Cali, starting to lose the luster.

Sailover · #1 (**permalink**) 01-20-2009, 07:49 PM

I have written quite a bit about life here. Maybe you can tell me more specifically you would like to know? I can start of by saying it has been a great experience to be here, but there are things that are beginning to really wear me down. The noise and the theivin'. These people seem to have no problem taking anything from you. (a generality of course, there are delightful exceptions, but they are sadly few)
Oh, START a thread! Sorry Moderator.

Sailover · #2 (**permalink**) 01-20-2009, 07:58 PM

It was always so good to be on the approach over Cristo Rey and to know I was almost home. Then the smell of the night air out at the airport was something special. And it still is. BUT, there are aspects of Cali that are making continued life here more of a question. The noise is one of the big issues for me. December was much worse than I had imagined. Fireworks, rumbas, general mayhem all month long. We moved from a really nice place on the West side to a more central place which explains some of it, but just in general things have been bad with the amount of noise. And one problem with living in a 'rich' neighborhood is that while it is quieter, Colombians with money don't tend to socialize out of their circle, so you never see any neighbors. They stay in their castles until the weekend then they climb into the Land Cruiser and head to the finca. We lived in the fancy building for 3 years and knew only a handful of the other people. Now in this step down place, we know more people, but goddam, they are noisy.
And the thievin'. For some reason Cali is full of thieves. Don't use your cell phone in the street or someone will snatch it. Don't try and do business here because they can smell your money.
I am still here, but I don't know for how much longer. I need some sleep.

JMitch1959 · #3 (**permalink**) 01-20-2009, 10:14 PM

SO, Thanks for the slice of life from Cali.

I usually have some ear plugs with me wherever I go in case it's noisy. That generally works for me. Of course you may not hear the things you want to hear, like burglers.

Cali is full of life. My wife couldn't believe how quiet life in the suburbs is; it took her awhile to get used to it.

Who knows, someday you may miss it too.

rpcv · #4 (**permalink**) 01-21-2009, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailover

And the thievin'. For some reason Cali is full of thieves. Don't use your cell phone in the street or someone will snatch it. Don't try and do business here because they can smell your money.
I am still here, but I don't know for how much longer. I need some sleep.

Hey Sailover I was thinking along the same lines the other day. I made my first trip to Cali in 2006 and even from that time to today, I feel the general vibe of the city has changed. I see a lot more begging (and I get approached more often too), and the city is dirtier.

Sailover · #5 (**permalink**) 01-21-2009, 12:46 PM

As you travel around Colombia, Cali seems to be the ******* child in the eyes of much of the rest of the country. My boss in Bogota won't even come here. It is really a small town, with small town attitudes but with more than 3 million people who don't care about anything except what they might want to do no matter how it might bother or inconvenience someone else. Don't believe it? Just watch a street corner and the bulldozer mentality of the drivers. Yeah, yeah I know it is terrible all around the country, but it seems especially cutthroat here.
Whatever, you know? You make your choices and take your chances. For me though, it is getting to be time to make new choices.

JMitch1959 · #6 (**permalink**) 01-21-2009, 02:59 PM

I'll say this for Cali; it has the two best shopping malls I've been in in Colombia. In those malls are the two nicest movie theaters I've ever been in.

Also, has a nice zoo, and the weather is always warm. So I'd give it a big thumbs up as to the climate. The people are generally friendly, and very polite. I didn't see nearly as many people panhandling etc. in the streets when I visited two years ago as in previous visits. There are a number of street vendors, performers, but they're just trying to make a buck and I have no problem with that.

I'm not sure how I'd like to live there; visiting's O.K. It's my favorite vacation destination now that I'm married. It was much more entertaining to visit as a single man.

I didn't particularily like what I saw of Bogota; it's too much of a big city. I did like the museum of gold there and the salt mines in a nearby pueblo were spectacular to visit.
I was there on the business of getting my wife a spousal visa, after we had married in the U.S. on a fiancee' visa, and without getting her status adjusted she went home to visit her family, and suprise suprise, my new wife couldn't return to the U.S. Gonzalo, Minnesota Fat's friend, was invaluable in helping us to get that fiasco straightened out in short order.
So, I was stressed about the whole situation, and thrilled when after 10 days or so I was able to leave Colombia with my wife.

Cartagena was good to visit once. The walled city was neat, and all the history of the place was interesting to see. I'd highly recommend the horse drawn carriage ride through the walled city; very romantic. Overall though too much of a tourist city with aggressive vendors. I didn't like the beach much either. I did like the Santa Clara hotel. It was very classy. I had some drinks in the bar and ate at the restaurant there. Very nice if you have 3 to 5 hundred a night to spend on a room. Great view of some of the amazing architecture in the city from the rooms there. If I visited Caragena again I'd try to get a deal on rooms there or maybe at the St. Charles, which as I recall was nice also. I stayed at the Almirante, an offshoot of Inter-continental I believe. It was a pedestrian hotel; boring in other words.

I'd love to visit Medellin someday, and ride the mass transit train there, and to get to know that city, among others in Colombia and elsewhere.

It would be great if one day Cali and Bogota could get similar mass transit for their citizens.

Generally I really like the culture of Colombia and it's people are it's greatest asset. Viva Colombia...

rpcv · #7 (**permalink**) 01-21-2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMitch1959

I'd love to visit Medellin someday, and ride the mass transit train there, and to get to know that city, among others in Colombia and elsewhere.

I liked Medellin with it's statues by Boltero, the metro, and metro cable, zoo, etc. I'd recommend it for folks to check out. Bogota wasn't that bad in my opinion and the small section of town Candelaria (sp?) has a lot to see too. However I really enjoy the smaller cities in Colombia like Manizales. They seem cleaner, less begging, and people do not seem as rushed. If I could live in Colombia, I'd stay in a city like that.

Sailover · #8 (**permalink**) 01-21-2009, 04:30 PM

Sure, the malls are great. I just don't live in the malls. For a tourist on vacation, it is a great place. It is when you have to deal with the ins and outs every day that things begin to be less appealing.
And Cali does have a new mass transit system like the Transmileno in Bogota partly ready to go. It has been making trial runs, but apparently so much money has been embezzled away that they are having trouble getting it running.
Viva Cali.

JMitch1959 · #9 (**permalink**) 01-21-2009, 04:33 PM

SO, what's keeping you in a city that you so obviously detest?

Sailover · #10 (**permalink**) 01-21-2009, 07:19 PM

I don't detest it. I am having difficulties with certain aspects of it. I was asked about life in Cali and I have related my impressions which might be different from someone who has vacationed here. Everyone has different reactions to the same experience. Living in Miami is far different than a week on South Beach.
If an opportunity arises to go someplace else, I will consider it.
It does have a wonderful climate which goes a long way.