Ecuador

[Bones]

Considering a two to three week trip to Ecuador with a lady friend. I have no experience in this AO. Anyone out there have any suggestions for lodging, car rentals, sights, etc. Our budget is on the good side. Thanks.

[HKUSP45]

It's been 17 years, but I'll contribute. I spent a year there as a missionary back in the day.

Ecuador has 3 distinct zones: coast, Andes mountains, and Amazon jungle. There are neat places in each. Obvious places are the Galapagos, spectacular volcanos and the nicer beaches, as well as the Amazon if you're into jungle. If you're going to spend time in Quito, bring a good sweater and raincoat. It's over 9,000 ft altitude, and can get downright chilly. Most folks don't think of "cold" when they contemplate Ecuador.

On the edge of the Amazon, before you go into the jungle, there's a little town named Banos. It has an 18,000 ft volcano behind it, making some gorgeous hot springs. It's also one of the most surreal places I've ever been, because it sits in a bowl of a green valley with sheer mountain walls on all sides, except for the narrow passes that run inane out of town.

North of Quito is a cool place called Otavalo, where there's a world-famous textile market. Beautiful locally-handmade leather and wool goods are sold there.

The "Mitad del Mundo" is a fun little stop, too. It's a monument where the Equator runs through the country.

I'll try to dig through some of my old journals and find some more stuff...

As far as food, "churrascos" were one of my favorite platters. Thinly-sliced steak, avocado, 2 fried eggs on a bed of rice. You'll also want to try "menestra", a local lentil dish that's usually also served with a thin steak and some fantastic grilled bananas.

You're bringing back some good memories for me!

HK

[Sltwtr1]

Considering a two to three week trip to Ecuador with a lady friend. I have no experience in this AO. Anyone out there have any suggestions for lodging, car rentals, sights, etc. Our budget is on the good side. Thanks.

Why Ecuador?? What are you trying to get out of it? There is an amazing country right beside it and you probably have less chance of being robbed, though it is relative..;)

Sltwtr1

OUT

[BOFH]

I'd recommend Paraguay instead. That's all I'm saying. Quite possibly the most beautiful place I've ever seen.

[HighDragLowSpeed]

I'd recommend Paraguay instead. That's all I'm saying. Quite possibly the most beautiful place I've ever seen.


Shhhh.....we dont want Americans going there in droves, driving up the prices, and ruining it for the Americans that don't act like they are in Cancun. :biggrin:

Paraguay is a bit tricky anyway because there aren't beaches and it's a bit like the Mayberry of South America. Even the capital is literally is shot down on Sundays for instance.


Ecuador has 3 distinct zones: coast, Andes mountains, and Amazon jungle. There are neat places in each. Obvious places are the Galapagos, spectacular volcanos and the nicer beaches, as well as the Amazon if you're into jungle. If you're going to spend time in Quito, bring a good sweater and raincoat. It's over 9,000 ft altitude, and can get downright chilly. Most folks don't think of "cold" when they contemplate Ecuador.

On the edge of the Amazon, before you go into the jungle, there's a little town named Banos. It has an 18,000 ft volcano behind it, making some gorgeous hot springs. It's also one of the most surreal places I've ever been, because it sits in a bowl of a green valley with sheer mountain walls on all sides, except for the narrow passes that run inane out of town.

North of Quito is a cool place called Otavalo, where there's a world-famous textile market. Beautiful locally-handmade leather and wool goods are sold there.

The "Mitad del Mundo" is a fun little stop, too. It's a monument where the Equator runs through the country.



Now, on to Ecuador, HKUSP45 hit most of the high points...especially about the distinct climates. I'd love to watch Americans on the plane to Quito with shorts and hawaiian shirts on....likely the same in their suitcases.

Quito is actually a pretty party spot. There are large bar areas close to major hotels with good, cold beer and both local and US chain restaurants. Women are really receptive to Americans and though there is a good amount of US tourism, the locals outside of the exceptionally touristy spots aren't jaded to Americans as much as, say, Costa Rica. Prices are VERY favorable compared to costa rica...

Be aware that street crime has gotten noticeably worse in Quito. There was a time in the 90s when I thought nothing of stumbling around drunk at 3am in Quito on the way back to my hotel. Not so anymore...my last trip, people were getting robbed right in front of the 5 star hotel. Have your hotel call for a "radio taxi" when you want to go out.

Ecuador like many countries in LATAM have local cell chips that even work with many phones that are locked with US wireless carriers. When you get in country, switch out your chip with a prepaid local chip. That way, you can make friends with a radio taxi driver that speaks a little english and basically keep him at your beck and call. When you are ready to leave, just switch your cell phone back to the US chip.

I'm not a fan of Guayaquil but many like it there.

