Some basic things to know and understand about Colombia South America before traveling here are the following:
1. The currency is the COP or Colombian Peso.
2. Yearly inflation and the devaluation of the peso usually run quite high, so saving money here in pesos is not a good idea.
3. The capital of Colombia is Bogotá, and it is a central government, which means the entire country is run by the government in Bogotá, not by each department or state. All laws are countrywide.
4. Usually a tourist visa is good for three months and can be extended for an additional three months through a government department, which is called D.A.S. (Administrative Department of Security). After your six month total is up then you are required to leave the country and reenter.
5. A lot of people nowadays that are traveling here to Colombia prefer to try and apply for a Nomad Visa, which, to my understanding, lasts one year.
6. In general the police can’t always be trusted. Police here in Colombia are not well paid so they are easily subordinated and corrupted.
7. Scopolamine (known as the date rape drug) is used frequently here by delinquents to commit crimes.
8. Uber is one of the safer ways to travel locally.
9. Many Colombians, especially in the larger cities, are able to understand and communicate in basic English. This is in part due to the fact that English is taught in elementary schools and is a prerequisite to graduating from college.
10. Traveling locally by plane in Colombia is fairly inexpensive, especially with Latam, Avianca, and Viva.
11. The dollar goes very far here in Colombia. For example, you can get a bottle of clean drinking water at Ara or D’una for less than 25 cents.
12. Most Colombians are very friendly and helpful but don’t be naive.
13. DO NOT slam the doors of Taxis when you get out. Cars here are not made to the USA standard and the doors are very light, slamming them will likely piss off the taxi driver.
14. It’s better not to wear expensive jewelry or count your money in public, use your common sense, there are a lot of needy and poor people here.
15. The current minimum wage in Colombia is 1,623,500.00 pesos per month (48 hour week) Around 100 dollars a day.
16. In the street, you can always barter the price; it’s considered normal, and almost everyone does it. Usually, foreigners are charged at least double the price, so never be afraid to barter. Eample:
Me: How much for this mango?
Them: 10,000 pesos.
Me: No, thanks. Yesterday I bought one for 2,000.
Them: Ok, 5,000.
Me: I only have 4,000. (And I start to walk away. If I walk away, and they say nothing, then now I know the real price is 5,000.)
Them: Ok, 4,000.
Throughout my blog I will be giving examples of how I use different methods and tactics when dealing with Colombian society, which is extremely different from ours.
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="rldMJaIdpgqTbIR2qGoGC_GKz4uIT3jriWCSeQvMdEo" />
No comments:
Post a Comment