Yikes, Everything Is Small in Latin America, Or Am I just Big?

Nothing against the Ecuadorian height but why do I feel so big in Ecuador? It’s funny because one of the first things we noticed when looking at some of the furniture in Ecuador is how low to the floor it is; when we sit down, our knees go up to our neck! Yikes, are we that big?
 

When we rented our house one of the first things we noticed was the pedestal sink in the master bath being not very tall and the toilet itself was also really low to the floor… and they are new toilet and sink fixtures. What’s going on here?
 

What’s going on is, North Americans are big/tall people, but not really. Frank and I are both 5’10” and our sons are a little over 6’ but so what, isn’t that like normal height? For North America it’s normal height. We didn’t feel that tall in the u.s but here, we’re runner up to amazon people. LOL

In 2011 when we first moved here the city buses were all the blue older buses and our knees would invariably push up against the seat in front of us, sometimes it was rather uncomfortable. Also makes your pants dirty at the knees.  Today the newer buses have more leg room; we still hop on one of the older buses now and again and our knees rub up against the seat in front of us; it’s easier to sit almost sideways when we are on the older buses.
 

We’ve been in a lot of homes and many of the kitchen counters are not very tall either, like below waist high; now I don’t know about you but after 15 minutes of preparation in the kitchen, I think my back would begin to hurt. Thankfully our kitchen counters are about normal height, I think, maybe I’ve just gotten used to the height of our kitchen counters after four years.
 

Sometimes when I’m standing next to some of the under 5’ tall local women in Cuenca I feel like an amazon-woman, seriously! I stick out like a sore thumb. I often wonder what the Ecuadorians think about us tall/big people?



Have you ever traveled throughout Ecuador? We have done a lot of that and the double rooms all have tiny, tiny, double beds; some of them I don't even think are for two people! Rarely will we ever get a queen size bed. I don't know about you but that's a bit too close for comfort, for sleeping that is. 



One time I went clothes shopping in Cuenca and nothing was my size, even though it was my size. Do you get it? Hehehe. The jeans that were my size would fit a five year old. I had to go up three sizes bigger than my actual size to find a pair that sort of fit and then they were still too tight. I’ve only bought shirts in Ecuador and those barely fit me. It’s even difficult to find women’s shoes size 8.5 to 9. All the shoes are so tiny but I have big feet!
 

And then there’s Panama. Not much of a difference there either. The small town buses are like extended vans and well when you’re over 5’5” tall you don’t want to be standing up, but that’s exactly what happened to Frank and I on several occasions when we visited small towns on the Azuero Peninsula.  



We were too tall for the extended van busettas/buses and so we had to bend our head down while standing and on long rides, it gets so uncomfortable. For the locals that are standing up it’s not an issue; we probably looked really funny to some people with our head cranked to the side; they were staring a lot. LOL.
 

Just another different aspect of Latin American life we thought you’d like to know. Until, we write again…

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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!

5 Things Ecuadorians 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. Your miles may vary, but maybe not by much...



5 Things Ecuadorians Love



1. Hollywood Movies

2. Gringos with money

3. Chicken

4. Shoes, clothes and hair gel

5. Walking and eating ice cream



5 Things Ecuadorians Hate



1. Slow drivers

2. Standing/waiting in a line

3. Getting up early in the morning

4. Gringos that complain about "their" country

5. Telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth 

Shopping at the once a year discount Coral Hypermercado Sale in Mall del Rio

5 Things Ecuadorians Are Good At



1. Resourcefulness

2. Enjoying and making time with family

3. Pushing their way in front of lines

4. Eating while walking

5. Slow pace of life, until they get behind the wheel of a automobile 



5 Things Ecuadorians Are Not Good At



1. Giving directions

2. Driving in their own lanes

3. Stopping for pedestrians

4. Being straightforward

5. Being on time for appointments - in fact it is culturally acceptable to be late, even for business appointments.



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 Ecuadorians exhibit these character traits.   Stay tuned for our “5 Things Cuenca Gringos Love and Hate”.



Until we write again…



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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!

2 Great Houses in Cuenca $350 & 400!

1. This is a 3 bedroom 200M house (2100') with 2.5 baths. It has a buhardilla (attic) living room, dining, kitchen, laundry room and one parking space. Asking $350, well located in Cuenca Ecuador.

street view

2. This is a 4 bed 3 bath house with yard. Allows pets. 160M (1700') asking $395 negotiable. 
 

street view

back yard

These homes are available as of today! We work hard to find you the best value deals according to size, location and price. If you are interested in a rental abroad, take a look at our Assistance Packages and choose the one that fits your needs; Then tell us what you want and need in a rental, and we'll provide the priceless protection for your smooth transition abroad from Gringo Good Samaritans.

