Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=JamesDandy;1822410]I didn't say anything about hotel management or imply they are culpable. There is nothing...........[/QUOTE]Yes, I fully agree.

[QUOTE=Soldierb11;1822355]Naif? You mean naive? LOL. Hardly. I spent over 20....
Let me summarize with bulleted comments so I am not misunderstood again....[/QUOTE]Yes, I fully agree with everything. I commented as "Naif" not your overall considerations, but just that small sentence, which out of the context could have been misunderstood.

BTW, my English vocabulary includes both "naif" and "naive". I thought I can use both in the same way. The word is French, and "naif" in French is masculine gender, while "naive" is feminine. I believe that in English the distinction between the two genders got lost (for this word).

[QUOTE=JamesDandy;1822353]Turns out staying at the Mansion doesn't guarantee one's safety. The guy that got shot dead a few months ago wasn't too far from the Mansion either, maybe a block and a half. This recent robbery victim had to know of ISG, being a Mansion guy and all, but he apparently didn't RTFF, or he didn't think the laws of nature apply to him. Better him than me. The only bad news is that he chummed the water attracting more sharks to rob gringos, now that they are getting away with it every time. I hope others learn from this guy's mistakes, because I expect these type crimes will increase in the future.

The guy is lucky he's not dead. There is no guarantee forking over all your jewelry will save your life, like if they don't want to leave a witness, or want to prove something in front of their friends.[/QUOTE]Spot on James Dandy.

The idea that Medellin is a safe city is laughable in the way saying Chicago, Rio, or San Jose, Cr is safe. Would you put your gold watch and chain on and then go stroll around 8 mile all alone, looking lost and all vulnerable?

There are literally thousands of poor people tooling around on their crappy broke azz motorbikes, and they know you are a foreigner. They are watching you for an opening and imagining your money in their pants pocket. Fact. The biggest target for this type of crime is guys walking alone, and it takes about 7 second to stop the bike, rob you and get back on.

Street crime happens all the time in Poblado. You are a target. Once some guys realize this is the reality, they can go from there and have a relatively safe, fun trip. But there will always be risks and hopefully no one reading this (or writing it) is a victim of the street crime in Colombia. Robbers with guns have forced their way into apartments and hotels, held up guys around Park Lleras, shot and killed tourists, Tied up people and robbed safes, and drugged and robbed people using girls as a lure.

If you travel long enough you have a better than good chance you will be robbed at some point. I have, once many years ago. I also have story after story of guys who have been robbed in Colombia.

Taking off your gold watches and chain doesn't abate all risk. Sure it reduces visible targets, but the risk is always there due to the fact that you are a known tourist and perceived as a rich foreigner there to spend money.

If this is out of your comfort zone, don't come. If it is, be street smart and deliberate.

[QUOTE=BlackPage;1822267]
(By the way, seeing reports like the one posted yesterday in the CTG thread by "Advantageous" certainly cannot help newbies to orient themselves. Used to Sosua, he spent 3 days in CTG staying always in Laguito, eating only in Riquisimo, taking only overpriced girls from web sites or taxi drivers, and finally concluding "I find myself kinda bummed that I didn't take more of my time to check out what is surely a beautiful South American city". He even did not go once in Centro to see the streets (not even the girls). )
[/QUOTE]First off, let me say thanks; reading the posts of yours and others helped me get a read on CO.

Now that I got that out the way, it's worth establishing that you don't know me from Adam. I just really got into visiting Sosua over the last year or two, so you're incorrect from your first assumption -- I'm definitely more familiar with AC, Patts, or Tijuana moreso than the Su'. Of those three days, almost the entirety of the first one was spent convincing my wing not to give up on coming be / see he missed his flight. The first thing I did upon getting out of the shower was go for a walk, and after I came up a couple of bucks in the Sun Nao casino, I did get a chance to make my way up to Getsemani and Centro, though it was less about mongering and more about cooling my head while I tried to unfuck my friend's travel situation. So you're 0 for not 2 but 3 now. Eating only in Riquisimo would make sense if I ate one meal a day, which I don't. And neither should you. Pollo Frisby, El Corral, and "that one place I walked to near the Sun Nao that had good food" aren't the kind of places that add anything to a report in my opinion, so I omitted them. 0 for 4.

