Colombian people "so loving and kind, etc....." Time to bust these myths !!

[chameleon]

We´ve yacked about beach destinations before but it bears repeating: the all out best beach destinations in Colombia are Isla Providencia and Capurganá in the caribbean and Nuquí on the pacific side. Believe it!

Are San Andreas and Providencia about equal or is one far better? Why?

[utopiacowboy]

Also, it could be said that since the US has probably the largest percentage of its population in prison(compared to other countries) that people here in the US must be a bunch of criminals....I don't agree with that but from his type of logic that could be said.

We do like to lock people up for meaningless drug offenses, no doubt about it. Let them all out and the prison population would drop by half. Of course we have so much money rolling in from the taxpayers we can afford stupid BS like this........

[Traveler]

STM,
 
So they pay a sales tax instead of an income tax?  So what?  I really don't understand your problem with this.  Every country has a different tax system, some have it better, some have it worse.  I would definitely not argue that the tax system of the US is the best system in the Universe.
 
Further, why do you have a proble with Avianca flying to Washington?  There is a Colombian community there, and pretty sizable.  My ex gf lives there and does fly home periodically.  If this route was not profitable, they would have dropped it.  Seriously, what is your issue with Avianca flying to Washington?
 
Further, nobody's claiming that Colombia is the top beach destination in the world.  Further, not everybody travels primarily to go to a beach, probably most people don't.  I confess I have not gone to a beach in Sarasota.  I don't really need to as I live in Miami as I have mentioned.  While I have not been to the beach there, I have been to Naples and Sarasota many times for work.  Well, it's one big nursing home.  It's a place people come to die.  I can't sincerely understand why anybody under 75 would go there if they can go to Miami instead.   Perhaps it's cheaper over there.
 
I have no idea what brought about this post.  It seems you need to vent, and I have no idea what caused you get worked up.  If for whatever reason you can't stand Colombia, just ignore it.  Go to Sarasota instead.

[JimD]

Ok, San Andres is basicly a downtown shopping area with a beach in front (ropped off a short distance out to keep you from being smashed by a jet ski). Lodging is in highrise hotel with buffet meals pretty much the same as you would find in Cancun, Negril or Puerta Plata. Nightlife is big with lots of discos. Also if you´re up for it it´s a great place to meet Canadians as they have straight through charter flights from cities in Canada. There are a couple of other beaches you can get too by cab or rented vehicle that are , in a word , crappy.
If you feel just a tad more adventourous get off the big plane at San Andres and get on the twin-engined otter and fly another twenty minutes to Isla Providencia. I can go on and on, I´ve been there three times but there you will find super comfortable air conditioned cabañas (not fifteen story hotels), an excellent restaurant run by a well known bogotano chef/owner, three spectacular white sand beaches which on every one of my visits have been completely empty of other travelers and not a single jet ski on the island. The snorkling is amazing. If you climb the mountain in the center of the island (couple of hours) you´ll have a 360 degree view and can see the famous "siete colores" or seven colors of the ocean.
Of course different strokes for different folks. There are many who prefer the high rise hotel / disco type beach vacation.
 

[mudd]

   Hey Mudd not to mention the part about doing business in Colombia.I can't even imagine that by only what I have seen.I'm sure you have seen that firsthand.

doing business in Colombia?   hahahahahahahah   talk about screwed up.Now i would have to admit, i have only done business in Medellin, but wow, i  feel sorry for any foreigner trying to do business in Colombia. Unless you are there  every day, watching everything and everybody like a hawk,  your going to pull your hair out, get  screwed every time you turn around and  just think to yourself " WTF 


WAY diffrent then doing business in USA.

[chameleon]

Ok, San Andres is basicly a downtown shopping area with a beach in front (ropped off a short distance out to keep you from being smashed by a jet ski). Lodging is in highrise hotel with buffet meals pretty much the same as you would find in Cancun, Negril or Puerta Plata. Nightlife is big with lots of discos. Also if you´re up for it it´s a great place to meet Canadians as they have straight through charter flights from cities in Canada. There are a couple of other beaches you can get too by cab or rented vehicle that are , in a word , crappy.
If you feel just a tad more adventourous get off the big plane at San Andres and get on the twin-engined otter and fly another twenty minutes to Isla Providencia. I can go on and on, I´ve been there three times but there you will find super comfortable air conditioned cabañas (not fifteen story hotels), an excellent restaurant run by a well known bogotano chef/owner, three spectacular white sand beaches which on every one of my visits have been completely empty of other travelers and not a single jet ski on the island. The snorkling is amazing. If you climb the mountain in the center of the island (couple of hours) you´ll have a 360 degree view and can see the famous "siete colores" or seven colors of the ocean.
Of course different strokes for different folks. There are many who prefer the high rise hotel / disco type beach vacation.

nah dude, providencia sounds awesome. I hate resorts.


what's the name of the place with the cabins and the restaurant? Sounds like an awesome place to spend a week if i meet a chica i like and she can get away.

