Tom Germain
Tom Germain is the owner and main author of ocolombia.com. A Canadian consultant and writer and serial expat currently living in Colombia.
Home page: http://www.tomgermain.com
Posts by Tom Germain
Colombia’s Not So Secret Service
121 days
by Tom Germain
in News
The big joke right now is the incident involving US Secret Service agents who invited two dozen hookers to their hotel in Cartagena while waiting for President Obama to arrive for the Summit of the Americas conference. This is an embarrassment for the Americans, but not exactly great publicity for Colombia either. It is sad that one of its major attractions for foreigners (namely men) are its prostitutes.
Cartagena
Here in Medellin there are several vast “puti” clubs which attract large numbers of gringos. I did not realize how important sex tourism is here until one day I hopped into a taxi by myself (I almost always am accompanied by my wife and kid) and the driver asked me “which one you wanna go to?” Huh? Which one what? He then gave me a sheet of paper with a long list of bordellos I could choose from. When I explained that I was not interested in that sort of thing, he apologized and explained that typically that is what foreign male passengers ask for. Lovely. This beautiful, culturally rich country and all they want is to get their rocks off!
Recently I received an email from a local escort service with the following request:
Some American friends were asking me about the situation with the secret service in prepagos in Cartagena and what went wrong because I have a high end prepago agency here in Medellin. It gave me the idea that maybe some local Colombian websites for foreigners would like to have an article giving tips of things to avoid or know...not a big marketing piece about us, but just some common sense tips. If we wrote something like that for you and it was well written would you consider posting it on your site? So you our site we are fixing it up right now, but it is [website URL removed] Let me know either way, thank you.
I do not know what to answer her except to congratulate her for her imaginative marketing!
Come to Colombia, not “in” Colombia, gentlemen!
When a Puente is not a Bridge
039 days
by Tom Germain
in Culture
You will constantly hear about bridges (puentes) when you are in Colombia and you might wonder why Colombians plan everything around them and look forward to arriving at one.
Photo by Karlozpo
Well, it turns out they are not talking about bridges constructed of stone, concrete, or steel, but those made of time! A puente is a long weekend. Let me rephrase that because for the vast majority of Colombian workers, there is no weekend. Even office workers are chained to their desks six days a week, only getting Sunday off. So a puente consists of a Sunday plus a Monday off.
In Colombia, people work much fewer Mondays than Saturdays during the course of a year, as there are a lot of puentes. A devoutly Catholic country, Colombia has many saints that trigger puentes. If not a saint, then it might be a national hero. Sometimes there can be puentes, saints and heroes, three weeks in a row.
For overworked and underpaid Colombians (that would be most!), a puente is a chance to throw a party at home , crank up the ranchera and guasca music and get hammered with friends, or head to the “finca” (the cottage) and get drunk there. You know it is a puente by the sounds of merriment emanating well into the night from every part of the neighborhood. As everybody knows, listening to others loudly having fun at three in the morning is unbearable…thus make sure you become friends with your neighbors so they invite you along!
Is the Only Risk Wanting to Stay?
395 days
by Tom Germain
in Tourism
That “Official Blogger” badge you see in the upper right corner of each page of this blog means that I am now a participating foreign blogger for the Colombian government’s tourism agency, ProExport. You know, the people behind those “The only risk is wanting to stay” ads.
This in no way means that my writing angle about living and traveling in Colombia will change. ProExport does not exert any control over what I, and the 33 other bloggers in the program publish in our own blogs. We simply contribute original stories to the official web site at colombia.travel in exchange for fifteen minutes of fame! Logically, what I will write for ProExport will be slanted towards promoting the positive aspects of visiting Colombia. It is, after all, about tourism.
Unlike most other expat blogs about Colombia, mine touches upon many topics far removed from travel trivia, such as politics and security. I love this country and its people, but I do not think one can ignore the fact that it is still fighting an internal war and has more than half its population living in poverty. I encourage everybody to visit the wonders of my adopted land, but by the same token I think it is critical that travelers know that the slogan “The only risk…” does not mean there is no risk at all.
It is unlikely anything bad will happen to you when you visit one of the most tourist-oriented sites of Colombia, but if you want to wander far afield, it would be unwise for you to do so without first doing your homework, and sometimes it would be just plain unwise! For instance, my host city, Medellin, is generally very safe, but there are neighborhoods where a tourist should not stray. This is true of many other big cities in the world: you would be rather foolish to casually walk into any of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro — same thing here!
There are still patches of the country that present high levels of risk from one of the so-called rebel groups, remainders of paramilitary outfits and many powerful criminal gangs, all involved in some way in drug trafficking and extortion. These are not nice people and while they are not explicitly targeting foreigners, you probably do not want to cross their paths! Sometimes the difference between good and bad is just one kilometer. A perfect example of what I am talking about is the long, winding highway uniting Medellin to Cartagena that is commonly traveled by backpackers. There is quite a bit of military presence along this road, but you would be ill advised to stray from it or even spend the night in some of the towns that it crosses. The “Bajo Cauca” area is a hotbed of criminal activity, dotted with illegal coca and poppy fields, which you probably do not want to visit!
I am not a fear monger. I live and play in this country and I am never afraid! Why? Because I am well informed and know my boundaries. Tourists generally have less to worry about than someone who lives here, but coming here prepared will allow you to more fully enjoy everything it has to offer, which is a lot!
Come to beautiful Colombia, but with your head screwed-on tight, and I guarantee you will want to come back and even run the risk of staying!
