Ask the expert whether he prefers Ecuador or Colombia

Nards Barley wrote:

Why do you say you are in Quindío, Colombia? Quindío isn't a city is it, but rather a department?

That’s insightful .. not that I expect less of you, Nards.

The city where I am staying in department Quindío is Armenia.

Since there is a more famous Armenia (you know, the one Trump probably wants to invade to impress Putin) , I am training myself to say Quindío (kin-DEE-oh) instead of Armenia whenever possible.

I also prefer the name Quindío to Armenia.  Seems classier and more Colombian than Armenia.

The famous (in Colombia) tourist town of Salento is also in this department (a department being somewhat equivalent to a U.S. state).  So is my favorite suburb in this area:  I posted a new thread titled “Circasia, Colombia” on expat.com’s Colombia forum earlier today.

However, Quindío is one of the smallest departments in COL geographically -- sort of the Rhode Island of Colombia in that respect.

I’ll have more on the other stuff later.  But it’s Saturday night .. and I’m on the move.

cccmedia in Quindío, Colombia

SawMan wrote:

the bubble burst when he was perhaps profiled as a drug smuggler or something - his luggage was handed over to him with dozens and dozens of knife stabbings by Colombia agents - ruining the bag and everything in it.  So, one bad experienced soured him on Colombia.

That’s pathetic. 

One bad experience .. and he writes off Colombia.

The “profiled as a drug smuggler” concept, if that’s what he told you he believes:  that’s a creative, but possibly incorrect, explanation. 

Some folks are just not cut out to be Expats in countries in South America, where nutty stuff happens once in a while.

When things go sideways, that’s a great time to use your Spanish, if you’ve learned it.  If you haven’t, paranoia is a possible outcome.

cccmedia in La Zona Cafetera, Colombia

cccmedia wrote:

The “profiled as a drug smuggler” concept, if that’s what he told you he believes:  that’s a creative, but possibly incorrect, explanation.

That's my speculation - stab bags and see if white stuff comes out with the blade.  I saw it on TV!

cccmedia wrote:

When things go sideways, that’s a great time to use your Spanish, if you’ve learned it.  If you haven’t, paranoia is a possible outcome.

He's fluent in Spanish and has lived in Panama City ten years.

Nards Barley wrote:

I hope you are getting a good monthly room rate considering all that blackjack you are playing.  And unless you count cards, I doubt being a good player will still keep you from walking out of there with a hole in your pocket.

I’m paying an above-market rate, about $800 US, for one month, for a furnished view-apartment on the 16th floor with a rooftop swimming pool and jacuzzi .. in the el primo part of the city.  It’s not a casino-rate as the casino does not have its own hotel.

Would it surprise you if I told you I’ve lost half a million Colombian pesos playing blackjack about three sessions a week during my two months in Colombia?

It shouldn’t surprise.  That’s only $167 US.  Back in the day (the 90’s), I used to win or lose more than that in a single session in Vegas and Atlantic City.   Last night, I was down 350,000 pesos in the first half hour to a ‘hot’ dealer .. then fought my way back to being down only 45 lucas* ($15 US) at the end.

Of course, I’m compensated with free ice-cappuccinos on demand .. and the entertainment of playing a game that is banned in Ecuador.

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Little-known fact:  I was barred from El Cortez casino in downtown Las Vegas two times for counting cards.  Banned from two casinos in Reno for the same reason.

Counting cards doesn’t work against the big dealing shoes of South America if you don’t have a counting team as in the movie ’21’.  I am playing without a team.

cccmedia in La Zona Cafetera

*One luca equals 1,000 Colombian pesos.  Colombians say lucas the way North Americans would say bucks, smackers or simoleons.

Sophems wrote:

I have been thinking, as a total hamburger and hot dog crazy person (but only certain brands), do you guys think a Nathan's franchise or a Krispy Kreme franchise would be successful here?

Any input would be appreciated.  The sad thing is that at Reba Smith grocery store in Panama, I can get Nathan's hot dogs and all/any cheese I would ever want.

Nathan’s Famous hot dog eateries -- founded as a single hot dog stand in Coney Island, Brooklyn, in 1916 -- recently celebrated it’s 100th anniversary.  (Wikipedia)

I think a well-run Nathan’s would do fantastic business on Plaza Foch in Quito .. or in Salinas, Ecuador, during high season -- Xmas through May.

Manta, where Sophems lives:  who knows?