[benjio]

Chameleon,

I've been researching Providencia for a while now. A stop on the island may be the reason my trip to Colombia in November is 3 weeks instead of 2. I love places like this as well. VERY useful website below with a lot if good information on lodging options.

http://www.paisatours.com/providencia.htm

[chameleon]

Cool, thanks. I don't know if i'll be able to fit it in this trip, but if things go well with a chica, I'll definitely try to make it happen. If not, then when if/when i go back to visit her, we can arrange to vacation there since most can't travel outside of Colombia.

[utopiacowboy]

Ok, San Andres is basicly a downtown shopping area with a beach in front (ropped off a short distance out to keep you from being smashed by a jet ski). Lodging is in highrise hotel with buffet meals pretty much the same as you would find in Cancun, Negril or Puerta Plata. Nightlife is big with lots of discos. Also if you´re up for it it´s a great place to meet Canadians as they have straight through charter flights from cities in Canada. There are a couple of other beaches you can get too by cab or rented vehicle that are , in a word , crappy.
If you feel just a tad more adventourous get off the big plane at San Andres and get on the twin-engined otter and fly another twenty minutes to Isla Providencia. I can go on and on, I´ve been there three times but there you will find super comfortable air conditioned cabañas (not fifteen story hotels), an excellent restaurant run by a well known bogotano chef/owner, three spectacular white sand beaches which on every one of my visits have been completely empty of other travelers and not a single jet ski on the island. The snorkling is amazing. If you climb the mountain in the center of the island (couple of hours) you´ll have a 360 degree view and can see the famous "siete colores" or seven colors of the ocean.
Of course different strokes for different folks. There are many who prefer the high rise hotel / disco type beach vacation.

Absolutely right. The funniest thing for me about the islands is the fact that the true natives speak English and are not too thrilled with the fact that Colombia now has possession of them. They always made sure that my wife could not understand English before telling me how they REALLY felt.

[chameleon]

Oh... Can BAQ girls swim? Typically?

[whitey]

Oh... Can BAQ girls swim? Typically?

In my admittedly limited experience ... no.

But they sure know how to dance and walk in high heels ...

[Traveler]

Absolutely right. The funniest thing for me about the islands is the fact that the true natives speak English and are not too thrilled with the fact that Colombia now has possession of them. They always made sure that my wife could not understand English before telling me how they REALLY felt.

Well, they seem to be even less thrilled about becoming part of Nicaragua, from what I can tell.  And that's really the only other option they might have.

[benjio]

Oh... Can BAQ girls swim? Typically?

Whitey's limited experience is sufficient enough...that's a negative. Crazy thing is they live right next to water. During one of my trips to Pereira I stayed next to an Olympic size public pool that was always full of women.

[chameleon]

that sucks. No scuba together then... wonder if i could get a chick swimming lessons first? ;p

[JimD]

what's the name of the place with the cabins and the restaurant? Sounds like an awesome place to spend a week if i meet a chica i like and she can get away.

The best place to stay is Cabañas El Recreo. It is the only one with actual beach in front of it. I would get a package with breakfast only. You´ll want to have dinners at Donde Martin (the chef from Bogota) and lunches of pescado con arroz con coco on the beach. At the Posada Del Mar hotel five minute´s walk from El Recreo there is a young man (parents own hotel) who rents motos but he also has an outboard and for a hundred bucks he will spend the whole day taking you to the three best snorkling locations around the island. Absolutely worth it.
 
If you fly from Cali there is about a three hour layover on San Andes so you´ll get to see the place wether you want or not. No need to take a cab from the airport there into town, it´s about a fifteen minute walk (albeit in hot sun).

[Dan Las Vegas]

I for one am very happy that Avianca has a non stop from Washington DC to Bogota, since I live just outside of DC and take this flight each time I go to Bogota. The flight is always full and upon my return,  the people from ICE are much nicer than at the miami airport.
 
Dan LV

[utopiacowboy]

Well, they seem to be even less thrilled about becoming part of Nicaragua, from what I can tell.  And that's really the only other option they might have.

The ones I spoke to had quite an affection for England and would like to be a British self-governing colony.

[fathertime]

Oh... Can BAQ girls swim? Typically?

