ozgringo has left 69 comments
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ozgringo comments on Opinions on Hotel Kokomo in the Rosario Islands Hard to find anything complimentary about it. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g297476-i4451-k2136586-Islas_del_Rosario_Colombia-Cartagena.html
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ozgringo comments on why are the english so unpatriotic They were fairly patriotic the last time they won the Rugby world Cup.. an the ashes..
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ozgringo comments on Roundtrip tickets to Colombia It's not necessary, I have entered Colombia many times on one way fares. Having said that, however, the onus is on the Airline to ensure you have onward passage so they may insist you have an onward fare. Personally, unless they don't let you on the aircraft in the first place I wouldn't worry about it.
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ozgringo comments on Kidnapping Just get some kidnap insurance and you will be fine. http://www.insurecast.com/html/kidnapransom_insurance.asp They even give you a T-Shirt that says "Pick me I'm rich and fully insured".. Or alternatively ask your relatives to put their houses on the market.
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ozgringo comments on Kidnapping Just have put a Maple Leaf on your backpack and you'll be fine. trust me.
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ozgringo comments on Rentista visa benefits http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/best-visa-i-noticed-is-the-rentista-visa-but-need-details-any-help/
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ozgringo comments on colombians in australia Somebody on a recent post mentioned there were a lot of Colombians attending Bond University on the Gold Coast. Not far from Brisbane.
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ozgringo comments on Need some help in starting an internet business in Colombia. Why not setup a company doing remote support for companies in both english and spanish. Many hosting companies for example require sales/support techs to work remotely using such things as livehelp and similar programs. There will be plenty of locals wanting to work or a competitve price and with the right skills. I have a friend at a university in Medellin who has said he has plenty of current and past clients who have skills and would want that type of work.
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ozgringo comments on Cash Register in Medellin ===== Where to buy? What type to buy? Check out ebay looks like some real bargains http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37.l1311&satitle=cash register&category0=
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ozgringo comments on IT guy looking to move to Medellin and get a job. Hi, I think you have a couple of viable options if you want to work in Colombia. Form a business with someone you can trust locally so they can handle the Spanish side of things or work remotely through someone like odesk.com or thirdly start an online business with remote clients. With limited Spanish you have little chance of getting work and the pay by US / Euro standards is really bad.
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ozgringo comments on Is the Hooters in Bogota , worth going to? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aX6CW9QDRY also another post in June. http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/hooters-bogot/
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ozgringo comments on Credit Cards in Colombia can't help with the card. But I have visited Colombia many times.. I always get 60 day tourist visa
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ozgringo comments on New SEAT dealers cars will hit Colombia soon I don't think that "nudge bar" would stop a roo ..lol
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ozgringo comments on "Tourists getting used to bombings" http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/31/most-dangerous-destinations-forbeslife-cx_ee_0201dangerousdestinations_slide_2.html
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ozgringo comments on "Tourists getting used to bombings" I have seen several "Most Dangerous Destinations" lists and Colombia isn't even in the top 20 !
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ozgringo comments on Kalico, why not work over the web? If you have some online marketing skills there is plenty of work servicing english speaking clients. Or take up trading the markets over the web. Trying to get good paying work in Colombia is going to be hard work without Spanish. My Spanish is crap.. I have a couple of web businesses and spend my time between Panama, Medellin and Australia. (and a few other countries in between!) .
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ozgringo comments on Top 100 Reasons Medellin is Great! The old renault 4's in good condition.. (I'm not a fan of french cars I just hink they look quaint!)
if something breaks it actually gets fixed in Medellin..
I remember in Panama, a truck hit the traffic lights on a major intersection in Panama. They weren't fixed for 3 weeks, leaving traffic chaos for those 3 weeks (even more chaos than usual!).
