Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=LetsGoMets;2986285]*I'll be visiting Medellin in two weeks to meet up with some military veterans. They know the country well, but it'll be my first time there. I like using SA when I travel to places where I don't know many localsthough here in Peru, I've been living for a year, so I don't really need it. That said, I'd appreciate any advice or helpful info!

I don't drink much, but I do smoke (plant medicine for PTSD). I also know a local tattoo artist who was referred to me by my artist here in Lima.

I'm 38, American-Italian from Brooklyn, NY. I prefer 20-25 petite chicksfunny enough, all my friends are obsessed with fake ass and tits, but that's not my thing, so it actually helps when we travel.

DM me if you have any tips, and safe travels![/QUOTE]Looks like you have some reading (RESEARCH) to do.

[QUOTE=Knowledge;2986238]Wow, that's crazy. I saw that on the denuncias Antioquia feed. I wonder whether there was some sort of flight arrival schedule hiccup. It's been a while since that situation has come up in the news.[/QUOTE]Yep, it affects everything. Prices going up. Rentals, Ubers, wait times, etc. Expect a line at MDE. Long gone are the days when you breezed through in 10 minutes. If you are blessed by the Gods, you might luck out but there is typically a slow process getting through immigration.

[QUOTE=Grem;2986273]Lately the Mansion was just not run properly! Still going to miss the place though, had good times there. Wonder if there is something similar.[/QUOTE]I cut my teeth at the mansion 18 years ago. Met some good people and then went out on my own. There were some quality girls back then. I got to know the staff. I started at the Mansion and then moved up to the Castillo (M2) when I wanted more privacy and less interaction. Greg had his issues, but always treated me well and put on a good show. And I still keep in touch with Boyd. MDE has certainly changed a lot and not necessarily for the best.

[QUOTE=Knowledge;2986239]Bogota has its moments too. I will say I've never seen the immigration lines understaffed as is sometimes the case in Medellin.[/QUOTE]When I was in the 3 hour Immigration line at Medellin, I counted the number of Immigration officers handling the hundreds of foreigners waiting patiently: one.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2986227]That is like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.[/QUOTE]I always fly into Bogota first, and when leaving the same Unless I have a very late night flight out direct, always go into Bogota first. Even with a long time it's staffed enough to get you thru and also the reality is.

They handle so much volume and don't have the headline grabbing pressure that Med does, looking to make examples out of people.

[QUOTE=BlueChange;2986556]I always fly into Bogota first, and when leaving the same Unless I have a very late night flight out direct, always go into Bogota first. Even with a long time it's staffed enough to get you thru and also the reality is.

They handle so much volume and don't have the headline grabbing pressure that Med does, looking to make examples out of people.[/QUOTE]Is it always the case that it is much faster for a domestic flight in MDE vs an Intl flight? I may fork out a layover just to skip the 3 hours wait in MDE customs.

[QUOTE=BlueChange;2986556]I always fly into Bogota first, and when leaving the same Unless I have a very late night flight out direct, always go into Bogota first. Even with a long time it's staffed enough to get you thru and also the reality is.

They handle so much volume and don't have the headline grabbing pressure that Med does, looking to make examples out of people.[/QUOTE]So is it worth taking a layover or even a longer layover through Bogota than flying direct to MDE to avoid the long lines? I would expect some long lines for domestic flights as well?

Cheers.

[QUOTE=BlueChange;2986556]I always fly into Bogota first, and when leaving the same Unless I have a very late night flight out direct, always go into Bogota first. Even with a long time it's staffed enough to get you thru and also the reality is.

They handle so much volume and don't have the headline grabbing pressure that Med does, looking to make examples out of people.[/QUOTE]I went through Bogota last time on my way to Santa Marta. I couldn't believe how long the line was, but yes, it was well staffed and made it through in about 90 min. I haven't been to Medellin in a while. That sucks-- a 3 hour wait! I remember it being fast in the past. I would transfer in Panama City and land in Medellin. Landing in Cali through Panama City had about a 5 min wait in line!

