Colombia....a new challenge for me.

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Hmm, we've had one Pres shot dead in Dal..., posted by cancunhound on Jul 30, 2003

There's a big difference between political assassinations and guerilla warfare in the capital.  Political assassinations happen in every country, but you don't have rebels firing mortars in Washington D.C.  And D.C. is on a par with Dallas as far as violent crime.

You can all spin this any way you want, but there's a big difference in the kind of risks people face in Colombia as opposed to Dallas, so I'm not going to let someone falsely compare the two for unsuspecting individuals to read on this forum.

When was the last time roadblocks were set up somewhere in the US to kidnap people on the highway?  Common place in Colombia.

When was the last time guerillas took the Supreme Court hostage here in the US and the army sent in tanks to shoot up the building while the judges were being executed?  Happened in a place called Bogota.

When was the last time guerillas rounded up legislators in the capital building in Austin and drove them out to the countryside where they still haven't been found 1 year later?  Happened last year in peaceful, safe Cali.

When was the last time someone in the US was fitted with a necklace made out of dynamite in an extortion attempt and the little old lady wearing it died when it exploded as bomb experts tried to defuse it?  Colombian criminals are animals.

When was the last time rebels commandered a commercial jet here in the US, landed on a highway and took a Senator off to the countryside where he still hasn't been found 1 year later.  That's typical Colombia.

When was the last time mortars landed near the Colombian Embassy in Washington?  They recently landed near the US embassy in Bogota.

About 3000 people a year are kidnapped in Colombia.  How many in the US?  100?  We've got 10 times as many people, too.  Again, no comparison.

Some of those people being kidnapped in Colombia are US citizens.  Not many, because most Americans wouldn't set foot in Colombia if you gave them that free ticket.  But some do get taken.  If someone's planning to visit Colombia for the first time they need to understand the risks.

A man's got to know his limitations.

Steve

[Cali James]

... in response to Like I don't remember that?, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jul 30, 2003


This is one subject that comes up frequently and I've never understood the "it's as safe as any other U.S. city argument".  I think some of the ex-pats who live and post here may not have had any major incidents yet but they are not a statisticly large enough group to mean much.  In my own experiences, anecdotal though they may be, I've seen more violence first hand in one year of actually being in Cali, then my whole life in the United States.   The latest incident was a couple days before my wedding and a man was literally gunned down on the corner right below my 5th story apartment.  This was right accross the street from the Deportivo Cali offices in the North part of Cali near Chipi-Chapi.  That was not the first but the 2nd time, I've exitted an apartment to see the police putting a guy in a body-bag.

Has everyone forgotten the two armed breakins at the old Mi Media Naranja agency in Ciudad Jardin.  I remember stopping in at the agency the next day and hearing all the stories.  Some people might think that these events were some kind of abberation but I'm not so sure.  My wife's grand parents had a similar incident happen to them a few years back also.  A woman came to the front door of their house in San Fernando with a package for delivery.  The servant opened the door and two additional guys came out of nowhere and rushed the door.  They had guns, tied everyone up, put bags over their head and ramsacked the house taking anything of value.

I love Cali as much as anyone and if I could, I'd be there now.  But having said that I know it's a different world there and to survive a person needs to constantly be on guard.

[cancunhound]

... in response to Re: Like I don't remember that?, posted by Cali James on Jul 30, 2003

I don't think anyone in their right mind would suggest Cali is as safe as any US city.  I just don't think that we should constantly pound it into the dirt - it's the same as suggesting to someone just don't go there - and anyone with a hot opinion on this subject has obviously been there.  Obviously you'd go back, I certainly go back as often as possible.  But to continue bashing Cali serves no purpose but to scare the wits out of 1st timers - I think they're estute enough to proceed with caution.  Reality is - the biggest danger lurking for a gringo there is probably a traffic accident - I've certainly seen some bloody ones there as well as the body bags to pick up the pieces (everyone thinks they can drive like Montoya).

You bring up an interesting point about living in a house there.  I wouldn't do it.  Even in a nice house in a decent strata barrio, typically you still rely on low paid vigilantes that patrol it by foot or bike - not exactly a tight safety net.  In a condo in similar barrio, you have gated, 24 hour professionally guarded security - nobody gets through without permission.  It's also like having 24 hour room service - need something just call one of the guards, it's a great system and one that I really enjoy when down there.  The windows in my condo stay wide open at night and I could care a less about securing the front door.  Now I don't to do that at my house in Dallas, even if there's no crime in my neighborhood.  So IMHO, it's simply about recognizing certain security issues exist and to take the appropriate measures when in Cali, or any city in Colombia for that matter.  I wouldn't be going there if I were constantly "watching my back" - that doesn't sound too enjoyable.

