Thailand vs. Colombia

[PMak]

I have lived in Phuket for almost three years now and considering Medellin Colombia for my next adventure. I have never been and will check it out this Summer. I don't care about bars, prefer healthy living in a moderate climate. Still find it too hot and humid here. I have yet to find anyone giving a great comparison between Thailand and Colombia.

Has anyone here lived in or been to both Colombia and Thailand that can offer a comparison?

[fey]

why move then? if you need more temperate northern thailand fits the bill.
chiang mai and chiang rai have same weather as good days in northern california where i'm from, not too hot at all.

south america your going to run into more problems like crime, unhealthy food, spotty internet and phone connections, less english to resolve problems in transport and other things, nasty locals etc. there are more problems there then thailand would have. thailand is a pretty easy life believe it or not.

but i can understand the adventure and change of scene aspect, you can't stay in the same location forever. just treat it as a temporary stay so you don't get dis-illusioned.

Edited February 16, 2016 by fey

[CharlieH]

Same region, you may find this of interest:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/880185-thailand-vs-panama/

[NomadStrategy]

the internet in colombia is much better than anything you will find in Thailand, as is the weather, something about eternal spring there.

[KittenKong]

south america your going to run into more problems like ........ less english to resolve problems in transport and other things, nasty locals etc.

I would find it infinitely easier to learn Spanish than I would to learn Thai. Spanish uses a Latin alphabet and most pronunciation is similar to English. The grammar is also very similar to English and many European languages.

No shortage of nasty locals here either (or in most places for that matter).

[Somtamnication]

"Nasty locals" . Idiotic comment of the day.

I grew up in that region. I loved it and wished I could go back. You have years ahead of you, OP, so do it. You will regret it if you don't.

[Berkshire]

Another comparison? Somebody wake me when we've gone through every single Latin American country.

[THAILIBAN]

Same region, you may find this of interest:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/880185-thailand-vs-panama/

Panama is completely different than Colombia, very americanized and boring.

safer, and more expensive. but for sure less SANOOK

[THAILIBAN]

Same region, you may find this of interest:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/880185-thailand-vs-panama/

Panama is completely different than Colombia, very americanized and boring.

safer, and more expensive. but for sure less SANOOK

oh, and I love the PAISA platter of Medellin (even this one I had in Bogota actually ^^ )

[Lukecan]

Colombia is way dangerous compared to Thailand, there is a crisis in Latin America right now, with crisis comes social unrest.

[eldragon]

Think about your safety, mate. Before I made the decision to live in Thailand, I thoroughly considered somewhere in South America. The thing that kept popping out at me was safety. Reports of people getting mugged or worse at least once a year. Unable to leave their homes at night. Dont show modern electronics in public. Etc. Didnt sound very fun to me. Violent crime rates are very high in that part of the world.

[PMak]

why move then? if you need more temperate northern thailand fits the bill.

chiang mai and chiang rai have same weather as good days in northern california where i'm from, not too hot at all.

south america your going to run into more problems like crime, unhealthy food, spotty internet and phone connections, less english to resolve problems in transport and other things, nasty locals etc. there are more problems there then thailand would have. thailand is a pretty easy life believe it or not.

but i can understand the adventure and change of scene aspect, you can't stay in the same location forever. just treat it as a temporary stay so you don't get dis-illusioned.

I have been to Chiang Mai and didn't find it that exciting and can't remember the weather being more dry? I have been to Udon Thani and there thought it was a little bit more dry, but again, not so exciting.

With Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai I'm worried about the pollution in February? I suppose that's a good time to go away.

But how do you find the humidity compared to California? The heat isn't a problem. Just the humidity, for example sleeping with an open window is a no for most of the time in Phuket. How about Chiang Mai?

[PMak]

"Nasty locals" . Idiotic comment of the day.

I grew up in that region. I loved it and wished I could go back. You have years ahead of you, OP, so do it. You will regret it if you don't.

Is crime really that big of a problem there? (or only outside tourist areas?)

[MrTee]

Never been to Medellin I have been to Bogotá Colombia .. I found the people really friendly and warm.. I am still friends with many people that I met there.

As one or two other posters said Colombia is perhaps more dangerous. They have a saying "never show the papaya" or something similar - No dar papaya. : Never leave your self in a position to be taken advantage of.

I was there a only a few hours, in a "safe" part of town.. Some kid on a bicycle tried to grab the gold chain off of my neck. I showed them the fruit, he wanted it..

I was warned never get into a taxi unless you have ordered it .. Call a taxi company, they give you a pin code, that the driver will tell you when he picks you up.
Many people told me a powdered plant they blow into your face that makes you succumb to their instructions "go to ATM and give me your money" like a natural rohypnol- similar to some Thai girls with their magic pussies I suppose.
Called Devils breath - Socopolamine. from the Borrachero tree. its well documented on the interwebs

They have great food in Colombia. and of course the coffee is fantastic!

Not sure about the "internet" being better there. I guess the previous poster meant they have better broadband or whatever, but that'll depend where you are.. I have fantastic Optical Fibre here in Thailand.