[QUOTE=BlueChange;2986556]I always fly into Bogota first, and when leaving the same Unless I have a very late night flight out direct, always go into Bogota first. Even with a long time it's staffed enough to get you thru and also the reality is.
They handle so much volume and don't have the headline grabbing pressure that Med does, looking to make examples out of people.[/QUOTE]I can see doing that. The Bogota agents were always more professional than what I saw in Medellin. Bogota is a big business town and Cartagena is a tourist town, so they seem to handle people differently. I could feel the disgust of a Medellin agent who thought I was a typical monger until she saw my gal and her daughter and then the agent completely changed her attitude. It was an eye opener because I had never been treated that badly anywhere else.

There was a Spirit flight from Orlando to Cartagena that was the first international flight to arrive. If you were in the front of the plane, you could get through immigration / customs in 5 minutes tops. I do not recall a problem getting out of Medellin but with Cartagena where they check your BP and ID, sometimes they have one person and 1 hour plus waits. Most times it is well staffed and you can get through quickly. Bogota is pretty efficient and consistent with all their machines now.

When you fly back into the USA, lately customs has not been that ridiculous. New York was probably the worst as expected but not by much. On the flip side, the crew at Orlando was by far the nicest and even though it is a zoo, I really like all the amenities at the Orlando Airport. If I had my way, I would always connect there over Lauderdale or Miami.

That is wacko. I'm thinking it might be another labor protest.

[QUOTE=Explorer8939;2986407]When I was in the 3 hour Immigration line at Medellin, I counted the number of Immigration officers handling the hundreds of foreigners waiting patiently: one.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Explorer8939;2986407]When I was in the 3 hour Immigration line at Medellin, I counted the number of Immigration officers handling the hundreds of foreigners waiting patiently: one.[/QUOTE]3 hours looking at sausages is ruff. Why they don't use technology to speed people through makes little sense.

[QUOTE=Orgasmico;2986647]3 hours looking at sausages is ruff. Why they don't use technology to speed people through makes little sense.[/QUOTE]Why don't they use technology for anything. I was in Cartagena trying to get a bus ticket to Barranquilla. There was a bus company office across from my hotel. I went over to try to buy a ticket. The lady said I would have to go to the bus station to buy a ticket. Why the fuck do they pay for an office there and someone to be at the office if you can't even buy a ticket. Hell, they could just put a sign on a utility pole to say go to the bus station to buy a ticket. Moreover, why the hell can't you buy a ticket online? Same with the ATM with a line 1 mile long of people to pay bills, while folks in the first world can pay a bill with 2 clicks on their mobile phone. It is 2025 Colombia!

[QUOTE=Orgasmico;2986647]3 hours looking at sausages is ruff. Why they don't use technology to speed people through makes little sense.[/QUOTE]I hope Medellin charges more for everything. Maybe the sausage fest will slow down. Bogota is not as beautiful scenery outdoors but the girls are! Few gringos make it that extra 1 hour from out of usa/ Florida. And but then there is Brazil. An extra 6 hours. If I could use Bogota as a rest between Brazil, that would be perfect. Probably not that much rest but breaking up those hours in a row on the plane over 2-3 days layover sounds invigorating.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2986671]Why don't they use technology for anything. I was in Cartagena trying to get a bus ticket to Barranquilla. There was a bus company office across from my hotel. I went over to try to buy a ticket. The lady said I would have to go to the bus station to buy a ticket. Why the fuck do they pay for an office there and someone to be at the office if you can't even buy a ticket. Hell, they could just put a sign on a utility pole to say go to the bus station to buy a ticket. Moreover, why the hell can't you buy a ticket online? Same with the ATM with a line 1 mile long of people to pay bills, while folks in the first world can pay a bill with 2 clicks on their mobile phone. It is 2025 Colombia![/QUOTE]You can buy bus tickets online in Colombia. I do it all the time when I'm there. There's a website and app called Redbus.

[URL]www.redbus.co[/URL]

You type in your Origen and destino and it will show you all the different bus companies that have that route and the times and location of departure and you can pay for the ticket online or in the app with a credit card or debit card and it will email you the ticket.

I Medellin there is terminal del Norte off of the caribe metro station and also terminal del sur near Poblado station and certain routes only leave from the sur bus terminal so make sure you pay attention to that.

Gabacho.

[QUOTE=DonCarlos1234;2986727]Bogota is not as beautiful scenery outdoors but the girls are! [/QUOTE]Wish I could breathe with the Bogota altitude and Viagra in my system. I have had to switch to Cialis because Viagra stuffs up my nose. And the air is so thin in Bogota it's hard to make it up a flight of steps!

And I run 5 ks for sport.