Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=FunLuvr;2910796]Colombia doesn't have a tipping culture. Many of the places in Poblado will add a service charge (tip) to your bill. I would have ignored the guy who asked for a tip.

I think it's a good gesture to leave a tip for the hotel maid. 4 mil a day should be sufficient, unless you asked for special service, like more towels.
[/QUOTE]On either my first or second trip to Colombia back in 2018 in Bogota I tried to tip the maid 5 mil because she showed me to my room and made sure I had a clean towel and roll of toilet paper.

I said gracias and handed her a 5 mil bill and she got mad at me. She put her hand up and refused to take it and she was like "they pay me here" I kinda got the impression that she thought that I thought that she was poor and was offering her the 5 mil to make up for what she should be getting paid.

Since then I have stayed there mainly times over the years and Doña Gloria always greets me with a hug every time I see her but I never ever have offered her a tip since that first time and I don't offer tips anywhere else I go either because of that experience. And when people ask for tips I frown on it like they are over-entitled and I treat them the same way as girls asking for free money I'm like "soy pobre".

[QUOTE=FunLuvr;2910796]

Colombia doesn't have a tipping culture. Many of the places in Poblado will add a service charge (tip) to your bill. I would have ignored the guy who asked for a tip.

[/QUOTE]The topic of tipping culture for travelers anywhere is a common question. It is both correct but misleading to say that Colombia does not have a tipping culture. The original poster asked about multiple scenarios with tipping, but one of them was "The waiter asked me for a tip when I was taking the food away. Is this a country where you have to tip?

It is completely normal in most restaurants for them to ask "can I add service" which is 10%. Or some will automatically add it. Either way you can refuse it or ask to have it removed. Places that are Arepa stands, executive lunch places, or "order at the counter" places don't ask for it. Or put another way. Its pretty obvious about the places that will ask for it or automatically add it. Vs the places that don't. I spend most of my time in non gringo areas with Colombians half the time.

But in my experience. That type of tipping is completely normal and I feel like you should say yes unless something has gone horribly horribly wrong. Cartegena to me is scam city the way they treat tourists, so I don't like to use it as a data point.

[QUOTE=JackTaggart;2910822]The topic of tipping culture for travelers anywhere is a common question. It is both correct but misleading to say that Colombia does not have a tipping culture. The original poster asked about multiple scenarios with tipping, but one of them was "The waiter asked me for a tip when I was taking the food away. Is this a country where you have to tip?

It is completely normal in most restaurants for them to ask "can I add service" which is 10%. Or some will automatically add it. Either way you can refuse it or ask to have it removed. Places that are Arepa stands, executive lunch places, or "order at the counter" places don't ask for it. Or put another way. Its pretty obvious about the places that will ask for it or automatically add it. Vs the places that don't. I spend most of my time in non gringo areas with Colombians half the time.

But in my experience. That type of tipping is completely normal and I feel like you should say yes unless something has gone horribly horribly wrong. Cartegena to me is scam city the way they treat tourists, so I don't like to use it as a data point.[/QUOTE]The 10% tip is included automatically as it is legal for them to do that, however they are supposed to ask if it is ok. Mostly that is what is being asked when they ask you about a tip. But sometimes they won't bother to ask. It just is on your bill.

[QUOTE=Zeos1;2910829]The 10% tip is included automatically as it is legal for them to do that, however they are supposed to ask if it is ok. Mostly that is what is being asked when they ask you about a tip. But sometimes they won't bother to ask. It just is on your bill.[/QUOTE]Correct. And based on the original post. The waiter asked if it was ok. And then the advice after was that basically tipping was not a thing in Colombia. And that they should have refused.

So I am trying to be specific with my response. Of the probably 300+ meals at restaurants that have either asked or not asked. The tip was 10%. Never less. Never more. And with both situations, I am never deciding the amount on the bill. It's simply 10%. It's not like the united states. And I feel like people ignore the obvious context for most people when responding to these questions for most people about tipping.

Personally I don't have a problem with them automatically adding it. I have asked to have it removed 2 times only. 75% of the time they ask though. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

[QUOTE=JackTaggart;2910831]Correct. And based on the original post. The waiter asked if it was ok. And then the advice after was that basically tipping was not a thing in Colombia. And that they should have refused.

