Medellin Reports

[Voyajer1]

I only use Scotiabank when I want to withdraw pesos in Colombia. Any city. I don't have an account, but their ATM's work 100% of the time. You should be OK.

My issue is that I have a Visa Debit card from Scotiabank, never owned a credit card in my life & I've never used this card at a ATM ever overseas either so I'm scared it won't work & I'm left stranded in Colombia with no pesos for 2 weeks. I'm probably just paranoid but I think I will just bring some USA the & try to use the ATM's & hope I can get cash out.

[Travel365]

Pro tips:

Bring a paper and pen to get numbers so you don't have to take your phone out all the time. (If you want to get numbers for later).

There are no "girly drink" prices, and beers are cheap. So feel free to grab a girl and have a drink with her and chat.

Be careful w / phone and wallet if girls are touching / grabbing at you. Or use a money belt.

Go with a friend.

Think of it as a time to relax and have a drink and look at the extremes of the human condition (and body) on a bustling street. There are diamonds in that rough though.

Good times will be had by all (or most? LOL).

I'm throwing my hat in for positive experiences at El Centro! Been to the street behind the church probably 4-5 times. Yes, I'm a gringo, and my Spanish is "muy malo. " Been solo, with another dude, and with other gringo females who just like watching crazy shit. Have also pulled some phone numbers while there, to call later. Also been to some sketchier-looking places down the street. I've been during the day, and pretty late at night.

I've never had any issues in any of these spots. I also stayed in Mandarin Oriental #2 barrio in a casa Antigua for over a month, and had a dozen gringos visit me over that time, including my female family members, and no one had any issues, although we were constantly told how dangerous it was there. It wasn't. Both day and night.

This is not to say robberies don't happen. Or that my short experience isn't representative. I just think a lot of the fear gets overplayed. If anyone would like to join me in El Centro between Nov 23 - Dec 2, let me know.

I will disclose that I travel all over the world and go to shady parts of cities all the time. And have a pretty high tolerance for bullshit, and high awareness of what's going on. Although I have been pickpocketed and scammed in different spots around the world.

[PolloNegro]

Just booked my hotel room for 14 days by Ayenda Botero in Centro, I figure it's too close to everything I want to not & it's only $144 for 2 weeks so it can't get any cheaper than that.

I'm trying to note all the places within 10 mins walking distance from my hotel now in my phone so I have my itinerary ready.

1. Strip clubs: Playmates bar show, Barra Ejecutiva & Bar Maracaibo.

2. Casas: New Life.

What would be the other good / decent strip clubs & casa's within a 10 min walking distance from my hotel in Centro?

In my opinion, I will be in Medellin on the 2nd, the 9th, or the 23rd of November, not sure as of yet due to my work schedule, unfortunately, I will only be there for a day. Extra bonus money and limited time will only allow me a 2 day visit, so I will arrive on a Saturday and leave out Sunday, that's how it is when you just love Medellin! (Centro that Is!) Pollo negro is out!

[Questner]

My issue is that I have a Visa Debit card from Scotiabank, never owned a credit card in my life & I've never used this card at a ATM ever overseas either so I'm scared it won't work & I'm left stranded in Colombia with no pesos for 2 weeks. I'm probably just paranoid but I think I will just bring some USA the & try to use the ATM's & hope I can get cash out.

You should travel with at least one extra debit card from another financial institution or a credit card, have extra cash, cellphone to call your institution in case of a problem, verify if an ATM is on VisaPlus system as some ATM are not connected at all or may not be connected on weekends; good idea is to always have a list of ATM nearby, all attached to branches, know the hours and if they are on VisaPlus.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plus_(interbank_network).

[Mojo Bandit]

Just booked my hotel room for 14 days by Ayenda Botero in Centro, I figure it's too close to everything I want to not & it's only $144 for 2 weeks so it can't get any cheaper than that.

I'm trying to note all the places within 10 mins walking distance from my hotel now in my phone so I have my itinerary ready.

1. Strip clubs: Playmates bar show, Barra Ejecutiva & Bar Maracaibo.

2. Casas: New Life.

What would be the other good / decent strip clubs & casa's within a 10 min walking distance from my hotel in Centro?

This is where you can figure that out:

http://www.internationalsexguide.nl/...n-Map-and-List post 52.

[Surfer500]

Think of ATM withdrawal fees as cheap insurance premiums. For $3 to $5 per transaction you avoid the risk of theft or losing up to $1,000. There are some guys who can't have an audit trail of bank account transactions in Colombia. If you don't have that concern I don't see any advantage in carrying that amount of cash from home to Colombia, from the airport to your hotel, then again from your hotel to a currency exchange. You could make ATM withdrawals much more discreetly and know who is or isn't watching you do it. If I'm looking for a foreigner to jack, I'm going to post up at an exchange house and watch for large transactions. If you go that route, try to avoid doing it alone.

Actually a good place to use ATM's and with security looking over your shoulder is at the Exito in Poblado on Calle 10. There are numerous ATM's inside the store and on the[perimeter where security is stationed. The best exchange rate will be from Scotia versus BanColombia ATM's, but there others as well. You can make a withdrawal and then go shopping inside the store if your paranoid that somebody is watching you, however mostly Colombians are making withdrawals from the ATM's there. It's not a known tourist stop where foreigners would typically be getting money like at an exchange house.