Feria Libre Tours 'Unsettling' in Cuenca Ecuador

Feria Libre, the largest outdoor market in Cuenca Ecuador. Is it a “tourist” haunt?  Not exactly.   A lot of poor people shop there.  It is where you would shop if you’re poor or on a budget.  It is where the poor shop.  No way around it, if you can afford more you don’t shop at Feria Libre.  Why would you?  If you have to pay someone to take you to Feria Libre, and your comparison is Supermaxi, you’re out of your league. 

Feria Libre outdoor vendors

Why do we say this?  Well first off, Supermaxi is not THE comparison for the rest of the shopping in the city.  If you’re not already shopping around at all the other markets in town, then how are you going to know if you’re actually saving any money?  Honestly anyone that has to pay someone to take them to Cuenca’s Feria Libre outdoor Mercado should not be shopping there.  The locals don’t pay anyone to take them there, and we’ve never ever paid anyone to take us there.  And we never would.



Poor people don't shop at Supermaxi, and don't use it as their comparison either.
 

Vendors weren’t born yesterday.  They’re going to see that you don’t speak a lick of Spanish, and they will take advantage of that.  And if you have to pay someone to go with you every single time, then you surely won’t ever be even near saving any money.  We shop there because we’re a family of five adults and our household lives on $1000 per month total.
 

This smacks of inappropriate tourism profiteering in a place that it does not belong.  People that are spending money just to be taken there, to Feria Libre outdoor Mercado, are not going to have a clue as to what prices they should be paying and more importantly, not paying.
 

On top of that, the selling is volume based, meaning that the savings are on large amounts of food, i.e. five or ten pounds of tomatoes at a time, etc.  Is a retired couple really going to need that much food? Smaller packages just don’t provide enough savings worth paying anyone to take you there.  See?
 

We are a frugal family.  We live well on small means.  Part of that is being diligent shoppers, which means actually knowing what everything is supposed to sell for on a local price.  And that includes all stores all over town.  Supermaxi is not our benchmark.  The whole city is.  Every store in town is a potential place to save money, and we’re well aware where all the best bargains are.
 

There is a certain vegetable that we won’t mention, gringos are putting on forums where to go at Feria Libre to buy it, because there aren’t many places to buy this particular vegetable.  Well guess what, I went to that lady to buy and she’s selling for a 100% markup to the local price.  I asked the lady to sell to me for less but she said she didn’t have to because the gringos are paying her price.  I later found that same vegetable in another stall that is not known on the forums, and I paid half of the gringo price. And that’s the way we do things.  Gringo prices are for tourists, not residents, i.e. locals.
 

Once  a new Mercado in Cuenca Ecuador was advertised in the Gringo press.  We went there just because we’re diligent and want to know everything that’s going on around town.  Well guess what, the prices were gringo prices, the highest in town on almost everything for sale.  Needless to say we never went back to that Mercado.
 

Will this happen to Feria Libre? Now that people are taking “tours”?  We hope not.  We sincerely hope that people on a budget and the local people will at least have some places in town left, where they can go shop for their large families, and not have to pay u.s. prices.  Please people.  Use some thought and consideration.  Thank you.
 

Peace
Frank, Angie and sons 



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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!

Is it Machismo (Macho) Or Is It Just Plain Disrespect?

When you think about it, there is really no such thing as machismo in a culture.  Well, there is but it’s not what people are labeling it to be.  “Macho” means “male” in Spanish.  And “machismo means “maleness” in Spanish.  So then knowing this, what’s the problem?  Are people saying that men can’t behave like men?


What you are seeing, and what is diagnosed as machismo, is disrespectful behavior from some of the Latin men, nothing else.  We would hope that a male would behave like a man no matter where in the world he lives. 


For those who take biblical history as an important part of creation: Male is created; male is strong, wise, hunter, protector, provider.  Female is created from the bone of male and( s)he is feminine, beautiful, care-giver, nurturer, and they get married, copulate and make a family, who start another family, who start another family and a culture is formed. Male is male and female is female.  Was there the term “machismo” 5000 years ago? Of course not!
 

Over the years many words take on a different meaning than the original.  One has to only read the same subject out of older encyclopedias to notice the changes cultures put on words and meanings, and popular dictionaries don’t even know how to define a word with full historical context.
 

This is why all over the Internet, websites and dictionaries reflect the current politically correct whirlwind, that historically passes and doesn't last.  And one of those things is how they have literally turned being male into a mockery!  This is just another politically correct ridicule; out of many.
 

Here's what we mean:  In Spanish history the term macho derives from the man being a masculine and strong male and is what behaving like a gentleman towards a woman is all about. 
 

All one needs to do is look at the history of the term “macho” (that’s what we did) to see that even most of the dictionaries have the definition wrong as they depict the word macho as a form of aggression from a man, when clearly what you are seeing is "in your face disrespect".
 

