Rubiazo has written 33 posts
My Friends' Band in Bogota
These guys are a GREAT British style rock/pop band singing ALL IN ENGLISH based out of Bogota. They have been nominated for 2 awards by Shock magazine, Colombia's most prestigious music publication. I want all you sorry punks to go and vote for them - the link is:
http://200.26.128.43/premiosshock/votaciones.php
The band is called THE HALL EFFECT and they are listed under 'mejor nueva banda' and 'mejor banda rock'
Samples of their work can be heard a ...
Happy hour, St. Marks
Elmo, Rocinante, Morphus, whoever else is in town let's meet up next week, Monday or Tuesday, happy hour. Let me know soon before I got plans.
Franko, you can't fucking come! :p
Message for MR HOLLYWOOD
Elmo forgot your freakin email. I'm going to be in BOG from tomorrow on. I'm thinking of getting a bunch of us from here and CBlog together for dinner on Monday nite. Let me know if you are interested in coming. You can email me through the site.
Also if I missed anybody else that's currently in BOG feel free to email me. Franko, you can't fucking come! ...
Colombianas in NYC Part Deux
I'm resurrecting this topic because I think it's a good one.
IMO looking for Colombianas in NYC as an alt strategy to going to Colombia looking for love is silly. Well, I think going ANYWHERE looking for love is a bit silly TBH, but I just want to put a little reality out there for some of my amigos :P
There are obviously many different classes of Colombians here in NYC. There are the mafiosos (and mafiosas), there are the familial types that hardly ever leave their ...
Colombia compared to OTHER SA COUNTRIES
I would really like to talk about how Colombia stacks up to other countries in South America. i.e. what are the +'s and -'s of Colombia compared to Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina etc. I'm starting to get sick and tired of talking about the US Canada and Europe.
I know economically in South America right now Chile is way on top, Bolivia is on the bottom, and everybody else kinda falls in between. Beyond that, these countries have an enormous amount of similarities among them and so ...
What is missing from Bogota
I have heard a few posters say that Bogota is not a modern sophisticated metropolis, that it is not 'in the same league' as NYC or other big cities around the world.
What in all of your opinions would need to happen in Bogota for it to get to this level then? In other words, what is it that Bogota is missing right now that precludes it from being a real player on the world scene.
Personally I think they are eventually going to have to run a train line along the Car ...
US Banks that DON'T charge the 3.5%
I'm thinking of switching my bank from Chase since they instituted that ludicrous 3.5% international ATM withdrawal fee. Does anybody know which banks here
1) Have online banking at no additional charge
2) Do not charge the international withdrawal fee?
3) Have debit cards that work with either Visa or MC? ...
Wow!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4336660.stm
Even though i REALLY don't like communism I gotta say I'm respecting Chavez more and more each day. One thing you can say, the guy has got some BALLS! ...
Getting pesos OUT of Colombia
I ended up with over a million pesos on me on my last day. I divided it in half and took half in my money belt and gave the other half to my gf to try to send to me.
I so far have had no luck even finding a place that will change them here in NYC. Chase bank won't even accept Colombian currency AFAIK. I have tried a million places. Today I actually talked to the owner of a business in Jackson Heights that is about to go down to Cali soon but he had no money on him. I left the mon ...
For those who made it last night and those who missed out!
Thank you to everybody who came out from PBH to support me last night. You guys made up part of one of the best audiences I ever had, and I mean that!
For those of you who missed the show, I am doing one more gig tonight, at El Bulín, on 54th ST just west of carrera 7. I will be playing at 7pm and 9pm in between shows of a Bolivian band which is supposed to be excellent.
Franko and GIB you didn't show up last night, WTF happened?? My gf was very disappointed!!! :p ...
Two things i can NOT find in Bogota
1- Cuts of meat with the BONE IN
2- Sea salt or kosher salt.
Can anybody help me with these things? #2 is a real biggie for cooking!!
NEW DATE RUBIAZO LIVE THIS SAT
I will be playing at EL Taller in Candelaria on Saturday. It will be a real short in and out hit, from 7:30pm until 8:30 or 9. Don´t trash your plans for Orange bar for this if you have already made em, but if you are in the area or would like to stop by anyways please do so. It is at calle 13a and carrera 4. ...
