Most places don't have AC and your comfort level will likely depend on where you're from. Guys from hotter climes don't seem to find it too bad but as a Canadian, I found Medellin to be pretty hot during the day but perfect at night.

Although this happened in Medellin, I feel that it can happen throughout Colombia.
http://www.minuto30.com/fotos-y-videos-s...as/486725/

Last night, a foreigner got shot and killed by guys on a motorcycle who robbed his cell phone. The motive isn't clear but whoever was in Medellin know that this section of the comuna Medellin called Provenza is quite nice and safe.

Folks, yes it was a Thursday night and not as many people out and about compared to a Friday or Saturday, but goes to show you that nobody is 100% safe. Not fear mongering, but want to share this tragic news story.

the last gringo killed that I recall was Noah Goldberg who I read about. He was dabbling with hookers , prepagos and the like. This was a few years back. More recently, some dudes who were renting some crazy penthouse were dating some barrio chicas (that applies to most of the gringos) turns out they got into a arguement and she threatened to have her friends shoot them. Be wise guys.

Hey guys!

I was in Medellin 2 years ago, I stayed in hotel du parc in el poblado/parque llears. Then girls came and went all the time, no one said a word to me, and I did not pay anything extra. Now I sent them e-mail and asked what the policy is, he replied to me if the guest is there one or two hours there is no extra charge, if the guest stay for a night it is 50 000 pesos (13-14 USD). I said okey, and made a reservation (I did not pay anything yet, he just have my debit card number with 10 usd balance, for safety deposit.

Today I called the hotel (3 weeks later), to check if my reservation is okey, then I asked the guy in reception about bringing extra guest. He said it is 30 USD extra even if it's for a few hours or a night, so something completely different then what that other guy wrote to me on the e-mail when I booked.

So what should I do? I really want to stay at that hotel, last time 6-7 girls, they came straight to the hotel room for the first date,so I believe they feel pretty safe there, and it is good hotel so yeah maybe a bit wow experience for the. Or do you guys think they will create problem for me when I bring the girls, and I should take something else?

Although this happened in Medellin, I feel that it can happen throughout Colombia.
http://www.minuto30.com/fotos-y-videos-s...as/486725/

Last night, a foreigner got shot and killed by guys on a motorcycle who robbed his cell phone. The motive isn't clear but whoever was in Medellin know that this section of the comuna Medellin called Provenza is quite nice and safe.

Folks, yes it was a Thursday night and not as many people out and about compared to a Friday or Saturday, but goes to show you that nobody is 100% safe. Not fear mongering, but want to share this tragic news story.

the last gringo killed that I recall was Noah Goldberg who I read about. He was dabbling with hookers , prepagos and the like. This was a few years back. More recently, some dudes who were renting some crazy penthouse were dating some barrio chicas (that applies to most of the gringos) turns out they got into a arguement and she threatened to have her friends shoot them. Be wise guys.

Man thats pretty scary.....that was literally a 2min walk from my apartment where i stayed for 6 months in 2013...i lost count the amount of times i would walk home from lleras alone or with a girl to my place..luckily nothing ever happened...would have to think there is more to it than just a random attack especially in that area.

(06-17-2016 12:51 PM)tomtud Wrote:  Although this happened in Medellin, I feel that it can happen throughout Colombia.
http://www.minuto30.com/fotos-y-videos-s...as/486725/

Last night, a foreigner got shot and killed by guys on a motorcycle who robbed his cell phone. The motive isn't clear but whoever was in Medellin know that this section of the comuna Medellin called Provenza is quite nice and safe.

Folks, yes it was a Thursday night and not as many people out and about compared to a Friday or Saturday, but goes to show you that nobody is 100% safe. Not fear mongering, but want to share this tragic news story.

the last gringo killed that I recall was Noah Goldberg who I read about. He was dabbling with hookers , prepagos and the like. This was a few years back. More recently, some dudes who were renting some crazy penthouse were dating some barrio chicas (that applies to most of the gringos) turns out they got into a arguement and she threatened to have her friends shoot them. Be wise guys.

There was also a foreigner killed a couple months ago right off the Golden Mile, which is a very nice area.

