Escape From 'The New Normal'?

[zetts]

So I am hoping Mexico is an option or somewhere else in Central America. I have given up on Southeast Asia which would be my usual winter escape.

Mexico definitely still IS an option. I myself am still in Playa del carmen and live a normal mask free life without any hassle. I'm gonna leave though, just because the culture and lifestyle isnt really my cup of tea. I think I'll try Vietnam, just not that easy getting in to. Are gyms and bars open in Vietnam, anyone there right now?

 

[Mountaineer]

This is how one can enter Guatemala from Mexico now.

 

[greenwolf]

The only place in SEA that looks possible would be Vietnam. Are you not interested in that one?

No, its a communist hole, paired with xenophobia and lack of long term visa and culture of ownership. If you are single, however, you can have the time of your life there for cheap. I for myself will not return there even though I have friends on the ground.

 

[zetts]

No, its a communist hole, paired with xenophobia and lack of long term visa and culture of ownership. If you are single, however, you can have the time of your life there for cheap. I for myself will not return there even though I have friends on the ground.

What's communist about it? Particularly in HCMC it didn't feel like that at all but I'm curious to hear your opinion.

 

[Tippy]

No, its a communist hole, paired with xenophobia and lack of long term visa and culture of ownership. If you are single, however, you can have the time of your life there for cheap. I for myself will not return there even though I have friends on the ground.

What's good about it if you are single?

Why wouldn't you go back there?

 

[britguy88]

My best friend is in Vietnam and she has been there since before the pandemic. She teaches English online and is generally loving life there because she has only had to endure 6 weeks of lockdown total when she was caught out in Da Nang.

They have a zero covid policy and will not be opening their borders to anyone soon, let alone Europeans! The only way in is as a foreign expert, but I don't want to work there and have two weeks quarantine and numerous invasive rods stuck up my nose.

Vietnam doesn't mess around when it comes to locking down and this leaves my friend somewhat uneasy, particularly with Cambodia and Thailand now seeing lots of cases.

On balance, I would rather go west.

 

[Mountaineer]

They have a zero covid policy and will not be opening their borders to anyone soon, let alone Europeans! The only way in is as a foreign expert, but I don't want to work there and have two weeks quarantine and numerous invasive rods stuck up my nose.

Vietnam doesn't mess around when it comes to locking down and this leaves my friend somewhat uneasy, particularly with Cambodia and Thailand now seeing lots of cases.

This does not bode well for the future. For this reason alone I would not go. You have to go to a country that is incompetent enough and where people generally DGAF.

 

[SpeekTruth]

Writing this from my new apartment in Panama, I think there's a great lesson in the Mennonite story. There's no perfect places, there's just the best place for you (right now). And even when you find the perfect place, you'll prefer to have a backup plan for when that inevitably has problems / risks change.

 

[Gusamaso]

Portugal has only been in national lockdown since mid January, not 6 months and it's now opened up except for a few municipalities. Not saying all is great here, but where I live the rules have not been strictly enforced and I rarely see any police or enforcement.

Beaches have been open all the time with people sunbathing despite stay at home message. No one seems to care, which has helped!

Has still sucked though and I am in no doubt there will be lockdowns returning this winter, right across Europe, particularly as the vaxx take up won't be as high as they want.

So I am hoping Mexico is an option or somewhere else in Central America. I have given up on Southeast Asia which would be my usual winter escape.

"Only" 3 months, then. It's never gonna stop, sadly. Variants, lockdowns, vaccines and so on and so forth. I bought a property in Setúbal march last year in hopes of moving there when my WAH got approved. Now I have no clue when I'll be able to go. No one is really accepting brazilians worldwide, besides it's rented til the end of the year.