Ric has left 43 comments

Ric comments on clarification on tourist visa

Tourist Visa I currently have a 60 day Tourist Visa. I must apply for an extension to remain in Colombia beyond the 60 days. I can apply for a student Visa which I understand is issued for six for twelve months and voids my current tourist visa.

Ric comments on clarification on tourist visa

Tourist Visa - 180 Days per 12 month period I recently spent a few minutes in Panama City with the Colombian Consul.
He explained it was 180 days per year. If you spend Jan. 1st.to July 1st. then you have used your 180 days for the year and must remain out of the country for six months before returning. Simply you can remain in colombia for six months out of a twelve month period. Unlike, Costa Rica, you can't leave the country for 72 hours and then return for an additional six months.

Ric comments on Miss Colombia will visit "Late Night with David Letterman"

Miss Colombia Ok, where is Bill Clinton?

Ric comments on por fin! pension Visa approved!

Proof of income for Pensionado visa Colombia may be like Panama in one respect. You can contact the Embassy in Bogota for a certified copy of your social security benefits. This may or may not work. It appears to me after visiting the Colombian Embassy in Panama City last week there are few defined rules as they relate to the pensionado visa. It would appear after reading PBH posts every case is different as indated by "Gringopatsy and Arthur Brode" personal experiences. I will need to make a trip from Medellin to Bogota to confirm.

Ken in Sabaneta,

=============
Certification
If you need a certification of your pension check, please come to the Embassy between 9:00AM and 10:00AM, Monday through Thursday. You will be asked to complete and sign a form; your certification letter will be ready the same day. If you live outside of Bogota, you may send your request by mail. Please list the name of the bank or financial institution and the address where you would like the letter to be sent.

http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsc133.shtml#English

Ric comments on por fin! pension Visa approved!

Pensionado Visa Arthur:

I moved to Medellin June 29th and I'm also looking into the Pensionado Visa. I'm wondering if one can obtain a copy of their Social Security monthly award from the U.S. Embassy in Bogata? I know this is possible in Panama City, but not sure about Colombia. It has been my experience in the U.S. that Social Security will give you a simple computer print-out of your social security benefit document and will not notorize or certify any documents.

Arthur, I would like to give you a call. I currently living in Sabneta, Colombia. (ricbuddy at gmail.com)

Thanks

Ric comments on Current exchange rate 2,633

I stand corrected I should have checked the published exchange rate before posting. Currently at 2,635 and appears to be changing daily....Good news for anyone using dollars!

Ric comments on My girlfriend is coming to visit me in the US

The most important words! Where is the nearest Wal-Mart?

I took my wife to San Francisco and this was her only interest.
If you really want score take her to one of the "Super Wal-Marts"

Ric comments on Yikes...NO I-94

Same thing happed to me Immigration didn't give my x-wife the I-94. I waited six hours at immigration just to get the form and then they told me to attach a money order and mail it to them.

It was always a problem dealing with immigration in Dallas, Texas. Very long and early lines.

Ric comments on Arrest of foreigners and legal issues

Gomezman5 Thanks for the information.

Ken

Ric comments on Living in Colombia y tax liability

Viewpoint 180 days Viewpoint:


Thanks to you and others for the valuable information. I have learned from past experience of living in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and now Panama to collect as much information from people who have lived in the country and experienced first hand the rules, laws and customs of each as they relate to foreign residency. It appears like Central America the opinions vary from person to person and government agencies. I respect the opinion of both you and Gator, but as you can see the advice is in conflict. Gator states, “ You get 180 days not calendar year but from the first entry so you will have 180 days from September 2005” I was recently told by an employee of the Colombian Embassy in Panama I would be able to apply for an extension beyond the 180 and stay as long as I want. Again, another opinion and most likely in error. I would place more faith in the opinions of you and Gator based on your personal experience in Colombia.

I will be in Panama City June 27th at the Hotel Marbella before my flight to Medellin on the 29th and plan a visit to the Colombian Embassy before my departure. I spoke with you while we were both in Medellin last Feb. but we were unable to connect. I would like to communicate with you before my departure. I have a few questions about Panama City. I may also need to consign my vehicle with an agency in Panama City and would appreciate recommendations. (ricbuddy_at_gmail_punto_com) 722-8950 in Rio Sereno. I will be visiting with Douglas Martin, DWMTE and hopefully Hunter upon my arrival.

