Retiring to Colombia.

Dear NJ,

This is not a good era for Expats to relocate to rural areas of Colombia.  Too lawless, especially in covid times where extralegal punishments are reported to be carried out against suspected spreaders.

So look for a soft landing to where enough folks live, not isolated on a targetable finca.

The more Spanish you know, the better you will fit in as a member of the community.  That means safety.  In the places you are considering there are few English-speakers, so it will be up to you to learn the language as best you can. 

Personally, I would choose the Coffee Zone over the Cali area for milder weather and access to a visitor-friendly city such as Armenia with its good malls and decent healthcare services.  But then I don't have a wife who is from Cali.

cccmedia

With your wife being from Cali, have you considered a bit cooler areas close by, like Dapa, and around Kilometro 18?  Maybe even someplace like La Cumbre, or just a bit further, to Pavas, which is very nice?

And maybe even somewhere around the Lago Calima - Darién area, a lot cooler up higher and still not too far from Cali.

Thanks for your reply my friend, I have to tell you we had brought a finca in Circasia a few years ago and its only around 17 minutes from the Federation the Coffee & between 20 to 25 minutes from Armenia. You may laugh but at the time we brought the finca I was working in the states and couldn't be there in person so I was relying on my other half and her uncle not to mention many videos and pictures to form my opinion and we ended up buying the property. I'm trying to get an expats personal opinion on this area because we may look at things just a little bit  differently then someone who may have grown up in the general area. I've heard good things from the locals and a friend that lives in Armenia that  Circasia Quindio is very safe not to mention what you had said the temps are very nice, but on the other hand I have my friend that grew up in barranquilla tells me I have to have a gun . So I guess in the end where ever you are living if someone wants to cause problems for you they will one way or another. In any event we're going to have to make a decision soon, one way or the other I'm going to have a lot of work to do in the near future.

I agree with not settling in Cali unless you like the heat. I've been in Cali for too long myself and plan on a northward move when I return from the U.S. Even being from Texas myself I find the Cali heat oppressive for some reason.

I am a Canadian expat living over 2 years now in Armenia (1/2 hour bus ride from Circasia). I find it delightful here in just about every way I can think of. 
As a matter of fact I can't think of one negative. If you decide to settle in this area (the best choice of Colombia) keep in contact because I have a lot of the specific details covered and you only have to ask.
Here is a link to a website where you can compare costs of living, pollution, crime rates of cities around the world..like Armenia.  https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp
This is the information I used to settle in Armenia.

P.S. Part of my networking is 2 American expats that have been living here each over 10 years.
P.P.S. My large Colombian family are all from Cali originally. They warn me it is very dangerous there compared to the Armenia coffee zone area.

Another great post cccmedia. I agree about settling in Armenia rather than on a finca on the outskirts. 100%. There are lots of barrios on the cities edges bordering bamboo groves and greenery. That's where I have settled in...away from busy roads and butt up to the greenery. 15 minute bus ride to centro and shopping. Birds singing, armadillos and capybaras like it right here too.
It's a better idea to blend in with lots of people as part of a community rather that being a noticable temptation source of money in an isolated area.
The barrio I am in isn't guarded but the people here keep a safety watch collectively. No probs like robberies and break ins in for over 2 years now.
Or in the North lots of gated high rise apartments if you prefer that type of lifestyle.

You wrote: "Thanks for your reply my friend, I have to tell you we had brought a finca in Circasia a few years ago and its only around 17 minutes from the Federation the Coffee & between 20 to 25 minutes from Armenia. You may laugh but at the time we brought the finca I was working in the states and couldn't be there in person so I was relying on my other half and her uncle not to mention many videos and pictures to form my opinion and we ended up buying the property. I'm trying to get an expats personal opinion on this area because we may look at things just a little bit  differently then someone who may have grown up in the general area. I've heard good things from the locals and a friend that lives in Armenia that  Circasia Quindio is very safe not to mention what you had said the temps are very nice, but on the other hand I have my friend that grew up in barranquilla tells me I have to have a gun . So I guess in the end where ever you are living if someone wants to cause problems for you they will one way or another. In any event we're going to have to make a decision soon, one way or the other I'm going to have a lot of work to do in the near future."

