muchacho_escondido has left 73 comments

muchacho_escondido comments on Tourist Visa to Europe for a Colombian Green Card Holder?

Thanks for the replies!

muchacho_escondido comments on Need HELP! Question on K-1 visa paperwork

I went through the process over a year ago. Here's what I did back then: 1. None of the documents issued by the Colombian government needed to be translated. The Embassy wanted the originals only, in Spanish. 2. My now wife just wrote hers in English, as hers is good. However, we also supplied a statement from her relatives, who only knew Spanish. I just translated the thing myself and stated below that I am competent in both languages. (Note that if you read immigration advice, this is somewhat of a contentious issue-- a lot of people believe that you need an "official" translator or at least someone not related to the family. Doing it at home worked for us but may not work for everyone).

muchacho_escondido comments on importance of family in Hispanic culture

It appears that among the poorer Hispanic immigrants in the US (mostly from Mexico & Central America) the family values aren't doing so well. For instance, the percentage of children born to single mothers among Hispanics is much higher than that among Whites & Asians (statistics readily available). I think idealizing any culture is always a bad idea. Reality is always different from ideals.

muchacho_escondido comments on A Growing Trend of Leaving America

Indeed, I can imagine many Americans going to Australia, New Zealand and Canada where there is stable rule of law and still some room left. However, I doubt that Latin America is going to be a major destination except for people who already have money made in the US (mostly retirees). Latin America is good for *spending* money brought from elsewhere but not for *making* money. Even a Walmart employee in the US is far, far better off than an average Latin American-- at least he or she has running water, electricity, stable shelter and a bare bones food supply. But even if one has money, moving to Latin America is not for everyone, as life there is too uncomfortable by Western standards (crime, poor infrastructure, corrupt officials etc) unless one lives in a gated community separate from the rest of the country.

muchacho_escondido comments on CHAVEZ STOPS OIL SUPPLY TO COLOMBIA

Come on, Venezuela is less than 3 hours by plane from Florida. US Army does NOT need bases in Colombia to successfully invade Venezuela. Crossing the short stretch of the Carribean is probably easier than walking across rugged mountains and mosquito-infested jungles on the Venezuela-Colombian border. If US really wanted to topple the Chavez regime it would have done that already. The whole exercise would probably be completed in a few days-- Chavez has a tin soldier army as compared to that of the US. And his friends are too far and too weak in order to make a difference (and I don't think Russia would care to get involved in a war so far away-- after all, it didn't in Iraq). Besides, Latin Americans are not famous for their ferociousness and willingness to die for ideology (like the Muslim people of Iraq or Afghanistan). The fact that Chavez is still there means that Americans don't mind his presence *that* much. With or without the Colombian bases, if that changes, Chavez will become stuff of history books within days, if not hours.

muchacho_escondido comments on

In general, booking far in advance has dangers. I once booked a round trip with Continental from BOG to US. Then they cut my US city out of their network (after I booked but before the return flight date)-- I found out about that by reading the news. The airline never contacted me. 24 hours before the flight I got an invitation to print the boarding pass from their website...except that it was just the Houston to Bogota leg. The leg from my US city to Houston "magically" disappeared. Luckily, the return ticket was bought solely to save money (as a roundrip cheaper than one way) so I didn't care. But wouldn't it be hilarious if I showed up at the airport near my home only to find out that no one there knows about Continental anymore? ...The moral of the original post and of the story? Check your itenerary often, people. The airline might quietly change the schedule and fail to notify you.

muchacho_escondido comments on K1-Visa Question on Proof of Relationship

>5)Does a prenuptial protect my future income, or would I be screwed no matter what if we don't work out? I am afraid that you're lost, amigo. You'll have to proclaim something like the following on the day of your wedding: "I, (name), take you, (name), to be mylawfully wedded wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live." So take your statement #5, take the above vow, put them side by side and reflect on those two together. Yeah, think deeply about every word in your statement #5 and the above vow. That'll hopefully give you some insight into the nature of your situation and of what you're doing.

