muchacho_escondido has left 44 comments

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.

muchacho_escondido comments on RECENT TENTATIVE AWARDINGS OF NEW FLIGHT RIGHTS

How about some flights to the West or Southwest of the US? That way people flying from CA, OR, WA, NV or BC will have an easier time connecting then through Miami, Atlanta, New York or Houston...A lot of low-costers on many routes within that region too. Currently the only option is Avianca's tri-weekly BOG-LAX service. That's kind of rare, especially for those with tight schedules. I guess as long as there isn't more demand, Avianca can't really increase the capacity. I wish they could make the planes smaller (they use B767's now) and make them fly more frequently. I know Avianca is getting some Airbus 320-series aircraft. I think it'd be great if they put those on the BOG-LAX route and make the flights daily. A319's actually have the necessary range, I believe.

muchacho_escondido comments on USA in terrible downturn, Colombia somehoe escapes or is next?

But the truth of the matter is that no one knows how bad this US economic problem is going to be. That includes yours truly.Sometimes really bad economic times do come-- there's no denying it. Right now it may be one of these times.Or maybe not. Forecasting economy is notoriously difficult. At any given moment of time, there are economists that say all things imaginable. Some of them will inevitably turn out to be right but most of them will be wrong. Everyone heard about a broken clock showing the right time twice a day.In my experience, economic forecasting (and you'll have to pardon my French here) is BS. That is a fair assessment of what the suits from Wall Street say about the future. What always irritates me is this OMG, the sky is falling attitude. At any point of time, there are people that have it and try to spread it. It is contagious. During the Cold War, the Russians were going to kill us all, then the Muslims wanted to conquer the whole world and now another Great Depression is coming. And let's not forget large subgroups of Christians who have been waiting for the end of the world for the last 2,000 years. Doom-saying is in human nature, has always been, will always be. I think I know the psychological reason for it-- in a perverse way, it makes life easier as that way there are fewer choices and fewer responsibilities (since everything is going to hell anyhow). It's emotions more than anything, though. However, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. I have seen none whatsoever in this thread nor anywhere else. And let's keep in mind that extraordinary events are much less likely than ordinary events (that is self-evident). This is why I'm inclined to BELIEVE (note, I'm not saying that I KNOW) that probably the US is having another recession, which all countries have regularly and, like someone said, don't kill anyone.

muchacho_escondido comments on USA in terrible downturn, Colombia somehoe escapes or is next?

Oops, looks like I made a wave here. I don't usually do that, since I'm escondido :) But what the heck, it's Friday night, so I'll play an Internet warrior. For a while :) Expatriate: 20-25% unemployment? I would like to see your sources. The fact that you saw empty buildings in Mountain View isn't evidence. It's funny you bring it up, though-- I'm not unfamiliar with that place and it is pretty darn rich. Manufacturing may be gone but Google (and others like it) has come. It employs a lot of people and pays very well. I have no comments about Nazis or torture since that has nothing to do with the subject. In fact, here's an interesting read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law Cheers!

muchacho_escondido comments on USA in terrible downturn, Colombia somehoe escapes or is next?

"Muchacho: Relax... ? When in history has the US owed as much money (fiat) as they do today? Come on, get real! I recommend reading some economic literature and not just the headlines you are talking about." Economy is not my strongest point. However, even I see problems with it. So yes, there is a downturn and it is likely to get worse. I simply objected to the OP's catastrophic assessment of the situation. $5 dollar gas or 10% unemployment are probably likely. That's not a catastrophy, however and things tend to settle down at some point, even if at a lower point. I don't know if the foreign debt you're talking about can cause a real collapse (like in Argentina in 2001-2003). But speaking of Argentina-- even that country recovered somewhat, at least according to poverty and unemployement numbers.

muchacho_escondido comments on USA in terrible downturn, Colombia somehoe escapes or is next?

Gringoloid, I assume the gas will cost 4.50 instead of 3 per gallon, based on today's numbers. It's 6-7 in some European countries and they manage. Things will get leaner and meaner but I don't think "terrible" would be an appropriate word to describe what will happen.

muchacho_escondido comments on USA in terrible downturn, Colombia somehoe escapes or is next?

