Trip to Bogota

[El Diablo]

... in response to Re: Wow, posted by Cali vet on Mar 4, 2002


Wow...sounds like the same experience I had.  The seven letters I received from Lina Maria almost convinved me to go forward, they were great letters but I could never get her to give me a telephone number.  I had even called Hal at her suggestion and talked with him personally.  At that time, I had no clue about Colombia, telephones and the whole racket but something didn't seem right and I let things drop.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Lina Maria wasn't it?, posted by El Diablo on Mar 4, 2002

Then there was the lovely Lilia, beauty queen from Ecuador who turned out to be a fifty year old married woman with a p.o. box stuffed with letters from the U.S. and Europe.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Lina Maria wasn't it?, posted by El Diablo on Mar 4, 2002

God! you too? Mine was definately "Mary" but Wenz probobly worked several of them. She sent me a tiny 1"x1" picture showing her holding a photo. I blew it up and the photo was of another guy.

[Aaron]

... in response to Re: Lina Maria wasn't it?, posted by Cali vet on Mar 4, 2002

but not as good as me !!!!! LOL !!!!!!!!!!

Cuidate mi negro =0)
Aaron

[Cali vet]

... in response to Cali-Vet, you know the ropes,......., posted by Aaron on Mar 4, 2002

Think I been on 'em more than I know 'em.

[El Diablo]

... in response to Re: Lina Maria wasn't it?, posted by Cali vet on Mar 4, 2002

Mines name was Lina Mary or Lina Maria.  She signed her letters with Mary however.  She was 26, a secretary and I believe she had an older sister.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Small world, posted by El Diablo on Mar 4, 2002

Hey Diablo! What were you doing with my girl!?! Bet Patrick was messing with her too. Geeeezzz You guys!!!

[Wayne]

... in response to Trip to Bogota, posted by Ken2 on Mar 1, 2002

This thread is really getting more hysterical by the minute.  This is the stuff I hang around for.  To meet the brother, or to not meet the brother?  To send more packages for learning English, or to not....

I think you should do it all....!  Then 38 seconds after you meet in person, you will decide she is not for you.LOL Maybe...  After you go down there, you will see what I'm talking about.  You meet 5 in a day, and maybe you will like one if you are lucky.  You could have wrote the other 4 for a year.  Until you meet, you don't know anything.  Writing in my opinion is merely just a way to entertain yourself before your trip.

 

Have fun.
Wayne

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Trip to Bogota, posted by Wayne on Mar 3, 2002

I don't think there is really anything wrong with nor risky about initiating the relationship through correspondance. My first experiences resulted from corropondence through TLC. In fact my very first experience involved a woman from Barranquilla I met that way. I spent 11 days getting to know her and her family and never saw any red flags or had any reason to distrust any of them. The problem, and here I concur with Wayne, is that I realized almost right away that that woman was not who I wanted to wake up next to for the rest of my life. The other problem however is that there are an awfull lot of very desirable woman who either don't want or don't have access to an agency so the only way to connect with them is through correspondence. I haven't paid attention lately but at one point TLC was producing catalogs of 600 new women four times a year. That's quite a lot more than all the agencies in Cali sign on I'll wager. A strategy that produced fairly good results when I had access to their catalogs was to write a month in advance to girls in a city where I planned to stay at an agency giving them the number and asking them to call me there if they'd like to meet for lunch. Quite a few liked the idea of lunch enough to respond. I also think that corrospondence my be the only way to break out of the Cali "agency rut" that one can get in to and meet girls from other countries.

[Pete E]

... in response to Trip to Bogota, posted by Ken2 on Mar 1, 2002

Ken,
It takes 2 weeks,10 working days between the first and second interviews at the American Embassy in Bogota.This is the only absolute time minimum.Everything else depends on how long it takes you.You can do the honeymoon between the 2 interviews.If you have done your homework and have your papers in order she will get the visa at the second appointment.Yiu need to take all the paperwork with you,much of which needs to be notorized in the US.The Embassy has a web site to check whats needed,its under the US state dept.
Before that you need to get married and get a weddding certificate.You pay about $500 for this.Also I went through this process of getting a visa from the Colombian counsolate here to marry my wife.You need to do that before you go,there is alot too it.You also need a letter from her saying she is going to marry you.I have heard dollars will eliminate this requirement,I think its a requirement for the marriage certificate,but I'm not sure I did it the right way.
This is not simple and its not very realistic to think you are going to meet the girl and marry her on the first trip,but it is possible if you do your homework.This doesn't even get in to the question of is this a smart thing to do.
As far as coming through immigration with your wife when she enters the US,they won't even let you in to the area where she has to come through,so she is on her own anyway.The best you can do is make sure she is in the right line.You as a citizen go through the citizen line while she goes through the immigrant line.Last time we came through Miami I was trying to wait for my wife at the end of the immigrant line and they ran me out,said I couldn't be there.
All she needs to do is find the immigrant line at immigration after getting off the plane.In my case I flew home and sent extra paperwork to my wife for her visa and met her in Miami.I waited in the airport 2 hours for her to immerge after the plane landed.She said it was no problem,just a big line.
Oversights:Make sure you have all your paperwork fot the embassy and take plus send her (second interview)with enough money.I think it was $200 or so at the first interview and $250 or so at the second.I was in Bogota when my wife went to the second interview and I got a call she needed 900,000 mope pesos.That was for 2 visas,including her sons.

