Colombia...finally!! Cali or Medellin???

[benjio]

Also I think you can go too far to show you are not rich. Colombian women want to know they are going to have a stable future. The good ones don't want a millionare but they don't want to struggle just to stay out of poverty all their lives either. Who would?

Damn good point...

[htown]

You guys make some good points on sticking to the more secured areas.  I guess I need to just wait until I actually get there to see for myself what I feel comfortable with and what I don't feel comfortable with.  I have a million and one questions that I probably won't be able to answer until I get there and experience it first hand.  I'm expecting the people at the hostel I stay at to be able to help me out with some good advice.

[Gato4Astrid]

I have only been to Medellin 1 time and it was just OK for my liking but in Cali there is a complex called La Flora near Exito and Chipichapi and I am not sure what strata it is, but it is safe, great pool and working people, all be it working people with cars . If you could find this type of complex in Medellin, I think that would fit you very nicely.
 
KB

Santa Monica - 10 minutes north of Chipchape is very good area too - Estrato 5, I think


Granada - Estrato 6

[pontiac]

Hey Calipro- What is the password to view your photos?
Thanks amigo.

[htown]

I'm feeling kinda iffy about this trip now that I leave in just a couple days.  I only bought a 1 way ticket for $400 so at the most that's how much I'm out if I don't make the flight.


It doesn't help that everybody I talk to tells me I'm crazy for going to such a dangerous place that's so far away.  I'm getting zero support from my family.


This reminds me of my younger days as an amateur boxer.  I remembered I always acted like I was eager to get into the ring to spar or for a match, and I was, but once the gloves were on and being laced up I would get big-time butterflies in my stomach.  Sometimes I would be so nervous I'd become nauseous and almost feel like vomitting or passing out.  Of course once the fight started and the adrenaline kicked in I was fine, but I was younger then.  My nerves don't handle stress and fear the way they used to.  Maybe I'm getting soft, who knows?

Basically I'm starting to get that "oh $hit, what am I getting myself into" feeling.


I still have my mind made up I'm going, I just didn't expect it to be this difficult to stay focused.

[Calipro]

I'm feeling kinda iffy about this trip now that I leave in just a couple days.  I only bought a 1 way ticket for $400 so at the most that's how much I'm out if I don't make the flight.


It doesn't help that everybody I talk to tells me I'm crazy for going to such a dangerous place that's so far away.  I'm getting zero support from my family.


This reminds me of my younger days as an amateur boxer.  I remembered I always acted like I was eager to get into the ring to spar or for a match, and I was, but once the gloves were on and being laced up I would get big-time butterflies in my stomach.  Sometimes I would be so nervous I'd become nauseous and almost feel like vomitting or passing out.  Of course once the fight started and the adrenaline kicked in I was fine, but I was younger then.  My nerves don't handle stress and fear the way they used to.  Maybe I'm getting soft, who knows?

Basically I'm starting to get that "oh $hit, what am I getting myself into" feeling.


I still have my mind made up I'm going, I just didn't expect it to be this difficult to stay focused.

I went to Colombia (alone) for the first time 18 years ago....and that was when FARC actually kidnapped a lot of people. The wimps and goofballs didn't show up for years later unless they were on one of the hand holding tours like TLC.


They have a lot of gringo pads that rent rooms almost exclusively to gringos in Medellin (on airbnb.com)....you could rent a room in one of those places and hang with gringos that have been there a while before heading out on your own. 

[htown]

I went to Colombia (alone) for the first time 18 years ago...

Wow, I bet colombia was a real no-man's-land back for foreigners back then.  How have things changed?  Is it safer now?  Were the girls friendlier to gringos back then?  Was colombia cheaper?

[whitey]

Htown, it's normal to feel the way you are feeling ... you are about to step way out of your comfort zone and do something very different and amazing.  Just go ahead and do it despite the anxiety.  You are going to have a great time. 


If you haven't already read them, take a look in the archives at Woody's trip reports from Medellin ... should get you energized and stiffen the ole spine.


And if Micky is up for it, spend some time with him early to help you adjust and learn the ropes.  He seems like a great guy, and few gringos know Medellin and the culture better than him.


I've spent some of the best times of my life in Colombia ... and Medellin is a beautiful place ... wish I was headed there myself!

[Kiltboy1]

Wow, I bet colombia was a real no-man's-land back for foreigners back then.  How have things changed?  Is it safer now?  Were the girls friendlier to gringos back then?  Was colombia cheaper?

1)Yes
2)Yes
3)Yes, Much Cheaper
 
I stated going to Cali in 1998

[htown]

I´m on the ground now in medellin.  Holy crap that busride from bogota to medellin was a ONCE IN A LIFETIME EPIC JOURNEY!  The ENTIRE RIDE is winding roads practically hanging off the side of a mountain.  I saw my life flash before my eyes at least 10 times.  I do not recommend!


