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Does anyone have experience with importing a cargo container of household goods into Colombia? None of the items would be new. Just the usual clothes, furniture, appliances, electronics. Import taxes, bribes, theft, damage? Is there any one time exemption for house hold goods?
Thanks,
KT
[QUOTE=Bobsthrobbinknob]I'm making my first trip tomorrow for a week, and frankly, I'd rather be going to Medellin than Baltimore, DC, Detroit, L. A. , NYC, and for fucks sake, Jackson MS at night. I'm not saying it's totally safe there, but from the travel alerts, combined with smart and alert travel practices, I'm convinced it's perfectly fine to go. Just to be sure though, some of you dumbasses are spreading enough negativity that I'm sure my trip will be unnecessarily less enjoyable because of the unwarranted fear.
First of all, I'd like to see a poll of the mongers on this board that have been mugged, had a gun to their head, or kidnapped, or know a wingman that had the same happen. I'm not a betting man, but I'll bet you that out of the 1000's that go, the number is so low if any at all, the "on gringo" crime would be like crime in Mayberry.[/QUOTE]I have lived in Cartagena for 4 years and Medellín for 2 years. You are dead wrong. Good thing that you are not a betting man.
Colombia poses a much different set of problems than any you will experience in the US. I have a friend sleeping right now in my guest bedroom who had a gun to his head in Envigado, a ritzy suburb of Medellín, a few months ago during a home invasion. He gave them his PIN and lived to tell about it.
I could tell you about another friend who was kidnapped coming in from the Rionegro (Medellín) airport at gunpoint. And I could tell you many other stories about crimes committed against people I know.
I suggest that you take very seriously the warnings about Colombia. But that does not mean that you cannot come here and enjoy yourself. The tourist zone in Cartagena is the safest area in all of Colombia. I would suggest that newbies go there first. After getting your feet wet in CTG, you could branch out to Medellín, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, or Bogotá. Only after getting to know the lay of the land, should you go anywhere else in Colombia. Fly between cities.
These are only some very short suggestions, and there are some exceptions. I have certainly not covered all the bases.
Fear just might keep you on your toes. It is not a bad thing.
[QUOTE=Bobsthrobbinknob]I'm making my first trip tomorrow for a week, and frankly, I'd rather be going to Medellin than Baltimore, DC, Detroit, L. A. , NYC, and for fucks sake, Jackson MS at night. I'm not saying it's totally safe there, but from the travel alerts, combined with smart and alert travel practices, I'm convinced it's perfectly fine to go. Just to be sure though, some of you dumbasses are spreading enough negativity that I'm sure my trip will be unnecessarily less enjoyable because of the unwarranted fear.
First of all, I'd like to see a poll of the mongers on this board that have been mugged, had a gun to their head, or kidnapped, or know a wingman that had the same happen. I'm not a betting man, but I'll bet you that out of the 1000's that go, the number is so low if any at all, the "on gringo" crime would be like crime in Mayberry.[/QUOTE]You couldn't be more wrong my friend and if you go to Colombia with the mindset that you are safer there than the USA You could find yourself in BIG trouble. Yes, there are many cities in the USA That have a lot of crime but the percentage of poor, desperate people in almost any city in South or Latin America is much higher than ANY city in the USA And that is what makes traveling to these places inherently more dangerous. I live part time in Manizales which is the "Mayberry" of Colombia and last month my novia's brother and four friends got robbed by nine guys in broad daylight near the Parque Plaza which is an upscale mall and she got pickpocketed two days later while we were in the same mall with me standing right beside her.
It has been said many times on this board, "this ain't f**king Kansas". Us "dumbasses" are just trying to protect your dumb ass.
I do hope you enjoy your trip, just be careful.
[QUOTE=Bobsthrobbinknob]I'm making my first trip tomorrow for a week, and frankly, I'd rather be going to Medellin than Baltimore, DC, Detroit, L. A. , NYC, and for fucks sake, Jackson MS at night. I'm not saying it's totally safe there, but from the travel alerts, combined with smart and alert travel practices, I'm convinced it's perfectly fine to go. Just to be sure though, some of you dumbasses are spreading enough negativity that I'm sure my trip will be unnecessarily less enjoyable because of the unwarranted fear.
First of all, I'd like to see a poll of the mongers on this board that have been mugged, had a gun to their head, or kidnapped, or know a wingman that had the same happen. I'm not a betting man, but I'll bet you that out of the 1000's that go, the number is so low if any at all, the "on gringo" crime would be like crime in Mayberry.[/QUOTE]Thank you for your kind words, and I highly suggest you just keep thinking this way. Also make sure you where nice watches, gold chains, diamond rings, and show the attitude you are in your post. I am sure you will be just fine.
[QUOTE=Bobsthrobbinknob]I'm making my first trip tomorrow for a week, and frankly, I'd rather be going to Medellin than Baltimore, DC, Detroit, L. A. , NYC, and for fucks sake, Jackson MS at night. I'm not saying it's totally safe there, but from the travel alerts, combined with smart and alert travel practices, I'm convinced it's perfectly fine to go. Just to be sure though, some of you dumbasses are spreading enough negativity that I'm sure my trip will be unnecessarily less enjoyable because of the unwarranted fear.
