Colombia Forum

Chattaroy
Joined 2018
Posts: 168

4 years ago

Pulling the Trigger

4 years ago

Hi all. My house here in Washington goes on the market soon. Once sold there is nothing left here, I’ll finally slip the surly bonds and head south.

A wild mix of exciting and scary at age 66, but a dream I’ve had since hitch-hiking through Europe 45 years ago.

I don’t know where I’ll end up ultimately, but Colombia seems like a great place to start (and maybe end up after all is done).

My Spanish needs a lot of work, and I’m looking forward to that endeavor. But that limits the places I would otherwise choose to start this new adventure.

I also have my little furry Persian buddy. He’s 14 and healthy. Silly as it may sound, I can’t leave him here.

I’m thinking that Bucaramanga looks like a good place to start. They have a good heart hospital, so if the shock of moving is too much I’ll feel reassured =-).

But my first question, as I actually start to make some hard decisions, is about being able to function on a day to day basis. Should a new Expat, with very limited Spanish, even attempt to move to a smaller town? It doesn’t sound like there are a lot of Expats there (as opposed to Medellin, for example). While it’s not my goal to live in an Expat community forever, I’ll need some support.

Secondly, what is the best way to go about locating a place to stay?
AirBnB has some pretty nice looking places. But I don’t know the neighborhoods, let alone all of the little details and nuances involved in making that choice (I know one needs to make connections or have a sponsor). It looks like there are some nice places further out of town, but are you stranded or is there bus/taxi/uber?

And finally, how is veterinary care there? What are the differences from how it is handled in the US?

I know this is general, but I’m just trying to get an idea of what I’ll need to deal with. At least I didn’t ask what clothes to pack! (though now that I think about it……)

BTW I have looked at old threads, but the population and times change. It would be good to hear current perspectives.

Thanks!

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Help others in Colombia by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Colombia.