Dear Simon, "If the place is so downtrodden and beneath you, then just don't go back, ever" LOL, I have gone back and I never tried or will try to live there. However, I never put Colombia down or said that it's beneath me. Economically, it is much less developed than the West-- beyond any comparison. That's simply a fact. Just like that the sky is blue. Nevertheless, I have nothing bad to say about Colombian people-- if anything, I like their attitude to life and expectations of it more than those of Americans in many respects. Colombians have less junk but junk is not the purpose of life. Peace!

muchacho_escondido comments on USA in terrible downturn, Colombia somehoe escapes or is next?

"US in terrible downturn"??? Yeah, right the sky is falling, OMG! Come on, people. US has always had recessions. In 1970's and 1980's inflation and unemployement were in double digits. Right now, the statistics are nowhere near. And yet, today no one even remembers about those past recessions-- the country got over them and just moved on. Not much changed-- the US is still number one economy and one of the most attractive places to live, in the whole world. I do think the American economy has structural problems and there will be (well, there is) a downturn. But so what? There are 5% unemployed now and there maybe 7, 8 or even 10% next year. Well, that will be traumatic but that's a part of the natural cycle and definitely not "the end of America as we know it". I don't see the American economy collapsing so much that it will be even remotely comparable to what today is called Third World. I've seen quite a bit of Colombia, for instance, and I can't see the US becoming like it (in terms of wealth and development) soon. I just love the media that every bloody day reports a .1% rise in unemployement or a 5% drop in housing prices as the end of the world. Newsflash: Trumblerblumbler Institute (what's that?) reported a .289% drop in consumer so-and-so index (threatening sigh with a suggestion of upcoming Great Depression-2). It is as if someone wants to create panic by saying vague scary words over, and over again. This happened before, this is happening again but things will most likely turn around. I have little respect for this recession sensationalism. Lines near the US embassy in Bogota will be just as long as today, in 5, 10 or 20 years. Relax everyone...

muchacho_escondido comments on Is the Embassy in Bogota granting student visas or denying as quickly as tourist visas?

Just something to keep in mind. If marriage is on your mind (and I'm not saying it is or should be!), don't try to do it via a student visa, a tourist visa or any other non-immigrant visa. USCIS can later conclude that the student visa was to cover her immigration intent (which marriage to an American establishes) and accuse her of visa fraud. That would be bad-- she can get barred from the States for 10 years. So, if marriage is on your mind, go for K-1 visa. Also, if the consulate officer asks her if she has a boyfriend in the US, it's better to tell the truth-- lying in no matter how small a respect is punished severely :( Few Americans know about the workings of their own immigration system and I kind of feel it's my duty to educate them to prevent some real tragedies. USCIS is extremely disapproving of shortcuts. Sorry if this information is irrelevant to your case and good luck.

muchacho_escondido comments on AA no more

Ok, since almost everyone has an AA horror story, here's mine. Flew from Bogota to the States with a connection in Miami. Had one and a half hour of layover time (yes, that was cutting it too close, I knew even then). We arrived in MIA ahead of schedule but guess what? The jetway broke. So the plane spent about an hour just parked by the airport-- first, while they were trying to fix the jetway and then while they were looking for another parking spot having decided that the jetway could not be fixed. The staff was nice and kept informing us about the lack of progress every 10 minutes. I got to the AA connecting flight lounge 20 minutes before my scheduled connection. The woman at the counter was evidently not having such a good day. She immediately told me that I was late for my connecting flight but in the end did the right thing by setting me up with a hotel and a flight next morning, all free of charge. She looked irritated and wasn't talkative but probably she just had a bad day. I had a rather relaxing evening at the hotel and next morning I got to the airport bright and early. I did make it home without adventures but I noted two funny things. First, the baggage mover wasn't working and the baggage had to be dropped off in some service area by passengers themselves. A non-English speaking guy reluctuntly led the way to the drop off area with ambiguous gestures and quickly disappeared. Second, when we got on the plane, we were politely informed that Miami airport ran out of headphones so there was no entertainment unless passengers had their own headphones. I'm basically a city person and I do speak and understand some Spanish so I didn't take this too badly. However, I can see how a suburbanite who's always lived in a structured environment surrounded by polite people, would feel threatened and deeply uncomfortable. Yes, I realize that the above is not really the fault of American Airlines but rather that of Miami airport. It seemed like a real zoo when I was there, and it was especially hard on the English-only speakers. However, if you fly American to Colombia, you can only connect in Miami... So I wouldn't fly American again unless their fare was exceedingly attractive. But they aren't-- I've consitently been able to find better deals with better connections. So what's the point of flying AA then, except if you live in Miami?

muchacho_escondido comments on Will Avianca actually get me there?

