tomass has left 66 comments

tomass comments on Real estate in Colombia and the market crash

Keep a watchful eye on unemployment rates / statistics (if you can believe them) but consensus is theyve jumped up the last few months in Med. As many % of Colombians just manage to get by from day to day then losing your job will quickly translate to a flood of properties coming available. In Med i think its 54% 'own' their own properties and 36% rent. And then a goodly % are stuck paying exhorbitant interest on their mortgages - any typical stats on this

tomass comments on Businesses that can be started in less than 24 hours.

Excuse the aside on this thread. Byron - the taxi friend - I suppose thats 6 days a week. Rent as well. Family and food. What does he expect his gross to be per day and to clear per day to pay off the taxi in 5 years? i have a taxi friend who i loaned some money to but besides that im interested in your friends budget. Does he see economic slowdown

tomass comments on Real estate in Colombia and the market crash

Ctg - your commodities points well taken. Though of course while commodity prices have indeed come down to year ago levels they remain today at historically very very high levels.

tomass comments on Real estate in Colombia and the market crash

I suppose Col real estate prices will start to fall (id be surprised if they havent been falling already) as recession bites in first world economies and third world economies catch their inevitable cold. Commodities will fall (v bad for col. which gets 60% of its export revenues from petroleum annd minerals) and on top there wont be funds available for projects (inward investment) as the banks halt 'risky' loans. Could be a good time to buy Col real estate as and when (1-2 years from now?) this settles.

tomass comments on Dollar continues to move up against the Peso and Breaks 2100... And the U.S. economy is reeling....

Id guess its worldwide risk-averseness - and s.american markets are considered more risky in this environment. Also a lot of western banks and funds need to meet capital adequacy and are liquidating much to realise dollars.

tomass comments on Colombian buses kinda suck - not sure why

Iam amazed theres not more accidents. Especially the older person getting on and trying to hold on with one hand and shopping in the other and bending forward to pay the driver and the bus has already lurched off and she still has to find her way to a seat (if there is one, or if someone will offer their seat - rarely the jovenes, more likely some slightly younger mum).. with the bus flying helter-skelter and then theres the stops ! - obviously the bus companies dont run the risk of getting sued - many of the drivers in med are pretty manic

tomass comments on The nose twitch

point with their elbows!! gracias dwmte - first laugh today. must look for that - cant say ive noticed but im sure yore right

tomass comments on The nose twitch

yeah Tinto puckered lips and pointing with a turn of the head as well and then asserting disdainfully but with assuredness - cacorrito!!

tomass comments on Rent-a-Gun

yep - Indumil.

tomass comments on Rent-a-Gun

Smith and Wesson 38. Looked pretty new to me.

tomass comments on was my post nuked?

Ive been away for the weekend and find nuked my 'just wondering, payment for marriage' post. Anyone know what happened to that? thanks

tomass comments on Rent-a-Gun

A friend (bar-owner, of course) bought a legal one last year for one millon. Was the person who supplied it above board? hmmm

tomass comments on

no - the idea is you do all this here in colombia. You get married here - solely for her later convenience to use her new foreign passport. (as an aside the bloke gets his residency tambien). What would a colombiana be prepared to pay for such an arrangement? shoe on the other foot kind of thing

tomass comments on My friends in Bogota say 2.5mil pesos month, not good.

180000 a month rent (no extra costs) own room and b/room Envigado - basic but ok (guess i was lucky to get it) - kind of share with a couple of ancianos abajo but own entrance and a bit of a patio outside with a fine tree. strato 2 or 3 id guess. 4 weekends just booze (plenty) and food = 4*175000. Total US $440. (no costs weekdays as paid away meals and room). and a fine existence.

tomass comments on Aguardiente: Drinking Guaro In Sabaneta

Ive been told by a few locals that recently a lot of tiendas are selling clandestine stuff that can have some rather nasty chemicals -- can really fuk you up - both guaro and ron. Cant say ive noticed it myself yet - but hey after 4 or 5 hours how would you know. 'drink to get drunk' -- Finns have taken that to a fine art. I guess i blame the Finns.

tomass comments on Any info on Quibdo to Bahia Solano/Nuqui by bus?

