Medellin Reports

[Surfer500]

It won't be long before more press reports appear about guys who tried to game the system.

Apparently it's a felony in the USA to forge a vax card. I'm from California and they have a registry like most other states, so verification at least in Country is easy if actually required. Yet, it's a total joke for International travel without a worldwide verification system in place. No different than for the Yellow Fever shot issued by WHO.

It's just a matter of time until something is put in place. So for the time being, and I know guys that have done it, is they print up a vax card, insert the data required, and they are good to go at least for those from the USA.

A total joke for the time being.

[Knowledge]

It won't be long before more press reports appear about guys who tried to game the system.

Many years ago I worked with a guy who thought the same as you. He had found a way to steal from the company and he didn't see any way that anyone could find out. I don't know how long he got away with it, he started before I worked there. When he did get caught it was through a series of coincidences, all because he lacked the imagination to see how he could be discovered. The beauty of his plan was that it didn't show up on the books, it was impossible for accounting to detect his theft. The flaw was that to me it was, once those coincidences happened, painfully obvious.

Over the 1 year period which he was charged with he had gotten away with just over $20,000. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison, although I'm sure he only had to serve 2 years. Not really worth it, in my opinion.

With or without a QR code, authenticating a vax card is ridiculously easy. I expect someone will be exploiting that opportunity soon.

And if anyone has $1 million to get started on on a vax verification business which could easily generate $100 million, I'll happily show you how to do it, once the money is in my account.

[Knowledge]

I am a hypocrite. I complain about ongoing threads about debit and credit cards that start to read like promotional brochures but here I am prolonging yet another one of them. So, I think most agree there are many credit cards that do not assess foreign transaction fees. Why anyone would not use them for purchases instead of a debit card that does assess the fees is, I suppose, a matter of personal choice or personal finance sophistication. Reeling the discussion back to ATM withdrawals, there are comparable options to the sacrosanct Schwab card. Among several others are debit cards online banks issue associated with checking and / or brokerage accounts. Anyone interest in comparing offers should fire up the search engine of their choice and have at it. The alternative is to follow financial advice available on this site and hope for the best.

Welcome to Canada and a few other places. But actually Schwab charges foreign transaction fees if you actually BUY something with their debit card vs. Make an ATM / cash machine / cajero withdrawal. 1%. E-Trade too. The solution to that is the Capital One credit card: no FOREX fees, no annual fee, 1.5% cash back on everything, 25 day billing cycle, no minimum reward redemption. However in LatAm (and elsewhere when traveling), very occasionally you have to use a debit card on line for a purchase, bus tickets, etc. And Schwab does charge for that.

[JonnyPokerStar]

LOL. They get up and go to work everyday like most other people in the world. You act like they are living in igloos, have to lay traps for food, and worship the flying spaghetti monster everyday.

Paisas describe Bogota as being basically like that.

[JonnyPokerStar]

My biggest cost is always the foreign exchange difference, on my debit card. It's not a fee, its the exchange rate your bank gives you. In my case it is always 2. 5 to 3. 5% depending on which of my banks I use. It is in addition to any foreign transaction fees, ATM fees, or fees that the bank in Colombia may charge. I've been told that see Shwab does not do this. But I cannot get a CS account as I live outside of the US.

There is a service called Remitly which I have found gives the best exchange rates. Go to their website, request the remission, and pick up the cash at Bancolombia.

[JjBee62]

Its the vax card that they want to see. If you have had a vax and don't have a card, they won't allow you entry. But if you have a vax card and no vax, they will. So the vax card wins every time.

It will be interesting to see if and what they question. I know some vax cards have QR codes that they could scan to authenticate, like those from Europe, but the majority of the world does not. An immigration official would not be able to authenticate a vax card that does not a have a QR code, despite what the fear mongers here might think.

Many years ago I worked with a guy who thought the same as you. He had found a way to steal from the company and he didn't see any way that anyone could find out. I don't know how long he got away with it, he started before I worked there. When he did get caught it was through a series of coincidences, all because he lacked the imagination to see how he could be discovered. The beauty of his plan was that it didn't show up on the books, it was impossible for accounting to detect his theft. The flaw was that to me it was, once those coincidences happened, painfully obvious.

Over the 1 year period which he was charged with he had gotten away with just over $20,000. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison, although I'm sure he only had to serve 2 years. Not really worth it, in my opinion.

With or without a QR code, authenticating a vax card is ridiculously easy. I expect someone will be exploiting that opportunity soon.

And if anyone has $1 million to get started on on a vax verification business which could easily generate $100 million, I'll happily show you how to do it, once the money is in my account.

[LvZooMan211]

Hey guys, do you know if there are any casas within walking distance of San Peter apartments that's worth going to? TIA.

[Huacho]

Never heard of a foreign transaction fee on a debit card.

