Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=BlueChange;3065590]Fly into Bogota, have accomidtions ready and already booked. Book a seperate ticket from Bogota to Medellin, don't book a connecting on the same iteneirary (its actually cheaper a lot of the times I've found).[/QUOTE]Then what happens if the first flight is late?

[QUOTE=BlueChange;3065590]Also, real talk if you are black they are targeting more it seems based on the articles I've seen. Dress nice, wear a button-up shirt and look presentable, don't do flip flops, shorts or busy graphic t shirts or anything that remotelly looks like a rapper or hip hop artist.[/QUOTE]I am Black and always wear my athletic pants, a graphic t-shirt, and slides. Never any problem. Not that I look like a hip hop artist, but a normal dude wearing athletic pants, a graphic t-shirt, and slides. None of the guys that I have seen that were denied entry looked anything like the stereotypical hip hop artist. People are not judged by how they look, but their mannerisms and how they answer the questions.

And once again, it is not what is in your bag. The bag is scanned [B]after[/B] you have been admitted or denied.

[QUOTE=BlueChange;3065590]Fly into Bogota, have accomidtions ready and already booked. Book a seperate ticket from Bogota to Medellin, don't book a connecting on the same iteneirary (its actually cheaper a lot of the times I've found).

Also, real talk if you are black they are targeting more it seems based on the articles I've seen. Dress nice, wear a button-up shirt and look presentable, don't do flip flops, shorts or busy graphic t shirts or anything that remotelly looks like a rapper or hip hop artist.

Look like you are there for business but you are there for vacation to get away from work but still have business attire.[/QUOTE]Well bad news is we already booked flights directly into Medellin. I am a white american and my wife is originally from Venezuela and obviously speaks fluent spanish. We were in Medellin a few months ago and just planned on saying we loved it and wanted to see more sights we didn't see last visit and chill and relax. Originally her mom was going to fly in and meet us but now can't. We were going to explain we were also visiting family. Well fingers crossed we don't have any issues! I will update here on what happens when we arrive.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;3065630]Then what happens if the first flight is late?

I am Black and always wear my athletic pants, a graphic t-shirt, and slides. Never any problem. Not that I look like a hip hop artist, but a normal dude wearing athletic pants, a graphic t-shirt, and slides. None of the guys that I have seen that were denied entry looked anything like the stereotypical hip hop artist. People are not judged by how they look, but their mannerisms and how they answer the questions.

And once again, it is not what is in your bag. The bag is scanned [B]after[/B] you have been admitted or denied.[/QUOTE]IF is the biggest two letter word in the english language. If anything maybe just bang some rolas for a day and flight out later or the next day. You can even stash your bags at the airport and do a day trip.

Secondly regarding your look. YMMV. However, why not just give them the least ammount of reasons to even look. Lowering risk and managing expecations, that's what it all comes down to.

[QUOTE=Masseys1;3065650]Well bad news is we already booked flights directly into Medellin. I am a white american and my wife is originally from Venezuela and obviously speaks fluent spanish. We were in Medellin a few months ago and just planned on saying we loved it and wanted to see more sights we didn't see last visit and chill and relax. Originally her mom was going to fly in and meet us but now can't. We were going to explain we were also visiting family. Well fingers crossed we don't have any issues! I will update here on what happens when we arrive.[/QUOTE]You don't need your fingers crossed jaja. You're traveling with your wife. While there's a ton of single guys standing around you in line. Relax!

[QUOTE=LuckyNuts;3065670]You don't need your fingers crossed jaja. You're traveling with your wife. While there's a ton of single guys standing around you in line. Relax![/QUOTE]Yeah, can almost guarantee they don't care about someone traveling with their wife.

[QUOTE=LuckyNuts;3065670]You don't need your fingers crossed jaja. You're traveling with your wife. While there's a ton of single guys standing around you in line. Relax![/QUOTE]My wife said exactly the same thing! To many single guys to worry about us.

People overthink immigration. When you approach the desk with a polite attitude but you're really treating it as a formality to get your passport stamped and on your way into town, the agent senses that as good. That's when you get the "How long are you here? Where are you staying? Welcome to Colombia!" 30 second encounters. Immigration officials are experts at detecting nervous people. When you act like you're doing nothing wrong, you don't have a problem. And you're doing nothing wrong, regardless of what sex toys you have in your suitcase.

