Cartagena Reports

[YippieKayay]

With a roller board bag on wheels it is easy to walk the block or two. Just do not let a Cartagena hustler grab the handles to your bag or roller board, or they will ask/demand for a tip and try to put you in an airport fee cab. "No Moleste!" should be sufficient, and of course they will retort, "I'm working, this is my job!" Or the hustler will tell you, "This is not your country!"

So the moment you arrive you purposely walk two blocks away, argue with people along the way to save on what? 5 k pesos? 2 US dollars? If this is the way you behave on vacation what do you do when you're back home?

[NeilGeorge]

The fee is fixed, because you take a ticket from the taxi official booth.

Yes, the fee is fixed, but your total fee is more at the airport curb because the Cartagena taxis pay an airport fee to pickup and drop customers there, and the taxi drivers pass the added fee on to you. Just like renting a car from an airport, you pay for the airport fee and airport taxes.

The regular taxi drivers a block away are not charged an airport fee nor airport taxes and neither are these fees passed on to you. I always wait for a regular passing cab at the drug store on the corner, 2 blocks away, where I buy my Viagra.

With a roller board bag on wheels it is easy to walk the block or two. Just do not let a Cartagena hustler grab the handles to your bag or roller board, or they will ask/demand for a tip and try to put you in an airport fee cab. "No Moleste!" should be sufficient, and of course they will retort, "I'm working, this is my job!" Or the hustler will tell you, "This is not your country!"

[DarrenGap]

What you're describing is an inline water heater. .

This is why I love this board. Hot chica information and plumbing advice, all in the same place!

[Black Page]

OK. How much do was I overcharged because I'm not going to quibble over a few cents. According to my prior research it was in line or close to the mark. I still think that it was worth it over walking there.

Never mind. I was teasing you. Actually, you were "overcharged", but just 1 k, which is just 30 cents LOL. Daytime it's 7k, night time it's 8 k. You paid ok, just left a small tip.

When you arrive at the airport, walk 1-2 blocks away and you will be charged much less. They upcharge tourists.

BAD ADVICE. No upcharge by touts or illegal drivers. The fee is fixed, because you take a ticket from the taxi official booth.

Certainly, I would not recommend a friend to walk 1-2 blocks away - especially with all the luggage! - to seek around a taxi who is not waiting regularly in line with others at the airport arrival curb (per airport policy), then to negotiate a lower fare than the official one, risking also to meet some nasty guy who may yes overcharge upon arrival. "Much less" you say? I bet it will not take a short time to find a car charging anyway less than the standard 18k.

No. Don't "walk" blocks away. It's 25 k to get to Bocagrande. That's about 8 USD. So you're going to save 2 bucks by walking several blocks away hauling your luggage?
Don't do that.

Totally agree!
But note however that the fee from Airport to Bocagrande is 18 k-19 k (also specified a bit higher in your PDF, as 19.7 k), which I am used to round up to 20 k to leave a tip.

[YippieKayay]

You can find the rates here by zone:

https://www.eluniversal.com.co/binre...0426154355.pdf

I already know the rates so I just pay the driver as I get out.

[Mojo Bandit]

I caught a cab from the clock tower to Bocagrande (Hollywood Beach) for 8 k. That is less than $3 USD. Totally worth it.

For myself personally the taxi drivers in Cartagena are part of the "charm" of the city, if you get an older guy ask home to tell you difference between women from Cartagena and Barranquilla and Medellin, its pure entertainment. To hear them tell it every woman from each region has the same personality. I read (maybe on this forum) a long time ago to always agree to the fare before you get in the taxi in Cartagena and you are much more likely to get the correct fare. I personally do not expect anyone else to think its funny, but I think its funny that when you ask them the fare after you arrive they kind of get this look in their face like they don't know either (because surely they do) and you can see that they are making it up.

The annoying part to me is that I always seem to lack small currency and they always seem (emphasis on seem because I'm not sure they are not lying) to not have change. One Sunday morning I went out looking fo a place to do brunch at a rooftop restaurant and was taking a taxi a relatively short distance, this young taxi drivers lacks change for a 50 k bill, parks the taxi and gets out and walks away and is gone for what seemed like 15 minutes before he comes back with the change. I know I could make them commit to a fare before I get in and if it seems to high I could haggle, but since it's never more than a few thousand pesos and they probably live in a two room house with their two kids I don't give a shit.

On the other hand I thought I was going to fight a taxi driver in Rome one time when he was trying to charge me 30 Euro for an 8 Euro ride and I looked up and he had the meter covered with his cap and so had never ran the meter. This fucking idiot. His name and license number right there posted. I pulled out my phone and started taking pictures of his photo and license and the cap covering the meter. He panicked and started screaming at me in Italian, I looked at him very calmly as I held my phone like I was going to dial, and said "polly-see-uh?" I thought the veins were going to pop out of his head when he found some English and started screaming "Get Out". If a taxi driver in Rome gets caught not using the meter they are finished.

[MongerHunger]

If it was daytime you were overcharged.

OK. How much do was I overcharged because I'm not going to quibble over a few cents. According to my prior research it was in line or close to the mark. I still think that it was worth it over walking there.

[Summer2016]

Folks,

I will be in Cartagena from 11/29 to 12/06. This will be my first time and thinking to stay closer to Clock Tower. Do you have any airbnb or hotel recommendation that are chica friendly possibly in the Gestemani or closer to clock tower? If you have the name at airbnb.com, I would appreciate it. I am trying to get my full access here and it will take about 8 days to clear my bit coin for the subscription.

