2nd trip to Cali was WONDERFUL!

Hi Gringos,
A short note to start off. I just returned this afternoon to SoCal from Cali. I stayed at the LWC condo for 10 days. Robert arrived last night and I got to talk to him for a couple of hours.
Now a bit about the WONDERFUL part.
I am going back in November, Maria and I will be married, in country. Then we will do the DCF.
I also want to take some time to catch up on the new stuff on the forum. My report will speak to some of the things brought up by other posters.
I didn't do any checking on agencies, or hotels, or sites of interest as this was not the purpose of my trip.
I do have pictures as well but need to wait for them to be developed, should get them tomorrow.
A side note to mikeb. I have two pics of Lucia for you. Can scan 'em for you and e-mail them to you. As mikeb stated in his trip report Lucia is an all around class act.
A real sweetheart. Since last Tuesday was her birthday I got her a card, signed by me and Maria and some flowers. It was good talking to you on the phone for a couple of minutes mikeb. I'm pretty sure you also live in SoCal, so maybe I can mail the pics to you as well.
More later......
Fred

Some general information:
For receptions and civil marriage ceromonies this company has thier own facility or will do a set-up in another facility.
Organizacion de Eventos
Tarragona
Phone #'s in Cali 514-3893 or 557-3388
Cell phone# (033)509-4532
Aut. Sur No.29B62 Cali
E-mail tarragon@colombianet.net
I spoke with Beatriz E. Ceron M.
We arranged for a civil ceremony and reception for 70 guests and about 3 hours which includes:
Buffet meal
Champagne
Soft drinks and juices
Bar (buy your own booze)
Floral decorations
Wedding cake
Musicians
Total cost 2,000,000 pesos. Required deposit was 300,000 pesos. About $13 per person.
One great advantage for us is the location.
This place is located about 5 minutes from Maria's parent's house.

We shopped extensivly for rings. After visiting about 8 different jewelers we soon discovered they all offered the same thing. Obviously they are all supplied by the same wholesaler. Since we weren't interested in a custom creation price became the deciding issue.
The best price we found was at:
Prima Luz Ltd.
Joyeria y Relojeria
It is location in El Centro @
Pasaje Monserrate
Calle 15 N. 7-80
Phone # 880-1573 884-3446
This place also accepts major credit cards, which I think is a real advantage. Maria picked up the rings yesterday. Delivery time was 4 days.
The variation in price for two rings, mixed white and yellow gold was between a low of 360,000 pesos plus about 40,000 pesos for inscriptions to something about 600,000 pesos for the exact same thing. A difference of nearly $100.

Maria also found a printer for the invitations. The place was recommended by a friend. I do not have the contact information with me but can get it from Maria. For 70 sets of invitations 70,000 pesos, about $0.50 per set. This included a four part invitation printed and embossed with our initials. Envelope, wedding invitation, reception invitation and RSVP card.

More later.......
Fred

[HonkyTonk]

Congradulations Fred. I hope things continue to go as smoothly as they have to this point. Keep us informed.

[Chao]

fenixrises,

Can you email me at briloop@yahoo.com?

thanks,

chao

Congrats, Fred!

[Junfan]

All right! Congatulations!!

OK, now that I have dispensed with the greetings & salutations.....Hand 'em over, the pics from the CLEAVAGE CAPITAL, that is....

Mike

The "Pics"
http://www.geocities.com/fenixrises/MM/MM1.htm

Fred

My impressions of various things.
First of all Robert's condo is great.
I had the place to myself for the entire week. Robert did show up late Sunday afternoon which didn't crimp my style at all and it was good to be able to spend some time talking with him.
The condo has TVs and small stereo-CD players in each bedroom. There are also small fridges in each room. With the Exito within easy walking distance it is easy to keep a stash of consumables right at hand. The beds are almost brand new and comfortable. The place is large enough for 3 guys and each room would easily allow for moderate privacy. The place is kept immaculate by daily maid service. Lucia the current maid is a delight. She whips up breakfast in minutes and does the laundry and keeps the place spotless. All of that and the fact that she is a real sweetheart means that Robert will probably wind up looking for a new maid in the near future.
The complex is gated and has an armed guard 24/7 who does roving patrols day and night.

