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[QUOTE=BlueTouch;2559211]It is time to reevaluate, without bias and wishful thinking, if it is worth visiting Colombia over other venues.[/QUOTE]Most of the countries we visit in this hobby are suffering severely over the last year. Brasil, Colombia, DR can be violent in normal times but are much more so now.
Maybe Asia?
[QUOTE=BlueTouch;2559211]It is time to reevaluate, without bias and wishful thinking, if it is worth visiting Colombia over other venues.[/QUOTE]Which venues would you be referring too?
When Medellin is open, I can't think of another venue on the planet worth visiting.
This has been evidenced by the onslaught of gringos prior to the beginning of the weekend lockdowns in April.
Yes Mexico is open, but no comparison to Colombia in my book. And the DR is open albeit with loose curfews, but again no comparison to Colombia. Asia is dead, and whatever is going on in Europe, well it can't be compared to Colombia.
I think everyone on this board would like to know of other venues worth visiting, so if you have any suggestions, throw them out there.
[QUOTE=Icky994;2559163]Me and a buddy of mine have been putting off our trip to Medellin for the past couple months due to curfews / lockdowns, etc. Now that curfew has moved to 10 pm on weekdays I went ahead and pulled the trigger for June 21-28. We chose a Monday to Monday in case there is still a weekend lockdown. Will we be able to have a good time mongering if things stay the same? We plan on staying near Lleras because that seems to be close to all the action. I've only been to the. Are. And even with curfews there things were pretty much business as usual. If I were in a hotel / club 30 minutes before curfew we could stay until closing time and taxis were permitted to travel after curfew. With the taxi provisions we had no problem ordering food at night or paying a taxi to bring chicas that we met earlier in the day. Any good advice would be greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]Just because the curfew has changed for the upcoming weekend doesn't mean that they won't revert to a total weekend lockdown. I would re-evaulate the situation the week before your departure, and not come if the total weekend lockdowns have been re-initiated. I say this, and it's not a reflection on you, but for first time visitors, it could be challenging for several reasons.
Maybe without the lockdowns those 9000+ cases on April 3 would have been 30,000 every day. We'll never know-but you stat about this doesn't mean lockdown are a complete failure. The cases may have tripled instead of doubled without the lockdowns?? We locked down where I live a few months prior to the recent vaccine campaign--2 times: once in September / October and again in January after the holiday surge in cases-and the numbers dropped dramatically. Lockdowns do work-its just we subvert them with other shitty ideas. How does a lockdown for 3 days followed by everyone jumping on the Metro make any sense? Especially when people still haven't figured out that the mask goes above the nose LOL.
They announced today that where I live there have been zero cases of Covid in over a month for anyone 70 and over. ZERO!! Why? They are almost all vaccinated. The vaccines work and are the solution. I wish our world governments would suspend all purchases of weapons-tanks, guns, fighter bombers etc and spend all that money they use for wars and shooting each other-and put it towards vaccines.
We agree: lockdown and vaccinate in combo is the best way to get it done quickly. Just look at the data from Aruba Bonaire and Curacao. Its incredible how these islands have squelched their outbreaks quickly!
[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2559099]JI,
You are taking an effective therapy for stopping the spread of Covid (vaccines) and then mixing it with one that does not work (lockdowns). Of course, you are going to get great results if you lockdown and vaccinate, but Colombia is not doing that or at least not vaccinating nearly enough.
Thing is I got into Medellin on April 3 around when they started the lockdowns. On April 3, there were 9000+ cases. For the last 2 weeks, there have been about 17,000 cases every day, so the lockdown has been a complete failure, a total disaster.
Thing with public policy "experts" though is they never admit defeat. Even though cases have nearly doubled since the lockdown started, I can imagine what the "experts" would say. Can you imagine how bad things would be if we did nothing?
I do not know how anyone can look at this data and conclude lockdowns work. They do not. They have been utter failures everywhere they have been tried.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Icky994;2559163]Me and a buddy of mine have been putting off our trip to Medellin for the past couple months due to curfews / lockdowns, etc. Now that curfew has moved to 10 pm on weekdays I went ahead and pulled the trigger for June 21-28. We chose a Monday to Monday in case there is still a weekend lockdown. Will we be able to have a good time mongering if things stay the same? We plan on staying near Lleras because that seems to be close to all the action. I've only been to the. Are. And even with curfews there things were pretty much business as usual. If I were in a hotel / club 30 minutes before curfew we could stay until closing time and taxis were permitted to travel after curfew. With the taxi provisions we had no problem ordering food at night or paying a taxi to bring chicas that we met earlier in the day. Any good advice would be greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]Read through the forum and stay at the Mansion. For you, this is the way.
