Post: #151

Obviously Scopolamine is really effective, so why isn't it more widely used in North America? Guys could make a killing using it on people.

Post: #152

(06-26-2016 07:11 PM)Wayout Wrote:  Quote from Bloomberg -"Caracas, Bogota and Mexico City are the most dangerous cities in the Americas in which to take a taxi, according to Steven Dudley, a director of InSight Crime, a Washington D.C.- based research group that monitors crime in Latin America."

From me I will add it is the filthiest,ugliest city with only 2-3 small neighborhoods where the surroundings don't make you cringe. Who ever recommends this city for traveling ( to get chicks) has no trust from me!

I will write more of my experiences later. I just wanted to leave it here in case....well you know.

Although I think you are making a mole out of a mountain hill with a lot of these negative aspects, Latin America and Colombia definitely aren't for everyone. To each his own.

As far as the Taxi safety issues goes.. seems I got pretty lucky in my two months in Bogota. I thought the yellow cabs off the street were generally pretty safe and easy to use. No price negotiations as there is a meter and generally no denial of service for any destination area. I like them a lot more than in Lima where you have to stand on the curb and sometimes negotiate prices with multiple cabs and even worse those guys will deny taking you if they don't like how far you need to go, etc. Sometimes I had to wait past 5-10 minutes just to get into a cab.

Also, is Uber going out of style guys? Data is so cheap in Colombia there are no excuses not to have smartphone capabilities out and about. I think Uber in Bogota might have been the cheapest I've ever seen as well. I was taking $2.75-3 one-way trips from Zona Rosa to La Candelaria. I was also paying for girls to come see me from all over the city and it never costed me more than $5-6 one-way.

Nothing is foolproof, but I would imagine that Uber has cut the possibility of a Scopo incidence to being very, very slim.

Post: #153

A few gringos I talked to used Uber once in a while, but almost all the Colombians would just use Ez Taxi.

I think it's kind of sketchy where your in places with no actual legit cabs they are just some random guys car but when you're at the Colombian border at 12am and your alternative is 15km walk you don't have much choice.

Post: #154

Here's my experience with Easy Taxi and Taxi drivers in general. I've taken a taxi maybe 6-7 times now using Easy Taxi.
For example,last night...I order a taxi to go from Candelaria to Zona T bar. So the the taxi comes to outside of my apartment,he resets the meter to 25 ( units). The fucker takes the longest possible route ( in my opinion) and when we arrive I have 150 (units) on the meter . I don't remember the exact number ,but you have to find a reference table in the back of the cab and see how much it corresponds to.
So I find the number and it looks like I am paying 15,000 COP ( 5 USD). But no...the driver tells me it's 18,000! (6 usd) He is saying it was a door to door service - so it's another 1000! Plus it's Saturday - so it's another 2000...plus there's Easy taxi fee...and so on. So now he wants more and more money...and this shit happened every time!
I did not use Uber because my credit card got blocked. Otherwise I would never ever use those fuckers! They are actually protesting against Uber - because it makes it hard for them to rip off people!.
This is on top of robberies and drugging people.

Post: #155

Taxis in bogota flat out refuse to drive you if you are going to a certain part. That's why if you plan on hanging in the north, get a place in the north. Made that mistake to save a few bucks.

The fees are always posted on the sticker on the windshield or placard behind the seat. Before boarding tell the driver are there any additional rates.

Post: #156

(06-26-2016 09:59 PM)tomtud Wrote:  Taxis in bogota flat out refuse to drive you if you are going to a certain part. That's why if you plan on hanging in the north, get a place in the north. Made that mistake to save a few bucks.

The fees are always posted on the sticker on the windshield or placard behind the seat. Before boarding tell the driver are there any additional rates.

It's true, 4-5 taxis drove away from me and this Argentine chick after we said we wanted to go to Candelaria (around 3am ish) when we were in 85.

