Llarummal/Yarumal

[Ken2]

The gal im seeing who was in BQ and has returned from Medellin and lives in an area called "Yarumal" or "Llarummal"  however you choose to spell it. A friend from BQ said it is dangerous and was on the news recently. It is in a mountainous region and has very little police presence and some military activity (bad guys) as well.    Anybody been there?  Im thinking NO, but you never know.

Ken

[pablo]

... in response to Llarummal/Yarumal, posted by Ken2 on Jan 31, 2005


Ken,

I got your email but thought I would post a reply here on the forum.  I just spoke with a local who owns a taxi service and he told me that he considers that city safe.  He also confirmed it was in the mountains about 100 km north from Medellin and that it's muy frio.  If you'd like, I can provide his telephone contact information if you want to talk with him or use his services.

Hope this helps.

[Ken2]

... in response to Re: Llarummal/Yarumal, posted by pablo on Jan 31, 2005

Sure I'd appreciate that.  I was starting to think I would not be able to meet her parents as three hours outside a major city "in Colombia" seems a little sketchy.  

Its a great help seeing that most people on this forum don't  seem to get outside the major cities much.

[pablo]

... in response to Re: Re: Llarummal/Yarumal, posted by Ken2 on Jan 31, 2005


I can certainly understand your concern. It might be good to add to always check with the locals before embarking on a trip like this, not simply relying on a taxi driver (like I did for your answer) AND the local authorities. They would know which cities and routes would be considered safe. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Recently in San Rafael there were 10 foreigners kidnapped at one of the resorts. I haven't heard what happened to them since then but undoubtedly they are still be held hostage. I wonder if those tourists checked before deciding to go to SR.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4125455.stm

http://www.poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/6334

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Additinal Note, posted by pablo on Jan 31, 2005

P,
You are our Medellin resource here now.When I was in Medellin I heard about all of these picturesqe pueblos that you could drive to out of Medellin and I was told it was safe to go.It sounded too good to be true but people insisted it was safe,a far cry from my previous notions about Medellin.Sounds like its relatively safe to go to some places.Where is San Rafael? Was it thought safe before this incident?To be able to just drive around in the beautifull countryside there is appealing.

Pete

[pablo]

... in response to Re: Re: Additinal Note, posted by Pete E on Feb 1, 2005


Hi Pete,

San Rafael is 140 miles northwest of Bogota.  I am not sure if it was considered safe just before this incident took place or not but has been a hot spot in the past.

I would not get in a car and just go driving but always have a destination in mind and do some homework before heading out.

An American friend recently drove to Medellin from Cali and it's considered safe as well as the route to Bogota from Medellin.  It's always best to travel during daytime hours though.

Pablo

[Ken2]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Additional Note, posted by pablo on Feb 1, 2005

Testing...

[YEP]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Additional Note, posted by Ken2 on Feb 4, 2005

Just fixing cookie (ignore this post)