spigrimace has left 672 comments

spigrimace comments on Fresh Seafood in Medellin??

I chuckle as one time a first time client and first time traveller to colombia at the old sports bar got into a huff because he asked me if the fish was fresh and I honestly replied that no it is all frozen as we are too many hours from the sea. He was all pissy about it. I asked him to look at a map. My fried fish was from Alaska. We used to buy it in 20k frozen boxes from an importer that ran refrigerated trucks to/from cartagena 2 times a week. Freshest I ever got was in Islas de Rosarios where the fisherman made ceviche from freshly caught shrimp. Was deeeeeeelish!

spigrimace comments on Barking Spider closing ?

Honestly oneformil, I dont buy the we wont patronize you because you are a gringo angle. Most of my clients were colombian and I gained a lot of respect from them for busting my ass, treating them as equals and bending over backwards for every client. Probably how I kept it alive for 5 years. Yes I have seen envious colombians, but when they start to see you as a down to earth friendly person, they drop the attitude. When we used to get 200 people for the super bowl, 150 were colombian. After big Nacional games or Barca vs. RMA classicos with 150 people, many colombian clients always were very polite and came up said hi to me on the way in, and thanked me on their way out. Catering to foreigners has to be just a small facet of your business plan. Not the main objective. I hate to use the word chichipatos but you have to help the cause or the cause wont be there. I dont want to make anyone feel bad, and we all know what it is like to be down on your luck, but for example, go say to Timeout and not spend anything or thinking you did your part buying a bottle of water sitting there from 3 to 6 hours enjoying free NFL when they have a lot of overhead costs, is unnacceptable. Especailly when I have to hear how that you make sooooo much money saved from a great salary or from your businesses, make $100k a year in the market or have 3 condos in Boca Raton. Either someone is lying or someone is a real cheapskate. I already have guys pissed at me because I keep telling the manager at Timeout to charge 20k minimum on NFL, UFC, etc. per person and pay it upon entering. Funny, one time at Alberts a table full of guys asked me why I sold my place. I answered because to have 40 guys sitting around and buying only 650k in food or drink every sunday for NFL isnt going to pay the bills. And many, every week, would buy the cheapest Del Oeste hamburguer and ask for a glass of water from the tap, which is when I noticed my faux paux as all the guys were eating Albert´s wednesday 2 x 1 burger special and glasses of tap water. "sigh".

spigrimace comments on Barking Spider closing ?

I believe he would like to sell it for 80 millones, everything included except for his personal effects. If you add up the bar & kitchen equipment, TVs, audio equipment, computer/register, posters, etc. He´s almost giving you all the reformations which are less than a year old, for free. All in all, quite cheap for that part of town. To put in perspective, That´s 20 million less than I got for my prima in Belen and my deal didnt include any equipment or the franchise, just the right to kick my arse out of the POS building! Perhaps Satan can pick it up and show everyone how to run a place. Remember 90% of bars/restaurants fail within the first 5 years. It´s not easy. 6 million a month for rent is the toughest obstacle to overcome.

spigrimace comments on Big Sports tonight for us Aussies and you Gringos.

So who won the race?

spigrimace comments on How to reconcile the goals of PBH: Being informative AND social - a suggestion: LET'S CHAT

Nacional 2, Envigado 1 - Final

spigrimace comments on Bill´s Pizza new catering services (Medellín)

Since I am a masochist....I just received a really nice carrefour 24 page ad magazine all for wines and nice things to accompany them like serrano ham, cheeses, chorizos, etc. I´m impressed that they have Cirison from spain at $659.990. They even have Mumm, Moet and Dom ready for New years. At least GY said his wine was in a bottle and not in a box. Ok, Let ´er rip, I need more emails to make me feel important.

spigrimace comments on Bill´s Pizza new catering services (Medellín)