[QUOTE=CatBert55;3065681]People overthink immigration. When you approach the desk with a polite attitude but you're really treating it as a formality to get your passport stamped and on your way into town, the agent senses that as good. That's when you get the "How long are you here? Where are you staying? Welcome to Colombia!" 30 second encounters. Immigration officials are experts at detecting nervous people. When you act like you're doing nothing wrong, you don't have a problem. And you're doing nothing wrong, regardless of what sex toys you have in your suitcase.[/QUOTE]The people have the most problems are the ones who do not have a place to stay before they arrive. When I go there I there has never been an instance when the officer did not ask where I was staying. When you that information ready that should eliminate your problems assuming all of your documents are in order.

You come unprepared and they take you into the office. It's takes time to make those arrangements. Last minute is not a good look.

[QUOTE=CatBert55;3065681]People overthink immigration............[/QUOTE]Agreed with Catbert55 and others calling for calm and common sense when contemplating whether and how to brave immigration on arriving at the Medellin airport.

FIRST, WHO KNOWS? No one writing on this board has the faintest idea what goes on behind the counter at passport control in Medellin--why on any given day any given passport agent decides to pull a guy out of line and take him into the backroom for questioning. And to search his cell phone and suitcase. Perhaps for his behavior in line; perhaps for how he's dressed; perhaps for his body language and how he answers questions at the booth; perhaps because his name / passport has already been red flagged in advance in the agent's computer; perhaps on that day the agents have just been told to make an example of some random dudes. Perhaps all of the above on any one day or another. Again, who knows?

SECOND, FOR SURE, RELAX. AND TAKE A REALISTIC LOOK AT THE ODDS. As others have pointed out, there must be 10's of thousands, even perhaps over a 100 thousand single guys passing through passport control every year and just a handful pulled and sent home. No matter how you are dressed or behaving in line, your chances of ending in the back room are small, almost nonexistent.

THIRD, NONETHELESS, WHY NOT BE PRUDENT AND, IN THE SIMPLEST OF WAYS, PREPARED? Even IF the chances of being taken from line and perhaps deported are minuscule, why not dress normally, behave politely? And, most importantly, as others have mentioned, be ready with the address of where you will be staying, and to describe what you will be doing in Colombia (other than chasing skirts) with a couple of examples. For example: Studying Spanish: the name of a Spanish school. Tourism: The name of a museum or two; a visit to the coffee region and Guatape.

That said, I respect those like Mr. International who have been in and out of Colombia a zillion times, who say I'm not going to change how I dress for travel on the tiny off-chance that a passport agent might single me out. But then, to retain our admiration, one has to be philosophical if the improbable does happen. There are other mongering Happy Hunting Grounds in the world.

Hi everyone, if this works you can see this map of all main tourist hotels around Bello.

Have Fun.

[QUOTE=NilAdmirari;3065794]Agreed with Catbert55 and others calling for calm and common sense when contemplating whether and how to brave immigration on arriving at the Medellin airport.

FIRST, WHO KNOWS?

SECOND, FOR SURE, RELAX. AND TAKE A REALISTIC LOOK AT THE ODDS. As others have pointed out, there must be 10's of thousands, even perhaps over a 100 thousand single guys passing through passport control every year and just a handful pulled and sent home. No matter how you are dressed or behaving in line, your chances of ending in the back room are small, almost nonexistent.

[/QUOTE]"FIRST, WHO KNOWS?" Last fall, there were US federal law enforcement types in the back room. They had hand held devices that connect to US law enforcement databases. The Colombians picked men at random, brought them back to the back rooms, where the US feds (GS-1811 criminal investigator types, most likely from the Homeland Security Attaché's Office in the embassy) ran names / birthdays against various databases. If something came up positive (convicts, arrests, parole, sex offender database), then they would tell the Colombians, and that is when the bag searching would begin.

The Colombians do not have magical abilities to look at a plane load of passengers, look at an individual, and determine "Him. Pull him out of the line. My mutant super powers tell me that he has whips, chains, and clothespins in his suit case!" LOL.

What has replaced the US feds being detailed to the airport. Which was never more than a temporary solution -is a terminal that lets the Colombians plug into the "Angel" database of sex offenders. This is probably a commercial database, because I doubt the US would give a foreign country access to US gov't ones for security reasons.

"No matter how you are dressed or behaving in line. ".

