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The best 3 supermarkets in Colombia are all hard discount supermarkets 1. D1 2. ARA 3. ISIMO

Hello sir ive been watching your videos for a while. Im wondering how your staying in Colombia for so long. Which visa did you apply for and how difficult was it applying for a visa. Thanks

What an underrated channel

I miss everything about Colombia, even the chaos. Especially the chaos

Its crazy how everyone has this idea of colombians in the states but when they get there they feel the reality and heat the streets got to offer if you dont be careful..

One thing to note is it isn't called Wi-fi if you're using a phone carrier's data plan. It's called Mobile Data. Wi-fi is only when you're connected to a Wi-fi network like at home, Starbucks, or the hotel's "wi-fi".

I imagine it's somewhat easier if your spouse is a native

What a f***ing nightmare. I'm infuriated just listening to this. What a scam-level business practice. It's very hard for me to imagine all those hoops aren't deliberately malicious, to try to stop people cancelling. I use Claro but I'm on the pre-paid plans. Definitely never going to do post-pago now.

God bless

do you know the name of the CDT in spanish? Thank you for this video

Maaan, thank you!

I did notice that Colombians tend to behave in a way appropriate for the situation. Being loud and rowdy in a club is fine , but frowned upon in a restaurant setting. In the USA, people are less likely to be aware how they are perceived by others.

San Andres is great for a first time visitor. It is one of the safer cities, and you will find more English speakers than in other Colombian cities. Being an Island, prices run higher than other cities, but still cheaper than a US or Aussie vacation.

Be careful even when you are in a car or taxi. If your window is down, moto riders will reach in and snatch your phone right out of your hand as you are talking or taking pictures.

08:30 Meant to say that it's good for a healthy market, not the broader economy.

Great videos about Colombia mate

It is good to keep some coins on hand as some restrooms may cost 500 pesos to use!!!!

Save this video! You may not realize it, but you are creating an archive piece for future Colombian generations, sir. You've captured what is a "snapshot" in time and 10 years from now, peole will look at this video in wonder of how far they've gone. This has all happened before...in past decades...in many countries that have experience sudden economic growth. Actually, on at least three of those things the differences seem less cultural and more socio-economic and generational. I'm almost 60 and I remember some of these things being present, either as things I personally saw, or things I saw depicted in media as life between 1900 and the 1950s. Male manicures? As a kid, I remember seeing those depicted in movies and referred to in contemporary TV, up until the late 90s. It was usually in the context some rich or powerful guy (or someone who wanted to seem that way) getting fussed over. I remember reruns of 50s-60s era TV shows with some boss or rich guy getting his hair cut and nails done while his secretary took dictation from him. This male grooming habit only seemed to disappear starting in the late 80s, as homosexuality began to be openly acknowledged in media. Men started to fear seeming effeminate and in the U.S., they stopped doing this...at least in the open. Why do they still have it? My hunch is that Latin American culture is very masculine and the men simply don't have the amount of insecurity that is found in North America and the Europe. High TV mounting? I've also seen putting TVs in the corner of the room in Colombia. My hunch is that this comes from a time when TVs were smaller and more rare. You tended to place them so that the most people in the room got a good view. ALSO, the ceiling and corner mount is a technical legacy from the days when flat screen TV technology didn't exist. Old CRT tube TVs had much smaller screen and were 12 to 18" thick! Wall mounting was never an option and to get them out of the way, you needed to mount them high or in a corner. Why do they still do it this way? As a technology guy, I see this all the time. Conventions and habits of a past age just seem to stick, until people eventually realize their obsolete and do something different. Examples include: Putting cassette players, CD players, cigarette lighters, and ash trays in cars for years after they were obsolete. Or, people having landline phones or fax machines. Eventually, it just works itself out. Kids staying at home into adulthood is a centuries-old tradition that is the result of both social expectation and economics. (In sociological terms, its known as the "extended family" model.) In some countries, it was stopped and started again. (Ex. modern day Italy and Japan...or post-2008 America.) If the kid never finds a spouse, it was common for them to stay on and look after the parents. Nothing new here. (Cultural Reference: The 1955 movie "Marty".) Why do they still do it this way? To be honest, I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. When you look at the serious social problems in other parts of the world, you can see that much of it comes from the lack of strong families. More power to the Colombians if they resist becoming economic carbon copies of those places and opt to have chart find their own norm. Oh, yeah...even the profusion of knock-offs is nothing new anywhere in the developing industrialized world. What you're seeing is the sudden, steady growth of a middle-class, consumer-based economy. Colombia was only a short time ago a financially-beaten, narco-crime-dominated nation that was in the middle of a civil rebellion. The restoration of relative security, responsive governance, and a safe market-based economy are just some of the reasons for this rise from widespread poverty to widespread economic growth. Whenever this has happened in history (ex. the Industrial Revolution in Europe and America, or the Chinese economic miracle from the 90s to the 2000s), working class and middle class people want STUFF. Usually, they can't afford the real thing, so a market develops for knockoffs. I lived in China about 10 years ago and saw the same things happening there. You could buy $1000 Autodesk software on the sidewalk for 10 RMB. (About $3.28 USD.) Or, fake iPhones, iPods, or iPads. There too, it was so widespread that no one could do anything about it. But, ultimately (as has been shown in China) the free market takes care of the problem. As more people earn more and join the middle class, it becomes a status symbol to own "the real thing". The nuevo middle class begin to grow embarrassed at having fakes and their own human snobbery grows the market for legitimate products, until eventually the market for the fakes starts to shrink. Eventually, the middle class has so much vested in the legitimate market that the purveyors of counterfeits become their enemies. As I mentioned, give it 10-20 years. Ten years ago, I was talking to a China expert at KPMG about the counterfeit problem in consumer goods there and the impact of Western businesses. His response: Don't worry. Things are happening! The average consumer may choose to buy the fake today because its all they can afford, but they want the real thing. When they have the money, they are going to buy it! I'm exploring a retirement in Bogota in the next 5-8 years. A snapshot of today's expat retirement landscape would hastily dismiss Colombia as being less lucrative and more dangerous due to the persistent crime. After studying this for months, I am willing to bet big on Colombia's future. I'm also seeing signs that big business is doing the same. For me, the single biggest sign of this is the arrival of IKEA in Bogota, Cali, and Medellin. That company is known for requiring good governance, security, strong economic growth, and a burgeoning middle class before it commits to open stores in a country. Colombia is the 62nd country they've chosen. There are plenty of First World countries that don't have IKEAs. For me, this is a good sign. Great video. Thanks!

