piquemacho has left 15 comments

piquemacho comments on Macchu Pichu?

"Enough time for everything"... Only in the same way that one week in Colombia would give you enough time to do everything (that is, the gold museum, salt cathedral and Cartagena)!

The Inca trail is worth the time. I think a lot of the effect of Macchu Pichu comes from putting in some effort to get there, and it wouldn't be the same arriving by train/bus or helicopter. There are several other sites along the trail that you wouldn't see otherwise. It normally takes four days/three nights camping, with the last day spent at Macchu Pichu. The walk is not really that hard. Even though there are lots of tourists, everyone is travelling in the same direction, so people spread out a lot and you don't really notice it. It rained every day when I did the trail (in October) but it doesn't spoil the experience.

Two or three days is not a lot of time to see everything else around Cusco, but you definitely shouldn't miss Sacsayhuaman and the Incan sun temple (can't remember the name). I visited some other sites further from the city - Maras Moray (terraces that were an ancient horticultural laboratory) and Pisac. You can get there by local bus or taxi, and if you plan it so that you aren't there at the same time as the tour buses then you can have the place to yourself. "Self tours" are easy with a book "Exploring Cusco" that you can buy there.

There are lots of good restaurants in Cusco (especially after living in Armenia!). Many streets are full of touts shoving menus in your face. Anyone who thinks that Colombia is "over-touristed" hasn't been to Cusco.

The Lonely Planet Thorn-tree site has people asking and answering these exact same questions every day, so you can get up-to-date information from there.

piquemacho comments on PIN / making a visa appointment

Sorry - US embassy There are other countries that people try to get visas for?!

Thanks.

piquemacho comments on Cali to Peru

(c): desire to live life (a little) dangerously It's well-known that people vastly overestimate the likelihood of events with very small probabilities. There are several applications of this principle, including making casino owners very wealthy, and keeping the American public afraid of a potential terrorist attack.

In this case, I certainly agree that travelling by bus in Colombia is more dangerous than travelling by air. However, almost all of this danger comes from the possibility of having an accident, rather than the risk of the bus being held-up and you being dragged off to the side of the road and executed. You might be 100 times more likely to die in a bus accident than in a bus hold-up. But everyone would focus on the more gruesome and unusual possibility.

You can't go through life trying to eliminate every possible source of risk. Relax and enjoy it. One of those potential risks - either small or large - is certain to kill you in the end anyway.

piquemacho comments on Cali to Peru

Places to stop along the way I've made that trip once by bus, and the individual parts a couple of times more. It is a long time to be in a bus. Very approximately, the times are something like:
Cali - Quito: 16 hours
Quito - border with Peru: 12 hours
Tumbes - Lima: 20 hours
Lima - Cuzco: 24 hours
But there's always a lot of variability in how long a bus trip takes in South America.

The part of the trip that can be dangerous is between Popayan and Pasto. In the past there have been armed groups that hold up buses -it is quite a remote area. I don't know what the situation is now. It would be best to do this part during the day (which is recommended anyway, since it has some of the nicest scenery in Colombia).

If you want to do the trip as cheaply as possible, it works out cheaper to take buses to the border in each country and cross over yourself (rather than taking the inter-country buses).

I'd recommend - if it fits in with your plans - taking some extra days to stop at a few places along the way. That would also make the trip more bearable than travelling non-stop by bus. For example: Las Lajas (church in a canyon near Ipiales); Otavalo (famous market town in Ecuador); Quito and Cuenca (World Heritage cities); volcano country in Ecuador; Tucume/Sipan/Chan Chan (archaeological sites in northern Peru).

piquemacho comments on Bajó la tasa de desempleo en enero y se ubicó en 13,2% en todo el país

You can make statistics say anything This sounds like good news but looking at the details I am not so sure...
http://www.dane.gov.co/ultima_hora/empleo/anexo_enero05.pdf

You are only counted as unemployed if you do not have a job and are actively looking for work. A lot of the decrease appears to be people who were looking for a job but have now given up and are no longer in the labor force. (This shows up as the slight rise in the employment rate with a large drop in the labor force participation rate).

piquemacho comments on Payback Time

Mentors for small businesses I generally think that indiscriminate handouts are a bad idea, even those sent from people working overseas to their family members in Colombia. Of course there are instances where the money is needed for healthcare or education or emergencies. But in many cases it gets used to buy televisions or stereos or cars.

The worst part is that the recipients lose their motivation to work or study in Colombia. Why bother working 60+ hours a week earning 350,000 pesos each month, when father/cousin/daughter can send back $5000 a year? What's the point of studying at university for 5 years to get a professional job that might pay 800,000 a month? Instead, these people focus their energies on how they can get the passport/visa/plane ticket to leave Colombia and make it to the "promised land" of Spain or the US.

