Dress and Attire Guidelines For El Centro- No Water Bottles or Sunglasses
[QUOTE=BigMonkeyP;2370268]Oh I'm with you man. To clarify, I prefer not to walk around in shorts in MDE like I would in other countries. My preference is to try not be too much of a gringo.[/QUOTE]Interesting posts about man bags, fanny packs, backpacks, shorts, etc. If the intent is to be as much as possible under the radar or seem less than a gringo, there are other things that will give you away as a foreigner in El Centro.
If your in Poblado or Laureles you will see Colombian in shorts. But in El Centro very rarely.
Sunday's are an exception and you will see more people wearing shorts all over town, but again hardly in El Centro.
In regards to man bags and fanny packs, I haven't ever seen Colombians with these. However, backpacks are worn by just about everyone.
So a dead ringer that you are foreigner in El Centro is if you have a bottle of water in your hand. Seems odd perhaps, but the water is potable in Medellin, and the locals are not going to pay 2,000 Pesos for a bottle of water. The alternative are the plastic bags of water, 500 Pesos and that's what keep's me hydrated when I am there.
The next item that will give you away in El Centro besides jewelry etc, is if you are wearing sunglasses. May seem odd, but the locals in El Centro don't wear them.
So if you have dark hair, a darker complexion, not blue eyes, wear old jeans and a T-shirt and a backpack you will not stick out like a sore thumb in El Centro and may be able to pass as a Colombian.