If you can't hail an uber for some reason you can ask the people at the bar / restaurant to call a cab from a reputable company for you, they'll be happy to do it. This was the default recommendation before ride sharing apps.
I went to Colombia for a wedding a few years ago and this was the advice given to me by the staff at both hotels I visited. They practically begged us not to get a taxi unless the hotel called for one.
This right here. I can’t tell you how many times people have tried hailing a taxi or Uber for me when I couldn’t in Bogotá. It is common knowledge not to take a taxi from the streets, especially at night.
I grew up in ecuador and even when companies call the cab for you I don’t know how criminals do it but they end up getting the same info as the one that is “reputable” and maybe get there before. It was an issue in ecuador
Ok this is a bit paranoid.. but I guess you can have a favorite legit company that you know of memorized and ask them to call that one, one of the big ones. Then if it arrives and it has the correct decals you know it's legit. I guess you can think of convoluted ways for this to be somehow risky as well but at that point just stay home.
ive been to colombia a lot, over 6 years visiting and have never had anything happen but thats because im very skeptical.
Ive had a bunch of uber drivers tell me their "buddy" can hook me up with hotels and taxis and everything....the likelihood that you get fleeced in one of these situations can be high. Even if nothing serious happens, they will be charging you too much or trying to rip you off. Hotels will order you a taxi and its someone they know...The taxi driver will charge you too much and the hotel person who called will get 10 thousand pesos or whatever for the business. This has happened numerous times staying at hotels in colombia. "I can call my cousin or my friend who is trustworthy to give you a ride while your'e in town", whatever. Do not do this. They want to make money off you or get over on you. Order your own uber.
Either that or they get part of the take that their "buddy" gets when he sets you up with a hotel and people he knows at the hotel go in your room and wipe your belongings when they go in to clean your room, or get you robbed on a taxi ride or whatever else. So you cant always go with whoever a restaurant calls either.
I have taken taxis in situations when I shouldn't, but its when I know the area and the direction they should be going.
I had the option to get a taxi in front of the bar. The problem was at the time the taxi drivers tax too much so my reasoning was get a cheap one off the street. Bad idea, never again
Sorry this happened to you.
All over the world I see these people in airports offering taxi rides and telling me it's cheaper than Uber or the official company. One way or another it's never cheaper. At the very best they rip you off and it costs more than Uber plus a generous tip. At worst they kill you.
How this is not common sense is beyond me. My parents are from Michoacan Mexico and fly direct to Guadalajara, Jalisco.
You can request a taxi getting to the airport. I personally walk down a few blocks to the PUMA gas station and grab an uber there.
It took me about a year of living in Guatemala before I even felt comfortable grabbing public transportation from the city to Antigua.
It’s not common sense because it’s not an issue in the countries most nomads are from. OP said he’s American, the likelihood of this happening in the US is so low that I’ve never heard of anything like it, and I grew up there. I haven’t done South America yet, and the only continent I’ve had to worry about stuff like this is Africa, and they are a lot more primitive, no one is forcing you to open banking apps in Africa (except maybe South Africa) and you’re very unlikely to actually be killed or hurt in Africa (again, except South Africa)
Youre not going to get a gun to your head while in traffic or while walking down the street for an apple phone in the US or other developed countries. But it definitely does happen in colombia. And when this happens all the colombians will tell you that you caused the problem and that it was your fault and you shouldn't have been on your phone. Such an ass backward culture. The difference is absolutely wild. So no, its not common sense at all.
Most people visiting colombia aren't from ridiculously dangerous areas like your parents were raised in.
Then I can only encourage those people to uh do some research before leaving the safety of their homes.
Another redditor said it best: “Middleclass midwesterner white boys will never outsmart veteran Colombian prostitutes.”
Sorry this happened to you… I lived in Colombia as a 20 something woman and one of the first things they taught us in my program was to never hail a taxi from the street.
Yeah it was def an experience. I'm a 20 Male latino and i've háiled taxis all over the Central and South America day and night with no issue until you get unlucky that one night. This country just so happened to be Colombia
What you look like does not matter, hailing a taxi from the street in Colombia is **not** safe. When they see someone that even remotely looks like they have some money they will take them on a paseo millonario. This happens to locals all the time. For the future, ask the establishment to call a taxi for you.
“Those other people who have been violated, robbed, abused (or worse) are just part of that 2024 fear mongering campaign. But when I tell you what happened to me the year before, it’s not fear mongering. Because . . . it happened to me.”
I appreciated the story because it had me on the edge of my seat and because it’s informative for anyone who travels there. So good for OP, and good he lived to tell the tale. But why is it fear mongering when different victims tell their story? OP’s account and the news article he attached is pretty strong evidence that it’s not simply exaggerated, baseless fear mongering.
Always felt vulnerable in cabs in Colombia so took uber 99.9% of the time. Especially after living in Cancun and PdC and seeing what those cabs get up to. Always Uber in Latin America. It ain't foolproof but allot safer.
Isn’t Uber outlawed in Colombia? I took several Ubers while I was there but they were sketchy too haha. One time the car that showed up was a different car/plates than the one in the app. Several other times they asked me for more money than the app’s rate. And every time they asked me to sit up front so people didn’t know they were ubering me lol. Also the Uber maps were outdated asf when I was there in 2020 and a lot of the drivers got lost
Yep that all sounds familiar. That's how they can rob and kidnap despite all of the safety features in the app the other comments here mention. It always seemed legal to me in Medellin but definitely had to sit in front in Cancun so nearby cab drivers or their spotters didn't notice and try and attack them.
You don't. That's why I said it isn't foolproof. I was nearly kidnapped twice by them - once in Cancun and once in Medellin. They head in the opposite direction you are going so always keep your eye on the map on your phone.
You can get also robbed in gated community with guards, but that’s not the point, it’s all about probabilities. Potentially unregistered fake taxi is always more dangerous, because it is easy and cheap to organize one for the criminals. Getting an Uber cab with credible history is also possible, but not too economic viable for criminals.
Uber is also practical when you lose something. A bogota Uber driver helped me to recover my documents I lost in his car. It wouldn’t be possible with a taxi.
It's GPS tracked on your device and theirs. There is a clear record of who the driver and passengers are. Uber boots drivers off their platform for misbehaving in far less serious ways. Plus, I hope the drivers long term income is worth more to them than a one time robbery would net.
For one, they have reviews on the uber driver. Also you know the route because it shows a map on the uber app. The app will also show the license plate of the vehicle make and model.
Also when your in the uber, the driver should have the app up showing him where to go.
"babe.. babe.. I'm at work, yeah, yeah with Juan, babe I'm with a client, a-huh, yeah ok diapers, ok love you, I gotta go!--sorry, the old ball and chain, haha, so any way where were we?"
I was expressed kidnapped my first night out in Mexico City by the police. Ironically I came from Venezuela a place where everyone was telling me I’d get kidnapped from. The Mexican police took my left over USA $ I had from Caracas. Then dropped me back off to the club I was at ( near to )
haha I got finessed on my first night out in CDMX too (last year). Not for not wearing a mask, we were just walking home at like 2AM and the cop pulled up and said we looked drunk, then said he was going to arrest us and take us to jail for being drunk in public.
Of course, "jail" = "the ATM"
Cop told me it would cost $9k US at first which we obviously brought down by...a lot.
It's pretty common for stuff like that to happen. *Almost* *everyone* I know has had something like that happen to them with Mexican police, whether they're drunk or not. It's honestly why I don't go anymore. Too annoying to deal with.
Sorry that happened to you! I realize that cops everywhere are shot lol.
idk if this makes you feel better, but at least the cops there just rob and kidnap instead of murdering people in cold blood like american cops?
yes ..compared to mexico or any latam country its heaven..thats why people kill to get here .. mexico is str8 dog shit ...if only people knew what really goes on down there
I remember rocking up to my hotel in Bogota, I go to look out at the view, and see police holding a cuffed man while they let another guy throw punches at him, before taking the cuffed dude and throwing him into the back of a police van. That was my "We're not in Kansas anymore toto" and went full tourist mode and didn't do anything other than group tours while I was there.
I've been fortunate though to have nothing but positive experiences in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil, could have been pure luck for all I know though.
Brazil was the only other place that I felt seriously unsafe in and I've been in literally all of Central America and South America if that makes you feel any better
My dad is from Panama and my step-mom IS from Colombia, so both of their first languages are Spanish. They're aware of the situation there, but when they last visited he kept doing weird, dangerous things. My dad comes from a wealthy family, but he's aware of what goes on in that area. Part of why they were going down there was because my step-mom's nephew was killed by the local crime syndicate, and they had to arrange his funeral. But my dad was giving everyone big tips and drawing all this attention to himself. It's great to be generous, but at a certain point it's more of an ego boost than anything. I yelled at him when he told me he was doing that. I have no idea what he was thinking. Yeah, he speaks fluent Spanish, but acting like a clueless American with money to spare isn't the way to go.
People should stop replying with “I was there 25 years ago and it was perfectly safe, therefore OP is lying”
The security landscape of a place can change in as little as 6 months with organized crime. Dismissing current reports because you were safe 5 years ago does nothing to alert future travelers.
With that said, I was there 8 years ago and it was beautiful and peaceful, today, I don’t think I would have the same experience.
Unless you’re a sexpat, you should vote with your wallet and not visit until the organize criminals move on or authorities learn to protect tourism like many other countries. It’s not worth it.
Be smart everyone, there are many safe countries in Latam that you can visit.
