Rubiazo has left 1986 comments

Rubiazo comments on

I say go to the plazas de mercado. Better and cheaper food. Fuck a supermarket in Colombia, they suck!

Rubiazo comments on Happy hour, St. Marks

I'm playing but it's all during the day this weekend. Email me thru the site or rubio at ricamusica.com for more info. :P

Rubiazo comments on Happy hour, St. Marks

He's not anywhere near NY anyways It was just a joke, a bit of an inside one maybe. BUT If you actually got the impression that he would want to come you haven't been reading the forum very closely :P

Who else is in the NYC area that we need to invite?? All are welcome, just remember it's dutch, Elmo and I are broke HAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!!!

Let's do it on Monday, Monday is awesome for me cuz I work my ass off on Sunday and usually take Monday off when I can! I'll get there around 4:30pm!

Rubiazo comments on Americans

You can't grow coca here it is very sensitive to climate change. The weather in North America is just too variable. It really only grows well in the Andes.

Rubiazo comments on Pig slaughter

I heard the best thing when you kill a big animal is to fish the tenderloin up and pan sear it while its still warm. Most of the other beat is better aged some so that the natural enzymes and bacteria make the meat more tender.

Rubiazo comments on Shorts and Sandals

happy hour guys lets all do next week- monday or tuesday is good for me!! que viva la guachafita hijueputa!

Rubiazo comments on Hangovers in Colombia

Gayest place on Earth is Toronto as far as I'm concerned, although I have been told that Sydney may take the cake!

Rubiazo comments on IS Brooklyn In the House...Without a Doubt

for NYC it was 6.9 per for 2005. It's slightly elevated for first half of 2006 but I don't remember the number, I heard it on TV. :P

16.2 is a DAMNED good improvement. That's just over 80% down from it's highest of 87!!

to me anything between 5 and 10 is normal. Below 5 you are probably living in a police state whether you know it or not!!

Rubiazo comments on Lost city

I think my gf was talking about the summit of the Sierra Nevada in that case. I thought the Lost City was near the summit but I guess I was mistaken! :p

She was telling me that the best defense against mosquitoes in that climate is to take these B complex vitamins they make down there for ONE MONTH prior to making the trip. I dunno why that would work, but she says thats what she had to do for her forestry thesis in northern Boyaca.

Rubiazo comments on Hangovers in Colombia

Oh and BTW NEVER mix alcohol and Red Bull. It's like running your liver through a meat grinder, not to mention your heart.

Rubiazo comments on IS Brooklyn In the House...Without a Doubt

I thought you were in DA 404!

Rubiazo comments on Lost city

Maybe my number is off I'll have to double check that, that sounds unrealistically high doesn't it? It's into the 5 digits though in feet, appreciably higher up than Bogota.

Rubiazo comments on Lost city

From my gf there were paras up in the mountains but supposedly all or most of them have since come down. That safety warning is old and has been updated to take the Lost City out of it. This has all been covered here before you sleepy people! We went through this several months ago.

But regardless, listen to Uncle Gator. I might add what my gf told me as well, the Lost City itself is at some 13800 ft above sea level. That's a whole new level of altitude sickness, so those with respiratory problems should be extra careful!

Rubiazo comments on Creative Commons in Colombia

Talk to someone at Unilago you might be SURPRISED how crazy they are getting about catching illegal downloaders and software pirating!

Rubiazo comments on Creative Commons in Colombia

I was worried to click on this hoping it would be more bad news

Unfortunately Colombia is going the same sad way as the USA regarding overly draconian 'rights' culture in most aspects.

Rubiazo comments on A public service announcement

guero is MEXICAN in Colombia they say 'mono' for that. Everywhere else it's "Rubiazo"!

Rubiazo comments on Advice to Gringos

Where I draw the line is when people SMELL BAD.

If someone looks like a mess you can always look away, but if they smell bad you cant just ignore it like that!

Rubiazo comments on IS Brooklyn In the House...Without a Doubt

Some numbers NYC 6.9 homicides per 100k population
Bogota 23
Medellin 45
Cali 90
Barranquilla 53

Not to scare you, it's not necessarily to say you need to stay indoors the whole time just remember Colombian cities are all WAY more violent than NYC.

Boogie down BX here BTW!

Rubiazo comments on Hangovers in Colombia

Hangovers in Bogota the altitude definitely has a big effect on it. Best to take it easy for 4-5 days upon arriving.

