Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=PilotPete;2370707]I am coming to Medelln next week for the first time and would welcome advice on the following.

1) I have IPhone & IPad Pro with service through ATT. Text messages to my phone forward to my IPad which is convenient. It is my understanding that these devices will not work with the cellular network in Medelln? A gentleman on this forum suggested I buy a Samsung J3 prime here before departure but I'm having trouble finding one that is truly unlocked & new. I also understand that WhatsApp will be my primary means of communication. I have it on my IPhone but assume that number won't work when I get to Medelln?

Q: can I buy a phone in Medelln from the service provider at a reasonable price? Will the IPhone and IPad work with local wi-fi?

2) I am attending Toucan Spanish Language school near Parque El Poblado for 6 weeks. Any recommendations for Lodging would be most welcome. Looking for 3 star or 4 star level, either hotel or Apartment.

3) I opened an account on SA, mostly looking for bi-lingual GF for my stay. I'm an older guy and not a party animal, preferring genuine passion and talent over youth and smoking hot. I typically like and have had good relations with late 20's to early 40's gals. Do you recommend that I also utilize another platform (other than Facebook). I don't trust or care for FB. I would also welcome any bilingual contacts you would be comfortable sharing.

Thank you in advance. PM is fine.[/QUOTE]Leave the I-everything at home. You are asking for trouble bringing them. They will either get robbed on the street or stolen by a chica you bring over. Buy a cheap unlocked cell phone and a local SIM.

[QUOTE=PilotPete;2370707]I am coming to Medelln next week for the first time and would welcome advice on the following.

1) I have IPhone & IPad Pro with service through ATT. Text messages to my phone forward to my IPad which is convenient. It is my understanding that these devices will not work with the cellular network in Medelln? A gentleman on this forum suggested I buy a Samsung J3 prime here before departure but I'm having trouble finding one that is truly unlocked & new. I also understand that WhatsApp will be my primary means of communication. I have it on my IPhone but assume that number won't work when I get to Medelln?

Q: can I buy a phone in Medelln from the service provider at a reasonable price? Will the IPhone and IPad work with local wi-fi?

2) I am attending Toucan Spanish Language school near Parque El Poblado for 6 weeks. Any recommendations for Lodging would be most welcome. Looking for 3 star or 4 star level, either hotel or Apartment.

3) I opened an account on SA, mostly looking for bi-lingual GF for my stay. I'm an older guy and not a party animal, preferring genuine passion and talent over youth and smoking hot.[/QUOTE]I think we have similar tastes in women. Laura speaks decent English and was a lot of fun to spend time with. I even hired her as a tour guide one day.

[URL]https://www.facebook.com/pucca.bustamante[/URL]

[QUOTE=Surfer500;2370760].......... Americans are not welcome in Venezuela! ..........[/QUOTE]Is that true? They don't want my money in Venezuela?

My father always told me places where the American dollar is not accepted are best avoided. There are several other reasons to avoid Venezuela these days but interest in the American dollar is not on of them.

[QUOTE=Turgid;2371043]Is that true? They don't want my money in Venezuela?[/QUOTE]

You can't leave cash and your passport at home. We need to stay aware of our belongings to prevent them being stolen. Don't be offended, I mention the following only in the interest of helping prevent sad stories. Never leave your valuables unattended when you have company. That means take your pants with your phone and wallet with you when you go to the bathroom. It's a classic moment when unscrupulous girls get into mischief. On the streets, be aware of your surroundings and avoid displaying valuables like cell phones. Duck into a restaurant or bakery if you need to make a call or look something up urgently. This is old news here but so is what kind of phone or SIM card will work in Colombia.

I use the same flagship mobile device everywhere and I usually have cash on me. I never carry around a passport or a copy of one. The key is to to stay woke and don't display. Just a couple weeks ago the police were stopping people in Centro and they politely asked to see my cedula. I showed them a global entry card that looks like a US drivers license. The police thanked me for my time and carried on with their operativo.

[QUOTE=Queens35;2370805]Leave the I-everything at home. You are asking for trouble bringing them. They will either get robbed on the street or stolen by a chica you bring over. Buy a cheap unlocked cell phone and a local SIM.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=CuriousFun;2370923]I think we have similar tastes in women. Laura speaks decent English and was a lot of fun to spend time with. I even hired her as a tour guide one day.

[URL]https://www.facebook.com/pucca.bustamante[/URL][/QUOTE]Yes, Laura is great & can give you a pretty good massage as well, speaks great english. I use an I-phone in MDE, but don't pull it out in the streets. Whats App will work with it using wifi, as well as FB messenger.

Any recommendations on where to watch English Football. UK is 6 hours ahead of Colombia so games will be starting 3 or 4 pm. There is a big game on Sunday at 4 pm. I went to the Irish Bar in Park Lleras last time but it was not open yet. Any ideas people?

Thanks,

Russki.

The Internet, Hard Rock Cafe, or depending on where you are staying one of the sports networks (Fox, espn, etc.). You should be able to get better information of this type on one of the facebook gringo expatriate in Colombia groups.