muchacho_escondido comments on

Venezuela is one of the most crime-ridden countries on earth and probably the most dangerous in the whole of Latin America. I'm sure Chavez would do something about that if he could. My point here is that the guy is not really in control-- he's good at talking but bad at delivering. When people compare him to real dicators like Stalin/Hitler/Pinochet they're just being dramatic-- those other guys had near perfect order in their countries. The world would do itself a huge favor if all the comments coming from Chavez were completely ignored. Especially by Venezuelans themselves...

muchacho_escondido comments on

Everyone's reaction was understandable cautious. But let's be reasonable: if it's ok to go to Mexico, Brazil or Ecuador, it should be ok to go to Colombia. It's very dangerous for an unprepared and unaccompanied gringo all over Latin America (maybe with the exception of Chile/Argentina/Uruguay) and I don't see what's so pecial about Colombia.Actually, if you read State Department warnings these days, Colombia doesn't stand out. The whole kidnapping/war thing as specifically Colombian seems to be fading into the past. That said, I never did and I doubt that I will go to most of Latin America for pleasure alone.

muchacho_escondido comments on

>Having a Trade Minister with the last name of PLATA... :)

muchacho_escondido comments on

Is it really possible to close a border like the one between Colombia and Venezuela? With the corruption on both sides and the trade being vital to the livelihoods of so many, I kind of doubt that...Hey, the US-Mexican border is officially closed to illegal human traffic and drugs but we all know how well that works!

muchacho_escondido comments on My girl is now "forbidden" to see me at night.....

26 years old? Mom's permission? My first reaction was to make a smart-a$$ remark about that. But I also know of another Colombian family that doesn't let their daughter in mid-twenties date on her own. I suppose that's normal for a non-negligible number of families over there. It kind of surprised me, though-- I thought Latin Americans were rather permissive in this respect. I'd expect that kind of thing more from Muslims. Well, I guess one learns as long as one lives...

muchacho_escondido comments on Flying to Colombia in December/January

Thanks for the advice, folks. I won't too long, then...

muchacho_escondido comments on COLOMBIAN SEVEN WONDERS

Villa De Leyva...magical ambiance.

muchacho_escondido comments on Shameful

I have come across a few exchange students here in the US. Some of them had great experiences with their families, some didn't. Some have become friends for life, some could barely stand one another. "In the US" is too general of a statement. It's like any relationship-- it may be good, neutral or bad.

muchacho_escondido comments on Any real Kazaks in Colombia?

>Вы не в дипломатическом учреждении работаете? Нет, я не дипломат, хотя было бы здорово :)

muchacho_escondido comments on Any real Kazaks in Colombia?

Нет, я не в Колумбии, у меня жена оттуда. Нет, на Каспийском море не был. Правда, у меня есть друг из Ирана, семья которого с каспийского побережья Ирана. Он мне много рассказывал про те края. Хотя, конечно же, от Казахстана это далеко...

muchacho_escondido comments on Visa interview questions?

>We flew home the afternoon of the interview. That's great, but people should be aware that they don't give visas right in the embassy anymore. They are shipped with DOMESA and that takes several days. Therefore, it only makes sense to buy the ticket when the lady has the physical visa.

muchacho_escondido comments on Any real Kazaks in Colombia?

Не, я не реальный казах, но я там родился и знаю слово "жаксы" от папы :) А ещё я был в Караганде несколько раз. Там карагачи росли, а вокруг такая жёлтая бесконечная степь, что мне было совсем непривычно после тайги, где я вырос... Кстати, я много Чингиза Ахматова читал и восхищался (хоть он, вроде бы и киргиз был, а писал про Казахстан больше). Его слова погружали меня в какой-то более настоящий мир, где я чувствовал себя как дома. Для меня Казахстан-- это такое мистическое, особенное для меня место, куда я когда-нибудь надеюсь снова съездить. Ну, всего доброго вам на колумбийщине, Вадум!

muchacho_escondido comments on Visa interview questions?

>any opinions, from those who have been through it, on whether or not it is important for the guy from the US to be there, for the interview? Pros and cons...? We were getting a fiencee visa (know nothing about marriage ones). Theoretically my presence wasn't required but right around the time of the interview I read a couple of horror stories from neighboring Latin American countries where the interviewer would decline the visa and ask the woman to bring the man (for an interview to be scheduled months later). I panicked and went to Bogota on a short notice... I don't know the background of those horror stories, perhaps there was a huge age difference or something...but I didn't want to risk it and went. I don't regret that for a second-- good experience in my life.

muchacho_escondido comments on Visa interview questions?

