wabbits has left 89 comments

wabbits comments on Hotel owner tells Hispanic workers to change names

at oneforyourmillion: It -is- highly amusing and ironic that latino culture is brazenly ageist, sexist, and racist in hiring practices here at home, but when they get to the states suddenly everyone demands political correctness.

wabbits comments on Girls sell sex in Hong Kong to earn shopping money

I've always imagined that women resort to prostitution only when they have no other means of providing for themselves (or perhaps when they are forced into sex slavery). But this kind of "compensated dating" concept blurs the lines between need and simple consumerism. Does anyone know how common this is in Colombia? It makes me wonder how many prepagos are working because they're single mothers, or because they like to shop.

wabbits comments on US bank recommendations?

Well i'm a US resident also... so if anyone has the Paypal card and likes it, please let me know.

wabbits comments on Finally got a postpago cell phone with Movistar

So if you talk to your wife for 700min this month, you'll pay ~57 pesos per minute? That sounds pretty decent. Does anyone know the average cost per minute for pre-pago phones?

wabbits comments on is the police report still required for work visas?

CrazyGringo... thanks for the heads up. One more question, where did you get this document? did you call the cops where you live in the states? or did you go through some kinda Police Background Check online service?

wabbits comments on insurace for laptop?

thanks for all the helpful comments. For anyone intersted, i called Dell and they do have a policy that covers damage for duration of the warranty. They ofter a theft protection thru Lojack, but again, lojack only covers up to $1000, so they suggested i might get homeowners/renters insurance. If anyone has any sort of policy they are happy with, i'd love to hear. In the meantime i will research. flatline: i'm working in video postproduction doing animation/compositing/3D, so i need a box that runs fast. Otherwise i would indeed get a netbook/sub notebook El Expatriado - yes, the site is called poor but happy. I don't know what you do for a living, but i haven't had any income for the last 3 years, so i can't be so flippant about cash. Additionally i'm staying in a hostel so my stuff is a little more vulnerable.

wabbits comments on insurace for laptop?

I have a policy (IMG) that covers me for medical costs, but they don't do property or anything else. If i was going to get homeowners insurance, what would you recommend?

wabbits comments on insurace for laptop?

It cost me $2k, and that doesn't include my flight to pick it up. It's a Dell Precision M4400 with a few upgrades.

wabbits comments on Spirit Air $9 Fare Club worth it?

sorry... honestly i did search for the topic before posting... thanks.

wabbits comments on carrying new merchandise thru customs?

So i have a camera and an ipod in the box shrinkwrapped. I am taking them as carry-on because things get 'lost' in checked luggage. I have the receipts. Can i say they are gifts, or do i need to say they are my own possessions? Do i need to take them out of the box? If it matters i'm flying into medellin.

wabbits comments on carrying new merchandise thru customs?

thanks for writing pedro... if they -do- find it and ask, should i say they're gifts? or do they have to be -my- possesions? You think it's okay in the box then..

wabbits comments on Macbook Help!

a .ISO file is a disk image file. You need to "mount" it and you should be able to do this with Disk Utility, or a similar CD/DVD burning program such as Toast. If the terminal doesn't frighten you, it appears you can do it from the command line as described here: http://osxdaily.com/2008/04/22/easily-mount-an-iso-in-mac-os-x/

wabbits comments on Macbook Help!

Are you saying you need to "convert" the software to windows? It sounds more like you need to reboot your mac to windows, using something like Bootcamp or similar product? Are you sure the software doesn't come in mac format?

wabbits comments on Customs bust my balls for bringing car parts into Colombia

I'm coming back down in a couple days with a point and shoot camera and an iPod that i've purchased for friends. The camera is $150usd and the ipod about $250... i'd prefer to keep them as newish looking as possible for the whole packageopening experience, but i sure as hell don't want to pay taxes.... any comments?

wabbits comments on

I wish Craglist had more cities in Colombia but as Johnny points out, Colombians simply don't use it. Does anyone know what the -do- use?

