Whipstatic has left 35 comments

Whipstatic comments on Libreta Militar

El presidente
Yes sir, I'll make sure to cast my ballot.

Whipstatic comments on Medellin Blues

Hail gringo

I think of my stay in Medellin as the constant anxiety about one's means of livelihood and survival. The most degrading and violent place on earth. At one point I am sure it must have been a good place filled with hardworking paisas and pretty "natural silicon free" girls, but these days there are violent ignorants roaming the streets everywhere and if you can stay in your hotel room and sleep then do so by all means. Colombia has a lot more to offer and see.

The last thing you want is to hook up with some girl who only wants your money or worse yet that you hit on the wrong kind of girl and end up in a fight with some stupid 14 yr old with a gun. Stay in El Poblado, hang at the library (piloto) visit the universities (lots of smart and pretty girls) check the cool bars and clubs, avoid "vallenato playing joints" and if you survive the ordeal call yourself lucky.

Whipstatic comments on moving to miami please help!

Apples to Oranges
Incomewise people make way much more anywhere outside Miami, except maybe Kansas and other red states. Really man you cant compare Miami with LA NY or London, people in Miami live off tips, get serious now.

Whipstatic comments on advice wanted on my future trip from cali to popayan

No worries man

All you have to worry about in Colombia is chicle(gum)sticking on your shoe or the rare occurrence of a white shark in the Caribbean. Maybe dog shit in a park.

Be cool and humble and people will play likewise.

Whipstatic comments on Some Advice?

Like I said

All you have to worry about in Colombia is chicle(gum)sticking on your shoe or the rare occurrence of a white shark in the Caribbean. Maybe dog shit in a park.

Colombians are very good, kind and warm people. It depends some on the Region where you travel and it is also true that some Colombians do like to start a bit of trouble every now and then but you be cool and humble and u will have a great time.

Whipstatic comments on Colombianos in Panama

Well think for a minute

Panama didnt want to establish the Visa for Colombians because Colombians make up a relatively large portion of their economy, so despite the illegal activities (drugs,prostitution, weapons trade etc) Panama will not impose that legal obstacle on Colombians. About the pretty girls and all, well some Colombians do like to start some trouble every now and then so Panama decided to keep it simple and establish the money-ticket rule. The enough money in the bank and way back ticket is just a legal instrument they have to deny entry to anyone they deem "unwelcome" or really suspicious without having to ask for a Visa. It is really really rare decent Colombians are deported for whatever reason from Panama. All you need is a current passport and a debit card, there is no way for them to verify the balance. Piece of cake really, Panama isnt Norway.

Whipstatic comments on Colombianos in Panama

Excuse me

It is a quite well known fact that Colombians do NOT need visa to go to their former chunk of land, Panama's packed with Colombians and Panamans dont mind really.

Whipstatic comments on HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wow

That is mind blowing!, I didnt know they had so much influence. I think Colombians are not aware of how much control their Jews have.

Hittler would have had a fit if he had known that. One good thing I can pick from what you say is that they stay legit and keep away from the drug trade, something difficult for the upper classes in general.

Whipstatic comments on Libreta Militar

Thank you much Santi

I wasnt going to anyways. I just thought you know worse comes to worse............

Whipstatic comments on

Were you aware??:
Gringos BE AWARE of the chicharrones in the palacio del colesterol, they are humongous and contain sooo much fat that you will need strong exercise and a rigorous diet once you're back to your homeland. Other than that you have nothing else to worry about in Colombia.

Whipstatic comments on HAPPY NEW YEAR

Tinto
Well thank you very much for that fact, I wasn't near aware of that fact. Would it be also part of the reason the city of Medellin has the highest murder rate in the world?

Whipstatic comments on moving to miami please help!

What are you talking about?

I lived all my life in the South and we never ever see gas higher than Florida's unless you travel up north or West to CA. I am also concerned with your numbers because you didnt check Florida's. I remember seeing folks crossing the border from Florida everyday to buy milk and groceries at the gas station, that is just retarded. They pump and fill up across the border too. Florida is expensive as hell.

Whipstatic comments on how is the Tsunami story being reported in COL?

What do you think man
Apply a little common sense.....yes, that's it, they do report it heavily on the news. A lot of folks die in Colombia but not at the 150000 a day rate, someday maybe but still the tsunami is pretty strong news material.

Whipstatic comments on moving to miami please help!

