Does Bogota make sense for me?

[and1]

Glad to have joined the board, and I'm just looking for some feedback here. I'm planning to take a 15 day trip coming up this winter and possibly follow it up with future ones next year. My main question is basically if Bogota is the best place for me to checkout in Colombia.

I'm 26 w/ a college degree who is basically resigned to just taking trips as to going expat for obvious reasons ($$$). I'd be down with teaching english in Colombia, but I just don't think there is any money in it.

Anyways 65 to 45 degrees F sounds nice to me. It is plenty humid in the Midwest in the summer and frigid in the winter. This makes Bogota seem ideal. I've been up Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs and been to Denver, so I don't think the altitude should be much of a problem.

Spirit Air has good rates if I'm willing to drive to Chicago. It seems I can get a private room in a B&B/hostel in the NE part of the city for $25 to $40 which sounds good to me.

My main reason for not trying the coastal cities is the humidity and the bugs (plus lack of education, jobless, etc). Cali does sound really nice, but I'm worried nobody will speak English at all. Manizales seems like not a bad idea. It would cost a $100 bucks roundtrip and another connection to make happen.

Basically, I'm looking for reasonable airfare (which you can't really find to Europe or Asia plus I prefer latinas anyway), a reasonable safe place to stay in the "rich" part of town, and nightlife/cultural opportunities closeby.

I've starting learning some basic espanol to go along with an electronic translator (I took it back in HS and forgot a lot). However, to be honest I doubt I'll ever be fluent. I'd like to be able to get around, party, and meet women with just basic spanish.

Is all this possible. Does Bogota seem like the right place?

Thanks

[Secret Agent 001]

You can have a good time in Bogota. I used to take a winter trip down there every year and evenutally married a woman from Bogota. Although its not a resort-type place, there are plenty of things to do and beautiful women to date. There are a few dating agencies that specialize in introductions between gringos and the local ladies. I would recommend using one if you are so inclined. They may also have places to stay, which avoids you having to stay at an expensive hotel. Bogota is not cheap, but with a little research you can do a trip there without spending the big bucks. Keep to the north side of town and stay alert, especially at night, and you should be fine. Taxis are fairly cheap, and buses are even cheaper. Be sure to go to the offical taxi kiosk in front of the airport when you arrive and ignore the guys trying to sell you a ride as soon as you walk out the door. A little Spanish will go a long way, so brush up.
Have fun!

[DennisLevy]

I lived in Bogota continuously for 2 years before moving to Medellin.

You may have lived in high altitudes before, but the quality of air in Bogota is terrible, its very contaminated , the emission standards are non existent. if you have respiratory probelms, or asthma, or you are susceptible to chest colds, or you ve got chronic post nasal drip..... Bogota is the worst place to live!!!!!

As far as it being a place with a lot to do....yes, but its not that cheap, or maybe Ive lived in Colombia for too long!!!!!. If you want to stay in north Bogota, yes it s elegant lots of clubs and restaurants and its expensive.

When I ve been flush, I lve lived in Bogota on $150 or more a day, at times I ve lived in Bogota on about $30 a day but living cheaply won t happen in North Bogota.

You might hink about a neighborhood like Quinta Paredes where the American embassy is i rented furnished studio apartments there for abut 550.00 a month, I could eat breakfast (2 eggs, 2 fresh bakery rolls and a large coffee for 3200 or 3500 pesos say 2 bucks, its at least 5,000 pesos in North Bogota for the same meal....

Public transportation is tough in Bogota, there are a lot fo busses but it takes time to get somewhere and cabs are plentiful and not too expensive. But there were months I spent 400,000 or 500,000 pesos on taxis in Bogota.

The advice aobut dating agenices is good, I know the Bogota agencies well, if you want some help contact me at my email address dennisianlevy@yajhoo.com because the subject has been beaten to death on the old gringos forum. But again you re talking about several hundred to a thousand bucks for a one year membership to meet women.