My plans include living in Medellin without opening a bank account, making investments or purchasing a home. This should limit my exposure to problems and give me the opportunity to investigate first hand the benefits of living in Colombia. I also have the option of parking my assets in Panama City and visiting Colombia for six months a year. My Panama bank, Banistmo, tells me I will be able to access my funds in Colombia in the near future. Apparently they are working on this plan with their Banistmo branch in Colombia. (how long?)

Thanks,

Ken

Ric comments on Moving to Medellin/Sabaneta - June 29, 2006

Captbill - Moving to Medellin/Sabaneta - June 29, 2006 Captbill:

Thanks for the headsup.
I would appreciate talking to you about your experience in the area.
Please email me at ricbuddy_at_gmail.com if you don't mind.

Ken

Ric comments on Living in Colombia y tax liability

Living in Colombia y tax liability Thanks...

Good reason to rent rather than purchase.

I'm working on the Pensionado Visa with a Colombian friend at the
moment. I hope to get lucky like Patsygringo and not have to return to
the U.S. and hassle with the various documents.

Thanks,

Ken

Ric comments on Living in Colombia y tax liability

When does the 180 days start?

Question: I spent two weeks in Colombia in September 2005 and three weeks in January 2006. Does my 180 days start as a tourist in September 2005 or January 1, 2006.
Thanks,

Ric comments on question about 'disposable' cell phones.

Cell phone Douglas:

I paid $13.00 dollar for an Ola cell phone last Feb.
Purchased at Exito in Poblado with the help of a Colombian friend.
I gave it to her as a gift when I departed.

Ken

Ric comments on Pensionado Visa for Colombia

Pensionado Visa - Gator Gator, thanks for the reply.

Ric comments on Pensionado Visa for Colombia

Miamimike - Pensionado Benefits – Colombia vs Panama
In answer to your question about pensionado benefits in Panama vs Colombia. I’m currently living in Panama as a pensionado with full benefits. It’s true Panama offers benefits to the pensionado, but I have found I use few of the benefits with the exception of the 25% airline discounts to Colombia. I thought bringing a vehicle into Panama as a pensiondo without paying tax would be a great benefit, but after dealing with the Aduana for one year I finally paid the full tax. The paper work was incredible as were the bribes to the Aduana.
I later purchased a new car thinking it would be tax free however the sales person explained such a vehicle would have to be a special order and could not be taken from the current inventory. He explained the current in stock vehicles had been discounted and that the ordered tax free vehicle would be sold at the normal price. My savings would be about $1,500 on the tax exempt vehicle, less other expenses and related paper work. After my experience with the Aduana, I decided to pay the tax and take delivery of my new vehicle the same day. I later had an accident with the new car in December 2004. I waited six months for the company to order the parts. It’s been 16 months since the accident and I’m still dealing with legal documents and waiting for my money. Owning a vehicle is convenient, but walking or taking public transportation is an option to consider.
I had medical insurance which was great until I attempted to use it. The problems were similar to the above experiences with my vehicles. I flew to Medellin last January for medical treatment. In Medellin, I simply paid cash and was very happy with my medical care. I’m sure Panama has good medical insurance plans, but you will never know until you attempt to use them.
Others living in Panama will have different views and experiences. Panama is a great country and I apologize for the negative comments, but facts are facts. I’m only sharing with you my past history with the Panama pensionado program to give you a complete picture. I’ve lived long enough in Central America to know things work differently here than in the U.S.
I’m considering a move to Colombia in the near future and owning another vehicle is not on my list of necessities.

Ric comments on panama bank account.

Panama Bank Account I live in Panama and have an account with Banistmo in Panama. A very good and professional bank. They will issue a credit card you can use to withdraw funds in Colombia just like a U.S. bank. Not sure of the fee's however.
They have a branch in Colombia according to their Web-Site, but I don't think you can deposit funds in Panama and witdraw in Colombia. Someone might want to check with the Banistmo branch in Colombia for further details.

Ric comments on panama bank account.

Panama Bank Account I live in Panama and have an account with Banistmo in Panama. A very good and professional bank. They will issue a credit card you can use to withdraw funds in Colombia just like a U.S. bank. Not sure of the fee's however.
They have a branch in Colombia according to their Web-Site, but I don't think you can deposit funds in Panama and witdraw in Colombia. Someone might want to check with the Banistmo branch in Colombia for further details.