That murder last night is the 3rd foreigner in 2 weeks in Medellin:
http://colombiareports.com/medellin-gang...r-2-weeks/

Homicides are up 80% in Medellin in May, but supposedly are up 30% on the year:
http://colombiareports.com/homicides-col...lin-mayor/

I lived in El Poblado - Medellin in 2011 for about a year. I knew about 20 gringos and two of them were held up with guns and two with knives all in Poblado. It's a small sample, but it's clearly not that rare. Every time it was two guys on a moto looking for valuables (cell phone, watch, wallet etc). It's seems pretty apparent that nowhere in Medellin is 100% safe due to the mobility of the thieves.

That beings said, Poblado generally felt very safe to me but I almost always called reputable taxi companies and avoided walking at night. Only take out enough cash for the night and leave your fat stacks of benjamins and any attention drawing man jewelry at home. If you are even thinking about risking your life for material possessions you clearly need traveler's insurance.

I'd say close to 50% of the gringos I've talked to have been robbed or someone has attempted to rob them, either a snatch and grab or some people even were robbed at knife/gun point.

I was walking out of a bar with some gringo friends (4 of us total) and two guys grabbed my friends cell phone and tried to rob me as well before running away.

Also at the place I was staying at a guy broke in and stole a roommates electronics before running off and this was in a half decent neighbourhood (Estrato 3/4)

Some Israeli guy I talked to got robbed at gun point in a busy part of Candelaria in Bogota, this kind of thing is not unusual.

I'm not trying to scare people away from Colombia but you have to be careful and even then something will most likely happen to you if you have an extended stay in Colombia as well as most Latin American countries.

That being said, I wasn't that careful and the few months I stayed in Colombia I was often walking around drunk at night, sometimes at 3 in the morning by myself and someone only tried to rob me once.

I saw a guy get stabbed in the shoulder five meters in front of me in Armenia, I had a shank pulled on me in Sante Fe, Bogota (Linux and the Swedish meat ball were there), I saw a guy attack two others with a machete in Cartago, I got drugged with that scalpolamina shit by two whores in Medellin and numerous times I've received false bills (mostly from taxis). Sometimes I go on cocaine and boner pill benders and wake up in shitty hotels above strip clubs with used rubbers, cigarette butts and reefer roaches all over the place. Despite all of this debauchery, I've never had violence inflicted on me and have never lost more than $150 (those whores just took my cash, nothing else, gracias putas!). As the two above posters suggest, never leave your hotel with more than you're willing to lose and especially, don't take your debit/credit cards because paseos de millinarios really do happen.

The article about the Danish dude who was murdered near Llleras, it says that he was there for a few minutes with the guy before a gun was pulled and he was shot. I wonder what happened in those minutes? I can almost guarantee that he was buying dope and something went wrong, guys if you don't feel right within the first ten seconds of a dope deal, then end it and get the fuck out, throw the guy 20 or 50.000 for his time and just leave, "lo siento, chao!"

Shit gets real down there real quick and you do have to have street smarts if you want to be running around getting drunk all night and especially if you're going to be fucking around with drug dealers and whores, some of the stories that I've heard from other travelers down there, make my stories seem like a trip to Disney Land.

I don't promote or condone drug use down there but if any of you need some legit connections in any of the major cities just PM me and I'll sort you out, for fuck's sake, don't be buying dope from random rat tails on motos down there.

Stay safe fellas!

Another theory - plenty of murders in Colombia are crimes of passion.

Can't rule out the jealous boyfriend going through his girl's phone when she's not looking.

That can lead to a scenario like how this one played out. Especially if the gringo guy insults the Colombian boyfriend as a loser when messaging her.

Could also be a motive for taking the victim's phone after the hit. If gringo's phone contains very recent messages to the girl, that trail might get investigated. If there's no phone, maybe they can't find any trace of the chat (if it was over WhatsApp, for example).

(06-18-2016 12:47 AM)Tigre Wrote:  Another theory - plenty of murders in Colombia are crimes of passion.

That's what some dude is saying in the comments section of the article, that the guy fucked someone else's girl (probably a thug), that they went to confront him, probably rob/kick his ass, but he resisted and they killed him.