Of course I didn't take my own advice this time around and my gf her best friend and I polished off 3 bottles of Viejo de Caldas the night after I arrived. They said they really wanted to see me pissy drunk once, and they got it! I was OK the next day though. I've got Ukranian and Polish blood in me and THOSE guys invented the stuff!

as for a cure, the Canadian way is to have a 'redeye', beer with tomato juice in equal parts and maybe a nice raw egg in there! Works every time!

Rubiazo comments on I want to visit a Colombian slum

Oh yes AND anybody who thinks NYC is a dangerous place really hasn't travelled much. sorry. The worst neighborhood in NYC isn't shit compared to how dangerous it can get in other parts of the US and Canada, much less Latin America.

Rubiazo comments on What City In Colombia has The Smartest Women??

Bogota Most of the universities, libraries, art galleries museums and theaters are here.

Rubiazo comments on Colombia is not always Pasion "Nacionalismo mal plantado"

Colombia isn't the only country Where you see squeegee people cleaning car windows at intersections. You will see that all over Brazil, Mexico, DR, PR and not just Latin America too, you will see that all over Canada!

You USED to see that in NYC up until the mid 90s they went after them viciously. Is it better there now? People are more miserable there than ever now!

I have yet to see poverty in Colombia like I have seen in my native Canada. Admittedly a greater PERCENTAGE of the population is poor here. I think just the fact that people are less concerned about material things here IN GENERAL makes life easier for much of the population.

I think those happiness studies are bullshit though anyways. You can't even really define happiness properly, much less measure it. I just hope Colombia doesn't lose all the things that are great about it in some stupid misguided quest for things they really don't need. Colombia needs to be reminded that it is not nor will ever be the US or the UK or any other country, nor does it need to be. It just needs to be itself, but better :P

Rubiazo comments on I want to visit a Colombian slum

kennedy and roma AINT poor they're mostly estrato 3. I would live there.
Certainly nothing like bolivar usme and the others.
The worst thing about those real poor neighborhoods that nobody mentioned yet is the open sewers. DISGUSTING!

I would go to those real poor neighborhoods if I actually had half a legitimate reason to go, but I dont see the point in just going to gawk either.

Rubiazo comments on backpacking through colombia as a single american female

Personally I could do without all but the top 10%, even if it means I don't make the cut!!

Rubiazo comments on Tourists with no Money

Sniff sniff smells like troll in here!

Rubiazo comments on Born in Colombia, living in the U.S.

Those numbers seem way low to me I think those are LEGAL immigrants only. There are a helluva lot more than 700k Dominicanos in NY alone I'm sure and thats after they have started to leave in numbers.

Rubiazo comments on More idiot posters

Whats with ripping on the backpackers? Damn, I don't think that look is any good either but nobody's forcing me to wear it or like it. Just leave them the hell alone! Who cares if they don't want to comb their hair really? They weren't put on this planet to please your asses!

Rubiazo comments on backpacking through colombia as a single american female

Wow tinto you are quite the optimist. I think 90% or more of humanity is a waste of oxygen and the world would be better off if they were feeding the daisies!

Rubiazo comments on So You Think Travel In Colombia Is without Concern:

Correct me if I´m wrong but isn't it mostly DESERT south of Neiva and not jungle? Also, I don't think Uribe is pushing the FARC back, that would be the military's job. Pretty hard for one person to do no? Even if he looks real dapper in his kevlar shirt.

And for the record, the Bronx is pretty safe at any hour of the night these days. I should know, I live and work there!

Rubiazo comments on does the Colombian culture have anything in common with the Japanese culture?

Most cultures Have the custom of not getting right down to business but eating and drinking first. The US is one of the rare exceptions. If you went to Brazil India or France you'd see the same thing.

I think I'm turning Japanese too. I really think so.

Oh, and El Corral is cheaper and MUCH better than Mickey D's and uses better ingredients.

Rubiazo comments on backpacking through colombia as a single american female

The area of Colombia bordering on Ecuador is the most dangerous area of the country. I wouldn't be caught dead there alone and I'm a big scary looking guy who knows how to fight and speaks fluent Spanish and routinely goes into bad neighborhoods to drink and party. If I were you I'd spring for a flight into Cali. For the record my Colombian gf wouldn't go there either.

Rubiazo comments on Superstitions

Getting hit by a bird is supposed to be real good luck. All I know is it's disgusting!

Rubiazo comments on Damn hot in NYC

According to Elmo Barranquilla is just as hot for most of the year as it was in the heat wave here. God knows if I lived there I'd sleep in an air conditioned room from 8am-4pm every day, wake up, eat a LONG breakfast and not go outside till the sun was going down!

