Recent Elections and Expats

Dear Doug,

Since we normally don't do politics, I won't go deep on this.

However, we have a  duty to warn a well-meaning Expat who asks.

The new presidente is talking tough about eliminating El Guacho, head trafficker in the border region near Ecuador, and has pledged Colombian resources to get the job done.

1.  If you don't have connections or reasons to be near the Colombia-Ecuador border, stay away from the border areas while the situation is not stabilized.  The border area, especially toward the coast, has been problematic for years, as posted on the USA State Department's website page on travel warnings.  It's all the more problematic now.

2.  Do not travel on Colombian intercity roads at night.

3.  Do not consider the purchase of -- or building on -- any property in Colombia at this time.

4.  Consider the historically safe area of the Coffee Zone or Bucaramanga/Ruitoque for your next stay.  If going to Medellín, sectors El Poblado and Laureles are well-patrolled areas that are considered relatively safe.  Stay in the neighborhoods where Gringos stay.

5.  Realize that Colombia has a troubled history .. that volatile power vacuums were created by recent events including the transition that has started since the FARC peace-treaty signing .. and that future situations in La República cannot be reliably predicted, especially by Expats.

cccmedia

Just wear a Maple Leaf on your back and take a few selfies with the locals.

After all, everyone just.love Canadians.

Better to just stay in Moose Jaw  or Guelph or wherever you are from.

Colombia is dangerous dont you know? Didnt you read about it in the Globe and Mail or something?

Must be true.

Anybody thinking about going to Colombia should see a psychiaristrist immediately..........Crazy, crazy, idea to begin with.........by all means...........just stay home..........

dumluk wrote:

Anybody thinking about going to Colombia should see a psychiaristrist immediately..........Crazy, crazy, idea to begin with.........by all means...........just stay home.

It might be hard to argue the "just stay home" point, given what I posted above about the challenges facing La República.  His psychiatrist concept may be a bit overdone, however.

This was not Dumluk's best-argued, best-justified post.  Fortunately, there's time for him to add some meat to the bones.

As far as i know, he didn't personally see any carnage during his recent trip to Colombia.

What's got him so riled up in the first three weeks of the Duque administration?

cccmedia

@CC.........As an ABC news commentator I would think you would recognize sarcasm when you read it....?     Im headed back that way as soon as the weather breaks.....and I have another caretaker here........Wont be in a mad rush to buying any real estate or starting up any serious business ventures tho.......take the wait and see approach.......

***
Once again cccmedia has given some safety nuggets.....he is probably correct about you and I being safer in the coffee zone. My Colombian friend J says he has never been robbed here in Armenia. My gf said she has been robbed in Armenia once when a couple of goofs knocked her off her motorcycle. I know a latina that sells empinadas and walks alone in the middle of the nights 2 miles back to her casa....she is 40 ish and says shes never had a problem.
Theres always a chance you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time but Im not ready to blame Colombia the country just yet.
Just keeping an eye on her.

dumluk wrote:

@CC.........As an ABC news commentator I would think you would recognize sarcasm when you read it....?     Im headed back that way as soon as the weather breaks....

I doubt we've seen your particular brand of sarcasm
       on this forum previously.

i'll keep the above citation in mind when reading your posts
from now on.

cccmedia

CanadaDoug wrote:

Once again cccmedia has given some safety nuggets.....he is probably correct about you and I being safer in the coffee zone. My Colombian friend J says he has never been robbed here in Armenia. My gf said she has been robbed in Armenia once when a couple of goofs knocked her off her motorcycle. I know a latina that sells empinadas and walks alone in the middle of the nights 2 miles back to her casa....she is 40 ish and says she's never had a problem.
Theres always a chance you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time but I'm not ready to blame Colombia the country just yet.

Armenia, Quindío, has some really Expat-friendly areas.  i know because I lived in the big, secure hotel and adjacent apartment building in Armenia's Mocawa Plaza hotel/shopping district for over six months total during 2016-17.

The areas along Carrera 7  from the medical district north of El Centro past Mocawa Plaza and the university and San Juan hospital to the big mall always felt quite safe.

