Medellin Reports

[Knowledge]

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

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.

[Elvis 2008]

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.

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.

[Vern2020]

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.

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!

[Degenerate24]

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.

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.

[Degenerate24]

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.

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.

[BlueChange]

That is like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

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.

[Explorer8939]

Bogota has its moments too. I will say I've never seen the immigration lines understaffed as is sometimes the case in Medellin.

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.

[ColombiaLover]

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.

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.

[Orgasmico]

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.

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.

[MongerHunger]

*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!

Looks like you have some reading (RESEARCH) to do.

[CatBert55]

Dude. They are the same agents. It only depends on the duty they are performing at the time. Like the Secret Service. The mission of the Secret Service is to investigate counterfeiting. So there are offices full of special agents doing this. The same agents in the offices and running around investigating counterfeiting can be assigned to protection details such as guarding the president or dignitaries.

Just like in the Navy. We have people on a ship and people on shore duty. The same job title performs different duties. It is not either or. A mechanic can be assigned recruiting duty, but that does not mean they are not a sailor. CBP / ICE can be assigned to the field as well as the border, such as the airport or seaport. Just because you see them in an airport does not mean that is the only place they can be assigned.

ICE and CBP are two different agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. Both are involved with immigration and customs, but their focus is different. CBP works at the border to stop illegal immigration and smuggling, while ICE works within the country to enforce immigration and customs law. ICE consists of two divisions, ERO (Enforcement and Romoval Operations) and HSI (Homeland Security Investigations). ERO is what most people think of as ICE. They work with the immigration court system. HSI works with the criminal court system. CBP works at or beyond the border and cosists of three divisions. OFO (Office of Field Operations) are the guys who work at the airports and other ports of entries inspecting people and goods as they cross the border. The Border Patrol patrols the borders between ports of entry. Air and Marine Operations patrol the coast along with the Coast Guard, as well as patrol the borders with aircraft.

TL; DR CBP works to stop it, ICE works to catch it after it's already happened.

[LetsGoMets]

*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 locals—though 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 chicks—funny 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!

[Grem]

I heard they will not open M2. My guess is they have taken everyone's deposits and disappeared. It's now probably too late to dispute the charge with your credit card company.

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.

[Knowledge]

Bogota has its moments too. I will say I've never seen the immigration lines understaffed as is sometimes the case in Medellin.

When I was stuck in a 3 hour line at Medelland Immigration, I saw a boatload of American female tourists. I never saw any on the streets afterwards though, so they must be going someone.

Anyway, I learned something: always fly into Medelland via Bogot, and go through Immigration there, that's what I will do next time.

[Knowledge]

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.

Gringo Sausage Fest Arrival.