expensive...

La_Huella comments on Job hunting in Colombia....hard work!!!

I do well here but I'm VERY good at what I do and have 20 years experience.

La_Huella comments on Apartment wanted in Poblado/ Patio Bontio/ Manila area

JAJAJAJAJ I thought this was Patio Bonito in Bogota for a sec..... JAJAAJAJAJAJ which is neither a Patio nor Bonito :P

La_Huella comments on Colombia- escapism for ex-pats ????

BTW some girl I dated last nite told me she had a gringo bf who had some sort of Vonage phone installed in her room and he would call her at all hours and get REALLY pissed off if she didnt pick up.... who was that moron I KNOW you're reading this idiot!! JAJAJAJAJAJAJ

La_Huella comments on Job hunting in Colombia....hard work!!!

I dunno about a "foreigner work ethic"... most gringos I know are shit lazy compared to the Colombians I know.... But DONT EVEN THINK about finding a job here without good Spanish. You are wasting your time.

La_Huella comments on Bogota vs Buenos Aires

I don't find Bogota nightlife to be behind NYC at all... I find it far far superior in fact.. of course NYC is not anywhere near what it used to be.

La_Huella comments on Question about usage of "Mi Corazón"

Maybe in San Mateo JAJAJAJAJAAJAJAJ

La_Huella comments on Difficulty networking, got side swiped by a Ford Explorer, hard time adjusting

Nobody least of all me is trying to defend how people drive here, I think it's insane... but the two places in the Western Hemisphere where I have seen equally bad driving are Montreal and New Orleans, both also Latin cities, no big surprise there.... pilotguy that's the WHOLE POINT... if you want to do well financially here you HAVE to be the cream of the crop... you can't be mediocre and succeed here like you can in the US... there's no slack here... Colombia is a beautiful place to live if you can cut it, most gringos simply can't make it here unless they bring their own $$$, they don't have what it takes...

La_Huella comments on COLOMBIAN victims were taken to Guatemala and Panama and forced to work as prostitutes

Exactly, I think they're much more worried about being pickpocketed or mugged than anything else. A woman is more likely to be raped in Canada than here. But they are MUCH MUCH MUCH more likely to lose their cellphones and wallets here.

La_Huella comments on Bogota vs Buenos Aires

New York??? Dude I'm of Italian descent and I lived 11 years in NY. The pasta there is AWFUL... those restaurants always get some Mexican just off the boat making it.... YEECH.... I missed the good pasta in Toronto when I went to NY.. and I even prefer the pasta here in Bogota... depending on where you go... I actually LOVE the meat here in Colombia.. of course when you compare it to Canada or the US there's not much competition....

La_Huella comments on Difficulty networking, got side swiped by a Ford Explorer, hard time adjusting

1) They're just not that interested in you. You're not the cream of the crop like you think you are. There is lots of competition here in Bogota. Pathetic gringos on this site cry and whine nepotism all the time but the truth is THEY CANT CUT IT HERE. Standards in Montreal are lower, maybe you'll have more luck there. 2) I can't believe you'd say people here drive worse than in Montreal. They drive exactly the same... stupid and crazy...

La_Huella comments on Bogota vs Buenos Aires

ALL the Colombians I know who have been to BsAs STOPPED bitching about the Transmilenio after having to deal with the subte and traffic in general in BsAs. The food... I guess it depends on your tastes.. I could live off of red meat and red wine no problem so I think I'd like the food better there... most Colomnbians don't agree with me on that and they miss the food... Bogota has a lot more green spaces than BsAs you only have to look at a map to confirm that.... Supposedly the nightlife is better in BsAs... but I know a couple musicians who moved here from there for the same reasons I moved from NY... As for people... NO CONTEST.... Bogota HANDS DOWN....

La_Huella comments on COLOMBIAN victims were taken to Guatemala and Panama and forced to work as prostitutes

That's my whole point... there's enough horrible shit going on here WITHOUT people having to be shipped from one country to another..... Nobody here is in favor of forced prostitution...

La_Huella comments on Question about usage of "Mi Corazón"

THAT is EXCELLENT advice.... in ANY culture.... watch their actions, all but IGNORE their words...

La_Huella comments on Rio or Colombia?

I don't think the beaches are that nice in either city.... and I found Rio quite provincial.... Of course I was comparing Rio and Bogota... I wouldn't live in CTG if my life depended on it... If I were to LIVE in Brazil it would be Sao Paulo, or if I didn't want/have to work, it would be Floripa or somewhere in the south. I'd NEVER live in Rio either.....

La_Huella comments on COLOMBIAN victims were taken to Guatemala and Panama and forced to work as prostitutes

That movie was NOT based on true stories... the whole thing is a witch hunt, here in South America same as it is in Europe... It's not THAT dirt poor here. It pisses me off when people have false lame sympathy for people here. Start feeling sorry for YOURSELVES instead. Women here who work in prostitution do it VOLUNTARILY. The exceptions are one in tens of thousands, if even that!!!