... in response to Re: Colombia Article, posted by Cali vet on Jun 30, 2003CV,
I have fond memories of the Crystal Palace.To me it was a magic sort of place.Maybe it was because I looked at the pictures on the web site so any times and when I went there
it looked exactly the same.With a plane ride I had placed myself in the picture.I used to walk by the pool at night and think here am,right in the middle of the fantasy.
I presumed and was later told it had belonged to a big time drug dealer.Money to build an 18,000 sq ft mansion would be hard to come by any other way in Cali.My bedroom was 2000 sq ft with a 2 story walk in closet.The bath had a shower and a huge jacuzzi tub.All the floors and the bathroom was marble.I wondered who had lived there and concluded things had turned out badly for them and it was not really worth the ultimate outcome to have owned such a place.To me it was worth every cent of the $100 a night.Actualy Bud wanted $200 for it but with no takers he gave it to me for the $100.Allf this and just choose which beautiful girls you would like to meet.
I remember a large lake driving into the area plus there was a 10 acre or so estate behind the palace with a lake.
One morning we woke to automatic weapon fire at 5 AM.I figred one gang was wiping out another.t turned out the guy who owned the big estate had ben kidnapped then released.He and his budies were celebrating,got drunk and started shooting their automatic weapons off.It sounded like a war zone.No police ever showed up.
The gringo lady who wrote the artical had a young Colombian boy friend.She appartntly met himinteUS.These were rich people.They have alot more stories of kidnaping and robbery than poorer people.Its a whole diffrent pespective.
The countyside is beautifull around Cali.Too bad you can't just casually drive anywhee you want.THere is nothing to special about the town,except for a number of nice malls.The weather is perfect to me.No heating or cooling needed.A huge wall of thealace upstairs at the living rom was just open to the outside,no way to close it.No flying insects.Never saw any but the smallest of spiders.One night I saw something big and black crawing on the floor in my bedroom.said to myself I hope thats a cock roach and not a spider.It was.
I was told over 3 years ago the palace was worth only $400,000 or so.Less now presume.I think Bud was paying like $2600 a month for it,but phone and power was a huge expense.I wonder who owns it.Probably a relative of the drug guy.
Pete
