Any Tips for a Colombia Trip?

[zacb]

Hey, I am thinking of making the trip to Colombia. Spirit has a special deal where they are giving away 15,000 bonus mile, so I figured with that my girl and I could take a trip down there and have a good time. This would be more to hang and not so much of business like Panama. I am thinking of going from Detroit to Ft. Lauderdale, stay there a day, go to Cartagena stay 2 days, ditto for Medellin, and Bogota. I may consider moving there in the future, and thus why I want to bring my gf to see if she likes it (I think she would like a change from the cold Michigan weather). Are there any places I MUST visit while I am there? Any tips or hints? Thanks!

[xiongmao]

Never been there, but please come back here and brain dump all your findings. After I do my CELTA South America is somewhere I should check out at some stage, especially with my new found terrible Spanish.

All I know of Colombia is that the ladies are very hot (from what I've seen of the ones that are here in Spain).

[chibolo]

Never been there, but please come back here and brain dump all your findings. After I do my CELTA South America is somewhere I should check out at some stage, especially with my new found terrible Spanish.

All I know of Colombia is that the ladies are very hot (from what I've seen of the ones that are here in Spain).

I have never been to Colombia either (only Peru and Ecuador), but I have read a lot about it online and I would like to check it out too and see how it compares to the other countries in SA that I have visited.

If you learned Spanish in Spain you will probably find Colombian Spanish challenging though. After I learned Spanish in Peru I watched some Colombian tv shows (telenovelas) and their accent and slang is really different from what I am used to.

[droid]

zacb , I've been here for six months already and currently two months in Manizales.
You don't describe exactly your plans but I understand you have a lady and not looking for women.

I would suggest spending at least three or four days on each place to really soak it in, without a rush.
My second suggestion is to rent an inconspicuous car to be able to enjoy the landscapes and the new improved highways, and have some more freedom.
Only thing is the all the tolls (about $3) do take a "toll" on your budget, as you can find three or four of them between cities. But if you weight it down compared to the plane tickets or bus rides, it think it's still worth it. Again, enjoying the landscapes and looking at the HUGE mountains is very rewarding.

As far as safety goes I haven't had any problems, in spite of even locals warning you about certain cities or neighborhoods lol. I'm always low key and polite/respectful. Sticking to main avenues during the night is also a good idea.

If you decide to check out or make a stop in Manizales, i'd be more than happy to show you around. Ah, but you have to buy some kind of neck brace, you've been warned. But I don't know if your lady will let you stay here more than 24 hours anyways.

[Jester]

As far as safety goes I haven't had any problems, in spite of even locals warning you about certain cities or neighborhoods lol. I'm always low key and polite/respectful. Sticking to main avenues during the night is also a good idea.

Latins, in the US, Mexico, and Colombia, seem to be far more cautious and safety-conscious than Americans.

Partly that's because, yes, we're stupid.

But partly it's because we just aren't as careful, and are more comfortable taking risks.

What an upperclass Latin tells you is dangerous is just normal in Los Angeles California for example.

[Jester]

Hey, I am thinking of making the trip to Colombia. Spirit has a special deal where they are giving away 15,000 bonus mile, so I figured with that my girl and I could take a trip down there and have a good time. This would be more to hang and not so much of business like Panama. I am thinking of going from Detroit to Ft. Lauderdale, stay there a day, go to Cartagena stay 2 days, ditto for Medellin, and Bogota. I may consider moving there in the future, and thus why I want to bring my gf to see if she likes it (I think she would like a change from the cold Michigan weather). Are there any places I MUST visit while I am there? Any tips or hints? Thanks!

I sugest a bus trip down the Coffee Country. Droid's Manizales is along the way, a must-see, a nice college town but in the mountains.
Another must-see is the town of Armenia, really the center of the Coffee Country. There is actually a Juan Valdez museum or something like that. More importantly there is a world-famous nature sanctuary, like a giant open-air zoo.

+10 to you for being a real traveler.

