#1017 – The Expat Files: Travel Chaos, Testing, and LGBTQ+ Progress in Latin America

Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.

[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now as I wonder Hello there all you ex-pat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great And it's all right here. So let's get started. All right I guess it's time to say Mary Krimble cuz this podcast goes out on December 25th 2020 and though December 25th is all about happiness and festivities and all that got some bad news to report today my

[00:45] January 2021 expat insider seminar must be postponed For a few months because you see in the last few days quite a few countries and US states to have doubled down on their stupidity It's a pure case of politicians and doctors in the pockets of Big Pharma But you knew that already calling the Covid it shots pun intended and is instilling a new round of panic now It was just the usual lame stream media panic. That'd be okay But we all know now about how extremely stupid New York City California and other states have slammed their citizens with strict lockdowns much like Soviet style house arrest now that stuff as Unfortunate as it is we could handle right by now. Most of us can spot fake news, but you see just two days ago

[01:32] Mexico ordered an extreme lockdown scenario that unfortunately may soon affect Guatemala our seminar destination The problem is you see Guatemala is known to follow Mexico's lead and we don't want any of our seminar attendees who are changing flights in Mexico City to get stuck there Worse yet this week Panama has ordered a complete curfew that presents a serious travel problem for many of us including me I've had connecting flights through Panama a hundred times as you frequent travelers might know Panama is the Central American airline travel hub that handles 80% of all the connecting flights through Central and South America as an example of how crazy Airports and airlines are I just booked a flight last week with a connection in Panama

[02:19] I got a cancellation notice by email two days later They said it was due to the co-videa measures, etc then I booked another flight as they Suggested the next day a few hours later I received another email saying that my second flight was also canceled and to contact them to reschedule once again Guess what? It's been three actually four days now and they've not answered a single one of my emails Even though they said email us and talk to us. We'll work it out And I'm talking about one of the biggest airline consolidators in the business Terrible it's terrible cold centers in India must be going crazy. Hey, wait a minute Johnny. You can't talk like that. That's cultural appropriation It's a new sin. Don't you know my response to that can only be tough titties

[03:07] So anyway that January 2021 Seminar has been postponed for a couple of months now Normally when airlines suddenly cancel your flights like they did for me twice in this last week Normally one can juggle times and get a new flight quickly But now one has to factor in the necessity of that 72-hour ludicrous and wildly inaccurate PCR test In other words, it's a crab shoot because there's no guarantee the PCR testing timing will line up with any hastily rescheduled flight Then there are other unknowns for instance the possibility of forced quarantine measures when arriving in the country or at an airport and even though that Possibility had faded a lot in the last few months. It's back on the table again In addition to that four of our seminar attendees have recently canceled with a group of others

[03:55] Sending me emails expressing serious concerns They may not be able to make it at the last minute due to worsening travel restrictions and the extra stress in Coordinating that 72-hour time limit on the PCR test all of that which throws a wrench into our seminar logistics and hotel Reservation plans not to mention losing a percentage of hotel deposits along the way That's what deposits are for right to assure you're gonna make it and when you don't hotels like to keep those deposits And it's true a few months ago when we first Scheduled the seminar things were really loosening up that is until this very recent so-called Second wave panic which not surprisingly overlaps with the seasonal flu that just seems to have miraculously disappeared from the scene

[04:41] Have you noticed that but that's not all as of Monday December 21st Several European countries have banned flights due to a completely new so-called coronavirus variant So the UK Germany Netherlands Belgium Austria and Italy have all announced heavy restrictions and lockdowns again And of course that news spreads like a contagion in itself With other countries soon to follow as governments warn the new strain of covid spreads more quickly than its predecessor Yep, bring on the fake news folks For example in the UK Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke at a Saturday December 19th press conference saying Infection levels were rising rapidly and the UK would be put under the strictest lockdown rules known as tier 4 lockdowns

[05:28] And other countries will follow soon or so they say so with all that new chaos and shrapnel in the mix The unfortunate result is that our January 2021 seminar will have to be postponed for a few months the date to be determined Depending on when the US and Latin America adopt the five-minute rapid spit test. Oh, and did you know the spit test is 99.8% accurate Much much more accurate than the stick up your nose PCR test which has been proven to give up to 40% false positives and a high percentage of false negatives, too So the question is did you know that there's a rapid five-minute test that costs between Get this a buck to three bucks a test and it's an order of magnitude