If you are looking for the "beach resort experience", Salinas is a good option. There are several resorts in Salinas which are inclusive enough that you'll be fine even if you don't rent a car.

If you want a more local experience, I like Atacames which is near Esmeraldas to the North. I'd recommend that you rent a car if you head this way and be especialy wary at night as crime is pretty rampant.

I've worked in the Amazon River basin portion of Ecuador (Lago Agrio, Coca, and south/east). Plenty of resorts and spas have sprung up in this part of Ecuador. If you are a single guy, plan on going here for the culture and not the local talent. Two warnings are applicable:

(1) Note that this is a transport area for things that are illegal in the states so be careful driving as there are only a limited number of roads....especially at night. There isn't anything close to anything in this area so I'd recommend that you rent a 4x4. Buy the big bottles of water at any grocery store in Quito as you leave the city - last time I was there, water is pretty expensive in this part of ecuador since it had to be trucked in. Also, the last time I was there, there were ferry river crossings that were not marked on the map....which I almost discovered the hard way at 60 mph one night (the car finally stopped about two feet from the water line).

(2) It's friggin' Africa hot in this part of Ecuador. I think I lost more weight just sweating while sleeping than any other place I have worked in LATAM except for perhaps the Essequibo river area of Guyana.

Ecuador is a truly interesting country. That said, if you are a single guy or doing a single guy trip, I agree with Sltwtr1 that you might want to consider Colombia.

[Mr Furious]

Considering a two to three week trip to Ecuador with a lady friend. I have no experience in this AO. Anyone out there have any suggestions for lodging, car rentals, sights, etc. Our budget is on the good side. Thanks.

Walsingham Group has a full-time presence there managing PR. Send me a PM with your AKO, and I will provide a link-up to our guy there.

[Sltwtr1]

Shhhh.....we dont want Americans going there in droves, driving up the prices, and ruining it for the Americans that don't act like they are in Cancun. :biggrin:





Now, on to Ecuador, HKUSP45 hit most of the high points...especially about the distinct climates. I'd love to watch Americans on the plane to Quito with shorts and hawaiian shirts on....likely the same in their suitcases.



Be aware that street crime has gotten noticeably worse in Quito. There was a time in the 90s when I thought nothing of stumbling around drunk at 3am in Quito on the way back to my hotel. Not so anymore...my last trip, people were getting robbed right in front of the 5 star hotel. Have your hotel call for a "radio taxi" when you want to go out.

Ain't that the truth.....:rolleyes: Spot on post:smile:

Sltwtr1

OUT

[BOFH]

Shhhh.....we dont want Americans going there in droves, driving up the prices, and ruining it for the Americans that don't act like they are in Cancun. :biggrin:

Paraguay is a bit tricky anyway because there aren't beaches and it's a bit like the Mayberry of South America. Even the capital is literally is shot down on Sundays for instance.


True dat...still and all, I'm considering retiring down there some day, provided I can talk the wife into it. You would think she'd be more amenable than I, since she can at least speak the language fluently.

[Bones]

Thanks for your infput fellas, it's much appreciated. We are considering moving south someday and Ecuador seems like as good as place as any to begin looking for the right spot.

Mr. Furious: I'll PM when we get to town.

[HighDragLowSpeed]

You would think she'd be more amenable than I, since she can at least speak the language fluently.

Ever think that this may be the very reason why she'd never let you retire down there? :biggrin:

Start of hijack.

Like I said, Paraguay can be a tricky for living if you don't like a very slow pace....even in the capital city. Most people make their living from ranching, cotton farming, selling contraband (watches, liquors, etc.), or transporting contraband between Brazil/Argentina (stolen cars, drugs, whatever). These activities control the pace of living. I'd describe Asuncion as essentially a large small town with some taller buildings designed to provide a central location to facilitate the above activities.

Think "Black Market Mayberry". Most likely, everyone will know or try your business in order to figure out what YOUR angle is.

Living in paraguay would be very different than traveling there on an official visa. If I were going to live in Paraguay purely as a retired civilian, I'd make sure that I had enough funds to own or rent an apartment in the city and maintain a house out on Lake Ypicarai. A 4x4 is also a must have. You'll need a 4x4 to do anything as taxis are oddly rather expensive especially when going outside of the city (unlike where I live now where I haven't needed a car since moving here - I can find taxis that will take me 4 hours away from the kick ass city where I live for about US$12).

I'd also be sure to maintain friendships with at least a few senior officers in the Paraguayan Army....the police had no serious power when I last worked there and the Army ruled the roost especially outside of the city. There was no question of who had more power. There's nothing like having a local Colonel on speed dial when you get stopped at some remote checkpoint by an illiterate private who's never seen an American passport and has made his mind up that your SUV is actually stolen....because he cant read the registration documents.