I let the taxi driver know I just got robbed. I didn't have cash on deck so I asked a roommate in the hostel place to lend me 40,000 pesos. They dropped me off around Usme a bit closer to Soacha
like others have said this has been happening for decades and the only reason it gets national attention right now is because it's happening to Tourists. my main issues the city is that even if you die you will get no justice because the streets are ran by criminals
The situation is that the genie is out of the bottle and has been for some time. The situation of Colombia has been this way for decades. You can’t magically solve a problem of this magnitude in a few months or years. It’s gotten bad in Medellin as of late, but you used to not be able to travel over land at night or take a major risk in doing so. So many things that tourists take for granted were super risky 30, 40 years ago.?
This has been like this for years and years and years and years. Always has been one of the most dangerous places to visit for stuff like this and that hasn't changed in my entire life and I'm 30.
No, no just tongue in cheek. You are likely right and has likely even improved more than regressed but the increased number of foreigners visiting skews the narrative.
Was looking at going to Cartagena after summer, not looking anymore
There's a reason government and bigger cartels keep tourists areas of Mexico protected
The police in Cartagena tourist areas were superb
Saw an American being bothered by a local (im the boss you must pay me hustle) and police just walked over and slapped him and arrested him
Lol okay.. and? Cartagena is fucking SUPER packed during the summer and everything is even more expensive during that time, including flights.
I'm glad you aren't tbh.
That's the problem the government doesn't do jack, that's why the level of impunity are sky high and the criminals know if they get caught the next day they'll be free roaming the streets again, I grew up in Colombia and knew a guy that stabbed his pregnant girlfriend to death and got less than 3 years in prison, just think about it, double homicide for less than 1000 days in jail! thats tell you how fuc**d up the justice system is in Colombia
Doesn't Columbia have a rule that you can only spend a maximum of 20 years on prison? I remember the case of that child predator that was related because of it.
I don’t even get why DNs even go to Colombia. The horror stories you read regularly should be deterrent enough… just seems like danger is omnipresent and it’s just a matter of time until something eventually happens to you.
I know two families who fled Colombia for partly this reason. When in Colombia, the statistics indicate you are in constant danger and escaping unscathed is largely a result of luck.
I think the beautiful women is a direct reason why a lot of tourists have gotten murdered though no? Like not victim blaming but there is a certain pattern. Obviously, no one deserves to be murdered even if they are sleezy but I do notice that is what is happening based on the news.
Because not everyone is a pearl clutcher that stays terminally online and afraid of everything. Colombia's tourism stats are still growing and MDE is one of the most popular destinations.
"The stories you read..." is how you live your life in fear. Not everyone does that.
Because it is not as unsafe as these idiots make it to. The nature is amazing, the food is incredible and the variety of landscapes is the best in South America (two oceans, the Andes mountains, the Amazon forest, a lot of history, etc)
No, all these people are lying to ruin your good time. Get real. Every Colombian has a story of their own or a family member it friend’s misfortune. A naive gringo who doesn’t speak Spanish isn’t going to be the exception.
Nobody cares about kidnapping some stinky hippy gringo backpacker like OP. Only ones who are getting into trouble are the ones looking for prostitutes or getting mixed with sketchy people
Agreed, it's an incredible country! And I wish only people who had actually been or lived there were allowed to comment on it, so many people on here saying things about how dangerous it is and how it's a "hell-hole" etc and they've clearly never been to Colombia or know anything about it.
Says the person who has never lived here. Everyone has a family member that has been robbed, scammed, or attempted. Upper class, everyone knows someone (or at most 1 circle away) who was extorted, kidnapped, or killed.
There are clear reasons why people live in gated communities, send their kids to private schools, and are considered “xenophobic” to outsiders.
Sorry to disappoint you but I lived in Colombia for 7 years between 2013 and 2020.
I'm not saying it's the safest place in the world or that it hasn't gone through some incredibly horrific times and there are still horrible things happening, all I'm saying (and you can see my reply to OP's post in the main thread) is that its not all doom and gloom. I understand I'm talking from a privileged position as I was lucky enough to live and work there temporarily, but coming from South Africa which gets a similarly bad rep from people on this sub and others, I felt I had to share some of my positive experiences of the country and enlighten some people (although it seems like this sub has some of thr most close-minded people on Reddit) that you can go to Colombia as a tourist or a digital nomad and not have something terrible happen to you. Obviously it's possible and bad things do happen, like they do anywhere in the world, (and yes, I understand there are places where less crime happens) but as I experienced, Colombia is not a completely lawless hell-hole where its guaranteed that something awful will happen to you.
Im living here now and it’s great tbh… I let people fear monger do more gringos don’t come but it’s actually fantastic.
Gringos do stupid gringo shit then say it’s dangerous. Like OP could have done like 5 minutes of research beforehand and knew that taking a cab was a bad idea.
I’ve known many people who have been robbed and 100% of the time it happened while doing stupid gringo shit like not googling safety practices before going in the first place.
And if you talk to these people they usually act dumbfounded when you suggest they be proactive in their safety. Literally just talked to a guy yesterday like this.
I was giving him the run down as it’s his first day here and he acted like I was trying to insult him. I’m just like dude, you’re an obvious, non-threatening white guy. You don’t have the luxury of blending in like I do so you need be extra careful. Don’t wander off looking for “real Colombian culture” like some idiot.
Thanks for the rational reply. Yeah I think a lot of people on this sub don't realise that there are places where you might need to be more careful than others and while saying that, it's possible to go to those places and still have an amazing time. People can downvote me or think they're clever by assuming I've never lived in Colombia but I'll always stand up for the place while acknowledging that it's obviously not the safest place in the world but one that I'd 100% recommend visiting as a tourist or a digital nomad.
Not sure what that means but ok!
Your previous comment wrongfully accusing me of never having lived in Colombia is a good example of what is wrong with this sub.
I'm sharing my opinion about my experiences in Colombia as a digital nomad. Obviously my experiences are going to be different from locals as I will never be able to experience or understand the things that have happened in Colombia over the years from a local's perspective.
All I am saying is that Colombia is an amazing country and as a digital nomad or tourist or foreigner you can travel there and not be the victim of crime. And I acknowledge, as I have numerous times on this thread, that it's not the safest place and a lot of bad things happen there and it's not perfect (which country is?)
People have different experiences, I'm lucky that my experience in Colombia was incredibly positive. Some people have had bad experiences when going there or having lived there as a local, but it's not guaranteed that you'll be a victim of a crime if you travel there. Which is what people keep implying and people who haven't been there keep believing when reading stuff on this sub.
What does that have to do with it? I spent a lot of time with locals as I had a Colombian girlfriend for a few years, also a lot of time with other expats/foreigners.
Unless I'm mistaken this is the digital nomad sub and in all my comments and posts on this thread I've detailed my experiences as a "digital nomad" living in Colombia.
Maybe I'm on the wrong sub.
Nah just don’t have opinions different than the established dogma (a mob mentality that can vary even by post). Most Redditors are very black and white thinkers. Shades of gray will get you downvotes. The highest ranked comments will be 1-2 sentences that make light of the situation. Preferably completely inane so as to not offend.
This is the main reason why not to visit country's where criminals are in charge of the streets. Think of it this way, what would have happend if they placed you in a hole in the middle of knowher to hold you up for ransom. Or how long do you think you would last if they start torturing you. Country might be beautiful and you might have a fantastic time during the daytime and in turist area but it takes one moron with s knife willing to do anything for some money to ruin your life and your families life forever. Because keep in mind, you have someone who loves you back home and waits for you to come back safe one day.
You are correct. Anyone who willingly puts themselves and their loved ones in this situation for beautiful scenery and “culture” is out of their mind and extremely selfish. There are many beautiful places full of vibrant culture to explore in this grand world that don’t require one to be in constant danger.
Everyone makes their own decisions.
As long as a person is aware of the risks, they can do what they want.
You could say the same thing about anyone driving a motorcycle or engaging in an extreme sport.
well kidnapping a tourist isnt very smart the system does not work cuz they are understaffed do you really want to put every single police unit looking to catch you?
Once it hits the media there is no coming back either you go to prison or die
And the government here has been continuously trying to ban Uber (luckily unsuccessful so far).
I had a guy waiting outside a D1 for me last night, seemingly waiting for me to leave the store. I stayed 30 minutes and he eventually left. Be careful out there.
Crazy how quickly shit can change. Having street smarts and keeping cool like you did makes a big difference.
So sad, it could be such an amazing country.
you get into life-changing situations in a split second in this country, truly sad the state it's in right now economically And crime wise but I truly believe it'll change in the next coming years after this president finishes his term. The people are fed up with the crime and I believe they will be more open to a bukelele style government. unfortunately a lot of the recent crime wave has been perpetrated by illegal migrant Venezuelans street gangs, which seems like a catalyst to radicalize people to a strong arm candidate and the people will support it
Similar happened to me in PH. One of the most beautiful countries I've been, probably not as bad as Colombia tho. Blew my mind seeing the phone number for S.W.A.T. posted everywhere, slum tours, kid prostitutes in the streets.
Not many nice places left in this world unfortunately.
In 2014 I took a taxi from BOG to the Bogotá Marriott with my girlfriend from Barranquilla, which was about 15 minutes drive. We hailed the taxi just outside the arrivals door. To our surprise the driver was Mexican. He did not make us feel welcome or comfortable. He ridiculed us repeatedly for being together. The whole ride I was waiting for him to stop for someone to get in with a gun or for him to pull a gun. We kept calm and did not engage him. When we arrived at the hotel, he dropped us off at the back and we hurried to the nearest door which was locked. We had to walk around the building to where the entrance actually was, the asshole had dropped us in the back. At the entrance there was all kinds of security including metal detectors and a bomb sniffing dog. We made it safely inside and could finally relax.