Thanks for the video, but for a retiree like me this is too risky. I located the city government's estrato maps for Usaquen, Chapinero, Suba, and Teusaquillo. They tell you exactly where every barrio is and what its estrato composition is like. (For newbies like me, its important to first understand the estrato system, what it means for safety, and where they are.) It's very important to understand that estratos are assessed, block by block. A single barrio can contain a mix and depending on where they are located, you could find yourself in an E5-6. surrounded by E1-3 neighborhoods. If you're young and willing to take some risks to save money, your approach is excellent. If your risk tolerance isn't has high, then 1) stay in Usaquen, 2) find the safer parts of Chapinero, or 3) use the estrato maps (as I did) to find neighborhoods that are buffered on multiple sides by higher estrato barrios or safety zones (like a private country club or a military facility). Great video!

Expats? You are an immigrant, dude!

The US state of Florida has experience sever gentrification, and in the south east of Florida, ironically, significantly from Latin American immigration

Maybe this segment should be included in what "Colombians think of expats". The answer not much outside of the bubble you live in. Might sound harsh but listening to both of your videos.... Good luck in Colombia.

Going to Colombia in a couple weeks...Great recommendations.

I love Cartagena ❤, great city, enjoy the ride, ignore the criticism.

Most people who have lived in both countries prefer Colombia, you can't even compare the two. Colombia is much better, but crime and insecurity are the main problems of Colombia, although you should be fine is you keep a low profile. Panama residency visas are complicated, not straightforward like it used to be, it's expensive, it's hot and humid, a lot of uncollected trash, bad service at restaurants and coffee shops, not as nice as Colombian people.

Also, aguardiente!

I did see an Exito (in a mall) that carried a variety of console games. Recent games (<6 months old) were about 20% or more than US/Canadian prices.

Para los que no saben , panamá es un departamento de Colombia 😂😂😂😂😂

This is confusing because you're allowed to extend the 90 day tourist visa for another 90 days at the immigration office without leaving the country.

Beautiful mochilas!

