I told them about my plans of romping through southern Brazil, and when I would mention the various cities, they would proffer their opinions.

-

Me: “I’m going to Porto Alegre.”
Brazilian A: Oh, that’s where all the super models are from. They have the most beautiful girls in all of Brazil.

Strangely enough, this Brazilian had not been to Porto Alegre.

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Me: “I’m going to Florianopolis.”
Brazilian B: Oh dude! That is where the most beautiful girls in Brazil are.

Strangely enough, this Brazilian had not been to Florianopolis.

-

Me: “I’m going to Rio.”
Brazilian C: “Rio de Janeiro has the most beautiful girls in Brazil, believe me man. They are just great.”

Strangely enough, this Brazilian had not been to Rio de Janeiro.

-

Me: “I’m going to Belo Horizonte.”
Brazilian D: “Hey man, they say that’s where Brazil’s most beautiful women are. I’ve never been there but everyone says that’s where you find the best girls.”

Well, at least the man was honest.

-

And, truth be told, if you scour the interwebs for where the most beautiful girls are in Brazil, you most likely will come across a similar potpourri of answers.

So, without further ado, I’m writing this to clear everything up. I have traveled to all the cities in the south, and the most beautiful girls in Brazil are in…

Wait for it…

Wait for it…

YOUR MIND.

Just kidding.

But for real, if I came across the place with the most beautiful girls of Brazil, do you think it’s a good idea to tell you? Like, in a blog post for the whole world to see?

Some people oblivious to the power of the internet have already done that to other areas of the world. They tell the world, thousands of gringos pour in, and the nature of the place is changed FOREVER.

The most beautiful girls of that place will withdraw… sometimes to the hills, sometimes to neighboring towns, sometimes to other countries. Or, they become jaded forever.

But I’m a good blogger… I won’t do that to your paradise.

Since that’s the case, I’ll see you in Salvador — word has it that’s where the most beautiful girls of Brazil live.

As I’ve done so, I’ve realized that either 1) generating significant revenue, 2) fomenting a movement, or 3) impacting lives are the main things that would sustain me in the long run with this little corner of the web.

And so, every now and then I like to check in and see how I’m doing.

From a monetary standpoint, I make a couple of pennies every month from the blog through affiliate sales, but nothing significant, and certainly a lot less than many blogs of similar size to mine. I’m intending to address this rather soon, and to get a product out this year which will begin to close that gap.

From a production standpoint, I personally have enjoyed writing the ~120 posts that I’ve published so far. Even though occasionally I have had a tough time churning out the content, I think the whole experience has been positive. I think my writing has improved, and I personally enjoy reading what I’ve written.

From an engagement standpoint, I’ve got a lot of good comments along the way and hundreds of positive emails from readers, many of whom I’ve at least partially inspired to travel. I get new subscribers everyday, and I really love hearing from them; if you haven’t yet written me, do so here.

-

I put up a survey a few months back to get some more feedback from you my dear readers, and I’d like to share with you some of the results.

First, I have a number of older expats and travelers reading this blog. I generally write for a younger audience, but the reception among the longer-lived seems to be positive. There are some who have been expats 10 times longer than I have, and I love to hear from them.

Second, I attract a number of online entrepreneurs and bootstrappers who are trying to do a similar thing as I am, namely earn income online and be mobile. I can understand this because a lot of my posts are about things that matter directly to them (i.e. why South America might not be the place to get it done).

Then, the free responses to the survey questions were quite interesting…

In response to the question, “What are your two favorite posts on Ryan Goes Abroad?”, the response was overwhelmingly my post about being flaked on by a Colombian girl. This is mildly amusing to me, as I honestly wrote the post in a fit of frustration an hour after the incident happened. But nevertheless I get a lot of Google love for that post, and it’s by far the most viewed post of the last 12 months.

Other favorite articles mentioned were the cost of living articles, like my first one from living in Medellin, along with one from living in Cuenca Ecuador.

In response to the question “I have stuff to say regarding what governments around the world are doing, for better or worse… Even though politics is a controversial topic, would you like to hear my thoughts / notes on these issues?”, a large majority, around 70% of the respondents, said Yes, while 12% said Maybe, and 18% said No.

Wellllll now… looks like ya’ll wouldn’t mind a little foré into the world of talking heads!

–

Here are some free-response comments from the survey and my responses to them in bold.

“{Your blog is} hugely entertaining lunchtime reading and highly educational information which would never appear in normal travel journals.”
Gracias! 

“You talked me in to buying those boxer briefs.”
Enjoy the freedom, my friend.

“I just started but your candor and humor rock!! I was thinking….hmmm if I ever visit Medellin I’m gonna meet this guy to see if he really is so cool.”
Awww shucks.

“Your comments about how you meet women sometimes come across as… er… not good. Not gentleman.”
Not sure which blog you’re reading. I’m not aware of an episode where I didn’t act gentlemanly… Although, when reggaeton comes on, that’s another story. lol

“When are you going to Uruguay?”
Not anytime soon. I have no reason to go, plus I hear it’s expensive and insufficiently inhabited 2/3 of the year.

“Go to the Guianas and tell us what thats all about”
No, YOU go to the Guianas, you lazy ass!… Juuuust kidding.

“Unlike other writers that travel the world mainly looking for women and whose posts are borderline offensive, your blog appeals to all sorts of people and not just the “seduction community”.”
I appeal to the seduction community?! #winning

“I think your site design could be improved. A functional menu might help some people around your site more.”
Agreed on the need for a re-design, but navigation is pretty easy via the sidebar.

And my favorite comment by far:

“I wanna see… maybe some pictures of you rampaging around medellin with an 8 ball with two models, maybe getting into a couple of fights, shaking hands with cash-rich mafiosos, all in 80′s style montage format like in scarface. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8g__x6ExM8

Check that out man. It would be really easy for you to do and hilarious. You have everything you need to do a mock-montage. It’s Medellin… You could progressively become richer and more influential in each frame of the montage, while also showing the progression of other people’s relationships in the background, like Tony Montana’s sister and his business partner… Think about it.”

Hahaha. Good one. I’m considering doing more video in the future.

–

Creatively, I really feel I’ve got to do something to change things up.  Life is short and I feel more strongly than ever the need to take chances and seize opportunities where I see them. I really don’t want to skate the middle of the road the rest of my life.

As someone has said, “If no one hates you, you probably are not making much of a difference in the world.”

I now have a couple of real haters due to a few of the posts on this blog (who could hate me, right? ), but they are very few and far between. So, I feel that a sign I’m doing something more significant would be an increase in the number of haters. In other words, if the next 100 posts are like the previous 100, I don’t think I’m on the right track.

And dear god I do not want to be another travel blog… I could almost write an entire book satirizing travel writing, and how utterly cliche and boring it has become, especially on the larger travel sites. I personally don’t read too many travel blogs myself anymore because of it. Wikitravel tends gives me enough info to get going.

Perhaps world travel is romantic for the uninitiated (and that’s fine by me), but once you’ve sat on a bus for 10 hours going through a desert in the middle of nowhere a couple times, you realize that it’s not all magical. There are some cities that are dumps, some people that are undesirable, some places that are not worth your time. I’ve found a lot of travel can just be a hassle.

Furthermore, there is something inherently unwise about seeing opportunities in front of you and NOT seizing them in order to “travel.” Putting your energy into where you are is almost always better than putting your energy into where you’re not.

There is one thing for sure, and that is that our time is limited. None of us has infinite youth to twiddle our thumbs and hope something significant comes to us.

We have to make things happen. We have to seize our divine moment.

So here’s to taking that road and seeing where it leads…

It’s a little like starting a business.

If you have ever tried to start a business, you know that in the beginning, you start with a blank slate, your hopes and dreams, and then it is all up to you to get it done.

And by ‘all’, you know that means all. You have to hunker down and create the entire thing from scratch. You yourself have to do everything, from ideation and feasibility, to research and prototyping, to fundraising, marketing, structuring, accounting… everything.

It is all you, even when you hope to go from zero to hero.

Learning a language is similar in certain ways.

When you start out, you have basically a blank slate. The native speakers might as well speak gibberish to you because you don’t know a lick of the language they are speaking. You are at utter ground zero.

Yeah, yeah, yeah…. you might know some cognates if you already know a related language. But let’s be honest: you don’t understand a lick of personal conversation. You are a novice, a freshman, and it is painfully obvious.

So then, let’s say you decide to take it upon yourself to do it, to actually learn the language.

If you’re wisely following the better ways to learn the language and avoiding the poorer ones, you start out with some survival phrases and speaking common words. If you’re not in the country that speaks the language, it makes it all the more difficult because you have to practice either remotely via Skype or with native friends you find within you local community.

Regardless, you spend at least a week learning how to say “good morning”, “what’s up”, “where’s the bathroom”, and how to order food (“water”,”chicken”, “check please”).

If you’re in country, this process can proceed faster, but honestly, you’re still going to have to spend a solid 4-5 hours of mental energy a day to make significant progress fast.

But the thing about mental energy is that it is limited. Your mind is not some zero energy machine which can run incessantly. You have a finite amount of mental energy in the day, and you’ve got to decide how to spend it.

That’s why if you’re in the early stages of being an actual entrepreneur, it may not be the best idea to start learning a language. With all of your time and mental energy you need to devote to your startup, it may be a mis-allocation of it to learn a foreign language, unless the foreign language is directly related to your product or target market.

Instead of devoting your precious hours of idea-sythesizing energy into learning a new language, you probably would want to pour them into what the business needs done at the time… whether that is creating your product or service or marketing it, developing strategic plans, making presentations, recruiting investors, seeking out partnerships, or managing team members.

I can’t imagine how anyone would plan out the next year of their life thinking, “I’m going to start a new business and learn Mandarin Chinese” and convince an investor that you have enough skin in the game that he should fund your project… that is, again, unless the language is pivotal for your actual business.

If the language is not related to your business, I’d say your time would be better spent focusing on your business. Once you’re a few years in and have some established cash flows, you’ll have some more flexibility with your time to do what you want.

For example, learning, say, Brazilian Portuguese is not really related to selling gadgets to USA and UK markets.

Learning Portuguese is good, yes. It will help you in Brazil, yes. It will help you if you’re visiting for the World Cup and Olympics, yes. It will help you date Brazilian girls, yes. It will help you if you live in Brazil, yes.

But if you are living in, or starting a business in, areas totally separate from Brazil, I’d say put it on the back-burner.

It’s one of the reasons why I started to re-think South America as a destination for nomadic entrepreneurs. You really have to learn Spanish or Portuguese here.

It just takes time and energy. And that time and energy will be taken from your other endeavors.

Granted, learning those languages is doable, and some people running businesses have learned them, but the fact remains that if you want to learn a language, you’re going to need to pour substantial energy into it… like you are with your business.

What you really need to do is ask yourself whether this is a proper allocation of your time, all things considered.

Of course, if you’re really into Brazilian girls, what are you waiting for, bro? Get on with the Portuguese, cara!

Do you know what is one of the top pages people see when they first come to this blog?

It’s my post about flakey Colombian girls.

I didn’t really intend this, but it’s what the gods of Google decided. Lots of people end up reading my blog because they typed in something about Colombia girls, and possibly about them flaking.

Side Note: If you dig a little deeper, you will see the search engine volume on Google for things related to ‘Colombian girls’ dwarfs that of any competing ‘Colombia’ term by a factor of 10.

Anyways, my original post had to do with their flakiness, and truth be told I get a good amount of direct hits from guys searching the phrase exactly (I kid you not) “Why are Colombian girls so flakey?”

Well, in the time that’s past since I wrote that post, I’ve had a little more success in dealing with the flakiness, and I’d like to share a simple tactic to help the brothers out.