As an example: When a man disrespects a woman walking down the street, which is a problem also in North America not just Latin America, that’s not macho or manly behavior; that’s aggression, that’s abuse, that’s behaving as a coward; it has nothing to do with manliness or macho or being a male; in fact, exactly the opposite. 


And when a man eyes out women walking down the street and whistles, leers or cat calls that’s just plain disrespect and has nothing to do with being a “real” man. Real men don’t act like that!
 

History of Macho and How It Got Started
 

The word macho has a long history in both Spain and Portugal as well as in Spanish and Portuguese languages. It was originally associated with the ideal societal role men were expected to play in their communities.
 

Macho in Portuguese and Spanish is a strictly masculine term, derived from the Latin masculus meaning male (today hombre or varón, c.f. Portuguese homem.
 

This part is very important: "Machos" (males) in Iberian-descended cultures are expected to possess and display bravery, courage and strength as well as wisdom and leadership, and ser macho (literally, "to be a macho") was an aspiration for all boys.  



Again, how is a guy who verbally abuses and intimidates women behaving with bravery, courage, strength, leadership and wisdom? all the adjectives described above? There's macho and there is disrespect, two very different aspects of a man's character. 
 

Clearly our research shows that "macho" means something all together apart and different than what is commonly understood today, and has nothing to do with verbal abuse, disrespect, intimidation and violence of women!!

Here’s Where Things Began to Change and Become Negative
 

During the women's "liberation" movement of the 1960s and 70s, the term began to be used by Latin American feminists to describe male aggression and violence. The term was used by Latina feminists and scholars to criticize the patriarchal structure of gendered relations in Latino communities. Their goal was to describe a particular Latin American brand of patriarchy.[5][6]
 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machismo



What we're seeing today and calling machismo is bad societies that have literally twisted what being a man/male (macho) really is and turned it into something bad and to fear because of some of the Latin men who don’t know how to behave as a GENTLEman.  Period!
 

According to this line of thought then, just because some Latin men are disrespectful/verbally abusive toward women, certainly does not make them macho, and it follows that we should quit enabling the behavior by labeling it as such, because it does not make a whole country any more machismo than say, North America or Europe because some of their men are disrespectful as well. We have witnessed disrespectful men in countries that are not Latin and are not normally understood to be a machismo country.

Something to think about:  it would be VERY detrimental to the males that live in these societies as they are being told that being macho (manly) is wrong and so they should not behave as a strong leader or protector, or well, basically like a man in his marriage or of his family…this would be confusing at best, and this could be the cause of some of the aggression, violence and abuse on the women that Latin America is seeing, and in other parts of the world for that matter. 



Bottom line is the best way to curb disrespectful behavior is to stop enabling it.



- We should stop calling disrespectful/abusive behavior (insolence towards women) macho or machismo



 - Gringas who come to Latin America and dress in short-shorts and tank tops are not helping matters. Dress conservatively while on the streets. This is not the beach. Don't tempt them.



- Women walking alone are more apt to be whistled at, talked with and approached by these men who have nothing else better to do with their time, obviously. 



- Women should walk in groups or take taxis



- Don’t act intimidated or fearful, keep right on walking, pretend like you didn’t hear anything. Completely ignore it.



- Women who are disrespectful themselves and bring an "attitude" with them, are not going to get very far in a Latin American country. Feminist who move to a Latin culture will sooner or later, run into disturbing situations. What we put out comes back to us, good or bad.  It's the way the world turns. 
 

 - And finally it is always best to completely ignore this behavior rather than make a big deal out of it, by writing about it, labeling it incorrectly, and putting the cowards on pedestals. 



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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!

Training Delta, Our German Shepherd Pup in Cuenca Ecuador

Delta our German Shepherd puppy is getting big; she is amazing at how fast she learns. This video starts out when she is 3 months old and progresses to 4 months of age. She is a fun, affectionate and intelligent puppy! We're really enjoying her.

                                  
 

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!

Why Wait for Retirement? Move Abroad at Any Age: Mission Possible

Why wait until you almost 70-years old to experience life abroad?  When we first started talking about moving somewhere abroad, it was “a dream come “maybe” true” someday and I thought, “we’ll never really do it”…it was like an impossible dream.  But here we are, enjoying our frugal, happy, healthy life abroad. 

Punta Blanca Ecuador

When we used to take vacations abroad, we didn’t know anything about how to go local. Was it safe? Would we like it enough to be able to actually do it? Besides that, we were on vacation and so it was much different. As vacationers, it is expected to stay in swanky beach resorts and dine in expensive international cuisine restaurants. And we all know that vacationing abroad for just a week to ten days is not necessarily cheap!
 

