Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=IguanaSix;1883985]I took the bus from the airport to central on my last trip, and it was very convenient as it left me right behind my hotel, the Nutibara. But after commuting to airport parking, taking the shuttle to the gate, TSA (which should stand for Too Stupid to work for Arby's - "I caught a terrorist!" said no TSA worker ever.), a 3. 5 hour flight, and then the maddening slow pace people disembark from pl.

Anes, I want my vacation to start immediately, and I'm not going waste time waiting for and changing buses to get Poblado.

Also, I wasn't going to walk from NL to Poblado. Not for me. I have taken the metro to Poblado station and walked heart attack hill, pausing to get a nice ice cream cone for 1,000 cop before reaching Parque Poblado. Nice, on a hot day.

The Metro also has two stops in the Prado area that are a kilometer away from a cluster of day time, local-oriented casas. The neighborhood is kinda sketchy, so I would not recommed it, to non Spanish speakers.

The idea of picking up talent off the street seems dicey. You have no recourse if she goes rogue on you, and she has no incentive. If she doesn't think she will ever see you again. To behave. Even established providers, like the famous Kelly, reacted to a provocation by a client with an attack to his eye with a cologne bottle, and all she lost was her Mansion priviledges,; not a real deterrent because she has been so independent for so long.

I would like to know more about the Premium Hotel, however.[/QUOTE]This hotel is a hooker hotel with short time rooms on the lower floor and longer time rooms on the upper floors. On one trip I rented a room for a month. The pricing is around 30 K per day and they have rooms with single and double beds. The women that run the place are very helpful, check ID's of girls they suspect might be to young. Nobody speaks English so you shouldn't even consider staying there if you have no Spanish speaking skills. The place also serves as an "unofficial" police substation at night as the cops use the Internet and have coffee there.

As far as talent off the street, I have had good luck but you have to be careful and again need some Spanish speaking skills and have your guard up at all times!.

I will play devil's advocate. For some, I suppose soaking in local color whilst waiting for the airport bus to depart and make its way down from Rionegro, then making your way from the bus stop in Centro to your hotel. Cash and luggage on board. Is part of the vacation. Personally, I don't get it. For an extra US $15 to US $20, I say fuck that noise. But it's just me.

[QUOTE=IguanaSix;1883985]I took the bus from the airport to central on my last trip, and it was very convenient as it left me right behind my hotel, the Nutibara. But after commuting to airport parking, taking the shuttle to the gate, TSA (which should stand for Too Stupid to work for Arby's - "I caught a terrorist!" said no TSA worker ever.), a 3. 5 hour flight, and then the maddening slow pace people disembark from pl.

Anes, I want my vacation to start immediately, and I'm not going waste time waiting for and changing buses to get Poblado.

Also, I wasn't going to walk from NL to Poblado. Not for me. I have taken the metro to Poblado station and walked heart attack hill, pausing to get a nice ice cream cone for 1,000 cop before reaching Parque Poblado. Nice, on a hot day..[/QUOTE]

Carry a copy if it makes you feel better. I never recommend running around with your passport in your pocket. Secure it in your room. A driver's license or other picture ID is sufficient for banking or credit card transactions, or if you find yourself in a law enforcement checkpoint. It's inconvenient and expensive to replace a lost or stolen passport. You probably already know that last bit.

[QUOTE=EasyEase;1884059]Hi fellow mongers,

I have a question regarding carrying an ID in Colombia. Do you carry your passport with you when you go out or is a copy enough. For example in Kiev it is impossible to leave without your ID or you will get problems with the cops. In Thailand and Germany I always carry only a copy of my passport. It is totally enough to have a copy (if you look legitimate and not like a junky).

How do you handle this matter?

Thank you,

Easyease[/QUOTE]

Walking from Poblado to NL is not recommended. Too far to walk there unless you enjoy walking 3 or 4 hours and is not safe to walk from poblado there with all the traffic and non pedestrian roads. A 2 k (70 cents) buseta from poblado to centro, parque barrio or to parque Bolivar is the best way or a metro train from Poblado station to Parque berrio or Prado stop and to walk from there, 10-15 min walk. The area is sketchy as you mentioned but for me the area its sort of entertaining and I tend to enjoy my walk there with my eyes wide open, like a child going to a zoo or jungle for the first time. If you are less adventurous or lazy or scare, a taxi is best. I t.

