... in response to attacks in colombia, posted by pack on Oct 22, 2001Pack,
For the benefit of the new folks on this forum you should point out that this violence happened in a number of villages away from the big cities. This is the case with most, but certainly not all, of the violence in Colombia.
By posting such little detail you propogate the fear mongering that anywhere you go in Colombia you're likely to be robbed, killed, kidnapped, tortured, or bombed. Yes, Colombia is a dangerous country. Violence there is particularly nasty. But, and this is a big 'but', if you're careful and stick to the big cities and follow the advice of the locals and don't travel out into the countryside and, in particular, travel within the country by plane, then you're relatively safe.
I've made three trips to Bogota and one to Medellin, took common sense precautions and felt safe the whole time. Bogota, in particular is considered quite safe in terms of bombings and kidnappings and pretty safe in terms of street crime if you use common sense. Cali and Medellin are a bit rougher, from what the locals tell me, in terms of crime but they're refering to street crime.
Just an FYI for those new to Colombia.
Sol
