tompower has left 196 comments

tompower comments on Cartagena to Tayrona (RT)

Marsol doesn't travel at night so if your looking to go from cartagena to santa marta you'd need to arrive in barranquilla no later than 5pm to catch the last santa marta bus. I bet with your time constraints you'd be better off arranging a taxi to take you. I paid a taxi 450,000 to take me from cartagena to tolu and then pick me up and take me back its about a 3 hour drive each way,... cartagena - santa marta is a little more 4 hours..... Why you trying to go to tayrona? With only 5 days and a hotel in cartagena already booked, why not just stay in cartagena you'd be able to spend a night at one of the isla rosario resorts like isla encanto or isla pirata for less than all the expense and hassle of traveling to tayrona... Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on URGENT -- Getting married in December to a Colombian in a Catholic Church and I'm a Christian!

well all i know from my experience is that your approval is done at the archdiocese level. It wasn't enough for me to just send the original baptism certificate that I had,.. what I needed to do was have the parish where I was born fax a copy and statement of my baptism to the parish on the other side of canada where I live and sit down with the priest there and pray for a while,... no kidding I assured him that I was gonna do pre-cana (That's the marriage course) in cartagena with my fiance. He sent the the baptism fax and a letter saying he believed I was free to marry to the archbishop of my parish. The Archbishop sent a fax of these letters to the archbishop of cartagena. When I was in colombia before the wedding I went to the priest of the parish and he contacted the archbishop and they told him that it was ok to marry me. Before the wedding I went to the marriage course for a couple hours in cartagena. That course in colombia is a lot faster than doing it in canada, they have retreats and 10 week courses here that would be nearly impossible for you to complete before december.

tompower comments on URGENT -- Getting married in December to a Colombian in a Catholic Church and I'm a Christian!

what about getting converted in the parish where your gonna get married in colombia?

tompower comments on Cartagena~ La Dulce Vida, Babar, Mr Babilla, Queens, Isis, Electrico, and any other club

I always had a low opinion of Tu Candela but this year It was always busy and on some nights like sundays or mondays it was the only place that was busy.

tompower comments on

I think of the vendors more like paparazzi now. Their just the price of being in cartagena. I do remember the first time I walked the streets of cartagena they were all over me,.... they definitely smell fresh virgin tourist. But as your confidence increases the bother becomes less. After you spend a couple days on the beach the vast majority remember you and remember your not buying. So when you first go to the beach you'll have a few hours where all the vendors, hairbraid ladies etc are camped out infront of your umbrella but after a few days it will be a lot less you just have to be patient, before long you won't even notice them.

tompower comments on Go to Colombia but don't leave CARTAGENA!!!!!!

relax pavo, remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power.

tompower comments on What's wrong with Cartagena?

good luck with that.

tompower comments on

hey toneloc can I get the url? that sounds like a good site.

tompower comments on What's wrong with Cartagena?

so will ayone answer my question? what the hell do you snobs do during the afternoon in the interior?

tompower comments on

Pedro:::: Another word to the unwary: some guys on PBH fabricate stories to push a certain way of thinking. I agree this is Bull.

tompower comments on What's wrong with Cartagena?

Saltador said -"Well, on this board, the truth is you'll find a sort of "elitism" for lack of a better term, that encourages people to criticize cartagena. To explain, cartagena is often the first city people will visit when they go to colombia, so it is considered "colombia for newbies". Many posters here consider themselves to be so far past that, and so their sophisticated colombia palates have evolved to the point where they turn their noses up to cartagena." I totally agree with that! I love the Heroica. People carry-on and on about the vendors on the beaches of cartagena. But it's like comparing apples to oranges if you get a lawn chair and park yourself on any street in colombia the same agressive vendors will harass you. Can you imagine sitting on a chair in the streets of medellin every pan-handler and con-man would be harrassing you? that's what happens in cartagtena. Get over-it if you don't like beach life cartagena isn't for you. Why go to cartagena if you don't like sitting and drinking on crowded beaches? Why go to cartagena if you aren't interested in seeing beautiful women parade around in bikinis? If you want museums and culture by all means avoid cartagena. Cartagena is one of the few places in latin america where you find beach life along side a huge metropolitan centre. That means awesome packed beaches by day and tons of restaurants and discos by night. If you want to hang-out on the beach by day and party in clubs at night cartagena is the best place. Santa Marta and San Andres are beautiful but don't compare to cartagena in this regard. I'd like to know what the hell do you people do in medellin during the day? While I'm on the beach drinking and carrying-on what do you do in medellin? God Bless La Heroica, Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on CARTAGENA ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL?????????

the days are usually the weekend after new years. So you might miss it because that weekend is 2-3-4 of january 2009. But don't worry so much because every night at Electra in the centro including Sunday from 3:30Am till dawn is a liitle mini techno-electronica Ultra-Mar festival with the hottest most complacent colombianas you'll ever meet.... remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on Wanted: Furniture in Cartagena

if you want tables, chairs things made of wood get out of the center. There are tons of carpentry shops out near castellana and la bomba el amparro on the avenida pedro heredia that will make you whatever you want for cheap. I used to jog in la granja in Turbaco and I'd see guys going door to door with a whole dinette set 4 chairs and table. You could get a wicked deal if you made them an offer. Those stores in bocagrande are ridiculous. Just take a taxi from the centre to castellana mall and when you see a local where theres a bunch of wooden chairs or tables out front stop and start dealing... Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on Restaurants in Cartagena

if you like arroz con coco or soups the intrigue tropical beside the hilton. very fresh and tasty for fish i agree with oldbongo bony is always packed with locals that tells ya. .

