sandramoreno80 has left 173 comments

sandramoreno80 comments on seeking information on my Contraseña id card: is this id I received temporary or permanent?

A contrasena is just a temporary card given to you at the time of taking out your cedula. It is proof that you have your cedula being processed and it is used at the time to reclaim your cedula when it has arrived. The average wait time for cedulas to be given to you is 12-15 months, I just had mine done (changed old type for new colour one) this weekend at the Consulate in London. I don't know about US but I would imagine it to be the same, the Consulate's website has a page where they list cedulas ready for collection you pick it up where you got it done.

sandramoreno80 comments on I was informed last nite of a change in the cedular!! if you dont renew this month you could have problems entering colombia is this true ???

The renewal programme has been going on for about 2 years now, the definitive cedula will be the yellow one with halogram and colour photo which has been issued for about the past 6/7 years for all new and duplicate cedulas. The deadline that exists is that on 31st December 2009 all old type of cedulas of which there are two (white paper ones which had to be laminated and the plastic cream/beige one) will cease to be valid so the new one has to be used or be in "tramite" as you get a contrasena. I haven't done mine but they are taking a long time here at the London Consulate, my dad's took a year and a half to get his, my mum is still in tramite since last October and the problem is well known as the Registraduria has had lots of issues with the company producing the cedulas, so much so that they were fined this week about 500 milliones I believe. What I don't know is about what happens if you are stuck in limbo and want to exist the country will it be ok to travel with a contrasena?

sandramoreno80 comments on

Got this off the internet: All nouns in Spanish are either masculine or feminine. The definite article (the) is el before a masculine singular noun (or los before a masculine plural noun) and la before a feminine singular noun (or las before a feminine plural noun). Following are some common rules: Nouns referring to male beings are masculine; nouns referring to female beings are feminine. Nouns ending in -o are generally masculine: el libro (the book). Nouns ending in -a are generally feminine: la pluma (the feather). The gender of a noun not ending in -o or -a must be learned and remembered individually: el lápiz (pencil), la clase (class) The following are more rules that might help you determine the gender of some nouns: Nouns ending in -d and -ión are generally feminine: La ciudad es grande. (The city is large.) La pared es grande. (The wall is large.) La nación es importante. (The nation is important.) La construcción es importante. (The construction is important.) A few nouns ending in -ma, -pa are masculine: El programa es interesante. (The program is interesting.) El mapa es grande. (The map is large.) El problema es facil. (The problem is easy.) Nouns ending in -ista may be masculine or feminine. el turista, la turista (the tourist) el artista, la artista (the artist)

sandramoreno80 comments on Registraduria llama residentes en el exterior a renovar cedulas (Español)

Vamos a ver si llego las nuevas cedulas a Londres, mi papa hizo la renovacion en Octubre del ano pasado y hasta ahora no le ha llegado. Pero no es solo para los del exterior, mi abuela, tio y primo aun esperan la de ellos que hicieron en Junio del ano pasado en Armenia.

sandramoreno80 comments on Colombia to Cuba flights

We just did CALI-PANAMA CITY (STOPOVER 1 NIGHT)-HAVANA return with Aerorepublica and Copa, this was Nov 26-Dec 3 for COP$1,600.000. Copa at the gate will sell you the Cuba entry card which costs US$20 per person and you also have to pay Cuba's exit tax which is payable only in CUC and is 25CUC. Cuba will stamp the entry card only, we have Colombian passports but they don't stamp them.

sandramoreno80 comments on El Dorado-Puente Aereo transfer question

American Airlines arrive into El Dorado but Avianca flights into Armenia fly out of el Puente A so we need to make our way to there.

sandramoreno80 comments on COLOMBIA BOGOTA TO ARMENIA

Last flight into Armenia I think is around 6pm, it's by Avianca and usually a Fokker 50 or Fokker 100 plane. The flight takes 50minutes. The luggage restriction is as per any domestic flight in Colombia, 20 kilos per person, if you fly in with an international ticket and the BOG-AXM-BOG ticket is included within the same PNR the airline will honour the international baggage allowance within 24hr or arrrival/departure. If however the domestic ticket is separate, they will not honour it but will usally let you have a few kilos over 20 for free and charge excess for the rest. Planes leave from Puente Aereo terminal. There are later departures by Avianca and Aerorepublica into Pereira from Bogota which by car is around and hour from Armenia on the Autopista del Cafe.

