Medellin - some general tips if you plan on going

[joizy]

Hey guys!

I just returned from a month in Medellin. Wish I'd found this forum before I went. Lots of useful tips.

While there is a lot of good info here, I wanted to add a few more that I didn't see mentioned which I either knew before I left or learned the hard way there.

1.  It may have been said elsewhere, but I'd like to emphasize that you should speak some Spanish. I found very few people who spoke English. Definitely learn the basics and keep trying to communicate in Spanish - translator apps work well and people will appreciate the effort on your part.

2. If your cellphone plan doesn't allow an option for international use - look at Airalo e-sim card. It's an electronic sim. You can download the app before you leave, purchase your sim and have it ready to go when you land. I found out about this when the sim I had installed on an old phone stopped working. Wish I'd known before I left home.

3.  Look for a card that allows cash withdrawals without fees. I have a Charles Schwab investor "checking" account. I transfer money into this account and use it for travel. Best exchange rates and ATM fees are reimbursed.

4. Use Rappi - it's a delivery service that will deliver anything - food, medicine, whatever you want.

5.  Approach Grindr with caution. Too many guys that seemed too good to be true. Ask for verification photos if you're not convinced. Some words that indicate a financial exchange - liga, disponible, solvente.

6.  Use Uber instead of taxis if you can. They are unauthorized, so you sit in the front seat - just a "friend giving you a ride". You can plug in your destination and you know the fare. Their goal is to get you to your destination in the most efficient way, whereas taxis might take the scenic route if they figure out you're not from there. With all cars, close the doors gently. They are surprisingly light. If you use the same force you use at home, it will slam. Taxi drivers are especially unhappy when this happens.

7. Be careful at ATMs - I used the ATM inside of a supermarket. Don't flash your cash.

8. Beware of people slipping you drugs. I didn't read about this happening to gay men (though there were a few gay murders that I think are still unsolved), but I read on numerous forums about straight guys being drugged by women and ending up in the ER - of course with their valuables gone. While I had ZERO problems there, the hotness and availability of the men might lower your normal sense of caution.

9. Look for a local to show you around and help with your Spanish. I paid a guy to be my tour guide. He threw in some extras. I had the best experiences with him. Met him on Grindr.

10. Have fun. Medellin is a beautiful city and the people are lovely. Keep your wits about you, show some cultural sensitivity, and you'll have a great time.

[12is12]

Thank u Joizy for a VERY useful list.

I PMed u....

[macdaddi]

7 hours ago, joizy said:

Hey guys!

I just returned from a month in Medellin. Wish I'd found this forum before I went. Lots of useful tips.

While there is a lot of good info here, I wanted to add a few more that I didn't see mentioned which I either knew before I left or learned the hard way there.

1.  It may have been said elsewhere, but I'd like to emphasize that you should speak some Spanish. I found very few people who spoke English. Definitely learn the basics and keep trying to communicate in Spanish - translator apps work well and people will appreciate the effort on your part.

2. If your cellphone plan doesn't allow an option for international use - look at Airalo e-sim card. It's an electronic sim. You can download the app before you leave, purchase your sim and have it ready to go when you land. I found out about this when the sim I had installed on an old phone stopped working. Wish I'd known before I left home.

3.  Look for a card that allows cash withdrawals without fees. I have a Charles Schwab investor "checking" account. I transfer money into this account and use it for travel. Best exchange rates and ATM fees are reimbursed.

4. Use Rappi - it's a delivery service that will deliver anything - food, medicine, whatever you want.

5.  Approach Grindr with caution. Too many guys that seemed too good to be true. Ask for verification photos if you're not convinced. Some words that indicate a financial exchange - liga, disponible, solvente.

6.  Use Uber instead of taxis if you can. They are unauthorized, so you sit in the front seat - just a "friend giving you a ride". You can plug in your destination and you know the fare. Their goal is to get you to your destination in the most efficient way, whereas taxis might take the scenic route if they figure out you're not from there. With all cars, close the doors gently. They are surprisingly light. If you use the same force you use at home, it will slam. Taxi drivers are especially unhappy when this happens.

7. Be careful at ATMs - I used the ATM inside of a supermarket. Don't flash your cash.

8. Beware of people slipping you drugs. I didn't read about this happening to gay men (though there were a few gay murders that I think are still unsolved), but I read on numerous forums about straight guys being drugged by women and ending up in the ER - of course with their valuables gone. While I had ZERO problems there, the hotness and availability of the men might lower your normal sense of caution.

9. Look for a local to show you around and help with your Spanish. I paid a guy to be my tour guide. He threw in some extras. I had the best experiences with him. Met him on Grindr.

10. Have fun. Medellin is a beautiful city and the people are lovely. Keep your wits about you, show some cultural sensitivity, and you'll have a great time.

#6 - Absolutely the #1 taxi issue with foreigners is slamming the car door.  I like to remind new visitors to Medellin of the rules: its ColOmbia, not ColUmbia;  always acknowledge others with food by saying "Buen provecho"'; learn to use "Buenos días", "buenas tardes", y "buenas noches" at the appropriate time of day; never slam the car door when exiting; and you certainly do NOT talk about Bruno.

[asdsrfr]

Another cultural sensitivity --don't ask to much about Pablo Escobar like he was some kind of Robin Hood. A lot of younger Colombians want to put that era behind them. A lot of gringos who come to Medellin seem captivated by the subject but many people of Medellin have been victims of his violence. When I was last in Medellin pre-covid  the host of my Air Bnb volunteered that her 16 yo son was killed by the cartel in front of her eyes as they got out of their car together--she was wounded but survived. The glamour of  the series "Narcos" aside--tread carefully on that subject.

[macdaddi]

5 hours ago, asdsrfr said:

Another cultural sensitivity --don't ask to much about Pablo Escobar like he was some kind of Robin Hood.

Support this 100%.  Colombians are working through a collective trauma and are looking to change the trajectory of the country. This weekend's presidential election result is the effect of Colombians looking optimistically forward and breaking free of the the eight families that have controlled the country's politics for the past 50 years.  Colombians are not interested in discussing stereotypes nor a painful history of existing under a narco state. Skip the Pablo tours entirely and get to know the story of Colombia's recent conflicts as the Museo casa de la memoria instead.

[joizy]

10 hours ago, asdsrfr said:

Another cultural sensitivity --don't ask to much about Pablo Escobar like he was some kind of Robin Hood. A lot of younger Colombians want to put that era behind them. A lot of gringos who come to Medellin seem captivated by the subject but many people of Medellin have been victims of his violence. When I was last in Medellin pre-covid  the host of my Air Bnb volunteered that her 16 yo son was killed by the cartel in front of her eyes as they got out of their car together--she was wounded but survived. The glamour of  the series "Narcos" aside--tread carefully on that subject.

 

10 hours ago, asdsrfr said:

The glamour of  the series "Narcos" aside--tread carefully on that subject.

We don't talk about P*bl*.