You guys are making Medellin sound horrible too fast.

http://colombiareports.com/medellin-gang...kfkfcbiecj


Some comments I found:

Phil Sale • 17 hours ago
Looks like they are trying to thin us out!...lol I still feel safer walking around over here, than some of the cities in the UK, and that's coming from a retired Brit Cop! As long as you are sensible, you are reasonably safe. I still think there is more to these killings, than just being picked at random.
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Phil Sale • 12 hours ago
In the Local Press they are quoting Neighbours of the Victim, who said he was a Facilitator, for Tourists, he would take them back to his house and provide drugs and women...I have no sympathy with people that choose this way of life.
• Reply•Share ›

A good percentage of hooker mongers are insanely cheap and disrespectful of the locals. I heard countless cringe worthy stories from a friend who owns a dozen apartments in Medellin. They treat these women like scum and/or don't pay in full or whatever, then the angry pimp or boyfriend comes knocking to beat them up, rob them or worse. It can definitely happen to guys just for seeming like easy spots as well.

I think to some degree the cheap baller lifestyle goes to some people's heads and they get a bit reckless, but doing business with low class people is a liability in itself. Definitely find a reputable middle man hookup for your shady dealings and try to live in an apartment with good security (and tip them). It's far from foolproof but probably drastically reduces the chances of problems, making it well worth whatever premium you're paying.

(06-18-2016 06:43 AM)Diego1993 Wrote:  You guys are making Medellin sound horrible too fast.

http://colombiareports.com/medellin-gang...kfkfcbiecj


Some comments I found:

Phil Sale • 17 hours ago
Looks like they are trying to thin us out!...lol I still feel safer walking around over here, than some of the cities in the UK, and that's coming from a retired Brit Cop! As long as you are sensible, you are reasonably safe. I still think there is more to these killings, than just being picked at random.
1 • Reply•Share ›
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Avatar
Phil Sale • 12 hours ago
In the Local Press they are quoting Neighbours of the Victim, who said he was a Facilitator, for Tourists, he would take them back to his house and provide drugs and women...I have no sympathy with people that choose this way of life.
• Reply•Share ›

When I went to party hard I told my porteria (security guard) to not allow me to bring anybody back with me while I was waiting for my taxi. (Due to th threat of scopolamine) Small stuff like that to at least eliminate some risk. A great idea that newgame said was that he got girls to register at the security gate. One cannot let their guard down too much. Especially bringing back Chicas from poorer areas. If you have a few valuables in your place and are paranoid of theft, then use a love motel. There are plenty.

(06-18-2016 06:43 AM)Diego1993 Wrote:  You guys are making Medellin sound horrible too fast.

http://colombiareports.com/medellin-gang...kfkfcbiecj


Some comments I found:

Phil Sale • 17 hours ago
Looks like they are trying to thin us out!...lol I still feel safer walking around over here, than some of the cities in the UK, and that's coming from a retired Brit Cop! As long as you are sensible, you are reasonably safe. I still think there is more to these killings, than just being picked at random.
1 • Reply•Share ›
−
Avatar
Phil Sale • 12 hours ago
In the Local Press they are quoting Neighbours of the Victim, who said he was a Facilitator, for Tourists, he would take them back to his house and provide drugs and women...I have no sympathy with people that choose this way of life.
• Reply•Share ›

I really don't get this train of thought, the Gringo on his high horse who chastises other foreigners who do drugs and bang whores and basically say that they deserve to die. Anyone who has spent time down there, especially if they've gone to any whore houses or strip clubs, knows that the biggest customers in those places are local Colombian men. Prostitution is legal there and the last time that I checked, consuming drugs and the possession of small quantities of cocaine and marijuana is too. Yes, some Gringos act like fucking idiots down there (as the video of a strung out, kidnapped Dutch guy in the video Tully Mars posted showed) but I would say that most of them are decent people, if you think that banging whores and doing blow is ok haha.

Pick up a local copy of the tabloid Q'Hubo and you'll see the crazy shit that happens down there on a daily basis. Colombia is indeed a violent, 3rd world shit hole, I had to stop reading that paper because it scared the shit out of me, some of the shit that goes on down there is beyond belief and it isn't Gringos doing this. I'm talking child sex stuff, massacres, insane government corruption and state sanction murder (false positives scandal, holy shit!)