sandramoreno80 comments on

The closer it gets to date of travel the more expensive. We booked in July for travel in November for 1 month on one ticket and 6 weeks 2 others from London to Bogota. 1 month ticket with American Airlines with a 4 day stopover in MIA cost £534 and 6 week ticket with 4 day stopover in MIA with Virgin&AA cost £608 and 6 week ticket with transit via MIA with Virgin & AA cost £610.

sandramoreno80 comments on

I suppose it is a matter of preference but because we need the extra baggage allowance 2 pieces at 23 kilos via the States instead of 20 kilos via Europe our family have now started to travel via the US from London. Have travelled via Atlanta and Miami and the immigration process though lengthy is ok and no missed connections touch wood. The flights have always been on one ticket though so assume that we would be reprotected if one leg were to be late. We have always recently found flights via Europe to be the most expensive for the dates we wish to travel, but I have recently purchased tickets for beginning of Nov to beginning to Dec for £534 with AA via Miami and my parents have purchased tickets for beginning of Nov to mid Dec with Virgin/AA for £609.

sandramoreno80 comments on Is today a Colombian Holdiay?

Corpus Cristi and next Monday its another holiday for the Sacred Heart. Then on Monday 2nd July it's holiday for St Peter.

sandramoreno80 comments on postobon or colobiana la nuestra kola champagne

Definately Colombiana though I do have a soft spot for Premio Rojo yummy and also when we were younger there used to be one called Feskola, similar to Colombiana but I don't know if that one is still around.

sandramoreno80 comments on Which Country is Best for Colombian to Apply for Visa?

It is such a lottery whether you can get an English student visa that there is no certainty.

Friend of a friend: 24 female EAFIT graduate from Medellin and post-graduate studies, parents quite well off, property owning, etc.. Wanted to study English for a 1 year. No conections in England, just our friend. No visa.

Sister of my brother-in-law: 18 year old female, finished high school about a year ago, wasn't doing anything, brother (who lives here in UK) helped to apply for her visa (paid for school fees, living expenses, tickets), so they know she has connections in UK, family not well off. Student visa for a year.

It is the luck of the draw like I said there is no sure way of knowing who will be given an UK student or visitor visa.

sandramoreno80 comments on UK license

The DVLA website will explain the steps: www.dvla.gov.uk

sandramoreno80 comments on A Good Egg or A Bad Egg

We don't have eggs in the supermarket fridges here in the UK either, they are on a normal shelf.

sandramoreno80 comments on Colombian Travel Agencies / Sites

www.aviatur.com.co Aviatur is a national chain of travel agencies in Colombia.

sandramoreno80 comments on

"Most Colombians", thats quite a sweeping comment there Pow wow which I unfortunately can't agree with. Buying food and veg directly from the farm? Our farmers sell to the "mayorists" (wholesalers) and we have "galerias" or "plaza de mercados" in each town, village, city where fresh food can be bought. Prices are cheaper than supermarket and some Colombians still shop there, others chose the supermarkets, or others use both.

My family were users of the galeria in Armenia as it was centrally loacted and easy to get to, then they moved it to the via a Montenegro, about 10 minutes drive from our house. As a non-driving family the taxis were too much for their budget and so they don't go there as often as they did previously.

sandramoreno80 comments on

Expreso Palmira, Bolivariano and Flota Magdalena, these are the ones I know of

http://www.flotamagdalena.com/tarifas.htm
http://www.expresopalmira.com.co/tikets.htm
http://www.bolivariano.com.co/

sandramoreno80 comments on OH DEAR !!!!!!!!

I live in Surrey, work in Kingston-Upon-Thames, saw too much bare flesh yesterday I don't know I think I'm just too "friolenta". But yeah hope we have another great summer, though last year was pretty extreme.

sandramoreno80 comments on OH DEAR !!!!!!!!

A bit of sun and some people here in the UK go crazy, it was only about 13/14 degrees yesterday in the London area but saw loads of people walking around in t-shirts, vest type tops with bare arms during my lunch break.

sandramoreno80 comments on

Yeah Podborski there's alot of "camel hoof" in Colombia (that's what we call it here in England), too many extremely tight jeans on women.

