manu1999 has left 78 comments

manu1999 comments on MOTORCYCLING UP & DOWN THE COAST

ahh yeah, the girl was only involved in that the owner punched/abused her and cheated on her, which is when i got involved... but as we know colombia isn't always a fairytale unfortunately. That's why i stay away from that hostal, because of what i had to witness and hear unfortunately. I was thinking more about mopeds, the smaller bikes, like one i had when i was younger motoing through the shires that surround London. I suppose it would be cheaper to get a big nice bike like a harley or summat in the states. I fancy they would be more practical for travelling purposes in a rugged terrain like Colombia's, than a moped they use in the cities.

manu1999 comments on A quick story about honest calenos

Chaps in Cali are a kind and friendly bunch. Mantequilla, I have also had a problem in Italy moreso in this regard than in cali in particular.

manu1999 comments on MOTORCYCLING UP & DOWN THE COAST

hello Medellin1975, funnily enough, close to the year i was born, but far from the city If you only knew... your comment, exactly the opposite, when, march 2005 or so? i think she went back to him after i left to the UK in april or thereabouts, reluctantly! So very ironic ;) I don't want to get into this again, I've written two postings about it. The first part of the sentence is right, but 'stole manu1999s' should become 'beat his', and then you're spot on. Aren't motos in Colombia cheap? I believe it is a primary mode of transportation. Why would anyone need to import them?

manu1999 comments on MOTORCYCLING UP & DOWN THE COAST

Mike in Miami my friend, i personally found the Kiwi hostal to be OK until that is I saw the very very ugly side of it, which has made me promise to stay away ever since. I would think that motorcycling in this twisting and hilly continent is not for the weak-minded. The coast provides a flatter alternative and just as many barmy drivers.

manu1999 comments on Rescued lion in Colombia Kisses Savior

Animals know how to display affection much like humans can. I had a dog in London that got lost, sorry mutt, and a lorry driver passing through found him, remarkebly, by the side of the M25. Rather than thanking the lorryman, my dog proceeded to jump me, as if it never wanted to be away from me again, much like the lion was doing.

manu1999 comments on

Thats cause casa kiwi is a pretty terrible place to be in medellin. unfortunately, the gringo owner abuses women, so the only type of woman that would be around are ones who are paid. I hope the other hostals are not like casa kiwi (I know they aren't all).

manu1999 comments on

Belize had been my dream for a couple of years until I bumped into Colombia... funny way to word it hehehe. i heard belize was really interesting.

manu1999 comments on

i know why she's irritated at you pow wow it's cause you think there are too many of her kind in London!!!! Now that's bound to please her, surprise surprise, there's trouble afoot!

Oh, and yeah, and don't slap her, you'd be an incondonable prat if you were to, and a coward at that.

manu1999 comments on Handling women, colombian or from where ever!

great post mr. Kaldahhhhh Good on you mate, to walk away from a pretty thing is what she needs, and difficult for the man, to say the least. But it's an attitudinal trait that can be quite a turn-off, expecting an outdated machismo characteristic that is oh-so Spanish conquistadorian. Interestingly, it was the treatment of women in Colombia that initially drew me to this site, not that I participate much, and I wrote a long-winded post on the matter: http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/22161

Mind you, I'd hazard a guess that when they wanted you to be snobby to a waiter, that's more of a classism thing, which is more repulsive, something I've experienced and one of the only things of Colombian culture I hate.

In my frollicks in the promised land of Colombia, I have only ever met kind head-strong women who yearn to break the chains of repression and love me for treating them as equals and better (and of course me exceptional good looks and masculinity!), falling for the good ol' Brit charm that has been passed down to me for generations. I get bemusment but most of all genuine gratitude, as I'm sure you have experienced amidst the your throngs of lasses who love you for giving them a chance at equality! Oh aren't I a romantic haha!

manu1999 comments on Colombians

KICKBALL! an inane insult, to say the least. But to each their own mate. Last time I checked England, Spain and current world cup champions Italy weren't third world countries. That must mean that you like watching them play! I don't blame you.

manu1999 comments on

I'm glad this isn't reversed with people saying "far too many Londoners in Colombia" cause then I'd feel a bit miffed. But, using the hordes of admirers I have that follow me about everywhere I go as an example, I'm sure it wouldn't apply to me anyway.

manu1999 comments on Handling women, colombian or from where ever!

well put! and the philosophy i hold as well.

manu1999 comments on Handling women, colombian or from where ever!