I actually went to Bogota for my then wife-to-be's fiancee visa interview. However, they almost didn't ask anything other than when we met and where I worked. Perhaps the fact that I went there myself was proof enough of the nature of our relationship...

muchacho_escondido comments on

Sometimes I see Columbian coffee in cafes...

muchacho_escondido comments on Getting Married in Canada while on a student visa?

In the US that would be considered immigration fraud. You can get married on a student/work/exchange visa but only when you can prove that you didn't get it in order to get married (which usually means that you met the gringo(a) after entering the country on the said visa). I don't know if it's any different for Canada.

muchacho_escondido comments on Is there a race that gets fatter faster than Colombians?

Are you talking about Colombians who come to the US? I think any foreigner is bound to gain some weight when coming here. You really have to watch those labels on grocery products, especially for sugar. It takes me a while to find a yogurt or cereal with less than 15g of it per serving...America is a great country but its eating habits are probably some of the worst in the world. No, I don't think this has anything to do with Colombians.

muchacho_escondido comments on The Brilliance Of Bogota

I spent some time in Northern and Central Bogota and it seemed comparable to many North American cities I've been to, as far as infrastructure goes. I expected to see a rundown Third World city but what I saw wasn't very different from, say, Chicago. However, most Bogotanos live in Southern Bogota and that is very different from what I've heard. Even from the plane it looks much less organized and poorly planned-- one can see a huge difference between North and South from the air. The author, it looks like, is referring only to Northern Bogota.

muchacho_escondido comments on

>That is what I am saying muchacho. It is the country not the man. Is consciousness determined by existence or is existence determined by consciousness? We could discuss this until we die and still come to no conclusion. The question just has no answer... Cheers!

muchacho_escondido comments on

El Sapo, "I do not know any Colombian living in Colombia who is 100% faithful and I don't know any gringo living in Colombia who is 100% faithful. Most of my friends living in Europe and USA are faithful." Are you saying that there's something about Colombia itself that makes men unfaithful? I don't see how or why that'd be the case but even if that is so, what I'm saying still stands. When a gringo marries a colombiana (or any other Latin woman), he will *usually* take her to his country. Living in Latin America takes a very, very special and rare gringo. Anyway, once the lady is out of her country, she enters a more "faithful situation"-- whether that's because of the gringo or the new country itself makes little difference.

muchacho_escondido comments on

My wife's family is of the opinion that it isn't easy to find a fateful Colombian man. From the numerous examples I've heard, I am tempted to conclude that the concept of monogamy is alien to quite a few colombianos. It looks like in the Gringo world there are many more men who can commit to just one woman. From what I've heard, screwing- around-while-married is less of an issue here than down south. ...I think that generally women are more interested in committed relationships than men-- that's just nature, as they're subconsciously (and cosciously) thinking of their progeny and therefore, stability. To an average woman (anywhere in the world) the loyalty of her male companion is pretty high on the list. Yeah, this is a bit contraversial and I'm expecting a bit of flame here. But I do feel I'm doing Colombian (and other Latin) women some justice here. Marrying a gringo is not all about citizenship and money, as so many seem to believe. It is also about the desire for a fairer and more stable family life.

muchacho_escondido comments on Do many latinos view latinas as "theirs"?

Thanks for the input. I agree that the "our women are ours" attitude can be found in any society. I was just wondering if its more pronounced in Latin Americans and if they're willing to act on that feeling more than others. Anyway, there are really four options dealing with an obtrusive stranger: 1. Go along as long as nothing outrageous happens(the story above). 2. Ignore. 3. Escape. 4. Confront (either verbally or physically). IMO (4) is outright dumb because the stranger may have a knife or even a gun. Not to mention that provoking a fight may get the criminal justice system excited, especially if you win. Unless the guy uses violence, this shouldn't be on the table. (2) is probably better but not much better-- the individual is likely to get angry, if you just stand there, looking away, not saying anything. See above. So we're really left with (1) and (3) as the only viable options. (1) has the disadvantage that you may get too involved with the "new friend" and will be asked for favors (luckily didn't happen to us). (3) might actually be better in a situation where a lot of "legitimate" people are around, the offender is clearly marginal and there is space. Yeah, I guess if we faced the situation again, I'd have said something like "Excuse me, sir, we have to go now, have a good day" and vigorously walked with my wife to the opposite end of the platform. In the (unlikely, I believe) event of the guy chasing after us, shout "police" and run towards the station agent (or a store/cafe if on the street). If that didn't work, I would separate from my wife and be ready for self-defense. I guess this is a more American way of dealing with this sort of annoyance. But then again, while just living people alone is the norm here, it may not be so in other cultures.