[Jester]

If you decide to check out or make a stop in Manizales, i'd be more than happy to show you around. Ah, but you have to buy some kind of neck brace, you've been warned. But I don't know if your lady will let you stay here more than 24 hours anyways.

That's OK, no need to cause strife, if you meet hot chicas, just get their FB, tell them it's for your friend who's single (ME).

[zacb]

zacb , I've been here for six months already and currently two months in Manizales.
You don't describe exactly your plans but I understand you have a lady and not looking for women.

I would suggest spending at least three or four days on each place to really soak it in, without a rush.
My second suggestion is to rent an inconspicuous car to be able to enjoy the landscapes and the new improved highways, and have some more freedom.
Only thing is the all the tolls (about $3) do take a "toll" on your budget, as you can find three or four of them between cities. But if you weight it down compared to the plane tickets or bus rides, it think it's still worth it. Again, enjoying the landscapes and looking at the HUGE mountains is very rewarding.

As far as safety goes I haven't had any problems, in spite of even locals warning you about certain cities or neighborhoods lol. I'm always low key and polite/respectful. Sticking to main avenues during the night is also a good idea.

If you decide to check out or make a stop in Manizales, i'd be more than happy to show you around. Ah, but you have to buy some kind of neck brace, you've been warned. But I don't know if your lady will let you stay here more than 24 hours anyways.

Lol . Nice one. I have around 9 days off for work, and so I want a "sampler" if you will of Colombia, and if I like what I see, I can dig further in. My GF likes the mild weather and the cheapness, while I like the freedom, weather and cheapness. I am thinking mostly between Chile and Colombia, but still have not decided. I want to visit both, but Chile is out of my price range ATM.

[Jester]

Fly into Medellin, rent, drive through Armenia and Pereira to Manizales.

"El Cafe Pays"

[WorldTraveler]

zacb, I'm sure you'll have fun with your GF, but I think you can't experience it the same way with her there. How can you tell if the girls are friendly?

Droid, how long you been living in Columbia? You speak Spanish? I'm thining about taking advantage of the cheap Spirit flights too.

[zacb]

I may have to postpone the trip a bit because of cost. (The bonus miles would not cover the ticket price). If it was not for an extra person I could probably go, but as it is some place I would actually consider moving to with my gf and it is a climate would like, I would like her to come with. On a positive note I will go back to Fort Lauderdale with my boo in December (one of the more nicer areas in the US in my opinion). For 200 bucks, you can fly 2 people round trip from Detroit to Ft. Lauderdale. In addition, I will be able to get my own place here pretty soon, I just need to drill down some details. This will provide me with an asset base that I can then use to travel and invest after a year of living in. The area I am in is starting to grow, but is starting to attract less desirable people from downstate, and it was boring to begin with, and only had the advantages of being a small town. Now it has neither the advantages of a small town or large city, thus I think it will be time to bounce soon. My goal is to get 3k of rental income within the next few years, which in most cases would be 2X margin of safety. This would get me close to 1k. Overall I am happy with my life moving forward, but the Colombia trip is a bit of a set back. My next trip will be to Colombia, but it will probably have to be later next year due to time off from work and savings. Regardless, I am still excited about Ft. Lauderdale and the house. I would like to thank silver surfer for the ideas and the encouragement to get into real estate.

[zacb]

zacb, I'm sure you'll have fun with your GF, but I think you can't experience it the same way with her there. How can you tell if the girls are friendly?

Droid, how long you been living in Columbia? You speak Spanish? I'm thining about taking advantage of the cheap Spirit flights too.

If you don't mind some setbacks, Spirit is chill. But if you are flying out of Detroit, note it normally gets dropped on the way back. As for Colombia, I get that I will not understand the dating scene, but Colombia is good for more than just that. The temperature alone puts it ahead of other spots like Florida. It is also good for business, and is family friendly, which is really important. They also allow home education, which is under siege in the US. In all honesty my GF could probably pass as someone from there ( she is tall and African American, very slim , could probably pass as Cartagenian). So I am already ahead in terms of looks.