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Living in the world's most welcoming countries

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Re: Living in the world's most welcoming countries

#41

Post by t1o5 »

Overtonwindow wrote: post #4

This is an interesting list but I would caution that it appears to be written for a European audience. For Americans, I don't think it takes into account current political climates, and general safety of westerners. Oman and the Philippines are beautiful places to go, truly wonderful, but they can also be very dangerous for Americans.

I have lived almost all of my childhood in Muscat, Oman. I went to visit Oman some years back which was very nostalgic. I still felt very welcomed there, met shopkeepers & my neighbors who instantly recognized the grow up me.

PS: I am not an American nor European.

Re: Living in the world's most welcoming countries

#42

Post by macintux »

mikestew wrote: post #6
hwayern wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is altitude a problem? Like, do you find yourself out of breath very easily?

My experience says that 6000 feet will be noticeable, but you'll be able to, say, climb a flight of stairs and be a bit more winded than usual. As another example, the Paradise visitor's center at Mount Rainier sits at (IIRC) 7K feet. Plenty of fat people waddle out of their cars and make it across the parking lot just fine. They don't generally go very far up the mountain, but they make it. And the residents of Denv…

I tried to sprint to make a connecting flight in Denver (after waiting on the tarmac for 30 minutes to get a gate, grumble). What a mistake. I never had a chance.

Sad part was it took me a few minutes to remember why I was suddenly an invalid.

Re: Living in the world's most welcoming countries

#44

Post by gabomagno03 »

run4yourlives2 wrote: post #34

There are very good reasons people DON'T live in those countries though. Most have to do with things westerners take for granted, like stable electricity, not needing to bribe cops, and being able to easily purchase goods when you need to. YMMV as always. Places aren't easy to move to unless they are trying to create a place that is hard to move to.

As someone living in one of those countries, I got to ask, have you actually visited one of them? Sure if you go to a rural place then a solid electric grid may be an issue, but not at all in mid to large cities.

Re: Living in the world's most welcoming countries

#45

Post by corin_ »

warp wrote: post #14
skykooler wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...Why is the BBC blocked in the UK, of all places?

My understanding (I don't live in the UK) is that the BBC is wholly or partially government funded. As such there are certain things the BBC cannot do within the UK, because it would unfairly compete with other UK media companies which don't have similar government funding. (But I could be completely wrong, if so... please correct me :)

The way it's generally considered to be: they are actually funded directly by a license fee which British people are legally required to pay if they watch any live TV (including live online streams such as iPlayer, but not including non-live VODs).

Technically... the BBC collects the license fees, gives all the money to the Government and then receives money back from the Government. But it's a complicated setup, separate to normal taxes/budgets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_Un...

edit: Actually, I then read the wikipedia article that I linked, since last year you now do need a license to watch BBC iPlayer VODs.

Re: Living in the world's most welcoming countries

#46

Post by chmod775 »

slg wrote: post #28
Overtonwindow wrote: post #4

This is an interesting list but I would caution that it appears to be written for a European audience. For Americans, I don't think it takes into account current political climates, and general safety of westerners. Oman and the Philippines are beautiful places to go, truly wonderful, but they can also be very dangerous for Americans.

I would always suggest checking with your country's foreign travel advisories before planning a trip. It doesn't mean you shouldn't go, but you should at least be educated beforehand. For the record, both the warnings from the UK and the US seem equally concerning. From the UK government on Oman [1] >Attacks in Oman are likely. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign…

In any of those countries you're more than a hundred times more likely to get run over by a car, accidentally ingest something poisonous, trip over your own feet and break your neck, or die from a myriad of other causes before you'll die because of terrorist attack.

Warning against terrorist attacks without also providing a list of poisonous things, explaining cultural differences in driving behavior or reminding you to wear practical footwear that won't make you trip over your own feet seems incredibly misguided to me.

Re: Living in the world's most welcoming countries

#47

Post by slg »

chmod775 wrote: post #46
slg wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would always suggest checking with your country's foreign travel advisories before planning a trip. It doesn't mean you shouldn't go, but you should at least be educated beforehand. For the record, both the warnings from the UK and the US seem equally concerning. From the UK government on Oman [1] >Attacks in Oman are likely. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign…

In any of those countries you're more than a hundred times more likely to get run over by a car, accidentally ingest something poisonous, trip over your own feet and break your neck, or die from a myriad of other causes before you'll die because of terrorist attack. Warning against terrorist attacks without also providing a list of poisonous things, explaining cultural differences in driving behavior or reminding you…

It isn't about the ultimate odds, it is about the change in odds. I'm no more likely to slip and break my next in Oman than I am in my backyard. Driving is certainly one thing than can be more dangerous abroad, but if you click through the links I provided you will see it mentioned. Those sites are resources on much more than terrorism.

The reason I only copied highlights from the terrorism sections is because the original comment was regarding the targeting of Americans due to current political climates. I don't think the indigenous poisonous flora and fauna are targeting Americans for their politics.

Re: Living in the world's most welcoming countries

#48

Post by mikestew »

macintux wrote: post #42
mikestew wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience says that 6000 feet will be noticeable, but you'll be able to, say, climb a flight of stairs and be a bit more winded than usual. As another example, the Paradise visitor's center at Mount Rainier sits at (IIRC) 7K feet. Plenty of fat people waddle out of their cars and make it across the parking lot just fine. They don't generally go very far up the mountain, but they make it. And the residents of Denv…

I tried to sprint to make a connecting flight in Denver (after waiting on the tarmac for 30 minutes to get a gate, grumble). What a mistake. I never had a chance. Sad part was it took me a few minutes to remember why I was suddenly an invalid.

As always, YMMV. I can run a marathon in under 3:00, and making an airport connection in Denver probably wouldn't phase me much (I've run in Denver, but not to make a flight). OTOH, I distinctly remember going up Pike's Peak at >14K feet, and found the walk across the parking lot to be challenging. I can't imagine what climbing a >20K foot peak must be like given that humbling experience.

Re: Living in the world's most welcoming countries

#49

Post by monkmartinez »

da02 wrote: post #30
monkmartinez wrote: post #2

My wife is from Colombia and I love it there. We definitely plan on living part of the year there and part of the year in the US when we retire. I will mention outside of the Mountainous cities, it is very warm and humid. The cities at say 1828m (6,000ft) and above are absolutely perfect climates year round. Bonus: You can get in shape very, very quickly in the mountains.

What are your favorite towns or cities to live long-term there?

Manizales

Re: Living in the world's most welcoming countries

#50

Post by monkmartinez »

mikestew wrote: post #6
hwayern wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is altitude a problem? Like, do you find yourself out of breath very easily?

My experience says that 6000 feet will be noticeable, but you'll be able to, say, climb a flight of stairs and be a bit more winded than usual. As another example, the Paradise visitor's center at Mount Rainier sits at (IIRC) 7K feet. Plenty of fat people waddle out of their cars and make it across the parking lot just fine. They don't generally go very far up the mountain, but they make it. And the residents of Denv…

I get my ass kicked in Bogota every summer @ 9k feet. I live at 2.5k and run 24 to 30 miles a week almost 40yo, and it hits me HARD there...
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