muchacho_escondido comments on ISN'T IT ABOUT TIME, TO OPEN THE FORUM UP TO NEW MEMBERS?

Open her up, already! It's getting lonely on these boards and I'm afraid their demise is imminent without some fresh blood. Before the cleansing and the fall of PBH iron curtain there were many more messages and interesting discussions. Now it's same old, same old every day.Seriously-- I am convinced that this forum will be quite simply dead within a year if the iron curtain isn't lifted. As far as trolls go-- well, just delete them as they come. Eventually they'll get tired of registering: I can't imagine anyone who can be so attached to PBH as to go through the trouble of daily registration (and creation of new email accounts that goes with that).

muchacho_escondido comments on New Colombia flights: what happen, man?

In July to Bogota, then? I wonder why they still aren't selling the tickets, though. But Spirit has very poor domestic network so I personally wouldn't fly them (would need a second carrier to get to where Spirit does fly them). JetBlue would be more interesting, however.

muchacho_escondido comments on With the crowds and the traffic is living in Medellin or Bogta worth it ?

Rubito, Transmilenio es muy chevre, I agree. I wish every American city of significant size adopted the same idea. You need to build little new infrastructure to make that happen and the results are impressive. I think this sort of thing was first put to use in Curitiba, Brazil but maybe I'm wrong. But damn, it's crowded. Never seen anything as crowded in the US.

muchacho_escondido comments on With the crowds and the traffic is living in Medellin or Bogta worth it ?

>For one thing it's actually got a transit system that MOVES Rubito, that's an interesting comment. During the rush hour the only thing that seems to MOVE is Transmillenio (which doesn't go everywhere). And that's crowded beyond belief.I mean I would have a panic attack in there had I not experienced the sardine-in-a-can-like conditions in some other non-Western countries before. If it's not rush hour, all these mini-buses are pretty efficient, though. If you know the system you can get anywhere you want with a reasonable speed and comfort. However, as far as MOVING goes there's nothing that MOVES better than rail. New York has plenty of that and the network covers a lot of the city. So I would think NYC MOVES pretty well. There are plenty of newer over-grown American cities that don't have any alternative to the congested freeways and it sucks. It ain't NYC, though...

muchacho_escondido comments on With the crowds and the traffic is living in Medellin or Bogta worth it ?

Not trying to be judgemental-- just sharing my *personal* impressions of urban Colombia (which I suspect would be shared by most gringos, though). I'm sure there's always a reason for why people do what they do. And different people need different things in life to be happy. Cheers!

muchacho_escondido comments on With the crowds and the traffic is living in Medellin or Bogta worth it ?

I simply cannot comprehend why a gringo would ever want to move to a big Colombian city except temporarily, for business or family reasons. I just didn't find the Colombian cities I visited the least bit appealing. The air generally sucks, there are iron bars and fences everywhere you look, crowds are unbelievable, infrastructure is poor and noise is everywhere. Add to that being a constant crook magnet (since an average gringo cannot pass for a Colombian, no matter how hard they try) too. No, I don't see why anyone who is not Latin American would consider a Colombian city home. That just looks like a very masochistic thing to do. Why would anyone do such a thing to themselves? Now if I could, I'd love to live in a quiet well-kept colonial town, of which there are quite a few in Colombia. Or, perhaps on a finca in the mountains and wake up to the singing of birds and breathe pure mountain air. A beachside house on a white sand beach on the Atlantic cost would be nice too. That would be refreshing, that would be fantastic...But in a city? No thanks-- almost any North American city will surpass almost any Colombian city in all respects.