Thank you, people. Looks like it is a viable option, then...

muchacho_escondido comments on

11 people burnt alive while peacefully travelling on a bus-- what a senseless and horrible tragedy! And Boyaca is considered one of the safest departamentos of Colombia by many... I guess Western Embassies are not so paranoid when they say that bus travel ANYWHERE in Colombia should NEVER be undertaken. They might just know what the hell they're talking about... But wait, I've done it once, nothing happened, therefore it's safe, right?

muchacho_escondido comments on Good Stuff: Detailed Violent Crime Stats

Morrongo: "But lets be frank most of these problems are gang related or FaRc related...." Maybe, maybe not. I have a poor understanding of the situation "on the ground". I just crunched some numbers sitting in my comfortable chair. Those reports do talk about the nature and origins of violence, though. During the few weeks I did spend in Colombia, my experiences were entirely positive. Violence was not on anyone's mind. Granted, I was only in the places outlined as calmer by the reports and I was never out after sunset. I'd say if you really wanna know how it is in Valle for a regular Joe like you (or whoever you may be concerned about) you should have family or friends who experienced Valle first-hand and who can be objective and honest about this subject. Regarding Buenaventura, here's an excerpt: "Buenaventura has had a notorious history plagued by drug trafficking, violence, and the presence of guerrilla and paramilitary groups. In the last two years, the amount of reported homicides has doubled. The murder rate that is 24 times that of New York City. To counter the violence, the Colombian government has set up a marine special forces unit in the worst area of the city in order to quell the violence" Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenaventura,_Colombia Maybe there is a way to stay safe there. However, reports like the above suggest that one should give security a lot of thought if they have any business/connections in that city. Just my ameteur's opinion.

muchacho_escondido comments on Good Stuff: Detailed Violent Crime Stats

Rail: Bermingham certainly looks like a hot place with a murder rate of 35. However, it is the urban core that you're giving statistics for. That core contains less than a quarter of the Metropolitan area's population. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman_Combined_Statistical_Area

muchacho_escondido comments on Good Stuff: Detailed Violent Crime Stats

Morrongo: "Interesting post sir, for some reason Buenaventura is not included on the list. Those stats would of interested me personnally." Buenaventura is in Valle (same as Cali). It's murder rate is well over a 100. NY Times had an article recently saying that it's the most dangerous city in Colombia.

muchacho_escondido comments on Good Stuff: Detailed Violent Crime Stats

Anyway, since this kind of stats is really hard to come by, I decided to help non-Spanish speakers a bit. I looked up murder rates for the most important departamentos (meaning those that are not in complete boondocks). The rates are approximate in many cases, since some documents present data in a graphical rather than tabular fashion. I grouped the departments by region as best as I could. In parenthesis, the most important city is given: Boyaca (Tunja) 12 Cundinamarca (exluding Bogota) 21 Santander (Bucaramanga) 32 Norte De Santander (Cucuta) 40 Tolima (Ibague) 33 Antioquia (Medellin) 40 Quindao(Armenia) 43 Caldas(Manizales) 51 Risaralda(Pereira) 75 Meta (Villavicencio) 93 Huila ( Neiva) 40 Cauca (Popayan) 41 Narino (Pasto) 46 Valle De Cauca (Cali)75 Cordoba (Monteria) 20 Bolivar (Cartagena) 23 Magdalena (Santa Marta) 28 Atlantico (Barranquilla) 30 To summarize: the least violent places in Colombia appear to be: Cundinamarca, Boyaca, Santander and the Atlantic Coast. Most everywhere else is considerably more dangerous.And Risaralda, Valle and Meta are insane, for the lack of a better word. According to my link, that is. I also have to note that there has been an incredible improvement in pretty much every departamento. In many cases, the rates have fallen by 300-400%. In the last year, though, there hasn't been much improvement and in many departments there's been a slight increase. Finally (and I know not everyone will like this), here's a link to US Murder stats by state (year 2006): http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_05.html Some of the most violent states are Alabama (8.3), Louisiana (12.4), Maryland (9.7), Nevada (9.0) and South Carolina (8.3). DC has the rate of 29 but it is mostly "inner city" and should not be mixed with the other US states and Colombian departamentos that have urban, suburban and rural areas... California is 6.8, Florida is 6.2 and Illinois is 6.1. To avoid contraversy I shall not continue with this comparison. Those daring North Americans researching Colombia as a work/study/teach/retire destination can do that themselves and draw their own conclusions. I just feel that presenting this kind of quality statistics here is a compassionate deed, since PBH is one of very few good resources on Colombian living.

