Colombia Forum

CynthiaER
Joined 2016
Posts: 121

4 years ago

Three months here . . .the adventure continues

4 years ago

We will be here three months on the 25th. I thought I'd share my latest thoughts, experiences, etc.

As I've mentioned before, we're in Manizales, which I find is a nice place to live. The city is clean, the climate is perfect (for me . . .ymmv), and the people are really lovely. The hills present less of a problem now, as we both seem to be in rather better shape than when we arrived!

We bought a nice apartment and the neighborhood is pleasant. Plus, we're close to everything we need . . .supermarket, Exito, stuff like that. And there are a lot of nice little restaurants and cafes. We have a terrace, which pleases the dogs immensely.

I'm still not comfortable crossing the street. Traffic signals are near nonexistent, and there seems to be a lack of understanding of the rights of pedestrians to something as basic as life. My husband says you just have to make eye contact and they'll let you cross. I've seen that work for others but I'm still not completely convinced.

I've come to terms with the food here, for the most part, and am now just resigned to it. No one has been able to convince me to like mondongo. There's been a small learning curve with cooking at a higher altitude; haven't tried any baking yet. The eggs are amazing. Even the ones from the store are good. We're buying ours from a cousin who raises chickens, and they're excellent.

And I have to say, despite all that I've heard about Colombian inefficiency and "mañana" (or my favorite, "ahorita"), we've had no problems with contractors, delivery services, cable hookup, and the like. Everyone has been on time or early, and has done what they said they would do and at reasonable prices. So that's been nice as well.

I guess that's about it. Now that we're more settled I have less to write about.

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Living in Colombia Guide

Expats in Colombia discuss the pros and cons of living in Colombia. From the Colombian people to driving to taxes and more. As challenging as it can be, expats in Colombia clearly find that there is a lot to love about a country that is a surprising expat hot spot.

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