Medellin Reports

[XXL]

Yeah some of these Youtubers can be dicks about it. In Amsterdam you're explicitly not supposed to film, a few will do half ass face blurring where several frames are completely exposed, while getting a mongers face going / leaving a window. Not illegal, but very explicit. Same for Parque Lleras, plenty of normal tourists there so not as explicit but often will film cash or Translate exchanges. When called out about it there has to be enough support in comments, and even then they'll just repost when heat dies down.

I appreciate the value, but it is parasitic because they'll shit on the hobby and say it's purely tourism channel. But then not offer tourism advice, strategy with the girls, and sell uncut vids for higher price. It's a hustle.

Flag those vids to Youtube! If enough of us do so Youtube may remove them or at the very least restrict them to +18.

[JjBee62]

Ah ok, thanks, that's one more reason to stay the hell out of Parque Lleras. Imagine being surprised by questions about why you were in Parque Lleras doing whatever the youtuber says you were doing there.

Wish I had known about that years ago. Instead of going places, I could just look at YouTube videos. Add in Pornhub and you can see what Parque Lleras looks like at night and see what it looks like to fuck a girl someone else picked up there. Add in a video of bandeja paisa and it's just like being there.

[JjBee62]

Is there any good solution for getting change though? It is so frustrating to get mostly all big bills from the ATM and then when I try to pay for something I either get an exasperated look from the employee and they have to go see someone else in order to get change, or worse, they say they don't have that much change (nothing crazy, just a 50 k or 100 k bill).

I always end up with too much change.

Get cash from the ATM. Go to Exito or Carulla, or any large market. Buy a bottle of water, pack of gum or other cheap item, and pay with a 50 k bill. If you use the metro, put 10 k on your Civica card and pay with a 50 k bill. Lots of places you can do that type of thing.

[JjBee62]

There are supposedly three branches in Medellin. In el Centro at Cra 49 #50 - 23, in Poblado at Cra 43 A #16 Sur - 63, and in Laureles at Circular 73 be #76 - 16. I have used the one in Laureles years ago, but a couple of years ago I tried it two or three times and it would not accept a Schwab card.

There is also Scotiobank Colpatria with branches in Medellin that allow a higher withdrawal amount, I think 900 mil. I don't know how much, but they do charge an ATM fee.

The one on Avenida Poblado no longer has an ATM.

[Robotron]

It's a youtube channel that does hidden camera views in the outdoors of parque Lleras and other places. Kinda gives you a view of what it should look like at night in the park.

Here's an example https://youtu.be/vo5V1k4R0nU?si=V5bpfc6aUIlGS2J3.

The problem I have with these videos, especially since I've never visited, is that I have no idea who is and who is not a working girl. Sure there's a lot of fat ass chicas and attractive ones being shown here but it's all useless if it's just random videos of women on the street. I guess you never know until you try, but without knowing who you can and can't pick up, what's the point?

Are you meaning to tell me that the majority of the women in this video are approachable for an appointment?

[DJHeywood]

Go to exito / d1 and buy a soda with it, or something else that's cheap.

Yeah for Uber, and restaurants in moderate / wealthy areas should take a card. As many others say, get a Schwab card. Covers ATM fees, I feel like Davienda atms for max pulls were like $10-$15, not a huge deal to wait until end of month for Schwab to refund you. I'll do 2 max pulls. 1 stack goes to girl stuff. Big bills for simplicity, I'll negotiate for more time or extras if I'm short by a denomination. The next stack as someone else said make convenience store runs. Plenty small items, mouthwash, hard seltzer, bottled water, single use body cleaning products. All things I need. Worst case hang onto left over for next trip, or deposit foreign cash at my bank if it's like $300+ I don't want sitting for months.

[DJHeywood]

Ah ok, thanks, that's one more reason to stay the hell out of Parque Lleras. Imagine being surprised by questions about why you were in Parque Lleras doing whatever the youtuber says you were doing there.

Yeah some of these Youtubers can be dicks about it. In Amsterdam you're explicitly not supposed to film, a few will do half ass face blurring where several frames are completely exposed, while getting a mongers face going / leaving a window. Not illegal, but very explicit. Same for Parque Lleras, plenty of normal tourists there so not as explicit but often will film cash or Translate exchanges. When called out about it there has to be enough support in comments, and even then they'll just repost when heat dies down.

I appreciate the value, but it is parasitic because they'll shit on the hobby and say it's purely tourism channel. But then not offer tourism advice, strategy with the girls, and sell uncut vids for higher price. It's a hustle.