I think I just spent 15 minutes deleting like 200 emails of "[PBH] New comment on Bill´s Pizza new catering services (Medellín)". No good deed goes unpunished. Now go patronize my buddy at Bills. Joysee Bill will be there on Dec. 6th and onward. Feel free to go say hi and tell him to make sure he uses fresh mushrooms, so this never happens again!

spigrimace comments on Bill´s Pizza new catering services (Medellín)

I agree with babygirl. GregYohn, did you ask the restaurant about the mushrooms prior to ordering? Caveat Emptor = Buyer beware and in almost all transactions, the burden always lies on the buyer. Personally as an ex-restaurant owner, regardless of price; you agreed to the price by ordering and if you didnt ask us what type of mushrooms one uses and simply ordered mushrooms and received mushrooms, and you declined to pay, I would have called the cops on you. The burden lies on you to know what you are buying. P.S. I will make a suggestion to Bill to use fresh mushrooms as I do not know what type he uses!

spigrimace comments on crazy shooting on bus in medellin

Belén IS Bethlehem in Spanish!!!!!!

spigrimace comments on Bill´s Pizza new catering services (Medellín)

Johnny, actually it is a friend´s venture. He asked me to post it, since he cannot join the site as PBH is currently closed to new members.

spigrimace comments on New, furnished rooms, in 12-bedroom building, now available in MEDELLIN 400-500K pesos/ month

I would also venture a guess that a taxi from Joel´s place to the base of parque lleras would take all of 8 minutes (barring heavy traffic on the 10) and cost less than 6 mil if going the route of Cra 66b in Belen crossing the 30 traffic light into and thru Barrio Antioquia (a little fea but what the hell) and over to the 10 by Terminal del Sur, where your next traffic light would be all the way over by Exito in Poblado coming up the 10. Super rapido!

spigrimace comments on

if you dont get it, it´s along the same lines of, I peed on your bar and bet the guys sitting at the back table 1000 dollars each that the bartender would be happy about it. This joke is just more elaborate!

spigrimace comments on Prestacion de Servicios?

I know most people want to do the right thing, but reality is most businesses here have to cut corners to survive so you can do what every almost every bar & restaurant and many small businesses in Colombia do: no contract, pay around 25 mil a day payable every 15 & 30 of the month. Before they start working, have them sign a paz y salvo letter with the date blank to be filled in at a later date when they leave the job, stating they got all their salary, benefits, primas, cesantias, pension, paid vacation, etc. and that they have no recourse as of the signing of the letter to come after you looking for more.

spigrimace comments on no ALCS, only NLCS on ESPN Colombia?

Game 1 not on Fox Sports in Colombia (Fox Sports argentina version which all colombia cable providers have). ALCS only on Fox Sports (Mexico Version) which is only available on Direc TV Colombia ch. 606.

spigrimace comments on Pissed off a Medellin BANCOLOMBIA teller this morning

Thanks bill and and next time I will make sure to keep sayng groSera. Thise who can´t, teach as they say.

spigrimace comments on

Brians, check http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/sports/tvlistings/deportes/?date=20091019&country=colombia as it seems espn is showing the games, thus anywhere with a TV and cable should be able to help you. ESPN & ESPN plus are on all Colombia cable providers. Change the country to Mexico and you get ESPN2 programming (ESPN2 only available to those with Direc TV colombia) and just use a world clock on the time difference between Colombia & Mexico as it is the same for 6 months and one hour difference for 6 months. How could you not use me as a resource for this????

spigrimace comments on Driving from Medellin to Bogota? Share costs?

why not just take the bus from Terminal norte for around 35 mil one way? Rapido Ochoa, Bolivariana, Arauca all in the biz and the ride is quite comfy with AC, nice reclining seats with foot rests, movies and you get to eat at Fogon Paisa. You can get the ticket day of at the terminal or Rapido Ochoa will even deliver it to you (must pay in exact cash)

spigrimace comments on Pissed off a Medellin BANCOLOMBIA teller this morning

oneofor, I keep all my deposits in a folder in case the payee asks for proof (which is another way colombians try to scam you is ask for proof of payment, say 20 months later) and all are signed by the teller.