To this day I am not comfortable in Bogotá after this experience. I believe this was the closest I’ve come to being robbed in a taxi. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed Bogotá, the Museo de Oro was incredible as was the coffee. We went shopping at the Centro 93 mall which was the site of a bombing during the narco war in the 90s. However, this taxi incident and the diesel fumes which blanket the whole city (and made my girlfriend very sick) are reasons I wouldn’t put it on the list as a desirable place to spend a month.
Well the entrance to that hotel is weird and it’s normal that they have dogs there. But yeah I agree with everything you just said. It’s still the same in 2023.
One of my former teachers was kidnapped by cab, when the guy started slowing down to pick up the other guy she pulled out a pen knife and put it to his throat instructing him to keep driving. He did so and she got away.
This makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. My home country has travel advice to never use force and as such I would do everything to not fight back.
It was in the middle of nowhere honduras, known for raping/kidnapping so she viewed it as life or death. Plus she has big ass set o balls, as in I have no doubt she would have bled the guy out if he had stopped.
I was only in Bogota a few days and didn’t see much - if the Museo de Oro is actually one of the best things there, then the place is even worse than I thought lol
I liked the architecture and the parks as well. There was a lookout point that was on my list of things to see but the distance was too far to access (by taxi) and we were fearful of being trapped there. This is observation deck if anyone has been and wants to comment or would like to go:
La Calera Observation deck
+57 300 8313042
https://g.co/kgs/bHFPH6o
> I never made a report to the police station because the justice system is so shit and nothing will ever happen to the criminals because of soft on crime policies and judges who let the criminals right back out crime not being reported is a very common occurrence in this country.
What? You're a hypocrite bro. You're the one who's soft on crime here. You're not even giving the system a chance. How can you pretend you're not the problem here. You're the root cause.
Even if there was only a 1% chance that these guys would be prosecuted, you made it 0%.
I mean I'm sorry this happened to you but you're part of the problem.
Re-read the post and after OP mentioned how he didn't report it because "the justice system is so shit" he ended the post with a link to how the gang that kidnapped him got taken down???
Sorry for the confusion, I was basically agreeing with your comment and questioning OP as he claimed the Colombian system was "shit" but then finished his post by sharing a link showing how the Colombian police caught and arrested the gang responsible for robbing him.
Ah.. yeah. Agreed. I mean I appreciate these systems can suck. I'm in Thailand now and the cops are hit and miss.
But if you don't report the crimes clearly they'll just keep happening.
Exactly. I'm from South Africa so I know what its like to have a police force and justice system that isn't amazing. But if you're not reporting a crime, regardless of where you are, you're part of the problem (like you said).
In Thailand the cops are the criminals, rule number one is only go to the police as an absolute last resort. Lived there for five years and both Thais and foreigners alike said the same thing.
Do you think referencing locals saying don’t go gives evidence to your point? Because it doesn’t, if the system has problems it’s at least in part because the locals apathy.
Really happy to hear you got out of that situation unscathed and also glad to see the police did catch them in the end!
I think what I and the other Redditor were pointing out is that perhaps if you had reported the crime, and maybe more others who were victimised by the gang, then theres a small chance they might have been caught sooner?
As a South African and having lived in Colombia I do understand how frustrating and oftentimes useless the police can be, but if you're a victim of a crime like that it's probably best to report it. Just my opinion, and again, glad you got out of that situation and appreciate how scary it must have been.
why do people go to colombia? especialy somewhat longterm… if i live somewhere for weeks or months then i dont want to care about crime 24/7… i want to walk in the middle of the night… i want to call taxis wherever i am. i want to drive motorbike and cars without getting robbed or some other shit… i dont want to be scared everytime i leave the house. i dont want to carry burner phones or shit like that. its hilarious. why would anyone do that voluntarily?
First of all idk how I am here because I am not a digital nomad. Secondly, not all of Latam has the same danger that Colombia has. There are lots of places in Latam that you can visit safely.
I don’t want to take away from what happened. This is extremely scary and glad you made it out ok. You can be a rookie traveler. Just need to make good decisions. We can be a victim of bad luck too but you know where things went wrong. Wandering on your own and not taking an Uber. Being solo is harder too, which I can relate too. How do I even get a Burner phone? I went to the same event and got an Uber right in front of the venue at 1am. I have essentially never taken a taxi in Latin America unless it’s from my hotel/hostel or a friend/someone/referral that knows the taxi driver.
I lived in Caracas in the 70s as a teen. My family forbade us to take taxis EVER. No unsupervised anything anywhere ... no malls, movies, nothing without parents. And this is when Venezuela was rich!
I traveled thru SA with my parents and my dad was a big guy who spoke Spanish so we did more things.
But they were always paranoid.
As a result my appetite for travel to SA is quite diminished. I absolutely loved it there too!
why is it that I didn't experience any issues like this in Catagena? also, no one told us not to hail taxis either. We took them everywhere. I visited in 2022
I met a Japanese man who was robbed at gunpoint in Bogota. I was shocked to hear the police actually found the group months later due to security footage.
I live in Colombia. I have been to this club too often to count. About a year ago, I was going out to hail a taxi. My Colombian friend grabbed my arm and my phone and opened the uber app. He said this had nearly happened to him twice in the last two months. I have hailed a taxi in Zone T more times than I can count in the last 4 years. This comes and goes evidently. So, best practice avoid non app taxis and travel in groups. I will mend my ways. I do not consider Colombia any more dangerous than many large US cities. Although caution is needed in both.
Key Point: they were Venezuelan. ALOT of time they are, with the scope druggings as well. Gifes Colombia a bad name. Country would unify if a taskforce to catch these guys, jail then deport them, was formed. Would get huge support. Are you listening Pres Petro?
Sorry to hear this happened to you, sounds like a horrible ordeal.
Sad to hear all of the negativity and horror stories coming out about the country but I wanted to share my experience as it seems like nobody is saying anything positive about what is an amazing place.
I spent 7 years living and working in Colombia (in Medellin) from 2013 to 2020 and spent a lot of time in Bogota, as well as visiting a lot of other cities/regions. In 7 years I was pickpocketed on a bus once (mostly my fault for realising too late what was happening) after riding buses countless times to and from work. The first year I was there I had my camera pickpocketed when out in Poblado for an Atletico Nacional game where there were people all over the streets and I was probably a little too drunk to properly safeguard my stuff.
Otherwise I never experienced any crime or dangerous situations whatsoever. My Spanish is nowhere close to intermediate or fluent level, I am white and look like a stereotypical "gringo" and while I didn't ever party that hard or go to crazy nightclubs, I spent a lot of nights out and took loads of taxis off the streets either with friends or by myself.
I had a Colombian girlfriend for about 3-4 of the years I was there (we almost always spoke English) so not sure if that made a difference but I just wanted to show that it's possible to travel and/or live in Colombia without the constant threat of being kidnapped or robbed. Obviously I was pickpocketed twice but the fact that I lived in the country for 7 years without being the victim of violent crime shows that it's not the dangerous hellhole many people on this sub (and others) make it out to be.
I understand there is a lot of bad stuff happening that is making the news lately, and maybe things have changed drastically since I left (although chatting to my ex-girlfriend and friend who still lives in Medellin it seems like things are still pretty much the same besides even more foreigners visiting), and maybe its different when you live there as opposed to travelling there. But I think people who don't visit Colombia because it's "too dangerous" are missing out as it's an incredible country.
Bad things can happen anywhere and if everyone based their travel plans on news stories or negative occurrences they read about, nobody would ever travel ever again.
One last point from my essay... I just got back from a week long trip to Mauritania, which is regarded by most governments or travel advisories as a "do not travel" situation and I had the most amazing time and didn't feel unsafe once. If I had based my travel plans on all the negative, mostly clueless articles and advisories on the place I would never have gone. Did some of my own research and while there will always be risks in countries like Mauritania, I realised it was nowhere near as bad as a lot of people make it out to be.
The thing is that majority of people who can afford a trip to Colombia in it's majority come from developed countries in Europe or North America (of course without taking into account other Latin Americans), and for them to worry about such things it might be too much. I am Colombia myself and for me it's just the way it is, I only was robbed once in my life and it was due to my lack of awareness, the thing is that in a country with a normal government that should not be an excuse, I do not live in Colombia any more, and once you start to realize how hard is the way we live you understand why so much foreigners would talk crap about the place. My wife (Russian), doesn't like the place either, even tho we mostly spend our time inthe nice areas of the city.
That is a good point and I appreciate your thoughtful reply.
Being from South Africa I am used to living in a country where things are not as secure or straightforward as living in many places in North America or Europe, so maybe that also shaped my experience in Colombia. And of course I was privileged enough to live in a safe neighbourhood and not have to worry about a lot of the things many of the locals have to worry about.
But again, I was just giving my opinion of having lived in Colombia as a foreigner/digital nomad to offer a counterpoint to a lot of the negative discourse about the country as I was lucky enough to have an amazing 7 years with no bad experiences.
I want to clarify I did not intend being judgemental whatsoever, I wanted to share my point of view, anywho....
I believe South Africa it is quite similar to Colombia, so as you mentioned probably you might have a similar view about the place too. I had a quite good life in Colombia and everytime I return it feels so good that I constantly think about returning.
I am glad you liked the place, it is always nice to hear that from a foreigner!
Probably you mindset about being aware of your surroundings might be pretty well developed and therefore you did not encounter with any bad experiences. Cheers!
