Robert697 has left 9 comments

Robert697 comments on

Yes Rubito .. you're right .. you won't be missed. Shalom and Have a nice day :)

Robert697 comments on When you send out the initial packet for k1 visa ,and if you are refused ,do you get your 455$ back?

It's best to get an attourney. They are often readily available from some internet-mail-a-bride websites. The one reference I got was from CaliBrides. On top of the normal costs of doing business with the government, they charge $1000 for their assistance. According to the e-mail I got from them, they guarantee their work, they provide all the necessary and latest documentation, they've never had an application rejected, and they even assist the person in Colombia to properly fill out the documentation, and prep for the interview. Bottom line is, things always go smoother with a knowledgable attourney. A fee of $1000 in exchange for tranquility is worth it.

Robert697 comments on Advice on Bogota layover

Try taking a quick trip to the Bus Terminal, which is fairly close to the airport. They have luggage storage there. But if you're going to be staying at a hotel anyways, take it with you.

Robert697 comments on

Well, I don't know about you folks, but my dad can take you all out to the curb - good or bad. Since He's with me always, no worries - I'm happy. By the way .. this is the "poorbuthappy" website .. not the "poor'me'I'm'grumpy'and'evil" website. Go spread your sorrows elsewhere. Shalom

Robert697 comments on Traveling to Pasto and Ipiales

Hi everybody! Well, I'm back in the USA. My girl and I had a great time! Thanks in great part to you folks here at PBH! After a couple of days in Bogota, over the span of 5 days, we flew to Popayan (1:20 hrs), rode a bus through Pasto to Ipiales (7:30hrs), took a couple of cabs into Tulcan, Ecuador (:30hrs), took an express cab to Pasto (1:20hrs), and flew back to Bogota (1:13hrs). Popayan: Very pretty. Unfortunately, due to some construction, a water main was allegedly damaged and no one had water until after 7:30pm. I say "allegedly" because it just so happens that there was a protest in the center of town that day due to the current elections. The governor's office/home had huge blue blots from what looked like paint balloons. Plenty of cops in riot gear outside the building. Otherwise, the hotel was nice and large. We stayed at the Hotel Los Balcones 824-2030 for one night: $91850 pesos, super-nice folks, free breakfast, and free bottled water since there was no running water. Should I ever go back, I'd stay there again. Should I ever retire in Colombia, Popayan would be high on my list. Ipiales: 1st night was horrible. The city is very cold, and the hotel where we stayed, though cheap ($25k), it wasn't worth the price. I tried to forget the name of the place, but I think it's called Don something (I'll be nice, monkey). The room was super tiny, the water pressure was horrific, you could hear from the 2nd-floor room everything they were saying in the 1st-floor lobby. You could even hear the phone ringing at 3am from the room 2 doors down. I've heard of paper-thin walls - I think these walls magnified sound. The next morning, the 1st thing we did was looked for another hotel. We found Los Andes 254338, 252024, 256551. For 75k/night, it was great. They had food in the room (at extra cost, obviously), free internet (including wi-fi), it's beautifully decorated, and though not "sound-proof", I didn't wake up in the middle of the night listening to the staff laughing downstairs like at the previous hotel. A couple of things I didn't like was the fact that the bathroom had a frosted bathroom window that lit up the sleeping area. It still doesn't make sense why they would put a fixed window between the bathroom and the bedroom. Tulcan: We didn't stay there over-night. We simply rode in from Ipiales just before noon, and returned before sundown. The shopping wasn't all that much cheaper than Bogota, but the cemetary was definitely something to see. In Ipiales, we were told a number of times by cabbies and hoteliers to not stay out after dark, not even in the plaza. Unfortunately due to the cold, my girl and I began to come down with something after touring the Santuario in Ipiales, and I did have to go to a drug store at the corner of the plaza after dark. Plenty of cops around patting down plenty of guys. I just kept my eyes straight and hurried along to and from the drug store. By the way, PAX worked fantastic - I only wish it were available in the US. After our 3rd night in Ipiales, it was time to go back to Bogota, but our flight was out of Pasto, so we took a "collectivo" cab for just 9k each from Ipiales to Pasto. Two other ladies rode with us. For a total of 45k, minus 6k for the toll, I don't know how they stay in business. The cab from the bus terminal to the Pasto airport was a bit stiff at 36k, but to be fair, he has to pay 12k in tolls alone, and the drive one-way was almost 40min. But, he drove us around town for about 2 hours (extra 8k per hr), and managed to prove to us that we didn't miss much by not staying there over night. Well, my next trip will be over the holidays, but I'm thinking of mostly spending it with my girl's family in Bogota, and my sister-in-law's family in Cali. But on the trip afterwards, we're looking to fly down to Leticia. That should be interesting. Thanks again all for the tips on traveling only during the day, and getting in and out of Ecuador. Internally I was laughing at the money changers. Going into Ecuador, I felt like telling them, "I'm from the US so I already have some .. and I'm sure I can use my ATM card in town." And going back into Colombia, "I'm from the US - I think I can still use these dollars I have back there." But, I just smiled, shook my head "no", and kept my mouth shut.

Robert697 comments on Traveling to Pasto and Ipiales

Thanks all for the comments. Lucky for me, yo si hablo español, y tengo casi nada de accento. The last time I went to Colombia, as the taxi was taking me to El Dorado in Bogota, the driver thought I was Colombian going away on business or something. But basically, I know how to keep my mouth shut and let the person who's with me do the talking. I have "olive" skin, which I'm going to darken a little in the Arizona sun these next couple of weeks. Add to that the dark-brown hair, dark brown eyes, many have no idea where I'm from. Also wear contacts on my visits so that folks don't see that I have the cash to afford glasses. All this chatter about crime on the roads makes me think that perhaps it would be best to skip Pasto, fly directly to Ipiales (for the church), then cross into Ecuador. Perhaps it would be best to fly into Popoyan. For what I've read, it's nicer than Pasto anyways. I'll keep you all posted on my travels.

Robert697 comments on Traveling to Pasto and Ipiales

Double-click ups.

Robert697 comments on Traveling to Pasto and Ipiales

Morrongo, thanks for the response and all the information. Is it easy to get a hotel in Pasto once we're there? Or should I try to get a reservation? When we went to Melgar in December, getting off the bus, there were a couple of guys trying to entice us to go to some hotels they recommended. It actually worked out nicely. My girlfriend has a passport from when she traveled to Spain and other EU countries a few years ago.

Robert697 comments on Western Union Comments solicited

1-time deal? Moneygram. The exchange rate is better than WU, but you can verify that on-line. Colombia does charge a .004% tax, and they round down to the nearest 100 pesos.