Rubiazo comments on Getting a little bored in Bucaramanga, any advice?

Have two of them go at each other and you work on the remaining one :)

Rubiazo comments on scumbag of the year

Yeah actually UC is right the waiting list is now about 4 years long. :(

Rubiazo comments on Need Advise. Big Problem Brewing

Won't do any good when you enter on a fiancee visa there is no other legitimate path to staying here but to return to your country and re-apply on other grounds.

Rubiazo comments on LOL-Lady On Craigslist Will Pay 20K for Marriage to US Citizen

Up until 50 years or so ago There was NO SUCH THING AS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. People pretty much marched in. They had to take a medical exam upon arrival, which was paid for out of public funds. That was it!

Anybody who arrived then or had their ancestors arrive that way is just being a HYPOCRITE because if it weren't for the then OPEN BORDER your ass might not be living here right now.

Of course then there is the fact that this country is rapidly going to hell in a handbasket and one has to even wonder how much longer it will be DESIRABLE for an immigrant.

Rubiazo comments on scumbag of the year

Something wrong here you can NOT sponsor a spouse or ANYBODY else into the USA unless you are a citizen. You can't even START the paperwork without citizenship. A green card does you no good whatsoever.

I wonder if the story is correct or if there is more than one side to it!

Rubiazo comments on Need Advise. Big Problem Brewing

Deason you are not BIASED you are PREJUDICED. Bias implies justification. Your attitude is not justifiable.

Why don't you get out of your air conditioned bus and look at YOUR OWN COUNTRY. There's not a single place on Earth I'm aware of that doesn't have horrible conditions SOMEWHERE within its borders.

I was born and raised in Canada and we have areas there that are worse than ANYWHERE you could show me in Colombia. They just don't happen to receive any media attention.

To be fair there are a lot more people in Colombia who are poor than there are in Canada but that doesn't mean one country is superior to another.

For the record, I am almost certain I will be going down there next year to live full time. And my gf who was born and raised in Bogota is willing to visit me here in NYC but she NEVER wants to live anywhere in the USA. You have a very narrow and misguided view of the planet.

Rubiazo comments on My young cachaca wife just had plastic surgery.

That wouldn't work here if you give that image in NYC people will NEVER give you any good work here. It's all about image. That's why everybody is in debt up to their ass here, even people who make a lot of $$$$ :P

Rubiazo comments on Need Advise. Big Problem Brewing

at Gringodiego Since 1996, NO MORE grandfathering in. And in this girl's case she can't get another visa in ANY way shape or form without returning to Colombia first.

Elmo I got a great story for you. Some of my gf's work colleagues are a little bit on the gold-digging side and met a couple Israeli gringos on the net. Two of them went to the airport to meet the two that were coming in, and they were all kissy kissy and touchy touchy in the cab on the way to the place the guys would be staying. It turns out these Isrealis were broke as all fucking SHIT and were staying in South Bogota in the most run-down DUMP you could imagine. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH those girls cursed them out and left! They said they felt so dirty being used like that by a couple of poor-ass MF's!
8)

Rubiazo comments on Santa Marta safe ????

The Del Rey Isn't that like shooting itself in the foot? A good many of those girls come over from Colombia in the first place! Plus I don't see how they could charge those rates in Colombia, unless Cartagena is a LOT pricier a place than Bogota.

Rubiazo comments on "Corroncho Regueton Queen": Yasuri Yamileth

Ecnomically their PPP stats are about 30% higher than Colombias this year. :P

Of course as a tourist that's not a good thing necessarily :P

Rubiazo comments on Need Advise. Big Problem Brewing

I have another theory She probably THOUGHT she wanted to come to the USA and thought that the grass was greener and that she was willing to put up with this guy's weirdness for that, and then she got here and saw what a fucking dump it was and realized she was probably better off in Colombia. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Robertdeason!

Of course, it's just another theory and a 'fucking dump' is really a matter of perspective. One man's dump is another man's palace and all that. But many people from other countries come here and get their faulty perceptions about how good life is here busted into about a thousand pieces on their first day here.

We really have no idea what was or is going through this particular Colombiana's mind. I do agree that it's really not worth it to be an illegal here anymore. 20 years ago I woulda said hell yeah just overstay your visa and Bob's your uncle. Different world now.

Rubiazo comments on Jobs in Medellin

Actually those hours wouldn't bother me much. What WOULD bother me would be having to work at 8 or 9am like everybody else and having to go through rush hour twice a day 5 times a week. Eff that! I dunno how people do it here either!