So, when we started looking at Cuenca Ecuador we went in knowing full-well we were going to do it like the locals, meaning find local housing and shop in the local markets. In other words we did not move to Cuenca thinking we were going to live in luxury for less because seriously folks, there is no such thing. Luxury apartments in Cuenca and Quito will cost you almost just as much as in the U.S. And then when you come out of your luxury building you are smack dab in the middle of not so luxurious surroundings. 

You either like it here or you don’t, meaning if you’re straddling the fence now in Cuenca, you’ll most-likely end up leaving back to the U.S.


         
 

We didn’t visit Cuenca first on a discovery trip either; nope, we just came here, started renting, applied for our visas and now we’re residents of Ecuador.  Some people can do that. However, we wouldn’t recommend doing what we did just in case Cuenca is not a good fit for you and your family.

A little background is in order:  as traveling missionaries, we had lived in at least ten different cities in the u.s. in the last 25 years.  Therefore we had the benefit of our experience and hindsight into knowing ourselves.  Many people coming here fit into the 'retirement' label, meaning in most cases but not all, they've been living in the same city doing the same things day in and day out for the last 25 or more years.  It takes time and pushing yourself outside of your 'box' to get to know yourself and what really makes you happy.
 

We also spent two years doing research just on Cuenca Ecuador alone, before we made the move and we knew mostly what we were getting into.   I say “mostly” because the international retire abroad media (RAM) exaggerates and hypes things up quite a bit using hot button language such as "live like a king" and "paradise" to describe a, uhm, place.  Just a place folks.  There's lots of them on planet earth.   



We are also very much do-it-yourselfer type of people and so it worked fine for us.  We saved thousands of dollars from the start just by building all of our furniture.  And of course, most of our readers know, our rent is $250 a month. 
 

We’ve been noticing a younger-set of people moving to Cuenca and they simply bring their online work with them. Some of them are website designers, some have established websites that make money, and some of them still work for an employer but can work from anywhere in the world like accountants who already work online from their home in the U.S. Notice I said “established”. Well that’s what you need if you move abroad.
 

The misnomer that Cuenca Ecuador has of being cheap, certainly does not mean that coming to Ecuador will work for you.  Everything is not cheap in Ecuador. It’s best to already have a source of income when you come to Cuenca.  If you cannot afford to visit on an exploratory trip then it probably is not right for you and perhaps you should stay where you are planted.
 

Many employers allow their employees to work from home now and it makes it possible for younger folks to make the adventure or dream to move abroad come much sooner.  But don’t count your chickens before they are hatched by thinking you can just come here and then find work, or write a blog, or start on a new adventure locally that makes money. FIRST you should have your finances already in order.
 

To get your Ecuador residency visa, you will have to show proof of a permanent and ongoing income from your employer or other source.
 

And lastly, just be careful, if you come in blindly and behave as if you don’t know what you’re doing, it will cost you. Knowing some Spanish is a really good idea and an asset when visiting and moving to Latin American countries, so you will not get taken advantage of in anyway not just price gouging but in other ways as well.
 

You can make the move abroad become a mission that is possible if you already have an established source of income and you do your diligent research before visiting/moving here.  And to get the inside scoop on how to make your move successful, easier, cheaper, etc.  check out our DIY Cuenca Landing Guide, the book some say has been their best friend in Cuenca Ecuador.



Until we write again…



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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!

Walking Gran Colombia to El Centro in Cuenca Ecuador

It was another beautiful day today in Cuenca Ecuador. If you like to walk, Cuenca is a great city to do it in...just be careful when crossing some of the streets...lol. In this video we walked from Avenida de las Americas on Gran Colombia and into El Centro.

                             
 

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!

37 Reported U.S Citizen Deaths in Ecuador in Last Five Years

Click here to see the statistics of U.S Citizen deaths in Ecuador starting from January 2010 to December 2014. You will have to put in the dates and years in the form provided. We broke it down for you. These 37 deaths of American Citizen Expats in Ecuador are the ones that have been reported.
 

Breaking it Down
 

13 Car Accidents – Most of the deaths of U.S Citizens were from car accidents. Still want to drive in Ecuador? It doesn’t say if the expat was driving the car or was just a passenger but it’s a lot of people dying from accidents being inside a car.
 

Further breaking it down for you, most of the accidents involving automobiles and gringos occurred in larger cities of Guayaquil and Quito. No car accident deaths reported from Cuenca, however.
 

7 Drowning Deaths – the drowning of American citizens in Ecuador were spread out all along the Ecuador coast and one occurred in Azuay province in the Andes town of Gualaceo. On the coast there was one each in Montanita, Agrio, Puerto Ayora, Salinas, Santa Elena, and Galapagos.
 

7 Homicides - three of the murders that have been reported in the last five years, occurred in the big city of Quito; there was one murder in Cuenca which happened just last year; it was the stabbing of the expat man.  There was one murder in El Truinfo, another in Guayaquil and another in Puerto Cayo.
 

