Me and my three suitcases are now in Medellin!

[DennisLevy]

No, not Santa Barbara, California!

Santa Barbara Colombia is about 90 minutes south of Medellin a town of 16, 000 with very steep streets perched on a mountain. I was there yesterday with my girl, her dad and her brother.Iits the town of the family beofre they moved to Medellin 32 years ago. There are many pueblos like this in Antioquia.

Santa Barbara is busy on the weekends with people from Medellin visting and staying in second houses or rentals, its dead during the week. Its picturesque, right down to campesinios in rickety open air trucks going back to their homes in the country after buyng food....and horse droppings in the street. In the streets I saw people, cars motorcycles, trucks, horses and cows!

My girl s dad worked there most of his life...in a concrete works and he was happy wearing a sombrero and a poncho and greeting and talking to men that he had known for years. Its what he lives for..... weekend visits to Santa Barbara.....

We walked around town, drank tintos in a billiards hill and stood for a few minutes in a mass in the crowded church in the central plaza of the town. My girl had to do some famly business at the town notary and gong in the notary s office was walking back onto the 1940s s, the secretary was using a typewriter and sititng at a old style steel office desk surrounded by shelves of big volumes detailing births, deaths and transactions.

I bought 2 kilos of sweet mandarin oranges fpr 2,000 pesos aobut $1.10 US

There are pueblos like this all over Colombia, some richer and a lot poorer. And if a gringo wants to really learn something about Colombia, spending time in pueblos is a great way to do it!

Have a great day everyone!

[Whitey]

Nice hearing from you Dennis, congrats on the move to Medellin and the novia, and thanks for the interesting posts.

Nazly and I spent a fantastic week together in Medellin back in May - we both loved it. Two of our favourite day trips were to Parque Arvi and to la Piedra de Penol/Guatape. If you haven't been there yet, add them to your list!

All the best,

Whitey (David)

PS By the way, Nazly and I were married 2 weeks ago and we're working on her visa papers so that she can move here. We hope to retire in Colombia in 7-10 years.

[TheWix]

@ Whitey, Glad for you both. I know you we be happy for a very long time.

[rivardco]

OKAY Dennis; your being lazy.

You are the right person to orchestrate a dialogue that contrasts life in Bogota with Medellin. By now you must have many new and deeper understandings.

I am especially interested in Medellin, because of the physical appearance of the ladies and the sophistication of the city. I am mindful of security problems. I am mindful of the declining stereotype of gringos.

Hope you are doing well, and look forward to your continue reports.

[DennisLevy]

David

Congratulations on your marriage!!!!! Best wishes for many years to the both of you....and for Nazly s smooth entry into Canada....!!!!!!!!

[DennisLevy]

Rivardo et al

Thanks for the prompt, I did write some initial comments comparing Bogiota and Medellin earlier in this thread.

Mickey and I did meet.......a few days back and there werent any surprises. we showed up.....as self described on gringos.....we spent a few hours together on his birthday, drank coffee walked around bit, and he came to my apartment for a while. Neither one of us are the silent type....so there were zero conversational pauses!!!

Regarding women in Medellin, My opinion is that there are more obese women here per capita then in Bogota......I havent a shred of statisitcal evidence, simply what I ve oberserved with my eyes, but there are some big women here......not Walmart golf cart big......but heavy, ......the diet cant help very much....

If anyone has specific questions I ll try to answer them.

Have a great day everyone...

Dennis

[wolfmanmike]

i stayed in medellin a couple of weeks loved it . 4 of my friends have moved there this year from panama . another to santuario and another to cartago if i sell my house here in panama i will move to colombia

[wolfmanmike]

my friend wayne is in the central part of the city renting an efficiency apartment unfurnished for 350 i think ... i like that area some do not

[DennisLevy]

the 9th of October will mark my 27th month in Colombia, living here full time and I thought I would make some comments.

I lived in Bogota for two years, and I ve lived in medellin for almost htree months. I much prefer the climate and the orderliness of Medellin..

After more then 2 years in this culture, i cannot imagine living in the US again.. At this point I htink more quickly in Spanish, then in English

the good things that happened to me.
1. Ive had a social romantic and sex life that I could not possibly have dreamed of.....and most American men could not imagine. I ve never paid for a hooker or gone to a cat house and I never will. Ive dated and made love with women with women from ages 30 to 54, listened to their stories and learned about this fascinating culture.

2. I ve been in love with Colombianas two times and very close to a third....

3. ive learned to speak very good Spanish and I now have an ear and understand the ryhthm of how to talk with Colombian women.

4. I ve traveld extensively in Colombia, almost always ahve enjoyed my trips and leanred how to screen and qualify a Colombian woman before I travel to met her. IRecently, I ve been to Cali, Perreira and Santa Marta At thsi point if I visit a woman for a weekend, I dont have a back up plan and for the and i havent needed one.

5. Colombia is a fascinating country with breathtaking views and vibrant life in big and small towns away from the cities.

6 I ve learned to live for TODAY and not be obsessedwith tomorrow.


Bad things
1, I was robbed once...in Bogota
2, My health in Bogota tood a serious hit, I had to move out of Bogota to regain it I feel a lot better now....
3. I still have not accomplished my goal of construcitng a relationship with a Colombian woman ...to live together or to marry. I ve wanted to live with two womenn (at dioferent timesin the last two years,,,,,neither panned out. And that may well be my responsibility..
4 After two years I still havent met a Colombian man that I can trust or call a friend....My opinions of Colombian men are unprintable.

OKthat s it...

Have a great day everyone!

Dennis...

[JMitch1959]

Thanks once again for sharing with us your experiences Dennis,

So you like the climate and the orderliness of Medellin better than Bogota. I know Medellin has a nice metro that unfortunately Bogota doesn't, which probably makes getting around easier. Assuming, this might make for a more orderly city, what else makes Medellin more orderly than Bogota.

Also, I'd be interested in knowing why you seem to have a low opinion of Colombian men.

Thanks again for your contributions.