Quality of Life and Cost of Living in Bogota

Quality of Life and Cost of Living in Bogota

Best, most useful cost of living analysis I have seen!

Thank you.

File:Metrode bogota.bmp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

File:Metrode bogota.bmp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bogota may still have less than 10 million inhabitants and still is one of the truly grand cities of the world.

It has fine public transportation too.

A Bit Less Negative

The property manager for for the JT House disappeared. Now my tenants expect to move in October. I expect to get notice from them soon.

I could move into the JT House. I suspect that I would find it a more convenient place to live than here. The neighborhood seems quiet enough. Putting in a privacy wall in the back should make it a very livable place. I told myself some time ago, that when it became vacant I would probably move in.

I'm nearly 72 years old and it now seems that I should not wait long to do things I'd like to try.
I'd like to try living in the JT place. I'd also like to try living out of the country again for a time. If I rent out both houses and add that rent to my retirement money, I'd have enough for me to live well in most countries of the world.

This bears some consideration and planning. If I move to, say, Montevideo, it would help to have a home address here in the States where I could receive tax returns, bank statements, rent receipts, and the like. That means I will have to arrange to pay a friend or relative to receive my mail and to tell me each month what kinds of mail I'm getting. Maybe a local mail place would do as well.

I'd probably also rent a small storage place near here as well. Mail forwarding and storage should not be more than I can afford.

I imagine that I might rent a furnished apartment in Chaing Mai for a couple of months and then decide that i don't like it well enough to stay. So, it may happen that I spend some time moving from city to city or country to country fro a time. This will take a bit of planning, and I can begin considering the possibilities now.

What, for instance, my tenants don"t move.

Health first and then wealth. Dr. Abdul Zadeh will not see me until the 22nd of this month. That's a long wait, but I don't see my liver giving out before then! I have an appointment with Dr, Salhotra this coming Friday. Perhaps he can help me adjust blood pressure medication. I know I could quickly find excellent doctors in Bogota to care for my gut and pressure.

Health Report

I have a fairly serious bronchial infection distorting my upper bronchi. Have also persistent and ugly infectious conjunctivitis.
Spent most of two days in bed in Bogota.
And now have spent most of two days in bed in Lima.
My weakness of body and mind has given me a fright.
Consulted doctors in both Bogota and Lima.
Am still ill, but seem to be on the mend.

I´m shopping for flights to Montevideo. They are expensive. Fares going up and dollar is still falling.

Bogota

The weather is great here in Bogota.
Colombians carry on.
Avianca is a safe and efficient way to fly.
There are still Mejias, Restrepos, Parras and more here.
President Uribe may speak the classiest Spanish in the Americas.

Simple? Maybe.

I've reserved a seat on an Avianca flight leaving LAX in California for MDE in Antioquia on this coming Tuesday. Simple? Maybe.

Camp Thunderbird, my present home base, is located on the desert, not far from the village of 29 palms, and within sight of the great Marine base located in this part of California. It is not very close to Los Angeles.

Let me try to explain this "maybe" lack of simplicity in chronological order. First, I chose Venezuela and Bolivia as my destinations. Soon I found that Bolivian visa regulations seemed to be in flux. Next, I found flights to Venezuela to be a bit expensive. Searching online for the cheapest flights to South America from airports close to me, I found those to Colombia to be least expensive.
"Good," I thought, "I'll fly into Bogota and start my acclimation to La Paz altitude there." Bogota is at about 8000 ft. and La Paz has an altitude of over 12000! While in Bogota I could visit: some hot springs around Cundinemarca, the Gold Museum in that capital, and the marvelous cathedral of salt near-by. However, things were not so simple. I was shopping for price and found that it was cheaper to fly to Medellin via Bogota, than it was to fly to Bogota!

"Okay," I thought, "let it be Medellin." I haven't visited Medellin since 1967. I had spent a total of four pleasant years in that city of cultured and industrious people. I could simply revisit that place of fond memory. Some interesting changes must be evident after four decades. Of course there are changes in 40 years. Changes in me and in the city. One change in me is that I now no that I am less comfortable in a city that I am in a town or village. Medellin wasn't tiny forty years ago and it has grown. Another change in me is that I am now so aware of air quality that I made finding pure air a priority of this trip. I hear credible rumors that the air of the valley of Aurraba where Medellin is located is not as crystalline as it once was. Another change is that the main airport for Medellin is no longer in Medellin, but is now close to the attractive city of Rio Negro. When I live in Medellin, a sensible person did not go to Rio Negro without intending to stay at least one night. So, I'm going to Bolivia by flying to Medellin, but will probably stay in Rio Negro and not even go down to Medellin. Ah, the simple freedom of travel!

Now, in order to take my seat on Avianca flight AV49, I must first get to LAX. Renting a car to get there had worked out more than once. I called a rental agency I had used before. Their office was on the Marine base and they delivered. I called them and was told that, they were sorry, but they no longer dealt with civilians. I'd have to check agencies in Yucca Valley, a $30, or so, cab ride from 29. The first agency I called in YV told me that they did not handle one ways to airports. Then I called the Hertz agency. The agent was out to lunch so I was connected to the Hertz national reservations office. There I reserved a car one way to LAX from YV for $72, including insurance. I than told that agent about the cab ride that I had heard of people paying $60 dollars for. She was silent a bit and then said that their YV office would reimburse my for the taxi fare! After lunch I called the YV agent and asked if the reimbursement were truly available and she said, in tone which sounded a bit sad, "Yes."

The world is wonderfully not simple.

A Plan

I have no tickets or visas yet, but have the start of a plan: Fly to Colombia, probably into Bogota rather than Medellin. I can see the Gold Museum and the Salt Cathedral while in the Capital. Mis Piasanos de Antioquia no me van hacer falta.

From Colombia go to Merida de Venezuela to take a look at the surrounding small towns.

From Venezuela to Bolivia to take a pretty good look at that land-locked country. Venezuela and Bolivia are both new territory for me. Right now Bolivia seems very attractive. Maybe I can see the reality of the Tamengo Canal with my own eyes.

Relaxing in the hot water at Salta, Uruguay again doesn't seem a bad idea either.

While I'm thinking, I'll pack a bag.
If I go to North Africa, South Africa, Indonesia, or Maldova I'll enjoy my own toothbrush and a change of underwear.