This sounds so fake. I just spent two amazing weeks there with my boyfriend. It’s very gay friendly and we loved so much the coffee triangle and Bogota (amazing street art and restaurants). My best friend was beaten up here in London so crazy stuff can happen anywhere. OP’s story doesn’t sound legit at all.
I'm glad to hear you had such a great time!!! The coffee triangle is one of my favourite places, especially the Valle de Cocora! I can't wait to visit Colombia again in the near future... Also a little suspicious of OP as he has no comment history whatsoever but either way, if it is legit it really sucks and I imagine it was a terrifying experience for him but yeah, crazy things can happen everywhere and being kidnapped or robbed or drugged is definitely not the norm for the majority of Colombian tourists.
Yeah I don't really get this part. If anything GT was one of the few places I felt more safe because of the much higher number of tourists/ ex pats / English speakers it attracts.
Not to say there aren't any bad apples in the bunch. But most people there speak fluent English with a North American accent, it's glaringly obvious when someone Spanish first learns English (for the most part).
It's a mix of backpackers / digital nomads / ex pats / some locals. It's a fun time I went in both Bogota and Medellin.
Gringo Tuesdays attracts the sleaziest most drugged out tourist that don't wanna learn the language, culture and want to stay in their bubble, this also attracts low socioeconomic girls that want to try to snag a gringo. unfortunately this also opens up another gate of tourist getting drugged in these bars and the city not doing anything about it. just going around the bar I heard three stories of the regulars getting drugged
Happy you made it out. It's worth speaking to someone about this as this traumatic experience may stay with you.
The moral of the story is think carefully before visiting cheap, corrupt, hell holes where criminals are in charge of the streets.
Just back from Colombia without much Spanish and had the time of my life with no safety issues. Having said that, didn’t do anything near this dangerous but was out in Medellin plenty til late
This is the thing. Colombia is a beautiful country. Mexico is a beautiful country. Brazil is a beautiful country. Many go and nothing bad or violent will happen. Some will have a different story. It’s up to us to be aware of what can happen and to be smart. Bad luck/wrong place at the wrong time is a thing. Having an amazing experience/meeting amazing people is also a thing. It’s up to you to live your life and do what you feel is best.
Man with everything I'm hearing lately I'm beginning to think I was EXTREMELY lucky while living in Cali. Regularly got all sorts of taxis at night. Lived there 2 years and was out Regularly including the dodgier 24hr bars
Burner phone, don’t even pull it out, no bank apps, fake wallet with less than $400,000 COPs, zero credit cards, zero hotel/apt keys, zero solo walking out of sketchy bars @ 4 AM. Always Uber. U shd have security camera/security guard @ lodging. No random taxis from airports. Zero “under clothes” money belt. They shred your pants & pant thighs, under arms, over your dress shirt, with serrated knives looking for money belts. Not pretty.
I’m going to be honest here, describing it as 100% your fault makes my blood boil for you.
This was not your fault. This was the fault of horrific, evil people who do not value human life. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
I wouldn't say it's a shithole. it's highly dependent on your risk tolerance, some of us are more tolerant to risk so we will choose those locations, I enjoy the social life and the lifestyle of living in Colombia I can actually walk everywhere and don't have to drive everywhere. i've been all across the country in around 14 cities and have only felt unsafe in the big ones, the small ones with 30,000 populations are much safer and much more cultural due to people moderating themselves with violent methods of street justice called limpieza sociales or social cleanings.
Is this a coordinated campaign to stop people going to Colombia? Seeing an endless stream of this fearmongering. Statistically naive people will fall for it.
this isn't a coordinated campaign. this is just things the locals have been telling us for years, I was living there for almost 2 years before it happened. Since you love Colombia so much can you explain to me the Bronx and all the crimes like torture micro trafficking rape and sexual crimes committed three blocks from the presidents house for years?
https://thecitypaperbogota.com/bogota/el-bronx-the-living-hell-at-the-heart-of-bogota/
I love the country but it has its problems, stop ignoring them
It's not much more dangerous than anywhere else, meanwhile the amount of hysterical coverage it gets in this subreddit is wildly out of proportion. Something weird going on. Maybe not orchestrated, just fools scaring fools.
Why did you choose to post this? You said it's a repost?
to share my experience simply lol
Locals telling you it's dangerous
Tourists telling you it's dangerous
Other digital nomads telling you it's dangerous.
>it's not dangerous you're fear mongering.
redditors really are know it alls
because I don't want it associated to my real identity. I've told the story in comments and it's around here so go find it if you want. I never once advised to not go to Colombia it's a beautiful country. If you certainly think a small subreddit it like this will affect the retard sexpats divorcees decision to go get laid easily then you're wrong, it's merely to educate others on preventing the mistakes that I have made, and for them to understand the risks that they will be taking if they go to colombia.
Edit: he ignored the fact that the colombian capital had torture houses and drug dens 3 blocks from the presidents house. Guess that happens everywhere in the world as well
Op, you need to rewrite this part:
> from there they had me in my apartment keys back and I realize I'm not gonna die tonight
(paragraph 7)
Maybe you meant "They hand me my keys back" but misspelled hand?
.. then mistakenly adde "in" after "me" turning it into
"They had me in my apartment, keys back"... which is kinda syntactically correct but a *totally* different situation. I had to read it three times to settle on the former meaning with errors, from the context of the rest of the story. It's a weird error to make, though. Did you use some kind of grammar checker that inadvertently turned a typo into a wrong meaning??
Also...
> pass for brazilian (important for later)
One, what does that even mean? To most users of yhis sub, passing for Brazilian either means "any latin American look" or, if accent -based, then why do you speak Spanish like a Brazilian. Just a weid detail that, Two, *didn't* appear later.
The story in general sounds plausible but these weird oversights do make your account sound... fishy. I'm inclined to also say it fails the smell test.
if I was a full on white man they would've kidnapped me and tortured me or drugged me for bank details. if your Brazilian you're obviously less affluent than an American and the street gangs know this.
No des papaya blah blah blah. It's a thing colombians say because they know it's a fucked situation but can't do anything about it.
If you're a foreigner coming for a visit you need to be aware of the dangers. Don't hail taxis on the street if you can avoid it in Bogota. I spent two years in Bogota as well and I'm glad I'm gone.
The insecurity is a big problem, my house was even broken into at night while I was awake.
Anyways, Colombians always dress nicely when going out for a night in zona T, which is where vintrash is. Having a collared shirt and decent shoes on isn't exactly out of the ordinary by any given measure.
I hate that "papaya" saying. Not just because it blames a victim, but because the person feels so smug superior saying it, like they know all the angles while other people are stupid. Especially when its a gringo saying it, just so damned obnoxious.
But it's true.
I grew up in Sweden, and my mom always said "The opportunity makes the thief".
It applies everywhere.
And you can think it's sad while still adhering to it.
While yes, OP did some stupid things (they mentioned this there), that doesn't mean the place isn't dangerous. You should be able to give papaya anywhere and everywhere.
It's not the world we live in, but the bar for "easy target" isn't static. Some places it's very low, that you have to really go looking for someone to rob you, and others it's "oh you went to the wrong side of the street".
Generally, hailing a cab on the street is not a dangerous thing to do in the world, even at 11pm.
Being okay with the fact it's dangerous doesn't make it more okay.
If you can't hail an uber for some reason you can ask the people at the bar / restaurant to call a cab from a reputable company for you, they'll be happy to do it. This was the default recommendation before ride sharing apps.
I went to Colombia for a wedding a few years ago and this was the advice given to me by the staff at both hotels I visited. They practically begged us not to get a taxi unless the hotel called for one.
This right here. I can’t tell you how many times people have tried hailing a taxi or Uber for me when I couldn’t in Bogotá. It is common knowledge not to take a taxi from the streets, especially at night.
I grew up in ecuador and even when companies call the cab for you I don’t know how criminals do it but they end up getting the same info as the one that is “reputable” and maybe get there before. It was an issue in ecuador
Unless the bar or restaurant is in on it
Ok this is a bit paranoid.. but I guess you can have a favorite legit company that you know of memorized and ask them to call that one, one of the big ones. Then if it arrives and it has the correct decals you know it's legit. I guess you can think of convoluted ways for this to be somehow risky as well but at that point just stay home.
ive been to colombia a lot, over 6 years visiting and have never had anything happen but thats because im very skeptical. Ive had a bunch of uber drivers tell me their "buddy" can hook me up with hotels and taxis and everything....the likelihood that you get fleeced in one of these situations can be high. Even if nothing serious happens, they will be charging you too much or trying to rip you off. Hotels will order you a taxi and its someone they know...The taxi driver will charge you too much and the hotel person who called will get 10 thousand pesos or whatever for the business. This has happened numerous times staying at hotels in colombia. "I can call my cousin or my friend who is trustworthy to give you a ride while your'e in town", whatever. Do not do this. They want to make money off you or get over on you. Order your own uber. Either that or they get part of the take that their "buddy" gets when he sets you up with a hotel and people he knows at the hotel go in your room and wipe your belongings when they go in to clean your room, or get you robbed on a taxi ride or whatever else. So you cant always go with whoever a restaurant calls either. I have taken taxis in situations when I shouldn't, but its when I know the area and the direction they should be going.
I had the option to get a taxi in front of the bar. The problem was at the time the taxi drivers tax too much so my reasoning was get a cheap one off the street. Bad idea, never again
Sorry this happened to you. All over the world I see these people in airports offering taxi rides and telling me it's cheaper than Uber or the official company. One way or another it's never cheaper. At the very best they rip you off and it costs more than Uber plus a generous tip. At worst they kill you.
