2020 South American Expat Thread

[lonewolf1968]

Why do you say lower your standards to women in the 6 - 7.5 range? Its a bit depressing. I mean if I cannot get a 8 or a 9 in Colombia where in the world could I possibly get one?

I'm talking about finding a good Christian woman to marry, even a virgin or a girl who has only been with 1-2 men. 8-9s have just as many options as their western counterparts and are as materialistic, cheating, promiscous and money-hungry. I'm not saying it's impossible, but very unlikely. If you're rich and are looking for a secular 8 to marry and then divorce after a few years, or maybe a decade, that shouldn't be too hard.

 

[ginsu]

I'm talking about finding a good Christian woman to marry, even a virgin or a girl who has only been with 1-2 men. 8-9s have just as many options as their western counterparts and are as materialistic, cheating, promiscous and money-hungry. I'm not saying it's impossible, but very unlikely. If you're rich and are looking for a secular 8 to marry and then divorce after a few years, or maybe a decade, that shouldn't be too hard.

Just a general note on my experience with relationships. Ive been blessed to have been with some lovely girls. I attribute this to Being difficult to deal with, my way or the highway attitude. The only type of girls that will put up with it long term are the ones who are very giving and serving.

Dating most girls ends quite soon for me it is a blessing in disguise. Even if i wanted to marry an 8 there is little chance of it happening because they don't submit or conform to me to the extent i require. The only girls who do this are 6-7. Guys who end up with 8-9s and being walked all over have put themselves in that situation by compromising, and bargaining with those 8-9s, overlooking red flags etc. They make all kinds of compromises just to get with her / keep her, but its unsustainable as they wouldn't have had her in the first place if they where true to themselves. They where greedy and overextended.

 

[Sveti Vrh]

You have a sharp sifting mechanism. A very good observation. Basically they are playing a futile game with women's vanity which has always the potential to surpass their capabilities because it's not based in reality.

 

[Cr33pin]

Panama is a hot mess right now. Protesters blocking down the highway all over demanding cheap gas, food, and no more government corruption, they may as well as for a unicorn and world peace while they are at it. Gas, propane, and food shortages are common. Some people here are waiting in line 6-12 hours to get $20 worth gas in their cars. As I knew and said once they started making these deals... it will never end. You can never give these people enough. One province came to agreement on cheaper stuff then they opened the highway only to close it later that day saying they wanted diesel to be $2.50.

This has drove some expats I know here to start making their move to Mexico. This was a breaking point but they also bring up that Mexico didn't lock down for Covid and Panama did this weird lockdown where men could be out one day and women the next... and they just ended the mask mandate a few weeks ago.

I just surpassed my 1 year here in Panama and should be a few weeks away from getting my temp residency.. I am already toying with the idea of finding another country to move to... for when the next "pandemic" hits they don't try to shut everything down and lock people away in their homes. Colombia locked me in a apartment by myself for damn near 5 months... I really don't want to deal with that type of tyranny again.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge on what countries in South and Central America didn't go all in on the scamdemic?

 

[Sveti Vrh]

Mexico will be hell too when it comes there. I see it doesn't matter that much which country as long as it's sparsely populated and you're far away into the countryside.

Check Paraguay.

 

[Sveti Vrh]

Write an email to this guy (simonsparaguay.com), he checks his mailbox and might give you first-hand feedback but you have to properly introduce yourself since being a stranger.

 

[bucky]

Panama is a hot mess right now. Protesters blocking down the highway all over demanding cheap gas, food, and no more government corruption, they may as well as for a unicorn and world peace while they are at it. Gas, propane, and food shortages are common. Some people here are waiting in line 6-12 hours to get $20 worth gas in their cars. As I knew and said once they started making these deals... it will never end. You can never give these people enough. One province came to agreement on cheaper stuff then they opened the highway only to close it later that day saying they wanted diesel to be $2.50.

This has drove some expats I know here to start making their move to Mexico. This was a breaking point but they also bring up that Mexico didn't lock down for Covid and Panama did this weird lockdown where men could be out one day and women the next... and they just ended the mask mandate a few weeks ago.

I just surpassed my 1 year here in Panama and should be a few weeks away from getting my temp residency.. I am already toying with the idea of finding another country to move to... for when the next "pandemic" hits they don't try to shut everything down and lock people away in their homes. Colombia locked me in a apartment by myself for damn near 5 months... I really don't want to deal with that type of tyranny again.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge on what countries in South and Central America didn't go all in on the scamdemic?