This is a protocol that can be used in any country, i.e. not just Colombia… but it will especially come in handy in Latin countries, where you can never really be sure the girl won’t flake– even if you’ve got her heavily invested and highly interested in you.

It’s a very simple tactic which will even work if the girl shows up late, which can happen as well.

For all the reading I’ve done on the ol’ interwebz about South America, world travel, and Latin girls, the specific tactics for dealing with flakiness seemed lacking. So, I offer this to the common man who will undoubtedly meet flakiness, in one country or the next.

The Strategy

Basically, there are three important points for you to pick out: public transit, meeting point, and working point.

1) Public transit – With this you are making it easily accessible for her, and for you, in case you live a ways away. Also, with public transit closeby the girl likely won’t expect you to pay for a $15 cab ride (which you can offer to do after date #3, provided you’ve determined she’s a good girl). This is ideally a metro station.

2) Meeting point – With this you are setting up where the date will commence. This is where you will actually meet her, and will offer a chance to go for a walk with her right off the bat. It could be a coffee shop, or just a recognized landmark near the public transit.

3) Work point – With this, you are setting up where you will get work done. The best is just a place with wifi where you can get caught up on things online, whether replying to emails, paying bills, writing, etc. Ideally, it is actually your apartment or office.

So here’s the tactic: arrange these points within a 5 minute walk of each other, and arrange your time so that your default is that you’re getting work done at the work point, having the girl call you when she arrives to the meeting point.

… Thus if the girl doesn’t show and/or doesn’t call, it is zero wasted time.

Just making sure you heard that… ZERO wasted time. Every business man should be all ears.

Example: Set up a date and tell her to call you when she’s at the bottom of the stairs at the Poblado metro station. You are at work at your apartment 3 blocks away. If she shows up, you’re there in a jiffy. If she shows up late, you’ve filled up the time. And if she flakes, you haven’t lost a second of productivity.

Picking The Points

You need to take time and pick the points wisely. It can be a little bit of a hassle if you’re completely new to a city, but very easy to do once you have some familiarity with the area. And once you have them, you have them as a default setup for a first date.

First, you want to pick out the work point AND a separate meeting point close by. If you get work done in a coffee shop, a meeting point might be the bakery two doors down. If you get your work done in your apartment, the meeting point would be at the coffee shop a block away. If you work in an office downtown, meet her on the steps of the theater.

Meet her at the steps, the fountain, the naked statues, whatever… just some easily recognizable outdoor location, ideally located near a public transit stop.

The reason you want to separate the meeting point and your work point is because you don’t want the girl to walk in on you and interrupt your work. Your work is important, and in many cases, you will need to take a few moments to wrap up what you’re doing, shut down your laptop, put things in your satchel, get out of a strong ‘work-mode’ mindset and into a more relaxed, playful mood more suitable to a date.

The ‘buffer’ between these places provides that space and those few extra moments.

Also, just speaking personally, sometimes I am so deep in concentration on my work that if anyone walks up an interrupts me, I look at them with a stern, annoyed face. That’s can be bad vibe to start a date with, especially a first date. You don’t want to give her the feeling that she is offensively invading your space.

Plus, I don’t want to have the mindset that I need to look up every few minutes to see if she’s arrived and looking for me.

So you just separate the two points.

You also want to have the public transit near the meetup point because it’s easily accessible for her. She can make her way without too much fanfare.

If you live near a public transit spot (say, a metro station) you have a really good setup for this because you can just chill in your house, doing whatever you want, and then you get the call when (if) she arrives at the station. You can wait in your socks.

Reaping The Rewards

So, just to recap, you tell the girl to call you when she gets to the meetup point and you’ve narrowed it down to three possible scenarios.

Wins all around.

So there you have it, gentlemen… I’ve basically adopted the above as my SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for first dates with any Latina.

Now I sometimes look forward to being flaked on.

1. People on the ground are your best resource.

When I first went to Colombia, the number one thing I did right was to have contact with somebody on the ground.

I was admittedly a bit nervous when I first went to Bogotá. After all, I was going abroad for the first time, I was going solo, and my Spanish wasn’t that good. On top of this, Colombia still has the perception of being dangerous (which it is, to a degree), so I felt like I was really taking a plunge.

Being greeted by a familiar face when I walked out of the airport was a big relief, and the ensuing first week would have been overwhelming if I hadn’t had somebody to walk me through where to go in the giant city.

So, it’s great to know someone on the ground ahead of time, and there are lots of ways you can accomplish this. Many people who end up living in a place start a blog or participate in a forum online that you can find if you search hard enough. You can make friends with them online via Skype chats. Then they might meet you at the airport, or you could pay them a few bucks for the trouble.

2. The web is your friend.

The internet is the best invention in the last 500 years, and Google and Facebook are insanely helpful tools when you are deciding to move somewhere.

Often times you can type your question into Google, like “Where can I find a dentist in Medellin?” and an article will pop up which exactly answers your question. In Facebook, you can do a search for groups related to your city. So if you type in “Rio de Janeiro” and select “Groups” from the left hand menu, you’ll be shown a list of groups in Rio. There are all sorts of groups you can join, from dance and hobby clubs, to expat groups, to language exchanges.

So, rather than thinking of the web as a dictionary or encyclopedia, think of it as a way to connect yourself with people who are reliable sources of information.

As a side note, I really can’t imagine how people traveled before the internet… they must have been far more daring than I am!

3. Things move slowly.

When you move to a new place, especially to South America, you can’t expect things to move at the pace of your home country. And I’m not just talking about the mañana timetable that things run on… I’m talking about the fact that you are starting a new life, and you are simply operating with a lot less knowledge than you are use to back in your home country.

Most likely, for example, you won’t have a car when you arrive. So, to handle getting around, you’ll have to get some maps, figure out where you need to go, and ask people for directions, and figure out bus stops and metro stations. These will all be in a foreign language, which DEFINITELY slows things down.

And then on top of this take your dietary needs… Back home you knew exactly where to get all your food for prices you want to pay, including the special gluten-free noodles you like or the protein powder that actually tastes good. You also know where to get a delicious home-cooked meal or decent fast food on the cheap.

Abroad, your knowledge base are starting all over again. You don’t know where all those things are and you have to slowly build up your local know-how. You might spend literally months looking for the protein you like or anything gluten-free within a mile radius of your accommodations.

Things just move slowly when you move to a foreign land, and this is true of South America.

4. All Latinos are not the same.

I think it’s easy to assume that the people in Latin America are all the same, simply because they speak the same language (except Brazil), and we refer to them as “Latinos”, but the reality is that the people are different from country to country and even from city to city.

** Of course I’d say each individual is different if this were a philosophy article. **

But the fact remains that people are different from place to place. Once you get to know Colombians from the Caribbean coast, for example, you will understand how they are a bit different from the Colombians further inland.

Now, exactly howww are they different? You’ll have to see for yourself… Just try not to assume too many things about people before you get to know them, or jump to conclusions.

5. A lot of what you read or hear is not true or complete.

All travelers operate from limited information, and this can be good or bad.

Once I met a traveler to Colombia who had stayed in Medellin. I asked him what he thought about it and he said “I haaaate Medellin. It’s sooo dangerous there.”

After inquiring a little bit, I found out that he had been robbed twice in the 4-day span he had been there.

Now, anyone who has this happen to them can be forgiven for having that perspective of Medellin, but the fact of the matter is that he went to some wrong areas of the city, including walking through a very dangerous neighborhood.

I have no doubt that he told similar story to his friends back home who may have inquired about Medellin.

You just have to not rely too heavily on any one source of information when you come to South America. You may not know how much or what kind of experience the source of the information has.

…Of course, the flip-side of this is that if you find a reliable, trustworthy source of information, bookmark it! (see #1)

6. The beaten path is often good.

For as much as people talk about “going off the beaten path”, if you’re coming to South America for the first time, it’s probably a good idea to follow it, rather than avoid it. Beaten paths mean something, it usually means there are reliable and predictable places to go… perhaps even safer places.

If a hostel knows about a great restaurant, for example, it probably is a good restaurant. Sure it may be full of foreigners, but you can expect a good meal.

Or if a hotel recommends you stay within 2 or 3 neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, it probably means that those neighborhoods are really good places for activity. Yes, there are other neighborhoods, but you can get to those later.

Once you’ve got the lay of the land, and hopefully a good command of the language, you can venture out to the lesser-known spots. But when you first arrive to a South American city, check out the beaten path. It tends to be smoother sailing.

7. Hostels are your friend.

Related to the point above, I have found hostels to be great launchpads for a city. They are often located near centers of activity in the city (nightlife, restaurants, beaches, etc), and they are the cheapest accommodation you can find (outside of couchsurfing). They also have great info on the city and usually will give you a free map of the area.

I’ve said in the past that I have a love-hate relationship with hostels. I really get sick of them if I have to stay in them too long. But, they are great starting points for any city, and provide you with a good space to consider your longer-term plans.

Plus, if you stay in hotel, you won’t have nearly the social experience you would have in a hostel. You’ll often meet locals in the hostel and not just foreigners, so it even gives you a way to start making friends and get a foothold in the city.

8. The biggest thing holding you back is if you don’t know the language.

Without question, you will need to learn Spanish and/or Portuguese if you want to make your home in South America. There’s no way around it, so you might as well get cracking.

Sooo many more opportunities open up to you when you know the language. You can finally speak comfortably with locals, you can finally read the classified ads, you can finally watch the news. You can finally partner with people to pursue business, financial, or personal goals. You can find great deals on apartments and a señora who will cook for you.

As long as you don’t know the language, you will feel lonely and insulated in your own world. Life is incredibly difficult if you can’t communicate with the people around you.

So this should be your absolute top priority if you’re moving to South America.

9. Frustration is normal.

If you take into account the fact that you are learning a new language, and the fact that you are working from limited knowledge, there are bound to be times when you get frustrated.

I’ve been frustrated lots of times in my travel through the continent, by big things as well as small things. Just a few weeks ago, I got really frustrated in Colombia when the ATM gave me my money in 50.000 COP notes (a rather large denomination), and then no one in 4 different stores wanted to give me change for them. Plus, the 50.000 notes are notoriously counterfeited.

So why would anyone make an ATM that gives you denominations that people don’t want to accept and that are frequently counterfeited? It literally would take 5 minutes of programming to force the ATM deal out 20.000 COP notes instead. Not in South America, I guess!

It may sound like a small thing, but it was VERY frustrating, and I didn’t want my day to be so unnecessarily hassled.

So, what I mean here is that there will be loads of times when you feel frustrated. It’s best just to accept it, not get too worked up, and keep going. (And remember which other ATMs will give you 20.000s.)

10. Falling in love is a real possibility

One of the reasons I keep returning to Colombia is that nowadays I prefer to live there over living in the USA. It’s remarkable, really… it’s not even a close call.

You can really fall in love with South America in a bunch of different ways. Maybe you find that perfect house that is within your price range. Maybe you find a special someone you want to spend your life with. Maybe you just feel so happy when you’re hanging out with locals you couldn’t imagine yourself anywhere else.

I’ve met a lot of people who are tickled to death that they get to live in South America– whether it’s Colombia, Chile, Brazil, or somewhere else. And some of these people have been there for more than 15 years.

The possibility of love is really exciting, and many people find it here.

Just remember…

The only thing standing between you and South America is a plane ride.

The music is literally a phenomenon in much of Latin America, with countless clubs and discotecas putting it on to really get the party started. I’ve found it in all countries in South America, including Brazil (although it’s not played as much there).

Honestly, if you’re going to travel to Latin America, you might want to learn about reggaeton, especially if you’re into the nightlife scene. And especially if you’re a single man (more on that in a moment).

So here’s a brief breakdown. (Note: If you’re offended by sexy dancing and scantily clad women, you probably shouldn’t read this post.)