On New Year's Eve (12:15 a.m., January 1, 2017), a taxi driver drove me around to some areas and he familiarized me with neighborhoods I didn't know before.  We were looking for a nightclub in a neighborhood where a straw-man was burning in the middle of the street.  As many Expats in South America know, this type of effigy is a symbol of saying goodbye to the old year.  However, it was the first time I had seen the iconic figure fully ablaze on a public thoroughfare.  My 'taxista' refused to let me get out of the taxi in that neighborhood, saying that area was not a good one.

The point is that there is a big difference between what you will encounter along Carrera 7 during  'normal people' hours .. and what you might encounter after midnight in an obscure barrio.

I never encountered a lick of trouble on the streets of Armenia, Quindío.  However, I took precautions.  When I visited the clubs downtown, I always left my car in the hotel underground lot and took taxi rides to El Centro.

I often took hour-long walks through Armenia's signature greenspace, Parque de la Vida (Park of Life) which has its entrance near Mocawa.  I rarely saw any police patrols in the park, yet El Parque always seemed tranquil and safe at whatever time of day.

I have stopped going to Quindío only because the blackjack conditions at the two table-games casinos deteriorated badly;  one casino dropped the game entirely.  For anyone who doesn't care about playing blackjack, Armenia and the surrounding pueblos might still be a good landing spot.

cccmedia

So Doug you expect to live forever or something?

The things I am concerned about in order of statistical probability and common sense:

1. Cáncer
2.Heart Attack
3.Stroke
(Note I am in excelent Heath and physical condition but  personally I will definitely  not live forever...I am sure)
4.Getting  run over crossing the Street in Colombia ( had at least 3 close calls)
5.Getting killed or injured due to a taxi or bus crash while I am.in Colombia ( been lucky so far)
5. An avalanche when I go back to Canadá in winter for a months back country skiing).
6.Getting killef by rock fall when I am.back in Canadá rock climbing or mountaineering.

And now things drop down statistically significantly:

7.Getting robbed at gun or knife point (never happened in 14 years visiting and living in Colombia)
8. Being killed or injured due to robbery or act of violence (I have only witnessed one violent incident at at close rang in 14 years visiting and living in Colombis.A sicario killing in a restautant in Pereira.. There was  little chance of getting hit by a "bala pérdida" cuz he shot the victim from 3 feet away.)
9.Getting kidnapped by guerrillas or paracos

You guys reminded me of another one .
Talking about Armeniam women

Should actually be no.7
7. Picking  up the Clap or other STDs from.your Colombiana especially if you are in a "relación de lejos"..

yer funny Quechimba. Im healthy and intend to stay that way. I am living in Armenia instead of Medellin because of the pollution difference. Its darn right nasty for your health in Medellin. Im on the paleo diet, cook my own food with olive oil or coconut oil, walk an hour a day.......so I dont leave cancer, strokes, cardiac problems much of a chance to get me. At least I pay attention.
Im with you on the dangers of getting hit by crazy drivers. I watch carefully. I make that my main priority in all of latin america....pedestrian safety......mine.
Yu should be ok back country skiing in Canada....its the snowmobile operators who are in great danger. Dont know nuthin bout rock climbing.
So far so good here in Armenia....moving to a 4 bedroom casa tomorrow (well they are more like condominiums in latin america). 162 dollars CAD a month 6 month lease. They didnt even ask for a security deposit this time. How can you beat that huh Quechimba, my fellow part crazy canuck?

Doug, are you in Armenia cuz you really like it or just cuz its dirt cheap? $162 CAD is what? About $130 U.S. ? You get a 4bdrm, ?bth in what barrio de Armenia for that paltry sum? I was in Armenia on election day a few months back and went down on the closest river goin up and out of Armenia centro and discovered that everybody else in the city was there too........Never seen so many tatooed maliantes, both male and female in my life.........I was the ONLY gringo as far as I know.....and attracted a few catcalls from some of the bad boyz.....but nothing really threatening.......but I felt the vibe......and kept my eye on my chit very closely..........I think the worse element in the city was all down on the river with me.......But when I went back into the city in the afternoon and was cruising the pedestrian street on the park.....It all seemed pretty nice......You can go from nite to day real quick in Armenia........But the unemployment level must be skyhigh.....and that would logically mean that the crime rate also is sky high.........The surrounding countryside is beautiful of course as is all of the eje cafetero......and I see budding signs of life.....but overall, the place depressed me like no other place in Colombia.......oh, except Ipiales........Now that city is really depressing........with the exception of the magnificent old church of course........But how anybody whose been anywhere could hang out in Ipiales for any length of time is beyond me.........Youd have to be on a special mission............