[06:15] More accurate than the stick up your nose PCR test because it definitely measures if a person is actively contagious at that moment Unlike the PCR test which detects dead remnants of old viruses that may have been in your system a long long time So then what about that rapid test? Oddly enough this much better and quicker and cheaper test is now being used throughout Europe and Asia and is accepted at all European And Asian airports what it is It's just a paper strip you put your saliva on and you get the results in five minutes or less It's being manufactured by six different companies now, too Can you guess where in the USA? Yes in the states But is it accepted for transit through US airports? No

[07:01] For example Abbott labs of Illinois is making five million of these test kits a day and shipping them all to Europe In fact, there's a brand new YouTube that just came out December 18th The host of that show is PhD mathematician and physicist Lex Friedman interviewing a PhD Harvard professor immunology expert and world-renowned infectious disease researcher on that show He talks and does a show-and-tell with all six of those cheap and dirty spit tests You should really look it up. Just go to YouTube put in Lex Friedman F-R-I-D-M-A-N podcast number 146 with Michael Mina that's Lex Friedman podcast 146 if you have any trouble finding it send me an email the expat files at gmail.com and I'll send you the link

[07:50] Oh and believe it or not Now even the most knuckle-headed Scientists and the ones in bed with big pharma are saying that PCR tests will no longer be required Once most of the population has been infected. Oh and by the way I'm sure you're wondering why the US insists on the up-your-nose PCR test while Europe and Asia are using the five-minute cheapo spit tab Test why because it's all about the money as you heard me mention on last week's show PCR tests cost generally over a hundred bucks So it's a multi-billion dollar industry that didn't even exist a year ago so with your average stick up the nose PCR tests costing over a Hundred times as much as this spit tab test which is by the way much more accurate

[08:35] Well, just follow the money think of that windfall of dough that's fallen right into the laps of hospitals doctors clinics And big pharma, but you knew that already, right? So anyway, just stay tuned for more about when the seminar will relaunch So then what's the new timeline? Well, as soon as the US and Latin American countries of interest drop the stick up your nose PCR test and or begin accepting the much more accurate rapid spit test as soon as we get that news The seminar will launch so stay tuned. All right on to some unsettling Latin American news You know when people ask me if any Latin American countries are following in the craziness That we're seeing up in the states right now like for example cancel culture University safe spaces, etc. Etc. In other words, are there any Latin American countries that think?

[09:25] California is the correct role model for the future Regarding how they've gone completely overboard on progressive and social ideals Well, as you've heard me say dozens if not hundreds of times There's a huge lag time in Latin America But eventually every fad and lunatic craze that hits up in the states eventually makes it down to Latin America only Thankfully when it does land it's always in a lighter less rigid and lamely enforced manner and for us expats and gringos That's a very good thing But if I'd have to pick the Latin countries that follow most closely in the footsteps of the states In other words, they've got the shortest lag time. That'd be Costa Rica because it's Absolutely flooded with gringos and expats and believe me. That's a scary thing In other words, if you pulled all the gringos out of Costa Rica, the country would quickly revert back to a sleepy Banana Republic

[10:14] So you can expect the crazy-ass social rules and regs that are coming out of places like California will first hit in Costa Rica simply because for the last 30 years has been a steady trickle if not flood of gringos landing there and unfortunately inevitably gringos tend to turn their new paradise into the same kind of place that they've escaped from Now aside from Costa Rica There are two other Latin American countries that seem to tag along right in the footsteps of what's happening in the states namely Places like California one of those Latin countries is Argentina because it considers itself slightly above the other Latin American countries in culture class style intelligence and Progressiveness they think because they're the Latin American country with the wider more European

[11:00] Ancestry they need to pass all the culturally liberal laws that pop up in Europe and America before any of their neighboring Latin American countries who they feel superior towards beat them to the punch now if you need proof Listen to this in September of this year President Alberto Fernandez signed a decree Establishing a 1% employment quota for transgender people in all of Argentina's public sectors Say what how'd that happen bet? That's a story that never hit the first world of lamestream media Then neighboring Uruguay immediately followed suit with their own comparable public sector transgender labor law Now according to Argentina's LGBTQ WTF community