Backstory

Now, I’m not much of a student of music history, but reggaeton itself has a rather short history, as the genre has become widely known only in the past 10-15 years.

It began to be produced in “underground” / anti-establishment / hip-hop circles in Puerto Rico. Artists would record in their garages in the early 1990s, composing songs with very explicit lyrics covering poverty, sex, violence, drugs, and inner city life. In these ways, it can be compared to the Americana gangster rap scene.

After a few years in the “underground,” where it had attracted the following of high school and middle school youth, the Puerto Rico government actually began a public campaign in the early 2000s against such music, asserting that it was a corrupting influence with its explicit and obscene lyrics, with its sub-culture of hip-hop clothing disrupting educational environments, and with its sexually charged music and accompanying perreo style of dancing.

Perreo, by the way, is what Americans would call “grinding” with greater intensity and heightened sexuality of the dance moves. (Am I the only one that chuckles when I hear perreo? )

Anyways, despite the objections against it, reggaeton continued to rise in popularity, and in the mid 2000s began to spread to the US and Europe. Among the artists coming into their own were Daddy Yankee and Baby Rasta & Gringo, who are still popular today. Other artists popular today include Don Omar, Winsin y Yandel, Calle 13, Farruko, Plan B and J Alvarez.

Here’s A Sample

I’m not gonna lie to you– reggaeton mostly appeals to younger folks. One of the things I like about reggaeton is it’s rather openly sexy dancing with the rather hot ridiculously hot girls. This combined with its Latin, energetic rhythm and beat means I usually can’t help getting into the songs. Lively, passionate Puerto Rico remains the main seat of reggaeton and most stars have their origins there.

Having said that, the types of songs within reggaeton vary widely, both in their sound and lyrics. In my research, I’ve found that the earlier songs tended to be a little bit ‘harder’, i.e. they had more explicit lyrics, they had a harder yelling / rap tone, they were often over-the-top sex displays (again, similar to the American gangster rap scene).

But recently, the genre has spread to happier, upbeat, singable songs, but still very sexy.

Let me show you.

First, here’s one of Daddy Yankee’s older songs which became very popular a few years back. If you’re above age 40 you probably won’t like this song (note the sexiness and more ‘raw’ feel):

Now, contrast that one of Daddy Yankee’s recent songs. You might like this song, even if you’re older, because it’s catchy and upbeat. Note sexiness + happier feel:

Next: a very popular song by Don Omar, you may have heard. Note the sing-along quality (he sings in Spanish and Portuguese).

Next: a popular song by J Alvarez. This one is great to dance with a girl to.

Finally: a popular song by Plan B. It’s another good one to dance with a girl to. The lyrics talk about secretly locking eyes with another girl and feeling like an angel is whispering to you.

As you can observe, reggaeton is mix of Caribbean and Latin music, blending Jamaican beats, Latin hip hop, as well as soca from Trinidad and Tobago, and sometimes a bit of electronica or dancehall. It has really become it’s own genre nowadays with wide-ranging variety. Songs range from catchy love songs or a fun sing-along (like ‘Limbo’ above) to an explicit, angry exploitation of women.

Efforts To Ban it

As an aside, there have been a number of governments that have tried to outlaw reggaeton. Cuba, for example, just did it in December 2012, but most of these efforts have fallen flat. The reasoning is that the music is just too sexual and treats women like objects.

What’s behind this of course, is the same old collectivist-of-force argument that believes the government and not you as an individual should choose what kind of music you listen to, what you want to dance to, and where you want to go for a good time.

And if you like an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good Daddy Government who can be trusted to act in your best interest, I’m sure you’d love Cuba.

Over and above this, though, the reality is that there are loads of women that LOVE reggaeton. I’ve lost count of the number of times I hear an entire place erupt in shouts of female delight when certain songs come on. They dance and sing along just as much or more than the guys do.

AND, not all songs contain such drastically explicit lyrics. These days there’s a lot to choose from as reggaeton is a wide genre; moreover, the popular songs don’t tend to be very angry or violent.

Now, it should be obvious– most of reggaeton is very sensual, and if you look at most of the music videos, you will see a ton of sexual dancing and scantily clad girls… But this is not ALWAYS the case.

Take this romantic song by Alkilados. A guy is talking to a girl and basically says through the whole song: “If you’re single and nobody calls you, and you need a man, call me. Tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.” No girl is scantily clad, and no one is dancing too sensually.

Check it:

Doesn’t this song make you smile? How can you be against a song that is less explicit than some country music songs from the US… AND that is much more catchy AND that is made for guy-girl dancing??

Answer: you can’t. Might as well face the music.

How It Helps The Single Man

OK, so now I want to remind you of an aspect of reggaeton that greatly benefits you if you are, as they say, a ‘man on the prowl.’

Basically if you are in a dance scenario (in a club, party, or whatever) and a reggaeton song comes on, it’s like the prime opportunity to go for the girl you’ve been hitting on.

The music escalates the whole situation for you… You just take the girl and start dancing.

The dancing is grinding so it’s easy to do, and rather suggestive.

The rhythm is sexual, so it’s sets the frame for you.

And EVERYONE in the whole place pairs off, so things move forward automatically.

Basically you just have to move your hips a little bit, be suave, and you can usually tell within 30 seconds of dancing reggaeton with a girl whether or not she’s into you.

And if she’s into you, and she’s dancing reggaeton with you, it’s like you’re running forward on a forward-moving treadmill… Things can happen fast, you understand?

(Of course, in Medellin, a girl dancing reggaeton with you may or may not be something significant. Almost like a kiss in Brazil, it may just be a way she says hello.)

So…

In summary, reggaeton has become a big part of the nightlife ambiance for a large part of the world. It’s good to know something about it, especially if you’re coming to Latin America.

Well, I haven’t done one in awhile, so like a good blogger I thought I’d fill ya’ll in…

Backstory: Find Rent + Food In One

At the end of January 2013, I wanted to see if I could flatline my costs, and so I looked for a place that included food with the rent.

In Colombia, you can often find these places by searching online or asking around for places ‘con alimentación’ which literally means ‘with feeding’. In other words, the señora of the house or the maid will cook for you 2x-3x per day, and it is included in the rent.

So if I could find a reasonable rent that included food, I would have already flatlined my two biggest costs, which could go a long way in reducing my overall expenditures. Sure enough, I found a Colombian household that would cook for me twice a day and give me rent (all inclusive) plus internet, at $400 / mo.

The downside to having my meals cooked for me is that I really didn’t have a say in what would be cooked. I was basically destined to have the standard Colombian meals every day– meals which aren’t horrible, their just not anything to write home about. I ended up eating a lot of plantains, white rice, french fries, soups, and a little bit of meat most meals.

So Anyways, Here’s The Breakdown:

(COP = Colombian Pesos)

Rent + Food = 700.000 COP

Mine was a private room in a house with a Colombian family, including 2 meals a day (lunch and dinner). It was a centrally located house in Medellin, near a major street and metro, and a short walk to a few grocery stores and gyms. Over all, a pretty good location near the Laureles neighborhood.

One really bad thing about this setup was the fact that the internet was not good at all. The connection would frequently be interrupted, and the top speeds would max out at 1 Mbps. Often I was staring at speeds less than a 56k modem from the mid-90s.

This meant I couldn’t have a Skype video call, and often I had to wait for YouTube videos to load. I also couldn’t have multiple internet-connecting apps active at the same time (DropBox, Skype, Firefox together, etc).

I’d say this was a major misstep as fast internet is definitely worth relocating for and so much of what I’m trying to do revolves around the internet.

Also, the noise level in the house was too high. The family had some young kids and a couple of small, bark-happy dogs who made a lot of noise. The house was also near to a street with a lot of bars that got very loud nights and weekends. On top of all this you had almost constant traffic noise, as the room literally bordered the street!

Going Out = 400.000 COP

In Medellin, I got into a habit of going out basically 2 weekend nights per week, along with a few other times through the month. This expense includes basic entrance to nighttime venues and drinks.

If you’re the kind of person who likes nightlife, I wouldn’t budget less than 100.000 COP per week for this, minimum.

Transportation = 150.000 COP

I frequently had to take a taxi from my neighborhood over to the nightlife or other popular districts like Poblado. It was often 10.000 COP one way, so that makes up the bulk of this expense. I also took the metro a few times, but a one way ticket on that only runs 1.800 COP a pop.

Phone = 40.000 COP

I have a pre-paid phone setup with Movistar, a principal Colombian carrier. I average loading about 30.000 COP every 3 weeks. I don’t use my phone that much, but it was enough to get me through.

Note: If you load 10.000 COP or more at a time, generally the carrier gives you double or triple the credit.

Misc = 150.000 COP

Occasionally I ate out (not in the house) or grabbed a snack or freshly squeezed juice on the street. I also had a few expenses like toilet paper, soap, shampoo, etc. that I’m factoring in here.

Total = 1440.000 COP or approximately $850 USD

(Using an exchange rate of 1.800 COP / 1 USD.)

Good Flatline Level BUT… Would I Do This Setup Again?

Very simply, I would not live in the same house hold again for two reasons: the noise was too much, and the internet was too slow and unreliable for my purposes. These are two problems that I think can be solved, though.

For the internet issue, the Colombian company UNE has begun to deploy a 4G LTE mobile network in Colombia’s major cities. I could theoretically sign up for this service and ALWAYS have good internet, anywhere I go in Medellin– and if I happen to travel to Bogotá, Cartagena, Cali, or Bucaramanga.

Unfortunately when I inquired about this, I was informed you have to sign up for a minimum of a year. Also, with how much I use the internet, especially with Skype calls and YouTube videos, my bandwidth needs tend to be large, and I would need probably 30 GB bandwith per month. When I calculated this out, it would cost a rather hefty $150/mo USD.

As for the noise problem, this could be solved by finding another household further away from the main streets. I’m sure there are other houses in Medellin con alimentación… I just have to spend some more time looking for one in a better location.

Theoretically I could also hire a maid to cook for me — which, if I was making a little bit more money, would make sense. I could then direct her to make the kinds of meals I want. (From what I hear, I could already afford this in a place like the Philippines or Thailand…). But right now I’m not prepared to take on that expense.

So…

I hope from this breakdown that you can see Colombia as a solid place for geoarbitrage… you can definitely get under $1000 a month if you’re serious. It’s a little harder, though, if you want faster internet or if you have special dietary requirements.

If you had experience with con alimentación acommodation? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

When the dancing begins
Argentina: 230am
Colombia: 1145pm
Brazil: 7pm, 10pm, 2am, 7am, 11am, 3pm… depends where you’re at

What’s in the air
Argentina: cigarette smoke
Colombia: dry-ice fog
Brazil: anticipation

What on tap
Argentina: $7 for a fernet
Colombia: $7 to share rum and coke with friends
Brazil: $7 for a beer

What’s in front of you
Argentina: social circles smoking
Colombia: social circles sitting down at tables
Brazil: social circles up and mixing together

What’s playing
Argentina: cumbia
Colombia: salsa, merengue, vallentato, reggaeton
Brazil: rock, funk, pagode, forró

What’s the challenge
Argentina: finding a girl willing to have a conversation
Colombia: finding a girl who didn’t bring her boyfriend
Brazil: finding a girl before she’s snatched up by some other dude

You approach a girl
Argentina: she wasn’t looking at you
Colombia: she was looking at you and you kinda knew it
Brazil: she was looking at you and you knew it

You say something to the girl
Argentina: girl acts like she isn’t listening
Colombia: girl listens for the first 5 seconds and responds if you’re confident
Brazil: girl listens and responds… and smiles if she likes you

If you see skin…
Argentina: it’s a little neck or lower arm
Colombia: it’s a lot of cleavage and/or abs
Brazil: it’s just a hint of everything

When you extend your hand to the girl to dance
Argentina: girl avoids your eyes completely
Colombia: girl looks at your hand, then at your eyes, then accepts (if you’re confident)
Brazil: girl accepts, provided she’s not already into another guy

How close you can dance to the girl
Argentina: respect the personal space!
Colombia: there is basically no personal space.
Brazil: what is ‘personal space’?