Hey Dumluk.....tanks for the reply

I chose to live in Armenia for several reasons. I originally chose Cucuta but cccmedia wisely steered me clear of that.

1. Armenia is central and I plan to explore Colombia over the next few years. Thats why I am in this beautiful country. Im in no rush....Im retired and out to pasture heheh. I can strike any destination easily from here.

2. Cost of living is low. Heres the website I used to help decide where I wanted to live. https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp

3. Safety......I dont want to live in the country...too obvious. I dont want to live in a big polluted city. I chose a small city because its relatively safe here in Armenia. I dont hear about to many safety problems from the locals who have lived here their whole life. CCC media concurs that this is a safer area.

4. Climate...perfection

5. Coffee......Armenia is UNESCOS World Heritage site dedicated to the coffee bean

6. No tourists....yep I like that...by default the prices arent inflated. I didnt leave Canada to live the same way as in North America. I came here to savor the flavor..... I avoid the tourist areas thank you.....and I immerse myself with the beautiful friendly locals. I have many amigos and amigas. The expats that like Poblado and the high rises...I dont get it and thats not for me. Been there done that.

7. If I didnt choose Armenia I wouldnt have met the most beautiful latina in all of Latin America. Shes my gf now and shes the one who found the 162 dollar casa for us.

8. Taking a taxis as a mode of transportation.....I sit in the front seat and put on my seat belt...... here is much cheaper than owning a car in Canada. Thats another perk in Colombia. I can go everywhere I want on 6 dollars a day return. Thats 180 Canadian dollars a month. Thats less than car payments huh?...and I dont have to pay for gas and parking and maintenance either.

9. All my utility bills are half price than In Canada.....and the food in the grocery stores too....  So for me its like Im getting a 100 percent or more raise. Its about 30 percent cheaper cost of living here than in Medellin.

So Dimluk... you said the place depressed me like no other place in Colombia. Different strokes for different folks? I enjoy the local color here. I never thought I would have it so good....not in my wildest dreams. Thank you Colombia.

P.S.
Consumer Prices in Panama City are 102.67% higher than in Armenia
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Panama City are 161.38% higher than in Armenia
Rent Prices in Panama City are 549.65% higher than in Armenia
Restaurant Prices in Panama City are 195.60% higher than in Armenia
Groceries Prices in Panama City are 122.12% higher than in Armenia
Local Purchasing Power in Panama City is 1.21% higher than in Armenia

Dear Canada Doug ...

Wow.  An apartment at a great price (which sector of Armenia?) .. the most beautiful Latina for a girlfriend .. and avoiding the compromised air of Medellín!

What a life

Thanks for the acknowledgments in your post of yours truly.  I'm glad I was able to persuade you away from Cúcuta and the wacky border scene near Venezuela.

Those of us who have lived in Armenia .. know the joys of regular walks in dynamic and yet peaceful Parque de la Vida .. the friendly people and the quality properties that line Avenida Bolívar from the medical-offices zone through the university and the big mall and the residencial sections along this route. We are well aware there are lovely sections of Armenia, Quindío, and calling it depressing is a canard. Unless you spend too much time hanging out...
            around the cat-calling, tattooed maliantes down by the river.

Anyone who says differently was probably only there briefly ..
                                       and didn't really know where to look around.

cccmedia

Haha.......that could very well be.......and Im the first to admit it.........But what I saw down at the river on election day looked like something out of a Stanley Kubrick movie.........I did say that the cruise down avendia central looked much better.....and the park, no se como se llama............But I did see a lot of sad looking forlorn people there too......Now why is that CC or maybe you havent noticed cuz youre spending too much time in plastic fantastic greed inspired casinos......? Am I misreading it or is there HUGE unemployment and poverty in Armenia......(the city of my old novia) Its quite possible that Ive completely misread the place, and yes after my brief and uninspiring trek thru Armenia central maybe I missed the little bubble of properity where the rich and the famous hang...........the cops spoke with by central park were pretty kool.....but they were from Manizales..........and they told me to be very careful around Armenia......especially that particlar sector of Armenia........But hey, you guyz have lived there....So obviously you know better.....What IS the % of unemployment in Armenia?