I see the same healthy sense of national pride in almost every country outside the Anglosphere, and the toxic self-hating even here is generational: both your and my grandparents would have been proud of their country, not ashamed of it, reminded of its badness every 5 minutes. What you think of as a normal under-enthusiasm for your country is a relatively new aberration, and not a helpful one. If we cant joyfully celebrate our uniqueness everything fades to grey pretty quickly.

Great videos mate

Foolish child. You should have already had your keys bunched between your fingers as it became obvious he was about to invade your comfort zone. Rather than give him money you should have punched him hard in the face keys first, striking for his eyes. It's a tough country after the sun's gone down, you need to look as if you mean business rather than being a lost, soft tourist gazing at his phone. I think you'll find that rage you experienced is actually directed at yourself for acting so passively.

Good accurate video aussie guy, thanx for coming to bogota!

Medellin was underrated until the Scamdemic and the subsequent Digital Nomad Visa screwed it all up. I moved away in 2020 and will probably not move back within this lifetime.

When a Colombian has their phone stolen, they don't even report it. They are never recovered. There is a well-organized system in place. They pass through several hands before ending up in China where they are "renewed" or used for parts. The sad part is that the person who took it from you was paid a lot less than you would have paid him just to get it back.

I would say the key to making such a transition is more mental than practical, has a lot to do with charisma and personality. If you make people around you smile, you probably will in other countries too. Are you the kind who radiates good vibes or do you erect psychological barriers to keep people away? I'm not talking about extroversion here so much as general affability and openness. The new travelling with people gazing into their devices is NOT conducive to the business of socialization. As someone who's spent 35 years travelling and living in other countries, whilst remaining a dunce at languages, but more specifically having gone 7 or 8 times to Colombia, I recommend learning some Colombia street slang, common sayings and tongue-twisters, one or two phrases at a time. You can break a lot of ice by dropping these into 'conversations'. Only speaking English, you will still remain of use to many educated and self-educated Colombians only too happy to try out their own mastery of English. Of course learn how to say thank you, have you got, and that is beautiful. Listen to how the locals pronounce words, not the guide book.

* 6:25 - meant to say jeep, not bus lol

Do Columbian service workers prefer to get tipped in US dollars or Columbian Pesos?

It's very flattering, but, please, don't. Come, visit, enjoy -we're always glad and honored to welcome you-, but don't stay. We don't need gentrification here in Colombia. Besides, some gringos¹ have behaved as if we locals were their servants -they even tell us off for not speaking English or not having their cultural manners-, and that might eventually make us turn a bit hostile. ___________ ¹Not a pejorative word at all.

Parque Simón bolivar ❤❤❤😊

Salento and filandia are amazing, quite,beautiful❤❤❤

Interesting topic you touched on. As someone that has not been to Colombia before. It did seem odd that we don't hear much about the gaming culture or just gaming in general on that side of the world. I have seen you mention about the themed stores and arcades. But that is quite different to gaming from home. Don't get me wrong. Older console are awesome, but I would have love to see gaming grow more in those regions. There is nothing wrong with the Switch. So its quite cool to hear that it is doing quite well in Colombia.

Video suggestion - why you have chosen where you live (which I understand to be Bogota). Why Bogota and not Manizales? For online workers like me, it would be helpful to know your thoughts and prioritization of cities and towns there. If one works remotely, why one place over the other? Gracias!

Colombia’s “don’t give papaya” attitude, eh? Did you use an Australian travel insurance or something global?

Many countries eschew flushing toilet paper -- China, Taiwan, etc.

If you had to rank the neighborhoods you listed for those visiting for the first time, what would be the ranking?

Wonderful and vital video! Muchas gracias! I've been struggling to get my head around the various districts and neighborhoods in Bogota -- it seems like there are NO online maps that accurately outline what is an official district and what is informal -- it seems like a hodgepodge. I've been a bit concerned with the Airbnb costs at the frequently mentioned high-end areas and really appreciate you outlining good-enough value locations!

Great breakdown, I'd also add that Spanish and English have different structures or systems for delivering sounds. So you need to change the way you listen to the language otherwise it'll be hard to understand words that you do already know

They are forcing me to get married to get the residentency visa. I think after three years i cam apply for residency. My question for you is if let say after 4 years and i already obtained my residency visa if me and my wife file for divorce do i get my residency visa taken away from me or do i get to keep it for life.