[Knowledge]

Read the forum, it's all here. You will notice a place directly across the street from your hotel. chicaspunto.com is the next nearest casa, then there is Paris Club, Zandaly and several others. You can take a taxi or uber to Energy in Laureles for 10,000 to 12,000 pesos.

Just booked my hotel room for 14 days by Ayenda Botero in Centro, I figure it's too close to everything I want to not & it's only $144 for 2 weeks so it can't get any cheaper than that.

I'm trying to note all the places within 10 mins walking distance from my hotel now in my phone so I have my itinerary ready.

1. Strip clubs: Playmates bar show, Barra Ejecutiva & Bar Maracaibo.

2. Casas: New Life.

What would be the other good / decent strip clubs & casa's within a 10 min walking distance from my hotel in Centro?

[Beobeo]

I assume you still pay them the agree price if you didn't feel like fucking them after the party? It happen to me once.

I personally don't like the chicas at Gustos or, in general, the putas that walk the street in Lleras. You can accomplish about the same with a Facebook girl for less money. I have Facebook girls who I take out to dance and drink. Eventually we go back to my apartment and fuck. Usually they stay over. As long as they know I am going to pay them (150-200 mil), then they enjoy the good time. If I don't feel like fucking, they still enjoy going out to drink and dance and as they drink, they get more flirty. Which can be half the fun. I have no need to pay 150 to 200 USD plus the inflated cost of drinks at Gustos. But to each his own.

[Knowledge]

I keep an AMEX card that I can use to make withdrawals from my checking account as a backup to my ATM card. The fees are a few dollars per transaction on top of the ATM fee but I only use in case my ATM card is lost or stops working. I can also use it if I need to exceed the ATM card's $500 daily limit. I can't remember that ever happening.

I have had those same concerns. I found the best way for me is that I bring 3 different ATM cards for my trip. I make sure each one has at least $1,000 in them.

[Knowledge]

If you contact the issuing bank they will tell you whether or not you can use the card in Colombia. They will also tell you what the fees would be.

My issue is that I have a Visa Debit card from Scotiabank, never owned a credit card in my life & I've never used this card at a ATM ever overseas either so I'm scared it won't work & I'm left stranded in Colombia with no pesos for 2 weeks. I'm probably just paranoid but I think I will just bring some USA the & try to use the ATM's & hope I can get cash out.

[JjBee62]

You can buy Colombian pesos from Bank of America in the US, before you leave. You usually get a better exchange rate and avoid ATM fees. If any left over after the trip, they buy it back from you. There are fees involved tho.

Checking the current rate, BofA exchange rate is about 9% worse.

ATM is the best rate, especially if you have a no fee card like Schwab.

[RudeBwoy100]

Just booked my hotel room for 14 days by Ayenda Botero in Centro, I figure it's too close to everything I want to not & it's only $144 for 2 weeks so it can't get any cheaper than that.

I'm trying to note all the places within 10 mins walking distance from my hotel now in my phone so I have my itinerary ready.

1. Strip clubs: Playmates bar show, Barra Ejecutiva & Bar Maracaibo.

2. Casas: New Life.

What would be the other good / decent strip clubs & casa's within a 10 min walking distance from my hotel in Centro?

[ColombiaLover]

I personally don't like the chicas at Gustos or, in general, the putas that walk the street in Lleras. You can accomplish about the same with a Facebook girl for less money. I have Facebook girls who I take out to dance and drink. Eventually we go back to my apartment and fuck. Usually they stay over. As long as they know I am going to pay them (150-200 mil), then they enjoy the good time. If I don't feel like fucking, they still enjoy going out to drink and dance and as they drink, they get more flirty. Which can be half the fun. I have no need to pay 150 to 200 USD plus the inflated cost of drinks at Gustos. But to each his own.

This is my personal opinion. Gusto girls normally will ask for 200 to 250 dollars, most of them will come down to 150-200 dollars. I think it is well worth it. With a Gusto girl, I can dance and play with her all night in the club, in my case, typically from 12 am to 4 am (I some times take them to Paradise after Gusto closes to party a bit more). I then take her home to fuck her brain out for a few hours, next day I typically follow up with some morning sex. All these for 200 dollars is a steal, doesn't matter how you look at it. If I stay at home and fuck FB girls all night, I would have gone through at least 4 of them at an average 200 mil a pop, which adds up to more than 200 dollars. For me, it is a lot of more fun to dance, drink and play with a girl in a club all night and then fuck her.

[MedellinGringo]

My issue is that I have a Visa Debit card from Scotiabank, never owned a credit card in my life & I've never used this card at a ATM ever overseas either so I'm scared it won't work & I'm left stranded in Colombia with no pesos for 2 weeks. I'm probably just paranoid but I think I will just bring some USA the & try to use the ATM's & hope I can get cash out.

Scotiabank has been in Colombia since 2010 and purchased a majority share in Colpatria bank in 2012. It would be hard to believe that your debit card wouldn't work at either of these two banks in Colombia. But you should always bring more than one debit card or some cash in case your card gets lost or stolen.

[Tacoma101]

I have had those same concerns. I found the best way for me is that I bring 3 different ATM cards for my trip. I make sure each one has at least $1,000 in them.

This right here is the ticket. Also can recommend Charles Schwab as a checking account as they always refund ATM fees at the end of the month. Has always worked best for me!