Well I don,t know
 

Talking to the Colombians in the street it would appear that the current government,whilst not perfect by any means has changed the country around with at least until the current world crisis,steady economic growth and more importantly a much safer enviroment to live in.
Medellin,once one of the more dangerous places to be is now one of the safest.Considerably more so than Quito the other city I live in.In Medellin for the most part you don,t see the petty crime that is now rife in Quito.
Whilst I,ve been here about 9 months or so now it,s only been good news on the battle against the Farc.
The more they fall by the wayside the safer things become.Especially since the involvment of the neighbours was called into play.They now have nowhere to run!!!
So feel free to attend Colombia Libre 2009! the Riders Rally I,m getting together in November!!!
More details to follow
Al theturtleshead

Ta
 

Thanks Al, you're fortunate to live in the city of springtime. Linzi.

I had a chance to talk at length with several Colombians when I was in Bogota, and without exception they were all in favor of the current government's actions. Of course, I didn't talk to everyone.

You may have lived half your life in the UK but...I cannot make any sense of your English translation. Sorry. Linzi.

I m always surprised by the arrogance of some anglo saxon natives, a kind of cultural pride based on nothing tangible except the nostalgy of an extinct colonial past.

I was also surprised how little they were interested in learning spanish while travelling in South America, as if everybody should naturally understand their gimmick worldwide.

Let s hope that our controversial shoe string veteran travellers will benefit from argentines natural generosity and curiosity for foreigners to open themselves to the culture and the language, and that locals will be more indulgent with their spanish than Linzi when they speak his language. :nono:

And yes the Che frenzy after the film can be felt as pathetic and an oversimplification of the complex mixture of influences that built their culture, just like tango tourist traps. I was surprised to see how some of my local friends reacted negatively while i was playing "don t cry for me Argentina". Holliywood junk clichés that can irritate when repeated too often.

I perfectly understood you, Waterfox

As a Spanish speaker I wouldn,t call this offensive at all.
Also it,s one thing being offered hospitality,it,s another thing blatently asking for it.
These guys should at least have the common sense to wait to be offered something.
If they are not a pair of dickwits the hospitality would have been forthcoming!!!
Al theturtleshead

Rudeness
 

Waterfox, in future when you want to be rude, do so in public, not by private message. Learn to use punctuation and your writing will possibly make sense. Without it, no chance. Sorry. Lindsay.

Vorteks
 

You are wrong in all you say. I am not anglo saxon. I speak German. If you are always amazed, perhaps you're doing something wrong. I am not amazed at what you mention. But it does irritate me. You've got the wrong target though and I have never been to Argentina. Linzi.

Gut, dann koennen wir uns ja auch auf Deutsch unterhalten: Viele Sachen stehen nicht in den Regeln, aber da 99.99% aller Mitteilungen im HUBB auf Englisch sind, kann man wohl doch annehmen, dass die HU-Sprache Englisch ist. Oder?

Yep. I have volunteered to help deal with others' childish behaviour.

Tough, deal with it.

Have a nice day.

Chris (Not the only cunning linguist amongst us)

As, much as I hate to revive this thread, I can't ignore your insult.
Perhaps, as a Spanish speaker, your English is somewhat suspect and no insult was intended.
However, if it really was your intention to call us 'dickwits; I would very much like to meet with you and discuss this face to face.

Pete

Leave it!
 

Have you had a few scoops?

He is also a Scottish speaker. You can find him in Medellin, probably in Poblado, but I wouldn't let the cantanquerous old git wind you up.

By the way, the offer is still valid, probably in Santa Marta. To stand on the northernmost tip of South America was their dream afterall!

Buena Suerte.

This is a good place with good people. Try some more...

PS: You are doing a whole let better than I thought you would: Revolution Road

Hi Pete
Take Stretcher Monkey's advice and ignore Mr Al theturtleshead. You really don't want to cloud your judgement of the people of South America by coming into contact with his troll-like tendencies. Furthermore, there are many great people on the HUBB and there are always exceptions that prove the rule.

Enjoy your trip.
cheers
Chris
PS. I considered removing the offending post, but though it summed up Al just right.
PPS: There's a feature on the the HUBB software that allows you to put people on your "buddy" list. There's also an "ignore" list.

Real people and Hospitality
 

Great stuff Chris!
I get bikers asking questions daily,both here and other places.I do what I can for them.
Oh yes I,ll stand by any day of the week that hospitality should be offered and not asked for.
Al theturtleshead

My address is widely published here on this site! and I will stand by the statement!
Asking for hospitality rather than waiting for it to be offered makes you sound like a dickwit.Maybe it,s just old fashioned.
Maybe the fact that you can afford the time and money to drive two 1940,s Nortons around South America doesn,t make you sound like you need too much charity!!!
Al theturtleshead
So you won,t have to search to hard
THE TURTLES HEAD
La Niña 626 y Juan Leon Mera
Quito Ecuador
005932 565544

Wits
 

Hi Al, as a fellow Scot I would ask you to not refer to people in the terms you use unless you are face to face. It is against Scots rules of etiquette as much as elsewhere. Your suggesttion that you're not afraid etc is the sort of stupidity that makes me no longer be so quick to admit to my nationality. Thanks for nothing. Linzi.