[11:45] They say that 95% of transgender people in Argentina do not have any kind of formal employment In other words, they don't pay any taxes because they're working off the books with many forced to work in the sex industry Where naturally they face lots of problems including violence. Oh, and here's something you didn't know I didn't know either according to a spokesperson from Argentina's LGBTQ WTF community he says it's imperative that public institutions implement a trans quota job system Saying it would change the quality of their lives and they would not die then at 35 to 40 years of age Which is according to the group's spokesperson the average transvestite and transgender life expectancy Hmm. Wow, that's awful sad to hear

[12:31] Though the spokesperson for the organization admits Argentina is Latin America's pioneer in transgender rights with a 2010 law enacted for marriage equality and in 2020 Argentina adopted an unprecedented gender identity law just like in the US allowing transgender people to choose their self perceived identity Regardless of their biological sex. The law also guarantees free access to sex reassignment surgeries and Hormonal treatments without prior legal or medical consent with that. We've got the group's spokesperson admitting there have been great Advances on the gender front in Argentina, for example, just this year in 2020 Diane Zirkel became the first

[13:17] Transgender presenter of Argentine television news then we have Maria Gomez a transgender woman authorized by the Argentine Football Association to play in the professional women's league and Soprano Maria Castillo de Lima the first transgender artist to go on stage at the Argentine National Theatre The historic theatrical cologne the word cologne by the way being the Spanish name for Christopher Columbus The theater was named after Columbus as well as many thousands of bridges streets buildings and boulevards Even coins and money the great irony being Columbus was known for torturing killing and enslaving indigenous tribes and Homosexuals way back at the battle days of the conquistadores, but you knew that already, right?

[14:08] So bottom line if you're working on your plan B and you're thinking about relocating to Latin America But you want to go to one of the most socially liberal and permissive Latin countries Well, you've got three to choose from Costa Rica, Argentina and Uruguay with Argentina taking the top spot Though I have to say in the 30 plus years I've been down in Latin America things have changed dramatically in every Latin country Regarding gay rights attitudes and the lgbgtwtf thing Although you might think otherwise since Latin American countries are considered very macho when they are The fact is these days there's just not much backlash violence or stigma at all against gays lesbians Transvestites transgenders, etc Although way back when when I first got down there was some of it You'd sometimes read about a gay or transvestite attacked even killed by a bunch of macho guys

[14:58] But these days you almost never hear about that anymore Though gay guys will still tell you that it's not easy being gay in a tiny pueblo way out in the boonies That's why so many of them end up coming to the big city In fact, i'll never forget the early days when I first arrived in Costa Rica My music group used to play at this bar called the beetle bar only about a block away from the central park in San Jose, Costa Rica the capital city and once in a while We'd take a break and walk through the park and there'd be a group of maybe 10 or 15 transvestites hanging around there in spanish They're called travestis travestis And you'd see the same ones over and over of course, they were all sex workers hanging out in the corner They were actually a lot of fun pretty entertaining and they'd often try to bum smokes from some of the guys in the band And they told us the reason why they kind of hung together at that corner is because they were protecting each other

[15:49] Strengthen numbers and all that they talked to violent instances and how they'd take care of each other You know, the street corner sex business can be tough Though I gotta say those guys even the most feminine of them had a rough and tough edge to them They could take care of themselves. All right. I wouldn't want to get in a fight with one of them That's for sure, but that was then they'd hang together because they knew they could protect each other whereas today The transgender people in most all Latin countries don't have to hang together anymore. You see them walking around alone Unbothered unmolested working regular jobs in malls and banks, etc It's obvious. They don't have the fear they once had and of course me being in the music and the radio business for so many years I'd come in contact with quite a few gays some transgenders They are drawn to the media and entertainment field, you know, and if you talk to them and ask them what it's like

[16:39] They'll admit things are much easier. The latin american world has completely changed in their attitude to them It's as if no one really cares that much anymore. It's no big deal In fact, I remember one of those transvestite guys in costa rica telling me that every night They'd stand on their corners at least a half dozen cars would drive by with a bunch of macho guys And they'd roll their window down and yell out a bunch of nasty slurs But today according to latino gay friends, I know that pretty much never happens anymore People just don't care even macho guys when they're together and drunk don't pick on gays and transvestites like they used to not at all Hey, that's real progress, especially in such a macho culture So then what's changed in all those years? Well, I guess it's the fact that over the last maybe five to ten years practically every latino household has had a family member

