A cooler, less expensive place to live?

Armenia rocks. The only downside I have found so far is it is an earthquake zone... so far felt a 7 and a coupla 6's in 2 years.
No tourists so cost of living is really low.

Thank you for the tip. I'll try to get there in a couple of weeks or so to see the area.

Regards,
Raymond a.k.a. caliray

CaliRay wrote:

I'm looking for recommendations for a relatively small town to relocate to in an area within a not too long bus trip to Medillen.

Armenia is about a five-hour bus trip from Medellín.  Possibly longer if there is traffic or construction.

I've done that bus trip, which had one (food) stop along the way and a loud full-length movie in Spanish.

When I traveled between the two cities after that, I went by plane, which was a more comfortable experience.

If Raymond posts again, he might indicate what "a not too long bus trip" to Medellín means to him.  One hour?  Two hours?  Four hours?

cccmedia

The trip length depends on how interesting the experience is. I've waited in airports longer than 5 hours for connecting flights. Even that can be interesting. Air service sounds better. I didn't know that was an option for Armenia.

Nice to see you are still around CCCmedia. Done the trip to Medellin many times. 5 hours on a good day.

CanadaDoug,

It is nice to hear your enthusiasm for Armenia as we (my wife and I) are headed there soon to check it out. Would you be able to tell me if there are any places that you know of that sell fresh vegetables/fruits/meats from that region? Organic are the best for us, but even non-sprayed veggies, etc. My wife has a number of food allergies and that is why we are looking. And it seems not to be easy to find such products (so far on our trip) in Colombia. Many thanks for any help or leads you can give us with this.

I at one time considered living in Armenia. I though that it was too small for me. They do have a really good farmers mkt just outside of town. I thought that it was better than Manizales or Pereira mkt. What's nice about Armenia is that you are close to Pereira and Manizales which are much larger cities. It's a nice area in the cafetera zona. I did live in manizales for a year. It's a really beautiful city but the weather is too cool for me and rainy. Pereira has a Pricesmart.
Buena suerte

Thanks for the comments. Cooler and rainy suits me. What I'm really looking for is advice for how to locate a place to rent. A small apartment or even house would be perfect if it has a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen and reliable services including internet.

Regards,
Raymond a.k.a. CaliRay

Santa Rosa de Cabal fits. I'm about 10 minutes north of Pereira, by car. I take the bus to Medellin once a month for medical appointments. It's been as fast as three hours and as long as 7. Depends upon the traffic.  I'm a PTSD vet. I originally lived in Chinchina, which is significantly smaller than Santa Rosa. But there is no doubt in my mind that had I known about this place first, it would have been my initial destination. I always have my windows open. I have had occasion to pull out a blanket at night. I live in an Estratos 5 gated neighborhood on the edge of town, about a mile from the city center.

As for help locating a place, I'd have to put you in contact with my housekeeper. She found several places for me to look at . There are even several places available within this particular community, Urbanizacion Monserrate.

Ironic, I was the first Peace Corps volunteer sent to Santa Rosa de Cabal in 1963, fifty seven years ago.  It is quite a different place now as compared to then.  I married a Santa Rosana and we are still together, 55 years.  I am currently under quarantine in Pereira but I always loved the climate in Santa Rosa, Kennedy sent me to the perfect place.

Like you edkimble, even after 11+ years here my Spanish is terrible. My hearing is really bad to the point that some letters sound the same when I can hear them at all.

Where ever I end up I must have good internet. My work on websites depends on it. Of course that's also my main method of talking with my family and friends too. Just about everything else is negotiable.

Love the sausages and hot springs in Santa Rosa. Just awesome 

There`s a town near Medellìn called La Ceja. It`s a great place to live, cooler than Medellin, a bit rainy but with cleaner air and beautiful landscapes. This town is located about 40 minutes from the international Airport.  You have all the services, supermarkets, food stores, hospital, even a Mall. The town is located on a valley and has many possible locations to live.
I don`t recommend Rionegro (very close to the aiport) because it has become a small city, with all the problems associated with that.