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[QUOTE=Scrivs]I am heading to Colombia for the first time on the 10th Nov for about 3 weeks. I will be spending a week in CTG then on to MDL for a week and finally Bogota. Is anyone else going to be around or does anyone have up to the minute advice.
Thanks,
Scrivs[/QUOTE]
Hope you are planning on flying between major cities. Land travel is not advised -- although some people here have done it. I have taken a bus from CTG to Santa Marta but that's about as brave as I'd get.
David
[QUOTE=Sean EZ]I used to rent from Mery, and more often from Juan lately. Juan is a stand up guy. Back in 2002 or 2003 a two bedroom went for 50-60 USD per night: a nice apartment with a balcony, waterfront, air. Goes for 100-110 high season these days. I am not sure where you get "20 or even 30 buck a day now".[/QUOTE]
You don't get it for $20-30 per night. He's out of date with today's prices. He's still living in 2003.
David
[QUOTE=Johan007]it's very simple...don't go there yourself and let your amiga do the talking;-) if they see gringo....price will go up;-)
entiendes?
Johan[/QUOTE]
Sounds like you've been smoking too much of that weed.
Who do you think signs the rental agreement and gets added to their registry of guests? They are required by the office of the police inspector to maintain a registry. Anyone that has a complaint can take it to the police inspector.
A foreigner will always pay more no matter who does the talking. If you need a puta to talk for you to rent an apartment, you're in the wrong country. Come back when you can speak enough spanish.
David
Johan must be talking about street hustlers offering apartments. I wouldn't stay there, those are for colombian tourists. I don't know how safe they are and I doubt they are quality accomodations.
[QUOTE=Davidb3069]Sounds like you've been smoking too much of that weed.
Who do you think signs the rental agreement and gets added to their registry of guests? They are required by the office of the police inspector to maintain a registry. Anyone that has a complaint can take it to the police inspector.
A foreigner will always pay more no matter who does the talking. If you need a puta to talk for you to rent an apartment, you're in the wrong country. Come back when you can speak enough spanish.
David[/QUOTE]
Dear Friends,
I just wanted to note that I've just posted my most recent series of reports on Prague, complete with lots of photos. It's in the Czech Republic in the Prague thread. - Tripp
[QUOTE=Sean EZ]Johan must be talking about street hustlers offering apartments. I wouldn't stay there, those are for colombian tourists. I don't know how safe they are and I doubt they are quality accomodations.[/QUOTE]
Not really. We once stayed in a "street hustler's" Laguito apartment. 4 bedroom, 3-4 bathroom place, fully furnished place, hot water, a/c. Only cost COP120.000/nite back when the rate was COP2600 to $1 USD. Nice place on the beachside.
Only issue was that the leg was broken on one of the chairs for the dining table. Everything else was perfectly fine.
I swear, some people's true perceptions of locals in the locales they visit are so......
[QUOTE=Sean EZ]Johan must be talking about street hustlers offering apartments. I wouldn't stay there, those are for colombian tourists. I don't know how safe they are and I doubt they are quality accomodations.[/QUOTE]
I've looked at some of the apartments they were pushing before. They were all mostly high-end ones. 100,000+ COP daily. When the place is full-up, sometimes you need to look at all the options. In general, you can go to the same places and get an apartment on your own. Sometimes they do know people with apartments that are privately rented. I've rented that way too before. Depends on the situation. Regardless, there's no sneaking in under the umbrella of a colombian. They all are required to use registries. Alot of them these days even issue id cards which security asks for. I've seen that a few times now. It's their way of collecting an additional $5-10K as a one-time fee.
David
An apartment is an apartment. The street hustlers are pushing you not an apartment. I. E. All he wants is to be the one that walks up with you as you walk into a building. He then gets his small kickback. It's irrelevant which apartment or which building you choose. Someone mentioned having a Colombian or Colombiana go up. ABSOLUTLEY. Gringo stay the fock away. Have your gf go inquire about the apartment and then have her come get you. This should be common sense. It saves me $$$ time after time. At apartments, hotels, and apartastudios. This is a given in any city in Colombia. Not just Cartagena.
[QUOTE=Davidb3069]I walked out of several buildings when they wouldn't lower the price off $70 -80K. As of today 11/6/07 $70K is $35 USD and $80K is $40USD. This was this year and last and different seasons (low and high). Never been there in the reina period. [/QUOTE]
Hate to break it to you, but you are in the reina period right now.