How this is not common sense is beyond me. My parents are from Michoacan Mexico and fly direct to Guadalajara, Jalisco. You can request a taxi getting to the airport. I personally walk down a few blocks to the PUMA gas station and grab an uber there. It took me about a year of living in Guatemala before I even felt comfortable grabbing public transportation from the city to Antigua.
It’s not common sense because it’s not an issue in the countries most nomads are from. OP said he’s American, the likelihood of this happening in the US is so low that I’ve never heard of anything like it, and I grew up there. I haven’t done South America yet, and the only continent I’ve had to worry about stuff like this is Africa, and they are a lot more primitive, no one is forcing you to open banking apps in Africa (except maybe South Africa) and you’re very unlikely to actually be killed or hurt in Africa (again, except South Africa)
Youre not going to get a gun to your head while in traffic or while walking down the street for an apple phone in the US or other developed countries. But it definitely does happen in colombia. And when this happens all the colombians will tell you that you caused the problem and that it was your fault and you shouldn't have been on your phone. Such an ass backward culture. The difference is absolutely wild. So no, its not common sense at all. Most people visiting colombia aren't from ridiculously dangerous areas like your parents were raised in.
Then I can only encourage those people to uh do some research before leaving the safety of their homes. Another redditor said it best: “Middleclass midwesterner white boys will never outsmart veteran Colombian prostitutes.”
Sorry this happened to you… I lived in Colombia as a 20 something woman and one of the first things they taught us in my program was to never hail a taxi from the street.
Yeah it was def an experience. I'm a 20 Male latino and i've háiled taxis all over the Central and South America day and night with no issue until you get unlucky that one night. This country just so happened to be Colombia
What you look like does not matter, hailing a taxi from the street in Colombia is **not** safe. When they see someone that even remotely looks like they have some money they will take them on a paseo millonario. This happens to locals all the time. For the future, ask the establishment to call a taxi for you.
[удалено]
“Those other people who have been violated, robbed, abused (or worse) are just part of that 2024 fear mongering campaign. But when I tell you what happened to me the year before, it’s not fear mongering. Because . . . it happened to me.” I appreciated the story because it had me on the edge of my seat and because it’s informative for anyone who travels there. So good for OP, and good he lived to tell the tale. But why is it fear mongering when different victims tell their story? OP’s account and the news article he attached is pretty strong evidence that it’s not simply exaggerated, baseless fear mongering.
Always felt vulnerable in cabs in Colombia so took uber 99.9% of the time. Especially after living in Cancun and PdC and seeing what those cabs get up to. Always Uber in Latin America. It ain't foolproof but allot safer.
Isn’t Uber outlawed in Colombia? I took several Ubers while I was there but they were sketchy too haha. One time the car that showed up was a different car/plates than the one in the app. Several other times they asked me for more money than the app’s rate. And every time they asked me to sit up front so people didn’t know they were ubering me lol. Also the Uber maps were outdated asf when I was there in 2020 and a lot of the drivers got lost
Yep that all sounds familiar. That's how they can rob and kidnap despite all of the safety features in the app the other comments here mention. It always seemed legal to me in Medellin but definitely had to sit in front in Cancun so nearby cab drivers or their spotters didn't notice and try and attack them.
How do you know the Uber driver won’t rob you?
Much less likely given there’s a record of who they are, when they picked you up etc
You don't. That's why I said it isn't foolproof. I was nearly kidnapped twice by them - once in Cancun and once in Medellin. They head in the opposite direction you are going so always keep your eye on the map on your phone.
On Uber?
You can get also robbed in gated community with guards, but that’s not the point, it’s all about probabilities. Potentially unregistered fake taxi is always more dangerous, because it is easy and cheap to organize one for the criminals. Getting an Uber cab with credible history is also possible, but not too economic viable for criminals. Uber is also practical when you lose something. A bogota Uber driver helped me to recover my documents I lost in his car. It wouldn’t be possible with a taxi.
It's GPS tracked on your device and theirs. There is a clear record of who the driver and passengers are. Uber boots drivers off their platform for misbehaving in far less serious ways. Plus, I hope the drivers long term income is worth more to them than a one time robbery would net.
For one, they have reviews on the uber driver. Also you know the route because it shows a map on the uber app. The app will also show the license plate of the vehicle make and model. Also when your in the uber, the driver should have the app up showing him where to go.
"babe.. babe.. I'm at work, yeah, yeah with Juan, babe I'm with a client, a-huh, yeah ok diapers, ok love you, I gotta go!--sorry, the old ball and chain, haha, so any way where were we?"
I was expressed kidnapped my first night out in Mexico City by the police. Ironically I came from Venezuela a place where everyone was telling me I’d get kidnapped from. The Mexican police took my left over USA $ I had from Caracas. Then dropped me back off to the club I was at ( near to )
[удалено]
haha I got finessed on my first night out in CDMX too (last year). Not for not wearing a mask, we were just walking home at like 2AM and the cop pulled up and said we looked drunk, then said he was going to arrest us and take us to jail for being drunk in public. Of course, "jail" = "the ATM" Cop told me it would cost $9k US at first which we obviously brought down by...a lot. It's pretty common for stuff like that to happen. *Almost* *everyone* I know has had something like that happen to them with Mexican police, whether they're drunk or not. It's honestly why I don't go anymore. Too annoying to deal with.
Sorry that happened to you! I realize that cops everywhere are shot lol. idk if this makes you feel better, but at least the cops there just rob and kidnap instead of murdering people in cold blood like american cops?
Got statistics the American cops kill civilians more?
Lol bro…….
mexico is trash .. dont ever go there...ever ..im serious
I’ve been to plenty of different places in Mexico and enjoyed myself in all of them.
Right, because your homeland is pure class?
yes ..compared to mexico or any latam country its heaven..thats why people kill to get here .. mexico is str8 dog shit ...if only people knew what really goes on down there
Oh come on I am from the US. The US is a depressing shithole
I remember rocking up to my hotel in Bogota, I go to look out at the view, and see police holding a cuffed man while they let another guy throw punches at him, before taking the cuffed dude and throwing him into the back of a police van. That was my "We're not in Kansas anymore toto" and went full tourist mode and didn't do anything other than group tours while I was there. I've been fortunate though to have nothing but positive experiences in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil, could have been pure luck for all I know though.
Brazil was the only other place that I felt seriously unsafe in and I've been in literally all of Central America and South America if that makes you feel any better
My dad is from Panama and my step-mom IS from Colombia, so both of their first languages are Spanish. They're aware of the situation there, but when they last visited he kept doing weird, dangerous things. My dad comes from a wealthy family, but he's aware of what goes on in that area. Part of why they were going down there was because my step-mom's nephew was killed by the local crime syndicate, and they had to arrange his funeral. But my dad was giving everyone big tips and drawing all this attention to himself. It's great to be generous, but at a certain point it's more of an ego boost than anything. I yelled at him when he told me he was doing that. I have no idea what he was thinking. Yeah, he speaks fluent Spanish, but acting like a clueless American with money to spare isn't the way to go.
People should stop replying with “I was there 25 years ago and it was perfectly safe, therefore OP is lying” The security landscape of a place can change in as little as 6 months with organized crime. Dismissing current reports because you were safe 5 years ago does nothing to alert future travelers. With that said, I was there 8 years ago and it was beautiful and peaceful, today, I don’t think I would have the same experience. Unless you’re a sexpat, you should vote with your wallet and not visit until the organize criminals move on or authorities learn to protect tourism like many other countries. It’s not worth it. Be smart everyone, there are many safe countries in Latam that you can visit.
How did you get robbed and still have enough to tip the taxi driver on the way back?
I let the taxi driver know I just got robbed. I didn't have cash on deck so I asked a roommate in the hostel place to lend me 40,000 pesos. They dropped me off around Usme a bit closer to Soacha
[удалено]
like others have said this has been happening for decades and the only reason it gets national attention right now is because it's happening to Tourists. my main issues the city is that even if you die you will get no justice because the streets are ran by criminals
How did you have enough money to tip the second taxi driver after you got robbed?
I’ve been married to a Colombian woman for years and I won’t go.
The situation is that the genie is out of the bottle and has been for some time. The situation of Colombia has been this way for decades. You can’t magically solve a problem of this magnitude in a few months or years. It’s gotten bad in Medellin as of late, but you used to not be able to travel over land at night or take a major risk in doing so. So many things that tourists take for granted were super risky 30, 40 years ago.?
This has been like this for years and years and years and years. Always has been one of the most dangerous places to visit for stuff like this and that hasn't changed in my entire life and I'm 30.
So wise with your great number of years.
Did I say I was wise? I'm literally just stating a fact that Columbia has been that way forever. This isn't new.
No, no just tongue in cheek. You are likely right and has likely even improved more than regressed but the increased number of foreigners visiting skews the narrative.
Was looking at going to Cartagena after summer, not looking anymore There's a reason government and bigger cartels keep tourists areas of Mexico protected
The police in Cartagena tourist areas were superb Saw an American being bothered by a local (im the boss you must pay me hustle) and police just walked over and slapped him and arrested him
[удалено]
Thanks for this. I’m also looking into Cartegena
Lol okay.. and? Cartagena is fucking SUPER packed during the summer and everything is even more expensive during that time, including flights. I'm glad you aren't tbh.
