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PBH / travelers / tigredelnorte / comments |
tigredelnorte has left 47 comments
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tigredelnorte comments on US expats Oscar, if you decide to keep your money in the US, I'll pass on a couple of things that applied to me, and may be revelent. My ATM card had to be connected to a checking account. This is the only type of account allowd for withdrawal. My ATM card has a "MasterCard" logo. I'm told that this is necessary for use outside of the USA. Good luck. I think that you will like Cartagena. Not much for beaches there however. Santa Marta area is better for this.
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tigredelnorte comments on US expats Why not just have your money sent to a US bank or credit union. I have mine in a CU which is connected to the SUM network. They do not charge me for ATM use outside of the SUM network. I do get a 4000 COP charge from the Colombian banks. This amounts to 1% since I always take out the max (400,000). The Peso has reciently been falling against the dollar, which gives even more incentive to keep you dough in the US.
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tigredelnorte comments on How to stay in colombia just a thought Not sure if this would work, but, you could have your gf start a business. This business would provide English teaching services to schools , and busineses. Then she goes through the work visa process to hire you. I think that you would have to leave the country to get the visa.
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tigredelnorte comments on How to stay in Colombia just a thought Not sure if this would work but. You could have your gf open a business. This business would provide english teaching services, ie temp teachers, to schools, and businesses. Then have her go throught the process of hiring you. The work visa process. This way you can maintain some independence, and live in Colombia, I think. Check it out?
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tigredelnorte comments on Food/Candy that Colombia does NOT have... I was going to say Pistachio nuts too. It's a must bring.
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tigredelnorte comments on Feedback on Places in Colombia/Anti-American? The only anti Americaisms I've heard from Colombians, was a week or so ago when we lost to the Czec Republic in the world cup. They were giving out a lot of papaya that day.
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tigredelnorte comments on ANOTHER question! As I understand it There is no charge to the person that receives the call. The sender pays the fee. Ergo, if you buy a phone that will use a pre paid, you never have to pay for received calls. This is what my wife does. I have been noticing more cut offs lately, but not enough be a real pain. I think that it is related to the time of day. Heavy traffic, more cut offs.
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tigredelnorte comments on travelling solo Oaxaca, Mexico has some schools and the climate there is very agreeable. It's my favorite city in Mexico. There are some youth hostles there. You should be able to find cheap accomidations. I met an America there once who traded services with a local. The local taught the American Spanish, and visa versa. Costa Rica is very nice, but it's getting a bit expensive. Too many gringos. Nice beaches though. "Colombian Spanish is the purest form in Latin America" , or so I've heard.
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tigredelnorte comments on Colombia Itinerary Althought it is not directly bettween Cartagena and Bogota, I would recommend Bucaramanga. It's not exotic, but the climate there is great. Good restraunts. From what I have seen of Colombia so far, it is my choice as a place to live. Bus from Cartagena to Baranquilla is 1.5 to 2 hours. From Baranquilla to Bucaramanga is about 10 hours. I'm not sure about the ride from Bucarmanga to Bogota, but I think that it would be less than 6 hours.
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tigredelnorte comments on a few more questions money transactions can be complicated one thing that you can do easily is withdraw money from you account in the USA via an ATM transaction in Colombia. It would be advisable to tell you USA bank that you will be doing this. Otherwise they may cancel your ATM card.
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tigredelnorte comments on $500 ...For real or not.? Why don't you just go to Colombia to meet her? You will learn a lot more about her in her own country. Might be less expensive overall?
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tigredelnorte comments on Order colombian pesos.... ATM in airport is your best bet. They call them ATH. You will get your fairest exchange here. The Colombian bank will charge you about 1% if you ask for the maximum, which is 400,000 peso for BanColombia. Your bank will also apply a charge depending on the bank. My bank does not charge me a fee. Do not change money in the states. You will get screwed.
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tigredelnorte comments on Money to Colombia ATM 1. Some banks charge a nasty fee when you use your ATM card outside of your circle of banks. If your account is on the SUM network you may not be charged.
