IMHO, Bogota is NOT As Safe as Alex Klein Suggests
This post looks like some kook spamming the board trying to fleece visitors. He wants to be hired as a guide yet thinks there is no danger in BOG? Even in the Zona Rosa people get mugged regularly. ALWAYS keep your wits about you. I feel Bogota is more dangerous than other cities and is CERTAINLY muchj more dangerous than Cartagena. That is provable fact.
It is also obvious that English is not Alex's first language, not that there is anything wrong with that. Also, this is not a member of the board but, rather, aguy who appears to have just "joined" to advertise.
I wonder why Jackson didn't delete the post entirely.
JUST Came Back from Buenos Aires and NO WAY BOG is Safer
I would like to see the SOURCE of Alex's "statistics" showing Bogota has less crime than BA. Mexico DF has a horrible reputation for crime, and perhaps it is worse than Bogota but I have never had much interest in DF really so am less knowledgeable.
As I mentioned I spent the first week of March in BA and NOT only in Recoleta or Baqrrio Norte rich areas. We cruised to Dolly in Flores, a large red light area with ZERO gringos but TONS of drunken Argentines. We walked the microcentro at all hours.
Now this thing about crime in rich areas, while true, does NOT mean it is not MUCH worse in poor areas. Who here has EVER been to the South part of the city (beyond La Candelaria)? Hell centro and the Centro Internacional is WAY sketchy after the crowds leave when business hours end, and these are NOT poor areas like exist further South.
This is NOT to say one cannot enjoy BOG in REASONABLE safety by using good judgment, but BEWARE false claims made by touts out to make a buck. Use big city common sense, RESEARCH THOROUGHLY (ask LOTS of questions of taxi drivers, hotel staff etc) and go with a Spanish speaker you trust.
I am NOT Bogota bashing as I do like the city, but to suggest it is safer than BA strains Alex's already minimal credibility to the breaking point.