About cccmedia

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Colombia: Villages near Armenia for retirement:

I made six day-trips to Circasia in the last two months. The people are sweet .. the plaza is ample and inviting .. restaurants off the square have more choices than the OP indicated -- including a decent seafood place and Chinese. There's a hospital .. a ServiEntrega shipping storefront .. and a mirador for those who are willing to climb to it. Circasia is only four miles north of the Portal del Quindío shopping mall in north Armenia .. so it's much more convenient to the bigger city than the other places mentioned. A "finca casa" outside Circasia could be excellent if the security is not in question and you have transportation. My sources say the ex-cartelistas do live in towns outside Armenia .. but they do their income "business" elsewhere. cccmedia

Ecuador Welcome Forum: visiting ecuador:

Sin's right, South American road signs are just a suggestion to local drivers. My pet peeve: insufficiently-marked one-way streets. In Quito, it's not unusual for me to find myself driving the wrong way on a one-way street. cccmedia

Colombia: For a 90-180 day trip what would you absolutely bring to COL:

A local guy at a blackjack table put his sleek i-phone next to my betting-space last night. This was at San Remo casino on the Golden Mile in Medellín. The guy was on a losing streak .. and he was offering to sell me his phone for 100,000 pesos ($33 US) of my casino chips. He claimed it would be a loan -- implying he would buy the phone back when his luck turned for the better using my chips. He said he'd give me his cell phone number. I said "no gracias" but he kept trying to close the sale. The pit boss was watching, but didn't seem to care. It would probably mean more income for the house if the guy stayed in action a bit longer. A few minutes later, the guy tapped out and left the gaming pit. cccmedia in Medellín

Colombia: International Trip Cancelation / Interuption insurance for Colombian Expats:

I'd forget about it. If the potential loss is several hundred dollars, as stated, and you have to prove an acceptable excuse, the numbers and the offer don't work IMO. There were three scenarios indicated in the opening post -- girlfriend sickness and two airline problems that probably could be resolved without an insurance claim being decided in the claimant's favor. Add in the rigamarole to set up the policy .. what it would take to collect on a claim .. and the maximum damage amount (above) -- and I don't see the wisdom in buying this insurance. Naturally, the odds are not in the insured's favor. The potential loss is not great. cccmedia in Medellín

Ecuador Welcome Forum: True Facts of New Visas?:

A little-noted aspect of the new law is this: Expats may retain visa rights after Year 2 even if they leave Ecuador for as much as five years. Previously, after Year 2, a total of only 18 months were permissible in the ensuing five years. Exceed that and you were in technical violation of your visa. cccmedia from Medellín, Colombia

Colombia: TP7 Pension Visa:

I obtained the TP-7 Rentista Visa two weeks ago, thanks to the work by Alan Gongora's firm. Alan did the consultation and senior paralegal Marta Pasko was extremely thorough in the follow-up. There were no problems along the way. Marta knows the drill backwards and forwards. Alan is completely bi-lingual and studied at Harvard Law School, graduating class of 2003. email: agongora@langoncolombia.com

Colombia: City Other Than Your Own:

Pittsburgh was looking earlier toward Cali, so now (Medellín and Manizales) he seems to be headed in a better direction. Milder weather in the M's .. and, say most, less crime. I'm looking forward to my first trip to Bucamaranga, and have made hotel reservations for the second week in May. As Pittsburgh knows, I am interested in checking out the Ruitoque area -- just a bit south of Buca and its sister city of Floridablanca -- where the air is cooler at higher elevation and the 'paisaje' is spectacular (according to Pittsburgh). I will also investigate Buca's Gringo Tuesdays promotion and the blackjack tables at Cacique C.C. First, though, it's on to Medellín in April, where there are more Expat-centric gatherings than in Buca or here in Coffee Country. cccmedia in Quindío

Colombia: Barking Dogs:

Buried somewhere in this thread was Reg's astute comment that this problem is often neighborhood-specific. If you live in a gated complex where dog insanity is not tolerated .. and know how to buy Flent's Ear Stopples to guarantee good sleep .. you're two steps ahead of the game. Double-paning your windows is another concept -- even it you're a renter! cccmedia

Ecuador Welcome Forum: Tourist visa stay.:

While we're awaiting Dana's appearance, let's note that the basic tourist-stamp rules have not been changed. Ipso facto, you may do the 90-days-over-two-entries as planned into Ecuador. Make sure you have your Peru tickets handy to show to EC Inmigración, explaining the 123-day South America travel. Note that even if you arrive at an Ecuador airport at 11:30 p.m., that is counted as one of your 90 days. Do not mess around with an overstay. Count your days carefully and then double and triple check the number of days in each calendar month. Under the present circumstances, I wouldn't mess around with attempting to obtain a non-immigration extension of your tourist permit while in Ecuador. cccmedia

Colombia: Air Pollution Medellin and Bogota:

According to the linked site, at midnight, Bogotá was at 152, Medellín at 107. The Medellín monitoring station is at a university site known as Nucléo del Volador. in what neighborhood is that? Who has personal experience or data for the air pollution on the Golden Mile or Parque Lleras? I suspect more Expats are breathing in the air in those places than at Nucléo del Volador. cccmedia in La Zona Cafetera

Date Joined:

8/28/2014

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