Neets? I haven't heard of that one miamimike, but the chavs yeah in their sports gear (track suits), Reebok classic trainers, burberry caps and lots of bling ie. 9 carot gold chains and stud earrings bought from Argos (a catalogue chain of shops in the UK)

sandramoreno80 comments on New Jersey, Montenegro, Eje Cafetero

Immigration from this area has its root from back in the 60s. My parents lived in Armenia and lots of young people were emigrating to USA and Australia in the 60s, 70s. You just know lots of families that have had one family member get to the USA (legally or not) and then get their papers with all the amnesties they have had and then there is family repatriation.

My dad went all the way to Peru (no Aussie diplomatic representation in Colombia) in 1973 for an Australian Work Permit but those Aussies turned him down he he. Then a second cousin of his got him an English one in 1975. Here in the UK in those days there were loads of Colombians from Armenia and Calarca, Cali, Palmira. My dad was a bank cashier with very itchy feet and he said there wasn't anything in Colombia for him, so he went and my mum followed.

I remember a 7th of August parade in Armenia and you know they have the fire engines and police and army machines go down the principle avenue. It was just after the earthquake, around 2001 and some brand new fire engines were on display. They were all donated by the Colombian ex-pat community in New Jersey. I told my aunt what a nice gesture from fellow Colombians, she told me there was a particular town or area in New Jersey that had a high number of Colombians from Montenegro, Quindio.

The emigration to Spain has been a recent fact, in the 90s especially before the introduction of the Visa for Colombian nationals in 2002? Emigration to the UK was also quite easy until 1997 when they introduced the visa. You would come over to "study english", just had to have some money and say you were enrolling in classes and be given entry. Then you would overstay your 6 moth entry visa.

I'm not an expert so this is just my humble opinion but from what I have seen after the "narco" money started to run dry from the eje cafetero ie the construction boom started to even out, people started to jump ship. The usual story graduates with no job opportunities, lawyers/accountants driving taxis, no jobs, a few "haciendo politica" and pray the the right person's elected. Loads of tales of the middle classes having too many "culebras" and hoping over to Miami and ask for Political Asylum.

This is just my personal impression but I wouldn't be shocked if the majority of people in the eje cafetero were to know of someone that has emigrated be it Europe, North America or elsewhere.

As for Colombians in London now well I'm not really sure, we have a concentration of Colombian businesses in Elephant and Castle, so I would guess traditional residence has been South of the river, in boroughs such as Lambeth, Southwark. Mostly people from my experience I have encountered Colombians from Eje Cafetero, Valle and Antioquia.

sandramoreno80 comments on Flying to Colombia from Europe in August- seems very expensive

August is in the midst of the summer holidays for both Spain and London so demand will be high during this time and thus air fares will be too. Whilst August is not high season per se in Colombia (the school holidays are finished for some school/unis), it is high season here in Europe. The high season in Colombia would be Christmas, Easter, June/July (summer holidays)

I don't know where you live but the best air fares for going to Colombia in my experience has been through ex-pat/Latin American flight specialist travel agencies. They will have the best deals always, I have never travelled in August, always July and return end of Spetember (uni holidays) and through these travel agencies I have paid between £600 -700 rtn with Air France, BA (when they did the route)and Air France.

We use Condor Travel and Soliman Travel here in London but they are not online. There should be these travel agencies anywhere where a Colombian ex-pat community exists, London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Frankfurt.

sandramoreno80 comments on What are some of your favorite and specific ways of cooking the plantain?

green platano sliced and fried (little chips) or like a patacon, crispy and filled with lots of different fillings

platano maduro, longer slices and deep fried yum!

sandramoreno80 comments on beware with the ATMs

If I have read correctly one was a UK card and the other was a Colombian card?

sandramoreno80 comments on beware with the ATMs

Kat
I don't see whay your Kat

I don't see whay your bank will refuse this. Both my sister and Dad have had their card "cloned" here in the UK, but this was before chip and pin. Both HSBC and Barclays contacted them over these unusual transactions (it was in areas they had never been to before) and they gave them the money back and issued new cards.