muchacho_escondido comments on

"In terms of homicide Bogota and Chicago and Miami and SF are all neck and nack, which makes Bogota better off than MANY American cities, including New Orleans, DC, Detroit, Memphis, St. Louis, Newark, LA, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, just to name maybe half of them." I think the big difference between violence in Colombia and the States is who its main recepients are. True, many "ghettoes" all over the States are exceptionally violent places. By all standards. And yet it's mostly gangbangers shooting gangbangers. A hard-working person who's earning middle-class income is rarely involved in the ghetto violence. These nasty neighborhoods seem to exist in their parallel world and have their own culture and even dialect, separate from the mainstream-- your average citizen may not even know much about all that. It is true that there is always some spill-over into the adjacent areas but it is occasional, not epidemic. Middle class suburbia is truly safe, statistically speaking.

muchacho_escondido comments on

"In NYC we have EVERY security feature that Bogota has. In most neighborhoods I don't think there's a SINGLE ground floor window that's not barred, for example. The only noticeable difference is that very few buildings have doormen anymore, because they are unionized, ironically nobody can afford them anymore. BUT you can literally NOT go 5 minutes anywhere in NYC without seeing police. They even do random searches in the subways as well!" Police in NYC, yes. On every corner, I agree. But from what I saw it's more in the business districts rather than on your average residential street. I remember very well walking in the area of Manhatten near Central Park where Lennon once lived (doesn't get much richer than that!) and I did NOT see much police. More importantly, I certainly did not see tall iron fences around those condominiums, let alone barbed or electric wire. It looked very open, unlike Northern Bogota where you see a fortress wherever you look. Old (probably millionaire) ladies walking their dogs, almost idyllic! Unlike in Bogota, in America security is only visible in the ghettoes. The nice neighborhoods and, of course, the middle class suburbs, aren't protected by much more than a simple door lock.

muchacho_escondido comments on

miamimike, Miami is a place I've never been to, other than in the airport. Quite possibly, you got me there. And yet Miami is a rather exceptional place, from what I'm hearing. 80% or so of the popultation speaks Spanish natively, isn't that so? In no way am I saying that speaking Spanish has anything to do with being a criminal but this just shows that this place is not a part of North American mainstream. Therefore different rules may very well apply...Besides, I've never heard an anglo-american say one good word about Miami: what I'm hearing over and over is that the place cannot be considered America anymore. I am very familiar with several big North American metropolitan areas and NOWHERE have I seen what I saw in Northern Bogota as far as security of housing goes. Not even in Chicago (where ironically, North is also richer and South is poorer)!