tompower comments on

calipro "The up side to lying colombians is that they buy almost all of my bullshit" too true brother.

tompower comments on

hey casa de norte, for a second there i thought i was the guy you were talking about. listen i still call all my x colombianas because eventhough they're 'happily' married with their new gringos all around the world they're still colombianas,... they're perversa, they love intrigue,... dont be bobo get mad at your girl for putting horns on you not me i'm just trying to get some action. remember, we're all in this together. tom power

tompower comments on Getting Married in Colombia!

a very wise fellow posted on that subject; http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/canadians-how-to-sponsor-your-colombian-spouse/

tompower comments on Covenas, Sucre

this is la fragata, these were taken feb/08 good luck.

tompower comments on Covenas, Sucre

still facing south

tompower comments on Covenas, Sucre

the packed beach facing south

tompower comments on Covenas, Sucre

the exciting main drag at night

tompower comments on Covenas, Sucre

bring a car, no way to get to tolu at night unless your ok with mototaxi, no restaurants to speak of other than the one at the Fragata hotel which is at the north end of the big crescent shaped beach, the town of covenas has a guy who sells roasted chickens but you gotta sit in the street with the stray dogs the town is southof the beach and south of that is the oil terminal . i hope ur going during high season. btw- if your old lady lets you out theres a prostibulo on the east side of the main road 200 meters north of the fragata. remember, we're all in this together.

tompower comments on Sponsering my wife to come to canada. How long does it take in bogota?

There's some new things since I did this for my wife. The bogota immigration department handling her case will contact her by mail asking for 35,000 pesos to do a security check. A guy from PBH I've met just got the residence visa for his wife, amazingly from start to finish 4.5 months not the 8 that I and others have had to wait. Turns out a new thing too is that they called her requesting her passport and that she come to bogota to retrieve her photos and stuff because they no longer mail-out those items. She went and while there they asked her when she was leaving bogota they arranged for her to return in 2 days and had the visa for her... there was no interview necessary just like my wife. Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on El Dorado Airport - 24 hour service???

one other thing,... your national flight actually leaves from Puerto Aereo another airport that you'll have to taxi to in the morning (It's right next door). Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on El Dorado Airport - 24 hour service???

I've done this before many times,... having to overnight in bogota. here's what I've done i've reserved a room at the hostel El Dorado in la candelaria a single with bathroom only costs 25,000 pesos the taxi from the airport 20,000 each way. I've also arranged for the taxi to come back for me at a set time like 5 am,... usually the taxi driver works until 6 or 7 am so easy to have him take you back to airport in morning. Also, if your dead set on overnighting at the airport consider you can check your bag at the luggage storage so at least you can slip out or not have to worry about lugging it around. The bag check is at the end of the airport "guarda maleta" To orient yourself as you comeout from your arrival you'll see that your at the right end of the airport as you face the road the extreme left end of the airport is where the bag check is. The restaurants and shops are all upstairs on the second floor. There's a kiosk on the right end where you go to get a printout that says how much your taxi should cost and get the first taxi in the line-up.

tompower comments on

In Cartagena they have a newspaper called Nuestro Diario its a popular full colour 8 page newspaper not too political mostly for common people and they have a girl of the day section like the English Tabloids but is always a local girl in a bikini and a brief description about her it says for example "Yorlenny is a student who wants to be a doctor shes 18." only thing unusual is that soemdays the girl is as young as 15. I can't imagine my Toronto Sun with a sunshine girl (that's what we call her in canada,,, cuz' not much sunshine) who's 15 there would be a lynching..... In my humble opinion colombians aren't over-worried about under-age sex unless it's a gringo so don't get any ideas. Remember, we're all in this together, Tom Power

tompower comments on palmetto cartagena condo for rent

is that the one near carulla? before you get to mcdonalds?

tompower comments on Need long-term rental in Cartagena

come on admit it you like my video. ill do one of ur apartment.

tompower comments on Need long-term rental in Cartagena

the conquistador?/// that IS like living on the street.

tompower comments on

ujays dead wrong,... hes just jealous machin68,... he just wishes he could have planned as wisely as you are before he married. i'd pick a cartagenera so u can buy me beer when shes visiting her parents.

tompower comments on Need long-term rental in Cartagena

dont worry about my friends, i dont have any because of my personality. ... so where is your apartment? crespo? u got a photo?

tompower comments on Nice Video of Colombian regional expressions

not till january im scared though cuz my x is waiting to demandar me when i get there. in medellin johana might get a pass but not in cartagena... i wish there were more paisas in la heroica.

