This shit happens too damn much. It's not only the fact they ask you, but they keep asking you until your annoyed. If you give in, they will rip you off. I will never go back to Cartagena in this lifetime after my first experience.
Been so long since I've seen medellin. My little sister loves her new iPad Pro and my cousin loves his new PS5. I can't upload the video but she broke down crying.
aye so I'm going to Colombia at the end of the year, mostly Cali then to Barranquilla, cuz my friends family stay in both. Como ta la vaina alla? I keep seeing nothing but warnings about the escalation of crime due to drugs and organized crime. Is it REALLY that bad? or is it kinda overblown?
Most places should be safe and far from gang/drug violence. You should be more concerned with pickpockets, robbery and some scammers.
My experience in Cali feels alot different than other cities, I do think the crime in Cali is alot more frequent than any other place I've been too. Bogota for the most part feels pretty modern (maybe petty crime here and there) Baranquilla, has it's parts too, but I do honestly think the Valle (Cali) might be the most insecure. It's also not a total warzone or anarchy and the media does hype up the scare. However, as long as your not flashing things around and giving the public attention about how you have money. You should be fine. Again though, you shouldn't run into organized crime unless you directly go looking for it. But I doubt they'll give a damn while you eat an arepa or some Cholao. I guess be aware but don't be afraid either. Have fun and if you already experienced poverty in Honduras, it'll be somewhat the same if you go to a poverish area.
Hi all, currently planning a trip to Medellin. I've never been. Only know bogota. What are good safe neighborhoods to stay in and what touristy things should I for sure visit?
Poblado for sure to stay. pueblito paisa, comuna 13 graffitis, the botero sculptures and a lot of day trips, like guatape, jerico, rionegro, etc.
planning a trip to Colombia too I want to just stay in Cartagena in a nice hotel but the wife wants to explore going Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta. Maybe Medellin. Also never been did not like bogota or the weather at all. Place was rainy freezing and only place I have ever gotten sun burned in
How do you get sun burnt in a city with no sun I lived there in about 2013 or so. It was cold rainy, dark and foggy like every freaking day nonstop.
I didn't enjoy Poblado, mostly because I don't particularly enjoy the loud music at night, and you can hear it very evidently if you stay close to the main area. Guatape is amazing though, and I recommended getting to know it. It's a relatively cheap bus ride from the bus terminal, I think like 7$ per person if I remember correctly.
Altitude. I also got a cold that day because it was raining fking freezing rain. We went to some Salt Mine church or something was like 15 years ago for a family trip
Bogota can have 4 or 5 iterations of weather in a single day: Freezing cold in the morning, even foggy. If there are no clouds, temperature can rise to 85 degrees at 1 pm (no clouds and the tropics mean a chance to get sunburn). Then yo can have a storm in the afternoon and possibly hail and close the day with a sharp drop in temperature.
yup got a cold from the rain and then sun burn from the altitude…. if I had a nuke I would have nuked bogota that day it was during a Colombian final think it was Nacional vs Equidad. Stalin Motta was at equidad so probably forever ago
I had no clue you could get sun burnt from altitude. I lose my breath usually for the first week or so, playing soccer is also a no go because I'm out of breath in an instant Also, side note but has anyone visited Jorge Rausch's restaurant in Chapinero. My grandma's bakery is real close and I had no idea
I just checked and the official record is nearby 30 celsius (86 F), but it is not unusual to reach 26 which is about 80 F. Yeah, Zipaquira, one hour north of town. We're going there in two weeks. Like 10 years ago, I got a terrible case of soroche (altitude sickness) on New Year's eve. Born and raised in Bogota but almost 25 years in Miami took out my altitude lungs. No sports for me, specially now that I'm an old guy. No, but I grew up near there (Calle 69 and Av Caracas, roughly 10 blocks), so maybe I know your granny's bakery. However the restaurant area where it is located developed after I had moved out. We're going there for Semana Santa, and we're visiting a lot of museums and historical things that my kids don't know. There's a lot of good videos about what to do in and around town in Youtube, and I saw a few about Medellin and its surroundings too, so maybe you can check them.
you're visiting his restaurant? I think I saw a review which said Rausch was there himself which is cool. Yeah I just double checked and the bakery is on 65 and Criterion is on 69. Literally a 2 min drive. Probably within walking distance though. I only discovered Rausch recently when I saw Masterchef Colombia which I thought was really cool because I only knew the original version with Gordon. idk what to make of Chapinero, I remember it being quite hectic at times and seeing some shady characters rather frequently despite the area itself being somewhat nice. I guess something comparable would be like the downtown area of Miami here here in Miami, we have a hell's kitchen now on Biscayne close to bayside but I highly doubt anyone will see Ramsay there any time soon.
I don't think we'll go in this trip, since it is only 8 days there and seems like our agenda is going to be packed and at different areas (centro and Usaquen/Cedritos/Cajica). I'm still wondering about the bakery, since I would go to the Club del Comercio (calle 63) very often (my friend's dad was a member) and we'd probably eat something afterwards in the nearby area. A lot of Bogota is like that, and it is a very diverse district. If you are in the cerros it's kind of exclusive (on one side, because the other started like a shanty town), then between Carrera 7ma and 13 is mixed but very commercial, and then if you go around Av. Caracas, it could get shady, specially after they made it into the Busway and Transmilenio. And parque de Lourdes is a zoo. LOL, hard to see a real celebrity chef, unless you are a celebrity too. Related, for my wife's birthday we went to La Mar in Brickell Key; awesome food, but damn expensive. I'm not going to say it was overrated, but I can't help to feel that you can get similar quality food for 1/5th of the price.
my father lived in Cedritos and I did too for the year I was there. Close to the Santa Fe shopping center. That part of the city is real different from chapinero. Nice and calm in comparison although I still saw the occasional odd activity here and there other family members lived in villa del prado and nearby areas grandmother on my fathers side lived near el campin somewhere
If you go north of Calle 100 most of it is relatively new and less dense, probably better planned, but you still have a lot of mixed use and the ocassional dark corner. But if you go south towards the centro, there are a lot of areas like Chapinero, like Santa Fe or Restrepo. What I saw in the YouTube videos is that a lot of downtown had become really tourist friendly with a lot of pedestrian streets and the attractions properly managed. It must have been ages since the last time I went to that area.
Is there an issue if you go to Colombia and are a US citizen but were born there? My friend said he had an issue leaving Colombia even tho he came in with a US passport. Is it some type of bribe they are looking for. Going to take the kids and don't want to have to deal with any last minute drama on the way home