Ok, I just did a google search and this is what I came up with......Frankly, Armenia looks a lot safer than David which is the principle city here close to me which currently has a crime wave out of control and the police are sin verguenza pathetic.........And take note, Davids info is from 2015 and Armenias is up to date......Why does that not surprize me about Panama...?  Hey Doug ole buddy.....Can you find me a nice house with hot water and no roosters next door for $150 a month? And no doubt by now, you know the better rivers where the tatooed maliantes arent hangin out.........Im headed that way........Just stop long enuff in Medellin to pick up the novia........hahahahahahah.............

Sorry........forgot to post the link.....I drink too much:   https://www.numbeo.com/crime/compare_ci … Comparison

Unemployment in Armenia, who knows?   

Here's one thing I discovered in the Coffee Zone -- there's a running competition between cities.

Talk to someone in Pereira about which of the two largest Coffee Cities is more dangerous .. and they'll tell you Armenia.

Ask practically anyone in Armenia and they'll tell you Pereira is more dangerous.

However, there's a reason it's not a good comparison -- some neighborhoods in each city are good, some are bad.

Downtown Armenia is so hard to fathom that I always left my car parked in the underground lot at Mocawa Plaza at night .. and took taxis to El Centro .. whenever I visited the clubs.  However, it was my habit to drive my car when I went to the big, safe-and-secure Portal de Quindío shopping mall where the casino with blackjack tables was located.

cccmedia

Hey Dumluk
Once again cccmedia has got it right. Its the barrios. Some safe.....some not so safe. Here in Armenia the north pat of town is more affluent. More expensive but more affluent. Your risk there is less than centro.
I have a Colombian amigo that speaks english. I always find a local that speaks english anywhere I travel and stay for a while. My friend Julien spent 10 years in New York city before getting deported so his english is good. He was born here in Armenia and he is 40 years old. I pay him as much as I can afford and he takes care of me here. Being a native Armenian he is my safety guide. He knows what barrios to avoid. Julien was the one who found my apartment initially when I arrived here.
If somebody like you ever wants to move here Julien will help make the move a pleasant one for a few dollars a day. I have found symbiotic relationships like this in several countries I have visited.
Talking to Julien and a couple more the problem with thugs is minimal if you follow the rules. Julien walks everywhere and he says he has never had a problem. An older latina who sells food on the street late into the night ande walks home 2 miles says shes never had a problem here. My girlfriend says she was knocked off her motorcycle by two thugs and robbed once.
As for the latinas Dumluk. You know as a foreigner that the women are attracted easily. The trick is to avoid the gold digger and find the nugget. There is no shortage of opportunities in Latin America. Period. Especially if you rely on your honest, beaming personality and genuine smile.....you mostly get that twinkle in the eye smile back...and the rest is easy.
Looks like the US pulled out of the embassy in Panama....who knows with politic?
If Armenia has tweaked yer interest because of the cost of living Dumluk...c mon down and check it out. It has been a pretty easy run for me here and I love it.
Of course there will be similar locations most places you go if you do your homework, but for now I aint budging. This is just too much fun.