But this is a real problem, here in the UK its been cornered especially by Sri Lankan and Albanian criminal gangs. They put the cover on over the cash machine and fit a camara to record your pin number. Then they put it on any plastic card and take money out using your pin.

sandramoreno80 comments on Transit Visa en route to Medellin from the UK?

Depends what passport you hold, if it's Colombian or any one where the USA requires a visa to enter, then yes a transit visa is needed.

If you have any from the countries that are signatories to the Via Waiver system then no you don't need a visa.

sandramoreno80 comments on Sending mail to Europe

My family in Armenia have just sent us a small magazine from Armenia on 3rd Feb and it arrived today 14th. This was with normal international Adpostal post which you can get at any Adpostal or Avianca post office. It cost them COL$22,000.

We were really surprised as it usually takes ages, also all the post that we get from Colombia is always opened in Colombia, searched and then re-sealed but nothing has ever gone missing.

sandramoreno80 comments on Bogota airport - Flight connections

Gbrldaor, as I have said above I ahve done this route many times as my family live in Armenia and I used to live in Armenia. I have come in from London but the procedure is the same.

I can not comment on whether you will be rushed through customs/immigration by Avianca staff as I have never been on an Avianca international flight into Bogota. It may be possible that Avianca staff will rush you through immigration because you come from a flight with them.

But I am aware that you must clear customs/immigration in Bogota as El Eden Armenia airport does not have this facility as it is not an international airport. So my reasoning would be that you would have to clear customs/immigration at El Dorado.

Once through immigration, you would pick up your luggage, go through customs (which is a traffic light system and is based on luck whether you are pulled for a search) Then you would go to the Avianca transer desks which are right there in the arrivals hall. You can not miss it, the international arrivals hall is not very huge.

They will check in your luggage, give you your boarding pass and send you off through a side door to take the shuttle bus to el Puente. Once in el Puente you can go straight to the waiting room for your flight.

sandramoreno80 comments on Bogota airport - Flight connections

I wouldnt think that it would be physically possible, if the plane were to arrive late etc.. and also disembarkation, immigration which can be a pain and then the chaos of the really small baggage hall.

As far as I am aware you can do the check-in after you have passed customs and your baggage is taken for the connecting flight and then you would have to get the shuttle bus to Puente Aero where the flights to AXM leave from with Avianca.

I have travelled many times from Europe to Armenia on that 18.15 hrs departure and if the flight is late and plus all those other factors, it has meant that I have missed that flight twice. I usually fly the next day (I have relatives in Bogota) or get put on the Pereira flight (they have one at 9ish I believe)

sandramoreno80 comments on

But you can't get any of those companies here in the UK, I'd stick with FedEx. They are really quick, I have sent stuff over to Armenia and it took 5 working days.

sandramoreno80 comments on Visa to expire. Wife says I´m fried!!

Has she got indefinate leave to remain? Or has she got entry clearance as a spouse?

If she has Indefinate Leave to remain, then you can not do anything about this. The only condition is the residency one, where you have to spend a certain about of days within a 2 year period or you can be denied entry at the airport. If she does stay in England for the stipulated period and you later divorce, she would be entitled to British Citizenship after 5 years of residency in the UK. If you were to have continued your marriage, she would be entitled to this after 3 years.

If she has an entry clearance then she would only be entitled to stay for the length of the visa and would not be able to apply for ILR as she would have to prove that you were living together and plan to do so in England.

sandramoreno80 comments on Visa to expire. Wife says I´m fried!!

Remember that your daughter can not be taken out of Colombia without you giving permission.

sandramoreno80 comments on Cabalgata

Cabalgata= Cavalcade
Got Cabalgata= Cavalcade

Got this from Wikipedia:

Cavalcade: ceremonial procession or parade, but usually of horses or vehicles, rather than people.

sandramoreno80 comments on

I think its a great law, I have read of so many cases here in the UK where an ex partner abducts the child and takes them back to their home country. These have been cases of mixed-race marriages that have broken down and the father then on a visitation kidnaps the child.

I have cut this from the Consulate's webpage:


PERMISO DE SALIDA DE UN MENOR

Todos los menores de edad colombianos que vayan a salir de Colombia, requieren permiso de los dos padres en caso de que estos no viajen con el menor. En caso de que el menor viaje en companñía de uno de los padres, se requerirá el permiso del padre ausente. En Colombia, en el aeropuerto le exigirán además el Registro Civil de Nacimiento.