[QUOTE=Icky994;2559163]Me and a buddy of mine have been putting off our trip to Medellin for the past couple months due to curfews / lockdowns, etc. Now that curfew has moved to 10 pm on weekdays I went ahead and pulled the trigger for June 21-28. We chose a Monday to Monday in case there is still a weekend lockdown. Will we be able to have a good time mongering if things stay the same? We plan on staying near Lleras because that seems to be close to all the action. I've only been to the. Are. And even with curfews there things were pretty much business as usual. If I were in a hotel / club 30 minutes before curfew we could stay until closing time and taxis were permitted to travel after curfew. With the taxi provisions we had no problem ordering food at night or paying a taxi to bring chicas that we met earlier in the day. Any good advice would be greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]Very difficult to know what will work for another mongerer. I am not in Medellin now but I am getting daily updates from multiple sources. At the moment, feels like the worst has passed. But the situation is fluid and hard to say what it will be like by the time your dates roll around. Me personally, I would say now is not the season to discover Medellin for first time visitors. Experienced visitors, maybe. Different story. But first-timers, without contacts and some steady go-to girls you can trust? I would be hesistant. Who knows when things will get back to normal, or new normal, or whatever normal becomes, and that could support your decision to go ahead and pull the trigger and visit during your planned dates. Ultimately, your call. The other factor to consider is not just the chicas, but the more stressed the environment, the more dangerous it is for street crime, desperate acts and such. Think how you will feel if you come and something bad happens, you will be second guessing yourself for a long time after that.
[QUOTE=JustIncognito;2559266]Read through the forum and stay at the Mansion. For you, this is the way.[/QUOTE]The mansion?
[QUOTE=JustIncognito;2559264]Maybe without the lockdowns those 9000+ cases on April 3 would have been 30,000 every day. We'll never know-but you stat about this doesn't mean lockdown are a complete failure. The cases may have tripled instead of doubled without the lockdowns?? We locked down where I live a few months prior to the recent vaccine campaign--2 times: once in September / October and again in January after the holiday surge in cases-and the numbers dropped dramatically. [/QUOTE]Also, the number of daily cases may have been reduced by half without the lockdowns. Everything is speculation because there are no re-dos in life. The daily case numbers dropped dramatically in the whole world after the holidays. In Florida, without lockdowns, daily new cases went down almost 60% between January 7 and February 7 of this year.
[QUOTE=FunLuvr;2559287]Also, the number of daily cases may have been reduced by half without the lockdowns. Everything is speculation because there are no re-dos in life. The daily case numbers dropped dramatically in the whole world after the holidays. In Florida, without lockdowns, daily new cases went down almost 60% between January 7 and February 7 of this year.[/QUOTE]I'm sure many for whatever reason want to believe the current restrictions are a waste of time. But the simple aim is to cut back spread some to relieve stress on the hospital systems. Naturally cases dropped in many countries after the holidays due to fewer large indoor gatherings. As to Florida, in January there was the post holiday drop plus amped up vaccine distribution. Not everything is pure speculation in science as it's possible to assess variables and trends.
[URL]https://www.flgov.com/2021/01/09/governor-ron-desantis-provides-update-on-covid-19-vaccine-distribution-efforts/[/URL]
The girl in my hotel that wanted paid first and I said was either bad surgery or bad performance. The guy stating bad performance looks to be the winner winner chicken dinner. You see I warned a guy in this hotel about her and he said that she came to him telling him her charger broke and asked to use his charger in her room. He told her if she wanted her phone charged it will have to be in his room. She got bitchy and told him he was a cheap foreigner. Attitude!
They removed the porta potties near Tostaos. Smells so much better!
Many Centro regulars have not returned yet after the riots. But some new girls have replaced them. Several younger ones with bad attitudes. I showed a paper with 30,000 written on it. She asked if that was in dollars or pesos. WTF!
Have not seen any muggings in a little over a week now. No info on the blood picture. Since the blood, there has been police on every corner around that block for most the day.
Several weeks ago the police talked to some girl about something. Most likely about curfew and not to stand around. She was walking away and mouthed off trying to get the last word. He walked up behind her quickly and gave her 3 whackings from his club. The last one if he would have hit her shoulder blade or collar bone could have broken it. She laid there for 10 minutes as the police walked off and people around her helped her up. In any country you happen to be in that the police are telling you to do something. Just do it. Shut up and walk / drive away.
Finally tried Carbon why Sabor 2 blocks down from the church on that walking street (walking from the museum to the church and onward). The hamburger was not cooked enough. I like dill not sweet pickles. The onion that I thought I read was not real onion but that crunchy stuff they sprinkle on hot dogs. But their fajitas were great (4 times now).
Seafood restaurant opened 2 days ago. Above Mor Dis because and below Govindas. Menu included below. Must admit I already have issues with them. I can see a painted wall (mural) with 3 squid or octopus on it. Guess what they do not have? Correct: calamari (fried squid). WTF!
