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[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]Not just the $ but also the flight time. From where I live (Chicago), I need to stay >= two weeks to make the overnight flight worth it. I can no longer sleep on planes, so I'm a mess when I arrive.
[QUOTE=Balboa;2756942]Hmmm never would have guessed that, Lol.[/QUOTE]A lot of them are dishonest and will purposely drive stupid routes to run up the meter and charge you more and also on more than one occasion they have tried to give me counterfeit bills for change.
[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]I do not suggest this as a first timer. The savings is minimal (10 as you'll need taxi after the bus)), it will take you longer to get to your hotel / airbnb, and Medellin is a large and (at times) dangerous city. The stress isn't worth it at all.
[QUOTE=Gabacho;2756997]A lot of them are dishonest and will purposely drive stupid routes to run up the meter and charge you more and also on more than one occasion they have tried to give me counterfeit bills for change.[/QUOTE]These are problems with easy solutions.
1. Know where you're going. You've got the address, you've got a phone. It's simple to track your progress and stop the driver if he's going the wrong direction. Usually, when a driver isn't taking the most direct route they're avoiding traffic or construction. I drive myself now and several of the shortcuts I learned from taxistas.
2. Don't pay with large bills. You should be using bills so you're owed 5 k or less in change. Use your 50 k bills at the pharmacy, restaurants and grocery stores. Always use only 50 k notes in those places and save your small bills for taxis.
You failed to mention the 2 biggest ripoffs with Medellin taxis.
1. Meter is nor reset. You should always check the meter as soon as you get in the car. I'm not sure what the current start value is, but it's around 3600. If that's not what the meter reads, point it out and tell him to reset it.
2. The tampered meter. Some taxis have an altered meter which either accumulates faster, or can be jumped to a higher number. Not much you can do about this, unless you frequently make the same trip. Pay attention to the meter.
[QUOTE=Gabacho;2756997]A lot of them are dishonest and will purposely drive stupid routes to run up the meter and charge you more and also on more than one occasion they have tried to give me counterfeit bills for change.[/QUOTE]Interesting that you have had these type of experiences with them. Generally speaking I have found the yellow taxi drivers at least 95% of the time to be very professional, courteous, and honest. However some of the exceptions include Holidays when there is a shortage of drivers and some will ask where your going and give you a fixed / inflated price usually at least double what the meter would be. Also at Lleras some of the drivers will screw around with gringos either asking for a fixed amount or driving an indirect route to their destination.
As far as counterfeit bills, well I've yet to get one, but the fares are so cheap, typically under 20 K except from the airport of course, so if they even make counterfeit bills of the smaller denominations which doesn't make sense, than so be it.
I think a bigger issue which nobody has mentioned are the drivers that have somehow tampered with the meters, as sometimes a fare seems way higher than it should be.
Generally speaking, the yellow taxis that are not independents, meaning they specifically work out of a location such as the EXITO in Poblado which is operated by "Flota Bernal" will not fuck with the customers as you mentioned. If they did, they would loose their concession at this type of venue.
And at the end of the day, the taxi's are so inexpensive it's kind of a joke. A lot of times I will travel from Poblado to Laureles and it's like between $ 3-4 USD so no big deal.
Anyone have any recent experiences in Gustos as to how much is takeout etc.
Salinas is earthy. I like it. Day trips to the beach don't hurt.
[QUOTE=Gabacho;2756765]Ecuador Guayaquil, specifically the street scene on Calle 18/ Salinas. And report back here how it is compared to ground zero in medelland. Be sure to include prices, how long the st rooms allow before knocking, and how the girls (looks and service wise) are there compared to here.[/QUOTE]
There is an app for that. It's called GPS. You can even set it to speak Spanish so your driver can't pretend he didn't understand. I hate taxis by the way.
[QUOTE=Gabacho;2756997]A lot of them are dishonest and will purposely drive stupid routes to run up the meter and charge you more and also on more than one occasion they have tried to give me counterfeit bills for change.[/QUOTE]
That sucks, I am going to investigate this tomorrow. Probably it is related to the USA Card issuer but I will know for sure tomorrow.
[QUOTE=BenTiger07;2756992]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).
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".[/QUOTE]
This has been covered many times but it keeps coming up because there is some sort of religious obsession with Schwab. Once more for emphasis, Davivienda (among other Colombia banks) does not charge foreign transaction or ATM withdrawal fees. If you have ATM cards that also don't charge withdrawal or foreign transaction fees then you are good to go. When I say "does not charge" I am not referring to reimbursement of charged fees or hidden fees such as minimum balance requirements. Thank goodness this is not nearly as complicated as it would appear by reading the many long threads about it.
[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]
It's a combination of recently increased fuel costs, USA Dollar conversion rates, and political instability because of the upcoming Brazil election.
[QUOTE=Mtndew704;2756938]The flights to Brazil are ridiculous, does anyone know why they are so expensive?[/QUOTE]
FYI there are ATMs on every level of the airport except the top floor food court. I don't think many visitors use the food court. It's all local fast food, bleh.
[QUOTE=BlueChange;2756933]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]
[QUOTE=Balboa;2756942]Hmmm never would have guessed that, Lol.[/QUOTE]Prob got overcharged 2 kcop one rainy night in Medellin.
[QUOTE=BenTiger07;2756992]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).
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".[/QUOTE]Use Colpatria or ScotiaBank, 7-8% is high.
[QUOTE=Chicago85;2757009]I do not suggest this as a first timer. The savings is minimal (10 as you'll need taxi after the bus)), it will take you longer to get to your hotel / airbnb, and Medellin is a large and (at times) dangerous city. The stress isn't worth it at all.[/QUOTE]It's pretty easy if one switches to taxi after bus. There are locals at San Diego mall help handling luggage and get it to taxi, You can have 10 dinners like this with the money saved. If one travels light, it is not a bad suggestion to take metro, not everyone is in a rush, and some people are looking for local experience.