I'm not aware of any. COVID was an excellent excuse for clamping down on dissent and protesters in the street, and the political instability that causes that kind of thing is pretty common in Latin America. Cost Rica is more stable than most countries south of the border, but I have friends there and apparently they also went all in on lockdowns, shutting the borders, etc. I'd be really interested to hear if there were any exceptions, but I kind of think not.

 

[COtrailrider]

@Cr33pin that sucks to hear about Panama. I didn't expect the chaos to come there so soon.

I'm in MX and have residency here. Let me know if you have any specific questions but I'll provide some general insights.

Each state was left to their own judgment regarding restrictions. The feds stuck to this and hadn't required any testing or vaxx to enter from abroad. Mexico City hasn't had a mask mandate for a few months now but many people voluntarily wear them, even outside. Jalisco had vaxx passes but not sure how much it was enforced - I heard conflicting info. Nonetheless I don't see the locals dropping the masks anytime soon, they really have come to love the security theatre.

MX has/had a lot of freedom-minded people moving down. Mainly to the coastal areas such as Puerto Vallarta but there are small groups around the country. Some have co-ops of land and are working on food production. I'm in Telegram groups with the various freedom groups and see they organize weekly meetups and focus on solutions. They go around handing out flyers to locals in an attempt to wake them up about COVID, the vaxx, other stuff. I went to a freedom group meetup in central MX but unfortunately it was more of a Friday meetup for cigars and mezcal - not much organizing, buying land, working with ranchers/farmers.

Food production is much more localized and abundant given the size and biodiversity of the country. Food is plentiful (for now) and street vendors sell produce/nuts/eggs/etc. so even if they bring some vaxx pass to buy food one could still buy from these guys I imagine. The president recently visited some food production facilities and assured the people that they'd be putting in the dreaded price controls, so that signals that shortages are coming here too.

I often wonder if/when SHTF how that will look here, and how I'd be treated. They may only want to allocate food for natives first or something. I think well before then I'd head back to the US for a bit anyway though. Gringos are already a target though so figure what locals will do to feed their family.

I'm watching local news to see when things might start popping off. And then I'll regroup to the US for a bit or head to the coast where more expats are. That's loosely my plan.

Think just about every other LatAm country went full retard with the sickness. Several still require vaxx or test to enter. MX never had entry restrictions FWIW.

 

[Brother Abdul Majeed]

Panama is a hot mess right now. Protesters blocking down the highway all over demanding cheap gas, food, and no more government corruption, they may as well as for a unicorn and world peace while they are at it. Gas, propane, and food shortages are common. Some people here are waiting in line 6-12 hours to get $20 worth gas in their cars. As I knew and said once they started making these deals... it will never end. You can never give these people enough. One province came to agreement on cheaper stuff then they opened the highway only to close it later that day saying they wanted diesel to be $2.50.

This has drove some expats I know here to start making their move to Mexico. This was a breaking point but they also bring up that Mexico didn't lock down for Covid and Panama did this weird lockdown where men could be out one day and women the next... and they just ended the mask mandate a few weeks ago.

I just surpassed my 1 year here in Panama and should be a few weeks away from getting my temp residency.. I am already toying with the idea of finding another country to move to... for when the next "pandemic" hits they don't try to shut everything down and lock people away in their homes. Colombia locked me in a apartment by myself for damn near 5 months... I really don't want to deal with that type of tyranny again.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge on what countries in South and Central America didn't go all in on the scamdemic?

It's been difficult here for most people lately. In Bocas there have been a lot of food shortages as well as power outages due to the fact that the power company can't get enough diesel to run the generators. To be truthful though, I can't say that it has affected my life significantly other than having to listen to other gringos whine about it. It's been about 3 weeks since any food or supply trucks from the mainland have been able to get through due to the road blockages. No eggs, no meat, no milk, no fancy foreign cheeses and salamis, etc. There have been protests in town, nothing like what's going on on the Capital or towns like Santiago or David. No Police trucks set ablaze here. People move to places like this to be more self-sufficient.

Personally I generate my own electricity, grow my own food, collect my own water. I'm not sure why I would have moved to Panama without that goal in mind. As for the fancy foreign products, just get in good with some local officials, it's still all there for the asking. Prices have not gone up at all. It's a little scarcer, but not if you know the right people.

