ARE COLOMBIANS TRUSTWORTHY?

[FERRAN]

It seems TRUST is a rare commodity to find in Colombia. After many years dealing with Colombians there's one thing that never seems to go away, the distrust for most Colombianos.
I have given the benefit of the doubt but after a number of experiences one can not forget and forgive, it makes no difference what "strato" they belong to, rich or poor, educated or not, given the opportunity they will take advantage of your vulnerability, they called it "dar papaya" when someone puts their guard down.
When they take advantage of a person or situation they called it "Coronar" to crowned.
With all the great things one finds in Colombia and its culture, this sense of distrust among its people over shadows everything else. On the surface they seemed to be very amicable, polite and hospitable but inside most of them lurks a plunging shark, a stealth crocodile, a circling vulture waiting to devour the poor victim. They will lie, cheat, steal and even kill to get their nasty slimy hands on anything they can take away from you.It is a country where you dont get a piece of the pie by working honestly, you get it through deceit and scams.
From the government down to the young children who are being molded to be "chantajistas" liars, schemers and thieves, the way of daily existence seems to be based on this unscrupulous way of life and if you cant see this just look at the turmoil the country is in, they been killing each other for decades and with no end in sight. The president is a pathetic liar, the corruption in his government is rampant, theres is no end to their greed, the whole system is based on deception and state terror.
Many have fooled themselves thinking that by living in Colombia things would take a different perspective but no matter how you look at it you are living in constant fear of being robbed, cheated, scammed and killed. So for all of you that have become infatuated with Colombia and its women the time will come to throw the towel down packed you belongings and get the fuck OUT!!

[Morgus]

I always said its better to keep things simple in Colombia. Stick with the basic formula: booze, chicas and chicharrons. Stay away from doing business, don't bother with banks and do most of your shopping in big shopping centers like Exito. You can have friends but if they start asking for favors, just blow them off. Its not hard.