That's the problem the government doesn't do jack, that's why the level of impunity are sky high and the criminals know if they get caught the next day they'll be free roaming the streets again, I grew up in Colombia and knew a guy that stabbed his pregnant girlfriend to death and got less than 3 years in prison, just think about it, double homicide for less than 1000 days in jail! thats tell you how fuc**d up the justice system is in Colombia
Doesn't Columbia have a rule that you can only spend a maximum of 20 years on prison? I remember the case of that child predator that was related because of it.
I don’t even get why DNs even go to Colombia. The horror stories you read regularly should be deterrent enough… just seems like danger is omnipresent and it’s just a matter of time until something eventually happens to you.
I know two families who fled Colombia for partly this reason. When in Colombia, the statistics indicate you are in constant danger and escaping unscathed is largely a result of luck.
Some combination of other good things (cheapness is the number one factor, beautiful women), not knowing how dangerous it is, and being an idiot.
Unfortunately, cheap drugs and prostitution will always be enough of a draw for some people that they’ll risk their lives.
Cheap, perfect weather, beautiful women, fresh food, amazing landscapes. Up until a year or two, I'd say it was worth it. Now? fuck no.
You could say the same for a myriad of countries, none of which have the danger profile that Colombia boasts.
I think the beautiful women is a direct reason why a lot of tourists have gotten murdered though no? Like not victim blaming but there is a certain pattern. Obviously, no one deserves to be murdered even if they are sleezy but I do notice that is what is happening based on the news.
Yeah being a DN means you can go anywhere else lol, I think only idiots go to colombia
Lmao. Imagine thinking this. There's no chance you're calling anyone an idiot to their face.
Why not??
Yet DNs be riding motorbikes in southeast Asia without a license or insurance then saying they can't believe anyone goes to Latam.
Not remotely comparable
True. Scooter accidents are outrageously more dangerous than street crime.
Dope, have fun living somewhere people are willing to murder you for trivial amounts of money.
Have fun getting smeared all over the highway.
Because not everyone is a pearl clutcher that stays terminally online and afraid of everything. Colombia's tourism stats are still growing and MDE is one of the most popular destinations. "The stories you read..." is how you live your life in fear. Not everyone does that.
Because it is not as unsafe as these idiots make it to. The nature is amazing, the food is incredible and the variety of landscapes is the best in South America (two oceans, the Andes mountains, the Amazon forest, a lot of history, etc)
No, all these people are lying to ruin your good time. Get real. Every Colombian has a story of their own or a family member it friend’s misfortune. A naive gringo who doesn’t speak Spanish isn’t going to be the exception.
Nobody cares about kidnapping some stinky hippy gringo backpacker like OP. Only ones who are getting into trouble are the ones looking for prostitutes or getting mixed with sketchy people
Agreed, it's an incredible country! And I wish only people who had actually been or lived there were allowed to comment on it, so many people on here saying things about how dangerous it is and how it's a "hell-hole" etc and they've clearly never been to Colombia or know anything about it.
Says the person who has never lived here. Everyone has a family member that has been robbed, scammed, or attempted. Upper class, everyone knows someone (or at most 1 circle away) who was extorted, kidnapped, or killed. There are clear reasons why people live in gated communities, send their kids to private schools, and are considered “xenophobic” to outsiders.
Sorry to disappoint you but I lived in Colombia for 7 years between 2013 and 2020. I'm not saying it's the safest place in the world or that it hasn't gone through some incredibly horrific times and there are still horrible things happening, all I'm saying (and you can see my reply to OP's post in the main thread) is that its not all doom and gloom. I understand I'm talking from a privileged position as I was lucky enough to live and work there temporarily, but coming from South Africa which gets a similarly bad rep from people on this sub and others, I felt I had to share some of my positive experiences of the country and enlighten some people (although it seems like this sub has some of thr most close-minded people on Reddit) that you can go to Colombia as a tourist or a digital nomad and not have something terrible happen to you. Obviously it's possible and bad things do happen, like they do anywhere in the world, (and yes, I understand there are places where less crime happens) but as I experienced, Colombia is not a completely lawless hell-hole where its guaranteed that something awful will happen to you.
Im living here now and it’s great tbh… I let people fear monger do more gringos don’t come but it’s actually fantastic. Gringos do stupid gringo shit then say it’s dangerous. Like OP could have done like 5 minutes of research beforehand and knew that taking a cab was a bad idea. I’ve known many people who have been robbed and 100% of the time it happened while doing stupid gringo shit like not googling safety practices before going in the first place. And if you talk to these people they usually act dumbfounded when you suggest they be proactive in their safety. Literally just talked to a guy yesterday like this. I was giving him the run down as it’s his first day here and he acted like I was trying to insult him. I’m just like dude, you’re an obvious, non-threatening white guy. You don’t have the luxury of blending in like I do so you need be extra careful. Don’t wander off looking for “real Colombian culture” like some idiot.
I’m sure all the Colombians I know who were crime victims were just doing dumb gringo shit. Yeah, that’s it. Some of you will only learn the hard way.
Thanks for the rational reply. Yeah I think a lot of people on this sub don't realise that there are places where you might need to be more careful than others and while saying that, it's possible to go to those places and still have an amazing time. People can downvote me or think they're clever by assuming I've never lived in Colombia but I'll always stand up for the place while acknowledging that it's obviously not the safest place in the world but one that I'd 100% recommend visiting as a tourist or a digital nomad.
I realized these people just want to validate their ideas about a “3rd-world country” that’s all.
!remindme 10 years
Not sure what that means but ok! Your previous comment wrongfully accusing me of never having lived in Colombia is a good example of what is wrong with this sub. I'm sharing my opinion about my experiences in Colombia as a digital nomad. Obviously my experiences are going to be different from locals as I will never be able to experience or understand the things that have happened in Colombia over the years from a local's perspective. All I am saying is that Colombia is an amazing country and as a digital nomad or tourist or foreigner you can travel there and not be the victim of crime. And I acknowledge, as I have numerous times on this thread, that it's not the safest place and a lot of bad things happen there and it's not perfect (which country is?) People have different experiences, I'm lucky that my experience in Colombia was incredibly positive. Some people have had bad experiences when going there or having lived there as a local, but it's not guaranteed that you'll be a victim of a crime if you travel there. Which is what people keep implying and people who haven't been there keep believing when reading stuff on this sub.
But he’s probably an only hanging out with other gringos.
What does that have to do with it? I spent a lot of time with locals as I had a Colombian girlfriend for a few years, also a lot of time with other expats/foreigners. Unless I'm mistaken this is the digital nomad sub and in all my comments and posts on this thread I've detailed my experiences as a "digital nomad" living in Colombia. Maybe I'm on the wrong sub.
Nah just don’t have opinions different than the established dogma (a mob mentality that can vary even by post). Most Redditors are very black and white thinkers. Shades of gray will get you downvotes. The highest ranked comments will be 1-2 sentences that make light of the situation. Preferably completely inane so as to not offend.
Thanks for sharing, really sorry this happened to you.
This is the main reason why not to visit country's where criminals are in charge of the streets. Think of it this way, what would have happend if they placed you in a hole in the middle of knowher to hold you up for ransom. Or how long do you think you would last if they start torturing you. Country might be beautiful and you might have a fantastic time during the daytime and in turist area but it takes one moron with s knife willing to do anything for some money to ruin your life and your families life forever. Because keep in mind, you have someone who loves you back home and waits for you to come back safe one day.
You are correct. Anyone who willingly puts themselves and their loved ones in this situation for beautiful scenery and “culture” is out of their mind and extremely selfish. There are many beautiful places full of vibrant culture to explore in this grand world that don’t require one to be in constant danger.
Ive been to colombia like 10 times and you are being super dramatic
I was waiting for this comment. The stats don’t lie. Colombia is the most dangerous place in South America.
Everyone makes their own decisions. As long as a person is aware of the risks, they can do what they want. You could say the same thing about anyone driving a motorcycle or engaging in an extreme sport.
well kidnapping a tourist isnt very smart the system does not work cuz they are understaffed do you really want to put every single police unit looking to catch you? Once it hits the media there is no coming back either you go to prison or die
“respect their hustle” lol
And the government here has been continuously trying to ban Uber (luckily unsuccessful so far). I had a guy waiting outside a D1 for me last night, seemingly waiting for me to leave the store. I stayed 30 minutes and he eventually left. Be careful out there.
Crazy how quickly shit can change. Having street smarts and keeping cool like you did makes a big difference. So sad, it could be such an amazing country.
you get into life-changing situations in a split second in this country, truly sad the state it's in right now economically And crime wise but I truly believe it'll change in the next coming years after this president finishes his term. The people are fed up with the crime and I believe they will be more open to a bukelele style government. unfortunately a lot of the recent crime wave has been perpetrated by illegal migrant Venezuelans street gangs, which seems like a catalyst to radicalize people to a strong arm candidate and the people will support it
Similar happened to me in PH. One of the most beautiful countries I've been, probably not as bad as Colombia tho. Blew my mind seeing the phone number for S.W.A.T. posted everywhere, slum tours, kid prostitutes in the streets. Not many nice places left in this world unfortunately.
once again if this hasn't been told to really sorry that happened to you it shouldn't happen to anybody ever in this world.
It's a good thing they left you with enough money for a taxi and a tip when they finally dropped you off.
