Cali Trip Report

[Dan Las Vegas]

I just returned from ten days in Colombia visiting the family of my novia. I arrived in bogota on a friday night, my novia met me at the airport with flowers and balloons and we we spent a day in Bogota with her family in Bogota. On Sunday, we flew to Cali to spend time with her mom and dad and brother and sister and assorted family.  The family met us at the airport in Cali, the brother in law drove all in his car, it was amazing how many people can be crammed into a four person car, I think we managed 8!  We drove to a nice little restaurant for a group lunch and then walked down the road to Hacienda La Gloria, which is a park that has some little rides for kids, numerous animals and an unknown type of insect that ate me alive!  I had at least 150 bites on one arm and I found out that I was allergic to them, so it looked like I was having a case of chicken pox!
After spending the remainder of the day at Hacienda La Gloria, we drove to the barrio in which my novias parents lived, Siloe. The parents house was up a steep flight of stairs, the neighborhodd was Strato 2 at best and the further you went up the hill, the worse it became. However, the home of my novias's parents was very nice on the inside, simple but very comfortable. We stayed up late talking with the family and then finally went to sleep.  In the morning, we went up on the terrace on the third floor to take a look around and was able to take some photos of the area. One thing that I discovered when I went to take a shower was how cold the water was!!!! I"m a bit spoiled with my hot showers in the usa, but after a couple of moments, it was not too bad.  Our first expedition was to walk down the hilll to the local drugstore to find some sort of ointment for the insect bites on my arm. It was only about a five minute walk to the bottom of the hill and I sure got some strange looks while we were walking. My novia told me that we had nothing to worry about as long as she was with me, as her family had lived in the barrio for many years my novia told me it was ok for me to walk down the hill alone and up to the house, but not to walk futher up the hill without a member of the family with me..  Many people greeted us while we were walking and my novia introduced me to everyone we met. We were able to find some different ointments for the bites and trudged back up the hill to her parents house.  Her mom had breakfast waiting for us when we arrived and it was delicous!
Day two in Cali
Today my novia and her mom and I went to Jamundi to see a small house that her brother purchased earlier in the year, it was a small house but very nice and I was impressed. I was not much impressed by Jamundi, although I did not see very much of it.  Prior to going, my novia's brother called to warn me not to use my iphone in the taxi as he did not want  someone stealing my iphone.  We had a nice lunch together in Jamundi and returned to cali in the late afternoon. When we arrived in Siloe, the taxi driver refused to take us up the hill to the house, saying it was too dangerous for him.(I felt like asking him what about me?) But, not problem, we walked up the hill again and arrived at the house unscathed.  Her mom cooked another great dinner for us and we spent the evening talking with her mom and dad and relaxing.
Day three in Cali
Another morning sleeping late and her mom had a wonderful breakfast for us, but the amount of food that was given to me was amazing, I kept pleading for only a little portion, but I think she was afraid I would starve!  had some excitement in the morning, apparently the night before, a guy from Brazil was in cali drinking and got drunk with the wrong people and he wanted to buy some drugs. They took him to Siloe, slipped him some scopolomine and completely robbed him of everything. He was found walking in the street just a little way up the hill from our house, completely out of him mind and was taken to the hospital in Cali.  This incident was also on th elocat news in the evening. Today we went to visit the brother and sister in law who lived a short distance away and to see my novia's house which she is renting both floors. On the first floor, her brother rents to use as a Internet Cafe and on the second floor is a small garment manufacturer that makes some nice shirts. The  house was very nice and appeared to be well built.  We went to her brothers house which was on the calle behind her house and had a great lunch and talked for several hours. and then returned to Siloe. Once again upon arriving, the taxi refused to take us up the hill to the house, so we all got some exercise. Had another great dinner with the family, her brother and sister came for dinner with us as well as their spouses and children and all had a wonderful time. The kids were mezmerized by my ipad and luckily I had loaded some games prior to my trip, so they spent the entire evening playing with the ipad.
Day four in Cali
Today was another day to sleep late and relax, after breakfast we walked down the hill and went to the supermarket to buy some food as well as some diet coke for me. I insisted on buying the food as they were kind enough to allow us to stay at their house and save me quite a bit of money by not staying in a hotel. The mother talked to me all the time at a million miles an hour, so I was lucky to understand every second or third word, but usually got the gist of what she was saying. The father really did not talk all that much to anyone, but was a very pleasant man, very friendly to me and very happy for my novia. After shopping for food, we were lucky enough to find a taxi that would take us up the hill to the house, saving a very unpleasant walk carrying all the food.
Day five in Cali
Today we went to the Brother in laws finca in Dapa. He had built a nice A frame house way up in the hills in Dapa, unfortunately it was raining, but sitting on the veranda of the house and relaxing and enjoying the view of Cali in the distance was very nice. We barbecued steak and chicken for our lunch and then after lunch, walked up the hill to the next house which was the aunt of the brother in law.  On our arrival, I was introduced to everyone and again food was brought to the table and I was completely stuffed once again.and wound up sleeping for an hour or so in the hammock at the house.  We returned to Cali in the early evening and stopped by my novia's sister's house not too far from the Chipichape mall. The brother in law is a electro-mechanical engineer and has worked for Bayer for the last twenty five years. He drove us back to the house in Siloe and we ended another great day
Day six in Cali
Today yet again we slept late and spent the morning relaxing in the house and talking with her mom. In the afternoon, my novia took me to the Cali Zoo and we spent the afternoon there and had a nice time. Not too many animals and quite a few insects that enjoyed drinking what was left of my blood!
Day Seven in Cali
After hearing so mucho on this site about Chipichape and avenida Sexta, the family took me to Chipichape in the late afternoon, Perhaps I was just a bit tired but I did not see all that many women that I thought were great looking. It could have been also because my novia had my arm in a death grip!  We had a nice dinner at the mall with the family, did a little shopping for a few small things and then headed back to the house late in the evening. I was expecting to see a lot of gringo's but only saw a couple and this was the only time that I was in Cali that I saw any. Not surprisingly , I did not see any in Siloe! 
Day eight in Cali
We had to wake up early for our flight back to Bogota, the family all showed up very early to have breakfast with us  and to say goodbye.  We finally were able to leave for the airport and arrived to find out that our flight back to bogota was cancelled, so we lucked out as there was space on a flight that was about to leave and we ran for the plane. Arrived back in Bogota late in the morning and spent the remaind of the day together.
Altogether it was an amazing trip for me, I had never been to Cali before and enjoyed it very much. I prefer the weather in Medellin, especially for sleeping at night, but really enjoyed the city.My novia and I enjoyed every second together and we have had some heartfelt discussions about a future together. I'm going back to Bogota in a few weeks and we will start to make our plans together. 
I haven't posted much about my trips lately but since I went to Cali for the first time, thought I would post a report. 