You got moves and are cutting up the dance floor with the girl
Argentina: girl is worried what her friends think
Colombia: girl is worried 1/2 what her friends think and 1/2 what you think
Brazil: girl is worried what you think

What her guy friend does upon seeing you do this
Argentina: cuts in and invites the girl back to her social circle
Colombia: invites you and the girl back to the table
Brazil: would invite you, but is too busy hitting on another girl

While dancing, you smile and pull the girl in close
Argentina: girl turns head and pushes away
Colombia: girl turns head slightly but doesn’t push away
Brazil: girl smiles back and doesn’t push away

You go for the kiss after a few songs
Argentina: girl didn’t plan on kissing tonight
Colombia: girl doesn’t kiss while with friends, but might kiss if you take her elsewhere
Brazil: kissing is like shaking hands… oh, nice to meet you!

You walk with her over to her social circle
Argentina: one or two of them say hello, possibly in English
Colombia: all of them greet you with smiles, then invite you to a shot of guaro
Brazil: everyone has already paired off, so there’s not a definite social circle left

You know their language
Argentina: not impressed.
Colombia: impressed, happy… will want to talk to you more.
Brazil: happy, regardless… will want to talk to you.

Your thoughts walking home
Argentina: “Why am I not in Brazil or Colombia?”
Colombia: “I really need to learning salsa and approach during the day.”
Brazil: “Why did I stay out so late, I gotta rest up for tomorrow night!”

It was such a good exercise I am already planning on reading another one, possibly in another language I might be picking up again in the near future.

What the hack is

The idea is simple: buy a book that you can write in (although I suppose you could do this on the latest Kindle versions), then read the book all the way through, writing the definitions of unfamiliar words and phrases above the given words.

The book I read

Initially, you will be looking up a lot of words, depending on your level. But by the end of the book, you will find yourself marking FAR fewer words than you did in the beginning, and your reading skills will have improved significantly.

Plus, if you carry the book around with you, you will always have an easy conversation starter, and you can perhaps ask a cute girl nearby what a certain word means.

When you should use this hack

This hack is NOT for beginners in a language. If you’re just starting out, you will be spending the majority of your time looking up words and trying to decipher the structure of the sentences. It is a recipe for becoming overwhelmed and frustrated.

There is a way to a way to learn Spanish fast (or any language, really), but it involves applying learning modalities at different stages of the process. In the early stages, for example, it’s best to focus on speaking as often as possible, and leaving activities like reading and writing largely to the side.

If you start with reading a book like this, it will go wayyyyy too slow because you won’t have enough of a command of the language to make it move along. Instead, use the book hack when you are at an upper intermediate level or beyond in the language. Once you’ve got some skills under your belt, your reading will go much faster and will be much more enjoyable.

Characteristics of the book you could choose:

1. Something that would be interesting to you

One of the reasons I picked a book by Paulo Coelho because I had read another book of his (The Alchemist) in English a few years back and thought it was interesting. I figured he was a good storyteller, so when I saw it in the Colombian bookstore, I was keen to pick it up.

2. An author that is known worldwide (so the book is in multiple languages and easy to find)

Not only is Paulo Coehlo a good storyteller, but he happens to be known worldwide, and his books have been translated into many different languages. This gives me the space to continue to read his books in different languages, whether Spanish, Portuguese (he is Brazilian after all!) or some other language.

It also gives me the flexibility to down the road, read the SAME book in another language (Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, etc).  In my long-term goal of becoming a polyglot, I’ve heard that reading the same book in 2 different foreign languages actually helps you keep the languages distinct in your mind.

3. A relatively short book

Unless you are a bookworm, I would suggest a rather short book, no more than around 150 or 200 pages. The reason for this is that you don’t want to get bogged down on a mountain that’s too hard to climb. Since it will take you a good bit of time to look up the words, you don’t want the book to be so massive that it takes years to read.

Besides, almost all of the big books (say 350+ pages) that I’ve started, I haven’t finished. What makes me think that a another big book that I am reading MUCH slower will somehow get finished? I’m much less of a bookworm these days anyway.

4. A relatively cheap book you can make notes in

Another reason I picked up the Paulo Coehlo book was because it was cheap. Most of the other books in the particular bookstore I was in were $15 dollars or more. This small paperback book was only $5. This makes me more willing to mark it up with my pens and pencils.

Plus, you’ll be taking it with you, so it will get scuffed up, and perhaps a drink spilled on it. You don’t want to do a major book investment here.

How you can get the most out of this hack

1. Use smart phone dictionary to look up words.

It is SUCH a hassle carrying a big fat dictionary around. Luckily, we are now in the age of smartphones, and you can download dictionaries for most of the major languages of the world. I don’t carry and iPhone, but I do have an iPod Touch that I carry around with me when I take my book out.

For Spanish learners, I used the free dictionary app by SpanishDict. It’s really easy to use, and has an autocomplete feature where you only have to type in the first few letters of the word. It doesn’t have all the phrases or idioms in it, though, so you might need to hit up WordReference.com every now and then.

2. Write meanings of words (phrases) above the unknown word (or phrase)

I’ve found it best to write the meaning of the unknown word or phrase directly above the printed words. It takes additional ‘eye’ time to shift over to the margins and read the definitions. Plus, you want to save the margins for extra notes you might have.

I also underline the unknown word so it pops out visually.

3. Talk to native speakers if you need help.

Most dictionaries won’t have every construction you’re looking for, and so this gives a great opportunity to chat up the natives!

So if you’re on the ground in a country, you could simply walk up and start a conversation with people in the mall, or library, or park, or wherever you find yourself. “Hola, puedo preguntarte algo de español?”

If you’re not in the particular country, connect with somebody through Livemocha or iTalki. These are free language exchange sites, and great for making friends thousands of miles away.

4. After you finish marking the book, re-read it from cover to cover.

Once you’ve done the hard work of looking up unknown words and marking them down, your eyes will begin to recognize the vocabulary, including specialized vocabulary used in the book. This means that a second time through the book will go about 100 times faster.

So you can read enjoyably, and not so laboriously.

In Summary

The book hack is a really excellent way to continue your language learning studies, no matter where you are in the world. It also provides excellent fodder for Skype conversations with the folks you meet over Livemocha, iTalki, or any other language exchange you are a part of.

Remember, probably not a good idea to do this in the beginning of learning the language. It’s too inefficient of an approach.

But when you’re moving into upper-intermediate levels, I’ve found it to be a great way to help you learn.

By “_____”, I’m thinking of a number of places in South America I haven’t been to yet.

Specifically, these days I am thinking about Venezuela, a country which I have been curious about for some time, and which sits just across the border from Colombia, where I’ve been spending most of my time.

I’ve heard a number of really bad stories related to Venezuela, from robberies and kidnappings to blatant police corruption and extortion. These are all from people I have met face-to-face.

These types of stories make me hesitate to visit Venezuela, as they well should. No one should enter a country blindly, without considering the realities of a place.

But it got me thinking…

Danger is part of the package when it comes to South America.

I mean, really, honestly, truthfully… it’s just part of the package.

It’s what you get. It’s part of the deal.

I mean, I really hope that one day the people of South America will just give up committing crimes, especially petty theft which seems to be rampant across the continent.

But there’s really no sense in expecting a ‘day of recompense’ will occur, that everyone will suddenly get their ‘just desserts’, or that the whole atmosphere of life will change.

Danger is part of the package. Plan on it.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is either ignorant or is not being truthful.

I’m Serious…

If you’re a little new to all of this, let me rattle off the top of my head a few stories I’ve come across…

First, there was a mass killing in the Envigado neighborhood over New Years. Envigado is known as one of the nicer neighborhoods in the Medellin metro area, and is where many foreigners stay when they come to visit.

Yet, did anyone ever tell you that Oficina de Envigado, a gang descended from Pablo Escobar’s groups, still has a presence there? Did anyone tell you about the 9 people who were murdered one night?

Second, I was talking with an Asian man who had been living in Medellin for a number of years. He had bought a motorcycle to get around the city. Guess what happened to him?

One day, while he was riding through town, he was surrounded at a stoplight by 4 other motos. They threw him off his bike while it was running, got on it, and rode off before he knew what happened. This was in Medellin at an ordinary stoplight.

Third, I talked to a Latino man who was visiting Medellin during his travels through the country. In the span of 4 days he was here, he was robbed at gunpoint not once, but twice. This happened in a span of 4 days to a native Spanish speaker, who does not look like a gringo, and who was simply walking through the streets of the city.

Or how about my buddy whose bag was ripped open and looted of $3000 worth of photography equipment on an Ecuadorian bus? Or the American tourist who was found in a trash can along the coast? (Ecuador is really high on my naughty list when it comes to being robbed or jipped.)

Or how about the traveler I met who had no problems with anything until they were robbed at gunpoint in Santiago, which these days is purported to be the safest capital in South America?

Or how about the other traveler I met who was physically assaulted and tackled from behind in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro? He was held facedown against the concrete with a gun to his head while the assailant demanded his wallet.

Or for god sakes what about the Colombian woman I met who was kidnapped by a normal looking taxi directly in front of Bogotá‘s zona rosa? If you’ve been there, you know it– Zona T.

These are all stories I can quote off the top of my head without too much difficulty. I have heard dozens and dozens of stories like them.

Comments like “Well, it’s like that in any part of the world” are simply ignorant.

It is NOT like that in any part of the world.

In many parts of the world, people actually are peaceful and not given to crimes such as these. Petty theft is not as rampant in other parts of the world.

Yes, and I know, South America is not the ONLY place where petty crime is a constant worry.

But it’s naive to believe that there’s some kind of equal distribution of danger across all geography on the planet, or that South America does NOT have a serious problem with theft… The city I grew up in in the US, for example, is simply not the same as Ecuador in this regard. Period.

So, if you are planning visiting South America, make sure you take some ordinary precautions, most especially don’t appear worth robbing, and when possible don’t carry a lot on you.

However…

Once you’ve gotten use to taking a few precautions, you really don’t think about all the possibilities of getting robbed or assaulted on a daily basis unless you venture wayyy off the beaten path. There’s often safety in numbers, and just by going with other people to wherever you’re going, you’re probably not going to have too many problems.

I’ve written this post to get your attention… It’s not like you need to become paranoid about everyone and everything down here. You gotta keep your head up and live moment to moment.

Danger is part of the package… But so is beauty.

There’s a great life to be lived down here that you learn to accept things as they come and deal with the (sometimes harsh) realities of where you are.

Besides…

Danger + Beauty = Adventure.

Guess that means I’ll see you in Venezuela?

I had long been curious about life in Cali, as I had read a number of good things about it, including various blurbs about the beautiful women. It is Colombia’s third largest city and is known for being the salsa capital of the world.

Cali (photo from wikimedia commons)

Backstory

Just the other day, I learned a bit of the recent history of Cali. In short, in the 1970s, Cali was the place to be and was emerging as a top destination in Colombia, even being the site for the Panamerican Games. It was where many Colombians (and tourists) went to party or for vacation.

But unfortunately a combination of corruption in local politics, of the continual national conflict which drained resources from the local economy, of the desplazados (displaced people) descending on the city from the surrounding regions due to the military conflict and severe floodings, and of ongoing mafia and drug trafficking wars put just too much stress upon the city.

As a result, Cali has just begun to gain it’s footing again… In my opinion and ‘feel’, it seems to be more of what Colombia’s cities were like in the 1990s and early 2000s than how they are today in the 2010s. (This intrigues me.)