You've got me on overpriced, but CTG was always going to be the most expensive city on the trip, and it was a first-time visit, so I implicitly understood I wasn't going to get everything at the best prices. 1 for 5 now. And yeah I was sad I didn't get to do more touristy shit in Cartagena. And Saigon. And Osaka. And Las Terrenas. And Siem Reap. You see where I'm going with this?

While I'm honored that my report made you feel some sort of way, I'd respectfully request that you try "reading" my reports as opposed to "seeing" them next time.

[QUOTE=Advantageous;1822698]First off, let me say thanks; reading the posts of yours and others helped me get a read on CO....[/QUOTE]Indeed he has a great deal of knowledge on Colombia and the [I]information[/I] he posts is valuable. One you get past the routine condescension.

[QUOTE=Advantageous;1822698]While I'm honored that my report made you feel some sort of way, I'd respectfully request that you try "reading" my reports as opposed to "seeing" them next time.[/QUOTE]There are a lot of people in this world who simply listen to another person long enough to find an excuse to start talking about themselves.

Then there are guys who only listen to others long enough to find a foothold to start criticizing and belittling the person, but doing so claiming they are only trying to [I]help[/I] . And if you don't like their "help" then it is [I]your [/I] problem.

As most people likely would, I much prefer reports and information like yours than ones in which I have to endure the routine, reflexive RTFF admonitions and then back and forth until some useful and germaine information is proffered.

A lot of talk about crime and safety. Some figures I bumped into yesterday: [URL]http://colombiareports.com/homicides-in-colombia-down-5-in-2015/[/URL].

[QUOTE=RubMeister100;1822780]Indeed he has a great deal of knowledge on Colombia and the [I]information[/I] he posts is valuable. One you get past the routine condescension.

There are a lot of people in this world who simply listen to another person long enough to find an excuse to start talking about themselves.

Then there are guys who only listen to others long enough to find a foothold to start criticizing and belittling the person, but doing so claiming they are only trying to [I]help[/I] . And if you don't like their "help" then it is [I]your [/I] problem.

As most people likely would, I much prefer reports and information like yours than ones in which I have to endure the routine, reflexive RTFF admonitions and then back and forth until some useful and germaine information is proffered.[/QUOTE]Great post RM.

[QUOTE=TimeToPlay;1822659]Spot on James Dandy.

The idea that Medellin is a safe city is laughable in the way saying Chicago, Rio, or San Jose, Cr is safe. Would you put your gold watch and chain on and then go stroll around 8 mile all alone, looking lost and all vulnerable?

There are literally thousands of poor people tooling around on their crappy broke azz motorbikes, and they know you are a foreigner. They are watching you for an opening and imagining your money in their pants pocket. Fact. The biggest target for this type of crime is guys walking alone, and it takes about 7 second to stop the bike, rob you and get back on.

Street crime happens all the time in Poblado. You are a target. Once some guys realize this is the reality, they can go from there and have a relatively safe, fun trip. But there will always be risks and hopefully no one reading this (or writing it) is a victim of the street crime in Colombia. Robbers with guns have forced their way into apartments and hotels, held up guys around Park Lleras, shot and killed tourists, Tied up people and robbed safes, and drugged and robbed people using girls as a lure.

If you travel long enough you have a better than good chance you will be robbed at some point. I have, once many years ago. I also have story after story of guys who have been robbed in Colombia.

Taking off your gold watches and chain doesn't abate all risk. Sure it reduces visible targets, but the risk is always there due to the fact that you are a known tourist and perceived as a rich foreigner there to spend money.

If this is out of your comfort zone, don't come. If it is, be street smart and deliberate.[/QUOTE]Very accurate. Guys that never leave Poblado don't realize how many really poor areas there are in MDE. While it's gotten a lot safer in the last decade, there's still a ton of violent crime. And the bad guys know where to look for juicy targets.

Not to pile on but if the guy was wearing a gold watch and gold chains, then he made himself a target. Frankly, I've never understood jewelery. Seems like pure and simple showing off.

Some thoughts on personal security while abroad, and especially in second or third world areas.