Post: #157

Uber is your best option in Bogota by far.. Im paying 6,500 peso from Chapinero to Zona Rosa with little traffic and anout 9000 with traffic...they are protesing Uber in Colombia and it its currenrly not "legal"...so most uber drivers ask you to sit in the front seat so it looks like its 2 friends in the car and not an Uber so they wont get pulled over by cops.

Post: #158

(06-25-2016 01:43 AM)BrewDog Wrote:  I like the Bogota girls a lot. They're better chicks than the Medellin girls by far. They have educations and nice jobs and they actually PAY for shit. A Paisa isn't paying for anything.

But, I spent 3 months in Bogota this last trip and had three bad experiences. Two times were almost robberies by taxis and I got out of it. One time they got me.

The scopolamine is real, real, real... it's fucking REAL. Have you ever woken up in a hospital in another country without your wallet or passport or cell phone without any place to stay or any way to get money? Jesus H. fucking Christ, it's a fucking hassle. And yes, Scotian, I was listening to you when we had beers in Pereira, but they fucking still got me anyhow. And I WAS being careful.

If any of you think the scopolimine stories are wives tales, fucking think twice. The State Dept. website says that there are over 50,000 drugging robberies in Colombia every year. That's 137 a day, and those are just the ones people report. I wouldn't have even reported mine because I know the Colombian police are fucking worthless, but the hospital called them.

I haven't been here in a while, and getting robbed and fucked up in Bogota had a lot to do with it. I guess I'm embarrassed and I don't even know why. I never understood why a victim of some shit ass crime would be embarrassed to tell anyone, but I am. I haven't even told my family or friends about it. I'm ashamed that I'm a grown man, a Marine, and I didn't take care of myself. I've been to the worst shitholes all over the world and always got out of trouble because I was smart and could figure it out if something was amiss. I've never been robbed in Haiti, Africa, Kingston, Port of Spain, or Bangkok. But three Bogota assholes got me. It only takes a second to swap out your beer with theirs, and then you have no ability to take care of yourself.

I'm a guy that can whip anyone, any time, any place, or I will at least try, and I always know what's going on around me. But Brothers, if you get the roofy in Colombia, your shit is done. You can do nothing to help yourself. And it takes less than 5 minutes for it to take effect.

I only tell you this because you all hear the stories and you think it's just some shit that happened to some guy a long time ago. But it happens every single day in Colombia. I wasn't using coke or hanging out with whores; I was minding my own business in Chapinero, Bogota, and they fucked my shit up at a nice bar with tons of gringos. Watch yourself. It can happen. Take care.

Thanks for sharing your story. I've never felt very safe in Chapinero, might be also because my phone was robbed there. But your right Scopolimine is a huge issue in Colombia, it scares me big time. It happened to one of the foreigners staying in the same building as me. He liked to party but wasn't into drugs or anything. You have to be super cautious when you are drinking.

Post: #159

I will give another viewpoint, Yes Colombia can be dangerous that's a given, but I also think making wide generalizations are not completely fair. I use all forms of public transportation in Bogota. Luckily I have never had an issue....part of this is due to having a good feel about the city....I have had jack off taxi drivers a handful of times, but I understand the costs and I can hold a conversation with the drivers so they know I am not fresh off the boat.

To complain about prices of .75 to 1.00 I find laughable, there are not many cities the size of Bogota that have such cheap taxis....it's a HUGE reason I love this city it's super affordable....

I will disagree with the above poster that Bogota is the worst city, but that's my opinion, what I don't get is why stay if your so unhappy...move on....it takes time to figure out but there is tons of options, loads of hot and available women, and excellent nightlife and restraunts...

I am currently traveling through Venezuela and can tell you the danger level here is on a completely other level.....

Post: #160

Ok, here's my Bogota taxi stories. I told you in three months I had two almost-robberies in taxis and one where they actually got me.

The first night I had trouble was in Chapinero. You feel very safe in Chapinero. It's very clean compared to the rest of Bogota with trash in the streets and graffiti tagged everywhere. When I went to the US embassy to get my replacement passport after being robbed, the case officer told me that Chapinero is actually where most Gringos get robbed because the "caspas" (nere-do-wells) especially hang out there to fuck up Whitey. She also told me that a lot of their robbery cases are coming out of Salento, which is a shame, because I love that little town. But I digress.

