mranderson has written 31 posts
Protests at the university of antioquia
I was just at the university and apparently the students are protesting something. I kept hearing bombs go off, (moltovs I think). Someone told me they were protesting something but I didn't catch what. So I went to check it out and I arrived just in time as the police were firing tear gas into the crowd. Lucky me. Boy does that shit bother they eyes and throat. On top of that I got lost trying to exit the university on my bike because most of the streets around the university were bl ...
Driver's license
I heard my u.s. license is international and works in colombia. Does it also work for motos? I don't have a motorcycle license from the states.
sending money to colombia from usa and vice versa
My dad has agreed to give me a loan of $2,500. What's the best way to get that amount here in medellin in pesos? International wire transfer? I have a davividienda account here. Withdraw from atm? Seems that my bank doesn't charge me for atm's in medellin. On may 5 I withdrew 400.000 pesos and on my bank statement it reads 228 dollars. I think that's pretty close to the exchange rate on that day. Western union? Which would be cheaper??? How about sending money back to the s ...
Costs of owning a motorcycle in Medellin
For those of you that have a bike here, what is the average cost of operating it? Insurance? Taxes? Weekly gas? Oil? Maintenance? Repairs? Parking? I spend over a hundred thousand pesos a month just on bus fares and the metro. Would owning a moto be cheaper? I have several different jobs so sometimes I take up to 6 buses in a day. ...
dog attacks
I was curious about what the law says if attacked by a dog in colombia. For example in the u.s. If I'm attacked by a dog then I have every right to kill that dog in order to stop the attack. Is it the same in colombia? Also in the u.s. dog owners are responsible for their dog if it attacks or bites a person. Is that also true in colombia? ...
Pirated disks in Medellin
I always knew that when buying a movie on the street for 5k pesos that it's going to be bad quality. I've had so much trouble tying to find movies to buy that are of decent quality. I figured that music disks would be a different story though because I believe it is much easier to copy music than a movie. I've been wanting to learn some spanish songs so I thought I would buy a disk, then look up the lyrics to learn the song. So I bought a music cd last night on the street....3 disks cost ...
pics of the new library in santo domingo
I think these pics are interesting if anyone cares to see. I took them many months ago and just forgot I had them. I have a slow connection so I'll add them one by one as I have time.
estrato 2 to estrato 4
For the past year I lived up in a hillside barrio in estrato 2 and I just recently moved down the hill into estrato 4 and what a difference it is! Estrato 2 Bad bus service and a good half hour walk to the metro(also 200 feet above the avenue which was a real pain to walk up). Bus time average to downtown was about 30-40 minutes and during rush hour forget it. Kids that have no respect for property and seem to recieve very little parenting. Loud (I mean very very loud music) on a sunday n ...
Trade dollars for pesos in Medellin
Anybody in Medellin need dollars? I have $2,000 that I need to trade for pesos. I just got a new apartment and I need to furnish it.
Bancolombia
I went to bancolombia today to see about opening an account and they told me it's impossible for a north american to open an account no matter what status I had in colombia. Citibank won't let me open an account either until I have a 6 month history. They are the ones that told me to go over to bancolombia. Davienda or whatever it's called will without any problems. They told me it would cost 7.500 pesos a month for my debit card which is obligated. So I've read many stories here ...
skype is expensive to call colombia
I use skype to call the usa from colombia and it only costs .021 cents a minute and works great but now that I'm in the u.s. calling colombia with skype is .099 cents per minute which is so much more expensive. It doesn't make sense to me. Anybody know of good cheap calling cards? A monthly plan won't work for me because I'm only in the u.s. for christmas. ...
opinions about which moto to buy in Colombia
I want to buy a motorcycle but I'm having trouble deciding which bike I want. Partly because I don't know much about these bikes here. Imports are pretty much out of the question because I can't afford one on my salary. But the nacional brands are so limited in power. I kind of like the enduros because I'm used to dirt bikes and 2 strokes. I've narrowed the choices down to a yamaha DT 175, XT 225, Kawasaki KMX125, Honda XL 200, or pulsar 180. It's hard to get information, and specs on ...
What to do in Bogota
I'm planning on going to Bogota wednesday night on the overnight bus for my wife's appointment Friday morning. Can anyone recommend any hotels that are cheap. Like 30 or 40k pesos a night. I don't need anything fancy, just a bed big enough for 2 and hot water. Also perferably close to the embassy. I'm on a tight budget. What else is there to do in Bogota? I heard there are good museums? Other activities? Cheap restaurants? Where is the Embassy? I think it's fairly close to t ...
Dry weekend in Medellin
Seems hard to believe but I was told that there won't be any alcohol sales this weekend because of the elections. Does that mean all the bars and discos will be closed? Also another friend told me that traveling out of the city will be more dangerous this weekend. Anybody else hear anything about this? ...
