First Visit to Santa Martita

It would help if I spelled it correctly.

Of course, I'm speaking of Santa Marta.

Hello Tim,

I've been living here in colombia for 3 years. You will not need US dollars here, no one will allow purchases in dollars. I would advise on bringing 100 dollars in pesos (400 mil pesos) just to get you through your first couple days here. After that you can go to any bank to withdraw money. The best bank in my opinion is davivienda as it has a withdraw limit of 500 dollars and has a good conversion fee.

Lastly , consider using uber here... it's extremely cheap and safe. Just remember to always sit in the front seat and not the back seat. Hope this helps !

As for the water ... don't drink the tap water here. I did various times and ended up in the ER with cryptosporidium. Buy bottled water here, there's plenty to choose from and its easily accessible.

I don't know much about Santa marta but I think an airbnb will best suit you since you don't have a visa yet and landlord's are weary about renting to a foreigner. The 180 days is only possible if you request an extension before your 90 days expire. Once you used up the 180 days you cannot comeback until the next calendar year I believe.. I'm not 100% sure but I know 180 is the maximum for a year. I used expatgroup.co to help me get my visa and now they're helping me with my residency.  They're bilingual and I highly recommend them!

Lastly,

@timmcnemee Been there, why Santa Marta? Muchoo hot and you will pay more money for a place to live. I have a 3 bedroom 2 bath apartment in Funza with good security for 235.00 usd a month. Funza is like 10 miles outside of Bogota and no need for AC. My wife lives really good on 650.00 usd a month, that includes the water, gas, internet, electric and food. You can jump on a plane for 75 usd anytime and go to the beach. It is hotter than shit there and you are going to pay good money for electricity for your AC. If you are around the tourist places you will get the gringo price. I was planning to move to the beach but I find that like a 10 day trip there is just fine, I watch the sales on Trip Advisor and get a 4 star hotel with breakfast, pool and gym. Last time I stayed in Barranquilla at the Hilton for 10 days at 50 usd a night. The breakfast buffet for 2 is worth 30 usd, a pretty good deal then you can find where the Colombians eat. I think the supermarkets where they have the cafeteria style food is a great deal, can eat for 2 at a little over 5 usd.

Accommodations:  "I need a place that

can help me get there from the airport."

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Unless you are arriving well past midnight at one

of the busier airports in Colombia, taxis and

shuttles will generally be available.  You do not

need to arrange airport transportation in advance.

Taxi booths and stands normally operate until

some time past midnight.  Write down your

destination on a card or paper to show the driver.

cccmedia

As I can stay only 180 days. I am going to need to find somewhere else to stay for a while. Does anyone know how long I will need to be gone before I can come back for another 180-day visit? I was thinking probably Mexico or somewhere else where I can make my social security dollars stretch.

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Since Venezuela is considered hostile territory, the only cities

close to a Colombian border are in Ecuador and Panama.

These countries are best reached by air if coming from

a distant place in Colombia. Ecuador v. Panama: Ecuador

is generally less expensive.

Pre-covid, there was no minimum time required

to stay outside the country before returning

to Colombia via border hops. I don't know of any reason

this would have changed.

Keep in mind that an Expat can expose his or her

worldwide income to Colombia's taxation agency

if remaining in-country for 184 days or more

in any 365-day period. Many Expats including

yours truly make it a point to avoid becoming a

Colombia 'tax resident'.

cccmedia

First question are you collecting Social Security?  I am 64 and was told by a columbian layer that I could get my visa no problem at age 63 the big thig was SS. Look at Airbnb to rent a place. You can change a few US dollars at the airport. After that I got cash from western union using my US bank account

When I was in Columbia I had to wait 180 days before returning

I am 64 and was told by a columbian layer

that I could get my visa no problem at age 63...

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Please turn spell-check 'on'.

@Javier03824 not drinking tap water only applies to the coast...where you wll be

The water in Eje Cafetero   foreample, is great

Thank you to all that have responded, despite the egregious spelling error in my original post.

What do you think, would I be able to survive not knowing any Spanish and, on my English, only.

Also, I get my medicine through the VA, does anyone have any experience dealing with that and what recommendations do you have with it?

@KirkVan Yes. I recive SS. Does my getting SS improve my chances with the visa process? Can you recommend the lawyer you mentioned?

@ timmcnemee

Where specifically did you "discover" that a man needs to be 65 in order to get a retirement visa? I have been looking into this for some time and this is the first time I have encountered that prerequisite?

Don't count on using your credit cards. Plan on using ATMs, I would bring two from different banks if you can manage that.

As to the water in Santa Marta, it is toxic. I stayed at the Marriot on my last visit and on the second day I noticed a small decal on the bathroom mirror stating not to drink the water and that water could be obtained on the 4th and 11th floors. Well I had been brushing my teeth with the sink water... All future visits I'll only drink bottled beverages, breakfast beer anyone. So in further due diligence. All those wonderful juices that they offer in the streets and restaurants, do they use bottled water to make them? Do they wash their product in bottled water. Is the ice in your beverage made with bottled water? In addition don't eat and seafood or fish. Don't go in the water at the beach. Their sewer treatment facilities are very stressed and inadequate.

Hotel Playa Mar Santa Marta is located across the street from the beach near the marina. I think we paid $18 US per night for a triple with breakfast. Just write down the address and give it to the taxi driver...he will get you there. There are probably several hundred places to eat within walking distance as well as attractions (zoom in on Google maps).

In regards to 180 days there are two similar issues that some confuse. As far is visas and time allowed in country it is 180 days per calendar year. The other issue is taxes and if you stay longer than 183 days in a rolling 365 day period you are supposed to file taxes. So you could spend less than 180 days in two successive years and exceed 183 days in a rolling 365 day period.

