RD vs Colombia? How does it compare?

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AZB

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Best airline to take to colombia from DR is copa. Its even cheaper than avianca.
AZB
 
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AZB

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corsair74 said:
I don't think that Cali is a very good choice for a first time visit to Colombia. And I'm not basing this opinion on any published travel advisories. Every local I talked to while in country, some of whom were from Cali themselves, told me not to go to Cali unless I knew someone there that could look out for me and watch my back. And these were folks who didn't have anything to gain from lying about it. I tend to listen to that type of advice.

I do think that Cali, Colombia is worth visiting, however. But I plan on getting a bit more experience in country, and make quite a few more local contacts, before I make that step. Vince.
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I agree. Anyone who has visited cali has told me, the city is old and shabby looking, hot as hell and parts of the city can be classified as ugly. You can't say the same for medellin.
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Vince, lets go to medellin together. hahaha
 
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greydread

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corsair74 said:
I don't think that Cali is a very good choice for a first time visit to Colombia. And I'm not basing this opinion on any published travel advisories. Every local I talked to while in country, some of whom were from Cali themselves, told me not to go to Cali unless I knew someone there that could look out for me and watch my back. And these were folks who didn't have anything to gain from lying about it. I tend to listen to that type of advice.

I do think that Cali, Colombia is worth visiting, however. But I plan on getting a bit more experience in country, and make quite a few more local contacts, before I make that step.


Vince.
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I guess it just depends on who you talk to. A friend of mine just returned from a year in Cali and raves about her time there. She picked up a few pretty good steps, too and wore me out on the dance floor. She's a SWF around 30 and travelled alone there. She's a seasoned World traveller but spoke limited Spanish when she went. She is very fluent now so that's 5 languages for her. I hope to take a 6 month "Salsa Sabbatical" before I'm too old to dance and it will be in Cali. I do have friends there.
 
aarhus

aarhus

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tjmurray said:
The difference of education has come up several times in this thread between the Dominican Republic and Colombia. I've also seen this distinction in many other threads when comparing other country's to the DR.

Has anyone ever visited a country where they felt the general population was less educated than the Dominican Republic's?

This is a question and not a comment. I'm not insinuating, just curious.

This may be off topic so feel free delete if necessary.
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I dont know Colombia. I lived in Cuba before here and I am not so convinced about the Cuban Education system. The Cubans who get out are often the over avarage educated. A lot of people are left behind in Cuba with little education. I guess the basic education in Cuba is better but here in the DR I have meet a lot more people with higher education and degrees from abroad.
 
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Robert

Robert

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John Boyter said:
I dont know Colombia. I lived in Cuba before here and I am not so convinced about the Cuban Education system. The Cubans who get out are often the over avarage educated. A lot of people are left behind in Cuba with little education. I guess the basic education in Cuba is better but here in the DR I have meet a lot more people with higher education and degrees from abroad.
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Lets keep this thread on topic. DR vs Colombia.
 
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corsair74

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greydread said:
...and for whoever said that Colombians don't party much...Cali is the Salsa Capital of the World:

YouTube - Colombian Style Salsa at a Club in Cali, Colombia-
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Yeah. Reread my post. Didn't say Colombians don't party. I said that they don't seem to party as much as Dominicans do. I got the impression that colombians are a bit more reserved in general. Though I can see how Cali would be different because of the caribbean influence there.

I mean look at something as simple as the way they celebrate religious holidays. Dominicans still party during Semana Santa. If you are in the DR during that time, and you want to find a place to party, listen to music, and dance, then you'll be able to do so. Not so in Colombia. I was Medellin during Santa Semana and the entire city was pretty much shut down for the holiday. Everyone was either at home with their family, or out of town with them.

And have you noticed how Dominicans will take even the smallest venue, and stuff a live band in it. I love how you can go just about anywhere in the DR and find a place to listen to live music and dance. In fact, you don't even have to go to a club. Just find a carwash. In Medellin, the carwashes are used for washing cars, not music and dancing.

Now granted, my experience in Colombia is limited. But I'm the type of individual who strives to experience the local culture. And I did my share of partying with the locals while there. Based upon my limited experience, I just didn't find Colombians to be as festive as Dominicans. Don't get me wrong, they've a very rich culture. And the people are friendly, and interesting to talk to. But in comparison to Dominicans, I found them to be a bit reserved. While Dominicans, however, waste absolutely no opportunity to party.


Vince.
 
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greydread

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corsair74 said:
Dominicans, however, waste absolutely no opportunity to party.
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You can say that again. That's probably what made me love the place from the very first trip. It's almost impossible to be tense when at the right song, everybody in a place whether they're working or not starts singing along and moving to the music. I was an amateur at stress abatement before I found the DR.
 
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Gabriela

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My BFF's daughter, an American, is based in Bogota and the whole family loves Colombia. From my South American travels, I suspect that any island suffers from a certain amount of inbred narrowness that countries with well crossed borders avoid. I say well crossed because of the fear and prejudice that keep more tourists and native Dominicans from experiencing both the Dominican and Haitian cultures. I once vacationed on a small island off the coast of Maine where each tourist had to take their garbage with them when they left. Wouldn't that be educational in the DR?
 
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Robert said:
I find that Colombians have a much broader range of vocabulary and their Spanish much easier on the ear. I'm sure it's different in the campo and it's obviously different talking to teenagers using slang etc.

Cost of living: Cheaper
Economy: Growing
Opportunities: What do you have to offer?

Real estate prices are lower than the DR. But I feel inflated in cities like Cartagena that attract tourists and foreigners.

Lots of high tech companies and outsourcing companies in Colombia.

Electricity is stable, phone infrastructure is very modern.
Plenty of dept stores, super markets, brand stores etc.

The rules on residency and working are much stricter than the DR.
1st world rules and they stick to them!

What stands out for me is how they have managed tourism, despite the counties stigma. They have seen record growth in Latin America, it's very well managed and they have done a fantastic job of branding.

You need to go and feel Colombia to get and idea of what it's about and what it has to offer. It's no different than the DR, your reality will be very different to words on a message board.
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Sure, absolutely right. But with a visit as a tourist, you probably don't get the real information in for what I am looking for, hence my questions on the economy and the opportunities.

Do you know anything about Columbia having pharmaceutical companies?
 
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