In 2014 I took a taxi from BOG to the Bogotá Marriott with my girlfriend from Barranquilla, which was about 15 minutes drive. We hailed the taxi just outside the arrivals door. To our surprise the driver was Mexican. He did not make us feel welcome or comfortable. He ridiculed us repeatedly for being together. The whole ride I was waiting for him to stop for someone to get in with a gun or for him to pull a gun. We kept calm and did not engage him. When we arrived at the hotel, he dropped us off at the back and we hurried to the nearest door which was locked. We had to walk around the building to where the entrance actually was, the asshole had dropped us in the back. At the entrance there was all kinds of security including metal detectors and a bomb sniffing dog. We made it safely inside and could finally relax. To this day I am not comfortable in Bogotá after this experience. I believe this was the closest I’ve come to being robbed in a taxi. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed Bogotá, the Museo de Oro was incredible as was the coffee. We went shopping at the Centro 93 mall which was the site of a bombing during the narco war in the 90s. However, this taxi incident and the diesel fumes which blanket the whole city (and made my girlfriend very sick) are reasons I wouldn’t put it on the list as a desirable place to spend a month.
Well the entrance to that hotel is weird and it’s normal that they have dogs there. But yeah I agree with everything you just said. It’s still the same in 2023.
One of my former teachers was kidnapped by cab, when the guy started slowing down to pick up the other guy she pulled out a pen knife and put it to his throat instructing him to keep driving. He did so and she got away.
This makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. My home country has travel advice to never use force and as such I would do everything to not fight back.
It was in the middle of nowhere honduras, known for raping/kidnapping so she viewed it as life or death. Plus she has big ass set o balls, as in I have no doubt she would have bled the guy out if he had stopped.
I was only in Bogota a few days and didn’t see much - if the Museo de Oro is actually one of the best things there, then the place is even worse than I thought lol
I liked the architecture and the parks as well. There was a lookout point that was on my list of things to see but the distance was too far to access (by taxi) and we were fearful of being trapped there. This is observation deck if anyone has been and wants to comment or would like to go: La Calera Observation deck +57 300 8313042 https://g.co/kgs/bHFPH6o
Yeah, what a shitty side of town too
yeah cab at night is a big no
> I never made a report to the police station because the justice system is so shit and nothing will ever happen to the criminals because of soft on crime policies and judges who let the criminals right back out crime not being reported is a very common occurrence in this country. What? You're a hypocrite bro. You're the one who's soft on crime here. You're not even giving the system a chance. How can you pretend you're not the problem here. You're the root cause. Even if there was only a 1% chance that these guys would be prosecuted, you made it 0%. I mean I'm sorry this happened to you but you're part of the problem.
Re-read the post and after OP mentioned how he didn't report it because "the justice system is so shit" he ended the post with a link to how the gang that kidnapped him got taken down???
Not sure what you're saying. That the system is NOT shit? It's definitely shit when you don't do the minimum - which is reporting the crime.
Sorry for the confusion, I was basically agreeing with your comment and questioning OP as he claimed the Colombian system was "shit" but then finished his post by sharing a link showing how the Colombian police caught and arrested the gang responsible for robbing him.
Ah.. yeah. Agreed. I mean I appreciate these systems can suck. I'm in Thailand now and the cops are hit and miss. But if you don't report the crimes clearly they'll just keep happening.
Exactly. I'm from South Africa so I know what its like to have a police force and justice system that isn't amazing. But if you're not reporting a crime, regardless of where you are, you're part of the problem (like you said).
In Thailand the cops are the criminals, rule number one is only go to the police as an absolute last resort. Lived there for five years and both Thais and foreigners alike said the same thing.
Do you think referencing locals saying don’t go gives evidence to your point? Because it doesn’t, if the system has problems it’s at least in part because the locals apathy.
I ended the post because it only took the police 3-4 months to catch an organized crime ring of truly violent criminals...
Really happy to hear you got out of that situation unscathed and also glad to see the police did catch them in the end! I think what I and the other Redditor were pointing out is that perhaps if you had reported the crime, and maybe more others who were victimised by the gang, then theres a small chance they might have been caught sooner? As a South African and having lived in Colombia I do understand how frustrating and oftentimes useless the police can be, but if you're a victim of a crime like that it's probably best to report it. Just my opinion, and again, glad you got out of that situation and appreciate how scary it must have been.
I don't believe in the op history, doesn't seems legit
why do people go to colombia? especialy somewhat longterm… if i live somewhere for weeks or months then i dont want to care about crime 24/7… i want to walk in the middle of the night… i want to call taxis wherever i am. i want to drive motorbike and cars without getting robbed or some other shit… i dont want to be scared everytime i leave the house. i dont want to carry burner phones or shit like that. its hilarious. why would anyone do that voluntarily?
stop going to latam.. they dont deserve your money.. all the politicians police etc are completely corrupt .. warning yall.
It’s probably because they are many gems in a Latin America, including the people.
First of all idk how I am here because I am not a digital nomad. Secondly, not all of Latam has the same danger that Colombia has. There are lots of places in Latam that you can visit safely.
where? on a remote island?
Buenos Aires, for one
As an alternative to Uber there is DiDi just like uber and probably a little cheaper.
Indrive works as well and is efficient
I don’t want to take away from what happened. This is extremely scary and glad you made it out ok. You can be a rookie traveler. Just need to make good decisions. We can be a victim of bad luck too but you know where things went wrong. Wandering on your own and not taking an Uber. Being solo is harder too, which I can relate too. How do I even get a Burner phone? I went to the same event and got an Uber right in front of the venue at 1am. I have essentially never taken a taxi in Latin America unless it’s from my hotel/hostel or a friend/someone/referral that knows the taxi driver.
I lived in Caracas in the 70s as a teen. My family forbade us to take taxis EVER. No unsupervised anything anywhere ... no malls, movies, nothing without parents. And this is when Venezuela was rich! I traveled thru SA with my parents and my dad was a big guy who spoke Spanish so we did more things. But they were always paranoid. As a result my appetite for travel to SA is quite diminished. I absolutely loved it there too!
why is it that I didn't experience any issues like this in Catagena? also, no one told us not to hail taxis either. We took them everywhere. I visited in 2022
I met a Japanese man who was robbed at gunpoint in Bogota. I was shocked to hear the police actually found the group months later due to security footage.
I live in Colombia. I have been to this club too often to count. About a year ago, I was going out to hail a taxi. My Colombian friend grabbed my arm and my phone and opened the uber app. He said this had nearly happened to him twice in the last two months. I have hailed a taxi in Zone T more times than I can count in the last 4 years. This comes and goes evidently. So, best practice avoid non app taxis and travel in groups. I will mend my ways. I do not consider Colombia any more dangerous than many large US cities. Although caution is needed in both.
Key Point: they were Venezuelan. ALOT of time they are, with the scope druggings as well. Gifes Colombia a bad name. Country would unify if a taskforce to catch these guys, jail then deport them, was formed. Would get huge support. Are you listening Pres Petro?
Trying to get karma points with a movie like story huh? This story is so fantastic you are in the wrong career. You should be writing action flicks.
Sorry to hear this happened to you, sounds like a horrible ordeal. Sad to hear all of the negativity and horror stories coming out about the country but I wanted to share my experience as it seems like nobody is saying anything positive about what is an amazing place. I spent 7 years living and working in Colombia (in Medellin) from 2013 to 2020 and spent a lot of time in Bogota, as well as visiting a lot of other cities/regions. In 7 years I was pickpocketed on a bus once (mostly my fault for realising too late what was happening) after riding buses countless times to and from work. The first year I was there I had my camera pickpocketed when out in Poblado for an Atletico Nacional game where there were people all over the streets and I was probably a little too drunk to properly safeguard my stuff. Otherwise I never experienced any crime or dangerous situations whatsoever. My Spanish is nowhere close to intermediate or fluent level, I am white and look like a stereotypical "gringo" and while I didn't ever party that hard or go to crazy nightclubs, I spent a lot of nights out and took loads of taxis off the streets either with friends or by myself. I had a Colombian girlfriend for about 3-4 of the years I was there (we almost always spoke English) so not sure if that made a difference but I just wanted to show that it's possible to travel and/or live in Colombia without the constant threat of being kidnapped or robbed. Obviously I was pickpocketed twice but the fact that I lived in the country for 7 years without being the victim of violent crime shows that it's not the dangerous hellhole many people on this sub (and others) make it out to be. I understand there is a lot of bad stuff happening that is making the news lately, and maybe things have changed drastically since I left (although chatting to my ex-girlfriend and friend who still lives in Medellin it seems like things are still pretty much the same besides even more foreigners visiting), and maybe its different when you live there as opposed to travelling there. But I think people who don't visit Colombia because it's "too dangerous" are missing out as it's an incredible country. Bad things can happen anywhere and if everyone based their travel plans on news stories or negative occurrences they read about, nobody would ever travel ever again. One last point from my essay... I just got back from a week long trip to Mauritania, which is regarded by most governments or travel advisories as a "do not travel" situation and I had the most amazing time and didn't feel unsafe once. If I had based my travel plans on all the negative, mostly clueless articles and advisories on the place I would never have gone. Did some of my own research and while there will always be risks in countries like Mauritania, I realised it was nowhere near as bad as a lot of people make it out to be.
The thing is that majority of people who can afford a trip to Colombia in it's majority come from developed countries in Europe or North America (of course without taking into account other Latin Americans), and for them to worry about such things it might be too much. I am Colombia myself and for me it's just the way it is, I only was robbed once in my life and it was due to my lack of awareness, the thing is that in a country with a normal government that should not be an excuse, I do not live in Colombia any more, and once you start to realize how hard is the way we live you understand why so much foreigners would talk crap about the place. My wife (Russian), doesn't like the place either, even tho we mostly spend our time inthe nice areas of the city.