Don't mistake my comments to be something that they aren't. I would live in Paraguay in a heartbeat. There are enough GREAT restaurants, recreational/cultural points of interest, nightlife, and easily accessible world class women in Paraguay to provide years worth of great living. People have told me that there's only three places in the world where cotton is grown naturally - the American South, Egypt, and Paraguay. I'm no expert so I cant confirm that but I know that I do like the weather. In order to have a successful experience, you'll just need to grow accustomed to a different pace and realize that living there will incur some lifestyle changes as well as understand the realities of living in a contraband driven society. It certainly won't be like more Americanized international retirement destinations like Mexico, Costa Rica, or Panama any of which to me have communities that are so American that you could easily think that you are living in the 51st state.

Coming directly from the states, I'd try an initial 90 day stretch in Asuncion as a tourist in a apartment style hotel before actually trying to make the jump. For instance, I found the whole "nothing open on Sundays" routine to be a bit frustrating while living in a regular hotel for extended periods. I might have had different thoughts if I had been living in a house or apartment.

The real bonus however comes when your friends in the States say, "Paraguay? What part of Europe is that in?" :eek:

End of hijack.

[BOFH]

It certainly won't be like more Americanized international retirement destinations like Mexico, Costa Rica, or Panama any of which to me have communities that are so American that you could easily think that you are living in the 51st state.


Precisely why I want to go there. Good advice all around, and much appreciated. I'll keep that in mind.

[Trojancd]

My additions to this...

The coastal area Galapagos (most visitors head there) and Quito (Capital city) are like night and day.

Here's a link for many beaches there, to give you a better look if you want more than just Galapagos.

http://www.ecuador.com/beaches/

The Coastal will give you the beachy/touristy sort of things you are looking for. They are built for tourism so if you are looking for that sort of thing, with some amazing diving and all the splendor that is advertised, no reason to do anything but that.

If you want to do some mountain climbing, and I mean MOUNTAIN's, i'm talking glacier stuff, Quito is the place to be. People tend to overlook Ecuador and go for Patagonia and Torres Del Pain in Chile and Argentina but you will pay at least 1/2 the price in Ecuador.
Here's a link of a shop outside of Quito, not sure if they are still in business but give them a try. They are European Expats so they speak English :)

http://www.hosteltrail.com/moggelytours/


Or you can rent a very nice house outside of Quito for about $100 a night, with maid, and grounds keeper, with a pool (but Quito is not warm so be sure the pool is heated if that is what you are looking for).

Regarding moving to Latin America, I can offer my best advice from someone living here for about 6 years now...

You definitely don't need many more reasons to move to Latin America, if you're thinking about it, you certainly don't need to be convinced to do it anymore. I want to add some things that you might want to consider once you do make the move.

I absolutely agree with the idea of staying at least 90 days in a place that you are considering before making the real move. In fact I would highly recommend making a plan to live somewhere for 90-180 days (Straight) before making efforts to stay there. I say this because if you start making all the arrangements during your first little while there, and something comes up, trust me, it can be a big pain, and quite expensive. The first few months are like the honeymoon period, everything is new and exciting. But it eventually becomes a normal life, that's when your eyes get opened to what it really takes to live there. Really I guess it comes down to, plan on not having roots for a while, until you find the place you are set on. Its easy to fall in love with someplace, and want to set up shop the next day, or maybe its better to say, its hard not to start establishing roots and routines right away, but you will be much happier and safer in the end if you can be more mobile and keep the end result in mind.

Crime, Violence, Etc... it will happen. Expect it, expect to be robbed (you, your house, your significant others, one way or another), swindled, expect people to know your business, no matter how private you try to be, and plan accordingly. They will likely do surveillance on you, since you stand out a bit more, and they all assume we are rich Gringos. They will gossip about you, and it will be easy to get info on you, someone will always be scheming. I truly don't believe its a matter of if, but when and how effective. You will encounter hurdles that you'd never consider or even expected to see, be prepared to deal with a whole different way of working and living.

Another piece of advice that I'd like to pass on. You can pay just as much or more for things down here. You can get the new SUV, the 5 bedroom home, the boat, do the trips, 60" LED TVs, bulk food, all that stuff. But once you spend some time and get integrated into the lifestyle, you should really start appreciating that its not necessary.

"Just In Time" inventory management is a great way to live down here, you can literally call for delivery of exactly what you are about to use, vs what you might think you need. For example if you want 2 eggs, a cup of coffee, a banana and a piece of toast for breakfast, you can go buy a dozen eggs, a pound of coffee, filters, a dozen banana's and a loaf of break for probably $10. So now you are stuck eating all that for the next few days or it'll go bad. So a better solution is to call up the little corner market and have them deliver to you 2 eggs, a banana, a little bag of coffee, a couple coffee filters, and a 1/4 or 1/2 loaf of bread delivered to your door for about $1.50. To me this is where the true value lies in the pricing differences from Latin America to the US. By the way, they don't use a lot of preservatives and such since most of the stuff is grown locally by Farmer Juan, its not gonna have the shelf life of something from the US, so if you do buy large quantities, you gotta consume it quickly or it goes bad.