Again, some Gringos are pretty greasy, sit in the Juan Valdez cafe in Parque lleras and listen to them brag and boast about the hookers they fucked last night, but if you get to know some Colombian guys, you'll hear them brag about about the 13/14 year old whores they banged, at least most Gringos keep it over 18! I've heard some crazy shit about Gringo shenanigans down there but it pales in comparison to the things that I've heard and read about Colombians doing to each other.

^^^
The reputation is that the local Colombian whoremongers, who constitute the vast majority of whoremongers in the country of Colombia, are much worse as far as their behavior toward the women than any foreign whoremongers. Also, the vast majority of violent crime in Colombia involves Colombian perpetrators and Colombian victims. There is, of course, a fair share of violent crime in which the victim is foreign. The vast majority of those cases involve one or more of the following on the victim's part: drugs, prostitution, visable public drunkenness, and visable expensive jewerly. There is a tiny percentage of foreigners who are the victims of violent crimes who do not partake in any of the things l mentioned, just like there is a tiny percentage of people who get struck by lightning. Don't get me wrong. Colombia is dangerous, but it becomes increasingly safe when you avoid the obvious pitfalls.

Interesting thoughts, agree with most on some foreigners just get there ass handed to them by just being idiots....I am a big believer in body language and walking with purpose....then again there are just times when the sun and moon line up and your in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This made news in Bogota last month, a foreign guy I know well was going to a very popular hiking spot above Rosales....him and a handful of other hikers were tied up/blindfolded, packed into a cave like outcropping, robbed of all personal belongings, then luckily walked down the trail and released as the robbers took off running. Rattled the guy pretty good, dont know if he will return next year.

Again he probably should of been hiking in one of the spots patrolled by police but he had done this hike tons of times before just got unlucky.

link to the story: http://thecitypaperbogota.com/bogota/mas...erns/12987

(06-18-2016 09:39 PM)scotian Wrote:  Pick up a local copy of the tabloid Q'Hubo and you'll see the crazy shit that happens down there on a daily basis. Colombia is indeed a violent, 3rd world shit hole, I had to stop reading that paper because it scared the shit out of me, some of the shit that goes on down there is beyond belief and it isn't Gringos doing this. I'm talking child sex stuff, massacres, insane government corruption and state sanction murder (false positives scandal, holy shit!)

I never watch the news in general.
Had a girl turn on the tv, and it was murder here, robbery there, I was like 'You know what? Let's turn this off for now...'.
I hope that with all these news there will be less gringos polluting cities like Medellin. Next time they will go to the Phils and pay for ugly hookers.

(06-17-2016 11:21 PM)scotian Wrote:  The article about the Danish dude who was murdered near Llleras, it says that he was there for a few minutes with the guy before a gun was pulled and he was shot. I wonder what happened in those minutes?

Suppose this was a paramilitary hit. Sometimes they will offer the guy a chance to GTFO and never show his face again. Whatever happened can be fixed with an apology.

Sometimes it's been decided they simply want the guy dead, and it gets done with no ceremony.

If you're getting warnings from a stranger that you caused harm to someone through your actions, or need to stop doing something, think carefully about how you respond.

A typical gringo response would be: "Who are you to tell me what to do? There's no law against it."

The next escalation from the paramilitary side will be to kill that person. There won't be a second warning.

The street smart play is just to comply and ride off into the sunset when they suggest you do. I know of one gringo in Medellin who was given a credible death threat. He left the country the same day and never came back.

Of course, it's not always paramilitary making a threat. Sometimes it's just a nobody who wants to stir shit and blow off steam. Hard to tell the difference on the spur of the moment, though.

Thankfully in my 3 years here, nothing horribly bad has ever happened. I have been robbed twice by a small group of people (no weapons involved) but as long as you keep your composure and give them everything you have there are usually no issues.

I have a lot of friends here who, due to the extroversion of the country/people, can not take anyone seriously. There is a lot of freedom here to basically go around drinking on the streets and having a good go at it without worrying too much about law enforcement. In a country where you can basically pay off certain officers most of the time, while they ask you "Hey, how do you like our women".. kind of reiterates this idea of not taking people seriously.