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ozgringo comments on The islands of San Andres and Providencia! I read about this a few days ago in wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Andres_and_Providencia
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ozgringo comments on Why Can't I be a "Doctor" in Colombia? On the subject of names and titles, I have always wondered about the American habit of having names like Charles Whatever Jr III . If you aren't in line for a Lordship or Crown appointment does it really matter if you are the 2nd or 3rd? Last I checked the US was a republic.. just curious.. HRH the Gringo of Oz.. the first.. Jr .. Or maybe senior, I am sure there must be a little Oz gringo out there somewhere..dunno which country though..
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ozgringo comments on Dangers of COSMETIC SURGERY IN COLOMBIA In 2006 my (then) girlfriend died exactly the same way, during cosmetic surgery. She told me she was going for a holiday in Argentina. A week later I got a phone call from her brother to say she was dead. She left behind 2 young kids 4 and 8. Really sad story..
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ozgringo comments on what makes Colombia a third world country? Huskie, you are right The Third World is an old Cold War phrase that really gives an extremely simplistic view of the way the world was.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_world_country
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ozgringo comments on Retiring from gringolandia Look at Medellin also.. much more agreeable climate than bogota.. As for Panama city, I have spent about 2 years in PTY and whilst I like it, the development here is completely out of control now, and the prices are getting very expensive for what you get. Despite what you read the climate in Panama city is not for everyone. The rainy season lasts 9 months. It rains most days during that time. About 2 pm the black clouds roll in, and it usually rains for 30 minutes to an hour or so. The dry season is hot and oppresive. Colombia will give you better value at least in the real estate stakes. Personally, I would keep things flexible and simply rent for 3-6 months in Barranquilla, Bogota, Panama City, Boquetta (Panama) and Medellin and see which one appeals the most. Different climates appeal to different people. Personally I like the Medellin climate, always a comfortable temperature, no need for heating or airconditioning (some might disagree on this) though it does get quite a lot of rain, but nothing compared to Panama!
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ozgringo comments on Colombia the 3rd happiest country in the planet Actually it is listed number 2 http://www.happyplanetindex.org/list.htm Having lived in the "happiest" country Vanuatu, it was something of a standing joke when I lived there. As long as the kava was cheap and the population were ignorant of the level of corruption, and governmental indifference they were happy.
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ozgringo comments on Quote: "ESANCH36....if Colombian men are supposedly so poor or whatever, how do they afford to dress so nicely?" If it comes down to paying the electricity bill or buying a new shirt.. I'd back the new shirt.
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ozgringo comments on When I lived in the US, I used to drive into town and the road was flanked with 2 miles of takeaway stores on both sides of the road. The supermarkets were half taken up with rows of freezers with frozen food. The fresh fruit and vegetables was a small and infrequently inhabited section. The portions in restaurants were so huge I would get a "take home box", and it would do me for the next 3 days. I used to ride a bike around the block for exercise and very rarely would I see others doing likewise, even children riding bikes seemed to be rare. Maybe other areas are different. I was in Surprise Arizona. Who thinks of the names of the suburbs in these places?
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ozgringo comments on Australian Prospective Marriage Visa Hi Cangura, as fate would have it it looks like I will be returning to Panama in a few months time, so it may be that we put the process on hold. Such are the vagueries of running a business.
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ozgringo comments on Australian Prospective Marriage Visa Hi Cangura, I am in the process of doing the same thing, (getting a visa for my g/f is from Medellin), and yes the police checks can take months, (having had to get them for myself for work visas on 2 other occasions). It might be complicated by things like, if your boyfriend has resided in more than 1 state for example. Others I have talked to on this forum have needed 6 months to finish the entire process, that would seem to be realistic I think. I am assuming that your application has gone through the Oz embassy in Chile, is that correct?
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ozgringo comments on Insurance for Australian / Kiwi Tourists If you read their policy document it probably wouldn't cover travel to Colombia... They have some very wide ranging exclusion clauses that would probably render travel to Colombia unclaimable, which is pretty much what I would expect.