[17:28] Come out as a gay or a lesbian or transvestite people have come out of the closet left and right And though they admit there's always some trauma when coming out in the end It's created a lot more cultural acceptance Whereas 30 years ago when I first came down very very few gays and lesbians were out of the closet Except the usual suspects working at beauty parlors and such though if you were in a stewed observer You could spot him here and there. In fact, this one gay latino friend of mine randy. I know I know randy Kind of a dead giveaway, huh? Anyway, he said he came out of the closet about six or seven years ago when he was around 20 years old living at home It was no problem for his brothers and sisters and his mom, but his dad The macho latino guy took it pretty hard wouldn't even talk to his own son for a couple of years But now he says things have reverted pretty much to normal. His dad and him are aok

[18:16] They talk fathered his son and all that but for the first couple of years when he first came out of the closet was pretty tough He said it's pretty much two for all the latino gay guys He knows they come out to their families in their high school or college years And generally he says a lot of the families knew already and though most never actually would bring it up When some of these guys come out of the closet their families are actually relieved, you know, no more secrets and all that But randy did tell me he never brings his boyfriends around the house when his dad's at home because that would be pushing it Other than that, he said everything with the family is okay Like I said over the last 30 years things have really changed in the way the public views alternative lifestyles Just in case you wanted to know though. It may have been a little too much information I don't know. All right moving on for all you listeners who send me emails

[19:03] Seeing johnny i'm full speed ahead with my plan b However, I think it's gonna be mexico and I know you don't really approve of mexico Then come the justifications and rationalizations They say things like johnny my situation's different i've done my homework I've been to mexico a few times. I know people I know you've got your reasons for not liking mexico But to me it seems not so bad Hmm. What can you say to that man? I can't tell you how many emails I get like that a week people still have the blinders on when it comes to mexico Seems like people just don't read the news They're thinking as long as they move to or near a mexican tourist town The cartels the gangs the corrupt cops and bureaucrats etc will just lay off They wouldn't want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. They're not that stupid

[19:52] Well, that would be logical thinking wouldn't it you mustn't assume you're dealing with rational people now So many gringos and expats think if you're living in a tourist town in mexico It somehow gets a free pass from the narcos and institutional corruption Well, it actually worked that way for a long time problem is it seems once gringos and expats have their minds dead set on mexico No amount of bad news will deter them. Maybe they don't even read the news Well, they wouldn't would they if they didn't know any spanish though once in a while the news does bleed through in english Like for example this news from reuters just last week Says the former governor of mexican state of jalasco was shot dead early on friday in a restaurant bathroom In the popular beach town of port of ayarta one of the most high profile political killings since mexico

[20:39] Embarked on its war on drugs. The article says that arastatilis Sandoval was shot in the back by an unidentified assailant while his security detail were outside the restaurant then As they walked out to take him to the hospital Another shootout erupted. Oh and get this according to media reports sandoval had 15 bodyguards assigned to him Oh, and by the way port of ayarta is one of the jewels in the mexican tourist town chain. It includes Cancun playa del carmin Casamel talum and others. Oh and get this mexico His attorney general said that the restaurant he was shot at someone there had manipulated the crime scene someone like the cops maybe cleaning up fingerprints and removing security cameras in an apparent attempt to eliminate evidence and evade justice you think

[21:29] Oh and get this it says while sandoval was governor his minister of tourism was shot dead Followed by a continuous series of murders of high-profile government bureaucrats and gun battles with security forces that followed throughout his term So I guess the point here is reality really doesn't matter If you're a gringo or expat who has his mind and heart set on mexico It seems it's no use trying to dissuade you so go ahead move to mexico knock yourself out At least you've got a plan b going which is more than 99 percent of first world people can say Now I know most people listening to this show are dead set on having a plan b, but I think only maybe 25 percent of you guys will ever really pull it off because you know It does take a lot of planning and rearranging and anywhere along the way to that goal

