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[QUOTE=BangoCheito;2290067]It's a stupid law, but calling in and inputing the IMEI to register the phone should take all of 2-3 minutes.
If your Spanish isn't good enough, get the person selling the SIMcard to help you. Slip them an extra 2000 or so for their trouble.
Also, if your phone is blocked in Colombia, it could very well be blocked in the US too, so be careful![/QUOTE]They do this for you at PanAmericano stores, there are representatives for TIGO, Virgen, Claro.
[QUOTE=BlueCar;2289834]I was at Bancolombia taking out $100 usd and the screen said "we can't process your transaction right now because of technical difficulties". No problem. They charged my account anyway but when that happens, it usually gets reimbursed in 5 minutes. It's been 4 days and still no reimbursement. I went to the Bancolombia bank that the ATM belonged to and they said they can't do anything about it and I have to talk with my bank. I talked to my bank and they said they will look into it and send me a letter with a decision in 14 Business days. I remember this happening to my cousin 2 years ago when he took out $400 usd in pesos Colombianos from another Colombian ATM and he waited too long to grab it and the ATM just ate back the money but still charged him the $400. He talked with his American bank and after a month, his bank only agreed to pay him back $200. Ever since then, my cousin no longer uses ATMS.[/QUOTE]Schwab checking is free with Free ATM except if you go to Citi.
[QUOTE=BlueCar;2290065]Warning, my friend who is from the states just got robbed. He was walking alone through Chapinero and then 3 guys approached him (1 of them had a knife) and asked him for his phone and then asked him for his wallet. He obliged and they let him go after. He said he ran 4 blocks up and told 2 policemen on a motorcycle and they went off but nothing happened. The bad luck with the ATM machine happened to me but my friend who was alone had it really bad! Stay Safe out there![/QUOTE]Please provide some more details, ie in what part of Chapinero? Its quite a big place. At what time of the day or night did this happen? How was he dressed, very touristy? Was he standing out too much?
[QUOTE=BangoCheito;2290071]I couldn't conceive of worse advice!
1) the north is actually the MOST dangerous part of Bogot to be hanging out at, ESPECIALLY if you're solo. Thieves in Bogot go where the money is.
2) it's also the most boring and most expensive.
Honestly, if you want to stay north of 72, it's better to not even come here![/QUOTE]There are lot's of prepagados and apartment chicas in Chapinero & Usaquen I like the look of, so seems around Parque 93 where I reserved would be a good area to stay? So you're saying it's dangerous to walk around at night? Not planning to do that anyway. I can take the transmillenio or a cab downtown from there during the daytime to see the sights or visit Santa Fe. Are you just trying to make me paranoid maybe?
[QUOTE=Turgid;2289290]About 15 years ago in a Medellin casa I was showering after the session and out of the blue decided to get out fully wet to look at my trousers (I had never done that before). I caught the chica rifling through my pockets, she screamed, LOL. Ever since then I never let the container of my wallet out of my sight even if I have to take my trousers or bag into the bathroom with me.[/QUOTE]When visiting Casas / apartments etc, I ALWAYS take all my belongings into the bathroom with me and lock the door, Even if they say I don't have to as there's nobody else there, I just politely ignore them. I don't know what you expected to be honest, what happened doesn't surprise me at all. It's as bad as going to a bar / restaurant, leaving your belongings at your table and going to bathroom, expecting them to be there when you got back!
I remember a long time ago in the early 2000's I went to Sofia, Bulgaria when I was pretty young and naive. I took a woman I met who was standing outside into some cheap hotel they used, paid her, then she told me to go wash. When I came out of the bathroom she had disappeared. At first I was really surprised and a bit angry, but now looking back I was a complete sucker and was asking for it!
[QUOTE=BlueCar;2289834]I was at Bancolombia taking out $100 usd and the screen said "we can't process your transaction right now because of technical difficulties". No problem. They charged my account anyway but when that happens, it usually gets reimbursed in 5 minutes. It's been 4 days and still no reimbursement. I went to the Bancolombia bank that the ATM belonged to and they said they can't do anything about it and I have to talk with my bank. I talked to my bank and they said they will look into it and send me a letter with a decision in 14 Business days. I remember this happening to my cousin 2 years ago when he took out $400 usd in pesos Colombianos from another Colombian ATM and he waited too long to grab it and the ATM just ate back the money but still charged him the $400. He talked with his American bank and after a month, his bank only agreed to pay him back $200. Ever since then, my cousin no longer uses ATMS.[/QUOTE]Did you go in when it happened or later? Once in Buenos Aires, the ATM said I had taken the amount (can't remember how much), but gave me nothing! I went straight into the bank, and was pretty full on with the staff there. The bank teller explained to me that noting would show up on my account. I wasn't convinced, so took me to the back of the ATM, where he accessed it's computer, printed out a massive list of transactions and showed me nothing had shown up for the amount I tried to take.
