Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=Surfer500;1735101]Will be enrolling in a two week intensive Spanish course at the Unversidad EAFIT starting on June 30th that consists of four a hour class Monday thru Friday for two weeks.

Just took the written test and will get the results hopefully the end of the week along with an oral interview.

I think I will be lucky if I scored in the 25% percentile.

My observation thus far based on the test was it was primarily focused on verbs, conjugation, writing, etc.

Anybody attend their school and give some feedback? Another board member attended and was impressed and I am curious to hear others people take on the school.[/QUOTE]How much does it cost?

[QUOTE=EstebanH;1735354]How much does it cost?[/QUOTE]$ 380 for two weeks.

For those worried about the weather in Medellin, it's the only thing better than the women. I'm not sure how anybody could ask the question, what else does one have to know other than 1500 meters above sea level at the equator?

I highly recommend Newbies pay the the $20 and subscribe to ISG so they can receive Private Messages. The best information is shared behind this front page.

Had my building call me a cab to take me to New Life today. Cab driver refused to take me there, saying it was dangerous. He explained to me that there are protests about something going on there and he would only drive me to somewhere close by and I'd have to walk the rest of the way. It being my first time in Medellin and just arriving, that didn't sound too appealing to me.

Maybe I am just being a pussy, but if a Colombian taxi driver won't take me there, I don't really want to go there. Oh well, I'll pop my Medellin casa cherry another day!

It is making me feel more queasy about doing casa runs solo in el centro. If any other mongers are in a similar situation and are looking for casa run partners for shady areas feel free to send a PM.

[QUOTE=Onibmab;1735851]Had my building call me a cab to take me to New Life today. Cab driver refused to take me there, saying it was dangerous. He explained to me that there are protests about something going on there and he would only drive me to somewhere close by and I'd have to walk the rest of the way. It being my first time in Medellin and just arriving, that didn't sound too appealing to me.

Maybe I am just being a pussy, but if a Colombian taxi driver won't take me there, I don't really want to go there. Oh well, I'll pop my Medellin casa cherry another day!

It is making me feel more queasy about doing casa runs solo in el centro. If any other mongers are in a similar situation and are looking for casa run partners for shady areas feel free to send a PM.[/QUOTE]It looks like it was some protest regarding a new contraband law (import / export stuff). Here is a link. It refers to the protest yesterday but it seems like it might be the same thing:

[URL]http://www.elcolombiano.com/negocios/economia/lista-ley-anticontrabando-el-reto-es-que-se-aplique-ND2151582[/URL]

El Colombiano covered the disturbances. Street vendors demonstrated and threw rocks at riot police. I assume the vendors don't want to be pushed off the main sidewalks where they can make the most money. The riot police were in full gear. Best to let that blow over before hitting the scene. As usual, the taxi drivers know the deal.

[QUOTE=Onibmab;1735851]Had my building call me a cab to take me to New Life today. Cab driver refused to take me there, saying it was dangerous. He explained to me that there are protests about something going on there and he would only drive me to somewhere close by and I'd have to walk the rest of the way. It being my first time in Medellin and just arriving, that didn't sound too appealing to me.

Maybe I am just being a pussy, but if a Colombian taxi driver won't take me there, I don't really want to go there. Oh well, I'll pop my Medellin casa cherry another day!

It is making me feel more queasy about doing casa runs solo in el centro. If any other mongers are in a similar situation and are looking for casa run partners for shady areas feel free to send a PM.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Onibmab;1735851]Had my building call me a cab to take me to New Life today. Cab driver refused to take me there, saying it was dangerous. He explained to me that there are protests about something going on there and he would only drive me to somewhere close by and I'd have to walk the rest of the way. It being my first time in Medellin and just arriving, that didn't sound too appealing to me.

Maybe I am just being a pussy, but if a Colombian taxi driver won't take me there, I don't really want to go there. Oh well, I'll pop my Medellin casa cherry another day!

It is making me feel more queasy about doing casa runs solo in el centro. If any other mongers are in a similar situation and are looking for casa run partners for shady areas feel free to send a PM.[/QUOTE]I'm assuming you don't speak much Spanish or you would of gotten a little more information as to what the problem was. I was there a few weeks ago and New Life is not located in a shady area of El Centro.

If you can find out more I'm sure others would like to know like myself as I will be there in a week. If you can pass for a Colombian looks wise and speak some Spanish you probably should of went with the cab driver and assessed the situation upon arrival. You may have had the pick of the liter at New Life, but who knows.

