Stupid shit in Medellin

[Osteoknot]

I think for the most part you simply do not understand why people aren't writing out a complete "do's and don'ts" notebook for you.

Not sure, but I think I was the first to respond to our crabby new friend with the free advice to stay home. My response was curt, did not offer any explanation, not very helpful, and glib.

I was being as serious as a heart attack.

I liken it to the old saying, "If you have to ask, then you can't afford it." This was the nature of his questions, in my opinion. They were coming from someone who was showing evidence that he would not be able to safely navigate the scene no matter what the info provided to him in his behalf. I could be wrong, in fact I hope I am.

When it comes to matters of personal safety or behaviors effecting other's safety, an experience in Medellin can turn sour in a hurry without a healthy dose of common and street sense. Those factors can be very hard if not impossible to teach. The overall odds are probably still in this guy's favor of coming out the other side relatively unscathed, so then it becomes a matter of degree of risk acceptance. Most of us do not walk around with the same risk tolerance. His responses still do not instill me with confidence. As you noted, he is obtuse, and I find too philosophical about a "nuts and bolts" topic that needs plain thinking and straight talking.

My free advice is not the final word, and he can take the sum of all the opinions from those who answered here and form his own hybrid opinion. I stand by my original answer, he's not ready. Maybe two years was too long of a waiting period, maybe not. Imagine for a moment if did actually study the forum and Spanish for "awhile." The difference in his situation could be huge. Or maybe he does not adapt well, how would I know? His responses have not given me the feeling that, "yeah, this guy is going to be receptive to criticism and be able to effectively modify his behaviors." I suppose time will tell. I don't want to see anyone get hurt.

[AmorPorFavor]

Great post Villainy. Great post in more ways than just the information provided. Well done. I'm also retired and while I don't live in Colombia I do spend much of my time in Medellin. Since it's a serious topic let me just submit a couple things should be added to the "Lazy person's guide to safety in Medellin".

First don't go out and get as drunk as you would on a vacation in Las Vegas. Keep your wits about you. As someone from a rich country (most any country relative to Colombia) you are a target. Be aware of this fact always and don't let your guard down.

Second don't allow a chica to bring her amiga, prima or hemana (friend, cousin or sister) along to your apartment or hotel room. While at first it may sound like a sexual fantasy in reality it's often a common ploy to rob you one way or another. Keep it one chica at a time until you get to know them well enough that you trust them.

And lastly for new guys reading Osteo's posts just realize the chicas take care of him as he is "the golden goose that keeps on giving". So don't even think to try and replicate his style.

p.s. For many years they never scanned luggage but for the last year I've had my luggage scanned more often than not upon arrival.

So it seems that giving a phone provides a lot more value than cash? Also my luggage was scanned this year as was everybody's in CTG.

[Lucky Nuts]

You seem to really like the "crabs in a barrel" metaphor. I think for the most part you simply do not understand why people aren't writing out a complete "do's and don'ts" notebook for you.

First of all, you're new and well, frankly haven't contributed anything. The majority of your questions center around safety in Colombia and specifically in Medellin. All these safety concerns (especially scopolamine) have been discussed, analysed, parsed, argued about ad nauseam. Yet you seem to feel that someone with experience here in Colombia, should take a swath of their time to rehash what has been written about dozens of times so that someone new won't have to expend any effort finding that information in this forum. Do you see why you're getting caustic responses? (Hint: It has not a f*ing thing in the world to do with crabs or barrels).

BUT I'm retired, living here in Medellin and have a little free time.

SO: Lazy person's guide to safety in Medellin .

Great post Villainy. Great post in more ways than just the information provided. Well done. I'm also retired and while I don't live in Colombia I do spend much of my time in Medellin. Since it's a serious topic let me just submit a couple things should be added to the "Lazy person's guide to safety in Medellin".

First don't go out and get as drunk as you would on a vacation in Las Vegas. Keep your wits about you. As someone from a rich country (most any country relative to Colombia) you are a target. Be aware of this fact always and don't let your guard down.

Second don't allow a chica to bring her amiga, prima or hemana (friend, cousin or sister) along to your apartment or hotel room. While at first it may sound like a sexual fantasy in reality it's often a common ploy to rob you one way or another. Keep it one chica at a time until you get to know them well enough that you trust them.

And lastly for new guys reading Osteo's posts just realize the chicas take care of him as he is "the golden goose that keeps on giving". So don't even think to try and replicate his style.

p.s. For many years they never scanned luggage but for the last year I've had my luggage scanned more often than not upon arrival.

[KrunkMan4]

I actually agree.

I bring special gifts for special girls, including iPhones.

Yes, for the pure satisfaction of helping a good person.

Usually a refurbished iphone and not the latest model.

They are always pleased, obviously.

Like I said, for my special girls, I don't hand them out like candy, lol.