1. No jewelery. No rings, no chains, no watch unless it is a simple and visibly cheap plastic watch. No fancy designer sunglasses.

2. Buy an inexpensive dual sim $75 Android smartphone and leave your "good" phone at home. IPhones are especially noticeable as are the white earbuds.

3. No designer clothes especially with grading labels visible. You do not impress anyone except potential thieves. Wear simple clean pants like jeans and a button up shirt that you let hang over your pants. A T-shirt shows that you are unarmed. A loose fitting shirt over the waist leaves a question mark as to whether you [I]might[/I] be armed. Same with overtly high value shoes, like expensive Puma's or Nike's.

4. Whenever possible, no backpack. Maybe a shoulder bag worn across your chest. Zipped up to reduce pickpocketing.

5. Banking and cash.

A. Have enough cash on hand for the day. If you get accosted, hand it over without any fight nor attitude nor smart remark. Even if you are a Krav maga expert.

B. Carry one debit card and your credit card. In separate pockets. Have your debit card limited to whatever you think you might need in a day. Personally, I only ever keep $1,000.00 in my account that is tied to my debit card. That way I am never at risk for more than $1 k thought kidnapping, fraud etc. I transfer money to that account as needed to keep $1 k in it.

C. Use only ATM's in areas you feel are secure.

D. Always cover your hand when entering your PIN. Even if you think it looks like you don't trust the clerk or no one is looking.

6. Self Defense- It is almost never worth fighting over theft of money or property. Nothing you have on your person is worth even breaking your hand over punching the guy in the face.

However, I strongly recommend that anyone take take a few lessons and Krav Maga [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_Maga[/URL] so that if faced with threats to your physical being that you can respond with more than flailing and girly punches.

Basically, Krav Maga is a collection of brutal, dirty street fighting techniques derived from many martial arts with an underlying philosophy and designed to deliver an immediate and debilitating strike to a threat so that you can run away. Think kicking in the balls, scratching the guys eyes out and sucker punch flat palmed uppercuts to break his nose. Then running away before he gets up. I know it is not "fair" fighting. It is specifically designed as a brutal self-defence system. It is really easy to learn a few basic moves from any one of many local shops worldwide.

Just a few stream of consciousness thoughts to share.

[QUOTE=RubMeister100;1822780]Indeed he has a great deal of knowledge on Colombia and the [I]information[/I] he posts is valuable. One you get past the routine condescension.

There are a lot of people in this world who simply listen to another person long enough to find an excuse to start talking about themselves.

Then there are guys who only listen to others long enough to find a foothold to start criticizing and belittling the person, but doing so claiming they are only trying to [I]help[/I] . And if you don't like their "help" then it is [I]your [/I] problem.

As most people likely would, I much prefer reports and information like yours than ones in which I have to endure the routine, reflexive RTFF admonitions and then back and forth until some useful and germaine information is proffered.[/QUOTE]This is the description of an out of control narcissist, whose two main objectives are keeping the spotlight on themselves, and some imagined God-given duty to correct / lecture everyone else, but we already knew that, LOL.

Well at least you have their whatsapp. You can keep in touch with them and set things up for the next time you go down.

Hmm So the metro is happening huh. I think I have taken taxis out of sheer laziness. I really ought to be using the tools available.

Thanks for vote of confidence in the metro. I think I will partake on my next trip.

[QUOTE=Cerebro;1822506]I did not hook up with any girls I got the whatsapp. It is my only regret. I sort of did not want to at that time. Now I wished I did with two I stay in touch. I can't say much about night club, the night life or strip clubs cause I am not a night monger. I made a couple of trips to Parque Llera at night, but by midnight I was getting ready to go to bed. I did not visit any strip clubs so I don't know. I find that I prefer casa hunting in the mornings and afternoons and prefer to sleep at night. The metro rides were great. They are very scenic and you can see the landscape of Medellin in great detail because the metro is not underground. It is super safe, clean and modern. I always saw Police presence in most if not all the terminals. The metro is the Pride of Medellin that everyone respect and care. Even the delinquents and bums respect the Metro so that is not the place they will likely go except for pickpockets you have to watch out during rush hours. It is easy to use, easier to use than NYC subways and much more cleaner, they run quite often and get you to most places in Medellin. They are very crowded during rush hours. Better than the Taxi? It depends of what you want. It is much cheaper than taxis. It is quick. The taxis are just more convenient to use, but you pay more for it. I don't trust taxis anywhere in the world so I only used then if it absolutely necessary.

