5 Things Cuenca (Ecuador) Gringos Love and Hate

This is not a survey, we are simply telling our observations of our experiences on a weekly basis for the last four-plus years of living in Cuenca Ecuador. Your miles may vary...but maybe not by much...

gringos in Cuenca Ecuador - Park Calderon

5 Things Cuenca Gringos Love


1. River/City views from their home/apt
2. Walking to grocery store from their house/apt
3. Tutto Matto Pizza
4. Rentals with big green spaces (yards)
5. Bringing their dogs to Ecuador with them

5 Things Cuenca Gringos Hate

1. Negotiating for less
2. Barking dogs in their neighborhood
3. Loud music/fireworks in their neighborhood
4. Overpaying because they are a gringo (this goes with #1)
5. Waiting for paperwork and on people they've made appointments with, and for good reason.

5 Things Cuenca Gringos Are Good At

1. Standing out in a crowd, wearing panama hats, flowery Hawaiian shirts, shiny jewelry, etc (We must admit, however most longtime expats do blend in pretty well.)
2. Comparing the U.S to Ecuador
3. Volunteering their time
4. Hanging out with each other
5. "Saying" they will learn Spanish



5 Things Cuenca Gringos Are Not Good At

1. Negotiating for less – probably because they hate to do it
2. Walking away from price gouging
3. Speaking (conversational) Spanish
4. Keeping special and hard-to-find items in Cuenca to themselves (some things are better not made public) one reason why stores run out and prices run up!
5. Comparing South America to North America - If we feel the need to compare rents, crime, food, etc of cities in Ecuador, it's best to compare them to other cities in South/Central America of the same size; only then will we get a balanced and fair perspective. 



NOTE:
Please do not take this offensively; it’s not set in stone, we’re
merely talking about our experiences and observations since living here
for four-plus years. It certainly does not mean that ALL gringos in Cuenca
exhibit these character traits...that would be silly, uh?



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We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!