David in Idaho you sum it up beautifully. I have found the same thing mate, women appreciate men who treat them as equals, no more, no less. Perhaps there's a tendancy for men from Europe or the states to go down to Latin America looking to exploit the Machisto characteristic of Latin American society, though they perhaps would be the exception rather than the rule. I certainly have one example of what may have been a case as such, that i went on about a few months ago:

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/22161


For the most part I don't buy "women love men who tell them what to do" nonsense. It's up to the individuals to decide what makes their relationships tick.

manu1999 comments on

Not as far as I'm aware, though I haven't looked at the family tree far back. No Colombian in me, except for the piece of Colombia that remains in my heart!
I suppose my children could be, or my wife, if I ever stray down that path.

Put the idiosyncratic Londonese down to me being lazy in trying to push a stereotype that caters to the users of this site, who seem to be predominantly American and Colombian. And Mr. Kalder I assume is British?

manu1999 comments on

Ok you got me Kalder, I don't really have the cockney accent, more like that of a BBC anchor from growing up in Bucks, but i tried to stress it to make a point! Domestic migration for you mate, albeit 20 minutes down the A40!

And the grandad was the real thing, not a yank spin-off, although he enjoyed Mr. Van Dyke I'm sure, as we all probably do.

manu1999 comments on Gore shuns Uribe at Miami conference

thanks mate, el happy it's not every day that i hear that! usually i'm nought but a dithering fool, but i guess aren't we all

manu1999 comments on

oi, i dont appreciate those words i'm from london, me granpap was a cockney dock-worker, where the original way of speak started right. I'm friendly enough, so's me family.

Domestic migration is fairly different from international migration. People moving from Colombia compared to people moving within England: very different dynamics.

Don't think there are too many Colombians in London. I don't see enough of them, and the ones I know are hard-working and a joy to have in my beautiful city.

Mr. Pow-wow, if you are going to complain about a certain group being a drain on our society, then i suggest you pick on a more relevant population than the Colombian community in London.

As for black Britons not being nationalistic, that's tripe. Look at the England squad, our athletes, etc... they're just as nationalistic as the next person, Britain's identity is changing, the concept of Britishness with it, and that is a good thing!

manu1999 comments on Gore shuns Uribe at Miami conference

and i defend anyone who lives away from Colombia those blokes would be mad to stay there earlier, poor buggers, the shite they've had to endure. I don't blame them for moving away and would certainly not hold it against them. Now it's safe to return, but easier said than done innit?

manu1999 comments on Gore shuns Uribe at Miami conference

Classless move by Goresy I'm just a bloke from the Thames, but I'll put my 2 cents in here.

Colombia has improved a lot over the past few years and people I have spoken to in Colombia love their president, is it just a coincidence the country is getting better while he's in charge? No! He doesn't deserve to have rumours flung in his face by someone like Gore more willing to believe rumours like that, bloody ell, it's like the mirror or the sun, I certainly hope a politician isn't reduced to reading shite like that!!!

At least he's environmentally conscious, but a big idiot in many respects. I'd rather meet the president of Colombia than the failed prat president of the US haha.

manu1999 comments on

"we all love soccer" True mate, we certainly do.

manu1999 comments on

hahaha true esanch! For shame Simon you just highlighted the bias even more!!!!! They only give bloody american sports/stars as examples, it's so USA-centric it's not true, this is the type of bloody joke survey that tries to undermine the beautiful game, and shame on you Simon for actually taking it seriously!

Simon, so, let's summarize: Basketball players have a greater span than football players, since footballers fade away so young. This however doesn't make sense, because supposedly basketball is a more physically demanding sport than football, hmm, correct me if I'm wrong, but there seems to be a break of logic.