FYI... at the worldwide map at nathansfamous.com, you’ll see that there are no Nathan’s locations shown in South America, although the company has outlets in Central America, Moscow, Turkey, Australia and Yankee Stadium, among other venues.

cccmedia -- not able to get Nathan’s products
    at my current location in Quindío, Colombia

Nards Barley wrote:

Being it is Superbowl Sunday today, and I don't want to overburden the expert, I am going to ask a very simple question.

On a Colombia thread, you once referred to one of Colombia's food staples--the arepa--as being "infamous".   

Why?

It's halftime, so I am pleased to respond during the game.

By the way, I was restricted to Spanish-language audio the past two Super Bowls on DirecTV in Quito.  So I was happily surprised to discover that Claro Cable TV shown here in my furnished Colombian apartment is televising the game on the Fox Sports 3 channel with English audio.  Another Fox channel is showing the game with Spanish audio.

--------

Anyway, my bilingual temporary landlord was showing me around this apartment a few days before I moved in last month, when we got to the kitchen.  We were talking in English....

"Here's the arepa maker,"  Señor Rodriguez is telling me, holding up the aparato.

"I won't be needing that," says I.

"Why not?" asks Sr. Rodridguez.

Coming down more on the side of honesty than diplomacy, I respond:  "Most Gringos think the arepa is a Colombian national mistake."

"Why is that?" Sr. Rodriguez wants to know.

"Because it has no taste," I explain.  I could have added that the arepas I have sampled were also dry and hard.  I could have said there's already enough starch on the plates of most Colombian meals with the potatoes, the plantain and the rice .. that there's no need to add any arepas. 

But all I mentioned was the arepa's tastelessness.

Sr. Rodriguez didn't try to defend the Colombian arepa.  Instead, he turned and showed me the oven, the kitchen cabinets and the microwave.

cccmedia in La Zona Cafetera

cccmedia wrote:

Sr. Rodriguez didn't try to defend the Colombian arepa. 
cccmedia in La Zona Cafetera

He probably was remembering the Biblical injunction, something about "neither cast ye your pearls before swine", ni echéis vuestras perlas delante de los cerdos, ja ja...

You need to get you some arepas made by real home cookin'...although they are just corn cakes, when freshly and expertly made they do have a subtle flavor meant to accompany other dishes, or to be stuffed, rellena, with meats or vegetables, or served with butter on top.  They can also be made with cheese in the mix, which despite the lack of variety and taste of Colombian cheese, does add more flavor.   At first over 16 years ago I did not much care for them, it is an acquired taste - but my wife and her family convinced me otherwise pretty quickly with their stellar culinary skills.

And yes, sophem, unfortunately this Super Bowl is not one to be remembered for very long, unless you are a Patriots fan and like dwelling on disappointments...oops, with the Patriots now scoring and pulling within 8 points it could be a fight right down to the wire!

Sophems wrote:

I miss those South Beach Super Bowl nights.  To me, arepas are over rated and only what we are used to.  So is the super bowl if you ask my drunk ass tonight.

That's questionable timing and questionable remarks about the Super Bowl, but we'll give Brother Archer and Sophems the benefit of the doubt .. since they posted here before the Patriots finished pulling off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl History -- and Sophems was borracha to boot.

Heck, it may have been the greatest comeback in the history of all North American pro sports.

cccmedia

HelenPivoine wrote:

Must confess that i have never understood the coffee comments on various brands.  Here in Vilcabamba there is just Coffee,either grown here or grown in Malacatos.  It is marvellous, so good that I started drinking coffee here and never drank it in Canada.  Everyone here in Yamburara Alto neighbourhood lays out their coffee beans in the front yard to dry.  We do not do brands here.
HelenPivoine

Hey HelenPivione, do you drink beer? It's essentially the same thing, beer is beer (coffee is coffee), but the different brands taste different. Some are better quality, some are lighter, others are stronger, and so on.

Like you I wasn't a big coffee drinker before, but the climate here (Andes-Quito) is ideal for coffee, and of course Ecuadorean coffee is great.

Sophems wrote:

Vsimple,

At the Marriott hotel in Quito in the lobby bar they make an orange flavored hot chocolate that is to die for!!  It is rich with cream and orange zest and if not mistaken a slight hint of orange liquor.  I can't remember for sure, if it did come with the liquor, I may have opted out.  I was up there to have a MRI at hospital metropolitano.  I would put it up against Starbucks and Godiva hot chocolate any day of the week!!  Just a thought....