[Villainy]

Is there any good solution for getting change though? It is so frustrating to get mostly all big bills from the ATM and then when I try to pay for something I either get an exasperated look from the employee and they have to go see someone else in order to get change, or worse, they say they don't have that much change (nothing crazy, just a 50 k or 100 k bill).

You might just walk into a branch take a number and wait your turn and the bank will gladly turn your 100 K or 50 K bills into 20 Ks or 10 Ks.

[Gabacho]

Is there any good solution for getting change though? It is so frustrating to get mostly all big bills from the ATM and then when I try to pay for something I either get an exasperated look from the employee and they have to go see someone else in order to get change, or worse, they say they don't have that much change (nothing crazy, just a 50 k or 100 k bill).

Is there any good solution for getting change though? It is so frustrating to get mostly all big bills from the ATM and then when I try to pay for something I either get an exasperated look from the employee and they have to go see someone else in order to get change, or worse, they say they don't have that much change (nothing crazy, just a 50 k or 100 k bill).

If the ATM gives you 100 k notes go inside the bank branch and tell them you just used their ATM and it gave you 100 mil notes and ask to change them to 50 k's or 20 k's. I only use 100 k's when paying my rent. Most places 50 ks are OK tho, Atleast in Medellin and Bogota.

You can also force the ATM to give you 20's by selecting "other amount" and entering an amount such as 580,000 for example.

And if it's an ATM not at a bank branch or if it's after hours or weekend just do what the other poster said and buy something cheap are D1 or exito.

[AdamWl]

Is there any good solution for getting change though? It is so frustrating to get mostly all big bills from the ATM and then when I try to pay for something I either get an exasperated look from the employee and they have to go see someone else in order to get change, or worse, they say they don't have that much change (nothing crazy, just a 50 k or 100 k bill).

Go to exito / d1 and buy a soda with it, or something else that's cheap.

[Knowledge]

I'm going to check it out. I don't use Schwab. I have three other no fee ATM cards.

I tried 5 different caja social ATMs at 3 different branches and none of them worked. The one under the metro at parque berrio station, the one on Oriental up a cpl blocks from la playa, and the over by the hotel I used to live at back in 2020/21 (a cpl blocks past the San Jose tranvia station and hang a right). And every single time it says the same error message. It will take my card at first and let me hit retirar and corrientes and then show the amounts I can choose from 20 mil to 300 mil and it will let me go thru the whole process and put in my pin number and everything then when it's processing it takes a really long time like way longer than normal and then it gives an error message in Spanish "temporalmente no es posible completar su transaccion".

I have Capital One 360 though not Schwab, so maybe for you it will work. You should go try it and report back what happens.

Gabacho.

[Knowledge]

Ah ok, thanks, that's one more reason to stay the hell out of Parque Lleras. Imagine being surprised by questions about why you were in Parque Lleras doing whatever the youtuber says you were doing there.

It's a youtube channel that does hidden camera views in the outdoors of parque Lleras and other places. Kinda gives you a view of what it should look like at night in the park.

[Knowledge]

You can get taxis via indriver, didi, or uber and pay with foreign credit cards. Local restaurants and buses are cash. The green colored "integrated" buses, the Metroplus, and the metro accept civica cards but you can only buy or recharge civica cards with cash or (Colombian) bank transfer. The related ATM advice I can give is to avoid ATMs like the plague within one or two days of the 1st or 15th of the month. The lines are slow and long during the so-called "quincena".

Colombia is a cash based economy. With the exception of big stores like exito and maybe hotels that cater to gringos, everything is in cash. Want to take the metro or the bus? You need cash. Cheap lunch at a local restaurant, you need cash. Taxi (although I don't condone using them, cash). Basically everything is cash.

There is a digital system they use to transfer money called nequi but as a foreigner you cannot get nequi.

[Flawless Zeal]

Colombia is a cash based economy. With the exception of big stores like exito and maybe hotels that cater to gringos, everything is in cash. Want to take the metro or the bus? You need cash. Cheap lunch at a local restaurant, you need cash. Taxi (although I don't condone using them, cash). Basically everything is cash.

There is a digital system they use to transfer money called nequi but as a foreigner you cannot get nequi.

Is there any good solution for getting change though? It is so frustrating to get mostly all big bills from the ATM and then when I try to pay for something I either get an exasperated look from the employee and they have to go see someone else in order to get change, or worse, they say they don't have that much change (nothing crazy, just a 50 k or 100 k bill).

[Gabacho]

The Centro branch has been closed for like a year, there is a shoe store there now or smth. Best to check bank website not google maps which is often outdated.

I tried finding the one in Itagui and it too was a shoe store.