wabbits comments on Colombian Peso Climbs on U.S. Data; Chilean Peso Advances

wasn't someone promising the dollar would break 3000?

wabbits comments on extra pages for US passport

thank you for all the helpful comments! Looks like it can be done for free in the same day in Bogota.

wabbits comments on Im gonna try an experiment with XOOM sending a little money to the Ole Lady!

a friend sent me some money when i was in guatemala via xoom. it was a little tedious on her end to prove she did in fact want to send this money, but after it was sent it was pretty easy for me to pick it up at the bank with a conf # and my passport.

wabbits comments on Fernet or amaro in Medellin?

The population of Argentina seems to disagree.

wabbits comments on Need To Find Something? Great Maps and Address Finder

sometimes if feel like giving up on PBH, but these kinds of tips and info make it soooo worthwhile. Thanks Desi... this thing is awesome.... i asked for this exact thing a couple days ago..

wabbits comments on do turn signals cause cancer?

Honestly, i don´t enjoy mindless chitchat any more than the next person, but sometimes the culture shock gets to me and i have to complain/question why things are they way they are here. Sometimes you DO get interesting responses, like my friend's theory about why some people talk louder than others..

wabbits comments on do turn signals cause cancer?

nope, but i´ve been in enough taxis to notice... additionally, i spend a lot of my days as a pedestrian wondering if i´m going to get run over by cars.. if the cops pulled over everyone who turned or changed lanes without signalling, they could probably pay for the metro.

wabbits comments on Hostel thief travelling South America now in Colombia - IMPORTANT

Could we perhaps make this thread un-sticky, and start a new one: "Hostel thief travelling South America now in Colombia - SUUUUPER REALLY IMPORTANT -- ON TOPIC" ?

wabbits comments on Cynicism

Posts about the same 5 questions -are- annoying. Most online forums address this problem by creating a FAQ sticky post. Perhaps someone here will find the time to create one.

wabbits comments on video file i need it smaller any help

What is the format of your video? What is your target size? Why don´t you just upload it to youtube or google video?

wabbits comments on

The problem with not getting vaccinated is that it´s not a purely personal decision. Failing to do so means you put the lives of other people in danger as well, as many gringos found out last year http://tinyurl.com/556xw2

wabbits comments on Medellin map with address lookup feature?

Another question... some areas of google maps have streets labeled super crazy that doesn´t make any sense to me... can anyone for example tell me what is going on here? http://tinyurl.com/bqolk4

wabbits comments on do you miss your country?

How old are you?

wabbits comments on what's a good bottle of wine here?

Thanks for all the quick responses folks! Lately I've been leaning towards whites (I like Chardonnay), but usually go with a red because most of my friends seem to prefer it.

wabbits comments on "Limpieza" is going to start again in Medellin

Does anyone have any information about past occurrences of this sort of thing? A friend of mine seemed to think this is coming from paracos. But it seems more logical to me that it would be coming from residents who actually live there. Or perhaps that can be the same thing?

wabbits comments on Staying beyond the 60 day tourist visa

PBH could really use a FAQ for this question...

wabbits comments on Hostel thief travelling South America now in Colombia - IMPORTANT

perhaps it's time this thread be returned to normal status...

wabbits comments on Taking alcohol from Colombia to US

Brought 4 beers and a bottle of rum and aguardiente into Ft. Lauderdale (declared them) last september no prob. The year before i brought 4.5 liters of rum from Nicaragua no prob. Just declare what you have and if you do pay duties who cares.

wabbits comments on

> casa_de_norte says on Feb 12, 2009 > > ... and are proud of their bodies.. I think the epidemic of cosmetic surgery here would indicate otherwise. To the contrary, Latin America's obsession with image and beauty keeps most of them in a constant state of self-doubt about their bodies.

wabbits comments on FLL to Medellin rtn. $155.70 (includes taxes)

Does the following text mean that you have to buy your tickets within the next day to take advantage of the low fares? "Individual travel-date specific fares must be booked on spiritair.com between 12:00 AM ET on February 10, 2009 and 11:59 PM ET on February 11, 2009 for travel on the dates as specified by individual market and by market direction. "

wabbits comments on

who the fuck cares...

wabbits comments on Spirit Air?

