White Taxis Are The Way To Go
[QUOTE=FunLuvr;2716253]I only use Facebook for hookups, so can't give any advice about agencies. At the airport, after baggage claim, there are a couple of money exchange booths. Someone reported here last week they received 4000/1 COP / USD at one of the booths. That was very good because the ATM rate that day was not much more than 4000/1. When you exit the baggage claim area, there are some doors to the right to the sidewalk where you can get an official airport taxi. They are white taxis. I think the fare to Medellin is 90,000. It may be 80,000, but it is set by the government, so don't get scammed. Verify the fare with the driver before leaving the airport. The tolls are included in the fare. I have heard that some drivers try to charge extra for the tolls. If you go, enjoy your trip. The robberies and drugs are not a big problem, more hype than actual. Use common sense.[/QUOTE]The white taxi fare is 90,000 COP including the toll into Poblado and these drivers won't try to charge or say the toll is not included.
However, guys need to be careful upon exiting the airport as many other drivers, like Uber, and others will be looking for riders back into Medellin, and they will quote 90,000, but when in the car some may tell you the toll is not included as you mentioned.
I had a friend who I told to only go with a white taxi, he didn't listen, and guess what, he paid 90,000 plus the toll which is approximately 18,600 COP.
I always use the white taxis for another reason, as their vehicles generally are newer and larger than the yellow taxis that provide transport into town, and their fare is fixed at 90,000 as well including the toll.
Breakfast sucks in Medellin
Breakfast in Medellin sucks. So far I have eaten in Nutibara, Dorado La 70 and Vivre. All breakfasts are equally bad and the latter 2 hotels are rated 4. 5 of 5 at google reviews. Those people that did the reviews must never have tried a breakfast in an European hotel. They will also complain if you go a second round to get more food. In Europe it is always buffet style. How much do I need to spend on a hotel in Medellin to get same quality breakfast as in Europe with buffet style? In Brazil the hotel breakfasts are much better then here and it is buffet style and that is hotel for half price of what I pay here.
By the way noone mentioned hotel Vivre in the thread so I did not know if it was girl friendly but they confirmed and they also accept Venezuelan ID cards.
The Innocent Broad Abroad
Shortly before my work schedule change, I was informed of the change and that I would be off for 5 days due to the change and the holiday. First thought; a quick trip to Medellin. However with flight schedules, I would lose a day in travel time. Next I considered having my girlfriend* meet me in Miami, but again flight schedules weren't cooperating. Finally, I decided it was best to bring her to me. I was able to get her into town 6 hours before my final, short, work trip. That gave us 6 days together, instead of 4.
Some of you are probably thinking I made a huge, expensive mistake, and you may be right. Certainly it was expensive. A $30 hotel room in Medellin costs $120 or more here. Add food, parking and gas and it's going to cost a lot. In my eyes, no mistake was made, because I enjoyed myself.
Except for a couple of nasty looks, one from a woman who couldn't arouse a blind man who had abstained from sex for 10 years, and another from a guy who was offended that a girl would choose me over his gym muscles and hair plugs, everything went great. Here are some of the things which she really enjoyed:
1. The food. From the breaded tenderloin sandwich which is our response to bandeja paisa, to biscuits and gravy, to the Chicago deep dish pizza from an iconic restaurant in downtown Chicago, to the fresh Wisconsin cheese curds, she loved it all.
2. The Soak City Waterpark at King's Island. Unfortunately, the only bikini she brought was the Wicked Weasel I bought her earlier this year. Since the sight of her in that wet bikini would have caused 2 stampedes, 1 of women dragging their children away and 1 of men getting a closer look, I had to buy something a bit more appropriate for the area.
3. Chicago. Downtown Chicago is one of my favorite places. The view from the top of Willis tower, the architecture, the view of Lake Michigan from Millennium Park and of course the food, make it a great place to take a girl, if the weather cooperates.
4. The scenery and especially my house. We did a lot of driving between cities and this is a good time of year for that. My house is in the country, surrounded by fields and trees, muy tranquilo. Plus there are cows next door, who were curious about the pretty girl talking to them in Spanish.
5. The climate. When we were driving it was mostly sunny. At the Waterpark it was hot, but with a nice breeze. In Chicago it was a cool, cloudy day, which made walking around comfortable. Wisconsin (which ended up being just a place to sleep, eat and buy fresh cheese curds) was sunny and comfortable. Only the county fair we visited was a bit muggy, but a light sprinkle helped.
6. The people. Most people were nice and friendly and several women remarked on how beautiful she was (women's opinion of beauty is more reliable than men's). Even our conversations in Spanish didn't raise any eyebrows.
7. Her favorite experience was watching the most American of all pastimes; a demolition derby. Willful destruction for entertainment purposes, you can't get more American than that. It hadn't been on my list of things to do, but it just happened to be scheduled at the county fair most convenient to my home.
Every place has certain habits which are ingrained in the population. How hard are these habits to break?
1. Putting toilet paper in the trash can. I only had to mention once that the toilet paper went into the toilet and she had no problem altering her behavior.
2. Closing car doors gently. No luck with this one. Even with my example to follow and being told several times, she couldn't bring herself to close the door firmly.
In my eyes, it was a great experience and I'll probably do it again.