[22:17] You can find some excuse or a dozen excuses of why you should throw in the towel and just tough it out Go down with the ship in seattle cleveland or mawaki. Hey, I get it It's like learning a musical instrument or a language or trying to quit smoking They're all good and noble efforts and great new year's resolutions But really how many new year's resolutions actually come to pass reminds me of the old joke where the guy says You're asking me to quit smoking. That's easy. I've done it a hundred times speaking of funny sayings Here's one that always makes me laugh. I don't know who first said it, but I like it It goes like this rocks are much smarter than cats. They have a higher iq Why because rocks don't come back for more after you kick them? Ouch what that's got to do with latin america I'll never know but here's something that does speaking of mexico if you remember a couple of months ago

[23:05] I mentioned that mexico was soon to make marijuana completely legal which would change the face of the entire Narco industry down there. It's already taken a huge hit since so many u.s States have legalized it as well as canada So today I have a late breaking update on the legalization of weed in mexico All right. This is news coming out of mexico as of december 15th the headline mexico's president says small mistakes were made Behind the delay in landmark canibus legalization bill starts by saying mexico's president andres manual lopez obridor on tuesday blamed small draft errors in the document for a delay in approving the new law that Legalizes cannabis and effectively creates one of the world's largest weed markets with just one presidential signature

[23:53] The weed bill which was due to be approved on december 15th has been delayed by the supreme court To april 15th of 2021. It says the bill which has been opposed by cartels You think would mark a major shift in the country bedeviled by years of violence between feuding drug cartels Has easily passed the senate in a vote last month With the legislation expected to pass review by mexico supreme court with the hold of being the wording As to how the drug will be regulated in text So there you have it by april 15 2021 the legislation is a shoe in man Will that take the pressure off of gringo's the next pass traveling through mexico because one of the biggest fears and comments I hear

[24:38] From tourists about the corrupt mexican police force is that occasionally they'll stop a tourist or pull over a car Plant some weed on them and that's when the extortion games begin and with the new law That'll be the end of that by the way in slightly unrelated news congress just passed a 900 billion dollar stimulus package that means 600 bucks for almost everyone and 500 bucks a week for people receiving unemployment And of course, it was business as usual meaning the pork prevailed as usual this time Turns out eligible citizens who live with illegal immigrants will not only receive payments They'll get retroactive claim benefits after being left out last round In fact the exact wording goes like this family members of unauthorized immigrants are now eligible to get stimulus checks

[25:25] Under the 900 billion dollar deal reached last night that eligibility is retroactive So adults excluded last time for harboring illegals could get up to 1800 now Yep, it's just another case of You get the government you deserve you voted for those ass wipes or you live with it or You go full steam ahead on your plan b, you know, get the hell out of dodge So every time you read that kind of news, it won't affect you you'll be far far away So the news won't tend to make you sick to your stomach All right. How about an email? This is from carlos. He says hi johnny. I'm very interested in your water filtration system Would you please send me a copy of photos and descriptions of your system? Sure thing carlos here it goes right now boom

[26:11] All right. He says i'm latino, but I enjoy listening to your podcast. I'm currently living in canada But i'm disappointed due to the direction the country's taking I'm also thinking about returning to latin america, but not sure which country will suit me and my family better any suggestions I was born in columbia best regards carlos All right. Thanks for that carlos. You know, I get that question all the time I hear it pretty much the way carlos said it which country would suit me best carlos That's why I do one on one half hour and one hour phone skype and or fully encrypted personal consultations I have you fill out a three-page questionnaire beforehand We create a list of your wants needs and expectations And then we home in on a particular country or city that would be right for you because you know with 20 latin american countries

[26:59] Five or six of which I don't recommend it all for gringles and expats. That means there are a 1001 options for you. That's why we need to develop a list and talk about your particular wants and needs So my advice elect for a one-on-one consultant will work it out Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com and i'll shoot that questionnaire out to you And then even if you don't elect to do a one-on-one call You'll at least have a nice list of questions that certainly will get the juices flowing And though i'm sure you've given a lot of thought to it that questionnaire will help You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america If you need some help with your own plan b we can schedule a one-on-one phone or skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com

[27:44] And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week long expat insider seminar in central america Where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan b send me an email the expat files at gmail.com nos famos