Ok that is just retarded
Florida has no income tax but...their sales tax is higher, their property taxes among the highest in the nation and they do have the gas tax. Add it up and...yes you end up paying more. Also companies compensate you more in States that have income tax. Now if you ever travelled outside Florida you'll see that gas is cheaper and people are nicer, in fact out of Miami you'll see Americans for the first time.
My wife is from Hamilton county, FL and I do like some of the cities that I mentioned before, but I just dont like Miami and I have met lots and lots of people who have left Miami and are much better off than they were in that rotten city. I love the Florida Keys and Naples, and a bunch of small towns where I've had my scapades (read destin,panama city you name it), but let's just not drag it any further, the city of miami sucks and it drags Florida along with it, starting with your governor, another Bush moron.

Whipstatic comments on

Hey Gringo

I like the Toscana crepe, it's just too small, but very delicious. I am thinking of the next one I am gonna have when I visit Bogota again. I found out they opened one store in Madrid, Spain.

Whipstatic comments on

You were ripped
You can buy dollars for $1800 outside Banco De La Republica, then take it inside and they pay them for the official rate, I believe $2400 or something like that. Made $300 perfectly legal.

Whipstatic comments on

Well they could for starters.....

They could for starters install some AC by the Immigration posts at EL Dorado, that way we wont have to sweat our way through the lines all the way down to the DAS booths. I am aware of the minor under 18 rule, I needed that to leave the States in the first place. Colombia is a Banana Republic and that's what makes it especial, but not especial in the "little yellow bus especial meaning" but the cool one.

Whipstatic comments on

No brainer

Cops pick on the fat ones, they know they wont run too fast.

Whipstatic comments on HAPPY NEW YEAR

Yeah
No kidding, Jews in Colombia? where?

Whipstatic comments on

I think the man is probably at creps right now

Most definitely the man is working at this point on some twelve- pound morcilla at their local taco stand that I believe the call fritanguerias.

Whipstatic comments on moving to miami please help!

Ok I see the error in my "ways"

Whatever the case is, Miami is and always be America's dump. Nobody cares about it, it is almost a challenge to see an American in Miami.

Now there is no need to bite my head off for my comment, remember is the land of the free, freedom of speech is there in the constitution for if you swore allegiance to it you must have seen that part somewhere at some point.

Whipstatic comments on

The man didnt die On your previous comment It's the Irish men I tell you, ever since they found them teaching the guerrillas terrorism 1101, cops have been cracking down on some foreigners that stay a bit too long. Truly, there is a bunch of foreigners who just go to Colombia to marry some poor girl or do trafficking, and that is what they mean to control.
I dont think they mean to expel the empanada-loving-aguardiente sort of type of foreigner that just wants to have a good time.

Whipstatic comments on

All righty gringo

Gees, you dont have to bite my head off. I was just saying that in case all else falls apart you're not SOL (I trust you know the meaning). I off course play by the book, but sometimes when things dont work out as you expect you must do things a little different. If you can do things right, go for it.

Whipstatic comments on moving to miami please help!

Yeah
It is tough I bet to live on tips and having a family to support.
I have to say you cracked me up with the rats thing. You could be right about Miami and the UK. I do apologize for that,you are very right about it literally being a rat hole, but when I use the expression I dont literally mean a rat hole, it's a language thing. It's like when grandma says he/she's all bent out of shape, or colder than a weller'ass, that sort of thing.

but you must really not know much about the US. Miami isnt the only tropical paradise. I will name three FYI,
US Virgin Islands, ST CROIX
HAWAII
Puerto Rico (I think it's considered US)
San Diego (just in case PR isnt part of the US)

Whipstatic comments on HAPPY NEW YEAR

WOW
I didnt know there were Colombian Jews, interesting.

Whipstatic comments on

Ok Gringo you play by the Rules

I apologize, you must be a very righteous man and by all means you should avoid my comments.
For your info though I was too delayed at the airport EL Dorado, sadly I didnt have a Colombian passport with me then, I was 14 and I managed to convince the immigration lady to let me go!!, and here's the interesting part, I have done it twice after overstaying.
Now you can call that luck, but really when you live in Colombia you are in Banana Republic. Cartagena airport isnt even linked to the system, venezuela's border's points have a notebook for foreigners' control and in Ecuador there is....he he and let me say it "No border control", boy I sure thank my family for having colombian in my blood and not being so stupid.

Whipstatic comments on moving to miami please help!

No Clue

There are a lot of thieves,former dictators,prostitutes-artists, narcos, vice city wannabes and people of that sort buying.
I heard Montoya bought an apartment there, but then again he married the daughter of a narco dude, I'd say not very reliable people buy there.

Whipstatic comments on moving to miami please help!

Point Taken, she could be a latin party animal
We sure think from a profit maximization perspective, kinda the boring Florida view, but she did ask about costs and living expenses and that right there means....
"shoot, what if my $10000 severance pay wont cover the first two months in Miami?"