spigrimace comments on Pissed off a Medellin BANCOLOMBIA teller this morning

Brians, there is a carbon copy, but you cannot give papaya down here. No copies were signed until I insisted.

spigrimace comments on Pissed off a Medellin BANCOLOMBIA teller this morning

Ironically, in the written amount of the deposit, in this case 234.320 pesos, she covers her ass and put large slashmarks in front of the first 2 and after the final 0 so the deposit amount cannot be augmented.

spigrimace comments on Pissed off a Medellin BANCOLOMBIA teller this morning

0.5 old bag

spigrimace comments on 14 month high for COL PESO

Looks like Colombia´s Banco de le Republica is starting to intervene today.

spigrimace comments on

Sapo, I didnt see you at Oviedo last saturday to watch the NY Metropolitan Opera broadcast. Next time come and bring the cannollis!

spigrimace comments on Colombia vs Chile - Internet

try atdhe.net starts at 6pm eastern

spigrimace comments on

Im curious if that bar has a nice big flat screen as the Colombia vs. Chile game starts at 5pm as well.

spigrimace comments on Note to Gringos Marring barrio girls

Umm Poblado is a Comuna.....Poblado, aka comuna 14. Its barrios are more or less: Barrio Colombia, Simesa, Villa Carlota, Castropol, Lalinde, Las Lomas Nº 1, Las Lomas Nº 2, Altos del Poblado, El Tesoro, Los Naranjos, Los Balsos Nº 1, San Lucas, El Diamante Nº 2, El Castillo, Los Balsos Nº 2, Alejandría, La Florida, El Poblado, Manila, Astorga, Patio Bonito, La Aguacatala, Santa Maria de Los Ángeles. I live in Comuna 16, Belen, which happens to be the biggest comuna in medellin and has a very wide range of stratas within it´s barrios.

spigrimace comments on Horse racing in Colombia

Sea the Stars is a monster. That hand ridden Arc win was really impressive. Hope he comes over for the Breeder´s Cup.

spigrimace comments on

Obrigado

spigrimace comments on Greetings, I am a new member from Orlando!

PBH also has Mayor "Mcheasley"

spigrimace comments on Greetings, I am a new member from Orlando!

not to be confused with the original PBH Grimace!

spigrimace comments on HOY HOY HOY in the fish & chips shop La figgitoria

address??

spigrimace comments on Calle ..... (De Grieff)....Good Grief

Douglas, if it worked once, it can work twice...Now it is the metroplus lanes that took forever to build, finally got built and now we wait another eternity for trains and stations. However, the lanes are great ciclovias on sundays! How about a PM for a meetup for a beer the next time you come down?

spigrimace comments on Calle ..... (De Grieff)....Good Grief

Douglas, might be what you are thinking about. It is all on the sidewalk on the floor. You can get anything from used sneakers, used tools and used phones, amongst other junk, etc. etc. etc. Simply if you are looking at the hotel nutibarra, continue north (under the metro although the metro may not have been there when you were last here) for the hotel´s left side and you will find a bunch of blocks of prized junk!

