Quote: (07-29-2016 01:58 PM)Kapostatus13 Wrote:
I see alot of concerns regarding safety for gringos in colombia. But how would safety effect a brown guy. Im east indian (punjabi) and ive easily been mistaken for a spanish guy enough times. I do plan on learning spanish to tue best of my ability as well.
I can see white guys with blonde hair standing out like black sheeps. I also realize anybody in Colombis csj be effected by crime. If i take the necessary precautions can I still be somewhat safe?
Yes of course you can be safe just like everyone else, even white guys with blond hair. I've ran into a couple of Indo dudes in Colombia, as long as you don't speak, most people will probably think you're a costeno unless you plan on rocking the Turban down there.
Also, and this is completely anecdotal, I think there may be a niche market for Indians down there. A Spanish teacher I had spent six months traveling in India and loved it, I saw a few Indian stores selling Indian things (imported clothes, incense, etc) and there's quite a few yoga studios there with Indian signs and themes. Its a bit of a long shot because your average Colombia knows dick all about the world and couldn't find India on a map but I think that there may be some chicks into Indian culture. Wearing a turban would be a novelty and would certainly attract attention down there, having a kirpan on you at all times there wouldn't hurt either, just in case. Colombians don't seem to be into beards though, they're not common down there, even among the hipster crowd so if you have a big ZZ Top beard, you may want to consider shaving it unless you take the Indian yoga guru route.