Episode 5 is a conversation with an old friend from the early days in Bogota — back when gringos had to grind on the ground to make a living in South America. No remote work, no digital nomad cafes. Just burning shoe leather for sketchy deals and learning the hard way. This one covers two of Colombia’s dodgiest industries: emeralds and loansharking.
Timestamps
0:00 — Intro: the book announcement
2:30 — Joseph’s arrival in Bogota 15 years ago — connecting through St. Louis, not sold on Colombia at first
5:00 — The Expat Chronicles reputation problem: how being associated with me meant people in Bogota would disassociate from you
8:00 — Can gringos have close Latin American friends? The “amigos, compañeros and betrayal” thesis
10:00 — How Joseph stumbled into the emerald trade — starting with importing jailbroken iPhones from St. Louis and selling them door-to-door at Bogota electronics malls
15:00 — New Zealander diamond importer invitation to party at Ron Ringsrud’s house in Candelaria where Joseph meets Dario, an emerald cutter
19:00 — Vault doors, half a million dollars in stones on the table, and Dario kicking everyone out to teach Joseph the business twice a week
22:00 — The emerald filling scam: oil vs. epoxy, why the trade has a terrible reputation, and why clean stones are almost impossible to find
25:00 — Enter Harka, the Nepalese importer selling cashmere scarves and glass pipes out of San Andresito
28:00 — Harka needs $30,000 to get containers out of customs — Joseph connects him with Elidio’s loan shark contact, Pacho, who carries a gun
32:00 — Harka can’t pay on time. Interest is 20% per month. It takes eight months. The “gota a gota” system — pay a little every day and they won’t hurt you, but you’ll never pay it off
35:00 — Joseph’s gringo investors still haven’t been paid. Elidio offers the Colombian collections solution: get a signed check from Harka, and a guy will collect — for 20% of the total
Can’t give away the ending in the show notes. Listen through for the rest!
People & Places Mentioned
Joseph — Colin’s friend from St. Louis, international business background, spent years grinding in Bogota
Dario — Emerald cutter specializing in cushion cuts, taught Joseph the business
Elidio — Emerald wholesaler and buyer, Joseph’s main contact in the trade
Hamish — New Zealander in Candelaria, came to Colombia for colored stones
Harka — Nepalese importer in San Andresito, sold scarves, rugs, and glass pipes — the borrower in the loansharking story
Pacho — The lender. Carries a gun. Not police.
Ron Ringsrud — American gemologist, specialist on Colombian emeralds, hosted the Candelaria party where Joseph met Dario
Victor Carranza — The “emerald czar” who controlled Colombia’s emerald mines and fought off the cocaine cartels
Avenida Jiménez / Universidad del Rosario — The street-level emerald trading scene in central Bogota
San Andresito — Bogota’s famous gray-market commercial district
Boyaca / Muzo — The Colombian state and mine where the best emeralds come from
Related Posts
- Not Your Old Man’s LatAm Expat Scene
- Amigos, Compañeros and Betrayal in Latin America
- Ep. 4: Interview with Carl Meek, Englishman in Colombia
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