All Articles

  • Let’s Talk Like Colombianos: Chiviao

    WORD: CHIVIAO (FEM: CHIVIADA) Sounds like: tchee-vee-ah-oh/dah The real word is chiviado/a, and it means fake, counterfeit or phony. Example: Eres un paisa chiviao! (I was told this today when I joked that I’m a paisa — all in good humor!) The expression could be […]

  • Hacking Colombia: Busetas

    You can’t miss them: throngs of diminutive buses zipping around streets at breakneck speeds competing for passengers. This is public transportation, Colombia style! When it rains, which in some parts of Colombia can be several times a day, taxis all but disappear […]

  • Hacking Colombia: Taxis & Uber

    Taxis are very affordable in Colombia. You could go from one end of the city to the other, say in Medellín, for under $10 US. You’re likely to spend $2 to $5 on most trips. Taxi rates are usually set by the city […]

  • Is “Gringo Pricing” Real?

    In expat social networks you will read the expression “gringo pricing“. This is the phenomenon where the price that a native Colombian and what a foreigner pays are different, with the latter paying much more. When I lived in Cozumel, Mexico, gringo pricing […]

  • Colombians Hard at Work

    The tropical climate does NOT make people lazy! Colombians work more hours than the vast majority of gringos and get paid much, much less for their sweat! Let’s roll out the factoids… The official work week here is 48 hours. Some work […]

  • Hacking Colombia: Figures in “Salarios Minimos”

    Many amounts, especially fines, are expressed in SMMLV or a variation of that abbreviation instead of the an actual figure. SMLV or in its more official acronym of SMMLV stands for Salario Mínimo Mensual Legal Vigente which in English means the current minimum legal monthly […]

  • Let’s Talk Like Colombianos: Conchudo

    WORD: CONCHUDO/A Sounds like con-tchoo-dough/dah May be derived from the word “concha” which means shell. In its Colombian meaning, it’s used to describe a person who is taking advantage of a situation and not in a good way / A freeloader. Atrevido/a, aprovechado/a, descarrao/a might be synonyms. For […]

  • Let’s talk like Colombianos: Mecato

    WORD: MECATO Sounds like Meh-cah-toe Mecato is another of those peculiar words you’ll hear mostly Paisas use. It means “snacks”. Candy bars, potato chips, etc. The processed and junk food kind! Example: “Comes mucho mecato, vas a engordar” – You eat a lot of snacks, you’ll […]

  • Guarapo or Aguapanela?

    Colombians love their sugar cane! Panela is unrefined sugar cane juice (most of the water will be boiled off) compacted into a puck or brick, or chopped up into a coarse sugar. Guarapo is raw pressed sugar cane juice mixed with lime juice whilst aguapanela is rehydrated […]

  • Hacking Colombia: Lotteries

    There are a lot of lotteries in Colombia. Cities, states (departamentos as they call them here) and charities have their lottery tickets selling throughout the country. Thus, you could be in Medellín and buy tickets for the Medellín, Bogotá, Boyacá, Manizales and […]