4 Other Accidents – what is termed “other accidents” not sure what type of accidents their referring to here; could mean anything such as falls, food poisoning, etc, etc…who knows.
 

3 Suicides – the three apparent suicides happened in Puerto Ayora, Los Bancos, and Guayaquil.
 

3 Pedestrian/Car Accidents – You do have to be careful and watchful when walking in Ecuador. Two accidents happened in Quito and the other in Salinas Ecuador.
 

1 Motorcycle Accident - this cycle accident happened in Guayaquil Ecuador. My son did tell me that he knows of another expat death of a young man on a motor cycle who was living in Cuenca but it was not included (reported) on this list. 



That’s the break down for the last five years of expat (U.S citizens only) reported deaths in Ecuador.



Important Note - This information should not be considered a statistically complete account of U.S. citizen deaths in Ecuador during the reporting period. Only those deaths reported to the Department of State and deaths that can be established as non-natu ral are included. Most American citizens who die abroad were resident abroad and surviving family members might not inform the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate of the death. The report may not include some deaths of U.S. military or U.S. government officials. Identifying information is omitted for privacy. 



Source: Travel State Gov. Statistics



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!

Which Cuenca Sector Is Better, the Westside or Eastside?

Remember the early 70’s TV comedy show “The Jeffersons”, about a family that moved to the wealthier Eastside of Chicago? George Jefferson sure thought he was Moving on up to the Eastside….as the song goes.  



In Cuenca we have noticed some lovely homes on the east end of the city, and most newcomers to town don’t know this because 90% of foreigners live on the Westside of Cuenca. That's why we're going to show you a little bit about the East end of Cuenca today.
 

The Southwest and the Northwest (gringolandia) part of town seem to be where most of the gringos live and want to be.  I think a few little birdies tell them where they think everyone else should congregate and live in the city.
 

However, living where everyone else thinks they want to be can be disadvantageous when you are looking for a rental because of the high demand. More and more Ecuadorians are putting their houses and apartments up for rent in the  Westside, (Northwest and Southwest) with high price tags; research shows some of these homes and apartments still need updated and remodeled but apparently they’re still renting at ridiculous (to Ecuador) prices.
 

Rental Prices Eastside vs.Westside
 

On the other side of that coin, after doing just 15-minutes of rental market research, in general, there are just as nice of rentals on the Southeast side and they are going for $50 to $100 less than the rentals on the Westside, although you would have to study the rental market for a while to see this, we already know the market and consistently see better priced rentals on the southeast end of Cuenca, although they are going up too.
 

As an example of what we’re talking about, here’s a spacious 5 bedroom 3 bathroom home directly across the street from the Tomebamba River with views of the river for $390!! And that’s the asking price, mind you. It's possible to rent this home for $350.  This same house on the west end of town would go for $490 or more!

5/3 house with views of the Tomebamba River

Banking, Shopping, Restaurants, Hospitals
 

Gonzalez Suarez is the Las Americas of the Westside. You’ll find a variety of shopping, organic produce, hardware and houseware stores, cafés, restaurants, banks, and parks on Gonzalez Suarez as you would on Las Americas.  The Eastside of town also has several bus routes. We’ve taken the bus from this part of town to El Centro and it takes 15 to 20 minutes, depending on traffic and how far east you are coming from.
 

A couple of nice neighborhoods come to mind when I think of the Eastside, Monay/Bosque and Totoracocha.  I really think that people are missing out on an area of town that they might just like better than the Westside. If you haven’t been there to check it out, how will you know?
 

Most expats probably do not know that the Eastside of town also has a huge IESS José Carrasco Arteaga Hospital.
 

IESS Jose Carrasco Arteaga Hospital - Cuenca Ecuador

Hospital Del Rio, the newest, largest, and some say, the nicest hospital in all of Cuenca is located on the east side of town as well.  The super nice Monay Shopping Mall is also located in the east sector and inside the mall is the grocery/department store Coral Hypermercado. 



To help our readers get an idea of the area, look on the map below; notice where Avenue Gonzalas Suarez is. Now just below it is the Gran Aki North American Style Grocery store, to the right of that is Monay Shopping Mall which has a huge Coral Hypermercado and just a few blocks away is the IESS Hospital. Click to enlarge the map.

This side of town also has an organic fruits and vegetable market just like the one off of Las Americas.
Gran Sol Coopera Farmer’s Market  - Monay/Bosque sector.  Gran Sol Organic produce market is located off Avenida 24 de Mayo. Mercado is on the right hands side, 2 blocks behind Monay Mall. If you pass the bridge that goes over the Rio Paute you have gone too far.
 