I'm sure it'd be worth a visit to see how you like it.. But do lots of research before you go there.

Keep us informed.

[eldragon]

"Nasty locals" . Idiotic comment of the day.

I grew up in that region. I loved it and wished I could go back. You have years ahead of you, OP, so do it. You will regret it if you don't.

Is crime really that big of a problem there? (or only outside tourist areas?)

Why would you want to be restricted to a tourist area?

[dddave]

A friend from the US went to Medellin last year on a consultancy and was offered a full time position with decent but not extravagant pay. He spent a lot of time checking it out and talking to local expats but ultimately decided to pass on it. The country has certainly had a huge upswing from 10 years ago and is not as casually dangerous as back then...but outside of the tourist areas, it is still a risky place for anybody with money.

He visited some expat's homes in the suburbs of Medellin and though many of them were very beautiful and very inexpensive, they were all like fortresses with extensive security systems and an attendant at the gate. Most of the "executive class" expats had company drivers and took careful precautions to avoid abductions which he was told were not that unusual. Companies always paid.

Great place to visit, but.......

[Berkshire]

A friend from the US went to Medellin last year on a consultancy and was offered a full time position with decent but not extravagant pay. He spent a lot of time checking it out and talking to local expats but ultimately decided to pass on it. The country has certainly had a huge upswing from 10 years ago and is not as casually dangerous as back then...but outside of the tourist areas, it is still a risky place for anybody with money.

He visited some expat's homes in the suburbs of Medellin and though many of them were very beautiful and very inexpensive, they were all like fortresses with extensive security systems and an attendant at the gate. Most of the "executive class" expats had company drivers and took careful precautions to avoid abductions which he was told were not that unusual. Companies always paid.

Great place to visit, but.......

Latin America Is World's Most Violent Region: Area accounts for nearly one in three global homicides, U.N. study shows.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303603904579495863883782316

[fey]

A friend from the US went to Medellin last year on a consultancy and was offered a full time position with decent but not extravagant pay. He spent a lot of time checking it out and talking to local expats but ultimately decided to pass on it. The country has certainly had a huge upswing from 10 years ago and is not as casually dangerous as back then...but outside of the tourist areas, it is still a risky place for anybody with money.

He visited some expat's homes in the suburbs of Medellin and though many of them were very beautiful and very inexpensive, they were all like fortresses with extensive security systems and an attendant at the gate. Most of the "executive class" expats had company drivers and took careful precautions to avoid abductions which he was told were not that unusual. Companies always paid.

Great place to visit, but.......

Latin America Is World's Most Violent Region: Area accounts for nearly one in three global homicides, U.N. study shows.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303603904579495863883782316

not just violence, but petty crime is a constant issue. you always have to be on guard for thefts and pickpockets. in mexico city for example you need to chain your wallet to your belt, and even then it's not safe riding any sort of public transit. this goes for locals and foreigners. bag slashing with razors is very common.

imo crime is much worse in the cities and tourists areas then it is in outlying areas where it's mostly gang and drug related, if you don't get involved your unlikely to be targeted, thought he risk is much much higher then se asia would be.

why not visit? you'll get the vibe right away. can't really understand how someone could make a permanent move without visiting anyhow.

then report back while living there how safe and nice people are compared to thailand

[FireMedic]

If I had to do it all over again, I'd be in MDE. I already speak Spanish, I was in and out of there for 6 years and I loved every minute of it. When the time comes I can do my job in Colombia, I'll be gone. Colombians are 1000x nicer than Thais ever wish to be.

[penco]

A friend from the US went to Medellin last year on a consultancy and was offered a full time position with decent but not extravagant pay. He spent a lot of time checking it out and talking to local expats but ultimately decided to pass on it. The country has certainly had a huge upswing from 10 years ago and is not as casually dangerous as back then...but outside of the tourist areas, it is still a risky place for anybody with money.

He visited some expat's homes in the suburbs of Medellin and though many of them were very beautiful and very inexpensive, they were all like fortresses with extensive security systems and an attendant at the gate. Most of the "executive class" expats had company drivers and took careful precautions to avoid abductions which he was told were not that unusual. Companies always paid.

Great place to visit, but.......

Latin America Is World's Most Violent Region: Area accounts for nearly one in three global homicides, U.N. study shows.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303603904579495863883782316

The whole of Latin America is not the same. I'm familiar with Chile.

A cursory glance at Google came up with this...

http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Chile/United-States/Crime

Crime on the whole is lower than the US.

Colombia may or may not be worse, it's not somewhere I know.

But to lump the whole of Latin America together and say it's "all like this..." isn't useful or true.

[PMak]

Another comparison? Somebody wake me when we've gone through every single Latin American country.

Another flaming response by some know it all that has nothing better to do than respond with negativity. Wake me up when there are intelligent replies Oh wait. Plenty of them, just Berkshire apparently trying to boost his post stats. #Winning

[ammagic]

Boiling in the summer months in Chiangmai & then there's the air pollution & burning. Lived there for years but gave up & moved to Hua Hin. Wish I had done it sooner!