View Through Rose Colored Glasses

Rose colored glasses... My great friend from the SF Bay area,Lindsay, finally called my bluff and asked me what was the Catch in Medellin? It is not for everyone for retirement or for visiting... so here was my reply... 

It is different down here, but to expect it to not have the same problems that cities in the US have is rose colored glasses time.  Yes there's pollution, traffic, crime.  More than other places?   This is a constant source of debate much without much perspective on a city in the developing world with the awful history that Medellin has. 

Lindsay is very happy for me and sees that I have really got it good. But she rightfully asked "What's the catch? Can it really be like  heaven on earth., the portrait you paint?"

Well, it has a very nasty reputation, and a nasty history with remnants still here today. ... 25 years ago there was Pablo Escobar.  Today there are still incidents that are related to drug turf.  BUT much much fewer than in the past and usually confined to certain barrios. 

 Is there still drug related crime here? Yes. Is there still drug related crime in California? Yes.

Does it have the woes of a city of 4 million? Yes, but it has won international PRESTIGIOUS prizes for urban planning, livability, and care for its poor, for Progress from a time when the reputation was deserved, and that makes Medellin even more amazing.

Are tourists in danger here More than elsewhere? When tourists get in trouble in San Francisco it is usually late at night after partying. They show off their wealth, they are loud, they have very bad luck. Here, same thing plus add tourists of all ages who come here for drugs and sex and deal with the underworld/// oh, they do that in San Francisco too? … and are also without street smarts and are very unlucky. 

Knock on wood but nothing untoward has happened to me in five years.  But listening to some of the expats one would think nothing but armed robberies etc happen to them on a daily basis. They can be expected to be traumatized.  Yet they stay. Most of them. 

Is there poverty? Yes, most of it is suffered by displaced persons coming to the city to escape the US-caused drug war. Peace with Farc... which operated in the border jungles,not much in the cities recently... we hope will stem the flow. But there is much to be done still to maintain the peace and to achieve peace with other groups.

 Poor neighborhoods are the special attention of the city for new parks, schools, libraries and unique transportation systems to integrate them into the life of the city. So, we have a reason for economic disadvantage in Colombia that is being worked on. , What is the reason for poverty in the US? 

Is there racism here? Yes! But you will find folks of all races pretty much dealing with, if not respecting, each other. You find that the leaders are lighter skinned. In the US of course.... never mind...

Does it rain daily? There is always a chance of a cooling, cleansing thunderstorm in the afternoon, maybe three times a week or more depending on the month.  Gringo Post.."I hate the weather in Medellin because I find it hard to plan picnics." We have virtually no drizzling days.  We have Goldilocks weather... maybe too much of a great thing?

There is govt and private sector collusion and corruption. Does that exist anywhere else you can think of?

Sometimes the sounds of the birds are loud and beautiful. ... Do these people party, sometimes too late for a seventy year old's taste...? Sure, Sat nights sometimes especially after soccer wins.

Does everyone live in five star luxury? No, but you can with not much compared to just about anywhere up north.  Sell your Bay Area house, come to Medellin, and live in the best home in the best neighborhood doing the best things for the rest of your life.

Laureles

My apt costs me a MILLION COP per month! Four br, great neighborhood, three baths, beautiful street, balcony in the trees... That is $350 US Dollars.

The internet went down yesterday... happens maybe twice a year.

It is 40 minutes to the airport by cab. Cab costs $20 USD. Believe it or not some gringos complain about that high price ??? even though there is no tipping required.   

There are lines at the socialized medicine and pharmacies... but I can avoid them by opting for great rates going private. At my farmacia, with lines, the total of my monthly medicine cost is about $1.87. NOT each med, total!  Therefore in comparison to the situation in the states I am earning hundreds of dollars while waiting reading my Kindle.

Medicare will not reimburse you for bills accrued in Colombia.  But in many cases the costs here are lower than if I were to pay the Medicare premiums and outrageous Medicare  copays back north. 

 There are lines at the bank since the folk don't trust online banking even though it is available. Annoying once a month as we pay our bills.

Most of the sidewalks here are in disrepair.  Suing for trip and fall is an outrageous process so owners skip the repairs.  You get used to it.  Watch your step. 

WE have no screens, few bugs, no heating or cooling bills. I don't have a car. I don't miss or need any of that. We have a housekeeper twice a week for $20 per day. Downside? I feel bad that that is the going rate for a ten hour day.

The Zoo

Because I am an American international banking is hard to come by. But my pension is put in Citibank in the US and can be retrieved at any ATM here, incl Citibank. Foreign fees tick me off, but if I had a gold card there would be none.  Also there are alternatives like Xoom, Paypal, Schwab and more to transfer cash.

There are somethings which are favorites back home that you can't get here. But you should have seen the smiles when Price Smart opened here carrying Pop Tarts!  grins!

Tipping is always a subject here.  Colombian culture and salaries do not foster tipping, and none is required. But of course the wait persons and cabbies etc are very pleased when I round up or give 10%

Taxi stand in El Pobado

... 

Sometimes the beauty of the city and the surrounding countryside leaves me breathless. Would that be a catch for you? We lack the incomparable vistas in San Francisco, but so does the rest of the world, and ours are pretty darn good..

Typical view from a Medellin Highrise... 

Restaurants are the best in the world… in San Francisco. Here there are many really wonderful dining experiences to be had however according to Anthony Bourdain and Martha Stewart and me. All dining is casual, mostly al fresco… Dinner with wine for two will be one third of the cost of the equivalent in the Bay Area. Concerts, opera.. one fourth of the cost or less.





We do not have the same intensity of world famous names come through but when they do, which is often enough.. Well, Lang Lang… best seat $50. Juilliard String Quartet, $30… Madonna, Beyonce, Paul McCartney,  Bocelli, Academy of St Martin in the Fields… same. Home grown talent is superb… I love the local choruses, and I was a professional choral singer back in the states and Europe. .

We are a mile high in an Andean valley which means you have to take care with UV exposure. So hats and parasols are necessary.

What else... oh yeah... I miss you so it's not perfect, but for $500 or sometimes less I can fly to San Francisco from this, the closest nation in South America to the US..