First of all, I'd like to see a poll of the mongers on this board that have been mugged, had a gun to their head, or kidnapped, or know a wingman that had the same happen. I'm not a betting man, but I'll bet you that out of the 1000's that go, the number is so low if any at all, the "on gringo" crime would be like crime in Mayberry.[/QUOTE]Bob, the "Crime In Colombia" thread is the appropriate place for this discussion.
I know a Gringo that was murdered in Colombia. I bet many others here knew Robert Vignola.
I know Gringos that have been mugged and had guns to their heads in Colombia. I also witnessed an armed robbery at a restaurant I was eating at in Colombia.
You certainly are very opinionated for somebody that has never set foot in Colombia. Have fun, Bob.
[QUOTE=Client 9]Bob, the "Crime In Colombia" thread is the appropriate place for this discussion.
I know a Gringo that was murdered in Colombia. I bet many others here knew Robert Vignola.
I know Gringos that have been mugged and had guns to their heads in Colombia. I also witnessed an armed robbery at a restaurant I was eating at in Colombia.
You certainly are very opinionated for somebody that has never set foot in Colombia. Have fun, Bob.[/QUOTE]He's a troll. Ignore him.
I had to look up RV. Doesn't come across as the cleanest player:
[url]http://hhs1973.com/images/obit2_marshall-vignola.htm[/url]
I've been to Medellin four times, and, fortunately, have never seen or
experienced any crime, and have walked around most of the city during the day. Having said that, I don't walk anywhere at night, with the exception around Parque LLeras, and do not wear any jewellery, and only basic jeans and T-shirts. One should never forget for a minute that Medellin was once the crime capital of the world, and while it is a lot safer, stuff can still happen, so always take care when travelling (which is true anywhere)
Wake up there is more crime at Home.
Colombia is like going to Church. Give a few bucks to help the needy.
Come to California, Arizona and Texas. Lots more crime along the Open Border.
Found out that you can get a VAT refund. Go to the DIAN office at the airport and they will give you a form (in English). It takes a few minutes to fill out and make copies of receipts. I'd recommend getting the form when you arrive or a few days before you leave. Then you can fill out the form on your own and make copies of your receipts.
They will ONLY refund CREDIT CARD purchases. They will NOT refund cash purchases. They send the refund to your Credit Card and it takes about 3 months to get there. You will need your Credit Card receipts and your sales receipts. Your minimum purchases need to be equivalent to about $1, 000 US (before VAT) and I can't remember the max. IIRC the items needed to be purchased within the last 60 days.
At the DIAN office and on the back of the form, is a list of things that are IVA refundable. Clothing, shoes, perfumes, leather goods, CDs, crafts, liquor, food for human consumption, toys, jewelry and Colombian emeralds.
I'm planning a short trip to Bogota on March 16-19. In finding a place to stay, I've narrowed it down to (1) Hotel VIP and (2) [url]www.suitesreal.com/85[/url].
I understand that Hotel VIP is obviously chica-friendly, but do Suites Real 85 charge a fee if you bring back a guest?
In addition, would there be any preference as to location? I can always take taxis and safety of location is a big factor.
Thanks for your help.
[QUOTE=Sucio]Found out that you can get a VAT refund. Go to the DIAN office at the airport and they will give you a form (in English). It takes a few minutes to fill out and make copies of receipts. I'd recommend getting the form when you arrive or a few days before you leave. Then you can fill out the form on your own and make copies of your receipts.
They will ONLY refund CREDIT CARD purchases. They will NOT refund cash purchases. They send the refund to your Credit Card and it takes about 3 months to get there. You will need your Credit Card receipts and your sales receipts. Your minimum purchases need to be equivalent to about $1, 000 US (before VAT) and I can't remember the max. IIRC the items needed to be purchased within the last 60 days.
At the DIAN office and on the back of the form, is a list of things that are IVA refundable. Clothing, shoes, perfumes, leather goods, CDs, crafts, liquor, food for human consumption, toys, jewelry and Colombian emeralds.[/QUOTE]Yes, this is correct.
However, my guess is that you would have a better chance of having your credit card information stolen by someone in the DIAN office than getting any refund.
I've had the good fortune now of living in Colombia for 3 years. Medellin is a wonderful city, friendly people, and if I never set foot in the US again, I can care less. Don't misunderstand me, I do wish the US all the luck in the world! I'm just happy in Colombia!
Last weekend the Mrs and I decided to drive over to Sante Fe for the weekend. Santa Fe unlike Medellin is a tropical environment and we just wanted to stretch out by a good pool and soak up some good, hot sun for the whole weekend.
We stayed at a very nice hotel about a mile east of Santa Fe. Sunday morning about 4:30am the Mrs turned on the room light and started to walk out on the balcony. The instant she slid open the door about 150 bees flew into the room. She was stung twice on her right hand, and I was stung once on my stomach. Needless to say we got the hell out of there in a hurry!
We checked into a different room and the hotel people retrieved our things from the infested room.
Again, Medellin is not a tropical environment. Though our place is air conditioned, it hasn't been turned on in 2 years. Yes, we occasionally sleep at night with a window open and have experienced no bug problems.
I guess I am just saying, be careful as there are hidden dangers!
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Mrs? Uh-oh. Please don't tell me that you.
For those of us that can read Spanish, there is a useful site dedicated to the scene in Lima. The site is PeruTops.com.
[url]http://perutops.com/foro-relax/index.php[/url]
Are there similar sites for any of the major cities of Colombia?
Anyone have advice on the best car rental in Medellin?