Early Retirement Extreme Forums

My partner and I are currently working remotely and due to cost reasons and for the sake of culture have been thinking about traveling to Mexico City for at least a week to see if we can live there long-term.
Would appreciate any advice on thinking through this - basically, a sanity check because a part of me certainly feels a touch reckless traveling during these times and another is wanting to just live my life.

Mexico City: food and culture are fantastic. The air pollution and the traffic are intolerable. I could not imagine myself living there. Roma and Condesa are wonderful neighborhoods and the embassy district is very upscale. But even there you breathe in air equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

Why pick Mexico City? There are tons of better choices in Mexico in my opinion.

You're not going to get an accurate picture of what it's like to live in a place during pandemic conditions.

I would personally find it highly stressful to deal with being sick as a tourist especially when skirting the rules. Mexico and the US have handled it roughly equally badly, so one can presume there's less tension between visitors and locals, but still...

back in the stone age i lived in mexico city as a kid and it was amazing, then we moved to the estado de méxico suburbs which were some gleaming developments at the time.

outside of that area, lots of gringos lived in cuernavaca back in those days. we'd go there on weekends but i remember it as boring country stuff with perpetual nice weather and some place that sold honey in little packets. i think of it as a place for old people.

I've just spent three months working/holidaying from Turkey, tbh Covid was not really an issue as long as you follow the rules. I wouldn't do it if I was a high risk individual e.g. asmatic or older, but other than that the risk is not particularly higher than at home, subject to local infection rates.

Whilst we were there it got taken off the 'green list' so travel was discouraged, but not banned (it was permitted when I flew) and I had to self isolate for a fortnight upon return. But that I think was because Istanbul rates increased, we were on the west coast and local infection rates were low. Life was pleasantly sunny and normal out there.

I don't know what Mexico's current status is though - you might find it difficult to get travel insurance at the moment.

I'm in Mexico right now. If people weren't wearing masks you wouldn't know there's a pandemic. I disagree that you wouldn't get an accurate idea of the place here. That being said, different states have different measures in place based on caseload. Mexico City is in one of the more restrictive states. I'd recommend looking at the government's stoplight system. Everyone wears a mask here though, even in public. It's a little different when you have police walking around with assault rifles everywhere.

My contacts across Mexico corroborate what theanimal said. In the beginning of the pandemic, some towns were completely closed to outsiders, Mexicans and foreigners alike. That is no longer the case. I would not hesitate going to Mexico. Mexicans are very welcoming to visitors.

China is a different story. Chinese are very hostile to foreigners right now, and they are always racist in any event. This has everything to do with the educational system and the constant propaganda of the communist party. Whipping up hatred against foreigners is always a useful tool for a government. Kind of reminds me of a southern border wall and the rhetoric against immigrants.....hmmm,I guess it is not unique to China.

theanimal wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:18 am

Everyone wears a mask here though, even in public.

That's fucking great. I can't believe these people riding around in their own car alone with a mask on.

In my opinion the arquitecture, museums, and restaurants are what are appealing about an extended stay in Mexico City (A younger me would add shopping and nightlife.). I doubt any city’s pandemic vibe is comparable to pre-COVID. My questions for staying in DF right now are how much you’d like to do and how you are getting around.

The Times had an article yesterday: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytime ... d.amp.html

When I travelled to Serbia in October, I got insurace from these guys:

https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/

However, if the medical system collapses and you need to get a bed in a hospital, you can have insurance or money all you want, it won't help you (only connections will in that situation), so I would monitor the corona conditions closely.

Frita wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 1:11 pm

My questions for staying in DF right now are how much you’d like to do and how you are getting around.

Stay in DF? It's scary there. Keep to MC .

Dream of Freedom wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:34 pm

Stay in DF? It's scary there. Keep to MC .

huh?

Alphaville wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:57 pm

huh?

My guess is she was making a reply referring to Dream of Freedom, changed her post, and recycled the abbreviation. Just having a bit of fun with it.

Dream of Freedom wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:02 pm

My guess is she was making a reply referring to Dream of Freedom, changed her post, and recycled the abbreviation. Just having a bit of fun with it.

oh! lol. i was wondering

df = distrito federal = mexico city

(a bit like washington, dc)

Well I've always told people that I don't speak abbreviation.

Dream of Freedom wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:10 pm

Well I've always told people that I don't speak abbreviation.

Location: Nebraska, US

Alphaville wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:17 pm

Location: Nebraska, US

What's your point? Location: Quarantined? I'm not Quarantined.

Dream of Freedom wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:20 pm

What's your point?

abbreviation of your location

Alphaville wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:32 pm

abbreviation of your location

I suppose I do speak 2 letters of it. There are just so many with a hatred of where I live. I got defensive.

lol no worries man.

im from dc