Expert: Cesar - 12/3/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a question about Medellin. On your profile it says that you live there, so I guess you should know very well about Medellin. I live in the states and I have talked to some expats from the states that now live in Medellin and all of them are very happy that they have moved there. They like the weather, cost of living, local food, real estate or rental costs,etc.And I was really surprised to hear that. Because the news report that Medellin currently experiences a spark in murders and crime. And that murder rate in Medellin is now one of the highest in Colombia, even higher than in Bogota or Cali.I just do not even know to whom should I believe. I would not mind moving there myself, however I would like to get some info from someone local from Medellin first. I do not plan on staying in the area for turists only or sitting in my house all day long. I would like to live in Medellin like I do here(Florida) and go to different places in the city by myself without any fear of being robbed or something. Also I do not plan on having a car in Medellin so I might have to use taxis there or just walk to the place that I need if it is close by. My future goal is to start a small business(store/shop)somewhere in Colombia(hopefully in Medellin).So what do you think about safety in Medellin now? And would you recommend to someone in my situation to move to Medellin now?Thanks!

ANSWER: Dear Max:

Yes, I am in Medellín. I came from Quito about 14 months ago. I have stayed in Medellín maybe a total of 3 years since I lived here before going to Quito for 13 months. The weather is like spring all year round in some years and in others there will be times when it rains a lot (the last time it rained a lot was like 3 years ago), but it has not rained much lately. I can say the following: yes, there is an increase in killings in some of the areas located in the suburbs at the mountains (some of the poorer or poorest areas). The killings have been mainly between groups that do crime (between themselves), not much really against the general population. When a boss of a group dies or is killed there is a need for someone else to take leadership. There have been recently fights by people who want to gain control of some areas since it seems there was a weakening in law enforcement in those areas, but the government is quickly going at it to bring down the crime down again. I heard that a large group of military just visited one of those suburbs to fight them (they do large raids to catch criminals).

Of course there are other reasons for crime to occur such as a person becoming an easy target by being out in unsafe areas late at night or the like (like showing a lot of luxury, expensive items). They could get assaulted. Sometimes someone would be in a controlled area and could become suspicious to a group and be asked why is he there, if he belongs to another group. Normally, tourists are recognized easily and that people would easily know the tourist is not member of another group, but they could steal his belongings (It is better not to carry too much cash or expensive items). The recommendation is not to go to those places where people know there is more crime, just go to places that people know are safe. In general, Medellín is a safe place since there is a lot of police patrolling everywhere, including unsafe areas. I have been in several unsafe areas and have not been in danger even once. I do watch where I go and who is around in unsafe areas.

There is a high amount of police and military in the downtown area. You can turn around and there would be police or soldiers within steps, a block, or a couple of blocks from you. There are police standing around or in motorcycles patrolling the areas. There are areas where things are nice and elegant, where you could live feeling pretty much safe even with little police. I normally do not give a chance to criminals. To do that it is better not to walk in unsafe areas, not carry things that would tempt criminals to steal from you (jewelry, cameras, show money around, etc.), wear casual clothing (not fancy clothing such as expensive leather jackets), etc.

You can still go to several of the "barrios" (suburbs) in Medellin and feel safe because there is quite a bit of military patrolling or some blocks away, but not in every corner and because of what you see in them: if you see a lot of people on the street or not suspicious people hanging around then you would feel better, but if you see people doing drugs on the street, begging for money or in a very poor condition then it is unsafe to be there. There are areas where beggars and drug addicts get together. It would be something similar to some places in other countries where the homeless and the drug addicts live together. I try not to go to those areas to avoid problems. It is pretty easy to see if the area looks unsafe and it is pretty easy to get public transportation unless you are in an area very high up in the mountain where taxis do not want to go because it is unsafe at night or it takes a lot of gas to go uphill (many taxis have both gas and gasoline, but gas gives taxis less power to the taxis, but it is preferred because it is less expensive than gasoline). Taxi drivers would tell you if where you are going is safe or not or how bad or good it is.

Good areas are El Poblado (rich people live there), Laureles (a touristic area although there have been a few killings there recently), and Envigado. There is a large area between downtown and before Itagüí that has several nice shopping centers and a lot of safe areas where to live too. Downtown has a lot of law enforcement, but it is not so nice to be there. There are a lot of other nicer places. One nice place is Parque Lleras where a lot of people go to have a good time such as to have a drink or go out dancing. Public transportation is excellent. There is the metro and a lot of bus routes to everywhere, taxis, and two airports (the main one being a little far from Medellín, in Rionegro).

