Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=Andersson25;2756883]...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 ... [/QUOTE]It is very lively at night actually. It is just for average locals while El Poblado is for more affluent locals and foreigners. The business and tourist areas will be empty during night time. I also don't think you want to bring a date with you to have beer there. You will see hookers with clients more often in nicer restaurants in El Poblado but I have never seen them in El Centro or elsewhere.

[QUOTE=Andersson25;2756883]...

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....[/QUOTE]I don't think you will find more semi-pros there. Pobaldo has more and better restaurants but you also see hookers with clients there more often. Restaurant like Relato has a poster says no sexual tourism LOL. You can find more nicer western style cafes with espresso machine easier but the same can be said about Laureles too. Laureles has more local cheaper food too. I only know a handful of places with espresso machine in El Centro.

[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]The savings is not minimal, the savings is about $75 mil COP. And no you do not need to take a taxi after the bus. When I used to stay in Centro I would take the nutibara route and then walk from behind the nutibara hotel up to Av. Oriental and then hang a right and walk down to my hotel near the Exito San Antonio. So please do enlighten me where I needed to take a taxi after the bus??

As to the money being saved, I don't know how you roll but for me I can do quite a bit with $75 mil COP. That's pretty much 2 SWers in Veracruz Church area, it can also be 2 days of hotel at the old place I used to stay at on el palo con el huevo. It can be numerous lunches and dinners (there's a place called Restaurant Pakistan that has bandeja lunches including soup and lemonade for $9 mil). If you smoke cigarettes, $75 k can buy 12 packs and a media of Starlite cigarettes. So please do tell me again how the savings is minimal?

[QUOTE=Nounce;2757079]It is very lively at night actually. It is just for average locals while El Poblado is for more affluent locals and foreigners. The business and tourist areas will be empty during night time. I also don't think you want to bring a date with you to have beer there. You will see hookers with clients more often in nicer restaurants in El Poblado but I have never seen them in El Centro or elsewhere.[/QUOTE]I think it depends on what he means by night. Now if it's like 7-10 pm yes centro is still alive with a lot of action. Now if you go out say at 3 am, it is mostly dead with only a few fat ugly old bitches hanging out on Cra 53 and it's really not worth going out at that time, as most everything is all closed up and there's a lot of homeless people and drug addicts out and about. And yes I have gone out there at 3 am, and no I wouldn't recommend it.

[QUOTE=Nounce;2757071]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.[/QUOTE]

Although I usually opt for a white taxi after a long flight, there is an overlooked price/convenience option between taking a taxi and a bus.The following is a reedit of my post from last July when the topic of airport transport also elicited some back and forth on this forum:

Another option (which I used once before the pandemic) is a "colectivo" (shared taxi or minivan--4 or so passengers), which leave from a spot near the white taxi stand. The price back then was 30 thousand pesos, but no doubt has increased somewhat since then. The driver drops you at the San Diego Mall, at the base of the road from the airport tunnel. There are taxis nearby to get you to your destination, though I negotiated with the colectivo driver to take me to Laureles for around the standard taxi rate.

Here's a website with comparative info on all of the Airport-Medellin travel options. If you keep scrolling down, you'll find detailed info on each option, with prices in both pesos and dollars, albeit a bit out of date.
https://thenomadvisor.com/get-to-medellin-from-the-airport/

On the previous idea, I will share an idea I've used. While on the plane or the entry line, I ask who is going to use a ride to the city and if they would like to split a cab fare. So far, it has worked well.

[QUOTE=Knowledge;2757036]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]It sounds like the person is answering yes when it asks if he wants to check his balance, which always comes back with an error.

[QUOTE=Knowledge;2757038]It's a combination of recently increased fuel costs, USA Dollar conversion rates, and political instability because of the upcoming Brazil election.[/QUOTE]Not to mention service disruptions from Covid, along with pilot shortages.

Although I've already bought tickets, I'm tracking flights to Medellin and Bogota. Every day the price fluctuates wildly. At least once the flight became "no longer available" for 2 days.