[robert angel]

Great trip report DLV--enjoyable to read--thanks! Sounds like it was a very 'real & genuine' trip--not some air conditioned guided bus tour journey! You saw and experienced quite a bit. Speaking of 'bit'--it's amazing how when we travel, there always seems to be some bug or something else that we're alergic too or find unpleasant!
 
Your lady and her family sound like really nice folks--best wishes!

[whitey]

Never been to Cali and probably will never go there, being married to a barranquillera, but it sounds like the two cities are similar in many ways ... and it's always fun to read about places I've never been in Colombia.  Glad you had a good time.

So Dan, forgive my ignorance, but I don't recall anything about your relationship.  Your novia lives in Bogota?  How many times have you been to see her and how long have you known her? Sounds like things are progressing well.

Thanks for posting and buena suerte!

[JWR]

Dan,
 
Thanks for taking the time to write the trip report.  It's always fun to read them.
I lived in Cali for several months a few years ago when I was married.  When hiking up to the cross, we sometimes would take a route that was a little sketchy, and it would make me think for a minute.  I always loved Cali with the breezes and temperate climate.  Compared to the  Barranquilla humidity and heat, I'll take Cali anyday.....
Glad you didn't lose that ipad roming around that neighborhood...... 
Sounds like your gf had things under control, but I often wonder if these girls really are capable of assessing the danger to a gringo in these areas.  It's not like they walk around with rich guys all the time, and are security experts.  Things are always fine right before they aren't.....  Risk is a fine line that is constantly changing by the minute.
But what a great experience you had staying with the family and enjoying the culture so closely.  I spent a couple Christmas holidays in Cali, and they are memorable sharing those moments with all of my ex's family and friends.
After the Philippines, I actually prefer the climate and scene of the cities of Colombia.  The Philippines has the beaches though.....Girls are girls where ever you go.  Some great and others......

