Green IslandColombian Prices
December 4th 2009 00:36
Playa Blanca, near Cartagena
Like most people who have never been to South America I was under the impression that Colombia was one of, if not the most, dangerous country in the entire continent. Colombia has that winning combination of left win paramiltiaries living in the jungle and right wing paramilteries living in the jungle and government soldiers trying to bomb the shit out of the junlges. Combine that rep with the likes of Pablo Escobar and the enoromous coke trade and you have a PR problem. However, oddly enough present day Colombia is a generally safe country to visit and the rewards for doing so are great: the people are friendly, cities like Medellin and Cartegena are thriving and developed metropolisis. There are great Caribbean beaches, things are cheap and the culture buzzes with a blend of colonial, African and modern. The FARC, wrongly or rightly have been largely blown to smithereens thanks to the helping hand proferred by the US military. Now there's is only the smallest chance of encounteting guerrillas on the main tourist trails. They are mostly confined to the deep amazon basin in the south east of the country. This blog is a record of our expenses in Colombia. Our budget for 2 people is $60 a day. On our first exchange at the border we got 1,950 Colombian Pesos to $1. The rate varied with exchages, often considerably lower than quoted on the web. I try to adjust daily budgets accordingly.
28/08/09
Pasto, Colombia
Taxi to Carcelen Terminal Norte in Quito, Equador = $7
The terminal is miles out of town and many people go to the one closer into town and getting another taxi to Carcelen. Be warned it's not mentioned in the old LP.
Bus from Quito to Tulcan ($5 per person) = $10
Fags and lighter = $3
Everywhere only wanted to sell singles. It required effort and strained communication skills to get a whole pack.
Toilet = $0.25
Bus station tax ($0.20 per person) = $0.40
Taxi from Tulcan to Combian border = $2
We shared with 3 other travellers.
Taxi from Colombian border to Ipiales = 5,000 pesos
Bus from Ipiales to Pasto ($4 per person) = $8
They nicely let us pay in dollars at a good rate. However, bus rates are not fixed in Colombia (except the bus from Medellin to Cartagena) and you have to haggle.
Taxi from Pasto bus station to Kaola Hostel = 3,500
Dinner = 9,000 pesos
2 beers and 1 coke = 5,400
Kaola Hostel (12,000 per person) = 24,000
Total = $30.65 41,900 Pesos
Total = 101,667 pesos (15,333 pesos under budget)
29/08/09
Popayam, Colombia
2 breakfasts = 10,000
Taxi to bus terminal = 3,000
Fags and water = 7,000
Bus from Pasto to Popayam (20,000 per person) = 40,000
Lunch = 8,000
Changed $30 at 1800 at a clothes shop in Popayam for a terrible rate.
Food for dinner = 8,600
Hostel Trail (15,000 per person for a dorm bed) = 30,000
Total = 106,600 (10,400 under budget)
Dog from Hostel Trails
30/08/09
Cali
Bus from Popayam to Cali (11,000 per person) = 22,000
Taxi from terminal to Iguana Hostel = 5,000
Iguana Hostel (17,000 per person for a dorm bed) = 34,000
Shopping = 29,000
Red wine = 6,500
Coke = 1,400
Changed $50 with a bloke at the hostel for 2,000
Total = 97,900 (19,100 under budget)
Sex shop in Cali, Colombia
31/08/09
On bus to Medellin
We went to a supermarket and changed $420 at 1850 at a proper forex place. It turned out that that dodgy bloke at the border gave the best rate!
Supermarket = 13,400
12 Malarone tablets just in case we get malaria, purchased from a kind traveller = 40,000
Taxi to bus terminal = 4,000
Night bus from Cali to Medellin (35,000 per person) =70,000
Dinner = 12,000
Toilet = 850
Total = 140,250 (23,250 over budget)
01/09/09
Medellin
Taxi from bus terminal to hostel = 4,500
2 hotdog combos = 10,000
Hostel Casa Kiwi (18,000 per person) = 36,000
Shop for breakfast = 8,860
Exito Supermarket = 30,000
Fags and cigarette papers = 7,000
Beer = 5,000
Total = 101,360 (9,640 under budget)
Fernando Botero statue in Medellin
Read about that night with the perfect man from Australia
02/09/09
Medellin
Casa Kiwi = 36,000
Gear = 4,000
2 tube tickets = 3,000
Drinks = 3,500
Tube = 3,000
Museum entry (8,000 per person) = 16,000
tube = 3,000
Fags = 3,200
Supermarket = 26,231
Total = 97,931 (13,069 under budget)
03/09/09
On bus to Cartagena
Internet = 2,000
Bread = 1,400
Lunch = 11,000
Fags and water = 6,000
Internet = 1,400
Taxi to terminal de Norte = 10,000
Bus from Medelllin to Cartagena (98,000 per person) = 196,000
This is one of the biggest and most unavoidable rip-offs in the country. Had to take it on the chin. Only alternative is hitching or flying (which can be the same price).