Thanks for the tip, if it’s like Starbucks, it’s all good. I tried Sweet & Coffee, and while their coffee is okay, their hot chocolate is horrible. A friend recommended Cyril for good hot chocolate or specifically chocolate con queso or chocolate (hot) with cheese, Ecuadorians love it.

http://cyril-boutique.com/

(Bogotá may be an exception, I wouldn’t know.  But with the altitude and the traffic and the pollution, I don’t think Bogotá is a top Expat destination -- unless you are offered a job to go there.)

to which I responded

Then neither should be Quito and Cuenca for the same reasons.

to which CCMedia responded

So, IMO, Cuenca -- with its beauty, its strong Expat community and the factors mentioned in the preceding paragraph -- is a solid Expat destination.  In fact, it’s a world-class Expat destino.

To which I respond, the answer to the conundrum might be found between the 4:00-4:10 mark of the following youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont … bVxx6eFDwo

cccmedia wrote:

Right, smog and altitude in Cuenca.

Nards, to what extent has Cuenca’s air -- and the unofficial Expat community's ability to adjust to it -- deteriorated since you arrived around 2012? 

There doesn’t seem to be anything about this in the latest issue of International Living magazine.

Do you anticipate that the current public-works and transportation upgrades in Cuenca, including the Chinese buses experiment, will have noticeable and positive effects on the Cuenca air?

cccmedia

No idea on all counts.

However, folks are splitting town, including blogger for expat.com who acquired citizenship a year ago.

http://grimmsecuadortraveltales.blogspot.com

Nards Barley wrote:

folks are splitting town, including blogger for expat.com who acquired citizenship a year ago.

http://grimmsecuadortraveltales.blogspot.com

Given that Nards achieved EC citizenship in 2016, we’re relieved to discover that it’s not he, but the Grimms .. who are bailing on Cuenca.

Given that an apartment can be furnished for $6,000 .. it would shock me if they get anywhere near the $13,800 they are asking .. for the pictured muebles usados, etc.

Where are the Grimms headed?

cccmedia

cccmedia wrote:

Where are the Grimms headed?

cccmedia

I tried to elicit said information via an anonymous comment but failed.

Do you know the principal effect on his health that Frank Frugal attributes to the high elevation of Cuenca? Lack of sleep.

Nards Barley wrote:

Do you know the principal effect on his health that Frank Frugal attributes to the high elevation of Cuenca? Lack of sleep.

I did not know about Frugal's insomnia.  However, my previous research on the elevation issue indicated that some people do have problems sleeping well at higher altitudes.

In Quito, I have noticed a personal reduction in energy levels though not in my number of hours slept.

cccmedia from La Zona Cafetera

However, folks are splitting town, including blogger for expat.com who acquired citizenship a year ago.

http://grimmsecuadortraveltales.blogspot.com

Well at least their blog gave an indication that they're leaving. Other blogs that initally started with enthusiastic posts stopped updating all together.

Do you know the principal effect on his health that Frank Frugal attributes to the high elevation of Cuenca? Lack of sleep.

It could be other factors or underlying issues that are merely exacerbated by high altitude. People break down whether it's at high altitude or coast.

cccmedia wrote:

Where are the Grimms headed?

cccmedia

I found out.  Lake Chapala.  My insider said she knows two other expats heading there.  Does it beckon you?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chapala

cccmedia wrote:

Nards Barley wrote:

Do you know the principal effect on his health that Frank Frugal attributes to the high elevation of Cuenca? Lack of sleep.

I did not know about Frugal's insomnia.  However, my previous research on the elevation issue indicated that some people do have problems sleeping well at higher altitudes.

In Quito, I have noticed a personal reduction in energy levels though not in my number of hours slept.

cccmedia from La Zona Cafetera

To reinforce this point, watch the following Youtube video between the 3;29 and 3:60 mark where Frank Frugal  is getting all weepy about going back to zero elevation in Salinas while drinking beet juice from a 2 liter Pepsi bottle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont … XcAcIwxyqI

Nards Barley wrote:

Frugal  is getting all weepy about going back to zero elevation in Salinas while drinking beet juice from a 2 liter Pepsi bottle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont … XcAcIwxyqI

Nards' humorous intro to this video clip did not prepare me for the sad fact that Frugal appears to be a beaten man .. who evidently hasn’t slept for months .. and is moving to a place he doesn’t really want to be.

Apparently, despite Nards’ best efforts, Frugal has not heard about the Colombia Coffee Zone.

cccmedia in La Zona