I like everything I see so far, which hasn´t been much.  I arrived at night and just caught a taxi to a hostel in poblado.  Parque lleras is jumping tonight oh yea!

[Micky]

I do recommend!  Get to a sidewalk type bar/res and watch the game, Colombia vs Uruguay,  starts in an hour and a half,  that will be rockin'!!!!!  Welcome to Med.
 
Micky

[Gato4Astrid]

4-0 !!!!

[htown]

Colombia´ s soccer team has been kicking butt recently.  I swear paisa men have the weirdest accent I´ve ever heard in my whole life.  Well the younger ones anyway.  I don´t know about the older mens´accent because I can´t understand a damn word they say lol! 

[whitey]

You think that's bad? Try talking to someone on the coast from estrato 3 or less! 

[benjio]

Colombia´ s soccer team has been kicking butt recently.  I swear paisa men have the weirdest accent I´ve ever heard in my whole life.  Well the younger ones anyway.  I don´t know about the older mens´accent because I can´t understand a damn word they say lol!

Yeah, Colombia's Team has really surprised me this year. They have been very fun to watch.
 
Young people from Antioquia speak as if they are singing. It's not, ¿En serio?, it's ¿Eenn SeeeeEEERRRrrrrriiiiooooooooo? The women are MUCH worse...especially when they have been drinking. Conversations start to sound like songs when two drunk Paisas are talking. I've never even been to Medellin but I meet Paizanos everywhere in Colombia and they always sound the same. Whitey's absolutely correct though. I understood Paizanos betters than I could understand Mexicans when I started confidently communicating with native speakers. But even with being fluent now, everytime I return to the coast of Colombia, it takes me a few days to acclimate myself to the accent again. Before that, I usually have to ask everyone to repeat themselves multiple times before I understand what they're saying.

[Gato4Astrid]

Colombia´ s soccer team has been kicking butt recently.  I swear paisa men have the weirdest accent I´ve ever heard in my whole life.  Well the younger ones anyway.  I don´t know about the older mens´accent because I can´t understand a damn word they say lol!

Football

[htown]

Ok now that I´ve been here a little while my stance is changing about wanting to live in a working class barrio far away from any gringos.  Everytime I go to poblado I find myself way more at ease and relaxed and I dread going back to my hotel in el centro.  I´m even going to a gringo party this weekend.  I guess calipro was right afterall, lol!

[Micky]

Hung with HT the second half of last Sat..  He is a young guy who has his head on pretty straight.  He is staying in the heart of el Centro.  The bad part of staying in el Centro is not the daytime,  when the sun goes down and the late workers and shoppers have gone,  the number of street people,  drunks, putas and assorted riff raft start to out number the "regular folk",  not for the weak of heart.

HT did you get your flash drive for the wireless?  Let me know so I can send you the link to the really good maps of town.  Let's hook up this next week and talk about some places that could be green light for you to look at for a pad.

Micky

[whitey]

Have you been to the plazas and parques in central Envigado or Sabaneta?  I really liked Sabaneta ... seemed like a good place to have lunch, a few beers, coffee, whatever and do some people watching for the afternoon.  Seemed pretty safe there ... not sketchy like el centro in Medellin ...

[whitey]

BTW, are you staying at 61Prado?  We really liked it there ... great value.

[Micky]

Whitey -

Sabaneta is maybe my number one favorite plaza/park area in the entire valley.  What sets it apart from all others is everybody out in the streets milling around - young,  old,  men,  women,  children,  couples,  families.  A little slower pace to it also.  It will be changing some with the opening of the extension of the Metro - two more stations,  Sabaneta and La Estrella.

Micky

[htown]

Envigado and sabaneta, I'll have to check those places out.  Whitey, no I'm not at 61prado, I'm in a hotel that's probably cheaper than that.


Micky, yea I ended up getting the modem from claro.  They say its 4g but it's speed is more like 1g, lol!  Yea you know I got time whenever just pm me or call.

[rmm1110]

Micky and Calipro...i am new to this site but not new to travel...living in Ukraine now but going back to the US for about a month and then heading to Medellin (first time) latter part of February, early March...just started studying spanish so I know it will be a long haul.

if I like Medellin, i will live there..i am not a oyung guy but i am in shape and can date women in Ukraine 20-25 years my junior.

i will read as much of this forum as possible but i am looking for help for an affordable place to rent and to meet women. i am not a "pay for play" type, i am looking for a nice girl..

please PM me with your email address if you are willing to help me get my feet planted in medellin

thank you

robert