Para la expedición de este documento se requiere:
· La presentación personal a este Consulado del padre o la madre del menor que va a otorgar el permiso.
· El documento de identidad (cedula o pasaporte vigente) de quién otorga el permiso.
· El registro civil de nacimiento colombiano del menor.
· Recibo de consignación por valor de £13.

sandramoreno80 comments on European Tourist Visas for Colombian Citizens with US Residency

As far as I am aware the possession of a Green Card does not exempt a Colombian passport holder from obtaining a visa to enter these European countries. You would still have to get a visa but I would imagine that it would be a straight forward process beacause there would be significant ties to your home country (USA).

There is no logic to this process unfortunately, both my parents have been UK residents since 1979 and they still had to get visas to visit France, Spain and Italy a few years ago. As long as you have a Colombian passport it does not matter (for some countries) where you have residency. I believe Switzerland will let you enter visa free if you are a UK resident, regardless of your passport but I do not know about US residents.

sandramoreno80 comments on Colombian Sayings

"No hay peor ciego que el que no quiera ver": Someone who doesn't want to see the truth is more blind than an actual blind person.

"Esta mas enredado que un bulto de cachos": Literally: It's more tangled than a sack full of horns. This means that something's really messed up or really complicated.

"Se despide mas que circo pobre": Used to describe someone who is quite vocal about them leaving but somehow takes ages to finally leave. Like a crappy circus who keeps on displaying "Final Night" signs, but it's never final night, they do so in the hope of bringing in customers.

sandramoreno80 comments on Mamita/papito/mama/papa

En mi casa mamita se usa en un contexto de carino/ternura. Mis papas me lo dicen hacia mis hermanas y yo, mis tias/tios hacia nosotros y mi abuela tambien. Ejemplo: "Mamita, venga para aca"

Tambien usamos papito para mi primo y el hijo de mi primo.

Tambien mamita/papito se refiere a la aparencia fisica de una persona.
"El es un papito"

Pero para mas enfasis se usa mejor mamasita/papasito.

sandramoreno80 comments on

Embarazada: Pregnant
Avergonzado: Embarassed

Sigas practicandolo timeout y no se preocupe por las fallas que asi es como uno aprende.

sandramoreno80 comments on

My parents got the transit visa 2 years ago as we did the same trip but with AA and via Miami. Check out the US Embassy in London, it has all the details.

You should ring as soon as possible to make the appointment, its a 09xx number so some networks may not let you ring it, but BT is fine. They rang in October, got the appointment in November, for travel in December.

They send you the pay in forms for Barclays bank, it was £60 per person then, you have to take in the stubs to the embassy. Fill in the electronic visa form online, print it out and take it with you and all the usual stuff (they took credit card statements, savings statements, payslips, flight bookings, letter of employment). Also special sized photos.

The interview was quick, its the waiting that takes the time, long queues outside and in, security checks etc. They tell you whether you have go the visa and then you go to the courier company at the exit and give them your details and pay so they will deliver your passports. The passports arrived quickly. They were given a 5 year multiple entry C1 visa.

As for the entry into the US, we all travelled together, them with a transit visa and my sister and I on Visa Waiver. There was no difference on the entry procedure, they got their passport swiped as were ours, then the camera shot and the fingerprint scans.
Apart from the queues, there is no problems, just as long as you have those entry forms filled in correctly, because they won't hesitate in sending you to the back of the line to fill them in again.

We travelled via the USA because the tickets were cheaper and the luggage allowance was 64 kilos per person instead of 23 kilos via Europe and we were real heavy as we had loads of xmas pressies and stuff for my cousin's baptism.

sandramoreno80 comments on things Colombia has to teach us

Things I would like to see here in UK:

1/Cheap taxis and being able to flag them on the streets
2/"Sastres" that will bring hems up, change zippers etc. We just spent £20 to have a broken zipper changed on my sister's coat here.
3/Handmade made to measure picture/certificate frames cost alot here, always get them done in Armenia
4/Pay as you go gyms- Pay by month used, not getting tied to a 12 month contract like you have to with LA Fitness, Fitness First or Holmes Place

sandramoreno80 comments on Dual Citizenship

Funky-Chunky, you can obtain your Colombian citizenship quite easily. The first step is to obtain your Registro Civil, which I am assuming that you haven't got. This should have been done when you were born, but I got mine done at 16 years old, so you can do it later.