Letters
The embassy in Bogota told me that I need to write a letter for my wife for a visa to visit the U.S. for christmas vacation saying that I am responsible for her financialy and that I can prove my finances. I'm also asking my mother to write a letter inviting her since we will both be staying with her for our christmas vacation. Can someone help me out with some details as to how to write the letters? Do I address them to the embassy or to my wife? Is there a special format they are looki ...
Which visa?
I live in Medellin with my wife and we both want to go to the U.S. for christmas and for her to meet my family. So I bought a pin and called the embassy in bogota. They couldn't tell me what visa I'm applying for but told me that I need forms DS 156 and 157. They gave my wife an appointement right over the phone for November 2. They told me what photos I need and about the copies for the passport and cedula. I need to pay for the forms at bancolombia and bring proof of payment. Also I need ...
Bringing my wife to the U.S. for vacation
Ok, I just got married in San Andres last weekend. I went to Bogota and got my 2 year temporary visa. ( I'm a u.s. citizen and my wife a national colombian). I live in medellin but I want to go back to the U.S. to visit my family for vacation and I also want to take my wife with me to meet my family. What kind of visa do I need for her just to visit the u.s.? She has no desire to live in the u.s...just visit for a few weeks. ...
after san andres
What do I do after san andres? I need to go to bogota for a temporary visa to stay in colombia right? Must this be done before my tourist visa expires? I have a time issue now. Trying to book tickets during a holiday weekend is almost impossible but unfortunately its the only time my fiancee can get off of work. And it seems like there are a lot of surprises in the price for example if I pay with a credit card the price goes up by 50.000 pesos per person. I want to put off the trip until a ...
getting married in san andres
can anyone tell me where I can go to get married in san andres and if I can get married on a weekend? What do I have to do after the wedding when I return to medellin. My tourist visa is expiring in 4 weeks and I´ve already been here 5 months so I can´t renew it. Do I have to make an appointment for the wedding in advance? ...
I want to spend a year in colombia
I want to stay in medellin for a year. I heard I can stay up to 6 months with a tourist visa. (I'm from the U.S.) I also plan on studying spanish at a university and they told me that they can arrange a student visa. But I don't plan on studying the whole time and when the classes end I still want to stay until February of '08. So can I extend the tourist visa after I finish classes because I think the student visa will expire when I am no longer registered in the school. Can I go there now ...
looking for a cheap apartment in medellin
Anyone know of a cheap apartment in medellin? I'm talking maybe 300.000 pesos a month. Maybe a roommate situation? I know there are apartments for that price and cheaper. Would perfer a relatively safe area. I'm not looking for a furnished apartment because they seem to be expensive. ...
street vendors
How do you avoid street vendors in colombia. I like eating at restaurants that have outside seating or strolling through the park but I'm always approached by a vendor of some kind. And he is usaully selling some weird crap that is just not even interesting. Sometimes they curse at me or even one time the guy tried to spit on me just because I wasn't buying his crap. I don't speak much spanish at all and I'm not sure what to say to these guys. And most of the girls that I am with don't stic ...
jobs in colombia for english speakers?
anybody have any ideas what kind of job I could get in medellin or bucarmanga? I dont have a degree and I don't speak spanish well enough to have a conversation. I just returned from my second trip to colombia and I love it down there. So what are my skills? Well I know how to count? I have a little college education but never finished. The last couple years I have been working as a truck driver so that doesnt really help me. Theres got to be something that an english speaker can do in th ...
pictures
I just put a couple pictures from my trip to colombia in my image gallery. I'll put more when I have time.
how do i put pictures on my profile
I survived colombia! Now how can I post pictures of colombia on my profile?
colombia here I come
Well tomarrow is the big day. My first trip to colombia. My first trip anywhere really. My next post will come from medellin!
travel in colombia
can anyone tell me if there are direct flights between medellin and bucaramanga? my friend in medellin says there are but my friend in bucaramanga says there are not. I havent been able to find any online but I also have not checked any spanish sites because I cant understand them. Thanks for the help ...
immunizations
what immunizations should I get before I travel to colombia? does it matter what city I go to?
it is cheaper to buy tickets in colombia for travel between cities?
I think I remember reading someone said it is cheaper to buy airline tickets in colombia. So if I wanted to go to bucaramanga is it better for me to buy a round trip ticket to bogota here in the states and then buy a ticket to bucaramanga when I get there? Or should I just get all my tickets here before I go? I might want to spend a couple days in bogota. I'm not sure yet. If I wanted to fly to bucaramanga the following day after I arrive in bogota is it a problem to buy the ticket same day ...
meeting a girl in colombia
I have a friend that lives in bucaramanga where I want to spend my vacation. I met a girl online that I like very much so far but she is from medellin. I dont want to travel to both cities. I want her to meet me in bogota and then travel from there to bucaramanga with her. she agreed to this so how do I go about getting her a plane ticket? Do I have to send her money so she can buy it or can I buy an electronic ticket for her? I'm kind of hesitant about sending money becuase I have never met her ...
any colombians living in houston texas?
are there any colombians living in houston texas? perhaps someone who can help me with my spanish. I am planning a trip to colombia in august or september, whenever i can afford to go.
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