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ozgringo comments on Need travel agent in Colombia or USA or wherever Hi, I can't really recommend a travel agent in Oz or in Colombia. But for what it is worth, (coming back from Colombia to Oz) my experience was that the airfares going via Chile or Argentina were a lot more expensive than going via Miami or LAX on American Airlines or Continental, not to mention much longer delays at airports in between). American airlines have many flights from Colombia and the LAX - Sydney/Brisbane leg uses Qantas. Just book them online at www.aa.com If there Spanish isn't good they will be glad also as the crews are usually bilingual, this may or may not be important.
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ozgringo comments on Best views of Medellin? Either El Volador or Nutaburra (sp!) have good 360 degree views of Medellin . If you go to El Volador you can go kite flying, which seems to be the favorite pastime there. Nutaburra has a lot of food stalls and restaurants.
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ozgringo comments on hard to find items in Colombia Can't find a wombat steak anywhere in Medellin...
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ozgringo comments on Credit Card Problems Gday Scott, I don't have a C'wealth mastercard but twice had issues with using a Westpac visa card in Medellin. I would have to phone their card services department back in Oz to get restrictions taken off it. For some reason if you use a card in Colombia it rings alarm bells.
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ozgringo comments on Visa stamp question (90 day stamp) the default seems to be 60 days. To go to DAS in Medellin wasn't that much of a drama but I had my Colombiana doing the talking since my Spanish is a little ordinary
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ozgringo comments on info about central and south america It's all doable but you will need to ship your car around the Darion Gap between Panama and Colombia. Expensive..
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ozgringo comments on Utopia, this one's for you I used to say to my g/f, if you want perfect go date a robot. Now she can... That's it guys we are to be "downsized", and made redundant..
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ozgringo comments on Decrease in crime in Medellin. I was at the Feria de Floras and watching a parade a few weeks back. I was standing in the crowd and there seemed to be a scuffle across the road and somewhat yelled out "Ladron, Ladron". About 5 seconds later (no exageration), 3 Police where on top of the guy and when he resisted the cops got out their thumping great batons and gave him a hiding, much to the delight of the crowd. By this time Jeffe Policia arrived with about 5 more and they all had a bit of a go at the hapless ladron.. He was then dragged off in a wagon... So yes I think a physical presence is always a deterent.. The cops back in Oz are too busy back at the station filling in forms to be bothered with any crime prevention measures.
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ozgringo comments on ASKING HELP FROM THE AUSSIES. . . Capitan, Is this form for a VISA, tax file number or what ? A quick look at the usual spots drew a blank.. For tax files you can apply online at http://www.ato.gov.au for visas http://www.immi.gov.au
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ozgringo comments on Spanish learning tips??? Junkyak, I share your frustration don't worry I have lived in Latin America for about 15 months now and I still don't get a word of the the TV or radio. I have had perhaps 150 hours of formal lessons but find real world situations work best for me. It helps that my g/f knows no english so we only speak Spanish.
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ozgringo comments on . . . how´s life in australia? capitan_centella, if you can give us an idea of what sort of thing you are looking ie. Big City, smaller regional center, inner city or suburbs What sort of design degree are you doing? Industrial design, interior design ,graphic design? Near the beach , other geographical or climate related considerations?
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ozgringo comments on . . . how´s life in australia? I left Australia 2 years ago. I lived there for 40 years. Compared to here (Colombia) the cost of living is expensive, and earnings are heavily taxed also. For good universities I would say Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne, RMIT in melbourne or Monash in Melbourne. Since you are probably from the warmer regions I would suggest Brisbane as the other 2 cities have cooler climates. You will need to earn a lot of money to live in the big cities in Australia. Rent, food, drinks and entertainment are very expensive compared to Colombia. As a foreign full fee paying student it will be very expensive. You will need to earn 3-5 times more than you do in Colombia to enjoy a similar lifestyle. If you have any specific questions let me know.
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ozgringo comments on How to stay in Colombia without having to get out of the country? Thanks very much I will be using this information very soon, as I will be applying for some form of visa so I can live with my colombian g/f here in Medellin.
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ozgringo comments on Advice on Bogota layover I think you will find there is a luggage storage place in Bogota. There was a post here a few weeks back...
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