Hope that gives you some more info for your future plans.

[Bones]

Great infor everyone. Thanks.

[HighDragLowSpeed]

Keep your eyes on the headlines for your vacation . Things like the below may last a day, a week, or a month.
-----------------------------


Unrest rocks Ecuador as troops seize airport
President roughed up, country thrown into chaos as police protest new law cutting benefits

QUITO, Ecuador — Rebellious police angered by a law that cuts their benefits plunged this small South American nation into chaos Thursday, roughing up the president, shutting down airports and blocking highways in a nationwide strike.

Incensed officers shoved President Rafael Correa around and pelted him with tear gas and water when he tried to speak at a police barracks in the capital. Correa, 47, was hospitalized from the effects of the gas.

Correa later declared a state of siege and said he was considering dissolving a deadlocked Congress. “It’s a coup attempt," he said in an interview with Radio Publica de Ecuador.

The state of siege puts the military in charge of public order, suspending civil liberties and allowing soldiers to carry out searches without a warrant.

Peruvian President Alan Garcia ordered the closure of his country's borders with Ecuador and expressed its support to Correa's administration.

Hundreds of officers involved in the insurrection took over police barracks in Quito, Guayaquil and other cities. They also set up roadblocks out of burning tires that cut off highway access to the capital.

Schools shut down in Quito and many businesses closed due to the absence of police protection.

Looting was reported in the capital — where at least two banks were sacked — and in the coastal city Guayaquil. That city's main newspaper, El Universo, reported assaults on supermarkets and robberies due to the absence of police.

The U.S. Embassy issued a message warning U.S. citizens "of a "nationwide strike by all levels of police, including military police." It warned them to "stay in their homes or current location, if safe."

There were no reports of serious violence against the government, but Correa was shouted down and pelted with water and other objects as he tried to speak with a group of police protesters.

"If you want to kill the president, here he is! Kill me!," said Correa, refusing the back down.

The Quito newspaper La Hora quoted the armed forces chief, Luiz Gonzalez, as saying that the military was loyal to Correa. However the National Assembly building was occupied by striking police.

The striking police were angered by a law passed by Congress on Wednesday that would end the practice of giving members of Ecuador's military and police medals and bonuses with each promotion. It would also extend from five to seven years the usual period required for before a subsequent promotion.

"They are a bunch of ungrateful bandits," Correa said of the protesters. "No one has supported the police as much as this government," he told reporters.

The law needs to be published before it takes effect and that has not happened.

Air force troops shut down the Quito's Mariscal Sucre airport as the protests commenced Thursday morning. An airport official who refused to give her name said its "operations have been suspended."

The airport's president, Philippe Baril, told a local radio station that 300 troops had occupied runways, forcing flight cancelations. About 700 passengers were stranded, he said.

The U.S. Embassy said Guayaquil's airport was also closed.

Dozens of Correa supporters marched toward the city center to support him. Unease ruled ruled the streets.

"The usual car alarms and sirens have us actually concerned and worried, rather than just ignoring it as the typical everyday sounds of Quito," Allison Carlton of VIVA Travel Guides, an American who is in Quito on assignment, told msnbc.com by e-mail. "Shop owners are standing in their doorways looking left and right to the commotion, others have shut down."

Traditionally unstable politically, this nation of 14 million has seen relative peace and stability since Correa, a U.S.-trained economist allied with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, took office in January 2007.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino played down the severity of the protests. "This is not a popular mobilization, it is not a popular uprising, it is an uprising by the police who are ill-informed," he told TV network Telesur.

Central bank chief Diego Borja called for calm and urged Ecuadoreans not to withdraw money from banks.

Ecuador's two-year-old constitution allows the president to declare a political impasse that could dissolve Congress until a new presidential and parliamentary elections can be held.

The measure would, however, have to be approved by the Constitutional Court to take effect.

"This a scenario that nobody would want, but it is a possibility when the conditions for change do not exist," Policy Minister Doris Solis said after meeting Correa and other senior officials late on Wednesday.

"A decision still has not been made," she told reporters. "Lawmakers in our coalition have the obligation to be coherent with our project for change."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39441275/ns/world_news-americas/


As many governments swung Left over the past few years, they made all sorts promises to workers that couldn't be kept. now, these folks aren't happy that stuff is being taken away.

If you move to certain parts of South America, this kind of stuff happens all of the time...you'll get used to it. My motto is "Semper Gumby...always flexible"