Paro nacional

Two key dates.

According to a reading of the Spanish-language

article in El Colombiana which are linked-to above,

two key dates that may be of importance to

Expats and others who would be affected by

events already planned .. are February 15 and 22,

both Wednesdays.

February 15... 17 activities protesting the

government are planned, including blockades

and marches.

February 22... A widespread taxi action led by

a union boss and possible Bogota mayoral

candidate will aim to block the roads leading

to major airports.

Source... El Colombiano

Both Colombia and Ecuador in ferment.

In addition to the Colombia activities noted above,

dissatisfied elements in Ecuador -- notably

including the powerful indigenous contingents --

appear to be bringing matters to a head.

Several Ecuadorian federations have called for

a joint meeting on Sunday, February 18, in Quito

to discuss potential demonstrations and

logistical moves against Ecuador's government.

Leaders of the indigenous federations claim the

administration of Ecuador has failed to meet its

obligations as decided in negotiations last year

and the administration allegedly has falsely

claimed it has been complying with the

negotiated terms.  These leaders apparently

want Ecuador's presidente to resign his office

or else to call early elections under a

Constitutional provision known as the

Death Cross.

Cuenca HighLife has been following the latest

posturing and scheduling of meetings .. and

is a reliable source of news for anyone planning

to travel in this region during February or March.

News source... www.cuencahighlife.com

  -- cccmedia in Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia

@nico peligro The taxi lobby seems strong here, just like in New York City, dUSA. It seems these organizations can't seem to get it through their thick skulls that the Free Market is a thing. They want to continue taking advantage of riders (both local and travelers), price-gouging us, forcing us to try and negotiate (bad for non-Spanish speakers) especially at night. They don't understand the REASONS that Uber is so successful: algorithm-based, [basically] fixed prices, no negotiation needed, often more polite drivers, plus other things. Thus, Uber is PERFECT for travelers, introverts, people who have zero negotiation skills (incidentally, I am all three things), and people who don't carry cash around. Heck, if circumstances dictate, one can run errands using Ubers the whole day without bringing their wallet or saying a word!

Also, because Uber drivers usually use their own vehicles, the cars tend to be cleaner, better-maintained, and overall safer (relatively speaking).

Also, taxi drivers - ALL OVER THE WORLD - are notoriously and casually racist towards POC, often intentionally quoting us MUCH higher prices, or ignoring our requests entirely and leaving us stranded at NIGHT. I had that exact terrifying experience last year right here in Barranquilla, but I won't deep-dive into that right now, because I don't want to re-traumatize myself.

But anyway... despite these and several OTHER well-known issues and downsides, the taxi companies refuse to reform and compete... they just want to take away other options from riders - they'd rather FORCE us to use only THEIR service, or walk, take a bus, or hire exclusive and even more expensive private transportation. Or just stay home I guess.

The Free Market is not a good fit for things like Healthcare, but it's a PERFECT fit for semi-public transportation! I hope the taxi lobby FAILS at this bold-faced attempt at stripping Consumers of Choice in Colombia.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuesti … ber_is_it/

As somebody who has never been to Medellín, much less Colombia, I recommend expats not frolic in Parque Arví, Medellin. Reports exist of North American victims sustaining orifices on their bodies from attacks by armed gangs. In fact, I read about it in the "Sabado Violento" report in the El Colombiano today.

@ChineduOpara the taxistas get paid peanuts in Colombia and the government is slowly taking the subsidies off gasoline

A typical 10 minute taxi ride will cost you about 6 to 8 mil pesos in most cities ..much less than a metro ride in NYC

Only place they rip you off is Bogota and Cartagena..and when they  try it with me , I see I am not a bobo gringo that just.gotb off the plane..I throw what I think its wirth in their lap and tell them to call a cop to mediate if they dont like it

Never hava an  issue regaurding fare in the Eje Cafetero..

Well ..only once in a 1000 rides..and I told the young punk off

You think taxi prices are bad and taxistas dishonest in Colombia ( which is ludicrous), you should take a ride in Canada

And I am sure NYC is way worse

Once I took a half hour taxi in London and he wanted to charge me $100 US

Same with París, any city

Taxi redes are peanuts in Colombia, and surprisingly  in Ecuador as well

@nico peligro I understand. I'm not begrudging the taxistas their fares. What I - and many other people - don't like, are things like fakeness, negotiation, etc. I know I am not alone when I say I'd gladly pay a little more (in your example, 10-12 mil pesos instead of 8) if we knew ahead of time the set rates, etc. for sake of planning and predictability. And also if they would treat all potential riders equally, instead of sizing us up to try and extract more money (or ignoring or price-gouging POCs late at night when options are limited).

I hope my point came across.

@nico peligro yes, I like I said to another user... the actual price isn't the issue (at least not for me). The issue is the price inconsistency, need to negotiate, nasty surprises, among other issues.

As far as taxis in North America... oh believe me I know what you mean. There's a reason I sold my house and all my belongings and left the dUSA 😂

We now interrupt this discussion of North American

taxi fares in an attempt to assess whether there was

a strike, a Paro or any similar activity in Colombia's

cities on Sunday, the 12th.

As of early morning on Monday, the 13th,

news organizations that typically follow this type

of activity are not reporting anything having

occurred on Sunday.  Nor was there discussion

indicating such activity occurred .. at the

Colombia forum of ExpatEx------.com

#TheRevolutionWillNotBeTelevised

@cccmedia Maybe it's a virtual protest, on social media...?

The marches, according to many Colombia newspapers, will be taking place this week - both in favor of Petro (tomorrow, the 14th), and against Petro (the 15th and the whole week).

For those of you who prefer English blogs like Cuencahighlife for your news, The Bogota Post has the following recommendation:

Be prepared for two days of disruption. If you’re in a major city and need to move about, check social media for updates on where the protests are taking place. Many people are working from home today as there may be road closures and issues with the TransMilenio. Plus, as we’ve seen in the past, peaceful protests can quickly become not-so peaceful.