Jesus Christ and people say I need to stay home. IMO opinion there is no love not only in the United States with modern culture actively encouraging girls to be increasingly more transactional in music from the age of 13, but you don't think attractive girls in more or less than optimally stable countries aren't scouted and told about their value by the age of 15.

In my community, we call this the "captain save a hoe" mindset and for a man it is the most dangerous thing in the world and have gotten many a men in trouble and I guess will continue to do so.

Unless you have a annual income of 250 grand or more with no kids and obligations of significance like a mortgage. This is fucking ridiculous.

[Balboa]

How do you know, that other than speaking for yourself, from what another person profits? Does anyone here consider giving in its truest sense, when you really should not be concerned with the outcome? What if giving makes the giver intrinsically happy? Then, haven't they "profited"? Does there have to be a direct material benefit and result on your "investment"? Who says there has to be an ROI (Return on Investment) to justify the giving? An so on, and so on. . . Aren't these all personal decisions?

I actually agree.

I bring special gifts for special girls, including iPhones.

Yes, for the pure satisfaction of helping a good person.

Usually a refurbished iphone and not the latest model.

They are always pleased, obviously.

Like I said, for my special girls, I don't hand them out like candy, lol.

[Mr Enternational]

As for overpaying, money is not same for everyone. If Bill Gates came to town and paid a girl $2000 US for two hours, you would say that he overpaid and is a sucker but Bill Gates wouldn't see it that way. He had a great time and the girl went all out for him. For Bill Gates, $2000 is nothing and he would probably feel guilty just giving her $50 for the great time she gave him because he has so much money.

So if Bill Gates went into McDonald's and paid $600 for a Happy Meal you would just think he was really hungry and the cheeseburger filled him up and the fries were hot? In other words he got the same Happy Meal that everybody else gets. Never mind the price of a Happy Meal is on the menu for $6? What you are saying is that because you have more money you should pay way more than things actually cost like the US government does by buying $400 hammers and $600 toilet seats? The government probably felt guilty paying the normal price because it has so much money.

[PolloNegro]

How are you able to bring in 40 phones at a pop? I've brought them, laptops, rare scotch in and re-sold to friends, but I always understood the limit was 3 or 4 phones before they tax you on the remainder. My luggage is also scanned 90% of the time. Am I missing something?

If I told you how I did it, then you would know what I know. There is a way to do it and many of the posts so far are really off the mark, but then again, you can always count on my post to be so unbelievable that surely my recollection of events must be false. Pollo Negro is Out!

[Villainy]

I absolutely hate the crabs in a barrel attitude when it comes to women that men have. Like there is some dire scarcity of women out there. In relation to this thread you ask simple questions or guidance and get the crab and barrel effect of no guidance and some dick telling you "just stay home brah. ". At face value very thinly veiled it looks as an attempt to preserve "my" safety but really it is an elitest post saying "I don't want to give any guidance because screw new adventures coming to my stomping grounds". Even if more adventurous coordinated and stuck together the experience would be safer.

You seem to really like the "crabs in a barrel" metaphor. I think for the most part you simply do not understand why people aren't writing out a complete "do's and don'ts" notebook for you.

First of all, you're new and well, frankly haven't contributed anything. The majority of your questions center around safety in Colombia and specifically in Medellin. All these safety concerns (especially scopolamine) have been discussed, analysed, parsed, argued about ad nauseam. Yet you seem to feel that someone with experience here in Colombia, should take a swath of their time to rehash what has been written about dozens of times so that someone new won't have to expend any effort finding that information in this forum. Do you see why you're getting caustic responses? (Hint: It has not a f*ing thing in the world to do with crabs or barrels).

BUT I'm retired, living here in Medellin and have a little free time.

SO: Lazy person's guide to safety in Medellin .

1. Don't walk around with your cell phone in your hand. Keep it in whatever is your secure place. (pocket, backpack, whatever). Yes locals are walking around with them out all the time but you are a foreigner and you probably stick out like a sore thumb and your phone is probably a lot better than those of the locals. So keep your phone where no one can see it. If you got a message buzz or need to clarify your directions. Go into a coffee shop or restuarant and order a coffee while you check your messages or your location or whatever.

2. If you are with a girl never never leave your drink unattended for one second. If you go to the bathroom, either take your drink with you or get a fresh drink when you come out.

3. Do NOT carry a large sum of money in your wallet. First of all it is stupid, if you need a bunch of cash buy yourself one of those waist belts. That way you can have a wallet with 50 mil in it and your needed stash hidden in your waist-belt. Second reason is if you have a big stash of cash and worse comes to worse and you get held up you won't be tempted to compound your stupidity and fight to keep your wallet. You'll give it away without the least concern.

4. At night, stay on well lit and well trafficed streets. Don't walk down some dark narrow street because it is a short cut. Better yet, cabs are f*ing cheap, take a cab at night unless you are in a group of people.