Spanish or non Spanish speaking is okay to wonder and explore during light hours. I don't recommend anyone to be there when is dark or night time.

The heart attack hill from Poblado metro station can be avoided with the 2 k busetas outside the station that go up the hill through calle 10 and pass Poblado park and keep going up that hill towards Parque lleras.

[QUOTE=IguanaSix;1883985]Anes, I want my vacation to start immediately, and I'm not going waste time waiting for and changing buses to get Poblado.
Also, I wasn't going to walk from NL to Poblado. Not for me. I have taken the metro to Poblado station and walked heart attack hill, pausing to get a nice ice cream cone for 1,000 cop before reaching Parque Poblado. Nice, on a hot day.
The Metro also has two stops in the Prado area that are a kilometer away from a cluster of day time, local-oriented casas. The neighborhood is kinda sketchy, so I would not recommed it, to non Spanish speakers.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=EasyEase;1884059]Hi fellow mongers,

I have a question regarding carrying an ID in Colombia. Do you carry your passport with you when you go out or is a copy enough. For example in Kiev it is impossible to leave without your ID or you will get problems with the cops. In Thailand and Germany I always carry only a copy of my passport. It is totally enough to have a copy (if you look legitimate and not like a junky).

How do you handle this matter?

Thank you,

Easyease[/QUOTE]It is the law to have ID with you in Colombia. It's a serious law. You could get arrested for not having an ID. A copy of passport and drivers license is acceptable by police. Make sure you copy the page with your entrance stamp if you carry a copy. I tend to carry the original with me, but some don't recommend this because if someone robs you, you will be stuck in Colombia until you resolve the problem with your embassy. Some recommend to leave your passport in the safe of your hotel. But I'm paranoiac and I take it with me because I feel that the chances of someone stealing my passport from a hotel safe are the same as me getting robbed on the street.

The police don't bother tourist in Medellin unless you are drunk acting disorderly or breaking the law. I only have gotten stopped by police in Santa Fe red-light district in Bogota as they check peple there often. I have never been stopped by police in Medellin. In Santa Fe Bogotá as soon as the police saw my American passport they let me go and just joked with me, exclaiming ah American and when I replied that I American but born in the Dominican Republic, they got a big smile and repeated the names of Dominican baseball player Samy Sosa and Bachata singers Juan Luis Guerra and Romeo.

Mile.

[QUOTE=BayBoy;1884063]There's buses just outside the Poblado metro station that will take you up heart attack hill and leave you off 1 block from Parque Poblado. Cost is a few cents mas or menos.[/QUOTE]This interssts me. Thank you for the information. Sometimes I want the exercise of walking, sometimes the speed / convenience of a cab, and sometimes I'd like to this.

How is this bus marked? Does it also go down the hill back to the station along 10 a? Where would I catch it on the way down?

[QUOTE=EasyEase;1884059]Hi fellow mongers,

I have a question regarding carrying an ID in Colombia. Do you carry your passport with you when you go out or is a copy enough. For example in Kiev it is impossible to leave without your ID or you will get problems with the cops. In Thailand and Germany I always carry only a copy of my passport. It is totally enough to have a copy (if you look legitimate and not like a junky).

How do you handle this matter?

Thank you,

Easyease[/QUOTE]In eight years, and 25 plus trips, I have never been stopped by cops. However, I don't dress in a way that would make me stand out. How would a middle class person of my age dress? Japan has the concept of the "salaryman," and there is a local equivalent.

Even in the casas, you see them, leather shoes, dress slacks, dress shirt with no tie, open collared, sleeves folded up just once, small messanger bag. I would think that would be good camouflage for mongers of a certain age.

I carry my Global Entry card. It looks like a cedula. Or sometimes I carry a copy of my passport ID page and entry visa stamp. When I stayed in a hotel in SJO, they took my passport ID page, made a copy the size of a business card, put their hotel business card on the back and laminated it. Very cool!

[QUOTE=IguanaSix;1884119]In eight years, and 25 plus trips, I have never been stopped by cops. However, I don't dress in a way that would make me stand out. How would a middle class person of my age dress? Japan has the concept of the "salaryman," and there is a local equivalent.