[QUOTE=Surfer500;1735891]I'm assuming you don't speak much Spanish or you would of gotten a little more information as to what the problem was. I was there a few weeks ago and New Life is not located in a shady area of El Centro.

If you can find out more I'm sure others would like to know like myself as I will be there in a week. If you can pass for a Colombian looks wise and speak some Spanish you probably should of went with the cab driver and assessed the situation upon arrival. You may have had the pick of the liter at New Life, but who knows.[/QUOTE]Medellin is coming into a new age and the taxi drivers are really looking out for tourists there. I lived there for 3 months last year and going back for another 3 months in July. I was amazed at how friendly they were and treated me with enthusiasm. New life is located near, if I recall a couple of blocks off the main street in el centro. I was there last year about this time, what you don't see is a massive build up of police force (I estimate several hundreds) on both sides of the main street that cut through el centro. I know because I was there and saw the whole thing. These guys are in riot gear and yes, some were caring fully automatic rifles. There also some armored vehicles too. So yes the taxi driver had it right. BUT, since I knew what was going on, I had him drop me off in the back way. Looking back, I should have stayed home that day because I do remember some young kids getting out of hand that day. You shouldn't see any more demonstrations after today. Be thank full, its a good sign if the taxi driver is telling you something. So far I've had no bad issues with all the cab drivers I have rode with there in Medellin. However, Bogata is a complete 180.

[QUOTE=Surfer500;1735101]Will be enrolling in a two week intensive Spanish course at the Unversidad EAFIT starting on June 30th that consists of four a hour class Monday thru Friday for two weeks.

Just took the written test and will get the results hopefully the end of the week along with an oral interview.

I think I will be lucky if I scored in the 25% percentile.

My observation thus far based on the test was it was primarily focused on verbs, conjugation, writing, etc.

Anybody attend their school and give some feedback? Another board member attended and was impressed and I am curious to hear others people take on the school.[/QUOTE]I too have attended their courses and at the same time UPB. EAFIT is the best compared to UPB. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to learn spanish. Hell, I'm going back again myself for advance courses.

[QUOTE=Surfer500;1735891]I'm assuming you don't speak much Spanish or you would of gotten a little more information as to what the problem was. I was there a few weeks ago and New Life is not located in a shady area of El Centro.

If you can find out more I'm sure others would like to know like myself as I will be there in a week. If you can pass for a Colombian looks wise and speak some Spanish you probably should of went with the cab driver and assessed the situation upon arrival. You may have had the pick of the liter at New Life, but who knows.[/QUOTE]Well, I spoke with the taxi driver in Spanish, no English was involved in our brief 2-3 minute conversation. He explained that he would not go there, not for my sake, but for his sake. He didn't want his car to get damaged by protestors. I don't really care what the protests are about just that they are happening right next to New Life. I gave him the address of a university that is 30 seconds away so he knew where I was going.

My logic was if a taxista who's job depends on taking people from place to place is honest enough (for altruistic reasons or not) to refuse my service despite driving to my building to pick me up (not a roadside cab, which would've meant less) that means I'll play it safe.

All I was told was that there is a "protesta de comercios" or something like that. Someone posted a link here from a Colombian newspaper so seems to add up.

He told me the best he could do is drop me off somewhere east of the area or something. I don't remember exactly. Essentially, I didn't enjoy the idea of potentially stumbling into a Latin American protest scene trying to navigate the area. Being that it would be my first time I wanted to go door to door before trying to possibly use the metro to go to Parque Berrio and walk from there. For a vet who knows there way around the area that might be different, I suppose.

And I don't think that I look like a Colombian.

Maybe I'm just paranoid. But I'm a cautious person by nature and I'm there for quite a while, so I'll take my time and check the news and try out a few other venues first or perhaps go with a vet.

[QUOTE=Onibmab;1735942]Well, I spoke with the taxi driver in Spanish, no English was involved in our brief 2-3 minute conversation. He explained that he would not go there, not for my sake, but for his sake. He didn't want his car to get damaged by protestors. I don't really care what the protests are about just that they are happening right next to New Life. I gave him the address of a university that is 30 seconds away so he knew where I was going.

My logic was if a taxista who's job depends on taking people from place to place is honest enough (for altruistic reasons or not) to refuse my service despite driving to my building to pick me up (not a roadside cab, which would've meant less) that means I'll play it safe.