Ric comments on

Cut and Paste from Word? Do to a slow internet connection I need to cut and paste from Word and post to the internet. I however lose line breaks, fonts, bold, paragraph separation etc.
This is probably an easy question, but I need help. I want to create the document in Word and then paste to the web-site.

Thanks

Ric comments on Help (shoe size)

Try size U.S. 13 I attempted to purchase size 13 (men's)
No luck....

Ric comments on Arriving Medellin update

Meeting in Medellin Douglas:

I was at the Crepes & Waffles this morning. It appears Medellin is becoming very poplar. I purchased a $12.50 (U.S. dollars) cell phone at Exito upon my arrival. My number is 300-484-4970. What a fantastic price!

I'm at the Blacksheep Hostal with about 28 other tourists. It's located within walking distance of the Exito super and Metro Poblado. Your welcome to stop for a cold beer and visit.

The Blacksheep is located at transversal 5a No. 45133, telephone 4-311-1589

Exito Poblado is located near the Poblado Metro station. The restaurant area would offer a good meeting location also.

Ken aka: Ric

Ric comments on Search: Apt in Medellin, 2 months

Hostel in Medellin I'm currently staying at the Blacksheep Hostel in Poblado.
Private room with shared bath is 28,000 cop or about $12.00 U.S.
Internet and kitchen. Five minutes to Exito and a short walk to the Poblado Metro. This is my second stay at the hostel. Good place to meet people and share information.

Do a search for the "Blacksheep Hostel and check there Web-Site.

Ken

Ric comments on Arriving Medellin update

Tomtom33 No wasn't sitting next to you, but I did meet one of the PBH member. His name was Chris from New York. We sat next to each other on the Copa 323 flight out of Panama City direct to Medellin. I live in Panama and not the U.S. Chris recently purchased a home Medellin.


Ken

Ric comments on Teeth whitening in Medellin?

Teeth whitening in Medellin I used Dr. Jaramillo at the Clinica Las Vegas, 266-8654. $150 with a free second treatment. Laser Oral-Las Vegas. Equipment was very modern. Crowns were $350.00.

Ric comments on Best area for retirement?

Best area for retirement - thanks Utopiacowboy: In response to your post: “Gracias, Senor, por tu respuesta”
It wasn’t my intention to offend you by not responding in a timely fashion. I live in a remote area of Panama and have a connection speed of between 10 and 16K and the connection requires a long distance phone call. As you can see this doesn’t allow me to live on the internet. This would be another reason for looking at Colombia as a continued retirement location. Secondly I wasn’t looking for reasons to stay in Panama and replied to those individuals providing information relating to Colombia.
Viewpoint: Thanks for the input and you nailed it with your statement! “I would bet that if Panama City was at 1,000 mts instead of sea level RIC wouldn't be thinking of leaving Panama for Colombia”.
I really can’t tell you much about Panama City, but I do know the mountain area near the Costa Rican border. Here you will find a pleasant climate, but limited shopping and social activities. Boquete offers a cool climate and a very large foreign/Gringo population of retired persons. I don’t enjoy living in a Gringo compound. Lowell another PBH member lived in Boquete and now lives in Cartago, Colombia.
Viewpoint, Your correct that I need to address the problem of living in Colombia for more than 180 days. Perhaps I can find an “older chica” with a few good years remaining and secure my residency.  I need to educate myself regarding current options. I will need to live as single person on 6,000,000 COP per month, but after visiting Medellin last September and looking at prices based on my needs this is doable.
Panama vs Colombia: I was absolutely shocked during my September visit to Medellin to find such a clean city. I especially enjoyed the EXITO fruit and vegetables. I stayed at the Blacksheep Hostel in a private room which provided me the opportunity to meet many local Colombians. Meeting the Colombian people sparked my interest. Paisa29 was kind enough to invite me to one of her group meetings during my visit which I really enjoyed.
DWMTE: Thanks for your information. I sent you a personal email. I will be taking a look at the Llano Grande area as you suggested. I will be arriving Medellin January 18 for a three week visit.
Thanks to everyone who has helped with my research.

Ken

Ric comments on Selling a car in Panama

selling pickup in Panama No problem selling a good 4x4 Toyota or Nessan pickup in Panama. Any Nessan or Toyota product is your best option. No large U.S. vehicles however. You will need your title and registration to crosss the borders of central america. I live in Panama.

Ric comments on Best area for retirement?