Hey cccmedia

Thanks for the reply. How are things going for you in Equador now? I hope everything is cool.
If you ever come this way let me know cause...no hotels needed.
Nothin better than comparing notes.
There isnt a lot of work here in Armenia. My amigo Julien tries to find work each morning but not much comes his way. Theres lots of work on the coffee fincas I guess but poor wages everywhere.
For me its easy because I dont have to work any more. But for a foreigner that has to work I dont think Armenia is the city to come to.
Short visits really dont do any location justice. The whole time since I left Canada over two years ago I always tried to stay for more than just a few days. 3 months in San Jose, 2 months in Rivas Nicaragua, 6 weeks in Cienfuegos, Cuba. Now Im settled semi permanent in Armenia I can do short 3 or 4 day hits out of town. Later for more international travel using this location for my home base. I can leave here for one or two months at a time because the rent is easy to carry.
My touring activities are different than most. When I was traveling thru Cartegena I looked at the walled city briefly...nawwwwww. I spent 2 full days in the local Colombiano mercado. I didnt see any tourists there. Not one. Gimme the local color  heheheh

CanadaDoug wrote:

Thanks for the reply. How are things going for you in Equador (sic) now? I hope everything is cool.
If you ever come this way let me know cause...no hotels needed.
Nothin better than comparing notes.

Let's keep comparing notes, Doug, but not in person in Armenia Quindío.

I grew fond of my visits there, which were typically several months at a time.  Among many acquaintances, I met two of the greatest dentists, one a root canal specialist, who did major dental work for me on separate occasions in 2016 and 2017 at their dental offices located between Mocawa Plaza and Parque de la Vida. 

Then the blackjack-playing conditions at the two casinos deteriorated badly.  One casino closed down the game completely.  And eventually, I found my current temporary location in Peru, where the conditions at one casino near the ocean couldn't be much better. 

I still own a condo apartment In Ecuador -- was there recently for a month through July 27th -- but with Ecuador lacking both blackjack and the consistently tasty food of my current city, Ecuador is not exactly pulling me back.  That could change once they start changing the Ecuadorian gambling laws next March. 

Although Colombia is in ferment, I expect to visit Bogotá for the first time .. following stays in Lima and Quito .. in January 2019.

cccmedia in Miraflores District, Lima, Peru

CanadaDoug wrote:

I left Canada over two years ago....
My touring activities are different than most. When I was traveling thru Cartegena I looked at the walled city briefly.... I spent 2 full days in the local Colombiano mercado. I didnt see any tourists there. Not one.

Yes, Doug, Expat tourists are few and far between outside of Medellín and a few spots in the capital.  Cartagena gets North American tourists, but they typically don't stay for long.

I recently spent eight months in Ipiales, Nariño -- a border city near Tulcán, Ecuador -- and in that whole time I met exactly one guy identfiable as a tourist.  He was a Canadian who frequented the blackjack tables .. and was planning to leave Colombia shortly after I did (June 2018).

The heat could be part of the reason that Cartagena sees only brief visits most of the time from foreigners.  There may be more Colombia-native tourists in town that you suspected -- just harder to spot the Colombians who are on vacation.

If Colombia ever got its act together and put the FARC/ELN/paramilitaries/violence issues behind it -- and I'm not predicting it ever will -- its location, beauty, and wealth of picture-book experiences could attract North Americans like Ecuador used to. 

Colombia's location alone -- so close to North America -- would be a magnet for those looking for suitable weather, a warm reception and friendly vaqueritas.

Meanwhile, the Coffee Zone is a great choice for you.  Just don't travel to cities outside the zone at night.

cccmedia in Lima

CC, how could you make such an erroneous statement? Id like to know the last time you were in Cartagena?  Cartagena has more tourists than ANYWHERE in Colombia and that should be clear as rocky mountain spring water to anybody who has BEEN there.........That is just absurd.....Medellin in only STARTING to experience the tourist boom.......relatively recently anyway........When it all started to turn around in Colombia under Uribe, it happened first in Cartagena......Im just glad I got there before the rest of the world did........Bueno, bonito y barato...........Bogota is not exactly a major tourist destination....Its more of a convenient stopover for travelers or a destination for business travelers......And a few backpackers in the Candelaria old district of Bogota..........I think the last line of your comment is good advice however.........some folks just cant handle the heat...........

Quite right, Dumluk, I should have mentioned Cartagena
                                                        as a tourist magnet.

Invoking my superpowers, I've amended paragraph-one of my earlier post,
adding Cartagena to a list of places where Expats/tourists are seen. 

I have left alone the part in a latter paragraph where I had said that
        the heat of Cartegena likely shortens tourist visits. 
                Apparently, you agreed with that part.

Thanks for paying attention.

cccmedia