This was only my second trip and to some it may seem that I am commiting to a marriage with someone I hardly know. Maybe.... or maybe not. I never got the impression that Maria is a "Green Card" shark and while my standard of living is certainly greater than the average Colombian, I am a long way from being rich. I have explainded this to her and she understands the difference. I was concerned on my first trip because I wasn't sure if she was truely interested in me. Even after returning and exchanging e-mails and frequent phone calls I didn't really know. Of course that is why I wanted to return. I wanted to be sure and I wanted her to be sure.
In some of the other topics, you gringos have talked about whetting the appetite a bit. So I decided to do a bit of that. I was at first going to stay at a hotel. But I thought it would be interesting to see the reaction of my intended when I told her I would be staying at the LWC condo. That simple little change made a marked difference in her reactions. I only stated that I would be staying at the condo and let the rest hang. I never stated that I would be interested in seeing other woman and in reality I wasn't but I didn't say so. Within a day her attitude changed! She became much more communicative and open. In fairness I sensed that she was being defensive. And I think that makes sense. She lives in her parents home with her son. She was interested in meeting someone but wasn't going to go off the deep end with someone she just met and who would leave in just a few days. And after meeting her family a couple of times I can tell that they are generally good people. She has a good relationship with them and an excellent relationship with her son. I paid particular attention the relationship she has with her son. And to his general behavior.
I thought that I would be able to tell where her head and heart was within a few moments of our reunion. She was seriously interested in me but was still holding back. The reason... I was staying at the Condo. I knew she wondered if I was going to continue looking. I didn't want to because I knew she was the one for me. She picked me up at the airport and was very happy as was I. We went to the condo and spent the first 3 hours talking and....
When she finally believed I was there for her and her alone it was as if someone turned on a switch and she blossomed.

More to come......
Fred

[Jim]

Congratulatios Fred,

As someone who made a decision fairly quickly, I can tell you that there is nothing wrong with knowing what you are looking for.

Clearly Maria was unable to act totally serious about you until you knew you were serious about her (and not still looking). Some gringos feel they can judge a lady's loyalty while they are still looking. The man can continue to date and the woman whould act like her whole live centers around this gringo who hasn't even made up his mide.

I feel it is fairly easy to spot green card seekers. 10's without children are high risk since they date lots of gringos and have been taught their monetary value. Since you can trust Maria and you love her, that's all you need to start.

500 details later when you finally settle here you can start bridging the cultural differences. It isn't always easy but if you have the right lady, it is worth it.

Again, congratulations and good luck.

Jim

The week I spent in Cali was a bit of a whorl. I told Maria that my first Saturday in Cali should be a day for just the two of us, something with which she definatly agreed. On Sunday we went out with her son for a bit of looking around and a meal. Her son is a wonderful boy and I look forward to having him as a part of my life. Monday we had the translator over to the condo for discussions about the needed paperwork for an in country marriage. We also took the short stroll to Latin Best to say hi to Luz. Of course I also wanted to personally remove Maria's pictures and bio data from Luz's book. I got the pictures and the roundfile got the bio sheet. Maria's pic has also been removed from the Latin Best website. Sorry Gringos but this one is mine. Tuesday was spent going around to get the paperwork started. For an in country marriage I need a Marriage Visa from the Colombian consulate in the US. Fortunatly I live near LA where one consulate is located. The visa also requires that I bring from Colombia a number of verified documents concerning Maria.
For lunch Wednesday we went to Maria's house and I met part of the family. I even got to pick the menu. Traditional rice and beans, it was delicious. Wednesday afternoon we went to the reception salon and made arrangements for both the civil ceremony and the wedding reception. In the evening we relaxed a bit. At this time I was still assuming we would be married. So I thought I should make my formal request. On bended knee I took her hand in mine and asked her to marry me. She cried and laughted and most importantly, said "Si". Sure was glad we were alone in the condo at that time.
We had been checking out various jewelers, including one recommended on this board. Thursday we went to the Exito. The store was having a big promotional sale. We went there to get maletas. One of which, stuffed, I brought back with me. So a part of her is already here with me. "El Centro" is a very fascinating place and I always love going downtown. It's fun to walk around and window shop. I find all the small sidewalk stands fascinating. Unfortunaly not all the stores there accept Credit Cards. However the jewelery store we finally settled on did. I bought the rings on Friday. That was one of our stops that day. The first weekend I was there we went to ChipiChapi. There was a "Wedding Exposition" set up in one area. It was interesting to see all the different "caterers", photographers and attending support people there who put a wedding together.
Friday evening we had dinner at Maria's best friend's house.
Saturday was sort of a cocktail party at Maria's house. I meet the rest of the immediate family. Good poeple and I like them a lot. Her father honored me with "Mi casa es su casa", which I happily returned. Her parents are sad to be loosing her and also her son who has become like a son to them. One niece is upset with me because I am taking her favorite tia away. The family is supportive of the two of us. Although they will certainly miss Maria and her son they realize she is grownup and has to make a life for herself and her son. And I of course, am happy that she choose to do that with me.
We spent Sunday together and alone to say our goodbyes in private. At "Too damn early" Monday morning she showed up with a ride to the airport. Fortunaly the parting wasn't too sad as I will be back there in 6 short weeks. And now I'm starting the paperchase.
After it's all over I'll put together something about the whole experience.

Thanks Gringos. All of you who have contributed have helped make a dream come true for me. I could have done it by myself but the information I found here made the whole process easier and fun.

Fred