So I am trying to be specific with my response. Of the probably 300+ meals at restaurants that have either asked or not asked. The tip was 10%. Never less. Never more. And with both situations, I am never deciding the amount on the bill. It's simply 10%. It's not like the united states. And I feel like people ignore the obvious context for most people when responding to these questions for most people about tipping.

Personally I don't have a problem with them automatically adding it. I have asked to have it removed 2 times only. 75% of the time they ask though. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.[/QUOTE]Also I forgot to mention that it is only the expensive restaurants that cater to gringos and affluent Colombians that charge the 10% service fee or ask for it. If you are eating in the barrios at the panaderías ordering the comida del theía for 13 mil pesos that comes with a meat, beans, rice, fried banana, soup salad and juice those kind of places never ever ask for a service charge and they always give you back exact change even if you pay with a 50 mil.

So obviously you guys are eating at the wrong places. I keep it estrado 1 LOL.

Any truth to them being closed for good? And for sale? Whattapp, messenger, text them and no response for last couple days, if just closed weird, any information?

[QUOTE=JackTaggart;2910831]Correct. And based on the original post. The waiter asked if it was ok..[/QUOTE]I think you need to re-read the post.
[QUOTE=Wkahddl2;2910696]The waiter asked me for a tip when I was taking the food away. Is this a country where you have to tip?[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Nounce;2910869]I think you need to re-read the post.[/QUOTE]It was late and I read the "I" as "he".

But I stand by my general comments in that is is misleading / incomplete to say that tipping is not a thing in Colombia as a simple response. Many people would read that question and answer and have that take away and then stiff the people when they should tip.

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2910821]On either my first or second trip to Colombia back in 2018 in Bogota I tried to tip the maid 5 mil .......[/QUOTE]Once I tipped a casa girl in the room and when we got out I saw her give it to the mamasan.

[QUOTE=JackTaggart;2910928]It was late and I read the "I" as "he".

But I stand by my general comments in that is is misleading / incomplete to say that tipping is not a thing in Colombia as a simple response. Many people would read that question and answer and have that take away and then stiff the people when they should tip.[/QUOTE]They do tip. You can see that easily at bus stop or on the street where the locals will tip a small amount for handling luggage or opening the car door of a taxi.

I have reported that I was asked to tip up to 18% maybe a year ago. Asking for a tip and asking permission to put service charge on a bill are different. From my experience, having been out for lunch everyday with my Latin America coworkers, they always declined the service charge when asked, and in that LA country where I worked, they always asked before, and I was the only one that said yes simply because I can't change the habit.

This city has changed for the worst. Last year at MDE, a worker roped the luggage cart together, and wanted to charge USD$3 for the luggage cart. Who is going to pay that as it is such a small airport where very little walking needed. Now they change it to a sign asking for 5 mil. In other much larger airports that I have been to, they are all free.

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2910821]On either my first or second trip to Colombia back in 2018 in Bogota I tried to tip the maid 5 mil because she showed me to my room and made sure I had a clean towel and roll of toilet paper.

I said gracias and handed her a 5 mil bill and she got mad at me. She put her hand up and refused to take it and she was like "they pay me here" I kinda got the impression that she thought that I thought that she was poor and was offering her the 5 mil to make up for what she should be getting paid.[/QUOTE]I am not disputing your version of events (I have no reason to doubt it at all) but I have had a very different experience. During CoVid and after, I stayed at a very nice hotel in Laureles. I always left a 2 mil note and some pocket change on my bed for the maid. Later on I had a fling (or 2 or 3) with some of the maids at the hotel. I had one maid tell me she was always happy when she saw that my room was on her assignment sheet in the morning because she knew even if no one else left a tip she would have enough money to take the metro home and wouldn't have to walk 5 kilometers at dusk.

Please don't fight with each other over what I write before I write it, it hurts my feelings! I write in English with a translator anyway, so the meaning may not come across very well.

Then let's get started!

It's 10:10 AM local time in Colombia and I just woke up!

