Cali Reports

Actually this is more Medellin specific, but it relates to this subject.

I've been pretty much living in Colombia for about 2 years now ... about 1year in Cali, about 1 year and a half in Medellin now.
I still travel for my work though which takes me out of Colombia.

Bottom line ... Colombia is dangerous ... an inexperienced or unguarded or foolish or unlucky person could get get in lots of trouble.

In Medellin ... not too long ago ... going to my girlfriend's house ... I witnessed a band of boys (teens) assasinate another kid ... point blank.
I saw the kid laying in his blood, I saw the ambulance come pick him up, I saw the cops come and every witness said "I saw nothing" for fear of retribution.

My girlfriend said this happens a lot ... when the "boys" don't like someone ... they get rid of them. They bring the soldiers in when it gets too bad ... to patrol the streets.

My Colombian friends tell me Cali is worse than Medellin ...

I live very 'low key' in Colombia ... make a lot of friends ... zero enemies.

Colombian chicas are awesome but ... for those who aren't very experienced ... it may be best to stay in Cartagena ... San Jose, etc.

Yes, true ... chances are nothing will happen to you ... but just keep in mind ... no matter what anyone says on this board ... It DEFINITELY can be DANGEROUS ... FARC or no FARC ...
Always watch your back.

Suerte!

Jman: The incident you described would have scared the bejesus out of me and I don't know if I would return if that had happened 2 feet from where I was standing. And that incident had NOTHING to do with FARC, and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that just about every guy in Colombia packs heat as there are no CCW laws that I know of.

Ricker: Some say Medellin is iffier (though if you stay JUST in Poblado it SEEMS safer than Cali IMHO), others say Cali. In Medellin I was warned PARTICULARLY about staying off the hillsides (except Las Palmas/HatoViejo/Transversal area ).

BOTH are markedly more dangerous than Cartagena to be sure.

Adultj: The FARC rarely conduct VISIBLE operations in cities (like gangs of guys in fatigues running around with guns like they do out in the campos). You will NEVER SEE IT! That does NOT mean they are not clandestinely planting bombs or kidnapping wealthy people.

adultj

I very much liked something you said:

"this board only provides information, not common sense."

A true disclaimer.

Ferolga

I'm NOT saying Colombia is as safe as the USA. (And I never did). Use your best judgement. I'll still go back. Until I hear the day that Surfer or other doom and gloom naysayers gets kidnapped and FARC is taking up a collection for him I'll continue to travel there.

Antifreeze, sorry to hear about your brother in law. I think you were honest to point out that he was with someone with questionable relations. I think much of the violence would fall in this category. Still, Colombia is not the same as going to some other places we go.

I think Ricker's post is realistic. Yes, chances are nothing will happen to you if you are smart and not making an ass out of yourself. Still, bad things can happen. Common sense always prevails. Be careful and have fun.

Saint

Been reading the Colombian postings for a while now and have paid attention to all the warnings.

Wonder if some of the regulars in this forum can tell me whether an asian will stand out in Colombia. Maybe even tell me which cities are most tourist-friendly (relative to the other cities in that country) and which are the least friendly.

Thanks in advance for all the great postings.

Yos

Surfer,

It did freak me out for several days and made me realize how fast someone can kill you. He was so close ( point blank range) I thought he had shot me for a second because it all happened so fast. When the police came they just threw his body into the back of a police truck. I thought they would ask me or somebody else for a description of the guy or what happened but they said nothing and didn't care to know either. I went back to the same club a few days later and found out it was over a girl. (of course!!)

If someones going to kill you its generally over one or more of three things. A woman, Drugs, or money. Sure, Colombians in general are some of the friendliest people you will meet, but its a paradox and It took a while for me to realize it but to many human life means very little here.

I remeber about a year ago I was having an ongoing problem with this other gringo down here, and I was explaining it to a Colombia friend to get advice about what to do about it and his first suggestion to me is" why dont you just have him killed?" I thought he was screwing around at first but he was serious and so I asked him about it and he said for many In Colombia this is the Colombian way.

Surfer, I am not a doom or gloom naysayer at all, I am living her off and on now so until I get killed or kidnapped I will keep coming back. I like you, used to think all of this stuff people used to say was BS, until I started to see it. I remeber on some of my first trips down here my Colombian friends were always warning me to not do this, or not do that, or dont go there its dangerous yada yada yada etc etc. I thought jeez, these Colombians are some of the most cowardy people on earth! Well once I started to witness some of the stuff they were talking about I understood what they were talking about and why they were concerned.

They live here 365 days a year and we dont. hey see all the crazy shoot puts and killings we dont see. Once I started to see it, I became a lot more aware of how very dangerous Colombia can be.

As far as which is more dangerous, Cali or Medellin, I am not really sure. I have visted Medellin several times and it is a nice city, but for the people alone for me Cali is a better choice.

Jman,

Thanks for your honesty. Despite loving the country and its women, I HATE the culture of violence, and how cheap life is down there. But it is what it is, and, like everywhere, has its pros & cons.


Next trip to Cali the drinks are on me (and keep your head down man!).

Anyone in New York looking for a travel partner, I plan to go for the first time.

Please pm me,

Thanks

The single most important rule in Colombia (living or visiting): DO NOT MAKE ANY ENEMIES.

It is as simple as that. If someone wants you out of the circuit of the living, it is cheaper to get that done than to get a new TV. And I am not kidding. It is literally cheaper...

Be safe.

Freeze

Freeze,

Last time I asked around it would run you about $100 to have someone knocked off, depending on the hit man and hit of course. Not that I would ever need one or think about anything like that, but it is good to know what your life is worth. For us Gringos they would probably do it for fifty bucks!

There was something on the news tonight in Cali about nine hundred and sixty some homicides in Cali to date this year. That breaks down to about 5-6 a day, so there are going to be a lot of dead folks at the end of the year.

Compare that homicide rate to a city of the same size 2.5-3 million people in the States, and you will see how Colombia is a much more violent country in General then the US.

Surfer that sounds great and thanks for the good advice!

Yossarian99,

There are quite a few Asians in Cali... I have seen several walking the streets of Cali, mostly around the Sexta, but I am sure there are more in other parts of the city. Most are either Chinese or Japanese, as there are several resteraunts of this type in Cali owned and operated by Asians.

As far as the safest city in Colombia, the safest ones that I know of would probably be Cartagena, Barenquilla, Santa Marta, or San Andres. These cities are on the coast and San Andres is an Island off the Coast of Nigaragua. These are more tourist friendly spots but there may be other citys that others could recommend.

My friends:

That is the key. Mind your own business, have fun, and enjoy life. Just do NOT get involved in any good samaritan. Walk away from any arguments, fights. If you like a lady, talk to her but do not be pushy.

The best thing you can do is WALK AWAY.

I know I am not a "Senior Member", but with all due respect, this is the World Sex Guide. Where are the sex details? We should not beat a dead horse. Unless there is a Calena who is a 10, but is performs a gfe.

I was in Colombia for 3 weeks and was rolled twice. That's 2 times more than I've ever been robbed. In Cali, a gang of teenagers tackeled me right on the main street at around 8p. In Bogota, gun to the temple. The women are even more beautiful than in Brazil. But, they are not always as they seem. The culture is that robbing another person, as long as its not family or recent friend, is actually a matter of pride, something to brag about. Be careful!

Hi my friends:

I will be in Cali from June 18 to 21 for a break, coming from Bogota.

If any Gringo is around at that time, we could experience both daylife and nighlife in Cali. Please let me know.

Best,
LDP