[YippieKayay]

When you arrive at the airport, walk 1-2 blocks away and you will be charged much less. They upcharge tourists.

No. Don't "walk" blocks away. It's 25 k to get to Bocagrande. That's about 8 USD. So you're going to save 2 bucks by walking several blocks away hauling your luggage?

Don't do that.

[Summer2016]

Hey,

I am also going there about the exact same dates. I am trying to buy the membership with bit coins but it will take about 8 days to activate my account. Please check your inbox so I can update you then. Thanks brother.

Ryan.

I'll be in Cartagena Nov 29 - Dec 5. Anyone going to be there around those dates? Maybe hangout grab a beer. I'm a 30 Hispanic so Spanish won't be a problem for me LOL.

[NeilGeorge]

If it was daytime you were overcharged. :P

When you arrive at the airport, walk 1-2 blocks away and you will be charged much less. They upcharge tourists.

[JjBee62]

That might explain why my hot water heater in my Medellin apartment was so subpar. I am no expert in water heaters so I can't tell by looking if a water heater is tankless or if it is a mini tank. After experiencing the water going from acceptably warm to fucking cold after being in the shower just long enough to soap up everyday for like 3 days, I finally located the Bosch small suitcase sized gas water heater in the apartment mounted on the wall in the laundry room, while doing laundry I noticed the sound of the water heater turning on when I switched the setting to hot water, then I went to the shower and turned the water knob all the way to the hot position and then turned the water on, I heard the water heater kick on. So I realized the hot water heater burner unit was activated by turning on the hot water. regardless though the water would turn cold again long before I could finish a quick shower. I do not know if it had a defective thermostat or what but once the water ran cold again. I would have to turn the water off, then turn it back on in the extreme hot position to turn it back on. So I had to adjust my system taking a shower, wash hair then rinse then get the fuck out, turn water heater knob off turn it back on, wait a minute get back in shower wash upper body then rinse then get the fuck out, repeat for lower body..

What you're describing is an inline water heater. There is no tank. On the outside there should be 2 knobs. Some models have 2 knobs combined into 1, with an inner and outer knob. Like an old car stereo with the volume knob and the balance knob combined.

One knob controls the temperature. The other controls the flow rate. Reducing the flow rate increases the temperature. The problem is, they are difficult to set up properly. If the unit gets too hot, it shuts the gas off to prevent a fire. The unit will relight once the temperature comes back down.

I had 1 unit that I couldn't get adjusted. I could get about 3 minutes of hot water, before it shut down. Or I could get 10 minutes of barely warm water. I finally found a compromise. Turn on the shower, wait for hot water. Get wet, wet my hair and start washing my hair. When the water started getting cold, turned the shower head to the wall and let the water run while I finished washing my hair. This speeds up cooling down the unit. Then turn the water off for a few seconds and turn it back on. This will restart the heater. Rinse the hair, begin washing the body and repeat until finished.

If you want to take the time to adjust it, start by increasing water flow to max and temperature to minimum. Turn on the shower, all hot water and run it. If it makes it long enough for a shower, but isn't hot enough, increase the temperature by about 20% and try again. It might take 5 or 6 tries to get it adjusted right.

You probably won't be able to get unlimited steaming hot water, no matter how hard you try.

[Black Page]

I caught a cab from the clock tower to Bocagrande (Hollywood Beach) for 8 k. That is less than $3 USD. Totally worth it.

If it was daytime you were overcharged. :P

[Mojo Bandit]

If you look closely at the water heater, dryer, and washer (laundry) in the apartments many of them have English warnings on them. They're not sold locally. These are used appliances shipped to Colombia and fixed there then resold. This is why you'll see a state of the art water heater in an apartment but it barely works.

That might explain why my hot water heater in my Medellin apartment was so subpar. I am no expert in water heaters so I can't tell by looking if a water heater is tankless or if it is a mini tank. After experiencing the water going from acceptably warm to fucking cold after being in the shower just long enough to soap up everyday for like 3 days, I finally located the Bosch small suitcase sized gas water heater in the apartment mounted on the wall in the laundry room, while doing laundry I noticed the sound of the water heater turning on when I switched the setting to hot water, then I went to the shower and turned the water knob all the way to the hot position and then turned the water on, I heard the water heater kick on. So I realized the hot water heater burner unit was activated by turning on the hot water. regardless though the water would turn cold again long before I could finish a quick shower. I do not know if it had a defective thermostat or what but once the water ran cold again. I would have to turn the water off, then turn it back on in the extreme hot position to turn it back on. So I had to adjust my system taking a shower, wash hair then rinse then get the fuck out, turn water heater knob off turn it back on, wait a minute get back in shower wash upper body then rinse then get the fuck out, repeat for lower body. So I am pretty sure it was a mini tank. I have read on these forums that energy is very expensive in Colombia so maybe that is part of their calculation when they put these things in, but seriously think that a tankless water heater would be more be more efficient than my having to take 3 showers to get clean, and I believe that the added marginal cost to the rent would more than pay for itself in satisfied customers. It was a very nice studio apartment except for this major flaw, I would not rent that same apartment again because of this.

[YippieKayay]

I have experienced cold water in Cartagena and I like a hot shower, not a lukewarm shower. not a warm shower, a hot shower. I only experienced it once and every other building I stayed since has had hot water.

If you look closely at the water heater, dryer, and washer (laundry) in the apartments many of them have English warnings on them. They're not sold locally. These are used appliances shipped to Colombia and fixed there then resold. This is why you'll see a state of the art water heater in an apartment but it barely works.