/home_1/recursos/01_general/mapas/contenidos/15042008/10_choco.jsp# add this bit on to the address above. Remove the overlap.

tomass comments on Any info on Quibdo to Bahia Solano/Nuqui by bus?

August - try this: looks like a route has been planned. But is it ready? http://www.invias.gov.co/invias/hermesoft/portalIG/home_1/recursos/01_general/mapas/contenidos/15042008/10_choco.jsp#

tomass comments on Fincas in Fredonia ( 65Km south of medellin)

Where exactly and whats in the price Geoff? Also just because they dont post on PBH dont mean they are not here - to wit - i believe there are quite a substantial? number of finca/farm owners that have settled in Colombia over the last 20 years - sorry no hard facts - including Germans, Dutch, Swiss etc -- but where exactly and are they living in communities - i dont know. Perhaps others could flesh out this other side of extranjeros living here ..

tomass comments on Fincas in Fredonia ( 65Km south of medellin)

A Colombian friend from there tells me its fine -- no guerillas, v little crime, -- now .. thanks to Uribe .. and will remain fine .. and even for a gringo even if he stands out then theres still nothing to worry about. He is from there has family there and also rents a couple of places so id trust his judgement. Ps any particular Q's and contact me here again

tomass comments on Oppenheimer Report : Finland Could Instruct Latin America on Competitiveness

miami - Finland is pretty flat - road network is v good and lots of bike lanes - Finns use their bikes a lot - esp in summer. Language is only a problem with older generation - a v high % on leaving school (18) have really good knowledge of 4 languages english being one. Summers can be hot and also wet - then theres the mosquitoes!! so id give Lapland a miss in summer - autumn would be best there. Otherwise id go for the central lakes region and small towns. Plenty of hostels and bring a tent.

tomass comments on Oppenheimer Report : Finland Could Instruct Latin America on Competitiveness

25 years ago Nokia was only famous and then only in Finland as a maker of wellington boots V gd quality. Then Nokia applied for and got a substantial % of bandwidth the govt decided to unfreeze. That proved the impetus and first mover advantage - mobile phones werent even on the horizon. All the other european govts followed suit in unlocking frequencies after some years later. A handshake on a deal is often all thats necessary in Finland. Bit different to Colombia!! The climate is a real pain. The people can be v shy. Education is excellent - well whats to do in the long dark winters except sit in the sauna and drink koskenkorva.

tomass comments on

Mono - 'I have a cousin who's studying some kind of mining crap' ---- its the future for this country. A v sensible choice imho

tomass comments on why dont the colombians say "salud" when someone sneezes?

V rarely have i heard a colombian say salud. - though i cant stop my immediate, conditioned, Gazuntheit!! (sp) response. Even though few if any colombians prob understand that (typically european?)

tomass comments on The Journey to Get to Colombia - How many dreams unanswered? Is it worth the effort?

And earning a living is getting harder in this economic downturn. Latest official figures were up to 14.something% in Medellin. So real figure probably nearer double. And what % are on min wage? - 470000 pesos - rent, bus and food leaves zero. Gracias im not in that ditch. ive too lived in many countries and prefer it here even with a 75% less wage.

tomass comments on one of the nicest neighborhoods in Medellin.........Santo Domingo?????

I've only been once - 2 years ago. Spent the day and evening having a good time in the local bars and watching the burros and busetas shitting against the gradients. Bit pissed off with the police who wouldnt let me return (at first) on the metro cos of the alcohol. After a while arguing with the station chief they relented but i was fuming at this point and took a buseta back to the centre. Fell asleep on the buseta and was relieved of my watch (v cheap but had a nice green colour). From what i saw after 8pm in Santo Domingo there are a lot less people around and decididly unsafe. One or two blocks around the station and you should be fine. Many of my Colombian friends told me later that they wont go there.

tomass comments on Kidnapping

Yep there was a piece in the Chiva in the last couple of weeks saying the death toll among Medellin taxistas assassinated so far this year has reached 29 (i think it was).