Plus you should know that a shot of cuervo,scotch or grey goose is not cheap and you do have to tip the bartender. I read her postings and seems like she used to work for a hotel or something, unless she did some "extra curricular" activities I dont see how you can afford miami "easily". Living la vida loca isnt cheap, and cut me a break...Miami is a rathole,feel comfortable there? all righty then.

Whipstatic comments on

YES
It is a nice money maker, but Extranjeria really has a funny miopic way to look at foreigners and enforce the law. To me it seems that if you are stupid enough to get caught and not beat the 20 point IQ policeman intellect when you are questioned then you must pay the stiff price. Street smarts, boy, you are in Colombia.

Whipstatic comments on Minimum salary in Colombia?

Fact is....
very few colombians are actually employed no matter what numbers you look at. Minimum salary is a privilege for very few, I hear is less than 4 million.
The cities are plagued with unemployed, underpaid people and the laid off. You can randomly pick out ten people in the middle of chapinero and you will find that maybe 2 out of ten actually have real jobs -regardless of whether they are wearing a suit and tie or not----

Minister Carrasquilla said unemployment stood at 12.5% two weeks ago in EL TIEMPO. That just cracked me up, I thought I'd write him a letter and suggest we changed our name from Colombia to Sweden to make it more in tune with our (made up) government economic figures.

Whipstatic comments on moving to miami please help!

I think it is worth passing by

Come on, it sure is worth checking out, you must if you are on your way to the keys or Naples. South Beach is midly entertaining, but then again that is it.

I couldnt agree more other than that with the previous reply. I cant see how on earth could anybody conciously make a decision to live down there? I knock on wood......

Orlando is packed with corporate jobs, but still is second on my nasty-florida-cities guide. Only cool thing is Disney and a few clubs.

In florida move to naples,tallahasse,pensacola or gainesville. When I was in highschool I visited Daytona for spring break and...nothing to see.
My best advise, stay away from the sunshine state.

Whipstatic comments on

Like you'd be deported
Dude you aint no mexican walking through houston. There is no way you'd even remotely get deported. Worse comes to worse you might get a nasty telegram from whatever institution monitors the handful of foreigners in colombia.
The only thing you have to worry about in Bogota is of chicle on the streets that sticks on to your shoes or dog shit in the parque de la 93,other than that you're golden.

Whipstatic comments on Minimum salary in Colombia?

Do Not trust Uribe's Numbers

They have this sort of thing called "sub employment" in which about 40% of colombians fall, that means if you sell candy on the street you are counted as employed.....uh..ok...
to me chicle-selling is not a job, it is sort of a trade till you find something decent to do. Bottom line unemployment in colombia is around 40% and that includes everything cyclical,structural,natural any sort of rate you can think of.

On a separate note....I dont think Tirofijo's men are covered by any sort of health benefits like PPO or HMO insurance or maybe weekend trips to the local pool. I even wonder if the coca field workers and narco dudes are counted as employed.

Whipstatic comments on Libreta Militar

Dude I wont even go there till I am 25
There is no way in hell you would make me go there before I am 25 yrs old -that's when you can apply for one--

I seriously wouldnt want to waste my education and everything that I have fighting in the caguan region with an old rifle and a few rounds of ammo. I am all right right now.
Advise is visit the islands or Bogota, stay away from roadblocks or country side areas. If you are Colombian-American white enough to pass as gringo then you're cool, but you wont want to mess with some illiterate lieutenant if you are seriously mexican looking. Best wishes if you travel.

I am 22 and recently graduated from college, thought about the same thing you ponder upon right now.

Whipstatic comments on moving to miami please help!

You must be INSANE to move there!!

Ok miami in a few words is just a city to travel once in a while to enjoy a few drinks while your wife does a bit of shopping. With its artificial beaches and overpriced shops and restaurants the city is by no means a middle class American city -though much of its people live below the poverty line according to US Census numbers--
While it is worth a shot visiting it is BY NO MEANS, and I cant stress enough BY NO MEANS worth staying there for a period longer than what a normal vacation should last.
The city depends on tourists to survive, you will see thousands of young highly educated hispanic new immigrants(tourists??) fighting for a job at Burger King. It is definitely not worth moving there. I found the place to be more of a third world version of the US. In a few words, disorganized, dirty, poor and somewhat third worldish. The income disparity is huge, there are folks living in ridiculously over-priced places while most people hardly make a living. Rent is cheap in Kendall,gables,little haiti and further west towards the gator infested everglades and the other surrounding areas packed with all sorts of new immigrants. A house will go for about $750 a month, dont expect much though, education is free though not college; a car is a must, a decently priced vehicle that wont break down on your way back from the dealer will go for about $4000. All and all you will need about 3000 to barely make it with a family of three, if i was you I'd put all my kids to work at fast food joints and you have nothing else to expect except a waitress job in South Beach or Coconut grove, pop that balloon mam',the place is a rathole.