[QUOTE=JustIncognito;2559264]Maybe without the lockdowns those 9000+ cases on April 3 would have been 30,000 every day. We'll never know-but you stat about this doesn't mean lockdown are a complete failure.[/QUOTE]JI,
Lockdowns do not work if you do not have the support of the population, and Colombians are done listening to their government. See the link: [URL]https://www.wsj.com/articles/mass-protests-brought-on-by-covid-19-woes-paralyze-colombian-city-11620849287[/URL] Here are quotes from the article:
Two weeks of antigovernment demonstrations and a national strike triggered by a proposed tax increase, and exacerbated by privation and unemployment made worse by the pandemic, have hit much of the South American country, with demonstrators blocking major highways and battling the police in 19 of Colombia's 32 provinces.
Thirty-five people have died and hundreds have been injured in the unrest. With medical personnel unable to get to work, Covid-19 vaccinations have dropped by 30% in Cali, while the number of infections has nearly doubled in the last week. Nationwide, health authorities are struggling with an average of 450 daily deaths from the disease, three times per capita what hard-hit India has been recording in recent days. The blockades are generating more misery, preventing people from getting to their jobs at nearly 90% of the city's companies and forcing 41% to temporarily shut down, according to the chamber of commerce. Losses have topped $500 million.
"Even if it is not done with firearms or aggression, blocking roads is a violent act because it restricts the rights of people to feed themselves, get oxygen and vaccinations, and to work," President Duque, 44, said while visiting Cali on Tuesday.
A poll for a Bogotá TV station conducted over the weekend showed that 81% of Colombians under the age of 35 supported the protests.
Fausto Prieto, a former city hall worker and a protest leader, explained that people need to let off steam after two weeks of tension. But he expects that the police will soon try to clear them out.
"We are waiting for them," said Mr. Prieto. The police "have come here three times and three times we have pushed them back. " End of quote.
So JI, you can talk about lockdowns working or not, but the government has lost the ear of the people, and there is no will for lockdowns. There is no point in even talking about it anymore.
I was looking at the number of cases as a gauge to when the lockdowns would end. Now I see that is irrelevant. All that matters now is the government opening things up with as little egg on its face (if there are any eggs left in Colombia) as possible. They have to open things up and try to spin a way to declare victory, and God knows how they are going to do that.
It doesn't matter if you carry a phone or wallet if you are in Poblado or Envigado. If they feel they can rob you they will. Keep in mind that it's just bad luck no matter if you have always had your guard on or not. Even cabs are not safe. They come with a bike they point a gun at you and they rob you. It's simple as that and it can happened to anyone no matter how cautious he is or not.
Hi guys,
A group of 4 of us will be visiting Medellin for the first time for a week in during the beginning of July. I am hoping the lockdown / curfew is lifted by then. We have planned this trip since pre pandemic and everything is reserved so we will be going. We have a place around Lleras Park. I've been reading back and I can see the going rates so I have a very good idea about rates. But I was wondering if someone could give me a suggestion of where to start. I have sites for prepagos to come over, so that I know. But what should we do as first timers around there? I don't want to go to a place that we shouldn't. How much do you think one will spend going into let's say Gusto and getting a table and having a good time. Where are the best places to try and find non working females? We plan on going site seeing. We all speak Spanish so communication will not be an issue. Just wondering if some of you Medellin experts could provide point me in the right direction. I appreciate any help. Thank you!
[QUOTE=Icky994;2559163]Me and a buddy of mine have been putting off our trip to Medellin for the past couple months due to curfews / lockdowns, etc. Now that curfew has moved to 10 pm on weekdays I went ahead and pulled the trigger for June 21-28. We chose a Monday to Monday in case there is still a weekend lockdown. Will we be able to have a good time mongering if things stay the same? We plan on staying near Lleras because that seems to be close to all the action. I've only been to the. Are. And even with curfews there things were pretty much business as usual. If I were in a hotel / club 30 minutes before curfew we could stay until closing time and taxis were permitted to travel after curfew. With the taxi provisions we had no problem ordering food at night or paying a taxi to bring chicas that we met earlier in the day. Any good advice would be greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]I think you may need to read the forum more. Just because the curfew is at 10 or 8 it doesn't mean you party on until one minute before and the saunter on home. A lot of businesses stay fully closed and some close well before curfew as well as the fact that things can get really chaotic in the last hour before. Around centro taxis can be almost impossible to get and there are lots people that will take advantage of the chaos and you really don't want to get stuck somewhere after curfew without transport which is why my limit is 2 hours before and then I go home.
Guys I need a change of scenery. Been here since the beginning of April and there is no point in waiting for all the madness to end, lockdowns or no lockdowns I need to see somewhere different and random, any recommendations? I thinking of just booking a flight to Bucaramanga, why? I don't know, to just sounds different, any advice?