We did have that weird men/women lockdown thing, but that ended a couple of years ago, it only was in effect for about 2 months and then was abolished, I'm surprised anyone would still be moaning about that. It wasn't really enforced anyway, the cops didn't hassle anyone if they were caught out on the wrong day, not a single ticket was issued outside of Panama City. I only spent one night in jail because I was caught after curfew, but that's all. Just one night - and I got a nice breakfast out of that deal. Well worth it.

I think all the Latin American countries paid lip service to maintaining the illusion of Covid, however, Panama (at least here in the Caribbean) no one took it terribly seriously.

 

[Sveti Vrh]

Personally I generate my own electricity, grow my own food, collect my own water. I'm not sure why I would have moved to Panama without that goal in mind.

You are set my friend. Riots are the least we can expect in any country. Panamanian countryside will be much safer than European countryside. You will have riots, Europe will have WW3. I would say that Panamanian countryside will be much safer than Kosovian countryside was during the Balkan war.

 

[COtrailrider]

You are set my friend. Riots are the least we can expect in any country. Panamanian countryside will be much safer than European countryside. You will have riots, Europe will have WW3. I would say that Panamanian countryside will be much safer than Kosovian countryside was during the Balkan war.

How safe is this really, though? Expats coming to MX have been saying the same thing - also that they'll be positioned to defend it. But how exactly? These countries are all incredibly corrupt from the local cop to the national military. Plus the cartels and thugs which will try to fill the vacuum created by a societal collapse. Not attacking your position but am genuinely curious.

Land use rights are even more corrupted. Federales can come in and say they need the land for XYZ. People say "oh no that's untrue" but in times of great need people see how fragile their so-called 'rights' are. Many scams are reported in MX.

I know a guy in Costa Rica that told me about squatters rights there. Basically people need to routinely kick off squatters that come onto properties otherwise they can stay there forever. That's insanity.

Curious to hear thoughts on this. I know to lawyer up, perhaps use a trust as the front, don't buy on ejido land - it's still a risky proposition. Going to wait a bit and see how things progress over the coming months/1-2 years and evaluate afterwards.

 

[NoMoreTO]

Considering heading down to Medellin for a Wedding of a Colombiana and a Gringo the last week of August. I know the colombiana, she was a profesora of mine. I'd stay until the first week of september. I still have friends down there and I often still think about Colombia. It'd be nice to visit them and get my toes wet. I'm a little worried about flight and travel being suspended or made difficult in the winter, so it's a good chance to go. There is always a reason not to go on a vacation.

 

[Sveti Vrh]

How safe is this really, though? Expats coming to MX have been saying the same thing - also that they'll be positioned to defend it. But how exactly? These countries are all incredibly corrupt from the local cop to the national military. Plus the cartels and thugs which will try to fill the vacuum created by a societal collapse. Not attacking your position but am genuinely curious.

Land use rights are even more corrupted. Federales can come in and say they need the land for XYZ. People say "oh no that's untrue" but in times of great need people see how fragile their so-called 'rights' are. Many scams are reported in MX.

I know a guy in Costa Rica that told me about squatters rights there. Basically people need to routinely kick off squatters that come onto properties otherwise they can stay there forever. That's insanity.

Curious to hear thoughts on this. I know to lawyer up, perhaps use a trust as the front, don't buy on ejido land - it's still a risky proposition. Going to wait a bit and see how things progress over the coming months/1-2 years and evaluate afterwards.

I don't have a golden solution to life. Your property can be seized even in the most "civilized" country if the gov sees you as the enemy. I think the key is to find a place where no one will bother to get you.

 

[Cortés]

I don't have a golden solution to life. Your property can be seized even in the most "civilized" country if the gov sees you as the enemy. I think the key is to find a place where no one will bother to get you.

This is a good point. One major positive I like about Brazil is that even though they are technically further down the globohomo Klaus Schwab path, their government is not nearly competent enough to carry this to an end. For example, they already have digital IDs and the like, but the portal needed to activate it is the clunkiest, most unintuitive, garbage site imaginable. When they can't even build a simple activation portal how on earth will they develop an all encompassing digital verification system like that of China? The same kinds of people who do this careless work are all throughout the government. You can extrapolate this to all corners of government action/bureaucracy.

