Jan. 31, 2012
“Kathleen, my husband and I attended your conference in Medellin, Colombia, last week, and we want to thank you for introducing us to this beautiful, modern, and safe city. The people are warm and friendly, the tree-lined streets are clean, and there are enough restaurants to satisfy everyone’s taste. I encourage anyone with an adventuresome spirit to come and see Medellin for yourself. The old stereotypes of crime and drugs and long gone. The people of this city are proud, and it shows in how well they take care of it.
“Do yourself a big favor and come spend some time in the city of eternal spring. We are certainly glad we did not listen to our friends about the dangers of Colombia. We would have missed a wonderful experience.”
–Toni D., Canada
***
“Hello to Kathleen, Lief, Lee, Lauren, and the whole Live and Invest Team.
“I was a fortunate attendee at last week’s Colombia Conference and am still here in Medellin three days later. I have spent those three days renting drivers and their taxis for full days looking at all of the areas of this region that Live and Invest suggested be considered. (By the way, you can rent a taxi for six hours for about $72 American.) What an eye-opener!
“I have looked not only at areas here in the Medellin valley, but also out of the valley, closer to the airport, where the elevation is 2,000 feet higher and the temperatures are 10 to 12 degrees cooler. Medellin is temperate (65 to 85 every day), but I prefer it just a little cooler, especially since air conditioning here is an exception.
“I have lived in Atlanta on three different occasions in my adult life (approximately the same population as Medellin but with five times the land mass), and I have to say that Atlanta is no more cosmopolitan than this wonderful, sexy Colombian metropolis! Sure, there’s lots of traffic, the accompanying noise, and tons of people, but somehow the general attitude here is so much more relaxed. I have yet to encounter a single person, despite my horrid command of the Spanish language, who has not been completely cordial and helpful.
“By the way, I added a free application to my droid cell phone called Google Translation that has truly made my dealing with the local population relatively easy.
“Since I had already invested in the trip to Colombia, I decided to add Ecuador to my travels. I will write with what I find in Cuenca and Quito.
“Myself, I am looking for a less expensive place to retire that isn’t a full day commute to the United States. I believe I may have already found it. If you are one of those many people who, like myself just a few months ago, is ‘setting on the fence,’ trying to decide whether or not to invest the money in researching a new, less expensive overseas place to live, well, jump off. Take the chance and just do it!
“I’m having the best time discovering this country, and, whether or not I end up here, I truly feel enriched just having been here. Can’t wait to get back home and blow my friends away with stories of central Colombia and a few phrases of Spanish. I truly can see ‘jumping off’ myself and coming here for a six-month trial period.
“Thank you, Live and Invest, for convincing me to come. I had wondered if your daily e-mails and encouragements were just smoke, but now I know that, while you are selling advice for a price, it is good value and very, very educated advice. You will have my loyalty for a lifetime.”
–Bill N., United States
Continue Reading: Expat Life In Panama