The only conclusion I can deduce from this all is that the millions of soccer players worldwide MUST BE BIGGER NAFFS AND BE NATURALLY WEAKER SPORTSMEN than basketball players, since they end their carreers so soon in a physically less demanding sport.

Sorry mate, I don't buy it for one second.

manu1999 comments on

I'd like to see the same survey done in Europe this one has bias written all over it. I honestly don't agree with any of it, I've played Basketball and Football (soccer) and Hockey, and I can honestly say that Football is way more physically demanding, but at the highest level of any sport, such comparisons are daft.

Plus, it fails to take into account many factors such as climate conditions and 'foot-eye' coordination (unless that is taken into account with hand-eye coordination, and if it is, how they got the numbers is beyond me because it requires just as much skill to kick a ball and caress it and control it as it does to shoot a hockey puck or basketball) and I did not see one football expert on that panel, definitely biased and in my opinion, ridiculous.

Sorry Simon, you'll have to do better than that, and come up with more reputable sources, not the biased ESPN.

manu1999 comments on

Simon, i hope you are submitting this survey as a joke Degree of difficulty. Hmm, let's think, for a split second. There are more soccer players in the world than any other sport. Let's say, conservative estimate, 800 million. So, to compete at the highest level of soccer, judging by level of competition, is more difficult than competing at the highest level of hockey, where the number of people who play the sport is 1/10th that of soccer, or basketball, where the number is probably a very liberal 1/3.

That being said, this survey was done by ESPN who call the sport 'soccer', so what would they know? It just means that the surveys a farce, innit, so by your standards, it IS A JOKE HAHAHA!!!!!!!

manu1999 comments on

Having played both I found the same thing esanch. I could play basketball for hours, and it would be an incredible workout but perfectly doable at high pace with moderate breaks in between. But you need to be in emaculate form to be able to last 90 minutes on a football pitch, there's simply so much running, I often can't last!!!

Also, we should take into account that in America they play basketball in sports arenas with perfectly moderated temperature for playing. Footie, on the other hand, ouch, if it rains, it pours so to speak, or snows, etc...

manu1999 comments on Colombia Beer is it any Good?

It's nasty the beer in Colombia But damn cheap! Go to bars, they'll sreve you up! You can get a six pack for about 1.40 pounds sterling, 3.5 or less of your dollars. If you want beer BeerMan, go to Europe, home of delectable beers

manu1999 comments on

University fees are proportional to your economic level so the poorer you are, the 'freer' university will be, but there are still fees for everyone. To be honest, a great social program, sorta like here in England, but it's just cheap for everone here!

manu1999 comments on

Simon, no offence but your argument holds very little water. You know that footballers jump for the ball all the time, headers, to win the ball after a goal kick, jumping in and out of tackles, etc... so they use their arms for levarage. Football players, like basketball players, use their whole bodies for balance, shielding the ball for instance, turning, doing flicks, tricks, jumps, sprints, all of this motion requires the use of the body as a whole. Different muscles will be targeted with Basketball and Football, but to play 90 minutes of a football match requires a greater energy exertion than a basketball match, i would think.

manu1999 comments on

Football has much more running than basketball There are starts and stops in basketball all the time. It is divided into 4 quarters. Yes there is a lot of running, but can you honestly say there is as much on such a small court compared to on the large football pitch.

Last champions' league match, Wayne Rooney ran 8.5 kilometers, Ronaldo ran about 10.00 km. Much of that is sprinting. This happens over a 90 minute time-span. Very different sports, which is why the timeline of players will also perhaps be different, but I suspect that it won't be so different... peak at 30/31, downhill from there.

manu1999 comments on

agreed about giggs but watch manchester now! Giggs is one of the main reasons, he's brilliant. Scholes recently has been a bit wonky with his challenges, but it's a stage. No, they're not as athletic, fast, or overall 'good' as they were in their 20s, but certain aspects of their games have matured and they would be still swept up by most clubs in the world without hesitation.

manu1999 comments on

I disagree They may have similar niches on the field, but they certainly do not have the same roles. Beckham is much better at deadballs. Frequently Ferguson will opt to have Ronaldo drift towards centre of midfield, playing just behind the two strikers, or placing him high enough to pair Rooney as an attacking option. Beckham is much better at dead ball situations, and gets better crosses through. Beckham traditionally was the link between Gary Neville and the back 4 to Scholes and the attackers, and Ronaldo IS one of the attackers at the moment.