Similar with what happened to your cousin, once in the UK the bills came out sideways all twisted up from the machine, I was grabbing them and trying to prise them from the machine as fast as I could, but it closed before I could get them all! I was down hundreds of pounds. I spoke to the staff, they did a check of the ATM, real cash out VS requested amount out, saw the discrepancy, and I was reimbursed. You just have to get in there, tell them the story and insist, because they definitely have the tools to check exactly what happened. Sounds like Bancolombia are just fobbing you off, it's go nothing to do with your bank, the technical problem was with their machine!
[QUOTE=Woodman09;2290170]Yes, that is where the kidnap taxis are, a us diplomat was murdered a few years back that way.
Also in La Candeleria tourists are hunted and there have been whole hostels robbed there in the past.[/QUOTE]Are you talking about what happened in 1980, or a more recent incident?
[QUOTE=Routard;2287075]Actually there is no direct link between poverty and prostitution offer. For me the number one monger destination is Germany, while Switzerland, Austria or Holland are also good options, not exactly third world countries and one of the worst shoud be something between Mauritania, Afghanistan, Sudan or Pakistan, not exactly rich countries.[/QUOTE]Exactly. Try mongering in the poorest latin American country, nicuragua. Not good.
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[QUOTE=BangoCheito;2290071]I couldn't conceive of worse advice!
1) the north is actually the MOST dangerous part of Bogot to be hanging out at, ESPECIALLY if you're solo. Thieves in Bogot go where the money is.
2) it's also the most boring and most expensive.
Honestly, if you want to stay north of 72, it's better to not even come here![/QUOTE]I'm going to disagree with a qualification.
Most expensive yes. Boring is subjective. I've never been bored in North Bogota. However, I'm sure some people wouldn't care for it. Expensive is also a relative thing. You can find great places for $60 night or under. My last visit For $48 per night I found a place that was 4 times the size of a hotel room in lovely Michigan City, Indiana, that I stayed in every week for $100 per night. And that was 10 years ago.
Safety. Thieves look for easy victims. If you look like an easy victim, it doesn't matter where you are. Walking around staring at your phone, walking around counting your money, walking around obviously lost, all make you vulnerable. Don't act like a victim and you're less likely to be a victim.
[QUOTE=Coupe66;2290251]When visiting Casas / apartments etc, I ALWAYS take all my belongings into the bathroom with me and lock the door,[/QUOTE]You might have a problem with that in Colombia since the casas do not have doors to the bathroom.
[QUOTE=HumanBeing1;2290330]Exactly. Try mongering in the poorest latin American country, nicuragua. Not good.[/QUOTE]What is not good about it? A buddy of mine swore by Managua before getting his place in Medellin. He was getting all kind of chicks for $6. I have had a couple of girlfriends in Managua, but never had the chance to monger there because I would stay at their houses.
[QUOTE=BangoCheito;2290071]I couldn't conceive of worse advice!
1) the north is actually the MOST dangerous part of Bogot to be hanging out at, ESPECIALLY if you're solo. Thieves in Bogot go where the money is.
2) it's also the most boring and most expensive.
Honestly, if you want to stay north of 72, it's better to not even come here![/QUOTE]It's OK if you feel confortable in the poorer area of Bogota. I apreciate both, but for first timers, south is definitvely not to recommend untel they get used with the city. True, shit can happen everywhere, and thiefes are everywhere. But in the northern areas there is much more protection. I live in the north because of safety. South, the houses and apartments are robbed anytime, while north any building has a 24 hours safety guard. There are more cameras, more police and everywhere there are private body guards you probably never had noticed as they are discrete. Once a guy robbed the cellphone of my girl friend from the open window of the car while she was waiting at the traffic light at 200m from where we live. From the car behind her, came out three armed bodyguards showing their gun and asking the guy to give the cellphone back. Last month I was having a coffee at my favorite terras. Suddenly someone yelled for a thief in the street. In couple of no time the thief was on the ground with several bodyguards on him. This will not happen in the south.
[QUOTE=Woodman09;2290170]Yes, that is where the kidnap taxis are, a us diplomat was murdered a few years back that way.
Also in La Candeleria tourists are hunted and there have been whole hostels robbed there in the past.[/QUOTE]True this stuff, how quickly people forget the reality of the perception of danger.
The Tall Man.
[QUOTE=HumanBeing1;2290330]Exactly. Try mongering in the poorest latin American country, nicuragua. Not good.[/QUOTE]I'd rather monger in the richest Latin American countries viz. Brazil, Mexico, Colombia than the poorest ones Nicaragua, Honduras, Bolivia.