Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [255]
All streets are numbered and the numerical system of addresses is used. Each address consists of a series of numbers, eg Calle 23 No 5-43 (which means that it’s the building on Calle 23, 43m from the corner of Carrera 5 toward Carrera 6), or Carrera 17 No 31-05 (the house on Carrera 17, 5m from the corner of Calle 31 toward Calle 32). Refer to the Orientation map (Click here) for examples.
The system is very practical and you will soon become familiar with it. It is usually easy to find an address. It’s actually one of the most precise address systems in the world; if you have an address you can determine the location of the place with pinpoint accuracy.
In the larger cities the main streets are called Avenidas or Autopistas. They each have their own names and numbers, but are commonly known just by their numbers.
Cartagena’s old town is the only Colombian city where centuries-old street names have withstood the modern numbering system. Streets in some other cities (eg Medellín) have both names and numbers, but elsewhere only numbers are used.
The Colombian system of designating floors is the same as that used in the USA; there is no ‘ground floor’ – it is the primer piso (1st floor). Thus, the European 1st floor will be the segundo piso (2nd floor) in Colombia.
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Within Colombia, folded road maps of the country are produced by various publishers and are distributed through bookstores. Of special note is the Movistar Guía de Rutas, a Spanish-language guidebook to Colombia with excellent maps. You can buy it at any tollbooth (ask the bus driver beforehand to buy it for you), and is also sold in a handful of bookstores, including the teleférico gift shop at the bottom of Cerro de Monserrate in Bogotá.
The widest selection of maps of Colombia is produced and sold by the Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi (IGAC; Map; 369 4075; www.igac.gov.co; Carrera 30 No 48-51, Bogotá), the government mapping body, which has its head office in Bogotá and branch offices in departmental capitals.
IGAC produces general and specialist maps of the country, plus departmental maps, city maps, and 1:100,000 scale planchas (sheets) broken down into more detailed 1:25,000 scale maps. Unfortunately, most maps are long out of date. If the office runs out of color maps (usually the case) it makes a black-and-white copy of the original. Maps cost somewhere between COP$10,000 and COP$40,000 per sheet, depending on the type and size.
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MONEY
The Colombian peso (COP$) is the unit of currency in Colombia. It fluctuates freely on the exchange markets, and in recent history has varied between COP$1500 to COP$2500 to the US dollar.
Unlike many of Colombia’s neighbors, where the US dollar is the de facto currency or the actual legal tender, Colombians use the peso exclusively. For this reason we have provided all prices in this book in Colombian pesos (COP$).
For exchange rates at the time of publication, see the inside front cover.
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ATMs
Almost all major banks have ATMs, and they usually work fine with cards issued outside Colombia. A debit card is usually best and will have the lowest fees. Check with your home bank and credit-card company before leaving. Ask about fees and inform them of your travel dates (if they suddenly see money extracted from Colombia they may freeze your account, assuming that your card has been stolen).
Most banks have a maximum cash withdrawal limit of COP$400,000 pesos per transaction. Davivienda allows a maximum of COP$500,000 from most branches, and Citibank will let you take a maximum of COP$1,000,000 per withdrawal.
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Cash
There are paper notes of COP$1000, $2000, $5000, $10,000, $20,000 and $50,000. The coins you