Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2756624]The bus for 13 k COP is the best option. Ask for the route that drops you off at terminal del norte not San Diego. Then from there you are a 5 minute walk from the carribe metro station and can take the metro / metrocable / buses to anywhere in the city you need to go all without paying a fucking centavo to the rippoff scumbag taxistas.

Hope this helps.[/QUOTE]Not the best option for a first time visitor. Not the best option for anyone with luggage. If your traveling light and familiar with the city it's fine. However, it's better to go to Nutibara if you're in El Centro or Laureles, or San Diego Mall if you're in Poblado.

The white taxis at the airport have a set price which is posted on the wall outside of the terminal.

[QUOTE=JjBee62;2756820]Not the best option for a first time visitor. Not the best option for anyone with luggage. If your traveling light and familiar with the city it's fine. However, it's better to go to Nutibara if you're in El Centro or Laureles, or San Diego Mall if you're in Poblado.

The white taxis at the airport have a set price which is posted on the wall outside of the terminal.[/QUOTE]Well the last time when I came back from Bucaramanga in September this option worked perfectly for me and I got back to my apartment in Santo Domingo Savio II fast and efficiently and for like only 16 k all the way from the airport.

The reason I said take the route that goes to terminal del Norte as opposed to Nutibara or San Diego is because he didn't specify where exactly he was going. The terminal del Norte bus drops you off right there you just walk across the pedestrian bridge and thru the bus station and the other pedestrian Bridge and bam you are at the metro and can go anywhere you want for under 3 k COP.

[QUOTE=JjBee62;2756820]Not the best option for a first time visitor. Not the best option for anyone with luggage. If your traveling light and familiar with the city it's fine. However, it's better to go to Nutibara if you're in El Centro or Laureles, or San Diego Mall if you're in Poblado.

The white taxis at the airport have a set price which is posted on the wall outside of the terminal.[/QUOTE]Also I hold a grudge against taxis. With the exception of mototaxis I fucking hate taxistas.

First time in south america for me soon as well, can't wait. I'm trying to do my homework now before going. These are my comments on below, just based on what I learned online (no own experience yet): El centro is not the best place to stay, shady and empty after dark. It is not a bad idea to bring a date when you go out to drink beer, not so many single guys go out alone (I love going out alone in Thailand and talk to as many sweet young girls as possible in one night) to my understanding you will stand out even more from the crowd if you go out to drink alone, I will look like a fuckng gringoissmo anyway.

I know some spanish so I was thinking about staying in Laureles instead of touristy Poblado but I am starting to change mind, Poblado is more expensive but prices on beer, food and chicas are still ridiculously affordable. Also Poblado seem to attract plenty of semi-pros at night.

Happy mongering, let us know how it goes.

[QUOTE=ManuelRamirez;2756675]First time in Colombia, flight booked already for January and I do fancy the street action and casas vibe so I'm planing to stay in El Centro.

I was wondering if it 's already for a gringo with some survival Spanish skills to.

Sit and have drinks between sections in one of the bars around Veracruz OR shall I head to Laureles for a break.

Mongering wise I was first educated in South East Asia so I 'm aware I need to adjust a few things and the above might not be as safe as I would like.

But at the same time I don't really want to spend my time in an Irish / Australian / Italian restaurant bar while I'm in south american.

Also is Parque Botero a good hunting ground apart from the ladies standing out the hotels? Shall I assume they are not pro if I need to do some effort.

To approach them? (Common sense obviously aplies) .

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Surfer500;2756786]Most guys showing up in Medellin at the airport don't speak enough Spanish to navigate the public transport system and / or don't want to waste any time getting to their destination.

In reality it's still very inexpensive to use a taxi from the airport to Poblado which costs 90 k. It does sound high, but the fare includes the toll costs both ways at approximately 40 K, so the taxista is actually only getting approximately 50 K.

Unless a guy is staying in El Centro at Hotel Nutibarra, which in that case I would recommend the bus at 13 K as the bus station is directly behind the Hotel.

Also, having to manage your luggage if you have a checked bag can be a nightmare as well using public transportation. Climbing up and down the stairs at some of the Metro Stations will not be fun.

When I show up in Medellin, I just fork over the 90 K utilizing a white taxi as I have usually been on a redeye and just want to get to my destination with as few hassles as possible.[/QUOTE]I agree. If you don't speak Spanish and you have luggage, it is best to just pay 90 k ($19) and use the white taxis which will take you straight to your hotel. It is a set price and you don't have to negotiate. After that flight, I am tired and I just want to get to the hotel ASAP without any hassle. Taking the bus, then getting into a taxi to your hotel is more of a hassle.

Banco Davivienda did not charge a fee to withdraw pesos. I was surprised. I have a Charles Schwab ATM card so I would have gotten reimbursed but in my bank statement, I did not see any fees reimbursed for Davivienda and on the receipt it did not show any fees charged. So unless Schwab made a mistake, there was no fees charged at Davivienda. I got reimbursed for withdraws from the other banks I used. Davivienda also allowed me to take out 1,200 mil pesos at a time which is nice. The limits at the other banks I used were lower.