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tigredelnorte comments on Money to Colombia Money Gram charges about $9.50 to send a maximum of $550. These numbers are not exact, but are close. You can also get a moneygram card, which will give you a discount. The US postal service now has a money sending service. I think that Colombia is one of the serviced countries. I believe that it operates through one of the banks in Colombia. Their rates are very low, when compared to Western Union, or Money Gram.
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tigredelnorte comments on If you use a prepaid card using it all in one go is the way to get the most minutes per dollar. At least this has been my expirience. I look for the $2 cards first then the $5.
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tigredelnorte comments on Girlfriend Robbed Again..... Hey Mike and Patsy cut it will ya? My wife reads these forums. Hahahahahahaha
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tigredelnorte comments on Colombian tourist mecca is fuming under a layer of grime I'm sorry but Santa Marta is just not the disaster area that the lead article makes it out to be.
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tigredelnorte comments on MOVING BACK!!! Be careful Lola you might move back to Colombia, and find out that your old friends now have new lives. You might find out that they don't have much time for you. You might want to go back for an extended visit, befor you make such a big decision. Life is what you make of it.
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tigredelnorte comments on My girlfriend is coming to visit me in the US have her make up a cheat sheet before she comes. Something that she can show to an English speaking person if necessary. She can point to the one that she wants. You might also tell her to no change money in the Airport. It is a huge rip off. If she has an ATM card, this is the best bet. Some examples.
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tigredelnorte comments on REQUEST FOR ADVICE ON BUYING A HOUSE IN SANTA MARTA Hey Capt Before you buy, you might think about renting for a while. This is what I do. I have had a place in Santa Marta for over a year. I'm in no hurry at this time to buy, although the possibility extists that I will do so. Rents are low. Not only that, the dollar is gaining strength againts the Colombian Peso. This means that you will effectivly pay less if you wait. Renting will allow you to study the situation, without investing a lot of money.
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tigredelnorte comments on Anyone care to help with our non-profit volunteer project in COL? how does someone contact this organization?
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tigredelnorte comments on Colombian Spousal Visa and Cedula question you might want to check it I have a Colombian spousal cedula, or should I say a card that is used in place of the cedual, that is coming. Yes it takes several months for the real thing to arrive. I have the spousal visa in my passport. This visa says 180 days, not 90 days. I'll take another look at this later today, but I'm pretty sure that it says 180. My last absense from Colombia, was 98 days, and I had no problem enterning or leaving when I went back. Be prepared to spend a whole day in Bogota going throught the process of getting your visa/cedula. make sure you will have all the required documentation, and about $200 to pay for everything. Go to the visa office first, and then . to DAS to get the cedula. It took me 2 days. You have to do it all in Bogota. Make sure you have someone with you that speaks Spanish. Buenas suertes, que le vaya bien.
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tigredelnorte comments on sorry to see you go GIB although you had a lot of focus on the dark side, as opposed to some of the blue sky sunshiners here on PBH. I think we benifit from both sides of the coin. Sit back, put your feet up, roll one, pop a top, and take a chill pill. Chao dude, take care.
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tigredelnorte comments on Advice for a first-time gringa you can tell that a fish is reasonably fresh by looking at the eyeball. If it looks cloudy, don't buy it.
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tigredelnorte comments on Advice for a first-time gringa trip to Colombia 1. You will have to go through coustoms, and imigration after you land in Bogota.
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tigredelnorte comments on Solo un consejo... la fruta mas chica es mas dulce tambien. El esposo le gusta como esta ahora? Porque quiere cambiar? Busca algo?
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tigredelnorte comments on Can Colombians travel to Cent Amer w/o visa? FYI I got this list from a previous poster here in these forums. I have not verified this list
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tigredelnorte comments on I need COLOMBIAN CURRENCY in NYC Airport currency exchange If you use the currency exchange in the Miami Airport, you will find that you got screwed, when you get to Colombia. Put "currency calculator" in google, and you will find the latest exchange rates for any currency in the world against any other currency.
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tigredelnorte comments on Why it's better to Live in COLOMBIA Since this thread appears to be open to unsubstantiated statements. I’ll say that most residents of New York City feel that the subway system is safer due to the random checks, and are not bothered by them.
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tigredelnorte comments on Colombian Botero Ahead of Lance Armstrong in 13th Stage of Tour de France Climber standings Overall standings for the top climbers, at the end of today's (Sunday) stage of the Tour de France.