Who are the people who leave Colombia and do well overseas? Not the ones who are really poor and struggling each day to find enough to eat. It's the "middle class" people who often have a reasonable job and house in Colombia. Sure they might not be earning much from an American perspective, and probably can't afford to take weekly shopping trips to Chipichape, but they make enough for a decent standard of living and even a few luxuries. It makes me sad how they become convinced that their lives would be so much happier "when they make it to Spain".

To answer the question - how to help Colombia? I think there are a lot of potential entrepreneurs with great ideas but somehow they lack a "business common sense". I mean the real basics like risk and return and cash flow, or understanding that accounting is more than just a government obligation. If there were some way that successful people with business experience could act as mentors for small (even medium) sized businesses in Colombia... that would be the greatest way to contribute.

By all means give some coins or leftovers to the homeless people in the street. But let's give some hope to the other people in Colombia, that they can work hard and save a little and one day have the chance to set up their own business so that they make money while contributing to their country. Rather than living in a dream that their only chance to be successful is by leaving Colombia.

piquemacho comments on Sending small packages to Colombia?

Thanks for the suggestions... ...and I agree that it was amazing that the package got delivered at all.

The Tranexco service looks really good and I would definitely use something like that if I ever end up living in Colombia. But it doesn't seem designed for the occasional "care package".

Does anyone have the address for information about the Servientrega service from Miami? On their website I can only find details of their locations inside Colombia.

piquemacho comments on Where to Buy contact Lenses?

Websites not requiring prescription I doubt that you'll find any reputable US website that doesn't require a prescription. But the way it works is that you can provide a phone or fax number of an optometrist... the website contacts them and they have eight hours to confirm your prescription, otherwise the website can release your contact lenses. Of course, there's no incentive for the optometrist to hunt through their records looking for your prescription, so perhaps many don't bother.

Search for "contact lenses" on Google and you'll find lots of sites... I have used Coastal Contacts a few times.

My point is that even if you have to pay for the prescription, you might end up better off buying in the US. For example, you can buy a box of 6 Acuvue2 online for about $16. The US retail price (what you would pay at an optometrist) is $29. In Bolivia and Chile I paid $35-$40 for the same product. In Colombia I looked for these but wasn't able to find them... but I suspect the price would be equally high. So if you pay, say, $50 for an eye exam then you will end up better off if you are buying more than three boxes.

There's not much that you can't find in Colombia, but imported "luxury" items (which is what contact lenses are) are generally more expensive than in the US. It's OK for an emergency but not something you should plan for.

piquemacho comments on Where to Buy contact Lenses?

More expensive You can buy contact lenses without prescription in Colombia, but in my experience they are a lot more expensive than you can find on the internet in the United States. Depending on the type of contact lens you wear, it might be a lot cheaper to pay for an eye exam in the US and buy online. It is also more difficult in Colombia to find certain brands.

Indeed, I have been asked several times to buy contact lenses in the US to take to people in Colombia... but have not been successful in "fooling" the online sites into accepting an order that doesn't match my prescription.

piquemacho comments on Walking from Panama to Colombia

Coastal route I have never done this myself and in general I agree with what the other posters said about this area. However, if I wanted to be able to say that I "walked from Panama to Colombia" in order to impress people, then I would go to Puerto Obaldia in Panama, beside the border with Colombia. Apparently there is a short trail across the border to Zapzurro in Colombia and then on to Capurgana. Capurgana is a popular beach resort with Colombians and from the photos I have seen this area looks very beautiful. You will be safer here than anywhere else in the region near the Panama border - although I don't know exactly how safe.

I think that boat or plane are your only (sensible) options to get to and from Puerto Obaldia and Carpugana.

piquemacho comments on lost my new zealand passport

Emergency travel documents (NZ) Sorry to hear what happened to your passport - I really hope you can sort this out without too much disruption to your holiday.

The NZ embassy in Chile has responsibility for Colombia. Apparently there is also a consulate in Bogota that you might like to contact first, but I expect you will have to deal with the embassy.

The website address for the embassy in Santiago is:
http://www.nzembassy.com/home.cfm?c=16

and the contact details for the consulate are:
New Zealand Consulate
Diagonal 109 1-39 Este
Apt 401
Santa Ana (A.A. 30402)
Bogotá
Colombia
Telephone: (57 1) 629 8524
Mobile: (57) 310 2307795
Facsimile: (57 1) 620 0130
E-mail: pearsona at cable.net.co
Office hours : (Mon - Fri 830 - 1730 hrs)

The website provides the following information about recent changes in the policy for replacing passports overseas:

Emergency Travel Documents

Tuesday, 26/10/04
From 26 October 2004 New Zealand Diplomatic Posts will no longer issue limited validity manual passports in emergency situations.
Instead, most posts will issue an Emergency Travel Document (ETD). ETD’s are recognised by international Border Control authorities.

ETDs are being introduced to improve the overall security of New Zealand travel documentation by ensuring New Zealanders overseas have access to a secure and internationally accepted short-term emergency travel document.