Welcome to Canada and a few other places. But actually Schwab charges foreign transaction fees if you actually BUY something with their debit card vs. Make an ATM / cash machine / cajero withdrawal. 1%. E-Trade too. The solution to that is the Capital One credit card: no FOREX fees, no annual fee, 1.5% cash back on everything, 25 day billing cycle, no minimum reward redemption. However in LatAm (and elsewhere when traveling), very occasionally you have to use a debit card on line for a purchase, bus tickets, etc. And Schwab does charge for that.

[Knowledge]

First you have to get past the airline check in. If it goes badly you can find yourself on a no fly list. If you manage to get to Colombia then you have to get past immigration. If that goes badly you will be deported on the next flight back, which could land you on the no fly list. Anyone who goes this route please let us know how you make out.

I think what he's trying to say is if you have a fake vaccination card you can get in.

Which is the same thing as when the 3 gringos in Cartagena thought using a fake Covid test would get them out, or (was it Cali or Bogota?) when the guy who was supposed to quarantine decided he didn't need to. Or when guys think that they're okay with girls who have a fake cedula.

It's all the same thing. Each country has their rules. You can often figure out how to bypass those rules, but the penalty if you get caught greatly exceeds the price to abide by the rules. With the fake vaccination cards, it's only a matter of time before they start finding them and then the clever people will find themselves banned from Colombia.

[Lefeu]

He didn't say the story sounded fishy, he said it sounded like a fish story. Almost the complete report was about the fish smell coming from the woman. His comment was tongue-in-cheek, a fish story, not questioning anyone's integrity.

I suppose you are right. I interpreted it differently, and I am ready to apologize. I did not mean any harm.

[Lefeu]

And there's nothing wrong with being picky, or speaking your mind. However, it can become an issue when you fail to recognize that the problem isn't with whatever you're criticizing, but instead is your own issue.

Hey, I never said that I always agree with him. If you check the Tijuana forum, you will find out that I often disagree with him, especially when he compares Tijuana women to Colombian women. This was his first trip to Colombia, yet he has been critical of Colombian women for a while longer before coming here. I guess he is clearly biased towards Mexican chicks.

But I don't hold that against him. Met him for the first time last week and we had a few beers together. From my part, he is entitled to his opinion.

[Fun Luvr]

Except that I was physically there with him, and I can assure you that his story is accurate.

I am not sure how you are coming up with these conclusions. You may disagree with his opinions about Colombian women, but you have no right to question his integrity, just out of whim. There were 2 other mongers there too, who can verify the accuracy of this story.

He didn't say the story sounded fishy, he said it sounded like a fish story. Almost the complete report was about the fish smell coming from the woman. His comment was tongue-in-cheek, a fish story, not questioning anyone's integrity.

[Lefeu]

In your opinion, which place has the hotter women, La Isla or Hong Kong?

From my trips, Hong Kong had more hot women overall but La Isla had a higher percentage of them.

I am of the same opinion as you, regarding La Isla vs Hong Kong club in Tijuana.

[Dcrist0527]

In your opinion, which place has the hotter women, La Isla or Hong Kong?

From my trips, Hong Kong had more hot women overall but La Isla had a higher percentage of them.

I'll give my unsolicited opinion. I've spent dozens of nights in HK. Only two nights in La Isla, so maybe not a fair comparison. But HK easily won on both quality and quantity. It absolutely could have been timing, though I was there on a Friday night.

That said, La Isla does not have meseros up your ass every time you blink. So I'm going to try La Isla again and cross my fingers.

[Dcrist0527]

This has been addressed numerous times. There's no way anyone can guarantee you will have good luck with Facebook girls. A lot of FB girls (but by no means all) are the "girl next door" type and others are looking for business and are far more professional. You can tell from their posts. Once you build up a few friends, you'll be able to decide which is which and what suits your fancy.

Is FB worth it? For me it has been and about 80% of the chicas I've met in Medellin have come from FB. Generally, I've had great times with all of them, some actual conversations, and not quite as much of a "hardened" or "professional" relationship. GFE would be a good description.

How do you do it? Again. Addressed hundreds of times. Make an account. Post some pictures. Request some chica friends. Use their friends to request more friends. About a week before you get to Medellin post you're coming. You'll start getting requests and chats. Then. It's up to you to figure it out.

Thanks for the reply. I'm comfortable on how to do it. I have a few chicas I've talked to. I was more just curious on the experiences. Your answer helps. I'm definitely more of a GFE guy than a PSE or hit it and quit it type. (Probably why casas aren't as appealing to me.)

I do wonder about Centro. That is a bit of a mystery. Never went there. And because of that, it is a bit intimidating. I'm by no means a guy filled with fear. I've foolishly walked the streets in Tijuana in the wee hours of the morning. But for some reason, the mongers here have me worried about the craziness that is Centrom LOL And I'm not a big fan of the SG game in Tijuana anyway. So not sure Centro would be a good fit for me. But I think I'll give it a look just out of curiosity this visit.

Again, thanks!