Flew from Bogota > Ft Lauderdale > DC return no problems whatsoever. You -do- have to pay extra for any checked luggage. I think $15 per bag.

wabbits comments on

Tom. How exactly did you find out? What did the transactions looked like in the statement? Were they purchases or ATM withdrawals. I pretty much use 1 or 2 atms so if i look at my accounts online it's not too difficult to notice aberrations.. I have two debit cards, one with a credit union and the other with Washington Mutual (which is now some other bank). They don't charge me anything, but i -am- charged 1% which is apparently from Visa or Mastercard, and i don't know how anyone gets around this. I still don't understand how they get the pin numbers.

wabbits comments on Is the border at Cucuta okay?

err... how? i already did... and they gave me one month and they can´t give me any more... i'm not paying for more classes they're 600-700mil a pop..

wabbits comments on Is the border at Cucuta okay?

Well i was on a student visa, and then i got some sort of extra month salvo conducto document. And then i tell Yolanda that I want to renew as a tourist, because as a tourist i get 6 months every calendar year, and she's like "guey, tienes que salir del pais".... but i will ask her again tomorrow

wabbits comments on Is the border at Cucuta okay?

She's been there for at least 7 months?

wabbits comments on Is the border at Cucuta okay?

okay so Fannie told me i have to physically *leave* the country.... but i will ask her again tomorrow...

wabbits comments on Is the border at Cucuta okay?

The DAS lady here in Medellin said i have to *leave* the country, but just for kicks I will swing by and ask them again. I can't get enough of that place... (By chance does anyone know the name of the lady with the glasses that screens you before setting you up with the people at the windows?)

wabbits comments on How to buy a laptop?

Thank you for all of the helpful and informative comments. I can't say for sure, but a quick glance at the prices at Exito is making me lean towards purchasing in the US, even at the current exchange rate (perhaps I will investigate elsewhere tomowrrow). Q: Is there any general consensus as to a reliable/economical shipper? (fedex, DHL, jj logistics, Aeropost etc.) If the merchandise is stolen or lost, do i have any recourse? Also, can I get around the tax issue by having someone make the laptop "used?" (for example, ship it to a friend and have them take it out of the original packaging)? Q: If I end up flying to the states, can I buy it online (at a better price) and ship it to a Fedex/UPS/DHL location and simply pick it up in person? thank you again everyone..

wabbits comments on How to buy a laptop?

I suppose Panama is different than Colombia, but out of curiosity how much did shipping and the duty fee put you back? (is this Airbox service a Panama-only thing)?

wabbits comments on Michelle Obama wears Dress Designed By Cuban American Designer Isabel Toledo

Fashion makes people feel better about themselves as human beings, and helps us on the long road to world peace...

wabbits comments on SINCE AMERICA IS A COUNTRY, IS AFRICA A COUNTRY TOO?

* yawn *

wabbits comments on working in colombia

Well that is wonderfully depressing...

wabbits comments on peter..........some thoughts from the peanut gallery

Of the millions of the online forums that exist, i can't image this to be the first time anyone has run across this problem. Isn't this what the flag tool is for? My understanding is that common procedure is to simply ignore trolls. The idea of requiring ID would be effective in eliminating duplicate accounts, but i don't think i personally would ever hand over such information to a website.

wabbits comments on working in colombia

I´m currently looking for work in the design/post-production industry. I prefer this kind of work over teaching english, because i am actually educated and have experience in this profession. Why would it be easier to do something for which i´m not qualified? What happens when your students ask you "Profe, why do you say ´THEY gave us free drinks´ instead of ´THEM gave us free drinks´?" Are you just gonna say "Cuz it sounds better that way."