All I was told was that there is a "protesta de comercios" or something like that. Someone posted a link here from a Colombian newspaper so seems to add up.

He told me the best he could do is drop me off somewhere east of the area or something. I don't remember exactly. Essentially, I didn't enjoy the idea of potentially stumbling into a Latin American protest scene trying to navigate the area. Being that it would be my first time I wanted to go door to door before trying to possibly use the metro to go to Parque Berrio and walk from there. For a vet who knows there way around the area that might be different, I suppose.

And I don't think that I look like a Colombian.

Maybe I'm just paranoid. But I'm a cautious person by nature and I'm there for quite a while, so I'll take my time and check the news and try out a few other venues first or perhaps go with a vet.[/QUOTE]You absolutely made the right call to stay away!

[QUOTE=SBeach25;1735902]Medellin is coming into a new age and the taxi drivers are really looking out for tourists there. I lived there for 3 months last year and going back for another 3 months in July. I was amazed at how friendly they were and treated me with enthusiasm. New life is located near, if I recall a couple of blocks off the main street in el centro. I was there last year about this time, what you don't see is a massive build up of police force (I estimate several hundreds) on both sides of the main street that cut through el centro. I know because I was there and saw the whole thing. These guys are in riot gear and yes, some were caring fully automatic rifles. There also some armored vehicles too. So yes the taxi driver had it right. BUT, since I knew what was going on, I had him drop me off in the back way. Looking back, I should have stayed home that day because I do remember some young kids getting out of hand that day. You shouldn't see any more demonstrations after today. Be thank full, its a good sign if the taxi driver is telling you something. So far I've had no bad issues with all the cab drivers I have rode with there in Medellin. However, Bogata is a complete 180.[/QUOTE]Thank god all the taxis are metered in Medellin, and yes I found the taxi drivers to be very helpful as well.

[QUOTE=Onibmab;1735942]Maybe I'm just paranoid. But I'm a cautious person by nature and I'm there for quite a while, so I'll take my time and check the news and try out a few other venues first or perhaps go with a vet.[/QUOTE]You did the right thing, no need to second-guess yourself; why take chances, even in familiar territory and in your case, you've never even been to the area before. What you should have had was a backup plan, although I can't blame you for not anticipating protests and demonstrations. You could have told the taxista to take you to Energy or Abydos which is to the west of the river / autopista far away from the Centro hullabaloo.

[QUOTE=SBeach25;1735902]Medellin is coming into a new age and the taxi drivers are really looking out for tourists there. I lived there for 3 months last year and going back for another 3 months in July. I was amazed at how friendly they were and treated me with enthusiasm. New life is located near, if I recall a couple of blocks off the main street in el centro. I was there last year about this time, what you don't see is a massive build up of police force (I estimate several hundreds) on both sides of the main street that cut through el centro. I know because I was there and saw the whole thing. These guys are in riot gear and yes, some were caring fully automatic rifles. There also some armored vehicles too. So yes the taxi driver had it right. BUT, since I knew what was going on, I had him drop me off in the back way. Looking back, I should have stayed home that day because I do remember some young kids getting out of hand that day. You shouldn't see any more demonstrations after today. Be thank full, its a good sign if the taxi driver is telling you something. So far I've had no bad issues with all the cab drivers I have rode with there in Medellin. However, Bogata is a complete 180.[/QUOTE]Never been to Bogata, but the taxi drivers in BAQ are the worst. Many times I have had them attempt to rip me off. I think a lot has to do with if they have meters. In BAQ, and Lima they have no meters, and that is when the larceny starts. Now in MDE, and Costa Rica they have meters, and I have never had a problem in those spots. Only complaint I have with the MDE taxi drivers is a lot of them act like they know the location you want to go to, but they end up driving around asking other drivers for directions.

#GPS.

I don't know why taxi drivers getting lost would be an issue in 2015.

[QUOTE=JohnGault;1736092]Never been to Bogata, but the taxi drivers in BAQ are the worst. Many times I have had them attempt to rip me off. I think a lot has to do with if they have meters. In BAQ, and Lima they have no meters, and that is when the larceny starts. Now in MDE, and Costa Rica they have meters, and I have never had a problem in those spots. Only complaint I have with the MDE taxi drivers is a lot of them act like they know the location you want to go to, but they end up driving around asking other drivers for directions.[/QUOTE]