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tigredelnorte comments on Colombian Botero Ahead of Lance Armstrong in 13th Stage of Tour de France overall standings at the end of today's (Sunday) stage of the Tour de France. Only the first 19 were listed. Santiago Botero's name went missing from the 19.
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tigredelnorte comments on Colombian Botero Ahead of Lance Armstrong in 13th Stage of Tour de France Le Tour Overall standings at the end of today's stage
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tigredelnorte comments on Friendliest U.S. Bank for Colombian Travelers credit union The only fee that I get at an ATM in Colombia is the fee charged by the Colombian bank that owns the ATM. The fee is fixed, so you should withdraw the maximum allowed to receive the smallest bite from Col. bank. My bank (credit union) charges me no fee. Generally the account drawn from need to be a checking account for international transactions.
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tigredelnorte comments on Cartagena or Barranquilla? I've been to all three Cartagena, Baranquilla, and Santa Marta. I would chose to live in Baranquilla. It's a big city, with much better transportation connections. You can easily get to either of the others in an hour or so by bus. Rents are low in all 3 locations when compared to Europe, or North America. You can probably make a deal with a balky real estate agent by offering to pay several months in advance on your rent. If you can hook up with a local, I think that this would be very useful in helping you solve the initial problems that you will encounter.
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tigredelnorte comments on advice to american 1st time visitor Kernow's blog Does anyone have a link for this?
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tigredelnorte comments on Capital investment in Colombia????? Economics 101 Person A arrives in Country B with money. Person A invests money in Country B. Wealth is transfered from person A's country of origin to country B. For example Person A has a house built. Local workers are required to build this house. Local business sell materials to build this house. Local business needs to hire more people to take care of new clients. Are you starting to get the picture? Local workers, new clients = reduced unemployment. Local business = cash flow in country goes up. Is Colombia a communist country?
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tigredelnorte comments on Barranquilla Carnaval 2006 Carnival 2005 Baranquilla I was there. I'll say this. There are not many english speakers in Baranquilla. I'm sure you can find something there to rent for a month. It will take making a connection. You have 9 months. You can pick up some spanish. I would recomend it. I'll ask around, about an apartment. The hotel that I stayed at would not give me a weekly rate. They did not need the business, as it was Carnival.
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tigredelnorte comments on Colombian Rebels Expand Their Activities 100.000 AK47's being sold to by Russia to Chavez in Venezuela, any connection?
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tigredelnorte comments on immigration question... USA citizen If you are a USA citizen, you will not require a visa. The immigration officer will stamp your passport, and write the number of days allowed inside the stamped area. You can ask for 90 days. They will probably give it to you if your apperance is halfway decent. Once in the country, you can apply for extensions, 30 days at a time up to 180 days total , including your origional 90. I think this is more or less correct. check out this website for more info www.lonelyplanet.com
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tigredelnorte comments on The Technology Secrets of Cocaine Inc. Submarine How do you move a 78 ft submarine from 2000+ meters above sea level, and hundreds of mile from the sea, to the sea?
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tigredelnorte comments on advice on spending money It's right next to McDonalds restraunte. I know, McDonalds makes it sound a bit seedy, but really, it's a nice area. The name of the apartements is something like "escape cartagena". The management is not on this property, but down the street. The building office is up the stairs behind the patio. Very easy to find. The guy in the office can tell you were the management office is. It's within walking distance. Again this is the Boca Grande section of Cartagena.
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tigredelnorte comments on advice on spending money Boca Grande I stayed in a pretty upscale place in the Boca Grande section of Cartagena. One hundred thousand colombian pesos per night (appx $42 UDS). Bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room, and kitchen. Pool. You can stay in nice places that are much cheaper in other areas of the city. Having your own kitchen is nice, as you can save some money on meals. The El Rodadero section of Santa Marta is cheaper, and has a very nice beach nearby ( Playa Blanca ). Cartagena however has many more things to do, and see.
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tigredelnorte comments on need help quick please hotel olympico phone 351 8310, Next to La iglelesia de San Nicolas. I have not stayed there. Good luck. books says $6 USD per night.
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tigredelnorte comments on Travel visa notaria Dan,
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