Aside from teaching English or can be self-employed somehow or if you work for a multinational that would transfer you there I don't see too much opportunity in Medellin. I assume you could get shit jobs at minimum salary without much trouble but the more the job pays the less openings there are gonna be.

Rubiazo comments on Damn hot in NYC

I wonder what really is the hottest spot I guess it must be the desert in Huila. Dry heat is not as uncomfortable as humid heat but it's actually a lot more dangerous even.

I remember being a kid during a heat wave in summer where it was about 41C out and maybe 10% humidity. I was riding my bike and didn't stay properly hyrdated. Next think I knew, I almost fell off my bike and started shaking, breaking out in this crazy cold sweat. I had to go inside right away. I was sick as hell for 3 days afterwards. Heat sickness :(

Cartagena really doesn't get THAT hot. It rarely goes above 32C/90F there. Even BAQ usually peaks around 35C or so in the day, and goes down quite a bit at night.

Victoria BC has a beautiful climate, although not much else. Anywhere west of the Rockies generally has great weather. Even Anchorage actually has pretty good weather. Winters aren't any colder on average than they are here in NYC and summer is NEVER hot or humid.

In South America it seems that even temprate cities like Santiago and Buenos Aires and Florianopolis tend to have a lot milder weather than temperate areas in North America do. If you look at a climograph for those cities they are MUCH smoother. In the summer you'll get low 30s C/low 90s on a hot day, but not too often and not too much, and in the winter maybe once in a blue moon you may get snow, but for the most part it is just rainy and on the cool side, maybe around 10C=50F or so.

Rubiazo comments on Damn hot in NYC

It was the same way when I was growing up in Winniepg, you are just expected to be stoic about some of the world's worst weather. If you opened your mouth to bitch about it you were a pussy and subject to a beat down. Personally I'm glad I got away from that ass part of the world. What the hell are people even doing living there anyways?

Rubiazo comments on Damn hot in NYC

I'm going to Bogota on WED this past week has been H_E_L_L. If you have been following my posts at all, I suffer from pretty bad ezcema, and right now my legs are a mess because of it.

NYC gets hotter than Colombia ever gets in the summer (except for maybe parts of Chocó or the desert in Huila??) and colder than it gets in the winter (except for maybe the peak of the Sierra??). Bogota is gonna be just like landing in heaven right about now!

Of course my hometown of Winnipeg gets just as hot in the summer as here, and in the winter it can hit -40 or below sometimes.

Rubiazo comments on

The most intolrance I ever experienced was in Memphis TN and surrounding area. In general in my experience the more rural the area the more intolerant people are. Admittedly lots of places in Canada give the rural South a run for its money.

You guys just aren't going to run into the same things I'm going to run into because you look and act differently. Not including Texas where I've never been and by all accounts is a totally different ball-game, I would NEVER want to live anywhere in that part of the country.

For that matter I'd never want to live anywhere that's not a city of at least 5 million people. I could NEVER live anywhere in Colombia outside of Bogota either, and for much the same reasons. People go back to the middle ages once you get rural enough. There may be exceptions, but this is my rule of thumb. Every time I have seriously feared for my life has been in a rural area, NEVER once in a city have I had such a problem. Your mileage may vary.

And back to our subject, SO SORRY, any statistics will show that the NE does NOT have the worst education in the country. Dollars to donuts most or ALL of the worst schools in the US are to be found in rural areas. As bad as NYC's public education can get it can get MUCH worse in some other places.

My point is, more often than not, the same problems one would face educating one's kids in Colombia are the SAME problems we face in the US. If we want to get self-righteous about how much better things are up here, at least pick something reasonable like the economy or the crime rate, NOT education! I'm sure there are enclaves in Colombia that happen to have decent public schooling too, mostly richer areas where taxes are high just like here! ADmittedly, there are many MANY countries that do way better than both on public education.

Let's get real here. If you REALLY wanted to insist on getting a top notch public education for your kid, you should go to France or Sweden or Japan or Germany or some other country that really gives education a top priority, and neither the US Canada NOR Colombia would be on your list.

Rubiazo comments on

I've been over half the country and for the most part NO THANK YOU. Visited the South, HATED IT. Full of intolerant people, sorry but it's true. I could NEVER live anywhere you had to drive a car anyways. I HATE cars.

My ex-wife isn't budging from NYC anyways, so that's where the kids stay. As for me I think it's Bogota or bust at this point.

I just don't think Bogota is a bad option for kids. I think there are a lot more opportunities for education down there and things are generally better-oriented for kids than in most of the US.