I went to a club with a couple of German guys from my hostel. It was a main party spot, though I don't remember the name. It had FIVE fucking floors of party, and it was packed. I usually hate places like that, but there were tons of girls there, and they were very flirty. I meet this nice, pretty, fit Colombian girl half my age. She's with a group of other girls and she invites me to come back to their apartment for drinks. So then the "helpful" friend fucking cockblocks me. She convinces the girl that she doesn't know me and I may be dangerous, so the cute girl kisses me and they leave. I can't truly blame the friend for not letting her invite some gringo back to the house. The Bogotenas are careful, and for good reason. I can't find the German guys and I decide to go back to the hostel.

I only have like 12 blocks to walk, but it's 2AM and I figure it's safer to take a cab. In Bogota, it's a fucking crapshoot with taxis. I should have just walked. But it's my damn fault for hailing a cab off the corner. They intentionally sit there and wait for gringo idiot travelers to leave the club, and I already know this, but I was drunk and didn't use good judgment. So I know which way is to my hotel, and the guy is taking me the opposite direction. I say hey man, my hotel is the other way. He keeps saying, "I'm taking you to a party. Lots of hot chicas!" If they ever say they're taking you to a party, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE CAR. And he texting now. I get nervous when taxis get you in the car and then start texting. They're alerting their asshole buddies. The guy won't stop the car and let me out and I'm yelling at him LET ME OUT! And he doesn't stop, so I scream at him that I'm going to hit him as hard as I can if he doesn't let me out of the car. Then he lets me out and has the temerity to ask me for 20mil pesos for driving me 12 blocks in the wrong direction. I told him fuck off and said I would wait on the curb while he called the police. And he left, of course, because we both know damn well he was about to drive me to the barrio to get my face smashed in. So, robbery #1 averted.

The next night I get scopolamined and they take all my shit and I wake up in the hospital. I was with some other gringos, some Canadians, Swedes, Germans, Americans, etc. Whole bunch of us. But the third floor of the bar was hot and stuffy, so I went downstairs to have a smoke and get some fresh air (ironic, I know). I met a couple of guys that were friendly, and I started talking to them about where I'd been and such. I was watching my drink like I always do, and all I can figure is that when one guy introduced me to his random third buddy on the left, I set my beer down to turn and shake the guy's hand. Then his other buddy on the right swapped out my beer with his. I should have known better. They were sitting on either side of me, and that should have alerted my Spidey senses. But I was fucking retarded and 5 minutes later, I don't remember shit. The hospital people said someone called an ambulance after I got dumped out of a taxi onto the sidewalk. I didn't get beat up (I know that feeling), but I had road rash on my face and a black eye which is conducive to getting pushed out of a car onto your face. My temporary passport photo has a huge shiner and a deep red scrape on my cheek now. But you'll note that there was a taxi involved. Those guys weren't scopolamine robbing me in the backseat without the driver knowing. He was in on it.

I was a bit lucky in a way, a girl I knew in Bogota let me stay at her house and gave me her rent money to go buy a new passport. The US embassy was fucking worthless and insisted on me paying $135. I was standing there with a swollen face without any money or credit cards, and they won't give me a goddamn passport without $135. BTW, there's no Americans working at the US embassy. I saw one Marine behind a glass guard room with his dress blues and my case officer who conducted my interview were both Americans. Everyone else was Colombian. so fuck the US government for not helping me and for not even hiring Americans.

Two weeks later, I'm still staying with this girl in Bogota because I don't have money or any way to get any. My bank explained that due to the FATCA terrorism and drug trafficking rules, they couldn't send me any money from my account via Western Union. So at this point I've been fucked over more times by my own government than the assholes that robbed me. And thank god I knew this girl who took me in. I have no fucking clue what I would have done with no money or place to stay in Bogota. I would have been living on the street begging for money, and that's not me being dramatic. I would have been fucked like chuck.

