Colombia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 489

or political ends, but it remains to be seen
whether they'll remain true to their word.
Although, reassuringly, tourists have not
been targeted specifically in the country's
civil war, certain areas should still be
avoided , including the Chocó, parts of
Nariño, Putumayo, Meta, Arauca and
rural parts of Cauca. Most guerrilla/
paramilitary activity is confined to rural
areas near the border with Panama and
Venezuela. However, it's imperative that
you stay abreast of current events: for
up-to-date travel advice check W www
.travel.state.gov or W www.gov.uk/fco.
Violent crime does exist, particularly in
poor neighbourhoods of the big cities,
but visitors are far more likely to
encounter pickpockets, so keep a sharp
eye on your belongings. Beware of scams
- such as criminals posing as plain-
clothes policemen and asking to inspect
your passport and money, allegedly in
search of counterfeit notes, which they
then confiscate. Counterfeit notes do
exist, so ask locals how to identify them.
When out and about, take only as
much cash as you need for the outing,
and leave the rest (as well as your
passport) in a safe in your lodgings.
Always carry a photocopy of your
passport with you - the main page
and the page with your entry stamp.
Local police have a mixed reputation
for corruption.
Drugs are widely available in Colombia,
cocaine and marijuana in particular.
Possession of either is illegal and could
result in a prison sentence, and being
caught with drugs while trying to cross
a border can have serious consequences.
If you do decide to take drugs, be very
careful: they are much stronger than in
Europe and the US. Do not accept
drinks, snacks or cigarettes from strangers
as there have been reports of these being
spiked with the tasteless and smell-free
drug burundanga, or “zombie drug”, that
leaves victims conscious but incapacitated
and susceptible to robbery and rape.

5 COLOMBIA ON THE NET

W colombiareports.com Latest news,

sports, culture and travel in English.
W colombia.travel Colombia's o cial
tourism site, with plenty of photos,
good background and some practical
information.
W hosteltrail.com/colombia Budget

accommodation and local attractions.
W parquesnacionales.gov.co Portal to
Colombia's national parks.

Packages are best sent via private
companies such as Avianca
( W aviancaexpress.com) and Deprisa
( W deprisa.com).
he three major mobile phone networks
are Movistar, Claro and Tigo, and it's
inexpensive to purchase a local mobile
phone: a basic handset will set you back
around COP$50,000-60,000; if you
have an unlocked phone, a SIM card will
set your back around COP$12,000, with
around COP$5000 worth of credit, with
top-up credits sold in every corner shop.
However, it's cheapest to make domestic
long-distance calls using the mobile
phones in corner stores that buy minutes
in bulk (look for the word “ minutos ”).
Call centres ( telecentros ) allow you to
make inexpensive calls both to local
numbers and abroad, though Skype is
by far the cheapest way to go, given the
proliferation of free wi-fi.
Internet cafés can be found even in
small towns (from COP$3000/hr),
and free wi-fi spots are becoming easier
to find.

CRIME AND SAFETY
Colombia today is far safer and more
accessible than it has been in decades.
That said, pockets of guerrilla activity
remain in remote parts of the country,
particularly the jungle - a haven for
drug-running activities - both by the
rebels and particularly by the paramilitary
groups who have the tacit support of the
government, and who have been
criticized for using techniques as dirty as
those employed by the rebels. The FARC
have renounced kidnappings for financial

EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Police/ambulance/fire T 123