I shop regularly in Plaza de las Ferias and sometimes in the other markets. I've been in all of them, including Corabastos, which is supposedly the most dangerous one. I go everywhere in the city at all hours. I do all the stuff the chickenshit poster was afraid to do, and have never had a problem.
If you are really worried about getting robbed in Bogota AVOID the Zona Rosa and the 93 area. Those are the two areas where you are statistically most likely to get robbed in. Just because an area is ugly or poor does not mean it is high in crime. This is not the US. Things are different here.
Is Bogota as safe as NYC is now? No. It is about as safe as NYC WAS when I moved there back in 1997. Which means there is a lot of pickpocketing and petty theft. One should take common sense precautions when being here. But taking those precautions VASTLY decreases your chances of ever having a problem, and the positive benefits to living here are ENORMOUS, more than enough to make up for the slightly elevated crime. I absolutely love this city, and would NEVER move back to the US. I will just take simple steps to prevent my pockets from being picked, keep my eyes peeled on the street, and continue having the time of my life.
May 27, 2008 Rating
I respect your reasons by: Mauricio
Bobby, Thanks for your sincerity.
Well I think 6 years is time enough to know the country very well. I respect your reasons for leaving.
As I say in my "Retire in Colombia" page, we have the same problems every other country in the world could have. Kidnappings, killings, atracos are not exclusively of Colombia. Like terrorist group in Colombia FARC; there is ETA in Spain or Bin Laden in the US and Europe. We have to take our caution measures just as common sense dictates.
I don´t see people in the States leaving their country because gun shootings at schools and Universities . It would be unfair also to say that it only happen in the States. Look what happen in Germany last year.
I know that terrible things happen here too. All people in the country were horrified for the case of the bus. I use to travel once or twice a month by bus at night from Bucaramanga to other cities in the country (Bogota, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Medellin, etc) and I can say that there is police and army all the way on the road, and that make me feel secure.
Maybe that's not the case for all the roads in the country, and I know now I will have to be more cautioness and call the police to check if there is a patrol. But I 'm not gonna stop traveling. Most Colombians don´t perceive situation like everything is anarchy and that things are getting worst in the country. You’ll see the complete opposite.
Bogota as I also say in my bogota's page, is like any other capital city in the world. And I agree with you that Carulla is not the cheaper supermarket. You have many others to choose ( Exito, Carrefour, Cafam, Olimpica just to mention in Bogota), without having to go to Corabastos (I don't even think it would be a bad idea to know a typical market place like Corabastos or any other typical market places in towns and small cities).
Anyway bobby , what I do is to point the good things about Colombia and the advantages a foreign person would find here. I would be very pleased that people all over the world could enjoy the kind of Colombian life. I'm not trying to hide anything. I think bad news have more broadcast that good ones and it's not a secret Colombia is not the first place people think of to retire in. But we are changing that.
I just giving my grain of sand to make of this a better country.
The only thing I can tell you is that we are almost 40 million inhabitants and the majority is like the people you knew in those 6 years. I'm sure there is plenty of room for more from outside!
May 27, 2008 Rating
WHERE DO YOU LIVE ? by: Anonymous
JUST WONDERING WHERE YOU LIVE THAT PEOPLE DONT GET MUGGED AND KILLED ? EVERYTHING YOU DESCRIBED SOUNDED LIKE NEW YORK AND PROBABLY EVERY OTHER MAJOR CITY IN THE U.S.A...I REMEMBER BEING IN BOGOTA 3 YEARS BACK AND WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS...THERE WAS A STORY THAT NIGHT ABOUT A SHOOTING IN A NIGHTCLUB IN SOUTHERN BOGOTA AND MY AUNT SAYS..."YOU SEE YOU SEE HOW IT IS HERE ?" I THOUGHT WHY IS THIS SO SURPRISING TO YOU AUNTIE ? THIS KIND OF THING HAPPENS IN NEW YORK NIGHTLY...SORRY YOUR EXPERIENCE WAS THAT BAD...BUT LIKE ANY OTHER CITY WHEN YOUR WALKING THE STREETS YOU SHOULD USE SOME STREET SMARTS IF YOU HAVE ANY...