Cuenca has Four Rivers
 

On the Westside runs Rio Yanuncay and the Rio Tamebamba, which runs into the Eastside Rio Paute right after Paraiso Parque and a bit further east is the Rio Machanagara. We’ve walked the river walk on the Machangara and it is unspoiled beauty and in our opinion just as pretty as the Westside YANUNCAY River walk.
 

On the map below we show you another view with four points of interest. In the upper right hand corner is Rio Machangara which intersects with Rio Paute; on the southern bottom of the map you’ll see where the biggest and newest “Del Rio  Hospital” is located, and just below the Hospital is the Cuenca Amuru zoo, which has a nice selection of awesome, exotic animals and nice walking paths (up hill) through the zoo. 

If you live in Cuenca now, next time you have a little time, hop on a bus or take a cab and check out the Eastside of town because it is just as nice of an area as the Westside with lovely homes and neighborhoods. We suggest walking on Gonzales Suarez Avenue so you can see up-close the different restaurants, cafes and shopping that is located on this street.
 

If you liked this article, you’ll probably want to check out these videos and article too.

• Video of Monay Mall on the Eastside of Cuenca

•  Video of Gran Aki on the Eastside of Cuenca

• Choosing a Safe Neighborhood When Moving to Cuenca Ecuador

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!

Why My Mom Couldn’t & Wouldn’t Live in Ecuador

Since starting our blog in 2011 we’ve been writing about “why” some folks just aren’t cut out for living in a developing country. Some people aren’t getting it. Almost everyone we have talked to lets us know it is our blog that helped sway their decision to move to Ecuador. Really? How can that be when we have been so upfront about everything? 



Some people who hear the message about Cuenca, Ecuador block the negative out or they tell themselves they can endure that aspect of Ecuador life; it is only natural to block things out, or tell ourselves little fibs to some extent; we all do it, especially when we think we want something really bad.  And a lot of armchair travelers appear to want Cuenca really bad.
 

That’s why I am telling you a little bit about my mom today; maybe you’ll see something you didn’t before.  Before we begin, we want to make it perfectly clear that just because some folks aren’t cut out for Ecuador or any developing country for that matter, does not make them any less of a person, a better person, or any more of an ugly American, or more of a good American than those people who simply love living in Ecuador.  Everyone is different.
 

In our coastal guide we say emphatically that if some people were to move to the Ecuador coast first, before seeing Cuenca, many of them would curl up into a ball and wither away; that may seem harsh but the reality is unless you are in Salinas standing on the Malecon, the coast is very undeveloped and impoverished and one reason why there are more home invasions of foreigners on the coast.

Ecuador coastal village

Most parts of the Ecuador coast are not built up; infrastructure is almost non-existent in some areas. Sure, some aspects of living in Ecuador are like going back to the 1950’s, but others are like going back to the 1870’s.
 

My mom wouldn’t like that. Does it make her a difficult person? What about all the gringos that have left Ecuador because they realized it wasn’t for them, does it make them difficult people? Not at all, hopefully they learned from their mistake; the mistake of thinking something was right for them when in fact it was not. It’s worth repeating:  “know thyself”.
 

Our intent is not to say anything mean about Ecuador; it’s just the way it is.  Why can’t people accept that and move on? I’ve even heard several different gringos say, “I decided on Cuenca because you can drink the water right out of the tap”.  That’s right, no place on the Ecuador coast can you drink the water straight from the tap unless you have a filter setup installed on the tap or a whole house filter. If that is the reason someone is swayed to move to Cuenca then there’s going to be a whole lot more reasons why they will choose Cuenca over the coast.
 

Cuenca has its inconveniences too. These kinds of inconveniences would really annoy my mother, such as having to listen for the honks of the gas truck driving past your home just to get your tanks refilled.  If you happen to be busy in the bathroom when he drives by, oops, guess you missed the gas guy for that day.  What can you do? Well, at this point you NEED to know some Spanish so you can call the gas guy and tell him to pleeeease come back to your house so you can exchange your gas tanks out.
 

These little inconveniences are ok to tolerate for a certain type of person but not my mother. Sure you can rent an apartment in Cuenca and maybe not have to put up with that particular inconvenience, but my mom isn’t ready for apartment living yet. She needs her yard and patio for entertaining guests and her active dog needs space. Simply put, she is not an apartment type of person. Apparently, a lot of folks moving to Ecuador aren't either and want houses with yards and space. Good luck with getting the big green space. More on that in a bit.
 

In the Home
 

And then there is waking up in the morning and your house is about 64 degrees and there is no thermostat to turn up the heat? Instead you have to light your gas heater or have electric heaters strategically positioned throughout the home. Another inconvenience my mom wouldn’t like. Did anyone mention fire hazard from portable gas heaters and carbon monoxide fumes that do seep out from these units. They can be dangerous and unhealthy, but what can you do about it? It’s life in Ecuador.
 

