Hey pal, Things are well there. Im back in S Florida for the time being.
The economy is booming, construction is everywhere unemployment is as you non existent. Their SS system is amazing. Money paid in actually went for investments..like natural gas plants, hospitals, resorts and so on.
Most taxis have converted to natural gas and some buses.
FARC has been getting the soft treatment from Pres. Santos but...and this is important, he is under extreme pressure by the US and EU to play nice.
Most Colombians would rather see FARC killed off...totally. Santos has to walk a fine line to keep the economy together.
Venezuela has missiles aimed at Colombia, missiles from Iran.
Medellin is doing great...great city but Bogota has a commie mayor and as always problems.
Dollar isnt as good as it once was but not bad, property values are going thru the roof.
We have prop there, paid for, so we enjoy our life there. Picked up another country place in Armenia and doing a bit of remodeling.
There is sense that gringos are moving in by large numbers but thats not the case. Actually very few Americans there as you know. Realtors push up the prices for foreign buyers.
Food is still cheap, gas is more as well as imported goods.
Crime is not a problem as far as Ive been able to determine.
But there are place, like everywhere, ya just dont go.
Colombians are very pro American...they like to have conversations with us and are very friendly.
Traffic in the major cities is a mess as always, damn motorcycles are buzzing all around. I usually use taxis in the cities.
I still enjoy sitting at an outside bar, having a cold one, watching the world go by...!
I know what you mean about the realty. My wife is looking in the coastal cities and it was a price shock compared to a few years ago!
Tell me, milk in a bag. The first time I saw it I thought "Meh..."
Then I tasted it. I don't think I'll ever think the same about American milk again. It's like drinking water now.
I have family in the energy industry there, but he's working on development in the Amazon right now. He loves it. Engineers can still find a meaningful challenge in Colombia.
I have to go back soon. I really enjoyed it.
Cheers and I'm going to show my wife your report. She'll love it. THANKS!
Pour yourself another round and have a fantastic evening!