If I understand correctly you own the property you described in or near Circasia? I know the area somewhat well. Here is my assessment. You could live there just fine if you are the sort of person who would be comfortable living outside of a city. It is a rural area. And if you got to know your neighbors -- and you certainly would be in a good position to do so if your wife in Colombian -- you would likely find it safe and livable. But a great deal hinges on where exactly the finca is located. There are many quite beautuful areas all throughout el Quindio.

Social problems -- crime -- are more often than not associated with cities. There are many rural areas in el Quindio that would be free of crime simply because the people living there are honest. Having a Colombian wife who can function as intermediary would be very very helpful.

As others have said here, another option is to live within Armenia itself. You can find places -- as Canada Doug said -- that are close to nature. There are many different developments in Armenia. Some of them are in quite lovely areas. You would be separated to a degree from the main area of the city -- most people rely on a car in any case -- and you would have to decide if that is what you want. You could find very comfortable, very quiet areas where there are newer developments that you would find completely safe. But, these are gated communities and would have HOAs that reflect that added service.

But I am not sure if you are intending to live on your finca or if you are considering other options. Myself I live in a gated community. We pay about $135.00 or so for HOA's (485,000 pesos). Still quite cheap by any standard.

Also 'finca' is really an open term, I am not sure what you have. It could mean many things. A simple piece of land 100 meters by 100 meters; or a piece of land with a house either quite simple or more developed. It could mean a parcel that is close to others or separated from others. It could only mean a slightly rural home. And it could also mean a property of some size.

https://terryandresen.blogspot.com/search?q=finca

fSunday, June 5th, 2016


At 9am someone stopped by for the quart of paint and I also gave them 23,000 pesos.  We left the finca at 10am and first we stopped at a nearby little store (tienda) for something for lunch later but it was closed.  We took a metro bus for the first time.  I actually got a little lost (turned around) as it approached the metro area.  Teresa stopped at a stand and for 500 pesos bought a cup of fruit.  A large dog came by with no apparent owner.  I forget what you call the type – you know – the ones that traditionally carry a keg under their neck in the Alps.  It was huge.

After a 5 minute wait for a bus we got into a private car (con effectivo).  Traffic was heavy as they had the express lanes closed for Sunday exercisers.  The driver took us through the back streets of Itagui and we ended up getting ahead of the logjam.

Between the Caldas turnoff and the sideroad to the finca there have always been 3 restaurants.  The 2nd one closed because the highway will soon run right through its front parking lot.  I saw they have a sign up on top of the hill – Parilla – so maybe they've opened a location up there.

Teresa announced that the driver and his wife are her friends and they exchanged phone numbers.  I got a little nervous when we passed the sideroad and more nervous when we passed the spot where we would cross over to the other side of the highway.  They ended up taking us to the El Rancherito just south of the sideroad.  Teresa went inside and bought some food then they drove us all the way to the top of the hill.  They left their car there and walked down the hill with us.  I gave the black dog 6 small dog biscuits – he's getting better at catching them.

At the finca, the renters have moved a lot of the plants from their crowded place in front to inside and around the outside of the finca.  They've moved some of their own furniture inside.

They moved the Direct TV satellite dish from the side of the finca to the roof and in its place put up one of those tents and has 2 motorcycles under it.  (The book I'm currently reading referred to them as open-sided tents.)  They have a small dog that after a little early aggressiveness got to like me after giving him several of the small dog biscuits.  They also have a kitten that can't be more than a few weeks old.  Miguel, whose name I thought was Andres, was painting more of the outside of the finca.

In the chicken coop out back I saw Luna, Tony and Peluche.

I ate some frijoles that Teresa brought from the restaurant with a small bottle of Coke.  At 2pm it started raining and the woman ran in back and brought in the laundry but it stopped 2 minutes later.  I took a nap from about 2:30 to 3:30 in a nice Lay-Z-Boy (sp?) chair the man had.