tomass comments on Colombia: Latin America’s Hidden Gem for Investors

Tasco - 'If Uribe was a crook why would over 90% of Colombians support him'? I guess its because he comes from a very low base. The long-suffering Colombians have had to suffer a long line of mediocre presidents before Uribe. On a scale of 1 to 10 if you raise the mark from 2 to 4 then you're up 100% but you are still only 4 out of ten.

tomass comments on Fine for Not Registering Visa with DAS within 15 days

Gerry the fine will be 237500 COP (bank Sudameris - av poblado). Ive also had a cedula here 2 yrs and never needed it. DAS at airports never said anything either. Then you have to pay for the cedula 127000 i think. Then all the photocopies and rides around - yep no doubt about it - a pain Good luck - sorry no good news. Except you could try to formulate an excellent excuse for the DAS as to why you didnt pay last time - dont know if it would work though

tomass comments on Capurgana, Uraba - anyone visited?

august - i thank you for that. I obviously need to do a bit more research. Yes the Delphin sounds up my track.

tomass comments on Please explain "chimba"

a local was using que chimba futbol all the time during the first half of last weekends National game - he obviously meant what piss-poor quality of football

tomass comments on Capurgana, Uraba - anyone visited?

Yep i guess thats why i was told to go there - 'the beautiful, laid-back part' and just lounging around. Thanks fellas. Its not cheap though. I guess ill look into Nuqui

tomass comments on IMPORT IRON ORE

jorge, natural deposits of iron ore are mined economically i think for about 40-70% Fe mostly. Cerromatoso is an open-pit laterite deposit - about 1-2% nickel i would guess. It prob only produces id guess about 10% tops of the worlds nickel. Even though the nickel price has come down a lot the past year its still 4 times what it was 6 years ago. Primary use for nickel is the stainless steel industry - and the chinese love their kitchens. Yep id guess the al is mostly from cans. but the theft of copper - wires, transformers etc is a staggering burden. brasi - you could try the steel Compary - Acerias Paz del Rio in Boyaca and they have an underground iron ore mine.

tomass comments on IMPORT IRON ORE

You dont neeed to import it - theres shitloads available - just ask around Según la Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN), en el 2004 se exportaron 14.500 toneladas de cobre; en el 2005, 23.500; en el 2006, 46.000; y en el 2007, casi completó las 50.000. La demanda está en Brasil, Corea y China, que están en un período asombroso de construcción. Pero reiteramos la pregunta: ¿de dónde sale el cobre que se exporta y cuya industria está creciendo a tan buenos ritmos, si Colombia no lo produce? También estamos exportando chatarra de aluminio (30 mil toneladas en el 2006). ¿Por qué está resultando tan próspero ese negocio y para quiénes? Colombia does not produce any copper or aluminium. A couple of kms of railway lines should be more than adequate for your needs and the chatarra owners will arrange everything inc delivery

tomass comments on Why do Colombian men always eat fast and clean their plate?

Yes they do eat fast. But you´d be hard to beat the Finns - maybe its the compulsory army service out in the cold. Talk about wolfing it down. Then theres the dock workers taverns in dublin - men slumped along the bar wolfing it down - all gob stuff - and the smell of cabbage, cigarettes and mens beery piss. Next

tomass comments on The picture perfect rescue unravels: Colombia admits rescuers posed as journalists

Looks like we´ve strayed a long way with this one. The 'shades of grey' as tejas would say are more than evident in colombia on all sides. All too often tactics employed by the govt are copied and permeate society as the norm - that is the sad fact and has been going on for far too long. Not all the people who emigrate do so for being displaced. I would sugest a substantial number do so due to the powerful stinking 'politica' they have to endure in their ordinary working life. Certainly all the institutions but even private enterprises are infected with this disease.

tomass comments on You Don't Know Jack About Medellín!