muchacho_escondido comments on

Thank you for an intelligent post, GIB.What you're saying does not surprise me. I've been on a few several hour walks through Northern Bogota. What really stood out in my mind was that everything looked very normal, just like in North America almost, with one big EXCEPT. That "Except" was the amount of security surrounding all the nice aparments and houses, as well as businesses. Razor sharp wire, electric fences, bars on every single ground level window and private security everywhere. The residences of these otherwise usual for a westerners neighborhoods are fortresses, not houses in the more familiar to me sense of the word. Granted, this isn't too much in your face and a wishful thinker can easily overlook the fortifications that well-off people in Bogota live behind. They do a good job obscuring these things with flowers and what not.... In good neighborhoods of North America you'll never see such security measures. At least I've never seen an upper- or middle- class neighborhood with razor-sharp or electric fences, let alone security guards. Not once. Why? To me the only logical answer is that in Bogota well-off people have something to fear and that something is of much greater magnitude than in North America. Otherwise, people would not impison themselves! Simply because it's pretty depressing for any sane person, not to mention ugly and inconvenient. Come on, who in their right mind keep a guard under their bedroom window unless there was a very good reason for it? So by just looking at fences and security guards all over North Bogota I've come to the inevitable conclusion that it's pretty damn dangerous and much more so than in LA, New York, Toronto or Chicago. Someone who doesn't see something as obvious is in denial. After I returned from my last trip down there I've started to look at statements that "Bogota is just like any other big city in America" as retarded. Belief that there can be smoke without fire cannot be characterized in any other fashion.

muchacho_escondido comments on getting visa for boyfriend

." He says then if I marry him here in the states after he comes, we can sign to get married and he will be granted a visa to stay here as long as he wants and to work. Is this correct? How can I help him when i am here and he is there?" NO, NO, NO. If a foreigner comes to the US on a B-visa while knowing someone and then marrying them there, that is called *visa fraud*. If there is any possibility that you two will marry in the US, fiance/marriage visa is the only legal way. Everything else is a recipee for a possible deportation. The B-visa route might work but that is like Russian roulette. And if he's investigated for visa fraud, he may face a 10 year bar from re-entry to the US. Being married to an American and having kids will not help. As far as HOW to get a fiance visa...file I-129F petition. Google it. Make sure you study the process very, very well or get a lawyar.

muchacho_escondido comments on Tourist Visa for Colombian Fiance

BEWARE!!! BEWARE!!! BEWARE!!! You seem to be not very familiar with the immigration law. The latter does not forgive that! Make sure you don't try to get married in the US while she is there on a B visa. That can be interpreted by the USCIS as *visa fraud* because the condition for issuing a B visa is that the person goes home. If she has a boyfriend/fiance in the US, she has an immigration intent (as far as US government is concerned) and would have to *lie* about that at the interview to be granted a B-visa. If she is accused of visa fraud she might be barred from the country for 10 years. Besides, a B visa application MUST be denied if a K visa application is pending. If you love each other, just wait a little bit and do it the RIGHT way. Meaning that you are in the US, she is in Colombia and you file for the K-1 fiance visa (or K-3 wife visa if you marry in Colombia). Wait for 5-10 months and you're together. And hire a lawyar if you can afford that or at least buy a NOLA book on Fiance/Marriage visas and read it very, very carefully. The process can be tricky. Someone said something to the effect of: an American citizen has no idea how few rights he has until he tries to marry a foreigner. Very true: the US immigration system is unforgiving, even to immediate relatives. Finally: I hate to break the news to you but many exchange programs require that she stays in Colombia for 2 years. This is the so-called "2 year rule" that applies to many J (exchange) visas. I'd first see if her visa has that requirement. If it does, your relationship will be up against a great test. Waiving the 2-year requirement is very difficult. Marriage to a US citizen does NOT help. However, if she was an au-pair/edu-pair (lived in an American family in exchange for teaching them about her culture and helping kids with school) she most likely does NOT have the 2 year restriction. But do check-- the visa itself should say that even though it's not always correct. AND PLEASE, TAKE THIS *VERY* SERIOUSLY. SPEND A FEW WEEKS STUDYING THE LAWS GOVERNING IMMIGRATION OF RELATIVES.

muchacho_escondido comments on Late night arrival: safety

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now when I get that ticket, where do I go? Is there some area where only legit taxis are allowed? Or do I have to "look people in the eye" to choose the taxi? If there's no official taxi area (with a controlled entrance and exit), I don't see how having a ticket can even help. If the taxi driver wants to rob me, I don't see how that piece of paper could help me.They see a foreigner, they go for his stuff-- ticket or not... So it is really important if there's an official and controlled queue of taxis like, say, in JFK.

muchacho_escondido comments on Late night arrival: safety

Well, thanks to those who actually addressed my question-- meaning GIB and lencon. Timeforachangeofscenery-- the joke is appreciated :) The "don't come if you're scared" crowd-- thanks anyway.