spigrimace comments on Calle ..... (De Grieff)....Good Grief

Maritime, I sold my business of 5 years here in Belen and stopped working 15 hours a day and thus I am quite bored. So I walk a lot. Sometimes I walk from Belen by Los Molinos to the centro and back or sometimes simply take a cab back. Now my favorite route is Carabobo (which is foot traffic only from San Juan all the way to calle 53) and then I go to the Hotel Nutibarra restaurant for a few beers and/or lunch or dinner and people watch. If one keeps going north underneath the metro from there, there is a lot of vendors selling junk. Like flea market, junk yard, junk. So for the fun of it, one day, I feel I am going to get lucky and stumble accross that US$10.000 ebay collectable item for COP$10.000. Also if one keeps going, you finally cross over Av. Oriental (where it is running east/west at that point) and into Prado Centro which is great to walk around in with beautiful architecture. That farmers market splits right down from the museun de antioquia over to the scummy bar area but honestly, that´s some cheap fruit and they will sell whatever quantity, so really that farmers market is how I originally stumbled accross it. And being curious, I started to walk up and down every block to see what was there. As for the letter, here is my drift: In the centro there is a huge "Alcaldia de Medellin - defensor de espacio publico" presence. More than anywhere in the city. You see tens of them in any given hour down there in a pack on foot or with their confiscation truck where they haul their take to thier bodega on like calle 101 just off the Autopista. Espacio Publico are the guys that do everything from raiding nightclubs up in Las Palmas and Parque Lleras looking for underage patrons or establishments without licor licenses to confisacating the poor old guy´s plastic stool who was selling chicklets and tinto to survive because he was one inch onto the public space. But they seem to choose the path of least resistance. So my idea is, akin to as they do their nightclub raids up in las palmas on a saturday night with a police escort, why cant they raid these booty bars with a police escort and close down the ones with underage girls? There IS an agenda from the mayor´s office to clean up the exploitation of minors. This would be a nice feather in their cap.

spigrimace comments on Citibank bank machines in Bogota giving out fake 50,000 bills

by the way, they just nabbed a guy making fake $500 peso coins in Medellin

spigrimace comments on Live Blues at The Barking Spider TONIGHT!!!!

ok, im up for it and I will sweeten the pot. Ill get there around 10 and bring my GF who aint so bad to look at, her sister that has like 6 foot long legs, a blond friend with mucha pechuga and another that, well, was in the Dominican Republic for 6 months...you know the rest of that story. Maybe they bring some more. So feel free to buy them drinks so my tab doesnt get astronomical. If you score, you owe me some guinness!

spigrimace comments on hair clippers in Medellin?

The same day you taught me Mahvelous and Fabulous.

spigrimace comments on hair clippers in Medellin?

go to the hueco. you can get a wahl set with like 4 of those plastic thingys in different sizes for around 60 mil. Might I suggest strolling up Carabobo from San Juan stop and have a latte at the new coffee shops outside the Plaza Nacional tehn walk thru the Plaza Botero and off to the Hotel Nutibarra for some chicken and a beer. Nice scenery along the way. Somewhere along there someone has to be selling a clippers set.

spigrimace comments on Where to buy a decent four-drawer file cabinet (at realistic price) in Bogota?

What a shame. I have a used metal 4 drawer file cabinet that locks with a key that I could sell you in medellin. Id even take only 20% of that 2.6 millones price!

spigrimace comments on BOGOTA, COLOMBIA VACATION RENTALS|LODGING|ACCOMMODATION BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

I meant to write this sooner rather than later but Lostgringo beat me to it. I stayed in this beautiful apartment while in Bogota 2 weeks ago. It is Poblado-esque or Lomas de Los Bernal-esque for those who know Medellin and situated in a very safe full of professionals barrio. It was a godsend with full kitchen with granite countertops and plenty of glasses and utensils, hard wood floors, clean, wide balcony off the sala and a smaller one off the master bedroom, plenty of closet space and hanging clothes space, wi fi, iron and ironing board, hot water, berber carpet in the bedroom, etc. etc. etc. It was perfect for me as I had to go to the US Embassy to renew my passport which was like a 4 minute walk away. It was a 15 minute taxi ride that cost less than 8 mil to the zona rosa. There are some small shops, a small mall and a crepes & waflles and TGI Fridays within walking distance. Martha was very attentive to respond to emails before renting to us meanwhile her brother Alberto was so nice in greeting us and seeing us off, and even offered us a ride to the terminal saving us some cab fare. Definitely a place for couples and mature adults. We paid $88.000 per night in the master bedroom with private bath and we had the whole apartment to ourselves. Great experience and I would highly reccommend staying here.