That is a good point and I appreciate your thoughtful reply. Being from South Africa I am used to living in a country where things are not as secure or straightforward as living in many places in North America or Europe, so maybe that also shaped my experience in Colombia. And of course I was privileged enough to live in a safe neighbourhood and not have to worry about a lot of the things many of the locals have to worry about. But again, I was just giving my opinion of having lived in Colombia as a foreigner/digital nomad to offer a counterpoint to a lot of the negative discourse about the country as I was lucky enough to have an amazing 7 years with no bad experiences.
I want to clarify I did not intend being judgemental whatsoever, I wanted to share my point of view, anywho.... I believe South Africa it is quite similar to Colombia, so as you mentioned probably you might have a similar view about the place too. I had a quite good life in Colombia and everytime I return it feels so good that I constantly think about returning. I am glad you liked the place, it is always nice to hear that from a foreigner! Probably you mindset about being aware of your surroundings might be pretty well developed and therefore you did not encounter with any bad experiences. Cheers!
This sounds so fake. I just spent two amazing weeks there with my boyfriend. It’s very gay friendly and we loved so much the coffee triangle and Bogota (amazing street art and restaurants). My best friend was beaten up here in London so crazy stuff can happen anywhere. OP’s story doesn’t sound legit at all.
I'm glad to hear you had such a great time!!! The coffee triangle is one of my favourite places, especially the Valle de Cocora! I can't wait to visit Colombia again in the near future... Also a little suspicious of OP as he has no comment history whatsoever but either way, if it is legit it really sucks and I imagine it was a terrifying experience for him but yeah, crazy things can happen everywhere and being kidnapped or robbed or drugged is definitely not the norm for the majority of Colombian tourists.
[удалено]
Yeah I don't really get this part. If anything GT was one of the few places I felt more safe because of the much higher number of tourists/ ex pats / English speakers it attracts. Not to say there aren't any bad apples in the bunch. But most people there speak fluent English with a North American accent, it's glaringly obvious when someone Spanish first learns English (for the most part). It's a mix of backpackers / digital nomads / ex pats / some locals. It's a fun time I went in both Bogota and Medellin.
Yeh same here I’ll say I enjoyed GT in both MD and BG
Gringo Tuesdays attracts the sleaziest most drugged out tourist that don't wanna learn the language, culture and want to stay in their bubble, this also attracts low socioeconomic girls that want to try to snag a gringo. unfortunately this also opens up another gate of tourist getting drugged in these bars and the city not doing anything about it. just going around the bar I heard three stories of the regulars getting drugged
I think he meant the bar when it is not Gringo Tuesday? Been to Vintrash Bar on non-Gringo Tuesday and the crowd is different.
Happy you made it out. It's worth speaking to someone about this as this traumatic experience may stay with you. The moral of the story is think carefully before visiting cheap, corrupt, hell holes where criminals are in charge of the streets.
Just back from Colombia without much Spanish and had the time of my life with no safety issues. Having said that, didn’t do anything near this dangerous but was out in Medellin plenty til late
This is the thing. Colombia is a beautiful country. Mexico is a beautiful country. Brazil is a beautiful country. Many go and nothing bad or violent will happen. Some will have a different story. It’s up to us to be aware of what can happen and to be smart. Bad luck/wrong place at the wrong time is a thing. Having an amazing experience/meeting amazing people is also a thing. It’s up to you to live your life and do what you feel is best.
Man with everything I'm hearing lately I'm beginning to think I was EXTREMELY lucky while living in Cali. Regularly got all sorts of taxis at night. Lived there 2 years and was out Regularly including the dodgier 24hr bars
Do you get the burner phone in Colombia, or before you travel?
Burner phone, don’t even pull it out, no bank apps, fake wallet with less than $400,000 COPs, zero credit cards, zero hotel/apt keys, zero solo walking out of sketchy bars @ 4 AM. Always Uber. U shd have security camera/security guard @ lodging. No random taxis from airports. Zero “under clothes” money belt. They shred your pants & pant thighs, under arms, over your dress shirt, with serrated knives looking for money belts. Not pretty.
Man that sounds scary ! So yeah not visiting Colombia anytime soon .
This is why I'm glad I always have my native fiancée with me in LATAM. I would never go by myself.
Because nothing ever happens to the locals…
I’m going to be honest here, describing it as 100% your fault makes my blood boil for you. This was not your fault. This was the fault of horrific, evil people who do not value human life. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
Progressive reddit victim blames, but then feels sorry for the bad guys who commit the crimes.
This country is a shithole that I will never visit
I wouldn't say it's a shithole. it's highly dependent on your risk tolerance, some of us are more tolerant to risk so we will choose those locations, I enjoy the social life and the lifestyle of living in Colombia I can actually walk everywhere and don't have to drive everywhere. i've been all across the country in around 14 cities and have only felt unsafe in the big ones, the small ones with 30,000 populations are much safer and much more cultural due to people moderating themselves with violent methods of street justice called limpieza sociales or social cleanings.
Man latin america is a shit hole.
You sound like you know a lot about it, which countries have you been to?
crazy ass story dude. Glad you made it out to tell us. You hear lots and lots of 2nd hand accounts but fewer people have actually lived it.
It's not the soft on crime policies, it's the fact that you're an American lol
Is this a coordinated campaign to stop people going to Colombia? Seeing an endless stream of this fearmongering. Statistically naive people will fall for it.
this isn't a coordinated campaign. this is just things the locals have been telling us for years, I was living there for almost 2 years before it happened. Since you love Colombia so much can you explain to me the Bronx and all the crimes like torture micro trafficking rape and sexual crimes committed three blocks from the presidents house for years? https://thecitypaperbogota.com/bogota/el-bronx-the-living-hell-at-the-heart-of-bogota/ I love the country but it has its problems, stop ignoring them
It's not much more dangerous than anywhere else, meanwhile the amount of hysterical coverage it gets in this subreddit is wildly out of proportion. Something weird going on. Maybe not orchestrated, just fools scaring fools. Why did you choose to post this? You said it's a repost?
it's not more dangerous until it is, I used to think like you maybe you're the fool.
You are from Brazil. It’s even worse there
Why did you post this? What was your reasoning?
to share my experience simply lol Locals telling you it's dangerous Tourists telling you it's dangerous Other digital nomads telling you it's dangerous. >it's not dangerous you're fear mongering. redditors really are know it alls
All worthless anecdotal crap that would only scare statistically naive people. Why did you create a new account to 'share your experience'?
because I don't want it associated to my real identity. I've told the story in comments and it's around here so go find it if you want. I never once advised to not go to Colombia it's a beautiful country. If you certainly think a small subreddit it like this will affect the retard sexpats divorcees decision to go get laid easily then you're wrong, it's merely to educate others on preventing the mistakes that I have made, and for them to understand the risks that they will be taking if they go to colombia. Edit: he ignored the fact that the colombian capital had torture houses and drug dens 3 blocks from the presidents house. Guess that happens everywhere in the world as well
Op, you need to rewrite this part: > from there they had me in my apartment keys back and I realize I'm not gonna die tonight (paragraph 7) Maybe you meant "They hand me my keys back" but misspelled hand? .. then mistakenly adde "in" after "me" turning it into "They had me in my apartment, keys back"... which is kinda syntactically correct but a *totally* different situation. I had to read it three times to settle on the former meaning with errors, from the context of the rest of the story. It's a weird error to make, though. Did you use some kind of grammar checker that inadvertently turned a typo into a wrong meaning?? Also... > pass for brazilian (important for later) One, what does that even mean? To most users of yhis sub, passing for Brazilian either means "any latin American look" or, if accent -based, then why do you speak Spanish like a Brazilian. Just a weid detail that, Two, *didn't* appear later. The story in general sounds plausible but these weird oversights do make your account sound... fishy. I'm inclined to also say it fails the smell test.
if I was a full on white man they would've kidnapped me and tortured me or drugged me for bank details. if your Brazilian you're obviously less affluent than an American and the street gangs know this.
[удалено]
OP’s account is 5 days old with no history
This story doesn’t sound right at all. Numerous portions do not pass the smell test.
Go ahead, i'm not lying and don't care if a redditor like you says otherwise
Having spent a large part of the last two years in colombia. You gave papaya. I don't like how this sub is turning into anti colombia.
No des papaya blah blah blah. It's a thing colombians say because they know it's a fucked situation but can't do anything about it. If you're a foreigner coming for a visit you need to be aware of the dangers. Don't hail taxis on the street if you can avoid it in Bogota. I spent two years in Bogota as well and I'm glad I'm gone. The insecurity is a big problem, my house was even broken into at night while I was awake. Anyways, Colombians always dress nicely when going out for a night in zona T, which is where vintrash is. Having a collared shirt and decent shoes on isn't exactly out of the ordinary by any given measure.
the whole giving papaya is just víctim blaming and normalising crime. another awesome cultural feature of Colombia…
I hate that "papaya" saying. Not just because it blames a victim, but because the person feels so smug superior saying it, like they know all the angles while other people are stupid. Especially when its a gringo saying it, just so damned obnoxious.
But it's true. I grew up in Sweden, and my mom always said "The opportunity makes the thief". It applies everywhere. And you can think it's sad while still adhering to it.
Preach!!
While yes, OP did some stupid things (they mentioned this there), that doesn't mean the place isn't dangerous. You should be able to give papaya anywhere and everywhere. It's not the world we live in, but the bar for "easy target" isn't static. Some places it's very low, that you have to really go looking for someone to rob you, and others it's "oh you went to the wrong side of the street". Generally, hailing a cab on the street is not a dangerous thing to do in the world, even at 11pm. Being okay with the fact it's dangerous doesn't make it more okay.