Pete

[FenixRises]

... in response to Re: Trip to Bogota, posted by Pete E on Mar 2, 2002

Pete E,
I just came through immigrations in Atlanta, Feb 2002.
I accompanied my wife and son throught the entire procedure.
I brought them through the returning "citizens" line with me. I wasn't aware there was an immigrant line.
The whole thing only took about 45 minutes.
All the gov't personel were courtious and helpful.
Perhaps there is a difference between Miami and Atlanta.
It could also be a reflection of the recent "changes" in procedure. I do not know why there is a difference.
This might be a good case for returning through Atlanta.
Since I came from Bogota and was going to LAX it was easy to go through Atlanta.
Fred

[Wayne]

... in response to Re: Re: Trip to Bogota, posted by FenixRises on Mar 3, 2002

Fred,

I had the exact same experience with my wife as you in LAX.  A total seperate line for returning citizens with special requests.  We were the only people in line.  Took 20 minutes, he barely looked at my documents.  At the luggage search exit, the guy congratulated us on our marriage and then said the beautiful words of "exit"  No search no nada.  The colombian people in the other line were getting the 3rd degree.

Wayne

[Wayne]

... in response to Trip to Bogota, posted by Ken2 on Mar 1, 2002

It took me 29 days...

Two more days and they would have towed my car from the LAX airport.

It's tough to know how to book the tickets.  Do you guess at the dates and take a chance on the interview date?  Or, do you try to get tickets out of dodge at the last minute after the 2nd interview.  The planes were really full when I tried to come back, and this caused some real stress to my life.  After 29 days in Colombia, I was ready to leave, and the flights were all full for another week.  We just sqeaked by on standbye.  I had to pay a couple of hundred bucks to change the tickets.  I didn't mind that, but hanging around another week was not an option.

When you are at the embassy, don't dally around getting to the window to submit your paperwork at the 1st interview.  Have it ready, and get in line early.  My casual attitude cost me an additional week in Colombia because I just sat back relaxed and let my wife slowly fill out her part of the paperwork.  I figured "what's the hurry...we have all day...no stress"  She made one little mistake on a form and started all over instead of crossing it out.  Little did I know all the fast interviews were getting booked while we sat on our colas. The 3 couples ahead of me that were faster with the paperwork got their 2nd interview a full week earlier then mine.

Talk of marriage considering you have never met the girl is pretty interesting.  Everybody has their own style.

The one thing that I learned in Cali, is Chemistry is a very mysterious thing.  You can be sitting with a drop dead knockout and have 0 chemistry.  Then you have chemistry with a less attractive girl and nothing in common.

You just don't know how you are going to feel til you get off the plane and meet in person.

I dated over 25 girls before I met my wife.  You usually know if you have chemistry within 2 minutes. The pictures just don't say much.  

I hope you will let us know how it goes.

Take care,
Wayne

[H2Oh]

... in response to Trip to Bogota, posted by Ken2 on Mar 1, 2002

Ken,

I would allow 3 to 3 1/2 weeks to get everything accomplished. You might hit a few bumps in the road. I also think it's important to bring your new bride into this country with you by her side. It's tacky to have her fly alone and deal with all the immigration stuff at the airport.

My 2 cents,

H2-Oh

[Ken2]

... in response to Re: Trip to Bogota, posted by H2Oh on Mar 1, 2002

Perdon me~

I should clarify that I have no intentions of getting married on my first visit to Cali.  "In the future" does really mean in the future. Did't mean to imply that... like a secong or third visit.  As far as judging her character, she is a very commited Christian girl with a sweet personality, not to mention her beauty.  She, with the approval of her folks, would like me to be their guest when I visit rather then stay at a hotel.  Have not decided on that yet.  Any opinions?  Pros, cons?

Ken

Ken