Even in the casas, you see them, leather shoes, dress slacks, dress shirt with no tie, open collared, sleeves folded up just once, small messanger bag. I would think that would be good camouflage for mongers of a certain age.[/QUOTE]Well August was my second trip to Medellin (but probably 100th to Colombia) and we were stopped going into a casa. Not by cops, but by immigration. You can search my Medellin posts in August for details. There is no camouflage for foreigners. They know you are not Colombian no matter what you wear. And being immigration, they were actively looking for foreigners. So whether you are walking around in a 3 piece suit or a string bikini, they know you are not from there.

[QUOTE=IguanaSix;1884116]This interssts me. Thank you for the information. Sometimes I want the exercise of walking, sometimes the speed / convenience of a cab, and sometimes I'd like to this.

How is this bus marked? Does it also go down the hill back to the station along 10 a? Where would I catch it on the way down?[/QUOTE]I never took a bus back to the metro station. Always walked it since its all downhill. But 10 a is one way going up the hill so I don't know where you'd catch it.

[QUOTE=BayBoy;1884132]I never took a bus back to the metro station. Always walked it since its all downhill. But 10 a is one way going up the hill so I don't know where you'd catch it.[/QUOTE]Well, many major one way streets have the basic streets, then it paralel street going in the opposite direction. In this case, there is 10 and 10 A.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;1884122]Well August was my second trip to Medellin (but probably 100th to Colombia) and we were stopped going into a casa. Not by cops, but by immigration. You can search my Medellin posts in August for details. There is no camouflage for foreigners. They know you are not Colombian no matter what you wear. And being immigration, they were actively looking for foreigners. So whether you are walking around in a 3 piece suit or a string bikini, they know you are not from there.[/QUOTE]So without searching all your posts, what was immigration looking for with foreigners at a casa? Did you have a copy of your Passport or other ID on you that they wanted to see?

I got stopped once at 2 in the morning at a "reten militar" a military checkpoint on Calle 10 going up the hill to Parque Lleras and showed them a photocopy of my Passport and when they asked why I didn't have the original with me I told them I didn't want it stolen and that it was in my safe deposit box and that if they wanted to see it they could come with me to my hotel. They then let me go and it's always a good idea to carry a copy of your passport I have a reduced / laminated copy along with a copy of your entry stamp as well.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;1884122].You can search my Medellin posts in August for details. [/QUOTE]I tried to search your posts for that report but apparently only the last 300 posts are archived. Your post history goes back to Feb of this year. Is there any way to re-post or PM me your experience with immigration?

Thanks,

El Mechanico.

I just applied for a new passport and decided to spend the 40 bucks to get a passport card. My understanding is it's used by folks who go back and forth to Mexico / Canada frequently. Wondering if anybody has any experience with it as a substitute for a copy or the passport itself.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;1766661]Left Poblado where we got dropped off after the Pablo Escobar tour and headed to my favorite centro casa. We were 2 taxis deep. I got out not paying attention and saw 1 wingman walk in. I was about to walk in when I saw another wingman talking to someone and surrounded by a group of people. I went back to ask him what was going on. What the fuck? It was immigration right in front of the casa. And they wanted to see everyone's passport. There was also a lady with the Human Rights Division with them. And a bunch of neighbors in the street watching.

I was the only one with any type of ID so I busted out my passport card. They looked it over and said they wanted to see the document that I entered the country on. I told them thay nobody is going to carry their passport book in the street and risk it being lost. Right then they realized that the 1 wingman had escaped into the casa and sent someone in to get him.

He asked how long I had been in the country. Then he asked if I had entered in Medellin or Bogota. I told him that we were all from the USA and staying at a hotel downtown. He started keying the info that was on my ID into his phone. The wingman that they had detained gave him the card of the hotel we are staying. He called the hotel to verify everyone's passport (they make a copy when you check in).

Everything checked out and they let us go. We went upstairs to the casa and quickly picked some girls to go poke on and I took these pictures while waiting for my girl to get ready.[/QUOTE]Here is my report from August. Click on it to see the pictures.

[QUOTE=HarvestBoi;1884373]I just applied for a new passport and decided to spend the 40 bucks to get a passport card. My understanding is it's used by folks who go back and forth to Mexico / Canada frequently. Wondering if anybody has any experience with it as a substitute for a copy or the passport itself.[/QUOTE]Yes, the passport card is for land or sea travel between the US, Canada, Mexico and Caribbean destinations (via cruise ship). You can't use it for air travel. I carry my passport card and a copy of my passport book for identification purposes. I've never been asked for ID, so I don't know how useful it is.