Couple this with someone who is arrogant and drunk late at night and there are bound to be problems. They feel like since for the most part, Colombians are fun and easy-going, they can say whatever they want/make jokes when someone is threatening them. Obviously, when a gun or knife is drawn you do whatever they say no questions.. but not everyone out there is very rational and things don't get conveyed perfectly especially when there is a language barrier. Not saying this is true of everyone but I can see it happening to many.

What a horrible situation. Colombia is far from safe and the article Trully Mars posted shows that anything can happen, you would think a group of 12 hikers would be relatively safe. People are misinformed when they think it is targeted towards foreigners, it will happen to anyone. I actually don't think I've met any Colombians who haven't been at least pick pocketed. Many robbed multiple times with guns or knives.

The worst is when people go for two weeks and have nothing happen to them and then think its safe. Just because you didn't have anything happen to you in two week vacation doesn't make it safe.

If your looking for safer areas of Colombia, Boyaca is often mentioned (it has the lowest homicide rate by far in Colombia). Think towns like Villa de Leyva.

(06-18-2016 06:43 AM)Diego1993 Wrote:  You guys are making Medellin sound horrible too fast.

Better to preach that it's a horrible place in terms of safety, then to mislead readers to believe that it's generally speaking a safe place.

I wouldn't excessively scare someone into not visiting Colombia (and if you talked to me about the place, I'd have more praises for it then negatives to mention).

But, I'd rather be realist and tell someone they really have to watch their back down there at the risk of potentially convincing them not to visit.

Like some of the others have said, you really have to be careful down there. The amount of shit that happens to locals that just isn't discussed here is mind boggling. Since most gringos only stay for a week or two, it's rare for them to run into serious trouble, even though it clearly does happen.

But in the span of a longer period of time, there's a good chance you'll either run into trouble yourself, or it will come to you. Just look at some of the previous posts for a case in point.

I made local friends there and the amount of shit that's happened to them or someone they know is truly high. Usually nothing that ends up lethal or highly serious, but muggings and petty crime happen frequently.

One thing I have to add. In 6 months in the country nothing bad ever happened to me, fortunately. Even though suspicious situations did arise, but nothing serious. Again, trouble comes to find you, but you still have to have common sense/have the street smarts to avoid it.

I was rarely drunk in Colombia and I'm not big on drugs, and I also come off as a local by appearance, which minimised my risks substantially.

My advice to readers: take precautions, be careful while you're there, and mentally prepare to run into trouble, just in case it does happen.

(06-18-2016 06:43 AM)Diego1993 Wrote:  You guys are making Medellin sound horrible too fast.

It's probably a good thing for the people reading these threads to actually know what goes on. I think a lot of people read threads that Linux wrote and get all starry eyed about Colombia and the mountains of bangs waiting for them without knowing Colombia is still a dangerous place in most areas, especially compared to the average readers WASPY suburban neighbourhood.

The danger is often amplified by being foreign ("rich"), most likely not having the greatest Spanish and not knowing things that the locals know, where not to go, how to avoid being robbed/scammed.

I usually hung out with rich girls, but when I brought a barrio girl home who thought she Pablo Picasso chopping "stuff" up all over the table, yes I hid my laptop and all my valuables from her, you can't trust these girls.

http://www.elcolombiano.com/antioquia/se...-DB4407959

Three foreigners have been murdered in Medellin this month alone. While odds that you get murdered are exceedingly low..the amount of murders against foreigners is a concerning number and I'm sure many times that amount of violent crime happened against foreigners this month in Medellin.

(06-20-2016 02:14 AM)lavidaloca Wrote:  http://www.elcolombiano.com/antioquia/se...-DB4407959

Three foreigners have been murdered in Medellin this month alone. While odds that you get murdered are exceedingly low..the amount of murders against foreigners is a concerning number and I'm sure many times that amount of violent crime happened against foreigners this month in Medellin.

Other then the Mexican guy trying to stop the robbery. The other 2 seemed to be mixed up in some shady shit. This is really not that concerning for those just trying to bang a few Colombia women.