Any one been to Colombia ?

Mad Lab · Jun 12, 2015

Red Rider,

Thanks for you input on the subject, seems to be the only real input here besides observations.

One question, my wife and i argue about when we speak of moving to Colombia, Its not the narcos I worry about. I believe that if you stay out of their culture(narco) your probably gonna be fine unless really unlucky or wrong place, wrong time.

My argument to her, and you may help me rethink my opinion, is that human trafficking is a major problem these days. Statistics that were released (who knows how creditable) said the colombian cartels made 40% of their income last year on human trafficking. 50% drugs. 10% other actives.

So if you have a pretty wife, are the odds significantly higher she will be kidenapped than safe areas in the states?

This is my only quarrel, although not a quarrel, just perhaps a fact that increases an area of worry I'm not comfortable with.

So based on your experience, am i misinformed?

Also, they say 80% of human traffic abductions are not reported through media for the fear of tourism being affected. Unfortunate result of countries with sever corruption policies.

LEF · Jun 13, 2015

red rider said:
Not true, I live here, work here everyday.

red rider

sure man

that's your experience, and I appreciate that you share it with us

but to say what I said wasn't true, I guess that's just like your opinion man

I am telling you that it is (dangerous)

if you want your word to have value in counter-argument and validity, then you can always attempt to prove what your saying

but what I said, can be validated by multiple sources, just gotta search

columbia, killings, extortions, druggings/robbings, kidnappings, corruption

if your white, then there are places you really shouldn't be going over there, and people will tell you

yes it's true there are kind people, and some will let you know, that some places are off limits for you

it's a dangerous place, that's it that's all

I am sure that there are nice places/nice things about columbia

you can always try to promote it but, anyone with half a brain knows that colombia is coco-columbia

I am just warning about danger and expressing my perception and knowledge on columbia

your people are coming to my country because it's shit and violence in your homeland, that's how good it is over there.

shithawk420 · Jun 14, 2015

I know I would be pretty damn cautious in Columbia.no fucking way would I be looking for drugs of any kind.

LEF · Jun 15, 2015

My post, reread now seemed a bit hostile, sorry if I may have come across that way.

All these talk about civil wars and what not, seems to be just excuses for the criminal element very present in your country.

Just own up to it man, I don't judge you for the way things run in your country but it is a place of extortions, killings, kidnappings, druggings, violence. It's a hell-hole for tourists. Police is corrupt, they might plant drugs on you.

"My people will not stand anymore for this crap"' yeah right, the past is the best indicator for the future. If you stood for that shit in the past, you will stand again or at least that's what ill think.

No offense/One love but columbia has problems.
Your people accept that the US spray toxic materials on coca plants. Even if international treaties oppose these kind of practices.

In field where often poor families (including single mothers) try to gather just enough to survive and that stuff might even cause environmental damage as well as damage to the people there.

Red rider, I think that with the way your post was arranged, you could become a good travel agent.

Like I said, I think the place looks nice and probably has a lot of nice things about it. Oh and there are a lot of sexy women there but trust that they also know how to play a gringo very well

, good luck to all those who would dare to visit.

The dangers in Colombia are very serious especially if you choose to ignore them.

There is a specific bus company in Colombia that everyone prefers to use since they have cameras recording everyone that gets on and off the bus. They also have an additional GPS tracking feature so in the rare event that a bus is hijacked or robbed they are able to see where it is going. What does that tell you about the security in the country?

**Warning**: Do Not Travel near or around the coastal region of Turbo as that’s where you will find the paramilitaries and very dangerous people you don’t want to mess with.

Colombia is the fifth most dangerous country in the world, according to a report released by the Geneva Declaration. The report, which analyzes the effects of armed violence on development, revealed that the rate of violent deaths per capita in Colombia is the fifth highest in the world.

Colombia is safe, but not United States Safe. As recently as a month ago a friend was robbed in a taxi and roughly 3 months ago another friend was drugged and taken “for a ride”.
It’s not that these kinds of things happen every day but if you take the proper precautions then they are less likely to happen. Colombia is becoming safer and safer by the day but there are always flare ups that will remind you that it isn’t as safe as you think.