Here are some positives I gathered about Cali:

1. The girls are very, very beautiful.

I sometimes remark that in Medellin, you might ‘fall in love’ with your cashier. Welll, guess what? There’s a good chance your cashier in Cali could be a really cute girl as well. There are a lot of beautiful girls in Cali, including those that work at hostels…

Cali is also known as a top place in the world to get cosmetic procedures done, and it’s quite obvious the plastic surgeons there have worked on some of Colombia’s finest talent. At other times, the final results of these procedures appear quite comical… Aaaaaaaand that’s all I’ll say about that…

There’s also a different vibe to the girls in Cali. If anything, they seem more down to earth and chill than other parts of Colombia. The few that I got to know, I’ve thought, ‘Wow this girl seems really cool.’

2. It’s hot only during the day.

Everything I read told me “Cali is hot” but when I arrived, I can say I was pleasantly surprised. During the main sunshine hours between 12pm-4pm, yes it is a bit hot. But when night comes, it’s actually quite pleasant. This makes it good for going out at night. There is often a strong breeze running through the city too.

3. It is less discovered than Medellin.

One obvious fact that stuck out to me is that there are nowhere near the number of hostels in Cali as there are in Medellin (possibly due to the fact that there are limited touristy things to do in Cali). And the ones that are there are not all bunched together in one place, either. There doesn’t seem to be a ‘tourist’ district (yet).

Also, several times we went out to some main clubs where we were the only foreigners in the whole place. One time a group of Colombians even wanted to take their picture with us, simply because we looked so different, and one of the guys wanted to introduce me to his sister. This all happened suddenly, without any leadup conversation.

Now, this type of thing doesn’t usually happen in Medellin (anymore). Sometimes it happens when you venture out into the barrios, but Medellin has had a large exposure to tourists over the past several years, while Cali has not had as much.

This of course, has its benefits… you can have a bit more ‘exotic’ status as a foreigner.

4. Nightlife can be a hit

Feria de Cali for me was honestly a bit disappointing. To me, salsa is the type of music you need to dance to, not listen to. If you’re just listening to it, that cow bell they keep banging can get a little annoying.

Well, the feria was full of salsa concerts that were 6-7 hours long, and 95% of the people there weren’t dancing. They were just listening. To salsa.

Donk-chika-donk-chika-donk-chika-donk… can you hear that salsa with the cow bell? It was like that for hours and hours on end. For me that was not all that exciting.

However, Cali nightlife can be fun, especially if you meet some other Colombians and head out to a proper dance venue. The standard groups-table-and-bottle setup still applies, but nightlife in Cali can go really late– even until sunrise in areas like Menga. The only thing is that sometimes it’s hit or miss with the venues… you’ll have to get some Caleña intel to know which are the good nights to go out and where.

5. Costs of living are roughly similar to Medellin.

Overall, I didn’t see much cost difference between Cali and Medellin, and thus it makes for a solid medium-cheap geoarbitrage destination. There were similar supermarket and store prices, and similar costs to use the transit system.

The selection of places on Airbnb for short-term stays, though, was a lot smaller than in Medellin. If you were going to live here, it would take some time on the ground to figure out where you would want to live. The Grenada / Versailles area seems to be the ‘El Poblado’ rough equivalent, with the nicest buildings, streets, and cafes. Chipichape seems to be the premier mall of the city, and a hotspot to hang out at during the day.

Side note: There aren’t that many international flights from the Cali airport– from the USA there are only two direct from Miami.

Having said all that, here are some possible reservations I have about Cali.

1. City layout is not as organized.

Cali does not have a metro but rather an intra city bus system, similar to Bogotá. While this enables you to get around on the cheap, it generally takes awhile, and is much more of a hassle than the intra city transport in Medellin.

Cali has some nice, modern-looking neighborhoods as well as some older, dirty ones. Occasionally you will roll through a run-down neighborhood, or one that just looks like it’s seen some hard days.

Also, the hotspots for both day and night seem to be scattered throughout the city, and apart from a few malls, there doesn’t seem to be an ‘epicenter’ to the city. You’ll have to hop around and have good timing.

Side note: At one point, I stayed in Jovita’s Hostel because it had been mentioned by some other bloggers. I would definitely not recommend the hostel, as the facilities and staff were very subpar (as of this writing it has only a 71% rating on Hostelworld).

2. The safety issue… is an issue

I felt less safe in Cali than in almost any other Colombian city I’ve been to. Statistically, more homicides were committed there in 2012 than any Colombian city.

I got more warnings about where to go and not go than I had been used to… In fact, when I first arrived, I was given a map of the centro historico with prominent markings on it, indicating where I could walk freely, where I could go with caution, and where I definitely should not go.

Later when I was staying near Avenida Sexta, I constantly had to walk around and avoid shady figures, homeless people, and mendicants. Combined with the fact that I rarely saw a policeman or security guard, I felt I could very well have been mugged there if I hadn’t kept an eye out.

And apparently as late as 2011, there were mafia / drug wars between two rival gangs in Cali, causing killings and kidnappings to reach near crisis levels. Also, historically FARC and other paramilitary groups have been closer to Cali than to other major cities in Colombia.

So, just to re-iterate– statistically Cali is in fact a dangerous city, and I felt less safe there than other cities. You have to be careful where you go. I really wouldn’t recommend Cali as an exploratory destination for an older, gringo-looking tourist.

3. The dreaded mosquito problem.

I watched a fascinating TED talk the other day about solving the problems caused by the world’s most dangerous animal. Do you know what that animal is?

Sharks, snakes, rats? Nope… It’s the mosquito.

The mosquito is responsible for more deaths cumulative than all other animals combined, and the annual statistics for malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever cases are astonishing. Many areas of the world suffer epidemic levels of these mosquito-borne diseases.

Unfortunately, Cali has a mosquito problem. I myself was bitten countless times… and if anyone disputes this I have a photo of my foot covered in 20+ bites.

Not only do I hate mosquitoes with a passion, I seem to attract them easier than most humans I know. They did not leave me alone the whole time I was there. (Closing the windows and turning on the air conditioning is still not in widespread practice in Cali.)

So here’s hoping Cali will sign up for one of Oxitec‘s trials. In fact, I could be persuaded to donate to this very cause to get the ball rolling.

Overall

Cali is very intriguing to me. It’s a city with both beauty and danger. (It’s funny how this type of thing can attract a man, heh). Plus, it seems to be in the early stages of picking up some steam, in terms of notoriety and tourism.

Out of the 6 major cities I’ve visited in Colombia, it’s one of the top ones I look forward to returning to.

If you’ve ever Googled “Medellin” you’ve probably come across Medellin Living. It’s easily the #1 Medellin website for English speakers, and contains loads of great info on life in the city, from accommodations and visa considerations to nightlife and restaurant options.

If something’s a hit in Medellin, there’s a good chance my buddy Dave (the owner of Medellin Living) has an article on it. If you keep up to date with his site, you’ll know the highlights of living here, including those times when you get to pose with hot Colombian underwear models:

Dave’s new wife… juuuuuuust kidding. (One day, Dave!)

Just recently, Dave has released his very own Medellin Travel Guide, which contains all the essential info a traveler needs to know when coming to the city, including:

There are few other English-speaking bloggers out there who knows as much about the city as Dave, and he has a knack for compiling useful information into an easily consumable format.

I myself have toyed with the idea of creating a guide like this, but Dave beat me to it.

What I like about it is that it is thorough, and well organized, so you can easily find the info you’re looking. It is also well linked to relevant posts on his blog, so you can check them out for further explanation and details of what he covers. Finally, he includes some really cool pictures and places them throughout the guide.

It’s an intensely practical book on things relevant to the traveler or expat in Medellin. So if you are thinking about visiting Medellin, planning on visiting, or have just arrived, I recommend you check out his guide for all the essential info you need in one place.

By the way, I am a happy affiliate of Dave’s book because I think you’ll gain a lot of value out of it.

Check out the PDF version here or the Kindle version here.

Or you can learn more about the guide here.

Oh, and if you’ve come to Medellin and got any more pics of Colombian underwear models, send them my way!

Let me try to tell you about the experience at the end of last year which brought everything to a head…

Colombia or Bust

After blitzing through various parts of Argentina, Chile, and Peru last fall, I had to carry out my plan to get back to Colombia as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, I came to see that international flights within South America are not cheap. In other words, it’s not a simple $200 hop from Peru to Colombia, especially not around the Christmas holiday. All flights I found were $700+.

Since flights weren’t an option, I decided I would just have to bus it from Lima allllllllll the way through northern Peru and Ecuador, to Cali, Colombia where Feria was waiting for me.

I went down to the bus terminal to see what they had available and 99% of the buses were booked solid for the next three days. All of the Cruz del Sur buses were booked solid. (Cruz del Sur, by the way, is the only bus line worth taking anywhere in Peru.) I could get to Trujillo in northern Peru on Christmas Eve so that’s what I did.

In case you’re wondering what the road along northern Peru looks like:

A desert of sand and depressing clouds running into the sea.

There were no available buses departing Trujillo on Christmas Day. So I spent December 25th trying to find just one open restaurant in town, checking email, and nursing a cold.  From Trujillo, I took a bus to Piura, Peru, with the idea to switch buses and cross the border en route to Loja, Ecuador.

Piura to Loja

The area of town we were dropped off at in Piura was sketchy at night, to say the least. My taxi driver remarked how dangerous it was to be near the bus stations there.

However, I managed to get on the bus at 10:30pm to head towards Ecuador (Loja) when I found out that the seat next to me would be occupied by not one, but two passengers. They were two little girls around 5 years old whose mother was sitting in the row ahead, holding an infants. (If you’ve been to Ecuador, you know how common it is for mothers to be hauling around babies.)

While the kids were cute, I can’t say I was looking forward to 8 hours of them invading my space, as they clearly took up more than one seatful. Nevertheless, the border crossing was uneventful, and I made it to Loja in one piece. (Sleep deprived, but still alive!)

Loja to Cuenca

Loja is about 5 hours away from Cuenca, so I hopped on an immediate bus to the old city I was in at the end of 2011. This bus was full of children we picked up while going to school (it was early in the morning), as well as rather smelly women carrying sacks of who knows what over their backs. At one point, I had to duck my nose under my shirt the smell was so bad.

But I had to endure… I knew there was a good hostel in Cuenca where I could shower, use the internet, and take a nap on a comfy bed. It was about noon when I arrived, and was fortunate to find the owner of the hostel there. She recognized me from a year earlier and welcomed me in, and I was able to get in a good nap.

Cuenca to Quito

After so many hours on the bus, I realized I wanted to speed up this trip if I could. So I decided to fly from Cuenca to Quito rather than take the 8-9 hour bus ride.

It was a great decision. It cost $70 and took 1 hour. I arrived to Quito around 9 pm, and better yet, I had to ride zero buses!

Quito To Tulcán

The next step was to get to the north terminal in Quito and take a bus to Tulcán, where I would take a taxi across the border to Colombia… But the scene at the north terminal was one that got me to my breaking point with regards to Ecuadorian bus rides.

I arrived around 10:30pm to what looked like a deserted bus station. Walking up to the counter, I paid for my ticket to Tulcán for the midnight bus. I stood waiting near the loading zone for the bus with maybe 5 other people.

But a strange thing started to happen as midnight approached. Dozens and dozens of people came out of nowhere and stood in the loading zone, eagerly awaiting the bus.

Whaaat? I thought. Why would a midnight bus across to the border be full of people?

I was so naive.

When the bus finally arrived, all of a sudden there was a flurry of activity. Within seconds, everyone had rather hurredly mushed themselves together en masse around the entrance to the bus. Men, women, and children all crowded around it like a flock of pigeons around discarded bread.

