Marinero223 has left 8 comments

Marinero223 comments on Medellin Living.. Well Moved into my 1st Apartment Viva Medellin

Sorry for starting an argument about Avianca! All I can say is that if you asked enough passengers from around the world, you would find at least one who hates a certain airline and one who loves that same airline. Every airline has problems - I worked in the industry for 7 years when I was younger (in fact, with American), and I can tell you of MANY days when AA absolutely abused passengers and those passengers vowed "never to fly American again!", and "American is the worst!" The next day you have passengers saying "American is the best!. It all depends on the particular day and flight.

Now, some airlines are BETTER then others in terms of service and all that, and I can tell you that Avianca is much BETTER than many airlines. Remember Air Madrid? Were they better than Avianca on flights from Bogota to Madrid?

So, my frequent experiences with Avianca - international and national - over the last 3 years have been great. Maybe I'm lucky...

Check out www.airlinequality.com/Forum/seats.htm for fun... read about Avianca. And also read about American. See if you can find good and bad for each!

Last thing: I think it's a good thing to support the national carrier as it's employing 1000s of Colombians, carries the image of Colombia to other countries, and the money it earns is more likely to remain in Colombia. Maybe it sounds too noble, but it's what I think.

AND! In the end, the REASON we fly to to get somewhere. If you must have a great meal, a big leather seat, an incredible choice of movies and music, and cheerful people around you... then go to a great restaurant, afterwards go home and sit in your leather recliner, pop in a DVD/CD on your home theater/stereo, and surround yourself with friends!

Marinero223 comments on Medellin Living.. Well Moved into my 1st Apartment Viva Medellin

Avianca bashing? Wow! Lots of Avianca-haters here! I, for one I guess, think Avianca is great and have had great flights with them. The airline has completely turned around in the last 2 years what with new ownership and expansion plans - whole new fleet is planned soon.

Maybe, apart from panthdave, you Avianca-haters haven't flown them recently or just have had bad luck?

AA can suck just as much as any airline, by the way...

Back to topic: congrats on the move - I hope to do the same soon... very encouraging to hear more postive comments

Marinero223 comments on Colombia still not popular with American travellers.

ooops! Sorry!
I posted my 'airfare question' in the wrong spot - needed to create a new forum...

But, by the way, I agree that it's hare to find anything on Colombia - and what you do find is sometimes pretty negative.
Maybe it is best to not over-advertise? There are benefits to not having a country overrun with tourists...*
*I am originally from Barbados - believe me, I know what it's like to depend on tourism.

Marinero223 comments on Colombia still not popular with American travellers.

cheap airfares within South America Hoping for a little help...
I'm returning to Medellín in August for a few days - hopefully to follow-up on job leads! - and am thinking about visiting a friend in Santiago, Chile.
I know it's a far distance, but I can't find a fare for less than $750 USD. Should I hope for better?
Also, there are better choices from Bogotá (and the fares are a little lower). Is it better to take a bus to Bogotá and fly from there or just stick to flights from Medellín?
Gracias por adelantado...

Marinero223 comments on Another doubt about Colombia: security hassles

Like any big city in the world... I currently live in Boston and after living here for 2 months, there has been 3 shootings less than 2 blocks away, I was assaulted by a gang of 6 teenagers (first time in my life), and every apartment has iron bars on the ground floor windows... and we live in the "fancy & trendy" South End.
I think that there a few cities in the world where one will not see "precautions" like were described by the thread-starter.
The only thing that stood out for me in Medellin is seeing many armed guards at banks and in front of apartment buildings...

Marinero223 comments on First Time to Cartagena

great time! I was in Cartagena for New Year's and had a great time. I agree with all the posts; the walled city is beautiful to just walk around - especially at night, Santo Domingo Plaza is great to sit ay night and have drinks, a good meal can be had at Crepes & Waffles, you must go to the San Felipe Fort - the walk from the walled city to the fort isn't very pretty, so I'd say take a taxi, the beaches don't have white sand but I found the water to be clean and warm - you will be asked at least 100 times to buy something!, be carfeful crossing the street - can be risky as it seems no one stops for you to cross! The best beaches are on some islands off-shore - Baru, Rosario...

I never felt unsafe except for when I crossed the street!

BIG suggestion; leave early for the airport! The traffic can be a bear - we nearly missed our flight as it took nearly 45 minutes from Bocagrande (only about 10 kilometers?).

Have a great time!

Marinero223 comments on Just wanted to share this with you

misuderstood... No, she says she met with "not long ago" and she is a "divorced woman" and lives with her two children, one of whom is 19 years old.
The bigger point is how she was hurt by this failed relationship.
My only advice is for ALL people - men and women - from ALL countries need to be wary of internet relationships. You may be introduced to a person through the internet - like on match.com - but should develop a romantic relationship in person. People can create an image of themselves that is very different from the truth...
Conyper, I'm sorry for you being hurt but be careful regarding who you meet on the internet. Your neighbor may be a much better person for you to meet than a stranger from thousands of miles away!

Marinero223 comments on Are Colombian students more disrespectful to foreign teachers?

glad to read this... I'm hoping to move to Medellin in the next year and am starting to look into teaching opportunities. I am a certifeid teacher, but in Special Education. I am bilingual and my better-half is Colombian so moving to Colombia would be for us to stay for the long term...
My experiences here - the U.S. - as a teacher have ranged from rough to horrible. It may be because of my working with students with behavior disorders, but even the "normal" kids were rough.
I hope that if I am able to establish a good rapport with students in a Colombian school, show them respect for their beautiful country and culture (and language!), show that I'm in it for the "long haul", be as dedicated as I am here, that I may not have as much of a hard time as described by the thread-starter.
I'm originally from Barbados but my dad if American. Do you think that not focusing on my "American-side" may be an advantage? I've lived in the U.S. for the last 13 years but identify as a Barbadian even though I have U.S. citizenship.
Any thoughts would be appreciated...
Also, any suggestions for how to bring my jump search up a notch would be great!