Ronaldo is admitedly more diverse and skillful, but that goes without saying, he's the best player in the world right now.

manu1999 comments on

And remember with Zidane Zidane has been ineffective for Madrid since 2004 (and including, it can be argued) and regardless of his mastery during WC 2006, he couldn't play at club level consistently, indeed at 34 it is very difficult. Zidane, despite his world cup, has been going downhill since 2003, and chose the right time to retire

manu1999 comments on

Well, age varies a lot between the ages of 26-31 is generally when a player will be in their prime, and will go downhill from thereon in. Look at Ryan Giggs, to be 34 this November and is still in terrific form for Manchester, a regular in their squad, and Paul Scholes will be 33, another regular, and not yet on the downward spiral.

I haven't seen Angel this season, I think he may have passed his prime, but you never know. Bergkamp played until 36/37, Larson is still amazing at 35 (almost 36) so many footballers can play until 35, but many fade away before then.

It is an incredibly demanding sport, running around for 90 minutes per game, so it's not surprising. I suspect Angel has not yet started declining, but it wouldn't surprise me, esanch36 is correct in saying that 31 can be old for a player, and judging by the nature of the sport, it's understandable.

manu1999 comments on

One of Beckham's gifts was that he never really needed to be fast on the ball, because he would find space for himself so easily, and distribute the ball with such skill, ease, and effectiveness.

manu1999 comments on

and yeah simon 31 is for a player to reach old age in the footballing world. Perhaps Villa's new direction simply didn't include Angel. He impressed me last year when I saw him play, and he'll probably be the best player on New York, so maybe the move makes sense for him.

manu1999 comments on

OK, i see what you are saying Kat1 But comparing Beckham to Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo is like comparing a jumbo jet to a bus, they are completely different types of players and have different roles on the team, so really they are incomparable.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world at the moment, and comparing anybody's individual skill to that of the young prodigy would make them pale in comparison.

"yes Beckham was overated"???? Please do explain. Beckham certainly has pace when he needs it, to claim he is overrated for that sole reason is scandalous. He receives more flak than anybody in the footballing world because of who he is. It's a shame really.

manu1999 comments on

You are joking right? The fact is that Zidane was useless the past two seasons at Madrid. The same is true for the diving Figo. Zidane was brilliant during the world cup, that's a fact, but useless at madrid since 2004. Madrid were total crap. Beckham impressed the coach so much that he was reintroduced into the squad after being thrown out, and one of the only consistently effective players there since 2004.

I have great respect for Mr. Angel, I don't know why he would go to the MLS, New York are very lucky to get a player of his calibre.

The best league in the world is always a contentious debate. At the moment, it's the EPL. Let's face it, 3 out of 4 teams are English in the semis. I wouldn't rate La Liga higher. They were maybe 3 years ago, but things are cyclical. It's pointless saying which league is the "best", but the two that are above the rest are, after the scandal in Italy, the English Premier league and that of Spain.

manu1999 comments on

bleeding typical when people insult Beckham I always call them out on their ignorance. It ends up that they can't insult his skillbecause they have no argument, and they always try and insult his skill before moving on to something else about him to insult. So they just insult his looks and voice, really saddening, seems to me like this type of person is always green with envy.