muchacho_escondido comments on Shipping to Colombia

I just shipped a mid-size electric toy (and no it's not what you think ;) ) to Colombia. I guess it was a dozen pounds or so. First I wanted to do FEDEX or UPS but they charged around $350 for their services. Damn, if Spirit really starts flying to Colombia I could take the thing in my hands and fly there myself for that price. So I went for the regular mail, which cost around $60. That was the cheapest option. I've no idea if the thing gets there intact but economically nothing else made sense. For those of us who aren't rich, the border is very real.

muchacho_escondido comments on WARNING: Spirit Air

General rule of thumb: if something is cheaper it's probably of lower quality. Or, in other words, you get what you pay for. That is not always true for everything but I think it is true more often than it's not. Speaking of Spirit, I wouldn't wanna book with them right now. Airlines are under a lot of pressure due to high fuel prices-- 2 airlines went out of business a few weeks ago. One is ATA another is Aloha. It was scary, people just lost their tickets and money, with a very short notice. It appears that smaller airlines (and Spirit is very small) are likelier to fail spectacularly than the big boys as they have tighter budgets. In addition, FED is likelier to bail out the big boys, like it did after September 11.

muchacho_escondido comments on A los gringos les parece terrible

Italy? First, someome mentioned the abysmal birthrate-- good point. Can't have much of a family without them kids, can ya? Second, Italy is very unevenly developed-- South is and has always been in a mediocre shape, where as North isn't much different from France, Germany etc. At the same time, this idea of strong Italian families seems to come precisely from the Italian South. Godfather movies are probably the single biggest contribution to the perception about Italian family values. Of course, that's a movie about Sicilians. I still think that wealth and family strength don't get along, generally. The lack of the former makes the latter necessary.

muchacho_escondido comments on A los gringos les parece terrible

I think this is not just about culture but also about economy. Probably *mostly* about economy. Let's face it-- living alone in a half-decent place costs money. Even in North America it is not easy for a young adult to cough up $800-$1300 a month (depending on the city) for a small apartment in a safe neighborhood. Whereas in Colombia that doesn't have an economy nearly as strong as the US or Canada, that should be extremely challenging. GDP of Colombia per capita is what, like a 10th of that in the US? Even if rents are a third of those in the US, that still makes them 3 times as difficult to pay, relatively speaking. I strongly suspect that living with parents is not because of profound family values but because there isn't any viable alternative. I also believe that as soon as economy improves, family values erode. Family values exist as a survival mechanism. If people can survive alone, they will because desire for freedom is universal. Give me *one* economically developed country that's known for strong families and I'll admit that I'm wrong.

muchacho_escondido comments on What's the most touching, heart-piercing Colombian song?

Wow, gracias!

muchacho_escondido comments on What's the most touching, heart-piercing Colombian song?

Found it on Youtube. I like it. Thanks! Another one on a slightly similar subject that I like is Don Carmelo, by Ovidio Aguilar. You can find it on Youtube.

muchacho_escondido comments on Proud Colombians?

My theory: The difference between the First World and the Third World is very simple. In the former, people feel that the problems of the country are their problems. In the latter they think that the problems of the country are someone else's problems (the government's, the king's, the sheikh's, the Pope's, whatever). Come to think of it, there's really nothing else to this issue. In the First World people take action and initiative into their own hands-- they see well that if they don't do it, no one will. In the Third World people are either too scared or are too busy surviving so they don't give a damn about anything outside of their homes. Naturally, nothing really gets done that way. Until people in the Third World become conscious of their environment and start feeling responsibility for their own government, Third World will always be Third World. Neither Uribe, nor Chavez will truly change the quality and nature of life, no matter how enlightened or misguided their policies. Sounds harsh but I grew up pretty close to the Third World. It's in my blood. I think I know what I'm talking about.

muchacho_escondido comments on what is the strangest food anyone has eaten in colombia ?