If you want to date women and do it with success, think about paying for a page like [url]www.colonmbiancupid[.com /url] call it 13 bucks a month and learn to speak Spanish decently to fluently, it s the most important thing you can do!!!! Let me repeat, learning to speak Spanish is the most important thing you will do..... it will save you money, you will be able to read and figure out women quicker and you will have a better chance of not getting stung by the locals...

You can survive in Bogota for about a 1,000 a month and not do a lot more then survive...... you can live OK for $1,500 a month and for $2,000 a month you can really live a very nice but not super plush bachelor lifestyle and date a lot if you know where to go.....

OK....?

Dennis.

[and1]

Thanks guys. It sounds like Bogota is the most expensive city in Colombia (maybe Cartagena with hotels and all that), but it sounds less expensive than most places I'd go in the United States.

In my brief time checking out marriage agencies I'm just not sure they are right for me. My first time down I'd just like to have fun and get the lay of the land. Bogota was an interest to me because I'd like to find a beautiful girl without the "tude". Maybe I'd have a different opinion if I lived in Chicago, LA, etc but really attractive women here give me a freakin' headache.

I'll keep relearning some basic spanish, so hopefully I'll be ready to go this winter. Thanks

My brain keeps saying buy the ticket from Avianca and go all the way to Cali, but I don't think on my limited espanol it makes very much sense for a first trip down.

[DennisLevy]

Most Colombian women have attitudes because they tend to think in starker terms and dont calibrate or fine tune their attitudes, or think how an attitude they project today will impact the future..... its not part of their culture.

If a Colombian woman likes you and the feelng is mutual, its a wonderful day!!!!!!......I ve had the greatest times in my life, the most wonderful love making, the most laughs with Colombian women. But if it changes for any reason,,,,,,her perception, a misuinderstanding, your inability to understand her, then it can be hard times My most important criteria for a realtionship with a Colombain women is...does she have emotional stability?

Much of the time when there is a problem a Colombiana will expect the man to resolve it to chase them....etx, Unless its a woman for whom I have strong feelings for, I almost always prefer to start over with someone else. .....
Some gringos will put up with a lot for their own reasons...some won t ......its a question of what you are willing to accept and what you won t accept-

Dennis

[RXD]

It is a wonderful place for living. I live in a "relatively nice" apartment in Bogota. There are lots of sightseeing and restaurants in the city with number of attractions.

[Razial]

Dennis you got Colombian women right. I have met a lot of Mainland Colombians and they were just as you described. I am married (two years) to a Colombian but she is Colombian in location only. She is a native San Andres Islander a completely different culture. Very little attitude, non aggressive, positive thinking, and very understanding. (She has to be in order to put up with me.) Of course not all Islanders are like that but a good percentage are as I described. I am one lucky *******.

Originally Posted by DennisLevy

Most Colombian women have attitudes because they tend to think in starker terms and dont calibrate or fine tune their attitudes, or think how an attitude they project today will impact the future..... its not part of their culture.

If a Colombian woman likes you and the feelng is mutual, its a wonderful day!!!!!!......I ve had the greatest times in my life, the most wonderful love making, the most laughs with Colombian women. But if it changes for any reason,,,,,,her perception, a misuinderstanding, your inability to understand her, then it can be hard times My most important criteria for a realtionship with a Colombain women is...does she have emotional stability?

Much of the time when there is a problem a Colombiana will expect the man to resolve it to chase them....etx, Unless its a woman for whom I have strong feelings for, I almost always prefer to start over with someone else. .....
Some gringos will put up with a lot for their own reasons...some won t ......its a question of what you are willing to accept and what you won t accept-

Dennis

[jacobm3]

Not to hijack this thread, but it would be cool if there was an encyclopedia of women that described the predominant/common traits women from different regions had. I spent the weekend with friend of mine and met his girlfriend for the first time. It's amazing the difference a good woman can make in your life... the converse is true too!