“POR FAVOR!” One overweight woman yelled. “LET THOSE WITH SMALL CHILDREN GO FIRST SO WE CAN GET A SEAT! DEAR GOD!”

She wasn’t heeded and people continued to push their way onto the bus.

Now, I assumed that since I had a ticket in hand, I would be all right. The man letting people onto the bus was actually the same man who issued my ticket, and I was the only gringo-looking man nearby, so I’m sure he remembered me. (He was going to make sure I got the seat I paid for right?)

I had to put my luggage in the storage compartment under the bus first. By the time I did that and got on the bus myself, I slowly realized the bus was completely full.

And, worse yet, the seat numbers throughout the bus had been worn or scratched off so there was no way of telling which seat was mine.

“Esta occupado?” Is this seat taken? I pointed to an empty seat near a young man.

“Sí“, he replied. Seat taken.

“Esta occupado?” I asked a middle aged woman. “Sí.” Seat taken.

The seats were taken by children, girlfriends and boyfriends, grandmas, and certain mysterious figures.

The man who had issued my ticket then went through the whole bus and “verified” that everyone had a ticket. I am not sure what this “verification” process entailed, but I saw money change hands very quickly at one point, and at the end of it, I was told I needed to get off the bus because they were about to leave.

I was upset at this point because 1) I had been traveling for nearly 36 hours straight, with little sleep and 2) this was Ecuador at its absolute worst: lack of efficiency, lack of organization, under-the-table favors, crowded pandemonium, even smelly people… I could not wait to get out of this country.

When we tried to get my luggage out of the storage vault, we had trouble finding it because mine was one of the first ones in. The driver got upset and started to yell at me in Spanish as if it were my fault. I wanted to explain to him that if his damn bus company had any business sense, none of these problems would even exist, but I didn’t want to waste my breath.

I finally found my bag and was told by the original man that I would have to wait for the 1 AM bus… So I stood back and waited… Am I ever going to make it to Colombia?

Fast forward to 1 AM and the scene repeated itself to a T. This time, though, I was even faster to throw my luggage underneath the bus, push my way forward, get on board, and make a bee-line to the back seat next to the window.

I’m sure I was in somebody’s seat, and I was sure that the goons running the whole operation had overbooked the bus again. So I just sat there and looked out the window. If anyone talked to me or asked to verify my seat, I would act like I didn’t understand Spanish. (Activate dumb gringo acting skills!)

Long story short, a bunch of people crowded on this bus too, and I found myself among a number of Ecuadorians who didn’t want to show their tickets to inquiring passengers either.

I just avoided everyone’s gaze and hunched my arms over my backpack, which was carrying my beloved Macbook, iPod, passport, credit cards, and hundreds of dollars in cash, among other things. If they only knew the suffering a bootstrapping, world-traveling entrepreneur has to go through!

Colombia At Last

At last, the bus departed and was on my way to Tulcán. The border crossing was uneventful, but when I finally got into the Colombian taxi and headed towards the Ipiales bus station, I could tell from just from the air that I was where I wanted to be. I breathed a sigh of relief and told the taxi driver how glad I was to be back.

The taxi driver, in typical Colombian charm said, “Welcome back sir! You are always gladly welcome back in Colombia! I know how bad it can be in Ecuador, that den of thieves and snipes. Glad to have you back!”

Good to be back, sir. Good to be back.

Viva Colombia and to hell with Ecuadorian bus rides.

I had been interested in Lima from a number of positive reports I had heard about the city. The food was supposed to be awesome, the city was supposed to have a great nightlife, and the girls were supposed to be friendly to foreigners. In addition, Peru is slowly emerging an economic strong point of South America, with Lima as its epicenter.

But as I lugged my 45-lb suitcase up the stairs to my hostel, I wondered to myself why I am doing this all over again.

After all, I really don’t like the act of travel (more specifically– bus rides, hostels, and short-term relationships). I must prefer living in a place for months at a time, learning the language, making friends that I will keep in touch with.

But the previous 6 weeks I had been traveling nonstop– hostel to bus, bus to hostel… rinse and repeat– through literally thousands of miles of South American landscape.

I was tired, but was wanting to finish the mission I had started: to decide whether I would like to live in Peru.

As is my custom when I am exploring “candidate” cities, I planned on staying in Lima a minimum of a week. I would give the city some solid boots-on-the-ground time to see if I’m “hooked”, or something really strikes me as desirable.

And if the week went well, I actually had in mind to stay a couple months… Lima was that high on the list.

I spent the first couple of days exploring Miraflores, the upscale neighborhood of Lima that hugs the Pacific coast. I walked down to the ocean and along the malecon, into the Larcomar shopping center, and stopped to look out at the ocean.

Larcomar Shopping Center

I also walked up and down the neighborhood blocks, noticing the attractive, modern feel of the area, while noticing how much Lima loves to put KFC’s every 4 blocks.

I met a girl while walking around and we went to a huge buffet the next day in another area of town. The food was 100% Peruvian, though, and was really delicious. In the days to come, my stomach wasn’t always agreeable to the Peruvian cuisine, but the fact is that Peru knows how to cook.

As fate would have it, some friends I had met in Colombia had come into town for the holiday. One weekend night, we all met up and made authentic Peruvian pisco sour. We went out that night and had a good time.

About the 5th or 6th day in, though, something began to happen to me.

It first started as a thought I couldn’t get rid of.

Then it evolved into a minor obsession.

I mean, nothing was really wrong with Lima… Something was wrong with me.

You see, I had been in Colombia right before this trip, and it had reignited my desire to live there, rather than anywhere else.

And now it was seriously affecting me.

I was starting to have a relapse of the Medellin Effect.

As a result, I began wondering whether I should stay another week in Lima to give it more time, or whether I already knew that Lima (and Peru) wasn’t for me… Should I stay another week just in case? Just to make sure I’m not missing anything?

But then I thought, what could possibly make me change my mind and make me stay in Lima? Would staying another week really do anything?

The next morning I posted this:

Two days before Christmas I told myself it would do no good to keep entertaining thoughts, leaning one way for a a moment, then the other way the next. I needed to decide on my next action.

And, this was either / or decision. All or nothing. There was no middle ground.

Either I would stay in Lima and keep Peru alive a little longer, stay through the new year, or I would leave, and Peru would be over for me. (The north of Peru, I already knew, was not for me.)

I came across a tiny fact– that if I acted fast, I could get to Colombia in time for Feria de Cali, which just so happened to be between Christmas and New Years and just so happened to be in Cali, a city I was eager to check out.

And of course, I was rearing to return to Colombia.

So, long story short, I made the decision and pulled the trigger…

I made it back to my beloved Colombia. Couldn’t stay away.

I got to Cali in time for Feria and was right back where I wanted to be.

It was such a funny thing… that thing that happened to me in Lima.

Normally, I don’t go for the tourist attractions, but Machu Picchu is a wonder of the world, and I tend to hit those up if I’m in the area… just like I hit up Iguazu Falls a few months prior.

The executive review of the whole experience is that I was impressed by Machu Picchu itself, but was remarkably unimpressed with almost everything else that surrounded it.

Here I hope to give you some tips to deal with the whole thing.

1. It’s cold, especially at night. Bring warm clothes.

Even though I went to Cusco in December, when theoretically summer begins, it was very cold. I had to break out my fleece, and had to be given extra wool blankets at night. This was in contrast to the very hot days in central Argentina I had been in, just a few weeks prior. So be aware you’re going to need some extra layers, and it makes a hot shower that much more important.

(And they don’t have central heating in the hostels… But that’s practically a given for Latin America.)

2. It’s high. Give a few days to acclimate.

You may have heard that it takes a few days to get used to the Cusco elevation (3400 m). You ignore it to your own detriment.

On my hike up to the Machu Picchu entrance, I came across a guy who had been uncontrollably vomiting due to altitude sickness. He was continuing to climb, but you could tell his girlfriend was a little distraught because this had the potential to ruin their whole experience.

If you have been in Arequipa for a week (2300 m), though, your body has a head start. Nevertheless, it’s very important you take 2-3 days to drink lots of water and simply allow your biology to adjust.

3. If you want to do the trek, plan months ahead.

If you want to do the classic ‘Inca trail’ (which I didn’t), you’re going to have to plan far enough ahead. Generally you have to reserve a spot 4-6 months out, and pay a chunk of change to do it. Four day tours start around $550. Oh, and want to rent a backpack? Another $60. Want to have someone carry your load? Another $60.

I personally had little desire to spend 4 or 5 days hiking in the cold and rain. (Remember I’m generally looking for places to live, not wanting to do travel and tourism al maximo. I’m just hitting up Machu Picchu because I was in the area.)

Alternatively you can do the Salkanay trek, which is much more affordable and which you don’t have to reserve so far in advance. See Dave’s review of the trek for more info.

4. Rainy season starts in December and goes until March.

One of the most annoying things about my Cusco and Machu Picchu experience was that it rained every single day I was there.

Every. Single. Day.

I had been told that the rainy season started in January, but I thought if I came in the first two weeks of December, I could get it in just in time… NOPE.

Rain, rain, rain, and more rain. I ended up getting completely soaked on a number of occasions, including the day I went up Machu Picchu.

Lesson: bring or buy GOOD QUALITY rain gear. That means a poncho which can be tightened over your head and backpack, and won’t flail up in the wind.

5. Plan to spend money.

Given potential for rain to ruin a day (or two) of yours, the trains and parks and hostels to be completely full without any open spots for you, and the service personnel to be quite ‘tourist’ savvy, it’s best just to come to Cusco with the idea in mind that you will spend money.

You’ll find fees added on top of fees added on top of fees. You’ll find people around every corner wanting money from you. And you’ll find yourself needing to buy food and water.

During the days you are there, it’s really not the time to think of flat-lining your expenses. You are here on a specific tourist mission to begin with, so just accept the fact that you’ll shell out a few hundred bucks you didn’t intend to.

6. Skip the smaller towns and hikes

While in Cusco, people will recommend that you visit the smaller towns and hikes of Pisac and Ollantaytambo. I went to a few of them. And… the views from the mountains were good…

The view in Pisac

But going to these ruins before Machu Picchu is like downing a hamburger on your way to eat a filet mignon at a world-class steakhouse. Just skip them unless you are staying for a week or more.

7. Buy train, park entrance, Wayna Picchu tickets beforehand

Even in low season, the trains from Cusco to Machu Picchu (the pueblo near it, ‘Aguas Calientes’) still fill up with regularity. I went in 2 days before I planned to go, and had to get a seat on the very last train because it was the only one available.

And, I had to take a bus to Ollantaytambo (~2 hrs) to catch the particular train. Spending a couple hours in a local bus in South America is rarely a desirable experience.

So make sure you get your tickets in advance. They only allow 400 people at a time onto Wayna Picchu, so it’s important to reserve them in advance as well. Just ask around in Cusco and they will tell you where to buy your tickets.

8. The train is the money guzzler of the whole Machu Picchu experience. But there’s no way around it.

The train costs around $70 one way to get to Aguas Calientes from Ollantaytambo. That means you are spending around $140 on an uneventful 3-3.5 hours in a chair. You’re paying much more than that if you’re going from Cusco.

But you have to do it. There’s no way around it. There’s no bus or taxi that will take you to Aguas Calientes. Only the train. It is a complete monopoly of access that the train company has on Machu Picchu (and believe me they are making bank).

I heard rumors that Chileans and Argentinians come up from the south in their cars and are able to drive to a nearby smaller pueblo, and then hike into Aguas Calientes to avoid the train… Anyone met these folks?

9. Where to stay in Aguas Calientes

This is a really good tip… ‘Aguas Calientes’ (also referred to as ‘Machu Picchu’ pueblo) is where you’ll go before you ascend the mountain, and it’s best to stay the night so that you can get an early start.