[V_Man]

Hey great to read your trip report. I've been to those places and your words brought the memories back for me. Good luck with your girl.

[Dan Las Vegas]

Thanks Robert, this trip was a lot of fun and was relaxing as well, my girl and I are doing great and am planning to bring her here in the very near future.


Dan LV

[Dan Las Vegas]

Hey Whitey,


My girl and I have been together since 2010 and have made numerous trips to spend time with her. I haven't posted any trip reports as I have been going back and forth to bogota and really didn't have anything to say. It was my first visit to Cali, so decided to post.


Things are going incredibly well for us and will be making plans to bring her here when I return to bogota in a few weeks.  I'll post again when our plans are finalized.


Dan L V

[Dan Las Vegas]

JWR,


Don't worry, the iPad never left the safety of her parents house. I have come to depend on my girl for my safety as she is really on the button when it comes to safety, but this being Colombia, anything is possible. I felt safe walking around Siloe with my girl, but would not chance it on my own. Perhaps I have an over abundance of caution, but I am a risk manager by profession

[whitey]

Perhaps I have an over abundance of caution, but I am a risk manager by profession

Haha ... ironic ... and yet you've been to Colombia many times, not afraid to walk around in an estrato 2 barrio, and will be marrying a foreign bride. 

I'm a project manager, so a large part of my job is anticipating and managing risk also.  I've always considered myself pretty cautious about most things, but it's funny the risks that we find acceptable.  I'll bet most of our friends and families thought we were crazy (I know mine did - at least at first).

Congrats Dan ... sounds like things are going very well for you both ...

[Dan Las Vegas]

Yes Whitey,  pretty funny, isn't it?   For me, the risk has been worth it for the reward!!!
All is can say is that my life is so much better for having taken that first trip to Colombia five years ago and I have no regrets. My girlfriend is incredible as well as her family and I am sure that I will be a very happy man for many years to come.
 
Dan LV

[Gato4Astrid]

Never been to Cali and probably will never go there, being married to a barranquillera, but it sounds like the two cities are similar in many ways ... and it's always fun to read about places I've never been in Colombia.  Glad you had a good time.

So Dan, forgive my ignorance, but I don't recall anything about your relationship.  Your novia lives in Bogota?  How many times have you been to see her and how long have you known her? Sounds like things are progressing well.

Thanks for posting and buena suerte!

Almost nothing special to look at in Cali if you are going there for sightseeing.  More interesting in Medellin and Bogota than in Cali.


Better weather in Cali than these 2 cities though.  You don't need to go to Cali for the weather when you already have in Barranquilla

[Gato4Astrid]

Great trip report DLV, and good luck

[Dan Las Vegas]

Gato,
I much prefer the weather in Medellin, much cooler for sleeping!  There are some beautiful areas near Cali, Dapa for one, lots of homes up there with beautiful views and great scenery.  I'd love to buy a house there in the future!  From everything that I have heard about the heat and humidity in Barranquilla, I think I'll avoid it and stick with Cali, Medellin and Bogota. 

[V_Man]

There are things to do in Cali. I spent a week seeing and doing things in and outside Cali and I ran out of time.
Of course I was with a local and would not have done a quarter of those things if I was on my own.

[brian57]

Does the IPAD require a special internet service provider in Colombia?
Or is IPAD internet free anywhere in the world?

[Jeff S]

Think big smart phone.

[Dan Las Vegas]

I only need a wifi signal and I'm good to go. Unfortunately I did not have a wifi signal in siloe.


Dan LV

[Bob_S]

iPads come in 2 flavors: wifi only, and wifi/3G.  The wifi will search for available hotspots, but if you have the 3G option it can connect to cell networks when you are out of hotspot range.  The 3G part would need a SIM card.  Mine is just wifi which under normal use (i.e. at home) is fine, but when I take it to my MiL's it sucks because she lives far far from any hotspot.  It's a major effort to go into town to track down a place where I can link up.  So my next phone when I upgrade this year will need to have tethering ability (mobile hotspot).  If you have a smartphone with wifi capability, you can rig it to be your own portable wifi hotspot.

[thekfc]

For those going to an area with limited/no wifi signal, a cellphone, tablet or laptop with WiMAX is something to take a look at.
The signal coverage is about 30 miles (wifi is about 100 feet) & the data transfer rate is excellent.
 