So here's my last taxi story. this is three times in a matter of two weeks that a taxi has tried to rob me. I was ironically going to Fed Ex to pick up my replacement credit cards my bank sent. Fed Ex in Colombia can't apparently bring your package to the door because they're lazy and incompetent like everyone else in Colombia. I hail a cab in Fontibon. He starts texting, which makes me nervous again. He texts the whole time I'm in the car. But it's 10AM, so I figure I'm ok. I don't know exactly where I am, but I feel like we're not going the way we're supposed to go. I had asked directions at a pharmacy to the Fed Center, and the way he told me to go wasn't the way we were traveling on the highway. We get off the highway, and now I can see the signs with the cross streets. We're 42 blocks farther away from Fed Ex than where we started. So I told him to let me out. I'm now shaking and about to have a nervous breakdown, because I've just been robbed two weeks earlier, almost robbed the night before that, and I can't even get into a goddamn taxi at 10AM without him trying to drive me to the barrios to have his buddies stab me.

I hail another taxi. This driver was an old man which made me feel better. He drives me all the way back 42 blocks the direction we had just come, and I tell him what just happened. I asked, "Do you think the driver was lost?" He gave me a sad look in the rearview mirror and said, "No senor, I don't think he was lost." So the final score was: Me 2 - Bogota taxi robbers 1. And they still won.

The taxi robbers in Bogota operate with impunity. The police are worthless scumbags that couldn't investigate their way out of a paper bag. After the DEA agent was murdered in a taxi robbery in 2013, the FBI swooped in and they quickly shut down 8 more taxi robbery gangs and extradited 7 taxi drivers to the US for prosecution. Because he was a DEA agent. No one gives a fuck about Joe Gringo getting robbed in Bogota.

To make this taxi story even longer, I flew out of Medellin to get back to the States. No one told me on the bus from Bogota when we had passed the airport exit, so I told the driver to let me out so I could get a taxi back to the airport in the opposite direction. He wouldn't let me out until we got all the way to the bus terminal. He said, "Senor, if I let you out on the highway in the middle of the night, these taxi drivers will rob you. You're white and alone and they WILL rob you." And I certainly believed him at this point.

Watch your ass in Colombia, brothers. It's not Disneyland.

Post: #161

Brewdog can you tell the story about the fake cops in Medellin for the benefit of the forum, that was a fucking doozy too.

Post: #162

"Brewdog can you tell the story about the fake cops in Medellin for the benefit of the forum, that was a fucking doozy too."
===========================

Yeah, I guess I have "chump" written across my forehead, because everyone else seems to get by in Colombia without getting fucked up like I do.

I also spent 3 months in Colombia in 2013. My third day in Medellin, I was going to the Flip Flop Sandwich shop to have breakfast in Parque Lleras. The old owner was a Florida State alum and very cool, and he had beers for like 30 cents. I know that most people don't drink beer for breakfast. Don't judge me. I like the drinky drinky when I'm on vacation.

I round the corner and a middle aged guy stops me. He shows me credentials that say "Policia Narcotica". He has khakis and a polo shit. Clean cut, a little overweight. High school education. He looked the part of a plain-clothes cop. He says, "This is a narcotics investigation, I need to see your passport, please." So, I don't have any drugs, and I happily show him a photocopy of my passport. He says it's not enough, so I show him a photocopy of my Mississippi drivers license. He says none of this is real ID, sir, what else do you have to prove your identity? He then takes my wallet and starts going through it, presumably to look for more ID. Hey, it was my third day in Medellin. I didn't know any better then not to let the cops have your wallet. If they want your wallet in the States, you give it to them or they'll hit you with sticks and electrocute you and shit.

So then he says, "This is also a money investigation. We have a lot of trouble in Colombia with fake currency. And I need to check if you have any counterfeit money." I know what's happening now. It's a fucking scam. And now another guy has walked up, clean shaven, khaki pants, polo shirt. He says he's the guy's police partner. He has credentials also that say "Policia Narcotica". But I'm not buying it. So I tell the first guy, "Officer, I feel very uncomfortable right now. You have my wallet and my $300, and I want a uniform officer here with us." So, he holds up his finger and says, no problem senor, and he calls someone on his cell. Within 30 seconds, another clean cut "policia" comes around the corner and says I'm their supervisor, what's up? They had their shit together, no doubt.