Cerebro[/QUOTE]

Here are some suggestions for things to do in Medellin:

1)[URL]http://www.realcitytours.com/[/URL].

[URL]http://www.realcitytours.com/[/URL]#!free-walking-tour / c1 hbi This is great free tour in English. They will show the highlights in the Centro of Medellin and more of the real Medellin.

[URL]http://www.realcitytours.com/[/URL]#!exotic-fruits-tour / c3 bo This is paid tour, but you eat and are shown lots of exotic fruits and were to.

2) Pablo Escobar Tours [URL]http://paisaroad.com/tour-pablo-escobar[/URL] 3 hours tours, very good price 45 K.

3) Guatape [URL]http://toursguatape.com/[/URL] This is a whole day tour. Good price 69 K with breakfast, lunch, a boat trip, visit couple of cities outside Medellin In Spanish, but you can ask for English translation and pay something extra.

[URL]http://toursguatape.com/images/stories/planenglish.pdf[/URL]

4) Comuna Tour [URL]http://www.comuna13tours.com/[/URL] This is a fun tour if you want to see a famous Medellin comun and learn about its history, and take the metro cable with the tour group.

5) Bike Tour[URL]http://www.medellinbiketour.com/[/URL].

[URL]http://www.medellinbiketour.com/q-a-3[/URL]

6) Bici Tour [URL]http://www.bicitour.co/[/URL] Another bike tour company much cheaper than #4.

[URL]http://www.bicitour.co/horarios[/URL]

7) Medellin and Antioquia Tours [URL]http://www.turismoenmedellin.com[/URL].

[URL]http://www.turismoenmedellin.com/turismed/pg1122/sp/sitios-lugares-turisticos-tours-en-medellin[/URL]#ancla.

[URL]http://www.turismoenmedellin.com/turismed/pg1361/sp/tours-en-antioquia[/URL]#ancla.

8) The tours bellow are offered by Toucan Cafe [URL]http://www.toucancafe.co/tour-schedule/[/URL].

Coffee tasting experience.

When: Mon to Fri 4 pm – 6 pm at Toucan Café.

Price: 20,000 COP (minimum 1 person, maximum 15).

Booking: No need to book, just arrive at 345 pm.

Private Workshop: The Coffee Tasting Experience can be run as a private event. Contact us for more information.

Language: English (Spanish on request).

Barist Workshop.

When: Can be run weekdays 6 – 8 pm or Saturdays 2 – 4 pm at Toucan Café.

Price: 100,000 COP per person (minimum 2 people required, maximum 4).

Booking: We recommend you book at least 2 – 5 days in advance, especially if you prefer our English speaking trainer. Please use the booking form.

Private Workshop: Can be booked as a private event. Prices on request.

Language: English or Spanish.

Half Day tour.

Medellin Graffiti tour.

When: Tuesdays & Thursdays at 2 – 6 pm, departs from the Toucan Café.

Price: 50,000 COP (part proceeds support the education of local youth).

Booking: Please book 24 hours in advance using the booking form. Or drop by the Toucan Cafe, remember to bring your passport.

Private Tour: this tour can also be run any day of the week as a private tour. Prices on request.

Language: Spanish with Bilingual Guide (English).

Full Day Tours.

Coffee farm and chocolate farm tour.

When: Tours depart on a regular basis when there is a minimum of 5 people. If you are not a group of 5 people, no problem, contact us and we'll group you together with other people.

Tour Price: 140,000 COP (about US $50) – part proceeds support the local communities that we visit.

Booking: Please use the booking form. Or drop by the Toucan Cafe, remember to bring your passport.

Private Tour: this tour can also be run any day of the week as a private tour. Prices on request. Please book with 2 days advance notice.

Language: Spanish with Bilingual Guide (English).

Cloud Forest tour.

When: on demand.

Private Tour: this tour currently runs as a private tour only, please ask for prices. Please book with 2 days advance notice.