Yes, the homes in Cuenca can be downright chilly 6 months out of the year and most homes are not built with central heating like the homes in the u.s.
 

Another thing that my mom would not like, and a lot of expats do complain about is the water pressure and luke-warm  showers. Yes, sometimes you won’t even get a hot shower even though there is gas in the tank. The Ecuador calefon water heaters have their own little idiosyncrasies and if you don’t know what those are you will not like taking showers in Ecuador.  Especially in the chilly Andes.   

calefon - hot water "on demand" heater

In the city of Cuenca what you usually see are town homes and apartments and houses with small yards, if there is a grassy area.  If anyone likes to do any kind of gardening, or if you have a dog, you’ll want a bigger yard than the postage stamp yards they have in the city.

Typical green area - is that enough room for a German Shepherd or Retriever?

Guess you can walk your dog every day!

What can someone like my mom do, who needs to have the conveniences of U.S standards inside her home, and who has an energetic Labrador who needs to run and play, and a love for gardening and entertaining friends?
 

Well let's see, she can go out into the country and have a home built to her own tastes and comfort levels, install all the custom upgrades she wants to her own home that she is so used to having in the u.s.  But then she would have a large amount of u.s. funds invested, and she may not be able to get them back out intact if and when she would change her mind.
 

Living out in the country has its own risks and challenges and they are multiplied for those that don’t speak the language. You can put up tall cement walls so people can’t see in and install electric wire all the way around too, but what happens when the electricity goes out? What if the thieves cut your electricity off to your home? Who is going to know when you live out in the countryside of Ecuador? 



If you need a doctor, how do you reach one in time?  How do you spend hours in taxis and buses unless you also buy a car, one of those things that is not too cheap in Ecuador. Did we also mention, the number one cause of expat deaths in Ecuador is car accidents, driving and walking as a pedestrian? See the statistics for 2011 here.
 

Going Outside the Home into the Environment
 

At 77 years young my mom is not as agile as she used to be; she is slim and healthy for her age but I don’t think she would feel very comfortable trying to cross the street where there are no traffic lights, just cross walks. People get ran over all the time in these Latin American countries. What can you do? I guess you can take a taxi everywhere you go but that gets expensive. My mom wouldn’t like riding the bus, in fact, at her age she’d have a difficult time getting up on the bus…let alone riding it.
 

Oh, and tell mom that she can’t wear her diamond ring outside of her home in Ecuador; just that right there will stop her from coming here. She wouldn’t want to be in fear of getting robbed/mugged every time she went out the door. Mom shouldn’t come here.  I’ve never asked mom to move to Ecuador; I already know that Ecuador is a bad fit for my mom.
 

Grocery Shopping
 

Some people are not cut out for Mercado shopping. Sure, they like walking through the Mercado's for entertainment purposes (tourist attraction) but some folks would never shop there on a full time basis just to save some money, my mom included. I remember as a teenager my mom would pass up some great deals at a warehouse type grocery store in town because there wasn’t a box boy to take the groceries off the huge crate style shelves (Cosco Style Shopping) and put them in the trunk of her car.  Shopping there was an inconvenience to her. Seriously I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.
 

Ecuador is not for everyone.  As much as we talk ourselves into being able to endure these seemingly small inconveniences, for some people they are just too much to bear over a long period of time.  Another thing: visiting Ecuador on a month to three month trip is not long enough to really know if you will like living here permanently.
 

We are not discouraging anyone from visiting Ecuador (except for my mom) or even moving here; on the contrary, please do come and check it out, but we are giving you a heads up that Ecuador or any developing country is not for a certain type of people, as much as we try and tell ourselves otherwise, we’re better off just keeping our feet where they are firmly planted. 



Have a wonderful day... and until we write again…



If you liked this article, we think you might enjoy this one too!

• If Expectations too High, You May Not Like Cuenca Ecuador

• How to Get the Most from Your Cuenca Discovery Trip

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!

2 Great Rental Deals in Ecuador Today! Cuenca and Salinas - $300 and $250

1. SALINAS.  Nice and cozy house, fully furnished in residential area. 1 car parking space. It has an open plan living-dining and kitchen area with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Includes TV and full appliances and in excellent condition. Approximately 1,300 sq feet. You can rent this for $300!

kitchen dining room 

bedroom

living room

 ***

2. For only $250 a month you can rent this house in Banos. It has 3 bed with closet, and 3 baths. It has Living room, kitchen, with laundry room. It has a parking space for one car and patio.

 

street view

These homes are available as of today! We work hard to find you the best value deals according to size, location and price. If you are interested in a rental abroad, take a look at our Assistance Packages and choose the one that fits your needs; Then tell us what you want and need in a rental, and we'll provide the priceless protection for your smooth transition abroad from Gringo Good Samaritans.