I am considering flying down in a white turtleneck, khaki pants, and khaki colored shoes. LOL.

First the day one report then eventually how I ended up here.

Right before ten I'm sitting on the couch of this Airbnb, setting up a mileroticoho for noonish manana and at the same time playing nice guy with the last castaway from simp island I've promised myself I'll ever invest in.

I have no intention of going out. Too much anxiety. It's so much safer to just spectate from a digital window. So I throw on a parque Lleras video uploaded a day or two ago. "Hey, let me Google map that bar in the background."

Less than 30 steps out the front door. Not bad. "Yeah but what are you going to do just walk around?" Hmmm. Its an option.

"Look man just throw on the black Nike track suit with the ballcap and hit the scouting mission. " Yeah, you're right just get a lay of the land and calm your nerves for when we go live. "OK cool I can do that".

Plus it's better to keep a low profile.

"Shut up. Pretty Tone never kept a low profile. Put on the linen with the leather steppers and knock it out the park sir. If not, how will you ever know where you really stand? Can you still pull the cream of the crop? Can you? Can you?

10 minutes later they're looking for neck braces. I see it in the periphery because I'm still a ball of nerves. I grab a bottle of water and start following the crowd. Fast forward ten minutes and a whole lap later. I finally decide to start making eye contact.

First glance is met with a cute little fuck me face. Auburn tinted shoulder length wavy locks and eyes a little too far on the other side of tipsy for my peace of mind. "Interesting".

Next is a tall voluptuous melon smuggling vixen walking with a friend. We never break eye contact as we pass. "OK Daddy's home. " Yes sir.

Take a left and take a seat on a corner wall. Five seconds later this young dude sits next to me. He says something about being guapo. I say not in this world but maybe another. He flinches in offense. "Ohhhh that self deprecating comment definitely came across as a hard rejection."

He says it wasn't his comment it was his friend's. I lean forward. Absolutely gorgeous little dream girl looks at me with that sultry gaze and repeats it.

"Hmmm, whatever you do don't say that same goofy garbage you just said!

"Not in this world but. " I'm seriously retarded. Chemistry going down the table fast. Extra awkward moment of silence starts unfolding. Some other girl with them starts walking away.

"You better do something. " I stand up and walk to that perfect little latina and all I could come up with is the old boring name and number b. S.

"Danger Will Robinson! Danger".

Hard left initiated. I ask her when she is free and she's caught off guard but recovers quick. She says ahora. I offer my hand. She smiles from ear to ear and accepts. Her squad looks shocked then immediately engage in some sign language before we're off into the night.

And now the ice is broken. I sincerely appreciate all the great reports and guide posts along the path posted here and apologize for my goofy writing style.

Guys on the list are done before they even arrive. The others get denied because of squirrely behavior or inability to answer routine questions without throwing bad vibes.

[URL]https://www.ice.gov/hsi/centers-labs/angel-watch[/URL]

[QUOTE=IguanaSix;3066130]"FIRST, WHO KNOWS?" Last fall, there were US federal law enforcement types in the back room. They had hand held devices that connect to US law enforcement databases. The Colombians picked men at random, brought them back to the back rooms, where the US feds (GS-1811 criminal investigator types, most likely from the Homeland Security Attach's Office in the embassy) ran names / birthdays against various databases. If something came up positive (convicts, arrests, parole, sex offender database), then they would tell the Colombians, and that is when the bag searching would begin.

The Colombians do not have magical abilities to look at a plane load of passengers, look at an individual, and determine "Him. Pull him out of the line. My mutant super powers tell me that he has whips, chains, and clothespins in his suit case!" LOL..[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=IguanaSix;3066130]........where the US feds (GS-1811 criminal investigator types, most likely from the Homeland Security Attach's Office in the embassy) ........[/QUOTE]I suspect those dudes pay more for the Colombian chicas than you or me.

[QUOTE=Knowledge;3066205]Guys on the list are done before they even arrive. The others get denied because of squirrely behavior or inability to answer routine questions without throwing bad vibes.

[URL]https://www.ice.gov/hsi/centers-labs/angel-watch[/URL][/QUOTE]If it's known that a guy's name is on the list, then why let him board a flight to Colombia in the first place? Instead of alerting the Colombian authorities, why not just forbid the guy from traveling in the first place and hoping that the Colombians apprehend him and send him back?