With an overstretched government like this, it's much easier to fall thru the cracks. They simply do not have the resources to enforce building codes and bother you about your semi-registered car with 10 outstanding fines. Yeah Brazil might have vague laws against racism, but when the police are underfunded and trying to take on organized crime they couldnt be bothered with that kind of crap. Lockdowns were technically stricter in Brazil than USA, but all of the small mom and pop restaurants don't care about your vax status when their business has been cut in half and they are barely making $300 a month.

It's important to not get caught up in the weeds about one countries rights/laws compared to others. Latin America has very blurred lines in between law and practice, this is unequivocally advantageous with the direction things are going in. You will not find any country in the world with perfect property laws, speech laws, etc so it's best to go where they can't enforce it

 

[Sveti Vrh]

Exactly, thank you for expanding on what I meant. The trick is to find a place and nation where you can slip through the cracks as you said and leave the rest to God. I suspect this is why this thread hasn't reached conclusion because we are looking at the matter from afar. Exploration like you do on the bike yields true results. Legislative infection will be everywhere but not every place is a friendly environment to the rot. It shouldn't matter if they have digital id, we will have to function outside of this system anyway. If I were in Brasil like you I wouldn't think of switching to another country.

 

[Cr33pin]

Considering heading down to Medellin for a Wedding of a Colombiana and a Gringo the last week of August. I know the colombiana, she was a profesora of mine. I'd stay until the first week of september. I still have friends down there and I often still think about Colombia. It'd be nice to visit them and get my toes wet. I'm a little worried about flight and travel being suspended or made difficult in the winter, so it's a good chance to go. There is always a reason not to go on a vacation.

You should go now.... I think in the next few years Colombia is going to be struggling and sketchy once the new President starts implementing his agenda.

 

[William Faulkner]

Has anybody had any experiences in Uruguay? How exactly did they handle the lockdowns? I've been interested in the isolation of Cabo Polonio. Looks like a beautiful place where people go to drop out.

 

[Brother Abdul Majeed]

You are set my friend. Riots are the least we can expect in any country. Panamanian countryside will be much safer than European countryside. You will have riots, Europe will have WW3. I would say that Panamanian countryside will be much safer than Kosovian countryside was during the Balkan war.

I am set in a certain way. I really don't understand a lot of other Gringos (white people). A lot of them feel like they hover above the masses and build little gated communities with security guards. They have their tennis courts, bowling alleys. German bakeries, etc. Might as well move to Florida and enjoy the nice weather there. I guess they feel like the black and brown people will attack them with machetes when things get too hot. A lot of people here only eat at Gringo restaurants, never learn Spanish, never mingle with the locals (other than the ones who will take your money and whisper sweet pleasantries in your ear while ripping you off). What's the point of moving here if that's all you can handle?

There are a few problems now. I had to shutter one of my business due to this nonsense over the last three years. It's cost me over $200,000 g's to do so. Peace of mind is priceless and the world will never be the same again. I'm not going to keep fighting losing battles which I can't win. It was a great business, I'd see people all over Central and South America wearing our T-shirts, as well as a lot of folks in Miami. Those days are gone now. I'll figure it out and try to get some of it back. I do own another business here which makes most of that back. Not quite enough, but in trying times it's good enough for me.

A lot of people move here and they only hang around with other people like them. That's a perfect way to build resentment. I know people who have lived here for 4 or 5 years and can't formulate a sentence in Spanish. It's like listening to babies talk. They haven't made a single effort to integrate with local people, they don't feel the need to do so because everything is handed to them on a platter. I used to get irritated with foreignors in Canada who couldn't be bothered learning how to speak English. I see their point.

I don't live in the Panamanian countryside, I live on the archipelago of Bocas del Toro. It's nine main islands in the Caribbean (plus hundreds of smaller ones- a lot of my friends owns their own small islands and have built brilliant little places on 9 or 10 acre islands). It's easy to shut us off from supplies, there's only one road through the mountains that connects us to the rest of the country. Most if us do OK, because we grow our own crops. The people who live here are much more resilient than the whingers from the mainland who desire their creature comforts. All my friends from Panama City, Chiriqui, and Santiago have done nothing but moan and complain for the last two or three years. Grow a spine.

 

[Brother Abdul Majeed]

Today I just had a existential question answered. "Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?"

The protestors allowed a few trucks to get through yesterday and the stores had some eggs to sell. Today a truck got through bringing us some chicken (and other meats). Now I know the answer, the eggs come first.

 

[magaman]

For Spanish, press "two"