You can find a really cheap over night bed if you simply walk up the hill and over the bridge, further away from where the train lets you off. Just ignore the big signs and people trying to get you to come in when you first arrive. Go to the quiet, unassuming places on the other side of the creek, and you can find your own room with wifi for really cheap up there, less than $15 USD.

10. Get up early… and take the bus to the top. Take your passport. Take a poncho. Take snacks.

The hike from the town of Aguas Calientes up to the entrance of Machu Picchu was NOT worth it. A boring 2 hours with nothing to see, while observing the buses whiz past you every 10 minutes, taking eager tourists to the top ahead of you.

It also is an unnecessary expenditure of your energy– which you will need especially if you are going up Wayna Picchu.

So just take the bus to the top. Yeah, it’s a stupid $18 USD for a 20 minute ride, but it gives you your time and energy back… Enough said.

Oh, and you’ll need your actual passport (not a copy) to get in. Don’t forget it.

11. Do Wayna Picchu first, then come back down to Machu Picchu for photos.

Wayna Picchu, in case you still weren’t clear on it, is the mountain behind Machu Picchu that looks down upon it. It offers great views (when not cloudy / rainy).

The view from Wayna Picchu when it’s cloudy/rainy.

It is steep and rocky, and pretty dangerous when wet. It took me the better part of 2 hours to get to. But it was a good decision… I definitely recommend it.

If you go up first thing in the morning, it is much less crowded and it still gives you the afternoon to come down and take photos of the rest of Machu Picchu.

12. One hostel in Cusco you shouldn’t miss

I rarely mention the hostels I stay at on this blog unless they are particularly good. I am happy to say that I found one in Cusco that was particularly good and that I would DEFINITELY recommend you stay at.

It’s called Pariwana Hostel. It’s large, social, well-located, well-run, and has good bathrooms with plenty of hot water. It also has extra-large comfy beds. It has it’s own restaurant so in case it’s raining you don’t have to leave. It has it’s own computer and movie room too. I was definitely impressed.

The only thing is that it’s definitely geared more towards the young, partying type. I didn’t think it got too loud though.

13. Avoiding petty theft in Cusco

I was the victim of a pickpocket attempt while walking through the crowded downtown Cusco one night. I was carrying my backpack after a long day, and someone quickly unzipped my outermost pocket and made a swipe at the contents.

I hadn’t put anything in that pocket (clever me, ha haaaa), and when I turned around to see who was there, I didn’t see the guilty party. So I was left unscathed.

But this happens regularly in Cusco. If you’re a traveler, be on special lookout for pickpockets and thieves. They know what a tourist draw Cusco is, as tourists tend to have more money on them than the locals. Be sure you are minimizing your theft exposure.

…But is Cusco liveable?

I’ve met a number of people who claim Cusco is just an awesome city, as well as a number of people who have lived there several months. They can’t stop talking about it.

For me, I basically don’t know how I could ever like living there long term. It’s too cold, rainy, and isolated. The wifi isn’t good enough, there’s limited things to do in the city, and you wonder what people do there except Machu Picchu, massages, yoga and ayahuasca retreats.

The fact it was a major traveler’s destination, however, can be interesting in and of itself.

I mean, Cusco, along with Rio de Janeiro, are the most visited tourist spots in South America. You have the opportunity to meet people from literally all over the world, and in a fun environment like a good hostel. And when you find a good hostel like Pariwana, it creates the opportunity for a fun experiences with your fellow travelers– whether you hike with them or just go out and enjoy your time in the city.

So… I wouldn’t live in Cusco, but I might go back for a few days, just to be in that unique environment again.

Conclusion

Just to be clear: the reason you go to Cusco is for the Machu Picchu experience. That is the main draw, and it won’t change for the foreseeable future.

Plan on spending some extra cash, getting some good photos, and getting the contact info of that cute Brazilian you meet in the hostel.

I stopped there mainly because it was recommended by many other travelers that I’ve come across, including travel bloggers who have traveled all over South America. It was also recommended by some readers of this blog as “the most liveable city in South America.”

While I’m not sure I would agree with such a superlative, there are some good reasons why Arequipa is a city you should check out, particularly if you are planning to retire or settle down in some place for awhile.

1. Low cost of living

Peru in general a decent option for those who really want to flat-line their living costs. Though not quite as cheap as places in Ecuador, a good life in Arequipa can be had for under $1000 / month, easily. There are simple places to live near the city center at $150-$250 / month (though they’re very simple and might not include internet). Some people I talked to found even lower rates.

Speaking of internet, there are a number of cafes around town with wifi. Though not guaranteed to be fast (which is something I really want these days), these wifi connections are good enough to do basic surfing.

You can eat simple meals in restaurants for $3-$5, or you can go to nicer restaurants and spend $8-$10. You can buy produce in the streets or in the small produce shops for a pittance.

So, if you want to, you can live very cheaply.

2. Wide-ranging food options

Not sure if you knew this, but Peru has some really tasty meals waiting for you, including this one…

Rocoto Relleno (stuffed pepper & cheese)

From rocoto relleno and ají de gallina, to alpaca and ceviche, Peru serves up some really tasty food. Practically every South American traveler I’ve talked to agrees that Peru has the best food on the continent. I’m not the best foodie blogger, so if you want more photos and descriptions of Peru’s culinary smorgasbord, see the Peruvian food guide on LimaEasy.

The only bad thing about food in Peru is that most foreigners end up with stomach problems of some sort, at least initially (I was no exception). Nevertheless, it’s tasty and if your stomach can get use to it, you’ll definitely find it favorable. Arequipa is home to many of these dishes and doesn’t disappoint.

3. Walkable city center

Arequipa’s city center is based around the cathedral and a number of government buildings. Nearby you can find the various points of interest you’ll be interested in, including restaurants, cafes, bookstores, travel agencies, bars, and nightlife options.

It’s also easy just to stroll down to the park during the day for a good walk.

I really enjoy being able to walk where I need to go, and I’m not planning on having a car any time soon, so this is an important factor for me.

4. Expat connections

Arequipa is a little bit of a hotspot among backpackers coming to and from Bolivia, or to and from Cuzco. As such, there are a number of hostels in town to offer short-term stays, as well as good local info to get yourself situated.

Apart from this, though, you’ll come across English-speaking expats as you walk through the downtown… younger folks, older folks, they’re all there. If you hang out during the day in the cafes, you’ll find a number of older expats who have chosen to retire in Arequipa or younger folks who are volunteering in NGOs or teaching English. So this offers you a little bit of community in case you are still learning Spanish.

My favorite cafe spot, by the way, was Cusco Coffee Company, a couple of blocks from the main square. It’s definitely an expat hotspot.

5. Excellent climate with nearby mountains

When the sun is shining, it’s very pleasant to be outside in Arequipa. It’s a very spring-like climate. At night, you’ll likely need a jacket. But overall, I found the weather very agreeable. (Also note: Arequipa sits at 2380 meters, so it may take a few days to get use to the elevation.)

There is also the famous Colca Canyon nearby, and the El Misti Volcano. While you wouldn’t call Arequipa a “mountain town”, you can see the mountains off in the distance. Not only does this makes the scenery beautiful, but also offers opportunities for day excursions.

And, Arequipa has some neat sunsets…

(Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I actually took that picture. Hold your applause, hold your applause.)

6. Appreciating currency

The Peruvian Sole has been appreciating against the US dollar over the past 5 and 10 years.

USD vs PEN over 10 years… notice a trend?

If you’ve read my post on currency rates, you know this is something that interests me and something that should definitely interest you, if you are wanting to grow your wealth. The devaluing of the US dollar is a trend that you can bank on, as the government has overtly shown no interest in stopping the printing of money.

How moving to Arequipa would benefit you is if you decide to put boots on the ground and open a bank account. If you transfer your money over to soles, they will likely preserve their value over the long-term versus the USD. It gives you a solid opportunity to diversify your money internationally.

7. Relatively quick citizenship

One of the aspects of Peru that should not be overlooked is that you can apply for citizenship after 2 years of permanent residency. Permanent residency can be acquired through work or marriage and from the people I talk to, can be obtained pretty easily. There’s a good market for teaching English in Peru, and you can find work for this in Arequipa.

So if you are looking at acquiring a 2nd citizenship by putting in time on the ground, check out Peru. From what I hear, the application process itself can take another 1-2 years, but 2 years of permanent residency for citizenship qualification is about as low a requirement as you’ll find on the planet.

My Take

If you read this blog, you might know I’m a pretty tough customer when it comes to liveability. I have a number of things I’m looking for when I’m considering where I’ll live, including my main reference point and a desire to not spend a lot of time in places I don’t find attractive.

On the positive side, I found the food options in Arequipa (and Peru in general) to be the best I’ve seen in South America. There are so many good Peruvian foods to eat, as well as your ‘standard’ dishes like sandwiches, meats, American chains, etc. This is not to be overlooked.

I also like the fact that Arequipa is basically walkable, and living there would be cheap. Temperatures are very pleasant. It also has a strong indigenous influence to it. In these respects, it reminded me of Cuenca.

On the not-so-positive side, it’s a more expensive flight from the US, with Arequipa not being a major airport hub (though if you plan far enough ahead, you can get a flight to Lima for $60.) I don’t like the fact that it’s pretty isolated. There aren’t any other major cities close by, and it’s surrounded by desert. The internet was too slow (I’m looking for very fast internet these days). Also I’d say the social / nightlife / girls scene really didn’t reach that of Colombia or Brazil.

Conclusion

Even though I personally wouldn’t settle down there any time soon, Arequipa remains a good choice for liveability. Consider taking a visit, especially if you are an older expat who is looking for a place to settle down, with citizenship possibilities.

1. Internet is too slow / unreliable for serious internet entrepreneurs.

The last time I was in the USA, I went to a co-working space where the internet was 6.0 Mbps download / 3.0 Mbps upload. Now, this is not the speeds of the new Google fiber in Kansas City, but it was faster than I had ever had before. I could load pages and queue up videos and podcasts in a blink, rather than in a few seconds.

So, because of the fact I basically live from my laptop, the importance of fast, no… very fast internet has really dawned on me.

There is a huge difference between a few seconds and a blink. Consider the 3 extra seconds for pages to load, because I have to load hundreds, if not thousands of pages, per day. If you do the math, over a 5-6 day workweek, you are looking at an extra 6-7 hours you would save with very fast internet.

I am so sick of trudging through the ‘arbitrage’ places like Ecuador, Peru, and Paraguay where the internet is unreliable and/or too slow. Sure, some places might give you 1.5 down / 1 up and you might get a clear Skype call, but that is generally the exception and not the norm.

There are faster internet speeds, if you 1) pay extra to have it installed or 2) go to the more expensive countries like Chile.

If you pay extra, that means you have to get it set up in your apartment, and that can take awhile, subject to the Latin-America ‘mañana’ timetable. You could be waiting a week, two weeks, or more. Plus, you’re only staying a few months at a time, and the owner probably doesn’t want to switch just for you. Plus, it many places it’s cost-prohibitive and you will essentially be paying double your rent.

If you can already afford a good standard of living in the more expensive countries, then congrats, you’ve already made it. You’re not really a bootstrapper any more, so none of this matters. I’d tell you to go to Brazil… But I’ll tell you that I know a number of non-bootstrappers who have had issues with finding good internet, even in Rio de Janeiro.

So the basic idea is that the internet is just too slow and unreliable in many places over here. There are some co-working spaces popping up which address this problem, but from what I hear, I would get more speed reliably over in various parts of southeast Asia and Europe.

2. Potential low-productivity environments.

Minimizing costs are not the only consideration when you choose a place to go to build your business from your laptop. Instead of thinking of costs, you should think of value and whether or not you enjoy where you’re living.