I ate the roasted ants from Santander. Can't say I hated them but can't say I liked them either. A totally alien taste, no words in my vocabulary to really describe the thing. Won't try it again, though. Overall, though, Colombia in general and Colombian food in particular turned out to be much less "exotic" than I imagined. While in Colombia, I ate roasted papas, roasted pollo, sopas and arroz more than anything else. Surprisingly few spices and no cultural shock for this gringo. My Mom could have easily cooked the stuff, in fact.I felt eerily at home! In fact, after only a week I started finding the food too plain and longed for the spicier and richer ethnic cuisines of North American cities. True, I mostly hung out in the highlands; maybe on the Atlantic Coast my experience would have been different.

muchacho_escondido comments on Why low-cost airlines won't quite cut it

>It's an easy flight from Canada to any US airport Still, I doubt you'll be able to go directly from, for instance, Calgary or, say, Vancouver to either to FLL or Orlando! However, you will be able to go directly to Miami, Newark, Houston or Atlanta which offer direct flights to Colombia. This really goes down to an extra stop again. Note also that you'll have to fly something other than Spirit or Jetlue to get to their "hubs" so more hustle with luggage and security etc (not to mention that if something goes wrong you won't get a free hotel/flight change like you would with the big boys). Besides, the cost savings might just evaporate as you use another, not-so-low-cost airline to get to FLL or Orlando from Canada. Nay, for the Canada-Colombia market low-costers seem to be totally irrelevant. Yeah, it's great that these services are in the works. It's just that very many of us, gringos, will not be affected much.

muchacho_escondido comments on Why low-cost airlines won't quite cut it

...I'm afraid of short stop-overs. One delay and the whole trip is screwed. I never, ever book with connections of less than 2 hours! Did that once with American and spent a whole night in Miami as a result. ...Yes, low-costers on US-South American have their niche. It's just that an awful lot of people aren't in it. ...Indeed, there are ridiculoursly low intro rates but they ARE intro-- meaning they won't hold by definition.

muchacho_escondido comments on 485 adjustent????????????????????

Was the charge in the US or was it abroad? I've no idea about abroad but if it was in the US, I would certainly get a good immigration lawyer before applying for status adjustment. I'd never even try to deal with that without an attorney. The immigration law with regard to past brushes with the law (no matter how minor) is complicated and unjust. So don't even try to do it yourself, without a certified immigration lawyar-- you'll be playing with fire if you do. There are plenty of horror stories out there: such as a teenager is caught with a bit of drugs, does community service and is "forgiven", applies for citizenship or green card twenty years later and gets deported for life. Sorry to scare you but that's how it is-- life for a non-citizen who's had any contact with the US law enforcement is precarious. Good luck!

muchacho_escondido comments on Cheap card to call Colombia from the US?

Thank you, people! Yes, right, I'd rather not be chained to my computer. I spend more than enough time doing that at work...Besides, it'd be great if I could call from my cell phone, wherever I am and whenever I feel like calling. Looks like Orbitel is considered a good card. But will it work when calling a mobile phone? And if so, where exactly do they sell them? For those of you who don't mind using computers on both sides: MSN Messanger is decent and you get the video too.

muchacho_escondido comments on Ecuador wins!

LOL, Chavez and Uribe embraced? And all the Latin American politicians were shouting: "BEE-SI-ITO!", "BEE-SIITO!". Just kidding :) Glad it's over for now, though. Really glad. I hate conflicts of all varieties. In this case it's really just one people and one culture in Colombia, Venezuela or Ecuador-- would be tragic and absurd if greed and ambition made them enemies. There are enough challenges in that part of the world already.

muchacho_escondido comments on AA 'been cancelling Colombia flights?

>But to say that an (US) airline would cancel a flight solely because of low bookings is patently wrong, depsite being a popular urban legend. That's good too here if it's true.

muchacho_escondido comments on AA 'been cancelling Colombia flights?

>So maybe they are delaying or cancelling some low capacity flights I think that's the likeliest explanation: let 'em wait so we can save some money on gas. I don't know that for a fact but that's the best guess in my opinion. What I don't get is why don't they just switch to smaller airplanes? Instead of using the humongous A300's to Bogota they could use B737-800s . Instead of B737-800's to MDE they could use B737-600's. Everyone would win-- they'd get a higher load factor and we'd have convenient schedules... What's funny is that they've been clinging to their Colombia frequencies hard. They even filed a complaint against DOT for taking one unused frequency away from them! Why do they insist on keeping them if they are making such a poor use of them? Definitely need some new blood on the Colombian market-- hopefully JetBlue and Spirit are going to start a revolution.