[QUOTE=NapataJohn;2757022]Anyone have any recent experiences in Gustos as to how much is takeout etc.[/QUOTE]5 years ago I use to have to go at least once a trip. Even up until 3 years ago.

Nowadays it's horrible with centro de type talent trying to make a score. And some fat Venezuelans as well. They'll quote in usd starting at 300 and you can bargain from there.

It's become the CLásicos of medellin. CLásicos is a bar in sosua.

Last time I went was a year ago. And just like the rest of poblado it's going downhill real fast.

[QUOTE=Knowledge;2757039]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]Yes but say this to go upstairs to avoid the line of all the other people trying to get cash from arrivals.

[QUOTE=NapataJohn;2757022]Anyone have any recent experiences in Gustos as to how much is takeout etc.[/QUOTE]Gustos is a rip off, don't even bother with it. Equal or better quality can be had in the park or at the high end strip clubs for way less cost.

That is exactly right. The lines can get really long when several flights arrive at the same time. It's the last thing you want after a long time on the immigration line. You can skip the ATMs altogether by calling an uber or didi and paying with a credit card. I've never seen their fares exceed the taxi rate from the airport.

[QUOTE=BlueChange;2757213]Yes but say this to go upstairs to avoid the line of all the other people trying to get cash from arrivals.[/QUOTE]

My friend took two gun shots to his upper and lower back when a robbery attempt was made in el poblado around 2 am on Saturday night. Details are still sparse but he was shot as he ran away from the assailants. Not sure if the robbers were successful in taking anything but please guys just comply with any demands. My friend is lucky to be alive.

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2757126]I think it depends on what he means by night. Now if it's like 7-10 pm yes centro is still alive with a lot of action. Now if you go out say at 3 am, it is mostly dead with only a few fat ugly old bitches hanging out on Cra 53 and it's really not worth going out at that time, as most everything is all closed up and there's a lot of homeless people and drug addicts out and about. ...[/QUOTE]I go to El Centro for food and other stuff. I monger only when I see an opportunity, like when I see a model type body that is slender, long legs, above average face, and young, LOL. Some food vendor come out after 8 PM so that is the starting time from their perspective, and they close after 2 AM or so.

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2757126]... And yes I have gone out there at 3 am, and no I wouldn't recommend it.[/QUOTE]Have you been robbed? I was almost robbed the one night when I made this loop around midnight.

First I went to the empanada stand which has the hottest sauce that I know in Colombia, and that makes their empanada the best. The fried chicken would be my first choice, but they typically has this night off. The empanada stand wasn't open, so I went to Berrio station and saw maybe 100 policemen or solders there doing some kind of training. This is around 11:30 PM. No food here so I was thinking going to Mercado de La Playa. But I soon realized they were closed at this time. Next was to a thin crust pizza stand that I know. The pizza is as good as any I have tried in Medellin. On my way there, I saw a moto with 2 guys wearing helmet, riding too slow and too close to the sidewalk. They must have picked me as their target because the moto stopped at about 30 meters before me and the rider came down to wait and maybe to ambush me. I immediately ran across the street and they both left after they saw me ran away. That is why I was sure they tried to rob me. The thick red line area is a good spot for them because it is easy to make escape and the sidewalk is dark because of the large trees.

[QUOTE=Mtndew704;2756938]The flights to Brazil are ridiculous, does anyone know why they are so expensive?[/QUOTE]I just checked and they are that expensive compare to before. It always have fluctuated widely. LAX to GRU still still under 1000 and LAX to MDE is only about 100 cheaper. For some reason it is much more expensive from ORD.

[QUOTE=MateoCast98;2755790]Has anyone tried to connect the new iPhone 14 to Claro for example? These new US version of these phones only have esims, not a physical sim. I've never had a problem with my iPhone 11. I want to make sure it works before getting an upgrade and going back to Colombia.[/QUOTE]No Problem EXCEPT currently Movistar is the only esim carrier in Colombia. That will change in the years to come but had to use movistar to connect to esim. The process is super fast and you can have multiple lines on one phone just have to switch it in settings.