[QUOTE=Russki;2371115]Any recommendations on where to watch English Football. UK is 6 hours ahead of Colombia so games will be starting 3 or 4 pm. There is a big game on Sunday at 4 pm. I went to the Irish Bar in Park Lleras last time but it was not open yet. Any ideas people?

Thanks,

Russki.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Knowledge;2371066]You can't leave cash and your passport at home. We need to stay aware of our belongings to prevent them being stolen. Don't be offended, I mention the following only in the interest of helping prevent sad stories. Never leave your valuables unattended when you have company. That means take your pants with your phone and wallet with you when you go to the bathroom. It's a classic moment when unscrupulous girls get into mischief. On the streets, be aware of your surroundings and avoid displaying valuables like cell phones. Duck into a restaurant or bakery if you need to make a call or look something up urgently. This is old news here but so is what kind of phone or SIM card will work in Colombia.[/QUOTE]Sound and true advice, kind of like Mongering 101, but the reality is there are some guys who don't get it. Case in point, a friend of mine has a friend who has came down to live in Medellin for six months. I met his friend, and he had a brand new "I" phone from the USA with him. The first thing we told him was to buy a local phone and leave the "I" phone in his apartment because it will get stolen. So what does he do, he takes it on the METRO, and guess what, the phone gets stolen.

Okay, so the guys "I" phone get's stolen, and he's out say $ 1,000, but it's much more than that. I personally have an "I" phone with Verizon International service which stays locked in my safety deposit box here in Colombia. IF my "I" phone were stolen in Colombia guess what? I have no way of getting my phone number of over twenty years back into service here without returning to the USA because according to Verizon, they have no way of reactivating the number. So the value of the phone is one thing, but losing phone service if your going to be away for an extended period of time can be much more of a problem. Think about all the Text messages you get relative to notifications for flights, banking, appointments, confirmations, etc. A perfect example of this are the alerts I get from Bank of America when I attempt to withdraw funds from an ATM. I sent a text message to confirm them, etc.

This girl is one of the more popular girls. With in 10 minutes I saw her (I was slow, the master saw her before me and reminded me who was here), she closed the deal and was never seen again tonight. She is smart because she isolated herself from her group and landed in the middle of center no one would miss.

The same thing with another girl about 10 minutes earlier.

[QUOTE=Nounce;2371191]This girl is one of the more popular girls. With in 10 minutes I saw her (I was slow, the master saw her before me and reminded me who was here), she closed the deal and was never seen again tonight. She is smart because she isolated herself from her group and landed in the middle of center no one would miss.

The same thing with another girl about 10 minutes earlier.[/QUOTE]Most mongers do not like girls who hang in groups, From what I have seen, the girls who remain alone, usually get more dates. Pollo negro is out!

[QUOTE=Nounce;2371191]This girl is one of the more popular girls. With in 10 minutes I saw her (I was slow, the master saw her before me and reminded me who was here), she closed the deal and was never seen again tonight. She is smart because she isolated herself from her group and landed in the middle of center no one would miss.

The same thing with another girl about 10 minutes earlier.[/QUOTE]How many are out there? I hope it's not to competive to get them.

[QUOTE=Kafka;2371201]How many are out there? I hope it's not to competive to get them.[/QUOTE]It's not a competitive thing like in a bar. If you have limited time around the plaza, you should close the deal when you get the chance.

[QUOTE=PilotPete;2370707]
1) I have IPhone & IPad Pro with service through ATT. Text messages to my phone forward to my IPad which is convenient. It is my understanding that these devices will not work with the cellular network in Medelln? A gentleman on this forum suggested I buy a Samsung J3 prime here before departure but I'm having trouble finding one that is truly unlocked & new. I also understand that WhatsApp will be my primary means of communication. I have it on my IPhone but assume that number won't work when I get to Medelln?
[/QUOTE]The phone and service will work. It may be a good idea to buy a Colombia SIM card to create a new Whatsapp account so your Whatsapp will display Colombia number, not the US number. It costs around 3-5 K for the SIM. To use Colombia SIM, you have to make sure your phone is unlocked. Google it to see if you are eligible for unlock. Like others have said, be careful so you don't give someone a chance to steal them.

[QUOTE=PilotPete;2370707]
Q: can I buy a phone in Medelln from the service provider at a reasonable price? Will the IPhone and IPad work with local wi-fi?
[/QUOTE]I think the answer is yes, otherwise how do locals afford them?

[QUOTE=PilotPete;2370707]
2) I am attending Toucan Spanish Language school near Parque El Poblado for 6 weeks. Any recommendations for Lodging would be most welcome. Looking for 3 star or 4 star level, either hotel or Apartment.[/QUOTE]After hearing some police harassment reports here, I start to feel El Poblado is like Tijuana.

[QUOTE=Nounce;2371191]This girl is one of the more popular girls. With in 10 minutes I saw her (I was slow, the master saw her before me and reminded me who was here), she closed the deal and was never seen again tonight. She is smart because she isolated herself from her group and landed in the middle of center no one would miss.

The same thing with another girl about 10 minutes earlier.[/QUOTE]In looking at your photo I don't see any girls in it, just guys.

And who is the "Master" you are referring to. Someone like a Jedi Mongerer you look up to.