Booking: Please use the booking form. Or drop by the Toucan Cafe, remember to bring your passport / s.

Language: Spanish with Bilingual Guide (English) if required.

9) Other places and other recommendations [URL]http://www.touringmedellin.com/things-to-do-2/[/URL].

Thanks to Eric and Jake for a great visit these are now brothers. Introduced me to a great city & casas which I will soon call home and they have the unique tours & chicas GFE for an awesome time & the passion of these girls is nothing short of amazing spend a few bucks come on down they have a great place & will show you the details of this great city and an awesome tour. Bros for life see you soon! As far as the women not much has to be said as they are all amazing and I slept with the first 10 of my life!

Good Advice. Personally I wear what I want, where I want. But for the average person this is all good advice. I only had one problem in Medellin late at night but quickly took care of it in a non violent way. Medellin was no more dangerous then any other large city that I been too.

[QUOTE=RubMeister100;1822830]Not to pile on but if the guy was wearing a gold watch and gold chains, then he made himself a target. Frankly, I've never understood jewellery. Seems like pure and simple showing off.

Some thoughts on personal security while abroad, and especially in second or third world areas.

1. No jewellery. No rings, no chains, no watch unless it is a simple and visibly cheap plastic watch. No fancy designer sunglasses.

2. Buy an inexpensive dual sim $75 Android smartphone and leave your "good" phone at home. IPhones are especially noticeable as are the white earbuds.

3. No designer clothes especially with grading labels visible. You do not impress anyone except potential thieves. Wear simple clean pants like jeans and a button up shirt that you let hang over your pants. A T-shirt shows that you are unarmed. A loose fitting shirt over the waist leaves a question mark as to whether you [I]might[/I] be armed. Same with overtly high value shoes, like expensive Puma's or Nike's.

4. Whenever possible, no backpack. Maybe a shoulder bag worn across your chest. Zipped up to reduce pickpocketing.

5. Banking and cash.

A. Have enough cash on hand for the day. If you get accosted, hand it over without any fight nor attitude nor smart remark. Even if you are a Krav maga expert.

Be. Carry one debit card and your credit card. In separate pockets. Have your debit card limited to whatever you think you might need in a day. Personally, I only ever keep $1,000.00 in my account that is tied to my debit card. That way I am never at risk for more than $1 k thought kidnapping, fraud etc. I transfer money to that account as needed to keep $1 k in it.

See. Use only ATM's in areas you feel are secure.

The. ALWAYS cover your hand when entering your PIN. Even if you think it looks like you don't trust the clerk or no one is looking.

6. Self Defense- It is almost never worth fighting over theft of money or property. NOTHING you have on your person is worth even breaking your hand over punching the guy in the face.

However, I strongly recommend that anyone take take a few lessons and Krav Maga [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_Maga[/URL] so that if faced with threats to your physical being that you can respond with more than flailing and girly punches.

Basically, Krav Maga is a collection of brutal, dirty street fighting techniques derived from many martial arts with an underlying philosophy and designed to deliver an immediate and debilitating strike to a threat so that you can run away. Think kicking in the balls, scratching the guys eyes out and sucker punch flat palmed uppercuts to break his nose. Then running away before he gets up. I know it is not "fair" fighting. It is specifically designed as a brutal self-defence system. It is really easy to learn a few basic moves from any one of many local shops worldwide.

Just a few stream of consciousness thoughts to share.[/QUOTE]

Hello all,

I just joined after reading the last 50 pages. Lots of info. I am in my planning stages.

[QUOTE=RubMeister100;1822830]

Be. Carry one debit card and your credit card. In separate pockets. Have your debit card limited to whatever you think you might need in a day. Personally, I only ever keep $1,000.00 in my account that is tied to my debit card. That way I am never at risk for more than $1 k thought kidnapping, fraud etc. I transfer money to that account as needed to keep $1 k in it.

See. Use only ATM's in areas you feel are secure.
[/QUOTE]Good report RubMeister. But I don't even carry a debit card or credit card around with me. I get my money from an ATM and then go straight back to my hotel and put the money and cards in the safe. Same thing with a credit card. I only carry the money I think I will need for the day. And I don't carry a wallet.