tompower comments on Need long-term rental in Cartagena

tompower comments on An Announcement: I'm Taking A Break

desi, dont go if it wasn't for you PBH would be crap

tompower comments on Need long-term rental in Cartagena

you can do better than that? prove it big mouth.

tompower comments on Need long-term rental in Cartagena

Harry, I paid 2,ooo,ooo pesos per month from january 15 (lower season) for a 1 bedroom in laguito. Paul Juan is a stand-up guy. Best deal though is to fight it out in the street when you arrive. Also, if you make a deal for longer than a month with anyone expect them to change their minds and force you to pay more after a month. It just drives them mad to have a gringo in theior place and not taking advantage of him. Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on Nice Video of Colombian regional expressions

your not in canada bro,... if she was here I'd KILL u to get with her

tompower comments on Regional Expressions ... nice vid

she's MAMASITA!

tompower comments on Colombian Tele Novelas - Sin Tetas, Betty La Fea u name it.

jumptv shows Caracol International their international channel has old soap operas and can't show any of the current stuff because they have agreements with stations like univision to allow them to air their programming first. I found that out when i signed up for jumptv.

tompower comments on Nice Video of Colombian regional expressions

she's MAMASITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tompower comments on Colombian Tele Novelas - Sin Tetas, Betty La Fea u name it.

I disagree with watching the soap operas with subtitles, you just spend the whole time reading and ignoring what people say. If you could learn from the subtitles everyone in colombia would speak english from watching hollywood movies that have spanish subtitles. When the girlfiend pulls away from the guy an shouts "! no me tocas !" you don't need subtitles. Certain Telenovelas are just to long for the networks to sell "La costena y el Cachaco" is 20 DVD's. Sin tetas, ventilador and Escalona are shorter easier to find at record stores. As far as trying to watch on internet, The picture quality is too low to stay interested for long. Don't stress out so much about the price "cojela suave..." $180 for almost a 100 hours of pure costeno is cheap don't be so "tacano." ... I recommend them because the quality is good and this company delivers. Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on Questions re MarSol Cartegena to Barranquilla

tompower comments on flights from toronto to barranquilla

No matter how you try and work it the toronto-bogota Air Canada flight and the avianca to barranquilla is still the better option it runs around 1300 CDN and no wasted time in USA. Also, the return flight from bogota to Toronto is a red eye so you really can maximize your holiday time arrive to work from the airport on your return . Any connection through Miami or FLL may save a few hundred dollars but it means wasted time in line-ups or bored in the miami airport. Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on Cartagena: matrimonios ‘express’ con prepagos

$15,000.00 US,.... $18,000.00 US ??? the madam taking only 3% ???? as judge judy always says " if it doesn't sound right it probably isn't true!" Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power.

tompower comments on

i hate to point out the obvious,.... why would you marry her if it wasnt to get her a visa to go to US? if she doesn't want to go you dont have to marry her. Try this ; " I'd only ask you to marry me if you really wanted to live in the US." Boy likes girl, girl talks crap, boy teaches girl lesson. Remember, we're all inthis together. Tom Power

tompower comments on Cartagena Questions

hey droble are you sure you wanna stay in the old city? I would never stay there here's why: noisy, i remember one time i was in the centro hotel and some vendor was parked outside my balcony from 5 am on shouting, way too many beggars (not to be confused with vendors) harasing you and worst of all its too far to the beach, its easier to take a taxi out at night or the day time to the centro for sight seeing and night life than it is to take a taxi back to the center from the beach if your suit is wet. Your interest in the islands tells me your gonna wanna hang-out on the beach so why not have your hotel right there next to your tent or better said your bathroom right next to your tent. Are you going to cartagena alone? or with your wife? Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on Michelle82

hi

tompower comments on All our Canadian posters take a bow , say hello and say ehhhh..

hey to you yankees, thanks for keeping the world free and all that you keep up the good work we really appreciate it up here in canada. U keep spending ur taxes on freedom and I'll save my money for holidays in colombia. THX

tompower comments on marriage in Cali

Azulvioleta, it took exactly 8 months from start to finish for the permanent resident visa for my wife. the way it works is after you marry in colombia he submits the application to canada immigration there's various things you need to do like a medical exam, police clearance and certify/ translate your documents. After 40 days or so they reply to him saying hes good to sponsor you and then they send the application to the canadian embassy in bogota, there they review all the documents and around the 8 month mark they'll contact you to send them your passport to stamp it and give you your visa. Once you land in canda your a permanent resident free to travel back to colombia when ever you want, recieve health care, study at ESL classes and work. That's definitely worth the wait because coming as a visitor isn't a permanent solution for being together. Good luck, Remember, we're all in this together. Tom Power

tompower comments on Bus from Cartagena to Barranquilla

if your arriving by air to cartagena its better to go marsol to barranquilla because they are right there at the airport in crespo,... the bus terminal for regular intercity buses is way out on the east of town a good hour through congested cartagena. FYI - there are two highways from cartagena to barranquilla the original and a newer toll highway that follows the coast. The intercity buses and trucks take the old highway which starts past the bus terminal, the new toll highway leaves north east from crespo and because only cars and puerta a puerta ( thats what these types of shuttle services are called) use the highway people fly along at light speed.