Here's yer safety issue!

[Cali vet]

I told my novia Unitel is comming to hook up cable tomorrow and she said be very carefull who you let into the house if you're alone, they can throw escopolamina at you leaving you helpless while they rob you. She wasn't kidding, I signed up for a medical insurence plan today and guess what was listed under "special coverages"? "intoxicaciones involuntarias por escopolamina". Never saw THAT listed on my United Healthcare plan!

[Craig]

... in response to Here's yer safety issue!, posted by Cali vet on Oct 4, 2002

Just curious why posters post these comments. I don't expect in this case it's to inform how dangerous Colombia is compared to our country. But to a new person on this board they can be taken out of context. For instance what if you were traveling to the USA and someone reported that the place you were traveling to there is a killer on the loose who just murdered five people with a high powered rifle at random. My point is the USA can be just as dangerous.

[Jim L]

... in response to Re: Here's yer safety issue!, posted by Craig on Oct 5, 2002


"...For instance what if you were traveling to the USA and someone reported that the place you were traveling to there is a killer on the loose who just murdered five people with a high powered rifle at random. My point is the USA can be just as dangerous..."

Man, you're not kidding.  Two of those shootings occurred not 2 miles from my front door.  As you might imagine, we're all a little uneasy around here.

Jim L (Montgomery County, Maryland)

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Here's yer safety issue!, posted by Craig on Oct 5, 2002

To be fare I have to admit my novia can be something of an alarmist and there are only two cases of this I would say I have more or less personal knowlege of. One concerned an American student on a homestay in San Jose, Costa Rica who woke up many hours later after going to a bar, stripped of just about everything. The other was recounted to me by a girl from an agency. She took a bus to Bogota to go to the US embassy and was drugged on the bus and lost all her papers. However it's oft been repeated you have to be "pilas" in Colombia. More than once I've seen guys make potentially dangerous mistakes like opening up a wallet full of bills on Avenida Sexta in front of Juan Ladron and everybody to pay for a box of chiclets. As to the reference to escopolamine in the medical insurence plan I thought that was pretty novel and just had to share.

[El Diablo]

... in response to Re: Here's yer safety issue!, posted by Craig on Oct 5, 2002

Hi Craig,

This is a forum that on many fronts is concerned about Colombia and Cali Vet is relating an experience that happened to him while there.  What's the problem?  It's just a heads up and nothing more.  As for newbies, IMO it's best that they hear everyone's opinion about latin women, agencies, Colombia, safety etc..  We shouldn't alter our words to accomodate one particular group, newbies for instance.  No I think people should just tell the truth as they see it and let people figure things out for themself.  If you think Colombia is just as safe as the United States, great that's your opinion ( I personally think that opinion is crazy (-:)  but I'm not going to discourage you from making the argument.

El Diablo

[Craig]

... in response to Here's yer safety issue!, posted by El Diablo on Oct 5, 2002

No, I don't think that Colombia is a safe place, just as I'm not a simpleton and naive enough to think that the United States is either. If you worked the streets as I have, especially in a large city you would understand. Cali Bogota and the other major cities in Colombia are just as dangerous/safe as any major city in the USA. In some cases like Detroit Cali is safer.

[LouieB]

... in response to Re: Here's yer safety issue!, posted by Craig on Oct 5, 2002

in fact, that is a good tip for travelers to be aware of even if there is little they can do about it since apparently it happens so quick.

and despite 9/11 and the occassional mass murder, the US is safer than Colombia.

[Craig]

... in response to posters can post anything they want, posted by LouieB on Oct 5, 2002

Sorry Louie I disagree. If you say that as a hole it's safer I would agree, but if your going to compare major cities in Colombia to the USA, then your mistaken. Parts of NYC are much worse then Cali, as in LA, Detroit, Indianapolis Liberty City in Miami, and the list goes on. Plus who said anything about posters not being able to post anything they want?

[LouieB]

... in response to Re: posters can post anything they want, posted by Craig on Oct 5, 2002

surely you don't know the crime stats in Colombia.  it has highest reate of kindapping in the world and one of the highest murder rates.  add to that poverty and a war and you have trouble.  besides you are not likely to hear about crime as much if it affects the poor in Colombia.

Of course I would not go to some areas of NY, DC, Detroit, LA or most major ciites in the US but that does not mean the US as a whole is more dangerous than Colombia.  

Colombia has major issues besides street crime that make it violent.  

but on the other hand I would much rather be in Cali than in Detroit or Indianapolis.

[Traveller]

... in response to and I disagree with you, posted by LouieB on Oct 5, 2002

Ah, once again, someone with stats. Geez!

[Craig]

... in response to and I disagree with you, posted by LouieB on Oct 5, 2002

See that's just it Louie I do know and I don't need to quote statistics which for the most part are inaccurate and a smoke screen. Most crimes in the big cities go unreported. I'm not speaking form a book it's my observation from working in NYC and going to Cali

[LouieB]

... in response to Re: and I disagree with you, posted by Craig on Oct 5, 2002

due to the corrupt, indifferent, and incompetant police force

[El Diablo]

... in response to I bet many more crimes go unreported in ..., posted by LouieB on Oct 5, 2002

You're absolutely right, there's a casualness about crime in Colombia that doesn't exist here in the United States.  I was sitting at Karen's Pizza one after noon right out on the sidewalk and there's was an armed roberry right across the street not 40 feet away.  The bad guy even fired two shots up into the air but would you be surprised to learn that not a single police officer came by after the incident.  It was almost surreal, everyone went back to eating their lunches within a minute or two as if nothing had happened. Do you think this armed robbery was counted in the statistics, I'd be surprised if it was.  You're right, if anything crime is under reported in Colombia and for all the obvious reasons you mentioned.  

On the other hand, despite the statistics I'd rather be sitting at Karen's than here at my computer in San Jose.  

El Diablo

[LouieB]

... in response to I bet many more crimes go unreported in ..., posted by El Diablo on Oct 5, 2002

and by no means do I mean to disparage Colombia just pointing out some of the problems.  I would rather be there now as well.

[Cali vet]

... in response to and I disagree with you, posted by LouieB on Oct 5, 2002

Yes I agree completely, you can have the same amount of crime in Cali as in Detroit but without freezing your nuts off.