Having said that, there are places in the world where there are too many distractions for your average Joe to get things done. Particularly if you are an undisciplined person, you would not be wise to more there because of all the distractions. (Rio de Janeiro, I’m looking at you!)

Sure, if you are disciplined like a soldier to do work when you need to, I imagine you can still do it. But the reality is that if you are not that disciplined, there are just too many distractions in many places down here… The scenery is too gorgeous, there are trips to take every weekend, there’s always a party tonight, your local friends are always inviting you out, and that cute Latina keeps giving you the eye.

Plus, there is a whole language or two to learn in your spare time.

All of this is a really good part of life in South America. It’s one of the reasons I will come back even if I have to leave. The life is just great down here, in Medellin and in other places.

But all this comes at a cost if you aren’t disciplined. If you’re not careful, you will not put enough effort into your business. Instead, you will get up, check your email, go study Spanish, then go to salsa classes, go to the gym, go meet a girl for coffee, go to dinner, and then go out for the night…

… every… single… day.

This added to the less-than-optimal internet speeds, and you’re looking at a low productivity environment.

If you are in the initial building phase of your business, where you are working to establish steady cash flows, it’d be wiser to put yourself in a high-productivity environment to get things going.

Later on, after you have your established income streams and you can afford a different kind of life, you can spend 5 nights a week partying in Buenos Aires.

… but not before.

3. There aren’t the internet-entrepreneur clusters like in other parts of the world.

Since the low-cost places in South America don’t have the best internet (among other things), there really hasn’t developed a multi-point community in the region that you can hop over to in order to continue the dream, do a visa run, or meet face-to-face with like-minded people who are trying to build a business from their laptop.

There are exactly zero other internet entrepreneur hotspots within a $200 plane flight of Colombia, where you can network and share life with people who are trying to do the same thing you are.

While many internet entrepreneurs seem to be drifting towards Medellin, it seems pretty quiet in the rest of the country.

In Southeast Asia, by contrast, there are a number of spots within a $200 plane flight where you can meet a number of people similar to what you are doing: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Saigon, The Philippines, Indonesia… all of these locations are geo-arbitrage hostpots where internet entrepreneurs congregate.

There are also various spots in the less-expensive parts of Europe, where you can get insanely fast internet (Prague). Plus, you can get around Europe pretty easily.

4. There are very few inter-country low cost airlines.

On that note, I remember just the other day I was talking to a Colombian who wanted to visit Honduras, but was discouraged because the cheapest flight from Colombia to Honduras was about $700.

He wanted to fly to Miami via Spirit airlines, and then from Miami to Honduras because it was cheaper. But he couldn’t do this because the United States government makes transit visas as hard to get as tourist visas… And they cost an additional $130.

But even if you’re from the USA or Europe, inter-country flights are not cheap. Colombia to Peru will cost you $400. Colombia to Chile, $600. Colombia to southern Brazil, $700-800. Flights from the major cities of Colombia (Medellin, Bogota, Cartagena) to the neighboring country of Panama, start at $450.

I myself have taken a bus through roughly half the continent, and I can tell you it’s not pleasant. It’s one reason why I am more likely to take the plane these days.

But even though I’m inclined to take the plane, I’m not willing to shell out $400-$500 on a regular basis to hop countries. I’m just not to that point financially. Now, if you are at that point, great… but if you’re a bootstrapper, you’re very aware all those dollars could be put back into your business.

So, just to review South America…

Apart from Medellin, Colombia in the north… consider:

There’s nobody in Venezuela or the Guayanas. (Holler back if you are! )

Ecuador leaves a lot to be desired. Even though cheap, it’s known more for older or retired expats than young entrepreneurs. It lacks a lot of development, the internet is poor, and thievery is high.

Peru (the next country south) has one major city where things could develop (Lima), but it’s not quite attracting attention yet as it’s a little removed from other cities. It’s a $400 from Colombia, and another $400 to any other major city in South America. The food is great, though… I’d love to see Lima develop into a hub, if it weren’t so cloudy every day.

Bolivia and Paraguay are basically the poorest countries in the continent. Don’t go there expecting good development or fast internet, much less a community of internet entrepreneurs. Sure it’s cheap, the internet is like watching snails in molasses.

After that, you’re down to the expensive hubs– Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil– where you really can’t expect to live well on $1000/mo, unless you are a spartan. Buenos Aires, for example, has historically been a hub for expats and entrepreneurs, but right now you’d have to live a pretty disciplined existence to flatline your costs there. Plus there’s the inflation of the currency that causes everyone a headache.

And Brazil, of course, is a wonderful country, and I have much more of it to explore… but it should be obvious to anyone that you don’t go to Brazil looking to minimize your monthly burn.

So What Am I Saying?

If you have significant capital and/or want to seek funding for a legit startup, your considerations are different than your average bootstrapper… consider heading to Chile.

But there are significant reasons why if you are a younger guy with a laptop, $10k, and a dream of being a nomadic entrepreneur, South America might not be the best place to make it happen.

What sometimes occurs after I publish a post like this was that a few people claimed I was making snap-judgements, and moving way too fast through countries in order to make a proper evaluation of the country.

I can see where they’re coming from. For instance, getting to know the people of Chile (i.e. developing relationships) is something that can’t really be rushed, and may be the most important part of getting to know a foreign land. I didn’t leave a lot of time for that.

Plus, there is definitely more to Chile than what I experienced. There are not only many more places in Chile to check out, there is also the large metropolis of Santiago itself, a globally-important city which would take at least several months to get to know well.

But, let’s be honest here. I’m not trying to make a full, comprehensive or otherwise proper anthropological evaluation of the country.

What I’m trying to do is decide whether I would like living there… And I accomplished that just fine, thank you!

Going Abroad To Live, Not Just To Travel

You see, I have a very strong idea of what I’m looking for in a country, based on a handful of factors that are relevant to me at this point in my life, within the context of my values and priorities.

I’m not trying to do a ’round-the-world’ trip, or be some backpacker-blogger who can follow a hostel trail, take pictures, say the world is wonderful and move on. I’m not trying to ‘see the world’, I’m trying to find something.

And, after being abroad and traveling a good bit over the past 2 years, it simply does not take me long to see whether I would like to live in a country or not, when compared to Colombia (specifically Medellin) or Brazil (which I intend to explore more).

I came to a ‘nay’ on living Chile rather quickly. (In my experience, the ‘nays’ come quickly but the ‘yays’ come slowly.) I’d say if Chile were cheaper, I might spend more time there to get a better handle on things, but there’s just no way I’m going to stay in a place that doesn’t really resonate with me while paying US prices (or more).

There wasn’t really much about the city that drew me to it. I say this after putting boots-on-the-ground and experiencing the city for myself.

Brazil has high prices and attracted me. Chile has high prices and didn’t attract me.

My attraction to a place, by the way, isn’t capricious. In fact, it’s part of a general process I go through when I am looking for liveable cities. (I actually feel that this is a process that most people should do, provided that they engage in it intelligently and don’t make foolish financial decisions. So pay attention…)

Here are some of the steps in the process (which I detail here):

To me, it’s simple… Just like you would visit various neighborhoods to see if you would live there, or visit various universities to decide whether you would attend, you also would travel to see if you would like to live in a place.

Having a reference point (or more than one) is the fastest way to decide whether you actually would live in a place.

It didn’t take me long to see I’d prefer Rio de Janeiro over Santiago.

Move On Or Return To Your Darling Cities

The reason I spent only one week in Chile is that I didn’t need to take another week away from living in or exploring other places that are already desirable to me, in favor of one that was 1) expensive and 2) less attractive.

There’s incredible power in a reference point.

Chile has a lot of things going for it, especially economically. I’m sure it’s a good choice for a lot of people.

But for my lively-but-sensible, internet-bootstrapper lifestyle, right now there’s no way I’d stay there. And honestly even if I had the extra income to afford it, I likely still wouldn’t live there.

Going to Brazil helped me reach this conclusion.

I feel like I learned a lot this year– particularly a lot about myself and what I am looking for as I traveled around South America (and am now back in Colombia).

When 2012 started, I was thinking it would be the year where I started bringing in loads of online income to support my dream of becoming location independent. I did start bringing in some income with some projects, but it was a lot less than I had envisioned.

I had a number of failed projects, including a terrible business partner who did absolutely nothing for me but rob me of my time and energy. I feel grateful that I finally cut the chords and officially ended everything with him a few months back.

Not all was failure, however. For example, I managed to post on this blog consistently this year, and as a result my traffic increased 4-fold. I’ve been getting a lot of emails from readers, which is a good sign. I might be doing something right.

*** By the way, if you haven’t filled out my readers survey, I’d really appreciate it if you did! ***

But what I really think I’ve learned in 2012 is something that I think most people don’t learn unless they run a successful business or realize how to really become wealthy.

It is something which the average Joe doesn’t get, because he looks at things only one dimensionally.

What I learned is this: the idea that low-cost is the default way to go is completely wrong. Completely wrong. 

My life these days has a different course… I have stopped looking for the lowest-cost hostels because I am sick of sweaty, smelly dorms and dirty bathrooms. I have stopped looking for the lowest-cost transportation because I am sick of wasting my precious time on a bus. I have stopped looking for free information on the internet because I am sick of the amateurs who really haven’t proved themselves to me… I now purchase from people I trust.

I have stopped spending my time in countries that I don’t like, even if they are cheap.

Instead, I have started to spend MORE money because I believe nowadays I think in a multidimensional picture of value.

Take a concrete example– Several weeks ago, I was in Peru and needed to get from Cusco to Lima. The bus ride is about 20-22 hours. The plane ride is about 1.5 hours.

The bus costs something like $45. The plane cost $120.

I took the plane.

I took the plane because my time is valuable to me, and I essentially got one full day of my life back if I paid an extra $75. This would allow me to continue with my various life projects, work on my business, write new posts, explore Lima sooner, move my life forward etc. With a bus ride, on the other hand, I’ve lost one day of my life.

You see, a typical ‘budget’ traveler is only concerned about one thing: cost. He will take the bus because it’s the cheapest.

Now, I have about the same monetary budget as a ‘budget traveler’ but I took the plane because I value my time.

Time is the one resource you cannot make more of. You are only given a limited number of days on this planet… How much would you pay for an extra day of your life?

A multidimensional view of value also extends to getting business smarts…

So when I buy products now (or sell them), I no longer look for “lowest cost” to be the major part of the equation. I look for products which will best solve a problem that I have at the current time, or that provide me with a decent return on my investment. (There’s a saying in business circles that competing to offer the lowest-priced product is a ‘losing battle’… Couldn’t agree more!)

So, if my problem is getting from point A to point B, a plane is the answer for me if it substantially gives me my time back (like it does from Cusco to Lima!).

Or if I am going through the trouble of processing and fulfilling an order for someone, I make sure I’m not going to be earning just a few dollars for doing so.

Or if another place in the world has 10x faster internet, I would seriously consider moving there because I get my time back.

This also extends to other considerations about your life in general. For example, I was unhappy living in Ecuador in late 2011. I was spending less, yes. But I was not happy.

How much would you pay to be happy?

So you see, my life was being affected by this one-dimensional view of value, i.e. that low-cost is everything. It was poisoning everything I did, and stealing my time and happiness.

In 2012, I finally said goodbye to the low-cost-is-all option.

If there’s something valuable I need or want, I’ve realized the answer is not to sit back and only think of carefully preserving my current cash stash. The answer is to hustle, earn more money, and create the life I’ve always dreamed of.

And isn’t that what you really want?

I hope this year brings you loads of happiness and adventure.

I have a quick request…

If you have read this blog at all, would you please take a minute and fill out this survey?

It should take you no more than 5 minutes, use it to let me know how I can help you in 2013.

I would be sooooooooooo appreciative.

Click here to go to the survey.