Here's my story from yesterday!

I headed to el centro yesterday at 3 pm.

Everyone guys!! YouTuber are a bunch of fucking scammer.

I was in el centro yesterday from 3 pm to 8 pm and didn't see a single 'available' girl.

I'm not obsessed with faces.

I don't care if they're ugly I only look at the body and ass.

But the girls in el centro, none of them had a body or an ass as big as YouTube's and every single one of them looked like their faces had been bombed.

And there were a lot of supposedly "underage" girls.

Stupid girls I don't know why they wear makeup that doesn't match. Young girls look weird with heavy makeup. Young girls are prettier without makeup (I'm not a pedophile!

After 5 hours of browsing, I didn't find any girls I liked. The ones with big asses were either too old or had ugly faces and were too skinny.

It's like youtuber scammers walk the streets hundreds of times and post the one good shot. Still, I don't regret coming to Colombia.

A random Colombian girl you see on public transportation is hotter than a el centro street working girl LOL.

Eat in moderation (food recommendations in Colombia, please! I don't think the food culture is as developed here as it is in Thailand! I'm sick of fried pork belly and rice banana bean soup!

I went back to the hostel to sleep and headed to the park Lleras at 12:00.

Okay, okay, okay, there were a lot of girls and the water quality was good, much better than yesterday.

There were a lot of sexy, big-assed girls of all races, with nice faces.

I didn't go into the clubs, I was a little tired.

Are there hotter girls in the club? I think I'll try to go tonight.

Let me know if you know of any good clubs.

After scanning the street once or twice, I walked up to a woman and spoke to her. She was a big ass woman with skinny jeans and an attractive figure.

Oh, I'm wearing freaking braces.

I have a jinx of never having sex with a girl with braces. When I was 19 and went to Thailand for the first time, the first girl I had sex with gave me a very rude and unpleasant experience and she was wearing braces.

She asked me for $200 (no Spanish with translator) and when I hesitated, she asked for $130, which I wasn't going to do anyway.

When I tried to say something nice and leave.

Yeah, that's when a bunch of her friends showed up.

Wow that was one of the biggest asses I have ever seen in person in my life (except for BBW).

She had a very big ass while staying in shape She was a sexy Latina.

Ignoring the woman who was talking right away and going to her friends would have made things weird, so I tried to draw the woman with braces and her friends into the conversation by saying something appropriate.

And I chatted with her big ass and ended up picking her up! She was a Venezuelan girl who asked for $100 an hour and said it was a condom BJ.

I'm sorry guys, I've been so advised to never have sex with a girl who asks for dollars, but I was a slave to my dick at the time.

I'm going to go to the hotel for a bit, then I'll continue!

[QUOTE=RacShack;2910850]Any truth to them being closed for good? And for sale? Whattapp, messenger, text them and no response for last couple days, if just closed weird, any information?[/QUOTE]As I previously posted, I talked to the owner last week and he told me it was permanently closed. He had had a few drinks at the time, so that could be a factor in his response. The "for sale or rent" sign is much larger than the little "for sale" sign he'd had in the corner of the patio before.

[QUOTE=Gabacho;2910847]Also I forgot to mention that it is only the expensive restaurants that cater to gringos and affluent Colombians that charge the 10% service fee or ask for it. If you are eating in the barrios at the panaderas ordering the comida del thea for 13 mil pesos that comes with a meat, beans, rice, fried banana, soup salad and juice those kind of places never ever ask for a service charge and they always give you back exact change even if you pay with a 50 mil.

So obviously you guys are eating at the wrong places. I keep it estrado 1 LOL.[/QUOTE]Not necessarily expensive restaurants, but any restaurant using a POS system (Point of Sale) that prints out the checks. There's always an explanation of the 10%, an explanation that it's entirely voluntary and there will be 2 prices, including the 10% or without it.

[QUOTE=RacShack;2910850]Any truth to them being closed for good? And for sale? Whattapp, messenger, text them and no response for last couple days, if just closed weird, any information?[/QUOTE]It's been closed and for sale for a few months, I think from the beginning of the year. It was closed end of January when I was there.