GREAT taxista for hire
I would like to thoroughly recommend my new friend Melko as a driver. He works by radio dispatch and by cellular with private clients. He is an expert driver, knows the whole city like the back of his hand. Not once did he even blink when I gave him an intersection or an address. He also doesnt feel the need to go 2349723686kph like some of these guys. I hired him yesterday for 7 straight hours to do my auditions. He took me to 8 different destinations, plus one stop for food, and then home. He ...
What am I missing in Candelaria
Everybody else on the forum seems to love it there. I went the one time and it was the only area of the city that i downright hated. It was so DEAD so early, and so FILTHY! What am I missing? I´m planning to pass through there tomorrow auditioning anyways, but can somebody recommend something cool there to maybe change my mind?? ...
Anybody up for Candelaria tonight?
Lucia mentioned that they are starting a street festival there tonite. I´m planning on getting there maybe for 8:30 or 9:00. Anybody wants to hook up with me hit my Bogota cell 311 879 4919. If you´re feeling stingy send a text msg from the internet :P I´m sure I won´t be hard to find down there. ...
RUBIAZO LIVE SEPT 15
Rubio will be playing your favorites from the 60s 70s and 80s LIVE Thursday Sept 15 in honor of the international ´día de amor y amistad´.
The place is Orange bar, which is on the east side of the Centro Comercial de los Heroes, right around the corner from the Heroes Transmilenio station. The address is Transversal 18 # 79-39. You can also get off at 76th.; its just as good. Just walk around to the other side of the mall and look for the orange and green.
Show time will be 8pm ...
getting a Canadian tourist visa
My gf and I want to go to the Canadian consulate here in Bogota to check on getting a visa for her to meet me in Montreal. I am a Canadian citizen living in NYC but most of my family now lives in Montreal. What documents should she and I bring to the consulate, how long is the process etc_
ç ...
Whoever is ISO Simcards in Bogota
My gf´s friend just hooked me up at a great price. He can do a lot better than the 25k pesos (plus minutes) posted on here. If anybody is in the market, PM me and I´ll give you his number.
Arrived in Bogota
Yesterday I got in in the afternoon after a crazy all-nighter packing:
Some initial observations at the beginning of my 2nd visit-
Colombian juices RULE. I was so happy they had them on the plane on the way down. It is hard to get anything that good in Canada or the US.
I actually flew JFK-MDE-BOG for some reason (it came out cheaper) and so had a 2 hour stopover in MDE. I got a lot of dirty looks from the Paisas at the airport because I was wearing shorts. Well hell, I was ...
T Minus 55 hours
I fly out to El Dorado via MDE first thing Monday morning. I am now JUST starting packing.
I will be in 'el techo del mundo' from aug 15- sept 22, barring trips to tierra caliente, or sudden disappearance for one reason or another ;P
By the time the trip is over we will see if my initial observation about Bogota being a very arts-oriented city is correct or not. I will also get to see if my abilities are competitive with the local professional musicians.
This trip will be i ...
Colombian music in NYC area
Somebody PLEASE post about good Colombian music anywhere in or near NYC. Where is it, when can you see it, how much does it cost, is it as good as it is down there, etc. Or even Andean music or Bolivian music or Venezuelan or Brazilian or whatever. Actually I know of a couple of Brazilian things downtown that happen on a weekly are good to go see, but I won't post them unless someone asks for them as they are a little off-topic.
I used to love seeing the groups at the places in Queens whe ...
Nobody's posted on the Al Queda coke thing yet?
In today's Daily News here was a front page article about a plan of Al Quaedas to buy Colombian cocaine off of the guerillas and poison it. I find the whole thing dubious, but think of the ramifications of Al Quaeda and FARC and other groups like that hooking up across the globe. Would definitely make for some 'interesting times', no? ...
How much money does one REALLY need to live decently?
I would put it at about 1.5-2 million in Bogota, break it down as follows:
Rent- 300k
Utilties- 60k
Transport- 100k
(being very generous and accounting for taking lots of taxis, personally I would be bicycling mostly down there so my costs would be even lower)
Food- 200k (you are what you eat)
Medical Insurance- 60k
Internet- 90k (cabletv broadband)
Communications- 50k (www.skype.com 1.7 euro cents a minute to US Europe Canada Australia ...
