Colombia, Brazil or both?

john gordon · Post by **john gordon** » Sun Aug 16, 2015 5:27 pm

Thinking of doing a 2 month trip to SA this coming winter and I need some advice. Have any you guys lived or traveled to either countries? I hear Colombia is much safer and also cheaper. Good food is probably easy to find find in either places and surely neither country has a lack of beautiful women, but what about the vibe and culture?

TomViolenz · Post by **TomViolenz** » Sun Aug 16, 2015 5:57 pm

I've been to both and both are great. It is true that Colombia is cheaper and it is by a hair my favorite too. Great vibe in both countries, but the paranoia of middle class Brazilians gets annoying rather quickly.
Doing both in two month is possible, but unnecessarily stressful, since both countries have plenty to see and do for two lifetimes.

So if it's only one of the two I would definitely opt for Colombia

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Mon Aug 17, 2015 5:43 pm

You seem like a Rio de Janeiro type guy. So go to Brazil.

john gordon · Post by **john gordon** » Mon Aug 17, 2015 5:52 pm

Decided on Colombia. There's a group of islands, "San Andreas islands" in the Caribbean which are part of Colombia which look beautiful. Ill go there first then off to Medellin, Cartagena,Cali...I read Colombia is much safer as well. Hope to find some good electronic artists to check out as well. And of course I must try their nation dish, which is made with the coca leaf!!!

TomViolenz · Post by **TomViolenz** » Mon Aug 17, 2015 6:21 pm

Don't miss out on Santa Marta (nicer, more relaxed colonial city on the caribbean coast than Cartagena), great for partying and right next to it Parque Tayrona (National park between high mountains, jungle and beautiful wild beaches = paradise)
Also check out Capurgana, about an hour by plane or 8-12 by bus from Medellin. Very different take on the Caribbeans. Of course just as beautiful

Medellin is your best bet for electronic music, Cali is strictly Salsa (but intensly so!). And on the coast, well I hope you like Vallenato

San Andreas islands are supposed to be beautiful (I never went), but a bit touristy and expensive. If money is no issue, sure do it, but for awesome wild beaches not strictly necessary. Colombia is awash in them. (like the two examples above)

john gordon · Post by **john gordon** » Mon Aug 17, 2015 7:23 pm

Oh yes Santa Marta is on my list! IBe heard great things about an island called Providencia which is really close to San Andreas but much cheaper and hardly any tourists. I'll probably only hang on San Andreas for a couple days then shoot over to Providencia for snorkeling and some relaxing before heading to the mainland.
Another great thing about Colombia is there aren't many American tourists. I love this!!

TomViolenz · Post by **TomViolenz** » Mon Aug 17, 2015 8:09 pm

Don't forget to put that Canadian flag sticker on your backpack

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Mon Aug 17, 2015 9:06 pm

John is like the forum’s biggest American expat who through some sort of injustice is forced to live in San Francisco.

Da hand · Post by **Da hand** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 8:43 am

TomViolenz wrote:Don't forget to put that Canadian flag sticker on your backpack

TomViolenz · Post by **TomViolenz** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 9:40 am

No really at least half the people in South America I met with Canadian flags on their backpacks were yanks trying to pass off as Canadian, so they don't raise the ire of the locals.

I can't say if it made a difference one way or the other. The only tourists everyone seemed to hate were the Israelies and their obnoxious belligerent antics anyways

H20nly · Post by **H20nly** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 1:59 pm

^ the 51st state

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 2:03 pm

Considering South America has been a big safe haven for Nazis it should come as no surprise that they think Israelis are a big buzzkill.

TomViolenz · Post by **TomViolenz** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 2:09 pm

beats me wrote:Considering South America has been a big safe haven for Nazis it should come as no surprise that they think Israelis are a big buzzkill.

Nah, it's nothing political. If it were, they would indeed hate you yanks a lot more

It's just that the Israelies have that custom to come directly after their two/three years of army, often still in the groups they were in the army and travel either Asia or SA for a while. Generally aiming to go nuts with drugs and partying.

And as young men and women straight out of the army normaly behave, they are arrogant know it alls, who let everyone feel how superior they think they are over anyone else.

That is generally not considered very endearing

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 2:29 pm

I don’t know. If your government forced you to stand around as a probable shrapnel sponge for a couple years you’d probably need to let lose after that too. Compare that to how you spent your late teens.

TomViolenz · Post by **TomViolenz** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 2:41 pm

beats me wrote:I don’t know. If your government forced you to stand around as a probable shrapnel sponge for a couple years you’d probably need to let lose after that too. Compare that to how you spent your late teens.

Oh, no argument there. I don't really blame them. But I can not really blame the South Americans either, who don't enjoy the result of that group loose letting.

Colombia, Brazil or both?

Colombia, Brazil or both?

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