At 4pm the man hooked up an old TV in the living room and just then they started showing another America Cup match – this time between Jamaica and Venezuela that was held in Soldier Field in Chicago.  It looked like they had beautiful weather today.

I gave Miguel 200,000 pesos for work he's done thus far – painting and finishing the sideroad down to the finca.

We left the finca just before dark, Miguel carrying a box of something with Luna tied to a rope, and it was dark by the time we got down to the highway.  I don't know how Teresa could tell the difference between car lights and bus lights but after 5 minutes she flagged one down.  We said goodbye to Miguel.

The bus was basically full so Teresa sat on the transmission and I sat on the stairs until some people finally got off at the La Estrella station and we got seats.

At the apartment Teresa had some sausage and arepas she brought from the finca and I headed to Carbón de Leña.  I noticed the side street leading to the park was barricaded closed and I thought there might be some doings going on at the park.  On the street was a huge crane and what looked like a couple lampposts lying in the street.  At Carbón de Leña I had a hamburger and strawberry juice with milk which was kind of like a milkshake.  Back at the side street I observed the crane lifting the 2nd object all the way onto the top of a building and I thought I heard a woman say “antenna”.

T-shirt of the day: If you have something to say, raise your hand, and put it over your mouth.

Go to Terry's entry for June 5th, 2016 for an account of what can happen. I believe that a few years later he discovered that a neighbor blabbed and resulted in their armed robbery/kidnapping.

Hello to Ya'll,

I'm planning on making the move to Colombia in the very near future. My Colombian fiancee' is currently living in Cali and we are considering retiring in Manizales or Pereira. I've traveled to Cali twice and visited Salento. Beautiful country. Can I get someone's opinion on these cities? I'm a citizen of the US, residing in Texas and a Spanish speaking Hispanic. Big plus for me, speaking the language. Greatly appreciate your opinions and experiences in this area of the country.

J L Barrera10 wrote:

My Colombian fiancee' is currently living in Cali and we are considering retiring in Manizales or Pereira.

Dear J.L.,

Welcome to the Colombia forums of Expat.com ...

I have made various trips to the Coffee Zone, including some of one month or more.

Some facts, observations and guidance...

1.  Consider Armenia, Quindío, as well.  It's smaller than Pereira, though close enough if you wish to visit the bigger city.  Armenia has several outstanding malls, the unique Parque de la Vida, a medical/university sector and practically anything an Expat consumer could desire along a ten-block stretch of Avenida Bolívar.

2.  Manizales is at higher elevation than Pereira by a couple thousand feet.  This makes the weather cooler, which you may or may not like.

3.  Manizales is infamously hilly, although level or more level along the main drag.

4.  Some Expats are just crazy about how great is Manizales.

5.  Loren Lowe (rhymes with cow), a USA Expat who has lived in both Manizales and Armenia in recent years, has a YouTube channel you may find of interest -- titled Gran Colombia.  He hosts a live show that includes a Q-and-A session on Sundays at 11 a.m. local time from his apartment in Armenia .. and has posted many videos and podcasts about topics relevant to your move.

cccmedia

Many thanks, CCCMEDIA! I'll definitely look into the other communities that you mentioned in your reply. Being born and raised in South Texas and living most of my adult life in Houston Texas, i can honestly say that I've had enough of the warm temperatures, humidity and the congested freeways. I like the idea of living in a community where i do not need air conditioning or heat in a home or apartment. Thanks again for your recommendations!

J L Barrera10 wrote:

Many thanks... Houston Texas, I can honestly say that I've had enough of the warm temperatures, humidity and the congested freeways. I like the idea of living in a community where i do not need air conditioning or heat in a home or apartment.

Armenia, which has the mildest weather of the three main cities, would be an excellent choice for someone who wants a no-AC, non-heated home.

Pereira is the warmest of three .. and I wouldn't want to live there all the time without an air conditioner.

Salento is charming and you might like the weather.  The drawbacks for Expats there are:  no shopping malls .. and it's a 15-minute drive off the intercity highway.

cccmedia