Donn · Jun 15, 2015

Where are you, LEF? In the US? Do you know that our Russian contemporaries grew up listening to stories like this, about the US? They're true stories, no need to make anything up, horrible stuff happens in the US. (And in Russia too, I'd bet.) We'd say "but I've lived here all my life, and I've never had a thing to worry about (or not much, anway.)" Just like red_rider.

I'm not saying Colombia is the same as the US - nor is red_rider - but the thing is, you get all the disasters, all the horror stories, but you don't get any sense of how that relates to the big picture, and a country like Colombia is a very big picture. Someone who lives there does get that, at least within the limits of where he lives and circulates.

shithawk420 · Jun 15, 2015

Donn,of course it happens.but America is a melting pot.the average America doesn't target people based on race.a white person in Columbia is gonna be looked at.I'm not rascist but its common sense.uh what I mean is theres a good chance if your white in Columbia your probably a tourist.sorry but I don't really know how else to put it.no offense to anybody

Donn · Jun 15, 2015

Yes, people sure could guess you're a tourist. This isn't a very recent number, but 2006 there were 1.9 million tourist visits, about a quarter of them from the US, so they've seen tourists before. How many of those 500,000 Americans got back safe and sound, do you think? Maybe roughly 100%? I visited New Orleans last spring. I bet the statistics on travel to Colombia are competitive with New Orleans.

By the way, going back to post #16 - any coffee growing country has some good and some bad. My current coffee stash includes a little Colombian, and I'm sorry to say it's almost gone, because it's very good. (I get coffee green and roast it myself.) There have been some changes in the coffee scene since the old days, thanks to coffee rust. Colombia was hit hard with rust, but recovered thanks to extensive replanting. They're using varieties developed in Colombia, several different related varieties called "Castillo", and I don't think anyone would argue that these are superior in flavor to old varieties like Borbon. But Peru will have to do the same thing, or give up - right now their rust problems are very severe. I've tried Peruvian coffee a few times over the years but never found anything that really clicked for me.

shithawk420 · Jun 15, 2015

What?maybe roughly 1% Out of 500,000 came back safely is acceptable to you?we get millions of tourists a year and its not even close to that.Its a beautiful country but with those numbers your crazy.new Orleans is way safer than than that.your country is beautiful but please don't kid yourself.sorry to go off topic

Donn · Jun 15, 2015

shithawk420 said:
maybe roughly 1% Out of 500,000 came back safely is acceptable to you?

What are you talking about, where did 1% come from? I don't know the statistics on Colombia, nor New Orleans, but I know people will tell you don't go here, don't go there in New Orleans because it isn't safe, and they aren't lying. They have recently been putting up signs that say "Caution: walk in large groups" in the French Quarter. People go there anyway, because they would rather be a little careful and take their chances, than live in a bubble in the false safety of some leafy suburb. Millions of people go to Colombia, too, and sure it's silly to compare the French Quarter with a whole country, but yes, my guess is you could easily be safer going to Colombia. (But I've never been there, so don't take my word for it. I've thought about it - Cartagena, I suppose - but flights are long and expensive.)

Abja Roots · Aug 16, 2015

I'm thinking of going to Colombia at the end of the year. A good friend of mine has been visiting there pretty regularly over the last year. He loves Medellin, and that is where we're thinking of going. He loves it so much he wants to buy an apartment down there.

I was also interested in Cartagena, and Baranquilla as I like the idea of being near the water. I'd love to hear opinions from people who have been there about which areas would be the best to visit. What areas have the best food, freshest produce, beautiful rivers, etc... I'd love to know the average prices of an arepa on the street, a beer, etc...

As far as the safety issues, the same can be said of lots of places. Don't go where you don't belong, be careful with women(they can lead to trouble for lots of reasons), and don't call attention to yourself. There are areas all over North America that you should not go to if you're not from there.

Life's a risk Carnal.

Abja Roots · Jan 21, 2016

Ended up spending a little over a week in Medellin from just after Christmas until the first week of the new year. The city had great public transportation, and even though it was offered I didn't pick up any flowers. I heard that there are big farms outside of the Cali area. I did see one grow store while walking around in El Poblado. That's one of the fancier areas in Medellin with lots of restaurants, boutique shops, cafes, etc...