I have taken this from the Consulado Colombiano en Londres website:

REGISTROS CIVILES DE NACIMIENTO

Deben registrarse todos los nacimientos ocurridos en Colombia y en el exterior de hijos de colombianos.

Requisitos para la inscripción:

1. Presentación personal del menor a registrar

2. Certificado de nacimiento británico en original donde aparecen los nombres de los padres. Este documento quedará en los archivos del Consulado. (If you don't want to give the original, go get a notarised copy from the regristry office where its from and say at the Colombian consulate that you lost it)

3. Documentos de identificación de los dos padres (cédula para colombianos y pasaporte vigente para extranjeros)

4. Certificado de Tipo de Sangre (opcional)

5. Presentación personal de uno de los padres si hay vínculo matrimonial. Deben traer Certificado o Partida de Matrimonio.

6. Presentación personal de ambos padres si no hay vínculo matrimonial.

La inscripción en el Registro Civil no tiene ningún costo. Las copias autenticas de los mismos tampoco tienen costo, a partir del 23 de noviembre de 2005 de acuerdo con la Circular 054 de la Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil.

After having your birth registered, you can then apply for your cedula and passport. Bear in mind that the cedula takes a couple of months to be ready. The passport is quicker. It costs £60 and handed over the next day.


Requisitos para la expedición de una Cédula de Ciudadanía por primera vez:

- Haber cumplido los 18 años de edad

- 3 fotografías recientes a color, de 4x5 centímetros, de frente con fondo claro, tamaño de la cara 2.7 centímetros. Debe haber un centímetro de distancia entre la cabeza y el borde de la fotografía.

- La copia autentica del registro civil de nacimiento.

- El certificado del grupo sanguíneo.

- Esta cédula no tiene ningún costo

It does seem to be quite alot of bother, but you have to see if it is worth it. Colombian nationality will mean you don't have to go to DAS and renew your visa. You just go to immigration and they don't ask you on the number of time you are staying. There is a limit on the number of days a foreigner can stay in Colombia per year. Also, you said you will be working there and you will either need a cedula or have to apply for a work visa.

sandramoreno80 comments on Visas - Advice from Colombians Please

If the two airlines involved have an agreement (like Avianca and Iberia) then one will receive the others luggage and transfer it to the other airline. In this case check in for the second flight isn't necessary because you will be given your second boarding pass in Bogota. In this case one single ticket is issued.

But the purchase of two separate tickets would mean having to pick up luggage and then checking in to the second flight, and this, regardless of whether having to change terminals or not, means clearing immigration. And for that to occur, a valid schengen visa is required for entry into Spain by a Colombian citizen.

sandramoreno80 comments on Visas - Advice from Colombians Please

A UK visa will only cover entry into the UK. The United Kingdom is not a participant of the Schengen Treaty and so travel into other European countries requires a separate visa. A good site to visit is:
www.ukvisas.gov.uk.

The process is quite straight forward, mainly the gathering of documentation from herself and from UK (if you were to sponsor her visit for example), downloading and filling an application form, photos, passport, fees, then ring the embassy in Bogota to arrange an appointment. They gave my aunt the appointment in like 2 weeks, then being there when the embassy opens to get your number (first come first served). They check your papers to make sure you have everything, then wait for your turn. She had an interview, asked some questions and told to return in the afternoon for the visa.

At least for my aunt, the questions were just to get the background information, reason for trip, who was sponsoring, the ties she had to Colombia. It is all down to the discretion of the visa officer, I mean she has no properties or savings, was single and would seem to be an ideal candidate for overstaying. But all that was balanced with the fact that she was my grandmothers principle carer, so she couldn't be away for a long time, she was over 50 and suffers from arthritis, so wouldn't be likely to start a new life in the UK.


These are the current Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. For waiting times to get these visa you would have to consult the relevant website for the embassy/consulate in Bogota, because as a resident of Colombia she would have to obtain one there.