There are WiMAX networks in Colombia, Japan, The Philippines, just to name a few.

Lat month I bought the Dell Inspiron 11z (the 1121 version - not the previous 11z versions) with the intent to send it to the PI but after playing with it, I decided to keep it & got them something else.

It was a hot item which sold out right after it became available.
It came with an Intel 6250 Wireless-N w/WiMAX (2x2) Mini Card, SIM card slot, HDMI, i3, W7 home premiun 64 bits & I upgraded the rams to 8GB. It is a nice piece of machine that is good for traveling if you can get your hands on one.

[robert angel]

Kfc--My wife's parents live about 3 hours from the 'big city'--does that WIMAX pretty much just cover metro and closeby surrounding areas? They have some sort of satelite dish cable TV, the dish mounted on their roof.
 
Even though it's mountainous and their house is pretty much surrounded by trees, they get a decent cable TV signal. A cell phone tethered to the laptop might not work, as they sometimes have to wander around the house or even go outside to get a decent signal.

[robert angel]

Regarding wimax bringing the internet out in the sticks, I think I answered my own question and the answer overall is 'probably not'--at least for now. You can google it and in some places get explanations of the technology http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wimax1.htm  along with coverage maps, or word descriptions of coverage areas. But it seems that even some metro areas don't have coverage. In the Philippines, Globe telecom's been talking a Wimax game since 2009, but they haven't done too much.
 
At least there's the outlook down the line for some coverage, using towers that allows differing levels of connectivity to typical 'line of sight' and 'none line of sight' users, at least for those who have antennas or high enough dishes.
 
Looks like it will be a while yet....
 
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?p=59896817

[ceeangelo]

Almost nothing special to look at in Cali if you are going there for sightseeing.  More interesting in Medellin and Bogota than in Cali.


Better weather in Cali than these 2 cities though.  You don't need to go to Cali for the weather when you already have in Barranquilla

you seem to always have a unnecessary blog comment....stfu

[robert angel]

you seem to always have a unnecessary blog comment....stfu

Geeze--a whole seven posts and you're using obscenities, telling folks to shut the _ _ _ _ up?? The guy was merely doing a little compare and contrast and he's actually BEEN there.
 
If we had a dime for every off topic, unneccessary 'blog like' comment around here, we'd be rich. Maybe you're having a bad day (we all do sometimes)  or have a wild hair for Gato, but why don't ya lighten up a bit?

[Dan Las Vegas]

For those going to an area with limited/no wifi signal, a cellphone, tablet or laptop with WiMAX is something to take a look at.
The signal coverage is about 30 miles (wifi is about 100 feet) & the data transfer rate is excellent.

It was a good thing that I did not have a wifi signal, I would have been checking my work email, news etc, it was actually quite nice to be completely cut off for a few days and just relax and enjoy the time I spent with my novia and her family.  I think I was the most relaxed I have been on a trip in years!

[thekfc]

Regarding wimax bringing the internet out in the sticks, I think I answered my own question and the answer overall is 'probably not'--at least for now. You can google it and in some places get explanations of the technology http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wimax1.htm  along with coverage maps, or word descriptions of coverage areas. But it seems that even some metro areas don't have coverage. In the Philippines, Globe telecom's been talking a Wimax game since 2009, but they haven't done too much.
 
At least there's the outlook down the line for some coverage, using towers that allows differing levels of connectivity to typical 'line of sight' and 'none line of sight' users, at least for those who have antennas or high enough dishes.
 
Looks like it will be a while yet....
 
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?p=59896817

RA, there are 3 companies that offers Wimax service in the PI - Globe, Smart & Liberty.

Globe was suppose to have Wimax service in the whole of National Capital Region and Rizal province, Benguet, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, pampanga, Bulacan, South Luzon, Bataan in Luzon.  Cebu Province, Bohol, Iloilo, Leyte, Guimaras, Capiz, Negros Island in the Visayas. Zamboanga, Compostela Valley, Agusan province, Lanao, Surigao, Cotabato province and General Santos City in Mindanao. nOt sure what area they currently covers

My wife's family in Makati, Pasay & Taguig says that they get coverage where they are.

This is a 2 year old coverage map of theirs - they should have upgraded by now.
http://www.jcmiras.net/surge/p244.htm

Not sure what Smart & Liberty offers/covers.