My New Year’s Inflation
0110 days
In Colombia, the taxi you took to the New Year’s party will probably cost you more when you leave the celebration in the wee hours of the next morning, despite the distance being exactly the same. It is not a case of a taxi driver taking advantage of inebriated patrons, but rather just a bit of New Year’s inflation!
If you are just visiting Colombia you probably will not notice this phenomenon, let alone care about it, but to those of us who live here, we brace for the time honored tradition of raising the price of virtually everything on January first. Hundreds of thousands of businesses, and not just small mom and pop ones, raise the prices of their services or merchandise every time this date rolls around.
This is not normal inflation, which results from an excess of demand over supply, or currency weakness. No, this is programmed inflation, just because a new year has begun! The percentage is entirely up to the merchant, and there is no law or government intervention to worry about, but between 5-10% isn’t unusual. It is a very unique and curious custom, to say the least, and although many complain about it, it is accepted as normal here!
I am not sure if the DANE, the government’s statistical agency, takes this into account when it calculates inflation, which for 2011 they pegged at just over three percent…
Lodging in Colombia can be Pricey…Get Hostel!
2135 days
by Tom Germain
in Tourism
I frankly do not understand why major hotels in Colombia are so pricey, rooms often costing over 200 dollars per night, but fortunately there is an abundance of hostels in all the right places, where you can stay for as little as ten or twenty dollars a night. While you cannot expect anything remotely resembling luxury, many of the hostels have everything you can possibly need (Wi-Fi, food, shared kitchen) plus great camaraderie with fellow travelers from all over the world. If you are like me and your prime directive while traveling is economy, then hostels are perfect. A few dollars more usually gets you a private room with its own bathroom, if you find dorm style rooms and shared facilities Here I have compiled a few popular suggestions at major tourist destinations in the country (I’ve intentionally left out any that only offer shared dorms)…
Medellin:
Tiger Paw: Very popular, and right beside the “zona rosa”, or clubbing area, of Parque Lleras that foreigners flock to. Just over 10 dollars a night for the dorm, or a bit over $41 for a private room with bath. The choice for the party animals! Web site
Paraworld Adventure : Run by a Swiss expat, this a “funkily” decorated property also in the El Poblado area. Private rooms with bath for around $38, dorms starting at $10 per night. No web site, so here’s a link on Hostel World.
Bogota :
Casa Bellavista : In the historic Candelaria district. 33 USD per night for a private room with bath, and starting at $11 for the dorm. Web site
Hostal Sue : Also in Candelaria. Just 30 dollars for a private room w/ bath, and 11 for the dorm. Web site
Martinik : Yet again in Candelaria. $44 for a double bed private w/ bath pp, or just over $9 for the dorm. Web site
Cartagena :
Casa Viena : Very popular hostel in the Getsemani district which is right next to the walled city. A private room w/ bath runs about 24 dollars per night, or about 11 for the dorm. Web site.
Hotel San Roque : Also in Getsemani, qualifies as a hotel rather than a hostel, as it only has private rooms with bath, starting at around $32 per room per night. Web site
Santa Marta:
El Rodadero, Santa Marta. Photo by Darina
La Casa de Felipe : This one is actually in Taganga, just to the north of Santa Marta, and I did really stay at this one! A sprawling hostel owned by a French expat, very popular among youthful travelers, and to be honest, the main attraction in Taganga, a ramshackle, garbage strewn village (why do guides even list it?). Santa Marta can be reached by taxi or bus via the only road in or out. Rates start at $23 for a single private with bath, or dorms for about $9. Web site.
Ecohostal Yuluka : This one is wildly popular with adventure seekers as it is just outside the fabled Tayrona national park, and offers transportation to the park’s gate. It is thus useful as a way station on the way in or out of the park, where lodging is limited to camping, or severely overpriced. Dorms from $24, and private cabins are available, but no prices are advertised. No web site, so here is a link to Hostel World.
Cali :
The Green Saman : a new hostel in the hills of the Bellavista district owned by a Canadian expat. Private rooms w/ bath from $33, dorms $10. No web site, so here’s a Hostel World page.
The Pelican Larry : Located in the Versailles district near the zona rosa. Private rooms w/ bath from $33. Dorms about $9.50. Web site (a bit over the top, their site!)
Please heed these warnings!:
Prices quoted are approximate and off season. Prices for private rooms are per night, per room. The Colombian peso fluctuates in value against the US dollar, see our chart in the sidebar!
Many Colombian home owners offer rooms in their houses for short stays, and most are unregistered businesses. I do not recommend you use that option for lodging! We had an unfortunate experience in Santa Marta, which we decided to add to our itinerary at the last minute, thanks to a corrupt local travel agent. She referred us to a local house owner in the El Rodadero beach district. Said owner did not give us a key to her house and thus we wound-up having to call her every time and waited for up to an hour to be let in. The room was a disaster with only a trickle of water in the washroom, giant rats on the patio, and the wi-fi she promised did not exist. We wound-up two days later in a hotel room beyond our budget but happy to have escaped!
Do not be surprised if the hostel where you stay has no hot water. Few do. If you are close to sea level in Colombia, temperatures are infernal day or night all year, thus cold showers are actually the only absolution from the heat! Even if your room has air conditioning, it might not be enough to ward off the sweats! That said, at a high altitude, such as in Bogota, temperatures are rather cool, so you might insist on staying where they have hot water!
Colombian Peso Exchange Rate