[QUOTE=Tom 33]Hate to break it to you, but you are in the reina period right now.[/QUOTE]
I'm not in Colombia. I'm sitting at home w/ a broken leg/wrist. I've still never been there during the reina period. Thru the magic of the internet, I am able to get the exchange rate even right here in Florida! Isn't that amazing.
David
[QUOTE=Winner71]An apartment is an apartment. The street hustlers are pushing you not an apartment. I. E. All he wants is to be the one that walks up with you as you walk into a building. He then gets his small kickback. It's irrelevant which apartment or which building you choose. Someone mentioned having a Colombian or Colombiana go up. ABSOLUTLEY. Gringo stay the fock away. Have your gf go inquire about the apartment and then have her come get you. This should be common sense. It saves me $$$ time after time. At apartments, hotels, and apartastudios. This is a given in any city in Colombia. Not just Cartagena.[/QUOTE]
I've rented apartments in several countries and cities and Cartagena so far has been about the least cut and dry:
Some of the street guys (such as the last one to help me) had apartments he was showing that the building management wouldn't have had available. One of those where people buy them and rent them out privately. Other buildings and apartments I looked at were rented by the management. Alot of times it's as you say, it's just a kickback and you could have done it on your own. Other times, you must know someone that has the apartments. At one building, the manager owns a few apartments herself and rents them out. One time the management had to call an apartment owner to see if she had ok'ed a rental because they didn't have a key there. They have some of the poorest managed properties I've seen anywhere.
If you can find a chick that is able to find a lower price for you, more power to you. You can't count on it. The management's probably laughing their a** off thinking you're not man enough to negociate your own deals. You need to send a puta in. The puta wears the pants apparently in that family.
David
[QUOTE=Davidb3069]I've looked at some of the apartments they were pushing before. They were all mostly high-end ones. 100,000+ COP daily. When the place is full-up, sometimes you need to look at all the options. In general, you can go to the same places and get an apartment on your own. Sometimes they do know people with apartments that are privately rented. I've rented that way too before. Depends on the situation. Regardless, there's no sneaking in under the umbrella of a colombian. They all are required to use registries. Alot of them these days even issue id cards which security asks for. I've seen that a few times now. It's their way of collecting an additional $5-10K as a one-time fee.
David[/QUOTE]
Fuck...they even took my fingerprints back then when I signed (together with my ex) that contract for rent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you fucking beleive it??? like i was some criminal or something:-(
If you know your way arround....and speak GOOD spanish there are ways to still find appartments at 30 usd a day...trust me. Just don't walk into the first best app. ye see and rent it;-) Have a look arround....first.
Johan
[QUOTE=Johan007]Fuck...they even took my fingerprints back then when I signed (together with my ex) that contract for rent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you fucking beleive it??? like i was some criminal or something:-(
If you know your way arround....and speak GOOD spanish there are ways to still find appartments at 30 usd a day...trust me. Just don't walk into the first best app. ye see and rent it;-) Have a look arround....first.
Johan[/QUOTE]
If you haven't been there since 2003, how would you know this? What season? Where? This is the part that is confusing me. It's like me quoting prices for properties in CR. I haven't been there in 5 years. I'd be just guessing instead of using first-hand knowledge.
And what are the names of the properties? If you cannot name them, you're just guessing.
I have personally walked in and checked prices at 6 or more properties on Laguito this year and last year (from LDV to the Hilton). Can you say the same? I've rented from half of them between LDV and Hilton.
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I'm going to go out on a limb here. I know there are apartments for rent in Managua, Nicaragua for $5 a day. Haven't been there in 5-6 years...but I bet they are available. It's a fact! Does this sound equally as stupid?
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David
For you to examine and take into account. Fresh news from Cartagena. I translate:
Noviembre 11 de 2007
Extraña muerte de un estadounidense en el sector de Getsemaní, en Cartagena
(Strange death of a U.S. man in Getsemani sector, at Cartagena)
Supposedly, death was due to drugs verdose, but there are other hypotheses. The man was in a poor sector, where thieves and street girls are common. Please read from this episode before a bad choice.
[QUOTE=Usuario Mck]
Supposedly, death was due to drugs verdose, but there are other hypotheses. The man was in a poor sector, where thieves and street girls are common. Please read from this episode before a bad choice.[/QUOTE]
What bad choice? you mean kind and quantity of drugs?
Thank you, but I never used that. In Getsemani I had an excellent soup in Plaza de la Trinidad, though.