Article 202 of Decree 19 of 2012 states that in Colombia, once your vehicle reaches 6 years old (dated according to its matricula/registration), you must take it yearly for a technical revision. There are locations designated by the government as official sites to have the tests completed. If your vehicle does not pass all of the tests, you are given 15 calendar days in which to repair the defici... »
The Volkswagen Diaries – Part 2 Expat stories are a popular item. It is fascinating for the readers to see how or what it took for someone else to take the leap to live, work, play, invest or retire in a foreign land. Many people who are familiar with First American Realty in Medellin, know that they are the number one Expat Real Estate consultants in Colombia. Rich Holman, the founder, has... »
……and what you can do about it. Corruption still exists, ´´big time´´ in Colombia but to be entirely fair to this country, corruption is truly rampant in other parts of the world. The amount of well intended First World money that has siphoned into hidden bank accounts of African leaders probably dwarfs anything that the Latin Americans might have made off with. Not only that the Fir... »
Jardines – A place to watch Sometimes one hates to give up secrets. Living in the Colombian community you often traverse paths that are not typically seen by most foreigners but the time has come and the word is out. Jardines, Envigado is a place to watch. Envigado is the municipality that is immediately south of El Poblado (Medellin). As this is a continuous urbanization one does not notic... »
Compensation for bad cell phone service in Colombia Are you tired of poor reception on your cell phone ? Do you have bad reception/voice quality ? Frustrated with the failed or dropped calls ? Steps are being taken to improve the cell phone service in Colombia. Not only that but the cell phone companies have been given an incentive to improve the quality of their service. Starting January 1, 2014... »
Every year the minimum wage in Colombia is increased and every year the amount is contested by the Colombian labour leaders. This year they were seeking an 8 % increase. Instead they received 4.5 % Here are the stats for the past few years. 2006: 408.000 COP – an increase of 6.90 % 2007: 433.700 COP – an increase of 6.30 % 2008: 461.500 COP – an increase of 6.40 % 2009: 496.900 C... »
If you want to get lucky in Colombia, then according to custom it is time to break out the yellow underwear ! This is just one of the many interesting Post Christmas Traditions in Colombia. Somehow it seems that with the change from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar, April Fools is celebrated in Colombia on December 28. This is the Day of the Holy Innocents – “EL Dia de lo... »
” Juegos del Aguinaldos ” are games that some Colombian families play during the 9 evenings of the Novenas that lead up to and include Christmas eve. They are not familiar to some Colombians but nonetheless are part of the Christmas traditions for others. The word ”Aguinaldos” actually is derived from Latin and it means a compensation for an achievement attained. In this c... »
Buñuelos is a very typical Colombian treat and is eaten in most homes throughout the holidays. It also has become a popular breakfast snack and there are many small shops or street vendors selling this delicious treat. It has numerous names and variations around the world – bimuelo, birmuelo, bermuelo, burmuelo, or bonuelo and is common in many Latin American countries as well as Greece, Mor... »
One of the wonderful things about Christmas in Colombia is that it is really Christmas !! Albeit we don’t have any snow but there is none of this wishy-washy, homogenous, Happy Holiday, whitewash nonsense that a once great festival has become in North America. No one here is afraid to say Merry Christmas – Feliz Navidad !! Colombia, of course is still 90% Catholic and traditions are st... »
CO Peso Exchange Rate