David Beckham is a good man, and if people did what he does for charity and the working class, this world would be a better place. David Beckham: a class act of a man!

manu1999 comments on

Beckham is one of the greatest footballers of the past decade definitely. He was an integral part of Manchester United's dominance for a decade, and indeed his parting left them with no one for Gary Neville to link up with down the right flank, their intricate understanding was greatly missed, and United suffered as a result. He is also the greatest dead-ball player in the game, the crosses he puts in for his teams are unbelievable. He was also responsible for half of England's goals this world cup. He is a great leader, he is actually an exciting player, he lasted longer than Ronaldinho, who at the moment is playing very sub-par, he is a valuable player and very exciting.

He is a fantastically gifted player, he is definitely exciting. Football is a TEAM game, and individual skill will only ever get you so far. He allowed players like Van Nistleroy, Dwight Yorke, and OG Solskaer to shine, and brings up the players he plays with. He is one of the most respected footballers around, one of the classiest professionals, and you are the first person, Kat1, who has ever described him as boring.

Honestly, you should watch Ronaldinho now, by your assessment, this season he would be boring and useless, because for the most part, now that people have figured him out, that's exactly what he is. He'll get over it though.

manu1999 comments on

BECKHAM IS BRILL!!!!!!! Kat1, YOU ARE OUT TO LUNCH LASS

Becks is a c**p footballer is he? Back that up please, this'll be good!!!!!! Clearly you decide not to watch him play, because no-one in their right mind can make such an inane assertion.

And what a step down for Angel, he goes from the best league in the world at the moment to the fecking MLS, a third tier league???? HA

manu1999 comments on Taking my sweetheart home...got the visa canada

colombia so many people mis-spell it. mate, if you're going to the country, you gotta know how to spell it.

manu1999 comments on

medellin is better anyway this is a pointless debate, funny though.

the man got ignored in medellin because he wasn't anything special. he probably didn't deserve special treatment. plus, more whiteys in meddellin so it's less of a novelty being a grigito. hardy har, tough luck.

manu1999 comments on Arepas

Arepas are not fun I don't think so. Cuisine in Colombia is not one of it's shining points.


hahaha, gold... arepas: hard white bland things with no taste. Who wouldn't want to eat them????

manu1999 comments on Internal flights

'allo there mate. Blimey, Medellin's a great place, you'll have a nice time there.

Now, accomodation, I'd personally stay at Black Sheep hostal, definitely better than casa kiwi, anyway, these two threads are my reasons, maybe you'll find some interesting info there:

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/22161

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/22143

As for buses, have no fear, it's really cheap to get to Cartagena from Medellin, if quid is a problem, take the bus, my white arse has done it many times, no problemo. it's much cheaper and they are comfy.

Anything else you need to know, don't hesitate to ask.

manu1999 comments on No IVA for foreigners since 1.1.2007!

Are you serious? That is fantastic!Is it the same for flights?

manu1999 comments on * domestic violence

Domestic Violence in Colombia???? NO WAY!!!! I can't believe it!!! Actually I can. I find it surprising that my first time at this site in awhile and this is a topic.

I refer you to this thread: http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/22161

This is proof that domestic violence happens everywhere, Europe, Peru, North America, and not just in Colombia, since the perpetrator in this case is American.

manu1999 comments on I was a fool for a Colombiana

"Yet, for every nasty Colombiana there are a 100 good, decent Colombianas with a heart of gold, but somehow you never find them."

Amen to that... they just don't walk into the travelling gringos' open arms like many expect them to do on this forum.

manu1999 comments on Dorado airport will be demolished

it's not a very nice airport anyway

manu1999 comments on Loving Medellin? Why?

Oh oops Nevermind, it's arranged alphabetically. In that case you're missing out Black Sheep (IMO) a better hostal and Palm Tree which I've heard good things about...

manu1999 comments on Loving Medellin? Why?

nice site I just checked it out and took a good look. Beautiful how you let us know how to pronouce it off the bat... "Med a Jean"... much better than "Med-EL-len"! Good work overall, pleasing and easily navigable.

One small recommendation... in the hostals section, don't recommend Casa Kiwi as first pick, that place is shite, recommend somewhere else.

manu1999 comments on Passion alone won't rescue Colombia from its narco-economy stigma

developmentally no it is not part of the west, but it seems to be on the right path