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2756635]No reason why it should be 80 mil unless if it was BBFS or maybe if it was for an hour or longer session. I know we argued a while back about negotiating BBFS after in the room as opposed to before but you always need to have the pregame chit chat and negotiate a base rate before going up to the room. This base rate should be either 30 k or 40 k por un rato. Always make sure that you have that established Before going upstairs.[/QUOTE]The girl changed the price. She was doing it to squeeze more money out of me. I think that is why she accepted that I don't have more money. I did have more but I just played dumb to make her think she got all my money. This happened to me more than once but it usually was for far less. Sometimes I just paid them, sometimes I argued with them just to see what happened. And some of them are not even strangers. I am used to pay 50 mil and up in El Centro since before pandemic. There were more FOBs then and I stayed closer. But I hear you, next time confirm again in the hotel.

I think we were talking about different context. I know your approach works for you but you are more experienced and fluent in Spanish. You do not encounter the situations that mere mortal like me encounter.

Not on your list, but Brasil would be way better than any of those.

[QUOTE=ShadowGuy22;2756602]Heading to Medellin but looking to visit another country in Latin America and stay there for about 1 month, would love advice from the members of the board and where has a scene worth checking out.

I'm considering the countries below and would appreciate any advice or recommendations on cities:

Mexico.

Costa Rica.

Panama.

Peru.

Ecuador.

Apologies if this is not the thread for this question.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=SkinnyGallo;2756764]One year ago I met her in nueva bar, she sat next to me and I bought her smirnoff or something. I asked if we can go outside because the rooms on site are shit so she proposed this one motel across the street to the left. She was very nice and I repeated with her 2 more times, she always charged me 120 k or 150 k I don't remember exactly. Yesterday she: "quieero verte", I asked "toda noche"? She said: "siiiiiii". Well, how much? She's quoting $150, I'm asking is this in peso 150 k? "No amor Dollars". Colombia changed currency apparently and prices went up.

My first post.[/QUOTE]Naw that chica has just found a few suckers in the past year since you first met her. A chica I've known for years charges 500 k min now just for 3-4 hours max. She wasn't anywhere near that price point years ago.

[QUOTE=Combo;2756899]Not on your list, but Brasil would be way better than any of those.[/QUOTE]I second this!!

I would put Brazil ahead of Colombia IF it wasn't soo expensive just to get there. But that said it NEEDS to be your next visit.

[QUOTE=LuckyNuts;2756767]Yes use the white taxis. Don't screw around with Uber from the airport. And ignore all the guys inside the airport asking if you need a taxi. Walk outside and find the white taxis. I think it's been 90 mil since earlier this year.[/QUOTE]THIS! Always white taxi, If you don't have cash when you arrive go upstairs to depatures and hit the Green Servicbanc ATM. It's stress freee this way for sure.

[QUOTE=BlueChange;2756931]I second this!!

I would put Brazil ahead of Colombia IF it wasn't soo expensive just to get there. But that said it NEEDS to be your next visit.[/QUOTE]The flights to Brazil are ridiculous, does anyone know why they are so expensive?

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2756624]… buses to anywhere in the city you need to go all without paying a fucking centavo to the rippoff scumbag taxistas.

Hope this helps.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2756881]Also I hold a grudge against taxis. With the exception of mototaxis I fucking hate taxistas.[/QUOTE]Hmmm never would have guessed that, Lol.

[QUOTE=MoonShot;2756889]Banco Davivienda did not charge a fee to withdraw pesos. I was surprised. I have a Charles Schwab ATM card so I would have gotten reimbursed but in my bank statement, I did not see any fees reimbursed for Davivienda and on the receipt it did not show any fees charged. So unless Schwab made a mistake, there was no fees charged at Davivienda. I got reimbursed for withdraws from the other banks I used. Davivienda also allowed me to take out 1,200 mil pesos at a time which is nice. The limits at the other banks I used were lower.[/QUOTE]I just reviewed my Schwab statement and I see that I was able to withdraw US $450 in pesos at the Davivienda ATM. That is 2150 mil that I withdrew in a single transaction at that ATM. That's a lot of pesos and you don't have to go back for a while. I don't like I found another bank ATM that allowed me to withdraw so much pesos, and there was no bank fee for the transaction.

Hey Guys,

I plan to be in Colombia for 6+ months every year. If there are any other longterm guys that would like to meet, let me know. Obviously, I'm mostly here for the ladies. But I don't mind meeting like-minded guys. I can start a whatsapp group of people like that (if there's a whatsapp group like that already, let me know).

[QUOTE=MoonShot;2756951]I just reviewed my Schwab statement and I see that I was able to withdraw US $450 in pesos at the Davivienda ATM. That is 2150 mil that I withdrew in a single transaction at that ATM. That's a lot of pesos and you don't have to go back for a while. I don't like I found another bank ATM that allowed me to withdraw so much pesos, and there was no bank fee for the transaction.[/QUOTE]I can report that Davivienda ATM at SantaFe Mall allows me to withdraw 2 million pesos per transaction using my Chase debit card, but it forces me to accept their 7-8% markup in conversion rate. If I decline the conversion, the transaction cancels due to an "error".