Finally you mention VA and meds. I have read several posts that indicate that Colombia has implemented a pretty high bar for Veterans and PTSD, caveat beware.

Finally, I really don't envision Santa Marta as a long term place to stay. If you are envisioning a tropical Carribean beach it is more of a sh!thole. The only reason I stayed there the second time is that it was a staging point for the Cuidad Perdida trek. I got pretty sick both times I was there.

lpd

@timmcnemee I forgot to mention a few ideas for your time away from Colombia. House sitting and or boat sitting come to mind as ways to live basically free. Many boat owners leave their boats after the sailing season and want a responsible person living on their expensive boat to ensure it's safety. Additionally, there are a lot of boat owners that need additional crew so that they can enjoy their expensive toy. Most want a person willing to share expenses; but, some will pay your expenses especially if you have skills/experience.

House sitting, well maybe you can swap time with one of the 180 day wonders to watch their home while they spend their six months in Colombia.

elp

What I'm really curious about is my ability to survive in Colombia,  Santa Marta or Bogota or anywhere really, on just English and no Spanish-speaking ability at all, if I come on a 180-day visa just to check everything out.

And how can I get medication that I currently get through the VA.

Any help on these matters would be appreciated.

@Lpdiver This is where I found the requirment for a man being 65.

visaguide.world/retirement-visa/colombia/

What I'm really curious about is my ability to survive

in Colombia, Santa Marta or Bogota or anywhere really,

on just English and no Spanish-speaking ability at all,

if I come on a 180-day visa just to check everything out.
-@timmcnemee

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Dear Tim,

Unless an Expat in these cities is based at a

five-star hotel or at a university, they can minimally

'survive' on 100 words of español or fewer.

That's not a rich Expat experience for most folks.

YMMV.

Places in the region where a relatively high

percent of the locals speak English are

Gringolandia in Cuenca, Ecuador .. and

Vilcabamba, also in Ecuador.

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You may be misinformed about what you call a

180-day visa.  You may be referring to a

tourist permit which is awarded at no charge

for visitors from most, but not all , countries.

This permit is typically for 90 days ..

and can be extended in-country for a total of

180 days.

cccmedia

And how can I get medication that I currently get through the VA.
-@timmcnemee

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Your hotel in the major cities you mentioned can

put you in touch with doctors to prescribe your meds

under the meds' Colombian or South American names.

Bring your USA prescriptions if you have them.  However,

that's not usually essential.  Many meds prescribed in the

States are available over-the-counter without a scrip

in Colombia.

Typically, VA meds are for USA citizens residing in the

States.  So don't expect the VA to send you pills overseas

or to reimburse you at an Expat location.

cccmedia

According to the Medellín Guru website,

a center to provide medical services to

U.S. armed-services veterans opened in 2020

in Sabaneta, Colombia, near the Paisa capital.

Whether these services include medications

is not clear.  This is an expansion of a

VA program in Panama under the name

Healthcare Colombia.

Source... www.medellinguru.com

@cccmedia Thank you for your valuable responses. You are obviously a valuable and knowledgeable resource on Columbia and the surrounding area.

@cccmedia Do you have any recommendations on an app or language course to learn the 100 words of español you referred to. How different in Spanish in Colombia compared to Spanish spoken in other locations?

@cccmedia Do you have any recommendations on an app or language course to learn the 100 words of español you referred to. How different in Spanish in Colombia compared to Spanish spoken in other locations?
-@timmcnemee

Most children have a 100-word vocabulary or greater around 20 months...

Two-year-olds, 200-300 words.

At age 3, 500-1,000 words.

Typical 5-year-olds have a vocabulary of about 10,000 words.

The internet has many "essential" word lists in Spanish. For just a few hundred words of most importance, they will be about the same in any Spanish-speaking country. Colombian Spanish is spoken quite clearly for the most part - but it also has a lot of slang.

https://preply.com/en/blog/basic-spanis … d-phrases/

https://www.thoughtco.com/spanish-words … ow-3079567

https://www.spanish.academy/blog/1000-m … beginners/

Here's a nice on-line vocabulary test that will guesstimate how many words you know:

https://www.lingq.com/en/learn-spanish- … ency-test/

Here is a 40-question multiple-choice test of your ability to pick the right word(s):

https://www.esl-languages.com/en/online … start-test

@timmcnemee Hi Tim, I have a townhouse in El Rodadero (a beach community that forms part of Santa Marta). You may want to look for a place around here - lots of good restaurants, and very close to a decent beach - although you would be well advised to spend a few thousand pesos and go to a beach away from the centre, where there will fewer people (especially hustlers). As was previously posted, no need or use for USD here. If you need pesos, sending yourself a Western Union credit transfer works well. I use my cedula to pick up transfers, but you should be able to use your passport for identification. The historical centre of Santa Marta (around Parque de Los Novios) is quite nice. I can recommend a great Mediterranean restaurant - Ouzo - and a great patio bar two doors away - Marley Bar. And you can get a T-bone steak with fries and a beer for about $18USD equivalent (including tax and tip) around the corner at 13 Reses. The coffee farms above Minca - 30 or so minutes away - make a nice day trip. Just  a final note - the country is spelled Colombia, not Columbia. 🇨🇴 😊

Also, no Ubers in Santa Marta, but taxis are cheap and reliable.

@timmcnemee The prices on the page that you referenced are very dated so I suspect that the information is as well. There have been many significant changes to the visa policies (none of them good). I suggest that you mouse over the the Colombian government website and get your information there. https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visa

best of luck

lp