Hi 👋 I’ll be in Medellin in January and thinking of doing a few days in Cartagena.

Any recommendations for coliving (more on the nicer/older crowd with cowork, not party)?

It doesn't sound good because it's a conversation specifically about dangers. It's like reading the news and concluding that the world is horrible. In reality you take a handful of precautions and use common sense and you spend 99,9% of your time not thinking about any of it while you enjoy a beautiful country and culture.

This. I had a GREAT time in medellin and never felt unsafe

what's up everybody. I'm new here. Gonna be in Medellin and Cartagena in Feb

Nice to hear you had a positive experience, I wanted to share some about mine. My favorite visit to Medellin was my first in 2019. People were really excited to meet a foreigner and always wanted to practice English. A warm environment that was very inviting. I went to the skatepark most days and had a lot of fun at Parque Arvi among other things.

But it seemed like each year I went, I liked it less. After covid, there was a huge influx of undesirables that came, to the point where “no to the sex tourist,” placards were posted in front of restaurants I used to eat at. I noticed people started having a more negative attitude towards foreigners, and laureles was fast on the route towards major gentrification during my last visit (Jan 2024).

I also learned more about the “no dar papaya” concept, basically meaning that you shouldn’t give people any leeway to take advantage of you, and after getting the “gringo price” several times not just in Medellin but other parts of Colombia, I started having a sour taste, and left after a few months.

Colombia is a beautiful country with a lot of neat ecotourism activities, but it’s not at the top of my list right now because of the changes that have taken place. Just wanted to share my thoughts on that.

woah this is such a cool telegram

How you guys are celebrating NYE?

Hi guys, who else is going to Bitcoin Medellin now in January?

It wasn’t so great last year so I doubt that I will go again

Anyone in Bucaramanga (or Santander) at the moment, or haven been recently?

I was there for a few days a year ago.

What's the question?

What were your thoughts about it? Considering it to spend a few weeks or a month in April or so

that's sad to hear
out of curiosity what would be at the top of your list right now and why?

I really liked it. Good weather, nice people, walkable. Much easier to find an apartment than in Medellin.
The nature around the city is beautiful.

That said absolutely limited food options and really boring.

Food is boring or the whole city ?

bump

Hi! Did you find something that match this? I'm also very interested for February / March

Colombia increased minimum salary by 23% from January so prices go up a lot

Nomad meetup tonight in Medellin!

https://nomads.com/meetups#d725f2eb3531de487ac27d19c81bd74a

hey joanne, whats your experience been in cartagena so far? Ive booked medellin flight from toronto but not sure if cartagena worth a visit. only have 2 weeks!

I ended up cutting my trip short and cancelled Cartagena. (In hindsight I feel like I should’ve done less time in Medellin bc it was too rainy for me and gone. A few friends that went to Cartagena loved it!)

I've heard a lot from Colombians that its better to avoid Cartagena because of the scams

Just domzlt fall for scams duhhh

I heard a story about tourists who were trapped on a boat and forced to transfer money at gunpoint

I always wondered this. What if you don't have your banking stuff on your phone? Like legit you only brought a burner phone and there is no way to do any of that? Will they say "oh okay never mind then"?

No you can not do that. That’ll bring you in an even worse position.

Criminals often make a factory reset of phones where that is possible but others often break into phones, change passwords of email accounts immediately to lock out people.
Banking apps often show up in the browser history

Anyone in Bucaramanga?

Anyone joining this capital raising event? https://luma.com/pozeyd3x

its a bullshit rating

What's the best meetups in Medellín?

There are many meetups here in Medellin - what are you looking for?

Just hang out, meet new people.

I wonder how often this is updated. We has some spotty internet years ago, but it has been fine the last couple of years.

Ive noticed that lots of information about countries is outdated on nomadlist

There are events every day. Language exchanges, hiking groups at weekends mostly.
You can go to Medellin Run Club tomorrow morning.
Anamaste Café attracts a good crowd and has a language exchange. Tonight Casa Almarita has a language exchange.

I will be in Bogotá around the 16th of March for a few weeks

Guys how safe is Medellin for long term stay like 3 months?

I’ve been to various cities in Latin America and overall it’s very unsafe in my experience.

as unsafe as a lot of other cities in LatAm, for guys a bit more

Okay just wanted to know that. Thanks. How do you guys manage to stay comfortable without worrying about safety all the time?

I love latam but got kind of scared after some stuff happened :/

After some stuff happened?

oypfpvjcuuj what's happened?

I use NomadTable and TimeLeft to meet new people

Wow thanks I didn't know about these apps. Do they have many members signed up?

yes and they works worldwide

Amazing.but I'm not sure if i can find there someone who is also deep in a jungle of Colombia now lol

Arriving in Medellin tomorrow :-) anamaste cafe’ sounds good. I’ll take other ideas. I might do a walking tour as well.

Just 6 guys from the favela tried to snatch my phone while I was giving a light to my friend walking down from Arpador Ipanema in Rio.

I almost didn’t want to know that. So sad. Hope there are exceptions here and there. I have loved 30 yrs of long walks in the evenings in NYc when warm. 😔 never realized what a privilege it was until recently.

You can still have an incredible time there, just follow some rules and you can enjoy ☺️

wunvnvsuojy I sometimes feel that Latin America gets unfair criticism online. The truth is Many neighborhoods in LatAm countries and cities feel relaxed and enjoyable to walk around even at night.
In some large U.S. cities I’ve also seen very visible issues with homelessness, addiction, and mental health struggles on the streets, sometimes even during the daytime. That can make certain areas feel uncomfortable.
And just like anywhere else, people usually avoid walking late at night in certain parts of big cities — whether that’s downtown Los Angeles or parts of Queens in New York.
So I think it’s important not to generalize. Every region has great neighborhoods and more difficult ones.
It also depends a lot on how you behave. If someone is walking around very drunk, flashing expensive things, leaving belongings unattended, or wearing very expensive items openly, that can increase risk almost anywhere in the world. Being aware of your surroundings and using common sense matters in every country.
The same goes for basic precautions — for example, leaving your drink unattended in a bar can be risky anywhere in the world.

I’ve been walking around Medellín for the past few months (around Laureles and Poblado, both day and nigth), and it’s pretty safe. The Colombians I’ve met say they’ve never been robbed, except in sketchy areas like around La Candelaria. What actually seems very common is guys meeting girls they met online and getting drugged and robbed.

Laureles feels rather safe to me. I have been here for 6 months per year for a few years.
That said I heard from a local woman who was robbed in Poblado at 9pm in Loma Los Balsos a month ago. So these things happen.

Heard good things about this are too!!!

anybody in medellin currently? thinking of ripping over there for a week, and then cartagena for a few days. before starting new job. any thoguts?

Seconded. Here now - is great actually.