An ETD is a short-term, machine-readable travel document that can be issued to New Zealand citizens overseas in emergency and compassionate situations when they need to travel but their previous New Zealand passport has expired, been lost or stolen and they are unable to obtain a passport direct from Department of Internal Affairs' offices in London, Sydney and New Zealand.

An ETD is not a short-term validity passport.

ETDs have a validity of up to twelve months. The processing fee of NZD 350 (equivalent to $148,000 Chilean pesos) and it is the same fee for an adult or a child. It includes the cost of a new full replacement passport upon application to Department of Internal Affairs Passport Offices in New Zealand, Sydney or London before the expiry date of the ETD.

New Zealand citizens are strongly advised to ensure that their passports are kept up-to-date and to obtain a full-validity, machine-readable passport if their passports have expired.

For further information on the ETD please contact us to embajada at nzembassy.cl.

piquemacho comments on Hotel Tres Banderas in Cartagena

Excellent hotel My girlfriend and I stayed there for six days last August. It's in a fairly central location on a quiet street. I think it is good value compared to other hotels in Cartagena. There are suites with a kitchen (which I think are the prices quoted above) and ordinary double rooms for about 85.000. As I recall, the price includes a good (buffet-style) breakfast. The patio and waterfall are very nice - when I was there, a TV crew recorded an interview with a model or actress sitting in the patio.

Usually we try to find hotels a little bit cheaper than this, but after long days in the sun fending off T-shirt sellers, offers for tours to the Islas del Rosario, and invitations to visit emerald museums, it was always a relief to escape back to Tres Banderas.

piquemacho comments on Need help fast, my travel partner getting cold feet over Colombia safety

Enjoy your trip I have spent several months in each of those countries (and also in Bolivia). Of course on this site, everyone will be telling you that Colombia is the best. Actually I think that you can have a great time in any of these places.

From your itinerary I assume that you are most interested in visiting the coast and beaches. Certainly the beaches on the northern coast of Colombia are nicer than you will find in Ecuador or Peru (although they are more crowded). The safety concerns in the places you mention are the same as those in any other large South American city.

If you are at all interested in trekking through the jungle/climbing mountains/hiking for days to find lost civilizations, then I would recommend Ecuador/Peru/Bolivia rather than Colombia. There remain major safety issues in the remote places of Colombia where you might consider these activities. This is an unnecessary risk when there are plenty of safer options in the other countries - and there is a lot more to visit in Peru than Machu Picchu!

There are many beautiful women in Ecuador and Peru as well (the current Miss World is from Peru, and there is nothing wrong with her). Depending on what you're looking for, I don't think there is a big difference in the partying between these countries. Perhaps travellers to Colombia tend to interact more with locals (since there are fewer other foreigners) so they report better experiences than those who visit Ecuador or Peru and just hang out in "gringolandia".

One thing that I miss in Colombia is the indigeneous culture(s) - sure you get it in the museums and in a few villages, but it just doesn't permeate the society in the same way that it does in Peru or Bolivia.

piquemacho comments on

Medellin The Economist magazine recently printed this letter from the mayor of Medellin, commenting on a story they had run regarding violent crime:


SIR – Your chart ranks Medellín as the most violent city in Latin America (“The battle for safer streets�, October 2nd). However, the statistic you present for 2003, with nearly 140 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, in fact is that for 2002. Last year, the rate fell to 98 murders per 100,000; and this year we are expecting a rate of 48. This places Medellín at the average level of other places in Latin America such as Mexico City or São Paulo. We have left behind the worst times. We still have plenty of work to do, but it is about time that we got the recognition we deserve instead of bad publicity based on a stereotype that no longer rules.
Sergio Fajardo Valderrama
Mayor
Medellín

piquemacho comments on My second trip to Colombia

Don't miss Guatape I have visited the three places that you mentioned - my favorite is Guatape. It's a nice little town and you can walk from there to the enormous black rock "El Peñol"/"La Piedra". Once you make it up the 700 or so steps there is an beautiful view over the surrounding lake with hundreds of inlets and islands.

The highlight of Rionegro was the museum hidden at the back of the cathedral. It doesn't look like much when you go in, but the caretaker will open lots of secret safes to reveal an unimaginable array of items in gold and silver and precious stones. Just south of Rionegro there is a theme park, Tutucán, which is a much bigger and better version of Pueblita Paisa in Medellin.

Guatape or Rionegro can easily be visited as day trips from Medellin. Santa Fe de Antioquia is a bit further away and it's best to stay overnight. There are a few churches to visit (though all were closed when I was there) and you can hire a motorbike-taxi to visit an old suspension bridge over the Rio Cauca. It's also a lot warmer than Medellin.

If your last visit to Medellin was pre-August then you will definitely want to try the new MetroCable - just don't go in the weekend or late in the afternoons!