DANGER unauthorized person will be killed

The hostel I stayed at in Medellín was in a residential area in one of the more wealthier parts of town. As there were lots of security guards with shotguns, lots of barbed wire fences and in some cases electric fences. I know sometimes in Ireland you'll see a "Beware of Dog" sign or "Trespassers will be prosecuted" but the signs in Colombia are a little more serious.

Danger!

Colombian Payphones

Throughout Cartagena and Santa Marta I noticed lots of signs at the side of the street saying 'Minutos $200' or 'Minutos $150'. Some of them would have the different mobile carries named also - Tigo, Comcel, Movistar etc. Nearby you'd find a table nearby with some phones attached to it by string. You use one of the mobile phones to make your call and pay for the minutes you use. The attendant from the table in the photo below was buying a drink at the time I took the photo!

Colombian Payphone

In Bogota they are even more popular. Most of the street vendors have shopping trolleys that they push around selling sweets, chewing gum and cigarettes. They also offer phone calls, see how the phone is attached to the trolley by a chain.

Street vendor pay phone in Bogota