The food was good, but it was not what I expected. There were lots of baked goods, fried chicken, arepas, etc... There were also lots of places selling fresh juice. Security was heavy in the botero plaza area, but just outside of there at night it definitely got grimey.

I rode the metrocable up to Parque Arvi, and took the bus out to an area called Guatape. There is a huge rock you can climb there called El Penol. The view was super impressive.

If anyone is ever making it out there, and has any questions. Definitely hit me up.

Abja Roots · Jan 21, 2016

Some pictures from Guatape and El Penol

Abja Roots · Jan 21, 2016

Medellin - Las Lomas(near El Poblado and Parque Lleras)

Botero Plaza

stasis · Jan 23, 2016

I don;t allow my future to be held in the hands of what a person thinks about my level of respect or not. Having travelled all over the world, I know how to handle myself. Lived and surfed big waves in Hawaii for 3 years, that's a challenging enviornment. Although not quite desperado 3rd world.

But, I do not go to powder kegs where attitudes like Red Ryders are prevalent. \\

All it takes is one nut bag who had a bad day to sneak up on ya.

No thanks, I will pass. And, BTW it is called the
'borrachero' tree. (drunkard) and it can and is used by Bar Girls to rob Men. Mostly in cities.

barnyard · Jan 30, 2016

"Colombia is one of the world’s foremost producers of flowers, exporting $1 billion per year and growing. In 2013, 65 percent of all cut flowers imported into the U.S. were from Colombia, up from 55 percent a decade earlier. Exotic species of orchid, anthurium, and bird of paradise are all regularly shipped to the U.S. But the ubiquitous rose is, by far, the country’s biggest flower seller."

Abja Roots · Jan 31, 2016

I would love to setup a Cannabis business in Colombia in the future if possible. After learning everything I've learned in California, I think that would be a new frontier. The preference from what I've seen is for Alcohol and Powder, but that's similar to the states. Not sure if they have the same problems with pills that we have here.

Does anyone know of a good time to visit for a cannabis gathering or convention? Thinking something along the lines of the Emerald Cup, Secret Sesh, etc...

Docteur · Mar 31, 2016

Abja Roots said:
I would love to setup a Cannabis business in Colombia in the future if possible.

Colombia needs a massive change because the green wave is coming soon and the climate is so good in certain places, the people here smoke so much but they dont have a clue about the medicinal aspects of cannabis.

Abja Roots · Apr 5, 2016

I'd love to see the change out there. The climate was beautiful and seemed perfect for cannabis. If anyone knows of any good events out there let me know. I did see cannabis extract products for sale in the streets in front of the Museum of Antioquia. I heard from a friend that there are large farms outside of Cali.

djimb · Apr 9, 2016

Abja, those photos of Medellin are gorgeous! I only spent two or three nights there, but I will absolutely find my way back soon.
For anyone thinking of visiting Colombia, I would recommend places like Popayan and Buga for smaller, cozier towns. Cartagena is gorgeous, but it's expensive and the area I stayed in was party central.

I got some poorly handled, but overall good pure leafy sativa from the area around San Andres de Pisimbala via a coworker at a hostel, but most of what I saw and smoked was what would be called crippy, hybridized with dutch strains.

My favorite town by far was south of Santa Marta up in the mountains. There's a little town called Minca in the cloud forest with a hostel that I worked at for a couple weeks. Toucans, leaf cutter ants, and mosquitoes and sandflies like crazy. It was pretty wild.

Overall, I found Colombia to be no more dangerous than anywhere else I've been. I got scammed and hassled more in Peru, to be honest. That being said, I didn't try to pick up women at bars, and I stayed clear of the jungle where FARC and the narcos are hiding out. There was one overnight bus that I heard was occasionally at risk of being robbed, but the worst part about the trip was the movie.

As long as you use the same common sense that you would in any other large city, you'll be fine. Just be respectful and friendly, and try to learn some Spanish before you go.

Hashash · Apr 9, 2016

very nice pictures Abja

Any one been to Colombia ?

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