So I say, "Oficiales, there's still not a uniform officer here, and I want a uniform here so I know you're real police." They try to assure me they're real police and show me their credentials again. I say pretty firmly that I want my wallet back. But not too aggressively; just because they're shaking you down doesn't mean they still aren't the real police in Colombia. I take out my cell and dial 999 (911) and I let them see it. I'm explaining to the operator that 3 police are in Lleras with me and have my wallet and want to investigate my money. The guy hands me back my wallet and says, "There's no more investigation, senor. You can go." And then they haul ass through the park.

Those sons of bitches almost got me. But like I said above, I usually see trouble before it gets the better of me. But there's no helping yourself if you've been roofied like in Bogota. The Florida State restaurant owner told me that the counterfeit money scam used to be common in Lleras but they don't see it much any more. But I can attest that they still try it. They take advantage of the fact that travelers are afraid of the police. I will never stop and talk to some guys like that again. Just walk away. Even if they are police, they're not going to chase you down and hit you with sticks or anything (hopefully). Just say "No speakie speakie the Spanish" and keep going.

Post: #163

Hopefully you're not wasted, I always murmured the license plate number while in the cab. Always shoot the shit with the cabbies. So, they know I'm not fresh meat sort of speak.

Getting robbed or scammed can happen to anyone. With taxis, for your best to memorize any digits of the license plate or the name of the driver on the placard. Of course being drunk it's kinda hard to do.

Post: #164

Jesus, these taxi stories are crazy. I think I can count on one hand, maybe two, the amount of times I've taken a taxi off the street in Colombia in the 2 and a half months I was just there. And these posts are why. Uber is so legit and cheap in Colombia. Every other time I took a taxi was a reminder that I shouldn't do it again and at the very least use EZ Taxi. I definitely got a hot meter in Lleras one time and there wasn't shit I could do about it. The other times I definitely got driven long ways or told that the guy didn't have proper change....

BrewDog, do you speak spanish? Or were you yelling at these dudes and going thru these messed up situations without even speaking good spanish? I always worry something like this will happen and I'll be at a huge disadvantage because I can't figure out why they say they're going the wrong way and I also can't even properly threaten the person in spanish...

Post: #165

"BrewDog, do you speak spanish? Or were you yelling at these dudes and going thru these messed up situations without even speaking good spanish?"
---------------------------------------

My Spanish is fairly good. I had four years in H.S. and college and five months intensive Spanish with the government. They understand my Spanish very well, although, sometimes I have difficulty understanding the Colombians. They talk really fast and mush their words together.

Post: #166

"Obviously Scopolamine is really effective, so why isn't it more widely used in North America? Guys could make a killing using it on people."

Really? Are you actually suggesting guys should drug people in North America too?

Post: #167

"Obviously Scopolamine is really effective, so why isn't it more widely used in North America? Guys could make a killing using it on people."

Really? Are you actually suggesting guys should drug people in North America too?
-----------------------------------------------------

Because scopolamine comes from a flower that grows only in Colombia and in SE Asia. I watched a documentary on it where some guy went to Colombia and paid for some on the street for his story. They call it "The Devil's Breath." I'm sure if they thought people would buy it in the States, they'd export it.

And it's VERY dangerous. If they give you too much, it can kill you or paralyze you for life. The girl in Bogota that harbored me afterwards said her college roommate was Scopolamined and stayed in a coma for three days. Now she's in a wheelchair and always will be. The Colombians I hung out with after would ask me about my black eye. When I told them scopolamine, they ALL had stories about it. If you see a gringo being led out of a bar by girls or men, go fucking CHECK on him. Make sure he's not roofied.


Go look it up on the youtubes. I don't know if I can post links here, but one is called "World's Scariest Drug (Documentary Exclusive)". It's a well-made video. As a plus, at about 6 minutes in there's some really hot Colombian chicks.

