Plan Colombia - write your senator!

[cancunhound]

Let me get this straight, we pump 3 billion a year into Colombia - yet at the Colombian national parks they have an elevated fee for foreigners?  To enter Nevado del Ruiz, Colombians pay 6 mil, they wanted me to pay 20 mil - WTF?  Well I skirted that one and saved 14 mil, but still - I think with our funding my entrance fee should be less!  BTW, apparently my "joke" of carrying a US flag with supposed intent to post on the summit of Ruiz wasn't that funny (I still think it would have made a great photo though).

[DavidMN]

... in response to Plan Colombia - write your senator!, posted by cancunhound on Nov 3, 2003

From the Colombian constitution of 1991:

CHAPTER 3

CONCERNING ALIENS

Article 100. Aliens in Colombia will enjoy the same civil rights as Colombian citizens. Notwithstanding, for reasons of public order, the law may impose special conditions on or nullify the exercise of specific civil rights by aliens.

Similarly, aliens will enjoy, in the territory of the Republic, guarantees granted to citizens, except for the limitations established by the Constitution or the law.

Next time, show them this (in Spanish) and tell them you're not familiar with a 'gringo markup' amendment. ;-)

David

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Plan Colombia - write your senator!, posted by cancunhound on Nov 3, 2003

I was thinking about the same subject yesterday, except I was thinking that with all the billions we pump into Colombia US citizens ought to get a waiver on their exit tax.  I call their exit tax "legalized ransom".  "You want to go home?  Pay up!"  No wonder Colombia is the kidnapping capital of the world.  Their government uses the same tactics.

Steve

[Pete E]

... in response to Plan Colombia - write your senator!, posted by cancunhound on Nov 3, 2003

We probably pay a gringo premium in many ways we are not even aware of.
There is wholesale,retail,gringo retail and tourist retail.
In Panama the cabs at the airport and at the big hotels charged about 5 times what a cab would charge if you flagged them down somewhere else.Walk down the street a block,save 80%.

Pete

[cancunhound]

... in response to Re: Plan Colombia - write your senator!, posted by Pete E on Nov 3, 2003

I'll second that one.  In Colombia, there is also a "Colombian Tourist Retail" that I've noticed.  They'll stick it to anyone from other departments.  When driving back down from Ruiz the other day - it was time for a cold one, so I stopped at the typical roadside stand about 10 clicks from the destination of Manizales:  
"tiene cerveza bien fria?"
"Si, Claro"
"Superbien fria?"
"Si!"
"Bueno, entonces dos Aguila Light porfa"
"Solamente tenemos Poker"
Damn - I really wanted an Aquila Light,
"Bueno, pues - dos"
He proceeds to grab 2 bottles of Poker off the shelf behind him @#$$$$$)*7&
"Friisima?"
"Si, fria"
WTF - we're talking about 60 degrees outside but not my idea of "bien fria" but I was thirsty.
"Quanto questa?"
"Tres mil pesos"
SH%%T!  He had me pegged as a tourist and a gringo - double whammy.  He had no cold beer, and he gorged me on the price, but hey - it quenched my thirst and I'd probably buy there again.

-CaliGringo.com

[Cali vet]

... in response to Gringo Retail, posted by cancunhound on Nov 3, 2003

Cancunhound with all the great Colombian beers available why on earth would you ask for Americanized taste-free Aguila Light?! Besides I've seen your picture and you're skinny. It's heavy guys and fat chicks who ought to choke down the stuff. Well each to his own. Yeah the gouge us gringos. I pulled in to gas station the other day only to discover the last jerk hadn't replaced the cap (being Colombia he probobly kept it on purpose). They sold me a used one for almost five bucks! Anyhow next time instead of "?cuanta cuesta?" try "?a como?".

[cancunhound]

... in response to Re: Gringo Retail, posted by Cali vet on Nov 4, 2003

Yes I get ragged on that one all the time - I've found Aguila Light to be a great substitute for my Coors Light (yes another tasteless cerveza).  Only thing I don't like about it is that they've friggin' gone USA style with nonreturnable bottles and twist off tops - 1st sign of a country on a downhill slide IMHO.  Back in Cali I hit the new Exito in unicentro - appears they had a run on the national beer over the "puente", so I was stuck with buying an import "Caracas" - not bad if friisima!  I think it might be another Bavaria product.  (I'll use that "a como" tip next time - truth is I would have paid 10 mil for that warm beer, that was a long day at Ruiz even though it got cut a bit short for what I wanted to do, and an adventure going back down - I had to babysit 2 Colombianos (de Cali) in my group that couldn't cope with the altitude).

[cancunhound]

... in response to Re: Colombian Light Beer, posted by cancunhound on Nov 4, 2003

I was sort of thinking my amigos that got sick in the thin air of Nevado del Ruiz were lightweights - yet I didn't realize that the metric conversion to feet tops 16,000 ft. where we were at!  I've treked quite a few of the tall peaks in the Rocky's but 16'rs - wow?  I didn't realize just how tall that Andean range really was.  I probably shouldn't have been running around throwing snowballs and such - that is a bit high - good thing I didn't know about that height in feet while there as it's probably mostly mental. (I saw 2 other people pass out while up there - good thing the Park has a pretty good medical staff and the guides are well equipped).

[Pete E]

... in response to Gringo Retail, posted by cancunhound on Nov 3, 2003

Warm beer is only good if you are dying of thirst.And I never liked Poker.Never had a good one.Maybe they were warm.
Club Colombias were OK I Thought,or Cevesa Anguilas.
I used to drink Corona in Cali,but lately I decided I like Pacifico better.I never saw it there but maybe they have it.
I remember sitting at an outdoor bar in Mazatlan,overlooking the ocean.This guy brings me a warm beer.I said don't you have any cold beer?He comes back with a cold one,touches it to my arm and says for you,Senior,fria.
I guess if you want fria you need to tip good.
There was a country song I used to really like.It was "red hot women and ice cold beer".By a group named Chuck Wagon and the wheels out of Tuscon I think.I looked them up on a web site but couldn't get the old song.I remember some lines.
" my uncle died and left me all his money because he said I know you'll spend it on ,red hot women and ice cold beer."
Or the last line,something like this is their  idea of heaven but the other place is "ice cold women and red hot beer.""
Never had a red hot beer but I know all about ice cold women.

Pete

[Ralph]

... in response to Re: Gringo Retail, posted by Pete E on Nov 3, 2003

I don't know anything about Chuck Wagon etc but that song was done yers ago by "The New Riders Of The Purple Sage"

http://www.nrpsmusic.com/music/index.html

Scroll down to the album "Who are Those Guys". They have a link to the .mp3 in case you miss the song that much. What a blast from the past. My very first concert ever back in 78 or 79 was charlie daniels with the new riders warming up.

[Pete E]

... in response to Red Hot women, posted by Ralph on Nov 4, 2003

Ralph,
Yep,thats the song.I even got to play it free.
Chuck Wagons version is alot better I think,but even on their web site you can't get it,its off an old album.
Thier web site is a trip.Chucks father was a wrestling promoter.He wanted him to be a pro wrestler,not go in to music.He said his father used to chain himself to wild animals to promote the wrestling matches.After what he called "the bear incident" Chuck was free to pursue his music.

Pete