Yes, I am happy here and I feel safe. I know where to go and to take precautions if I am going to an area I do not know. If so I ask the taxi driver or people I know for advice. There is an area that has been known for being unsafe, then became safer, and then is unsafe again. I am being told not to go to Santo Domingo. I have been there during the day in the metro cable and it looks nice around the metro cable (a metro by air). If going to intricate areas at night there I would not feel safe, if going to poorly illuminated areas I would not feel safe in areas where there could be someone hiding. You just play safe and do not take risks. It would be similar to going to a known gang area. Yes, there are similar groups here that are crime groups, but they are normally smaller groups than in the US unless we are talking about a cartel. Normally, the groups on the street could be composed of 3 to 6 or 8 people and do not do graffiti like in the US. They would instead hang around to maybe sell drugs or find a way to make some money such as by stealing from people. They are not into destroying property with graffiti or just because they want to. They might be hooked into drugs and use means to make money to buy some.

Yes, you can start a small business here. It is not hard or complicated. There is hardly any red tape. Many just open a place in a garage and do not even pay taxes although they should. Of course food places might be asked to get some permits, but it is a lot less complicated than in the US (not so many controls and regulations). I know of someone who opened an elegant cocktail place here. Salaries here are pretty low and there is somewhat of a high unemployment except for some things such as English teachers, which are in high demand, but there are not too many schools. It should be pretty economical for you to pay salaries here.

Often it is expensive to buy a car here, but they are coming down in price. Many buy motorcycles, but traffic here is unsafe since they do not follow traffic laws much (some run red lights, three cars in two-car streets, etc). The minimum charge by a taxi is 3,600 pesos, which is about US$1.90. That will take you maybe 8 to 10 blocks. Each extra block driven would cost about 100 pesos. I normally would spend between 5,000 pesos to 10,000 pesos (approximately $5.50 to $11 dollars) in most runs around the city, being the most spent across far places of about 15,000 to 18,000 pesos on average (about $8 and $10). If you go places often then it becomes expensive, but you could use the metro for the long distances (it costs less than 2,000 each way and you can go anywhere the metro goes on any direction and make connection for a single payment) and they have discounts for purchasing several tickets at once.

Florida is extremely nice, but very hot and a lot more expensive. Housing here is very inexpensive if you spend the time to look, but it would be some more if you pick better areas. A place in Laureles for example could cost say 450,000 to 600,000 pesos per month. At El Poblado an apartment could be leased for a million or more.

Hotels vary in price from 5,000 pesos (about 3 dollars) per day up to a hundred or US$150 per day or even more.

The comparison between Florida and Medellin is big. Florida is a lot nicer. The people here are very nice and friendly and the food is great. It is very easy to meet people here and the girls are fantastic, lovely, and very loving. You could not meet as easily a very nice and pretty girl in the US as easily in most places of the US. The girls here are not difficult to meet or to talk to.

Do not worry about coming to Medellín is basically as safe and unsafe as most cities except for some specific areas where it is not safe, but those areas are well known and normally you will be safe in those areas if you go during the day, not as much at night. Let me know when you come or call me and I will give you more details and maybe we could go to some places together.

Take care,

Cesar
www.CesarUSA.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, Cesar thanks for your help! I have few more questions if you do not mind. I would like to know as far as "not wearing jewelry or carrying electronics". What do you mean by that,people in Medellin do not wear bling or carry electronics like cell or mp3? I mean here in the states, as you probably know,a lot of men wear tons of bling.Will wearing bling in Medellin be too dangerous just for a newbie, or the locals do not wear bling either? I am just curious about the bling situation there in Medellin, lol :))!!! Also, I would like to know if you have ever been in Cali,Colombia and what do you know about it, like safety,cost of living and other thing compared to Medellin? Thanks again!

Answer
Dear Max:

Safety is a matter of where you are: if you are in an unsafe area in any country you will be exposed to what is happening there: if you go to a neighborhood in the US were drugs are sold and there is crime you should expect that such things will happen there. The same in Colombia or anywhere else. If you go to a country where there is war you would expect war related events. Medellín has bad areas such as Santo Domingo, especially in Popular 1 and 2. I have been in Manrique many times, but there are some areas that are unsafe, like the ones higher up in the mountains. Itagüí has an avenue unofficially called the International Fashion Center where there is a lot of commerce, but there are some places were crime increased.

