Had several great experiences with a beautiful Black / Hispanic sweetheart who works the 1 PM to 8 PM shift.
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Had several great experiences with a beautiful Black / Hispanic sweetheart who works the 1 PM to 8 PM shift.
[QUOTE=Manizales911;2036527]Until your card gets cloned. At least using an ATM you can check it for the skimming equipment, if you use your card in restaurants it is only a matter of time before your card is cloned, cloning is rampant in Colombia. Use a no fee debit card from Schwab or one of the other banks at ATM's.[/QUOTE]Who cares? I call my bank, they cancel the card, remove the fraudulent charges and send me a new card. All four of my credit cards have chips on them as well and cannot be used over the phone in Latin America. But more to the point, who cares? I won't be responsible for any of the fraudulent charges.
[QUOTE=YippieKayay;2036476]I think you are thinking about it in the wrong way. Those cambio casas are offering shitty rates that are far below market rates. In any case, Bancolombia was not charging additional fees. Banco de Bogota was. So was Davivienda[/QUOTE]I have never been charged an extra fee for using Davivienda's ATM's. Used one last week. Banco de Bogota started adding the additional fees within the last year. I don't use them any more. Bancolombia is the primary ATM's I use, now that they are accepting the Schwab card. I've noticed Bancolombia and Davivienda give very similar exchange rates at their ATM's. Contrary to what I've seen posted in the past, the card issuing bank does not determine the exchange rate. I've received different rates from different banks' ATM's when the transactions were less than an hour apart. I've also noticed the rates stay the same throughout the day (tied to the previous day's published exchange rate). I think the rates at the ATM's are updated in the evening, around 9 pm. By watching the published exchange rate, I was able to time the withdrawals to get the best rates. For 12 days ending Monday, I averaged 2954/$1.
Just to reaffirm what YippieKayay said about the cambio casas, the last time I checked their rates, I could make a profit by withdrawing COP from an ATM and then exchanging it for dollars at the cambio's. ATM's with a card like Schwab is the way to go, IMO.
[QUOTE=ElMechanico;2036414]Just a heads up here guys, when in the CTG last week I brought mostly cash & exchanged at an exchange house near Torre Centaurio in Laguito & got 2700:1. In El Centro I got 2750:1. I just checked my Schwab statement & got 3153:1 on a 200,000 COP withdrawal & 2965:1 on 2 seperate 300,000 COP withdrawals.[/QUOTE]I'm curious, what bank ATM did you get 3153/$1?
What estratos are these municipalities?
[QUOTE=PepolesBuddy;2036738]What estratos are these municipalities?[/QUOTE]I venture to guess that both Bello and Itagui are 2 and Sabanetta is a range of 2-4.
TTM.
[QUOTE=PepolesBuddy;2036738]What estratos are these municipalities?[/QUOTE]Bello, mostly Estrato 2 to 4, average over 3 (more 3 and 4 areas than 1 and 2).
Itagui, Estrato 1 to 4, average 3 or a little less.
Sabaneta, Estrato 2 to 4, average 3.
This is from a quick sampling of apartments for rent in the 3 areas. Most immobilarias list the estrato where the property is located.
[QUOTE=FunLuvr;2036706]I'm curious, what bank ATM did you get 3153/$1?[/QUOTE]I don't remember, sorry. The ATM receipt has BBVA at the top of it tho. I taped the receipt to the Schwab statement with the transaction I am referring to indicated by the arrow. I hope this helps.
El Mechanico.
[QUOTE=Sargent50;2036523]Curacao? I keep hearing about this place.[/QUOTE]It's just off the coast of Venezuela, next to the island of Aruba.
Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island, is known for its beaches tucked into coves and its expansive coral reefs rich with marine life. The capital, Willemstad, has pastel-colored colonial architecture, floating Queen Emma Bridge and the sand-floored, 17th-century Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue. It's also a gateway to western beaches like Blue Bay, a popular diving site.
I use this when at the Hotel Botero.
6 Strip clubs underlined in light blue.
10 Casa's in light purple- some with hours of operation.
SW Red light blocks in red.
3 Centro love motels also listed (Spazios, Eros, Hawaiian).
& the address's to Energy & Fase II with hours of operation.
[QUOTE=PepolesBuddy;2036738]What estratos are these municipalities?[/QUOTE]"To understand Colombia and its people you need to understand the government stratum system. In speaking people use the word estrato as in "he lives in estrato 4. " To my knowledge Colombia is the only country to have it as law. In the opinion of many the scheme has evolved to deciding how a person is viewed and what opportunities are available to them as well as giving the wealthy an upper-hand.
The plan started in the late 1980's for Bogotá. In 1994 a law specifically noted how areas or neighborhoods throughout the country should be classified in the stratum.
The stratums run from 1 to 6.
Stratum 1: Lowest class.
Stratum 2: Low-middle class.
Stratum 3: Middle class.
Stratum 4: Upper middle class.
Stratum 5: Upper class.
Stratum 6: Wealthy.
The idea is those in the higher stratum help pay for the services (water, electricity, gas) of those in the lower stratums.
An example would be that an estrato 6 home may pay $175 USD on their water bill while estrato 3, using the same amount of water, will have a bill for $100. Those in 1 and 2 will pay even less."
[QUOTE=ElMechanico;2036774]I don't remember, sorry. The ATM reciept has BBVA at the top of it tho. I taped the reciept to the Schwab statement with the transaction I am referring to indicated by the arrow. I hope this helps.
El Mechanico.[/QUOTE]Thanks for the information. I will try a BBVA ATM during my next trip. You received 18,800 extra on a $100 equivalent withdrawal. I usually withdraw around $2,000 in COP during a trip. That extra would amount to two dates with the ladies at my apartment.
Where can I find this information myself?
[QUOTE=PepolesBuddy;2036839]Where can I find this information myself?[/QUOTE]There are several immobilaria (real estate) websites. I use an app called Finca Raiz.
[QUOTE=Wolf662;2036813]The idea is those in the higher stratum help pay for the services (water, electricity, gas) of those in the lower stratums.
An example would be that an estrato 6 home may pay $175 USD on their water bill while estrato 3, using the same amount of water, will have a bill for $100. Those in 1 and 2 will pay even less."[/QUOTE]Excellent post! Hilary, Bernie & Osama would approve of this Socio-economic mechanism!
El Mechanico.