EDIT: And I should mention... Colombians will offer you drinks while you're there. All the time. They're very nice people and they have good manners and they share their liquor. But don't just accept guaro (that nasty cheap shit they love). Because of the scopolamine problem, they will intentionally pour the drinks from the bottle into your shot glass in front of you along with their own shot, and they will do the shot with you. They're doing this for a reason; to show you that they're not fucking you over. Look for this and don't just take shots with someone who hasn't done this process in front of you. And see this process happen EVERY time. It only takes once. Don't let them fool you by befriending you then giving you a shot that's loaded after you're drunk. Like Scotian said, they can be some crafty motherfuckers.

EDIT #2: I forgot the sweet justice in this video. I just watched it again. The Colombian guy towards the end with his face blurred on the video was scopolamined, robbed, and then used his gang connections to have the three assholes raped and murdered. For once in my life, I'm ok with that sort of shit. They drugged the wrong guy, and they deserve what they got.

Post: #168

(06-27-2016 11:21 AM)Robert Plant Wrote:  "Obviously Scopolamine is really effective, so why isn't it more widely used in North America? Guys could make a killing using it on people."

Really? Are you actually suggesting guys should drug people in North America too?

Did I say that? I'm surprised it isn't more widespread around the world, that's all.

Post: #169

(06-27-2016 02:49 PM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  

(06-27-2016 11:21 AM)Robert Plant Wrote:  "Obviously Scopolamine is really effective, so why isn't it more widely used in North America? Guys could make a killing using it on people."

Really? Are you actually suggesting guys should drug people in North America too?

Did I say that? I'm surprised it isn't more widespread around the world, that's all.

Why is this thread dead? Did Sidney fuck it up? Goddamn Sidney....

Post: #170

When I get back to Colombia I'm def using Uber 100%.

Bogota from what I've heard seems to be particularly dangerous. Medellin was pretty safe, especially in El Poblado. Only times I felt a bit sketched out was in Estadio during football game nights. Also driving through the centro at night to get from Lleras to Estadio is pretty sketchy, but we usually used Ubers.

But otherwise Medellin felt quite safe.

Post: #171

(09-13-2016 11:36 PM)Saladin Wrote:  When I get back to Colombia I'm def using Uber 100%.

I don't know, man. I used uber in Colombia my last time and it was nice. My probs were from the yellow taxis. Never with uber.

But really, what differentiates uber from the yellow taxis? Can't the uber guys be criminals, too?

And as I said, I'm fully with you. I took uber and they were nice dudes, way moreso than the damn yellow taxi criminal jerks.

But I'm still suspicious of any taxi driver in Colombia now that I got fucked over.

Do the uber guys get more vetting?

Post: #172

Yo BrewDog

Thanks for sharing your stories. They are rather comical but, very informative. I'm leaving for Ukraine tomorrow and I realize this is a different thread but, still want to keep an eye out for shit like this.

Post: #173

I've noticed this is definetly the double edge sword to being white and traveling to foreign countries. My white friends have had similar issues in Japan and Korea with getting ripped off by taxis(mainly charging extra money) or getting taken to clubs by random girls they met and buying 1 or 2 drinks and getting charged 300-500usd for the two shots. With very large bouncers not letting them leave till they paid up.

That's one good thing about looking mixed is you can blend in most countries. In Philippines people just thought I was a hapa and I walked everywhere without any stares or people trying to over charge me.

Post: #174

Just to update anyone who's not so aware of what's going on, Uber is actually getting a lot of shit from the government in Colombia and they're doing a lot to try to shut them down. As in, shut them down in the next few weeks if they have their way. This would of course suck for incredibly obvious reasons, so you might want to get another app like Easy Taxi just in case. Easy Taxi is still yellow cabs, but at least you have the driver's info, so it's much less likely they're shady.

Post: #175

Colombian taxis are fucking gangsters and I wouldn't want to be in an Uber if it gets corralled by a bunch of pissed off cabbies down there.