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[harleyman]

... in response to One question....., posted by Calipro on Feb 26, 2004

What does a decent apartment in a safe area cost in USD? I am sure you could rent it in your absence.
I stayed six to eight weeks the 3 times I was in Cali and the hotel room gets to be a pain after a month.
The same thought went throug my mind ..
Go for it

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: One question....., posted by harleyman on Feb 27, 2004

Well my place is much more than decent.Decent could be had for $150 for a one bedroom.My place is luxury,4 bedrooms 5 baths,2500 sq ft.About $700 a month but utilities will be big I think.
It can be tough getting in to the local rent market where you pay Colombiano prices.They usually want 2 co signors who own property in colombia.I got turned down on one place I offered to pay them a year in advance.My friend Margareth who owns latin encounters knows the accountant for the owner of the place I am in.I got in with one co signor,Margareth, and 7 months rent up front.Cheaper places are probably not so difficult.

Pete

[Pete E]

... in response to One question....., posted by Calipro on Feb 26, 2004

I like Cali alot.The climate,the cost of renting or buying and the women for sure.I'm sure some people will remember my b!tching about the food but I now find it to be good and relatively inexpensive.We have a great little restaurant.La Torcha,2 blocks away.great food.Great service.We are their main customers.They love us.Free wine,ect.Its a steep 2 block walk back up the hill though.
I live in a great part of Cali.Its beautifull.I tend to forget that alot of the city is pretty ugly.My last date with someone before hooking up with my girlfriend was a woman with a pretty  new Izuzu Trooper 4x4.She said Cali is Fea,as we were driving through a pretty nice area of it.Its both beautifull and ugly.Maybe 10% beautifull,40% OK,50% butt ugly,mostly areas you want to avoid anyway.
Downside?No beach.Of course most places don't have a beach but its high on my list.One of my friends novia has never seen the beach.There is a limited amount of things to do and stay safe.You can go to the malls,go to some nice restaurants,go to Avenida sexta with some discretion.You can drive out of town a little to some swim clubs.
I find myself getting lazy,just hanging around the apartment,using the computer,talking to friends,having my girlfriend come over.Going out to dinner.It can be kind of a party atmosphere.I feel physically burnt out,probably too much alcohol.I need some healthy activities.
The crime is there,but you can pretty much avoid it by staying in the best areas.My girlfriend got robbed at gunpoint and beat up 6 weeks ago.Her cousin got stabbed 4 times about 3 weeks ago,just missed his heart,he is ok.Her friend got her purse snached 2 days ago.No money but she lost her documents,a hassle.
We are going down to El Centro today to look at leather goods.Its mixed opinion if an obvious gringo should ever go there.Probably will be the most risky thing I have done,but little chance of something happening on one short trip.
Knoing you and your attraction to women this has to be the best place in the world for that.For me I only need one.Looks like I found her,time will tell.Then Cali loses its main attraction.Get me to a beach,somewhere where I can own a car and just trip around safely.Panama comes to mind,I will check it out some more.

Pete

[cancunhound]

... in response to One question....., posted by Calipro on Feb 26, 2004

Here's why I bought:

(1) Good deal (looking even better of recent)
(2) The climate - always pushing "almost hot"
(3) Good jumping base for excursions
(4) Direct access from the US
(5) Negligible homeowners' fees, taxes and upkeep
(6) The dining options are great
(7) Great vacation spot for the family
(7) It just feels like home when I step off the plane

I'm married - I'm guessing a single guy could add a dozen or so reasons to that list

Dislikes:

(1) Always receiving "you can't do that" feedback from friends  & family.  Example: "I want to head up the road to Pance today and explore a little of the national park" - NO, - "Yes, just watch me!" - OK, but you're going to go with Juan(made up name) - It pisses me off they're always right (we were turned around at a military roadblock on the park road).
(2) I haven't figured out a way to live there full-time yet.
(3) The friggin' cost of airfare to get there - how is it that 10 hour flights to Europe consistently cost less than a 2-1/2 hour  puddlejump to Colombia?

[Calipro]

... in response to Re: Not Pete, but..., posted by cancunhound on Feb 26, 2004

Why did they turn you around at Pance? Are the rebels that close to Cali??

[cancunhound]

... in response to Re: Re: Not Pete, but..., posted by Calipro on Feb 27, 2004

You are joking right?  Yes, the FARC uses that mountain range and are very close - check out this map:

http://www.parquesnacionales.gov.co//areas/lasareas/farallones/faralloht.htm

Not a good idea to stroll around up there.

Take the short drive up to Pance and you'll see what I mean by military presence!  Maybe they've made gains of recent by I haven't heard of that being the case.

[Calipro]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Not Pete, but..., posted by cancunhound on Feb 27, 2004

No I didn't know that they were still that close to Cali. I guess you didn't either seeing how you went up there just to get turned around.

I remember many years ago the rebels came down into Pance and tried to kidnapp a whole church full of people on Sunday. I hear that there are a lot of well to do colombianos that live in Pance and that is why it was targeted. Is it true???

[jim c]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Not Pete, but..., posted by Calipro on Feb 27, 2004

They didn´t just try they kept some of them for two years. There were about forty and thay were taken away in buses to the mountains and yes Pance is full of rich mafia and guerrillas. jim c

[cancunhound]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Not Pete, but..., posted by Calipro on Feb 27, 2004

I think it's just a matter of it being situated right at the foot of some rugged terrain, the idea staging point for any guerrilla activity.  I didn't hang around long enough in Pance proper to check it out after being sent back down - so I didn't notice any glaring wealth there.  Perhaps I hit it at a bad time - maybe things have improved but I kind of doubt it.

That road going up there however is a nice quick escape from Cali - it straddles the river and is lined with private parks where one can sunbathe and swim in the river, tube, picnic or whatever - nice area and it's popular on sunny weekends - seemed safe enough to me.  There's also some nice small hotels catering to weekend tourists.  To get there you pass through the very lush area in southern Cali that has all the schools.  It's worth a trip and a good place to take a date.  It's just 20 minutes if you're already in the south.  

It's frustrating however that one can't safely explore a national park that close to Cali.  My understanding is that for those kidnapped by the FARC in the veccinity of Cali, it's very likely they recieve an extended 'guided' tour of the "Farallones de Cali".