nicvel has left 8 comments

nicvel comments on san andres

If you are going to San Andres... If you are going to San Andres, you may prefer to stay in Providencia.
Look, if you are going to spend some time in San Andres you better have a lot of money or a lot of luck.

Money to buy your way into a fancy resort. Luck to get accomodation in one of the few last spots on the island that won't make you feel you are having holidays in a dirty strret.

Most of San Andres has been depredated. The Coral Reef is a sorry mess. The streets and forest are most dirty. Many beaches are plenty of trash. You find drunk people everywhere, everynight.

Ther is not much of local architecture or local culture. People, specially continentals that have settled in the island are pretty dirty.

You won't have a single second of peace from Vallenatos played at enrmous stereos. Also it is not very safe.

Providencia instead it's still a paradise. It has the second longest coral barrier in the world, second just to the grat australian barrier. It has plenty ok sweet water creeks flowing form tgreen mountains into the soft sand beaches and into the sea.

There is a solid local community, with it's own kind of music, with it's own culture.

Best of all, you won't find vallenatos storming your sleep at 4 am.

The island is kept very clean by the residents.

Alcohol is as cheap in providencia than in San Andres. Providencia is a lot safer, as its communities are very supportive and there is not mucho room for theft. Anyway, as everybody knows each other, there is no way you can hide what you steal.

My advice: Go to Southwest beach to Roland bar. It is the best reggae bar i have been in the caribbean, not just for the music, not just for the food, but for the feeling of sucha a beatiful spot.

Seafood is much chepaer and much fresher in Providenciua than in San Andres. Providencia is a true perl. Go there before we colombians discover it and destroy it as we did with San andres.

nicvel comments on Canadian Student Visa

It is not that hard to obtain a tourist visa Hi!

Well, if you can send her a formal invitation to your place, wich she can show to the Canadian Embassy, and if somehow one or both of you can proove you have the funds for her trip to Quebec, there should not be much trouble.

Actually I think it might be easier to obtain the tourist visa...

Quand même, elle ne doit pas dire un seul mot sur votre posible mariage. Non plus elle doit mentioner que vous êtes engagez d'aucune façon. A l'embassade ils sont pas trés amiables avec les filles qui partent pour se marrier.

I hope you keep your nerves. Remember tha for Quebec different rules of inmigration apply vis a vis the rest of the Dominion of Canada.

Nicolás.

nicvel comments on Purchasing Windows XP Español in Colombia

try www.virtualexito.com who will send the software to anyone living in mayor urban centers in Colombia.

nicvel comments on cartagena accent

Cartagena has not the largest concentration of balck people. There are other cities where more than 90% is black, lika Baru, near Cartagena, or in the Northern Pacific coastline.

Much as in the developped world, must colour people are very well integrated in sports, less in political terms (the law sets 2 House of Representatives chairs out of 120 or to be elected for a nationwide colour people elecotral district, but many more are elected in the regular departamental districts).

Less tha 20 percent of the population clasiffied itself as black in 1993 census, but they are the fastest growing minority. Also they usually live in the poorer areas of the cuntry.

nicvel comments on Colombia postal service

Via Cuba Hello!

There is a reliable way to sending things to Africa from Colombia: The Cuban Embassy or Cubana de Aviación offices.

I had much trouble sending things for friends in Liberia and Togo, mucho of it where clothings, kind of office supplies and Colombian candies and similar stuff.

My friends worked with UN and MSF, none of wich oganizations where of much help. Then somenoen pinpointed me to the Cuban agency for thirld wolrd solidarity or something similar you can find in their Bogotá embassy.

In such way i was able to send my fiends their goods, much of wich was for their personal use, not really for solidarity.

It is not cheap, but is very reliable.

I hope you ahve luck with it.

Saludos!

nicvel comments on Preparing for your trip to Colombia

Not Chayo, Shaio Hola!

Maybe you are looking for Clinica Abood Shaio, very famous for its coronay medicine.

Here is their adress and phones:

DIAGONAL 110 No. 53 - 67 APARTADO AÉREO 85369 CONMUTADORES 6243211- 6245399 FAX: 2714950

or go to http://www.shaio.com/

Good luck,
N.

nicvel comments on First time to Colombia

Providencia Well, the most beautifull spot in Colombia is actually far from the mainland. It is called Providencia and it is an Island in the caribean where you won't find any security issues, any language issues (everyone speaks english, as it is is second mother tongue) and any horrible vallenatos. The beaches are great, the food is great, the people are even more kind than mainland colombians.

To go to Providenci usually you have to get to San Andres Island first then take a plane or a boat, but most travel agencies just will get yu the plane option.

nicvel comments on Cajeros: Help on ATM transactions

Dont use a ATM! Go to the bak atendants I live in Bogotá and i've never been able to withdraw more than 400'000 pesos at once in a single ATM transactions.
What I do to get more money is to ask the Bank atendants for a Cash advance (Avance en efectivo). I usually do this at Conavi banks, where i also have a Savings Account in pesos, wich helps a lot to make things faster.

You need your Bank of America card, your Cedula de extranjería or passport, a fotocopy of the later and a phone number where someone can tell the bank that he knows you. The atendant will call to this number in front of you and will tell to whoever answers that he may not expect another call from them, that this is the only call they'll receive from the Bank. They don't need to give adress or any other info, just that they know you and that you may be contacted personally in that phone number. This call will only be made for the fisrt time you use the service at any given bank office.

One more thing, your ATM card must be VISA or MasterCard.

I hope it helps you.

Colombia doesn't really rocks, and if you think so because of colombain drugs, i hope you have a most unpleasant death.