Homemade Dark Roast Peanut Butter from Peanuts Grown in Ecuador

This is a dark roast peanut butter were making today; it's so simple to make, anyone with a good blender can make it. Sometimes we use Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to make it instead of olive oil and it is fabulous tasting...oh so yummy and flavorful. This recipe calls for a teaspoon or so of raw honey and it gives this dark roast PB a rich flavor. Once you taste the freshness of homemade PB you'll never buy jarred peanut butter again. It's that good! 

                           


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!

Meet Delta, Our 8 Week Old German Shepherd Pup: She is Affectionate and Smart and She's from Ecuador

We've had Delta, our German Shepherd pup now for about 2 months and we've really grown attached to her. She is so loving and smart! This video is of Delta when we first got her at 2-months old. We almost got a Rottweiler but we're so happy we decided to get our little Shepherd, Delta Dawn. 

Delta, our German Shepherd Pup at 8 weeks old

                            

 

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!

What’s It Like to Live in an Ecuadorian Neighborhood, for Us?

The wonderful thing about living in Cuenca Ecuador is all of the neighborhoods are made up of Ecuadorians and so if you live in a house or townhome you can almost be sure that your next door neighbors will be Ecuadorian, usually anyway.

Cuenca - Bella Vista area

When we first moved to Cuenca back in 2011, there were only two areas the gringos were living in and that was gringolandia and in the center of downtown. We didn’t want to live in gringo-land; we wanted a more authentic experience and life. Our thinking was if we’re going to learn the language we’d better find a house in an Ecuadorian neighborhood and that’s what we did. No one in our neighborhood speaks a lick of English.
 

We’ve been in the same neighborhood and same house for four-plus years (Rent is still $250 per month) and our neighbors are pleasantly and uncharacteristically (compared to the u.s. anyway) live and let live; and they are quiet…only a couple of times has there been blaring music in the middle of the night, usually during a birthday party or other family gathering.
  

Our neighbors don’t just stop over whenever they feel like it to chat or gab. Everyone keeps to themselves. When we see our neighbors outside their gate or walking down the street we might stop and talk with them for a bit and then be on our way.
 

We’ve had all our close neighbors over to our house for pan de yuca rolls and cocoa and coffee, and they have had us over to their house for grilled fish almuerzo and even bible study, all in Spanish. What a way to learn Spanish, go to Spanish only bible study, uh?  



Ecuadorians are very pleasant, easy going people. If you give them a gift they feel the need to reciprocate every time. The reciprocal gift giving can go on for months; it's funny. Our neighbors have made us some wonderful food like Ecuadorian aji sauce and delicious humitas.



I learned the hard way Ecuadorians do not like spicy food. Brandon brought three of his friends over for spicy enchiladas and that was a bit embarrassing for me. They were so kind and sweet about the whole thing; they didn’t want to hurt my feelings so they never said anything, however they kept asking for water and more water and it was taking them forever to eat their food. Finally, I figured out that my enchiladas were just too spicy. I took their plates away and they seemed to be relieved. We then all laughed about it. Next time I'll make Lasagna.

Spicy Mexican food - enchiladas

We live in an area that has detached houses with small yards. On Sundays our neighbors have their family members over (about 8 to 10 people) and they play soccer and volleyball in their yard and then later they all gather to eat. If you live in a family friendly neighborhood you might be invited to play
soccer too.
 

Our house, looks like all the other houses in the neighborhood. In fact, there are nicer houses than ours and that’s the way we like it. You don’t want to give any impression of overflowing affluence anywhere in Latin America.  As gringos we have to work diligently and consistently about that, because we already carry that stigma, whether we want it or not just by the fact that we’re foreigners.  We never leave anything out on our terraza for anyone to walk by and see and then get tempted later.
 

We don’t have an electric fence and we’ve had some prowlers ONLY recently (We’ll write all about it one day) and our neighbors have been helpful and watchful. One of our neighbors told us to call him if we hear anything, no matter what time of night it is, and he’d blare his siren and/or call the police for us if we need him to.   And our other neighbor has German Shepherds that will bark if there are strangers in the neighborhood. Everyone watches out for each other here.
 

We still really like our house, we love the neighborhood and we like our neighbors. We wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. It is annoying that we have had some negative incidents with prowlers but we realize that no matter where we live in Cuenca, if our house is target-able (less secure) than the rest of the houses in the neighborhood, anyone will have prowlers and possibly get robbed. The best of the neighborhoods in Cuenca have home invasions from time to time.  



If you like this article, we think you'll like these ones too!

• We Answer Readers Concerns about Living 10 Minutes by Taxi from Downtown Cuenca (Part 1 of 3)

• Choosing a Safe Neighborhood When Moving to Cuenca Ecuador

• Should You Live in a Gringo Neighborhood or Ecuadorian Neighborhood?

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.