Best area for retirement Gator y jtreers: Thanks for the information. I will have to think about Bogota. I'm still very much interested in looking at the Pereira and Medellin areas. No hurry, I'm retired. I plan to be in Colombia January 18th.

Thanks,

Ric comments on Search: 2 BR furn apt in Bogota for 1 month

Apartment in Pereira Ron: I've been waiting a reply to my email regarding your apartment rental in Dosquebradas. It's probably to late to rent at this point, but I still interested in taking a look for the long term. Please reply to ricbuddy at gmail.com

Ric comments on Moving personal items to Colombia

Moving personal items to Colombia Confirmed. Lowell paid $1.00 per pound using Avianca freight.

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/13173

Ric comments on Moving personal items to Colombia

Moving from Panama to Colombia I think Lowell on of our members used Avianca from Panama to Colombia for his move. It's my understanding they serve both Miami and now Los Angeles. If my memory serves me the cost was around $1.00 per pound.

Ric comments on Search: 2 BR in MED, begin Feb

Blacksheep Hostel Try the Blacksheep hostel. I had private room. Living area had wireless internet. Do a search on PBH for "Blacksheep"

Ric comments on For Sale or Rent: Houses in Pereira

Looking for "Rental in Pereira" Ron:

I have been trying to contact you.
I'm looking for a rental in the Pereira area for one month beginning
Jan. 18th, 2006

Ric comments on Safety in Colombia

Medellin Safety I have been in Medellin for a week now.
I have lived and traveled in Central America for several years and currently live in Panama.

Medellin appears on the surface to be very safe. I base this on my experience of living in other large cities in Central America. Medellin is nothiing like San Jose, Costa Rica. I feel much more secure here in Medellin than I ever do in San Jose. Medellin is a very clean city and the people are friendly and willing to help. This may change with the increase in tourism, but at the moment I would rate Medellin a 10 plus. The people are proud of their city and especially the Metro.

Note: Don't miss the Metro and cable cars. A great way to meet the people and see the numerous areas of Medellin. Each ticket is less than fifty cents which I consider a bargain.

Ric comments on Update - Visa exchange rates vs dollars

Gator - exchage rate on ATM You say no fee is charged, but what exchange rate do you receive, 2,305 or something less?

Ken

Ric comments on 1 month in Colombia

Arrived in Medellin I took a flight from Panama City to Bogota and then Medellin.
Only positive experiences thus far. I currently live in Panama and also lived near San Jose, Costa Rica for several years. My personal opinion at this point is Medellin appears to be much safer than Costa Rica.

Medellin is very clean and the people have been wonderful.

Dollar exchange at the Bogota airport was 2150 COP. The local bank in Medellin gave me 2,303 COP using my Visa card inside the bank.

Thanks those who helped me plan my trip to Medellin.

Ric comments on Finally! My First Trip! MEDELLIN.... I need just a little bit of helpful information:

First Trip to Medellin I live in Panama and will be flying to Medellin next Wednesday, Aug. 24th for three weeks. This site has been great for information. I would be happy to send you my 13 pages of notes collected thus far. You can email "ricbuddy at gmail.com"

Ric comments on Visiting Medellin – Help

Arriving Medellin - Money exchange and hotel tonloc24


Thanks for the information. I will be arriving medellin at 5 pm and will change dollars in Bogota during my connection, I have two hours.

For your information the best hotel rate thus far in Medellin is Hotel Laureles70 at 111,780 peso including tax. I think I will look around for a couple of hours after arriving. I´m sure prices will drop once I arrive especially for seven days or more.

Ric comments on Visiting Medellin – Help

Medellin airport - changing dollars Tomtom:

Thanks for the information and the mini-bus option.
I only have one bag, so perhaps this will work and also give me
a chance to see the city. I have lived in Central America for
some years and taking the bus is no problem.

This site is certainly a wealth of information. Thanks again to
everyone for their suggestions and comments.

Ric comments on Visiting Medellin – Help

Combiaboard Exchange dollars Thanks for the advice. I will however be flying from David,Panama and changing planes in Panama City. I will be flying Avianca from Panama City to Bogota with a change of planes to Medellin. If I can't change dollars at the Panama airport perhaps I can change them at the Bogota Airport or at the Medellin Airport.

At any rate, thanks for the heads-up

Ric comments on Visiting Medellin – Help

Using Visa other than at ATM Hunter, thanks for the informaiton.