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to That pretty much sums it up..., posted by cancunhound on Jul 30, 2003

The biggest traffic danger in Colombia is that the taxis have no seat belts.  Or I should say more correctly, they have only half a seat belt.  I don't know why but almost every cab I got into in Cali had half the seat belt exposed and the other half burried in the seat.  I tried several times to find that sucker and I never did.  I wanted desperately to strap myself in.

It's such a stupid situation.  They have intentionally disabled the seatbelts, the taxis are about as sturdy as a wet carboard box, and they drive through crowded streets at high speed ignoring all traffic rules, signs, and lights.  I'm surprised I survived for 2 weeks in Cali.  My ex had scars on her face and leg from a bad accident in Colombia and she was only in her early 20s.  What a careless country.

Steve

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Like I don't remember that?, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jul 30, 2003

[This message has been edited by DallasSteve2]

I know most of you visiting Colombia looking for a wife don't want to believe that the women you are meeting in the agencies have a steady boyfriend, but if you can "handle the truth", the truth is most of them do.

Do you think these attractive women are waiting at home every night, ignoring the advances from attractive Colombian men, because they are hoping someday their Principe Azul will arrive from the US?  Most of the women in the agencies will never find an American husband, and they know it.  Life goes on.

My wife's next door neighbor was in an agency.  Her Colombian fiance didn't know it, but everybody else did.  My wife also accompanied a lesbian to an agency in Cali to enroll.  Pure green card shark.  I don't know her name and I'm not going to ask my wife.  Caveat emptor.

I asked my wife if she thought most of the young girls in the agencies have boyfriends.  She said most of the attractive young girls in the agencies are college girls with a steady boyfriend.

So ignore the kidnappers and the mortars if you want.  Don't ignore the Colombian boyfriends.  My wife's boyfriend (or ex-boyfriend, depending on whom you believe) came looking for me in Cali with a gun.  Luckily he left because a policeman was guarding the Archibishop's house across the street from the agency.

I believe they say: Fate protects children, fools, and ships named Enterprise.  

Steve

[jim c]

... in response to And there's the Colombian boyfriend risk, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jul 30, 2003

and you are still washing your panties. From all the negatives it seems you won't be going back to visit.

Ps. Is Tom still peeping and did you buy the gun or the doberman? JIM C

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Re: And there's the Colombian boyfriend ..., posted by jim c on Jul 30, 2003

Jim

I have no plans to visit Cali anytime soon.  The adventure with the gun happened after the same boyfriend tried to scare me from coming back to Cali by sending me an email claiming the FARC was planning to kidnap me at the airport.  I changed my flight and went anyway.

I offered my wife all the alternatives we could think of regarding the Peeping Tom and the only one she was comfortable with was to move.  We found an apartment that doesn't have a staircase next to our second floor patio and we haven't seen Tom since we moved.

Steve

[Cali James]

... in response to And there's the Colombian boyfriend risk, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jul 30, 2003


Some of the women may have Colombian boyfriends on the side but I'd be really surprised if it's most as you suggest.  When I lived in Cali I got to know a lot of agency gals.  It wasn't romantic but more of a hanging out type thing.  I wasn't aware of any who had Colombian boyfriends but I was aware of gals who were playing out their options with several different gringos.  

Anyway, I'm sure it happens but I don't think it's as common as you suggest.

[lswote]

... in response to And there's the Colombian boyfriend risk, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jul 30, 2003

I think you are talking a generalization that might only be applicable to Cali.  I don't think that is true for Bogota.

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Re: And there's the Colombian boyfriend ..., posted by lswote on Jul 30, 2003

[This message has been edited by DallasSteve2]

OK.  Women are different in Bogota.  

The women in Bogota are willing to stay home night after night, month after month, year after year, ignoring the advances of attractive Colombian men, patiently waiting for their Principe Azul to arrive from the US.

Any agencies in Bogota that would like to use that line on their website please contact me for licensing rates.

Steve

[lswote]

... in response to Bogota women are saints, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jul 30, 2003

I think ignoring the advances of attractive Colombian men pretty much summed it up for my wife as she was (and still is) pretty disgusted with the unfaithfulness of Colombian men.  But she didn't sit at home.  She has many friends she spent time with and when she was in the agency she dated many gringos.  I just know she didn't have a boyfriend, nor did any of her friends in the agency that I knew.

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Dallas men exaggerate, posted by lswote on Jul 30, 2003

Neither she nor any of her friends in the agency that you knew had boyfriends.  And how did you know that?  Because they told you?

OK, I believe them.  Wink, wink.

Steve

[cancunhound]

... in response to Bogota women are saints, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jul 30, 2003