Meeting in real life
Advice needed to meet women from Belarus
In response to Ryanair incident the US and EU have banned the purchase of all flights to Belarus. Furthermore, it appears that many Belarussian citizens are prohibited from leaving the country. Is there any way for men to meet with women from Belarus now? Previously, I had been to Minsk on several occasions, most recently during the 2019 summer games. Of course afterwards the pandemic happened and then the civil unrest followed the elections. But I never experienced problems with Belarussian authorities previously, and never felt unsafe in Minsk. I had even been acquainted with the nice Belarusian lady from this site, but now it seems likely we will never see each other again. And what is even made worse, is the fact that many people in USA have family still living in Belarus. I suppose now the Americans must transit through Moscow to enter Belarus? We are living in some crazy times...
Thank you for the suggestion. To transit through Turkey, it would be necessary to purchase a connecting flight to Minsk after arriving in Istanbul. I think Belavia flies direct to Cairo too, and perhaps this is another possible route. At the time of this writing it's not possible for us to purchase any flight in USA using "Minsk" as a destination
Feel free to post your questions here, Eric. I had spent some time in Istanbul recently too - and the COVID restrictions in places was shocking to me! Nearly the entire city was shut down. Generally, I would advise meeting the women in their country of residence but now the circumstances are much more complex.
Eric
Right now it looks like we will go to an all inclusive in Antalya. She arranges the hotel and her flight. Works for me.
I read that in Turkey most use of a VISA card requires a pin. My CU doesn't offer that. SO I will get a Chase Sapphire. One of the best cards with a pin. Plus access to most airport lounges.
If things go well, I will go to Belarus for the 5 day limit in the Spring. I follow a lot of the current events there.
I'll be at KSC for the Ares 1 launch. It's my job.
1. Almost any CC with a chip should be fine in Turkey. Wouldn't hurt to have a second chip card on hand in case a transaction gets declined for unforeseen reasons (happened to me a couple times). Also check your CC issuer's policy for foreign transaction fees - some cards are zero cost and others cards can price gouge you for every purchase made overseas.
2. Check the Belarus embassy webpage regularly to stay updated on the specific visa-free travel requirements. Originally, Americans could enter Belarus via Minsk airport for a 5 day period. During the Summer Games the visa-free period was extended to 10 days, and now I think it's 30 days however this requires 10 days self isolation/quarantine.
3. Hope all goes well with your work at KSC. I haven't seen a launch since the space shuttle was canceled.
4. Have a great time in Antalya!
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