5. If you are really worried about the girls you see doing something. Maybe you should be bringing a higher class of girls to your room / apartment. Consider staying at hotels that religiously check the girl's government issued identification (cedula) and keep a copy of the information. This protects you against some underage girl setting you up for a bribery sting or something of that ilk.

6. Read the forum.

7. Go back further in your reading of the forum.

8. Use the search function to find a specific topic to research in the forum.

9. Read the reports of distinction.

10. Stop being a crabby complainer and go back to #6.

[KrunkMan4]

So go, get robbed, tell us where it happened, and we will have more 'second tier specific safety knowledge. ' Or you could RTFF. You say you find people on this thread 'obnoxious. ' So why don't you take a hike?

Perfect example of crabs in a barrel, men really need to treat each other better with the advent of mental health issues especially and a culture particularly in the US that tells women to see us as walking wallets this cdabs in a barrel stuff needs to stop.

Also, I doubt it would take hours to explain. Obviously, some issues are complex but I found the answer to most of my questions anyway, I did comb the forums, but a general question would be what are some of thenon obvious ways you can be poisoned.

[KrunkMan4]

I absolutely hate the crabs in a barrel attitude when it comes to women that men have. Like there is some dire scarcity of women out there. In relation to this thread you ask simple questions or guidance and get the crab and barrel effect of no guidance and some dick telling you "just stay home brah. ". At face value very thinly veiled it looks as an attempt to preserve "my" safety but really it is an elitest post saying "I don't want to give any guidance because screw new adventures coming to my stomping grounds". Even if more adventurous coordinated and stuck together the experience would be safer.

[NeilGeorge]

So moral of the story? Be wary of personal testimonies in monger forums. Many are unreliable, plus some are just in ISG posting for fun, making stuff up, and have never been to Colombia. Plus if true one person's limited experience is insufficient to draw conclusions as they could run out of luck tomorrow.

Thank you for this advice. Beware what other people say. A lot of liars, jokers and 18 year old boys sitting at the computer who post and have never been running with the big dogs.

[Paulie97]

The odds are grossly tilted toward crimes against gringos happening in the Poblado-Laureles-Sabaneta triangle. Outside that zone, it's of course much less likely because there are so much fewer gringos in the line of fire by comparison.

I couldn't disagree more with this reasoning. It's true that opportunists go to areas like El Poblado looking for targets, but throwing yourself into the mix in high crime areas like Manrique and most areas of Bello with little police presence, loads of poverty and plenty of potential perps about for the most part carries higher risk, especially if you are out late partying and like most are unable to blend in. That said there's little stats for this as most foreign victims don't report the crimes. Plus there's little sampling in one respect as few are dumb enough to go up the hill to Manrique to party. Even remotely honest hookers would advise against it.

So moral of the story? Be wary of personal testimonies in monger forums. Many are unreliable, plus some are just in ISG posting for fun, making stuff up, and have never been to Colombia. Plus if true one person's limited experience is insufficient to draw conclusions as they could run out of luck tomorrow.

[LuvMexicanas]

There's some cute little piggies in el centro!!

SA girls are still working girls, if you're going to brag about your superiority in this arena (first ask yourself WHY) and secondly remember that you're paying a working girl on an app more than what you could be paying a cutie from the mall, fonda, hueco, disco etc.

The funny yet sad thing is Elvira is so arrogant that he thinks people "hate on" him to borrow his words when in fact most of us feel sorry for his pathetic fat ass. He calls people morons which is ironic because his lone supporter Dramaqueen is the quintessential example of one. Elvira also somehow finds the time to write lengthy post after lengthy post about being a legend in his own mind to the point that my mind wanders to the band Styx and one of their biggest hits: "Too much time on my hands", which most aptly captures Elvira's nonstop rambling. Below is a segment of the song lyrics that best captures it:

I've got nothing to do and all day to do it. Well I'd go out cruising, but I've no place to go and all night to get there.

[Elvis 2008]

It's even better. With SA you're paying $100 a month for the opportunity to talk to girls and find one that is willing to take your money.

Good point. That is an issue for the "quite wealthy" men on this forum.

[ShooBree]

No man, Colombian girls aren't so beautiful. In terms of quality Sao Paulo is much better than Medellin. And, in general, I found Brazilian girls more participative. Even thought, there are many missiles in Brazil as well. In Brazil I got laid with a girl I met on Tinder, for free, in Medellin I always had to pay. Medellin is good because you can get girls on Facebook, and it's also good for El Centro, since you can find some pearls there. I can't speak for Mexico because I have never been there. But I would never pick up Colombia if it wasn't so cheap, not if I have to choose in relation to the beauty.

This is of course just my opinion supported by my own and others experiences, but Brazilian girls come across as significantly more genuine, educated and curious about the world. In short, to me Colombia feels more like a third world country while Brazil doesn't.