Something from another forum
This post is taken directly from the brazzil.com forums- it was originally posted by a Brazilian currently living in London called Chipolata (her nick not her RL name!)
I thought it was very relevant for here too. I keep hearing people complain about shit in Colombia that people encounter in every single country on Earth, as if it were 'a Colombian thing' or 'a Latin thing'.
Some 3rd world-like problems I encountered in the west:
- Endless & unpredictable st ...
Some GOOD things I noticed about Bogota
Here are some POSITIVE things I noticed about the way things are being run in Bogota right now. I won't bring up the food, or the climate or the education, etc.
-Taxis are easily available any time of day or night. Hailing a cab is easier there than in any other city I have ever been.
-Open liquor in a public place is legal. Prostitution is legal. Personal use of drugs is legal. In short, an adult can be an adult without breaking the law.
-The city is ...
Colombian work visa
Does anybody know how to go about getting a visa to work in Colombia? I work as a professional musician up here and don't have any education past my high school. Does the music thing count for anything? Do I have to find work first and THEN get the visa? How long is the waiting period etc etc etc? ...
Re: my earlier post on culture / violence
I took an informal poll of some of my Colombian friends, expats and people living down there. Not one of them said they would be willing to give up any of their Colombian culture in order to end the war or violent crime down there. It's not exactly hard science of course, as most of my friends are professional musicians themselves so they would proabbly tend to think more like I do. But there you have it. I honestly think that most Colombians wouldn't go for such a deal anyways. If you will forg ...
Are Colombians really "Catholic"
ColX's last reply brings up an interesting point? Are Colombians really that "Catholic" or "Christian" anymore or are they actually more advanced than say Americans, Europeans, Canucks, etc. or are they on a par with us? Most traditionally Catholic areas of the world have pretty much abandoned the Church's teachings and are Catholic by culture only, e.g. Quebec, Brazil, Italy, Spain, France, etc. I think Mexico is much more conservative than the rest of Latin America in this regard. Brazil is de ...
Colombia's 'image problem'
One thing I don't get, why people feel the need to 'rehabilitate Colombia's image' all the time.
I don't think Colombia has anything to be ashamed of the way it is. Yeah so it's a fucking bloody place and probably always will be. It has a nasty, bloody history of killing and raping and slashing and shooting etc. So it's the world's #1 exporter of drugs. So WHAT? Is that enough to make it an all-around awful place with nothing to offer the rest of the world?
To me, all the t ...
Sending electronics to Bogota
OK i just searched the site with a fine-tooth comb AND then did a google search on the web.
I'm trying to find out what exactly are the regulations for sending electronic items into Colombia.
I'm currently building a computer out of spare parts for mi novia. It's gonna be quite nice, but it will only cost me $140 or so because i have a lot of old parts lying around that I'm using. Total replacement cost for the computer and monitor etc etc will be around $250.
...
Help- complicated question!
I don't know why that last post got moved from here but I'll try again.
I am a Canadian citizen living in NYC. I have been here since 1997 and have my green card since 2001.
My novia is Colombian, lives in Bogota, never been out of the country, no visa whatsoever.
I'm trying to figure out how the Christ we are ever going to be able to live in the same place permanently.
She has one kid, 5 years old, currently in a good colegio in Bogota. Neithe ...
Is Estrato 3 OK for living?
I see that the vast majority of Bogota is either Estrato 3 or Estrato 4. Is there any huge difference between 3 and 4? I know one side of 1 de Mayo is 4 and the other side is 3. Is it worth the extra money to live in 4? ...
Getting a phone# in Bogota
When I go down to Bogota this August I wanna get a simcard for my cellphone down there so I can have a local # for my time there. Before I leave I'm planning to sell my cellphone but keep the simcard and hopefully keep the # going, (and go back to NYC and get a new cell and plug my simcard back in it).
Is there any way to do this? My novia can help me by registering the phone in her name and paying to keep it going if necessary. ...
If you're not a part of this travelicious experiment just yet, just sign up here. It's free & easy.
About poorbuthappy | About the travel guides | Travel guide editing | Community rules
© 1998 - 2008 Peter Van Dijck, all rights reserved.