Law enforcement diminishes later at night, such as past a certain hour, such as after 9 p.m. There is also less police on Sundays, but that is in part because a lot of stores are closed. Most stores close by 6, 7 or 8 p.m. everyday. Most shops would be closed by 8 p.m. and streets become more desolate, then it is better to go home. Some people would remain in bars and clubs until later and then would take a taxi home, would not walk much to be safe.

Saturdays are the busiest days with a lot of people on the street and traffic becomes terrible in the downtown area. At night most people seek to go home and it becomes hard to get a taxi. There are tons of taxis in Medellín. Public transportation is about 70 percent of the type of vehicles that circulate the city, but I do not know the exact percentage.

Cali is similar to Medellín in importance, but Medellin is a little more. Cali is hotter and people are like more into dancing than the people in Medellín. I spent a week in Cali and found not too much to do. There is a great water park there and there is a nice river called Pance. Medellín also has a nice water park called "Parque de las aguas".

In regards to what you carry: whatever valuable you carry becomes something that someone could steal. Most people carry their cellulars and know those could get stolen if they get assaulted. That is one of the object that most people would loose and they would have to buy another. If besides carrying a cellular -like most other people- you carry other valuables such as jewelry, cameras, camcorders, an expensive suitcase, or something like that then you will tempt the thieves to choose you as a target. I have a camcorder and I am careful when I take it out in public because I know people would notice and know it is more expensive than what people normally carry. I do not carry any jewelry and am not accustomed to it. I even carry my watch in my pocket because those are temptations to thieves. If anybody sees me they would see someone in jeans and t-shirt with regular tennis shoes, not a person in suit with a suitcase and a fancy cellular. I was assaulted once in Bogotá late at night when I was wearing that. Another time my watch was stolen by one person in front of a lot of people and when I confronted the thieve to get the watch back a second person showed up with a blade. I then had to let them go. It would be crazy to wear a lot of jewelry here. It would be a call for an assault. You also need to be careful when withdrawing money from ATMs, banks, or places such as Western Union because they could follow you to steal your money. That is why is better to take out smaller amounts, but still they could force someone at night to withdraw more money from ATMs.

I stayed at Hotel del Puente in Cali and went to a couple of average night clubs about 10 years ago. I visited Unicentro, went to the nice water park, and went around the city in taxis. I like Medellín more, but I have not been in Cali in that many years. My brother went there and visited very exclusive night clubs and loved it. He has been in Colombia for the last 7 years or so and had one incident where his belongings were stolen. He loves Medellín and bought an appartment here.

If you go to safe places, which there are many in Medellín and play safe then you would be safe. If you take risks then you are at risk. Do not be out late at night, try to have company with you, move more by car than by foot, do not carry things that would tempt someone to steal from you, etc. You can probably obtain a gun permit, buy an used car, and have a business that has good protection such as front metallic bars, etc. You can always hire body guards, etc., but safety here is not as bad as to require body guards (inexpensive due to the low salaries here or you could have someone you meet and seems trustworthy be with you when you go out). The higher level in your income the more safety you could seek. Many people rent apartments in gated areas, a security guard calls you to verify if you would allow them into the building and your apartment. You can call a taxi to wherever you are. The taxi company provides the number of the taxi that would go and pick you up. There are many ways to be safe here. There are so many taxis here and in case of danger there is probably a taxi coming your way or passing you by. Often you can go into a store or take a bus or do something to move away from danger. You can also carry some devices such as a pepper spray, a cane (you fake that you need it), a large umbrella with a metallic tip sold here, etc. If ever assaulted just give them the things they want.

The cost of living in Cali is about the same than in Medellín. Prices vary depending on the neighborhood that you are and where you shop. If you go to shopping centers, which there are very nice ones here, then you will pay a lot more, but if you shop at in "el hueco" (a very commercial area in Medellín) then you will find better prices. Clothing here is very expensive, specially imported clothing so bring a lot of clothing. Imported goods are expensive. Price differences between cities is minimal. Larger cities would have higher prices. The most expensive city is Medellín and is also one of the nicer ones. Cartagena is nice too and people are great. There are a lot of places you can go once you come to Colombia. You can even visit the nearby Ecuador and go to Quito, which I loved, although it is cold there and it rains a lot. The architecture in Quito is great, a very colonial city that makes you feel like you are in the colony times and life is very cheap, but income is pretty low unless you have a great business. Once in Colombia you are a lot closer to Brazil than if you were in the US and it would be cheaper to fly there.

Best wishes,

Cesar
www.CesarUSA.com