Dinner = 12,000
Water = 1,500
Total = 241,300 (130,300 over budget)
04/09/09
Cartagena
Taxi from bus terminal to Casa Media Luna = 10,000
Casa Media Luna (22,000 per person for a dorm bed) = 44,000
An expensive hostel but the weather was very hot and the hostel had a small pool as well as a cool roof top bar.
Green = 20,000
Supermarket = 20,000
Shoppping for beaCH = 51,000
Dinner = 10,000
Beer = 10,000
Changed $300 @ 1900
Total = 145,000 (31,000 over budget)
05/09/09
Playa Blanca
Boat from Cartagena to Playa Blanca (30,000 per person) = 60,000
Tax (12,000 per person) = 24,000
This was very expensive. The flat bottomed speed boat banging over the waves is fun but not worth it. There is a bus going to Playa Blanca for a fraction of the price. The hostel people were keen not to help us with the cheaper alternative.
Fags = 7,000
Camping on Playa Blanca (3,000 per person) = 6,000
1 bucket of water for shower = 2,000
Grande fish dinner = 21,000
1 plain rice = 2,500
2 soft drinks = 5,000
Total = 135,000 (21,000 over)
Playa Blanca, near Cartagena
06/09/09
Camping = 6,000
Spaghetti chicken = 18,000
1 rice = 2,500
2 buckets of shower water = 4,000
3 cokes = 7,500
Total 38,000 (76,000 under budget)
Playa Blanca was our favourite beach of the holiday. Warm water like Thailand, very clean, few people, no hotels and pools, no village infact. Just miles and miles of perfect caribbean beach. The choice was a day trip or camp or stay in a hammock. We went for the camping. If only every day was Playa Blanca. For more pictures and comment go to Trippy Traveller in South America
07/09/09
Playa Blanca
Camping and water = 10,000
Grande chicken for dinner = 18,000
1 rice = 2,500
3 cokes = 3,500
1 beer = 5,000
5 litres of water 1 litre = 5,000
Total = 44,000 (70,000 under budget)
08/09/09
Cartagena
Boat from Playa Blanca back to Cartagena (15,000 per person) = 30,000
Cold drink = 2,500
Casa Media Luna = 44,000
Exito supermarket = 36,000
Total = 112,500 (1,500 under budget)
09/09/09
Santa Martha
Bus to bus terminal (1,500 per person) =3,000
Bus from Cartegena to Santa Martha (25,000 per person) = 50,000
2 pisses = 1,600
Lunch = 4,500
Taxdi from bus terminal to Casa Familiar Hostel = 5,000
Casa Familiar Hostel (15,000 per person) = 30,000
Green = 35,000 $5 5,000 (taxi fare) = 49,500
2 cokes = 3,000
Supermarket = 36,000
Suntan lotion = 21,000
Fags = 7,000
5 litres water = 4,000
Total = 214,600 (100,600 over budget)
10/09/09
Tayrona National Park, 'El Cabo beach'
The national Park and especially the furthest beach, El Cabo, was spectacularly beautiful. It was a hard slog through the forest with our provisions for camping but worth it. However, the water was just a tad chilly - well chillier than Playa Blanca
Changed $300 @ 1903
Baggage storage = 2,000
Avocados = 5,000
Supermarket = 32,000
Bus from Santa Martha to El Zaino (4,000 per person) = 8,000
This bus was a bugger to find - it's not at the terminal but rather from a side street.
Park entry (31,000 per person) = 62,000
Taxi from park entrance to trail head (2,000 per person) = 4,000
El Cabo campsite (12,000 per person with own tent) = 24,000
This was really overpriced.
Cokes = 8,500
Total = 141,500 (27,500 over budget)
El Cabo beach in Tayrona National Park
11/09/09
El Cabo, Tayrona
Camping = 24,000
Cokes = 9,000
Chicken rice = 17,000
Total = 50,000 (64,000 under budget)
12/09/09
El Cabo
Camping = 24,000
Water = 4,000
Coke = 3,000
Dinner = 16,000
Water = 4,000
Coke = 3,000
Total = 54,000 (60,000 under budget)
13/09/09
Santa Martha
Coke = 3,000
Hit & coke = 5,000
Taxi from trail head to road = 4,000
Taxi to Santa Martha (We shared with another traveller) = 10,000
Casa Familiar Matrimonal rooom = 30,000
Supermarket = 17,600
Beer = 2,000
Beer = 4,000
Internet = 2,000
Total = 77,600 (36,400 under budget)
Running Totals
Argentina $1,079, Bolivia $1,016, Peru $1,904, Equador $594.15 and Colombia $1,000
Total Spent $4,999 US Dollars
Total Budget = $6,360
Total Difference = $1,361
So despite Colombia being the most expensive country so far, at this point we are still over a grand under budget.
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