spigrimace comments on Extortionists of a gringo busted in Parque Itagui

What´s credit? What´s a lease? What´s a mortgage? he he he

spigrimace comments on DAS – Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

At least it wasnt a $500 per bag Hartmann Leather Luggage set! Ugly as it might look, filling the holes with a dollop of clear silicon may get you your watertightness back. You cannot worry about how beautiful your luggage is, or at least the checked stuff. Get a beautiful carry-on if you are a vain type. 28 inch pullmans dont really impress chicks!

spigrimace comments on BUYERS FROM GRUPO MONARCA IN SABANETA

dguittar, you are right not to get that type of advice here, but make an exception in this case as I have known Brians for almost 5 years now and I assure you, I would trust in his financial advice in a heartbeat.

spigrimace comments on Typical Colombia. Screw the rental agencies!!

I dont own the apartment. I am renting it. I thought that possibility that he pulled a name out as well but he had only about a 15% chance as there are tens of agencies here in Belen. It could also be logical that someone came between 8 and 9:45am while I was at the gym as the agencies typically close at noon on staurdays. He also had keys. albeit I will assume for the old locks

spigrimace comments on USC - Ohio State game on Sat Sept 12th???

all online: go to myp2p.eu and download some players or adthe.net where you can find ie links. or many games for subscription on espn gameplan or espn 360 europe https://europe.espn360.com/espn360/console

spigrimace comments on Mrs Haddeman on TV tonight

Natalia Rodan said she has been married 8 years. Is that 8 years to Mr. Haddeman? Or split up between 4 marriages combined? Enuff for me. Im off to the donkey brothel.

spigrimace comments on Mrs Haddeman on TV tonight

Hmmm they just said this show is only for adults with sex and violence. And they invited kids 12 and under to go to sleep.

spigrimace comments on

what is portable bc?

spigrimace comments on Loaning money in Colombia at 8% interest per month.

8% is cheap. "Gota a Gota" aka "pagadiario" is usually 20% in 6 weeks and it is actually more percentage-wise because you are paying back daily on day 1,2,3....40 or week 1,2,3,4,5,6. E.g. lend 100k and the debtor pays 20k a week for 6 weeks. 8% is cheap also because, look at a compraventa (pawn shop), they give you 50% at best of what an item is worth, keep the item as collateral, and then charge 10% a month, although you can usually negociate down to 7% or 8%, so 8% unsecured is cheap vs. that. As an individual, it is quite a risky business and debtors would certainly walk all over a gringo. But, a lot of mafias do this lending such as the Oficina de Envigado or Oficina de San Javier. Do you want to take the chance and whack one of their guys? Almost all the lenders are front-man pawns that have a "patron" and if you whack the pawn, the higher-ups still have a copy of the signed card or letra and will be still calling in the debt and then probably, avenge the hit. To try and avoid getting wacked, most pawns wont lend more than a few 100k to someone. That being said, I know people straight up people who lend higher amounts at around 7 or 8% monthly to professionals, who own their house/and or business and have a cosignor and nothing has happened to them. One of the guys I know has an accountant wife whose stature in the industry in Colombia would be akin to someone on FASB in the states. They use her contacts and will lend a couple millones to professionals and have done so successfully for years. Also, it is so hard to get a loan here, the people are usually grateful to get the loan. Many times they have a business deal where they can say double the money, so paying a chunk of interest to a lender may still leave enough profit to vale la pena. Jonas said: "fokin great idea! That's the way to learn about the real Colombia real fast!" and he is right so dont condemn the practice until you know enough about it and how it relates to the culture HERE. I know someone in Medellin who takes investments for this type of business where the investor doesnt have to delve into the dirty work or take life risking chances and they pay the investor 35% a year on their money and guarantee the return. If you are interested in adding a different investment to your portfolio, PM me and I can hook you up with him face to face.

spigrimace comments on Barking Spider meet-up!

Great, I will be in friggin Bogota. I finally get out of this valley de aburra for a few days and I miss free beer. Grrrrr.