In my experience most of the girls DO NOT swim and the ones that say they can swim, swim very poorly.  Don't lament that you can't scuba dive with them though.  I don't think you are in Colombia to scuba dive.  Use the fact that they don't swim to your advantage.  Get them in the water with you.  Once they are in the water, you are 'the protector' and I tell you they start to think of you differently.  They are a little scared but you keep them safe and they will stick to you like a magnet and more than likely that will carry over to later on in the evening.  It must set some sort primal biological switch with the ladies.  Just make sure you yourself are a strong swimmer because these ladies will be panic-stricken and will jump you pretty good in the water.  I could go on and on about this, but I better leave it at that for now.


Fathertime!

[chameleon]

In my experience most of the girls DO NOT swim and the ones that say they can swim, swim very poorly.  Don't lament that you can't scuba dive with them though.  I don't think you are in Colombia to scuba dive.  Use the fact that they don't swim to your advantage.  Get them in the water with you.  Once they are in the water, you are 'the protector' and I tell you they start to think of you differently.  They are a little scared but you keep them safe and they will stick to you like a magnet and more than likely that will carry over to later on in the evening.  It must set some sort primal biological switch with the ladies.  Just make sure you yourself are a strong swimmer because these ladies will be panic-stricken and will jump you pretty good in the water.  I could go on and on about this, but I better leave it at that for now.


Fathertime!

Is that how you got your wife? You took her to the ocean, let her start drowning, and then "rescued" her? lol

[fathertime]

Is that how you got your wife? You took her to the ocean, let her start drowning, and then "rescued" her? lol

Hehehe! Well it worked! 


Seriously,  the ladies don’t swim much and I had the best of times in the water with those same ladies, especially my wife.  Pools, beaches, lakes, a waterpark (In Cali). 


Fathertime!

[Micky]

To begin,  I moved to Colombia and the women had nothing to do with it.  I did several hundred hours researching everywhere SOTB.  There were several factors in my choice,  but the over riding thing was this -  The people.  There was the one thing that I could not calculate or fully understand,  how could a people that had decades of,  horrible politics,  FARC,  ELN,  Paras,  Narcos,  violence off the charts,  have such a passion and simple joy for life?  I did not know,  but did know that people with that ability,  adaptability and resilience,  I had to hang with.  As it turns out Colombia fits me perfect.  I would not recommend it for everyone,  I know there are many that would not like it much at all.

 
The comparing of the U. S. and Colombia,  as far as "what have they done to save/help the world",  I think,  is a little on silly side,  in that how can realistic comparisons be any two countries with such great differences in,  size,  population,  economic power,  etc..  The U.S. has done great things,  none more so than "the greatest generation",  which is unparalleled in modern history.  On the downside,  the U.S. does not have a good track record with LA,  SA,  for example,  Panama canal.  Just one of way to many corporate rapes with the U.S. seal of approval,  or worse.

 
Physical geography,  again,  for its size,  I think Colombia has about as a diverse and beautiful geography as you can get.  The snow capped Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta overlooking the caribe,  the plains,  jungles,  desert,  Atlantic coast,  Pacific coast.  Second only to Brazil in amount and diversity of flora and fauna in the world.  Number one in the number of species of birds.  Ranked number ten in the world in the "green" factor.  I know that for the amount of coastline,  it is not going to be challenging anyone for beach titles,  but Tayrona and the beaches there are not bad at all.

 
That's some of what I think.  Certainly,  Colombia is not without its problems and downsides and is not for everyone,  but it also is not a crap hole,  at least to me.

 
Micky

[Researcher]

This board is filled with annoying [snip]s, along with a few good people,  goodbye

        Sounds like this poster has had alot of bad experiences in Colombia.I have seen some of what he is talking about but I have also seen alot of good things as well.I think when visiting a country for the first time it is best to keep an open mind and understand that there may be a good reason why the people are the way they are, culture, economic conditions, etc...It's easy to make a quick negative judgement but people seem to hang on to those alot longer.

         Researcher

[Alabamaboy!]

Oh... Can BAQ girls swim? Typically?

no, I have not met one yet that could

[Alabamaboy!]

While I have not been to the beach there, I have been to Naples and Sarasota many times for work.  Well, it's one big nursing home.  It's a place people come to die.  I can't sincerely understand why anybody under 75 would go there if they can go to Miami instead

You are right about that one. Lottttts of old people. It felt like living in a cemetery with the people still a little bit alive. The reason I was there was to work in the healthcare industry on a temporary work assignment. But there were tons of hot nurses and other medical staff floating around. And if you go to the beach there, it was loaded with hotties in tiny bikinis riding waverunners, playing volleyball, etc. And they had unbelievable tans because of the pure, powder white sand. I lived in the Miami area also, and if you just were comparing beaches, and not the lifestyle in general, Siesta Key Beach would come out on top in my book.