Most of the time i just eat soups or scrambled eggs with arepas or chuzos from the strret stands. I find practically all the meals very bland. Colombians though are v proud of their cuisine. I dont know why. I feel v bad when im asked and unfortunately i cant help being honest. And i dont consider myself a fussy eater. Going out i prefer the corner tiendas in the barrios - drinks for hours with the locals and view the day to day life. Always interesting.

tomass comments on The picture perfect rescue unravels: Colombia admits rescuers posed as journalists

and there you have it - the word 'terrorists' -- the world is so simple. Put everyone in a convenient box - and feel good with your righteous self and have a nice sleep.

tomass comments on The picture perfect rescue unravels: Colombia admits rescuers posed as journalists

The beauty of an American education rears its ugly short-sighted gung-ho myopic head in many of the above posts. Go blasting in with little fore-thought and sort em out. And that will be the end of it. It never is. And many would say it only makes things worse. The actions of a truly democratic state should be held accountable to standards that are a touch higher. Its a game of politics with these people first and foremost. Exactly the same is prevalent unfortunately in the institutions and empresas in this country. A great pity because as always its the decent and innocent that always suffer the consequences.

tomass comments on The picture perfect rescue unravels: Colombia admits rescuers posed as journalists

I wonder would the rescue mission have been given the go-ahead at all without using these independent disguises. I doubt it. Of course the end justifies the means and the political kudos to be gained by realising the freeing of this high profile bunch made the calculation pretty simple. The calculation would have been different I suspect if the raid was for the purpose of freeing ordinary secuestrados. Of course the ´damage´ is now done.

tomass comments on Big Export for Colombia----Coal

It was such small beans for exxon. the brits are making a killing now and will continue. The coal industry generally like so many others have been starved of any investment for decades. The conditions for the small mines eg in Amaga (underground and smaller seams) are a national disgrace and accident rates alarming. There are tons of foreign companies trying to get into the act of producing from cheap open pit thick seams that exist in la guajira and valledupar and magdalena medio - just need big firms to pay the hefty capital investment costs. These reserves have been known for ages - im amazed the big colombian companies dont and didnt have the vision themselves

tomass comments on Camilo Villegas @ the British Open (Ganate uno por la patria pues ome!!)

of course Padraig is well used to those conditions. Great win. Hats off.

tomass comments on Raining again in Medellin

In Abejorral - a small cafe/agricultural pueblo outside Medellin several locals insisted this invierno has lasted now for fully 2 years. Cafe harvest v poor with lots of rotting fruit.

tomass comments on News headlines | Referendum canceled, eight die in landslides, Villegas second at British Open

landslides - by my take this invierno has lasted since november last

tomass comments on why'd you come to colombia???

but colombia is better than the rest. Though thats not saying a great deal about the seres humanos. Now time to catch the bus and spend a relaxing weekend in Abejorral

tomass comments on Where do well to do Colombians vacation?

then theres the notorious criminal theft gangs - find them everywhere - especially the best hotels all over the world - giving colombians a special taint that unfortunately follows the decent wherever they go - immediately under suspicion

tomass comments on shopping

i really hate it when im talking to somene say the vendor or sales assistant or whatever and inquiring about something after waiting my turn and always some member of the public comes up and immediately starts talking or asking the person something as if i was completely not present. WTF .. i always turn around and say que es eso Señor? por favor POR FAVOR .. still get a vacant look

tomass comments on I THINK YOU ARE THE FATHER OF ONE OF MY KIDS

Esta mañana temprano Irlanda sufrio su peor desastre aereo cuando un pequeno avion tipo 'cessna', con dos sillas, estrello contra un cementerio. Trabajadores Irlandeses con los organisaciones de busqueda y rescate han buscado hasta ahora 1826 cuerpos y tienen expectativas que ese numero puede alcanzar aun mas mientras las excavaciones continuan por la noche.

tomass comments on why'd you come to colombia???

I was sent here to work. 94-97 visited about 10 times but only for about a month at a time. Returned to work for 8 months about 2 yrs ago and just stayed. Now working again for 1 yr contract, probably renew. No desire to return to europe or anywhere else. Not that im terribly enamored with the place - just tired.

tomass comments on Where do well to do Colombians vacation?

woops - wrong place

tomass comments on Mining salaries in Colombia

Great time to study to be a mining engineer in Colombia. Country vastly underexplored - terrific potential. The chinese will be here in droves in a few years. The Andean belt dont stop at the border of Peru or Panama. U, gold, platinum, copper, etc - then theres the current prices of metals and forecasts. 60 companies exploring - double 12 months ago. Mining code and judicial rights still need work though.