Other European countries outside of Schengen would require a separate visa for entry.

I have had lots of family members and friends travel to the UK via Madrid with Iberia and they have NOT needed a transit visa to travel through Spain. The last person to do so was my aunt who travelled last November. I do not know if there has been any changes to that.

sandramoreno80 comments on Sending money from UK to colombia

I think you pay about 2-3% comission on any "giros" that you send with any ex-pat latino business. But they do tend to be concentrated in London, we use Condor in Kennington have so for years. There are also many in Brixton, Elephant and Castle and some in North London.

With Condor you can pay personally over there or they give their bank details, you phone to send the money, they give you the price, you deposit the money then ring to confirm. But I do not know if this is only for established customers.

I am assuming that you are in London, if not then I can not think of any other way.

sandramoreno80 comments on Paying airport tax (Continental)

I have a strange story about this exit tax, this happened 2 years ago when we last travelled to Colombia. We travel from London and have flown direct or via MAD or CDG to Colombia and the tax was never included in the ticket, we always got the tax discount and then paid the amount due to the airline.

This last time we went via the USA with AA and three of my family travelled ahead of me, they all got the discount and paid the tax due. I travelled 4 days later on the same flight to Miami and yet I wasn't asked for the tax. These tickets were all purchased at the same time. So did AA charge my family twice for the exit tax?

sandramoreno80 comments on Dual Citizenship

I thought that the Colombian law that they are enforcing is only applicable to those Colombians that obtained foreign citizenship after 1991. My parents have just got British citizenship this year, they have always had Colombian passports and are in the DAS database so therefore they will be expected to continue using their Colombian passports.

sandramoreno80 comments on Sending parcel to Colombia

Panda,
We have recently been Panda,

We have recently been sending small packages to Colombia (Armenia), all of these packages have been in those biffy envelopes (bubblewrap ones) in different sizes. They have all arrived to my grans house, not one has got lost yet (touch wood). In the past 3 months we have sent over 20 packages.

They are all sent as a small package via the Post Office with "International Signed For", you just fill in the recipients details, they stamp it and give it to you as a reciept. For a declared value of over £32 you can pay for more compensation if it is lost. We do not send things of value though, just baby clothes.

You pay the airmail price plus a fee for the International Signed For, this depends on the weight of the item.

It takes aproximately 10-20 days for it to arrive.

We had a bad experience with FedEx a couple of years ago, we sent one of their boxes full of baby stuff when my little cousin was born, paid 80 quid here, then Pereira customs kept it until my family spent around another 80 quids worth in taxes.

So since then we don't send parcels in boxes, we use this system of envelopes and are happy. Another way is through Casas de Giros in London, don't know if you know of them. These places are where expats wire money home to Colombia, the have phone cabins with cheap calls and some also have Servicio de Paqueteria. Any of the spanish language free newspapers that you get in any Latino business will have their adverts. There should be a business in Elephant & Castle for sure. These are roughly about £7 per kilo sent. Can not tell you more because we have never used it.

Hope this helps.
SANDRA LILIANA

sandramoreno80 comments on Cambio de Nombre en la Cedula

Mi madre tiene todo su documentacion Colombiana en su nombre de nacimiento. Y tiene todo su documentacion inglesa con el apellido de mi padre, nunca ha habido problemas.

En Colombia no se acostumbra usar los apellidos de los esposos, pues alla se usaba el nombre de la mujer + de + apellido de esposo y eso ahora esta fuera de moda.

Cualquier alteracion de la cedula se realiza en la registraduria en Colombia o en los consulados en el exterior. Es un tramite que se demora porque esas registradurias no dan abasto con los tramites, minimo 5 meses.

sandramoreno80 comments on Pandebono or Bunuelos....

Manky means something disgusting, horrible, it is a British term.

sandramoreno80 comments on Another morning in Macondo

A similar thing occurred in Armenia before the earthquake. The then mayor built an overpass on the CRA 18 over the Clle 26 which was completed late and opened then closed almost instantly because the overpass was a joke, the cars would have to pause and go slowly over the bridge as it wasn't a smooth curve, but rather like driving over a trapezoid.

Then the earthquake came, damaged it and that was the excuse to knock it down and start all over again. It's ok now.