Ric comments on Alert – ATM / Visa Cards

Alert - ATM Debit card Peter:
Thanks for the advice.
My reason for posting was for others to be on guard when traveling to Colombia and using their respective “debit cards”. I may have confused some during my earlier post in an attempt to shorten the message.
1) My card is a check debit card issued by E*Trade Bank, but it can also be used as a Visa credit card. Unfortunately, three retirement checks are direct deposited into this account each month. Changing banks is an option as you suggested, but my experience with E*Trade has been excellent in the past and contacting the three retirements agencies would be a nightmare since I presently live in Panama. Like a marriage, E*Trade bank and I are going through a difficult period of adjustment.
2) I have excellent credit and another Visa card which I can use for emergencies, but I would like to have access to my retirement funds via an ATM machine. It is my understanding the ATM debit card offers the best exchange rate in Colombia instead of the regular Visa Charge Card.
3) The recent problems indicated in the below article might better explain Visa or E*Trade’s reluctance to go into detail in my case. I can see the Attorneys swarming around this case as I write. I assume Visa is watching the respective cards for unauthorized use. I can only imagine the cost for canceling and re-issuing 40 million cards.
4) I have zero liability in this case. It however becomes frustrating since I was looking forward to my trip to Medellin in late August. I plan to have my new card mailed to me here in Panama. Peter, thanks again.

July 27, 2005: 6:16 PM EDT
By Jeanne Sahadi, CNN/Money senior writer
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Over 40 million card accounts were exposed to potential fraud due to a security breach that occurred at a third-party processor of payment card transactions, MasterCard International said last Friday.
"It looks like a hacker gained access to CardSystems' database and installed a script that acts like a virus, searching out certain types of card transaction data," said MasterCard spokeswoman Jessica Antle.
Of the cards involved, 13.9 million were MasterCard-branded cards, which include Maestro and Cirrus, and 22 million were Visa cards, said Visa spokeswoman Rhonda Bentz.
The breach took place at the Tucson office of CardSystems Solutions, a company that processes transactions on behalf of merchants and financial institutions.
As of Monday, MasterCard and CardSystems said that of the more than 40 million accounts exposed, information on only 68,000 Mastercard accounts, 100,000 Visa accounts and 30,000 accounts from other card brands are known to have been exported by the hackers. The data exported included names, card numbers and card security codes.

Ric comments on Alert – ATM / Visa Cards

Alert - ATM Here is one of the e-mail's sent to me by E*Trade security.
I have called numerous times to both Visa security and ETrade online security. Visa tells me to contact E*Trade and E*Trade tells me to
contact Visa. I've been calling since last Friday, Aug. 8th. and spoke with at least six different people with the same result. I really enjoyed being transferred from department to department and supervisor to supervisor.

The reply to my final question was:

Dear Valued Customer,
Our records show that you recently contacted our customer service. We are continually trying to improve, and would be interested in hearing about your experience. If you can take a short survey that takes 5 minutes to complete, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win $250 on August 31st, 2005.




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Elkins,


I understand that you called in over the weekend in regards to my previous emails and that the representatives were unable to find my notes on the issues. I apologize for that inconvenience. Let me explain in more detail what has prompted this action. Visa card services contacted us and notified us that your card # might have been compromised. However, they do not give us details about how. We looked at your account and we did not see any fraudulent activity, but our policy states that we must close the card within 15 days if Visa notifies us that the card number might have been compromised.


I understand you are traveling and this could be an inconvenience, but our policy is very strict when it comes to security issues and we must follow those guidelines. We can close the card and send a new one to the address on file before the 15 days expires, but you must indicate that you would like us to take such action. I have placed the notes about this issue in a more visible area for our representatives and if you would like to call in and order a new card you can do so before the 15 day limit. You may also make a request for the card via email, but you must do so by using the contact us link while logged in to your account. Also, please be aware that email responses are delayed by a few days. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.


I hope this information has been helpful. Please let us know if we've addressed your questions and concerns satisfactorily by clicking the link below and taking a 30-second survey.


http://www.surveymk.com/s.asp?u=14518877022


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Ric comments on Living in Medellin

Cheap calls to U.S. I live in Panama and used a DSL connection using “dialpad.com”
to call the U.S. The cost was less than two cents a minute and cameras
also worked. You need a high speed connection with VOIP.
www.dialpad.com

I also use TeleChip International to call from any phone.
Cost seven cents a minute.

Not sure if this will work in Colombia.