Two Cuenca expats write in to tell us what they think about the new healthcare law of Ecuador and now we're sharing with you.
Hello Friends!
We have posted something new, several times per week for 6 years about crucial insights and every day life experiences that provide the other side of living abroad. From us, you'll get REALITY. We are now making exclusive videos for our devoted followers who are ready for the big move abroad and need a deeper understanding of life in a developing country; to find out more about this other platform, come see us on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/HMFamilyLife
Welcome to Gringo Good Samaritans, integrated with our 8 years of living in Cuenca Ecuador and traveling the world. We create informative videos and articles helping people come to awareness of what's happening in our world so they can enjoy their retire early lifestyle with their families, healthy, happy and free!
Showing posts with label retire in cuenca ecuador. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retire in cuenca ecuador. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Retire Cuenca Ecuador, Are You Ready for This? Ecuador VLOG
Guess where we are guys! We're here in Cuenca Ecuador enjoying every minute of it and sharing this commentary with you about retirement abroad. Maybe we'll see ya there.
Hello Friends!
We have posted something new, several times per week for 6 years about crucial insights and every day life experiences that provide the other side of living abroad. From us, you'll get REALITY. We are now making exclusive videos for our devoted followers who are ready for the big move abroad and need a deeper understanding of life in a developing country; to find out more about this other platform, come see us on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/HMFamilyLife
Hello Friends!
We have posted something new, several times per week for 6 years about crucial insights and every day life experiences that provide the other side of living abroad. From us, you'll get REALITY. We are now making exclusive videos for our devoted followers who are ready for the big move abroad and need a deeper understanding of life in a developing country; to find out more about this other platform, come see us on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/HMFamilyLife
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Cuenca Ecuador FREE GIFT Salinas Santa Elena
Hi guys! Frank and Angie here. We have a free gift coming to 3 of our followers! We appreciate all of you who have stayed steadfast with us here in our Ecuador journey, first in Cuenca and now in Salinas and we have more to come because of you! We just received an encouraging email from someone who has been watching our videos for 4 years! Now that is steadfast. Watch the video and find out how to receive the free gift.
Hello Friends,
We have posted something new, several times per week for the last 5 plus years about crucial insights and every day life experiences that provide the other side of living abroad. From us, you'll get REALITY. If you're looking for straight forward answers and honest reporting about life here, you've found it!
Hello Friends,
We have posted something new, several times per week for the last 5 plus years about crucial insights and every day life experiences that provide the other side of living abroad. From us, you'll get REALITY. If you're looking for straight forward answers and honest reporting about life here, you've found it!
Friday, March 24, 2017
RAM - Retired Abroad Magazine: We Know What They Won’t Say about Ecuador But What Are They Going to Talk About?
They refer to Ecuador as a “paradise” and with “perfect weather” all year round and easy this and easy that, etc. Reading just the first few lines of their sales chatter made our alarm bells go off. We know that if we were thinking of moving to Ecuador or Panama, we’d want the real skinny, not the sugar-coating stuff. See for yourself.
We used to soak all this stuff in like sponges when we were in our 20s and before we moved to a “paradise” (No place is perfect as we all know). We were young and didn’t know any better. In our younger days there was no Internet and we were subscribers to their snail-mail, travel newsletter about living in cheap paradises around the world. They were called something different then and they only had a few writers. Today they hire perfectly talented writers around the globe that whitewash how it really is.
For You Resentful Ecuadorians: Be on the Lookout, ‘Rams’ Pumping Ecuador, Again
In June of 2017 (RAM) Retire Abroad Magazine is going to have “another” conference pumping Ecuador. Ok, ok, we know what they won’t say about Ecuador but what are they going to talk about? We wonder what has changed from 2015 in Ecuador that deserves such a big splash (conference) in 2017. What are they going to say that they haven’t already said last year, or the year before, or the year before…? ….?...?
They even brag on their sales page that they have named Ecuador as the “best place to retire” for 6 years in a row. Wow! So then we have to say it again, we know what they won’t say about Ecuador, but what are they going to talk about?
Well, according to their sales spiel and getting through the white-wash, they will have their usual “experts” on banking, consulting, real estate and investments, speaking at the conference to help you make your move to Ecuador. They already have their own built-in experts picked out for you; isn’t that nice of them?
Next, they select a retired couple already living in Cuenca that will tell you how wonderful everything is and how they live so cheap and how good the medical system is, how cheap it is to eat out and how good the food is, and how great the weather is and how nice every single local is and how safe it is and blah, blah, blah. Most of you know the rigmarole.
But watch out, if the couple they provide for the Ecuador conference is anything like the couple they used as role models to the last Panama conference, then it’s time to start worrying folks. We meant to write about this back then and we wish we would have, but we never got around to it; so here it is now, we think it fits in perfectly with the Retire in Ecuador conference.
Role Model Couple NOT Your Average Retiree
When they had their last conference for Panama they used this couple as an example for retirees to see how cheap it is to live in Panama. They’re basically saying, “Look at how cheaply they live; you can do this too”. Below is a snippet about this couple that moved to Santa Fe, Panama.
“The 60-something couple bought a small farm out in the country… they garden organically, growing most of their food so they don’t need to be near grocery stores; they have chickens for eggs, and they grow herbs for medicinal purposes instead of relying on healthcare. They even call themselves “self sufficient”. They are basically living in “their” paradise in a small town community on some acreage out in the country of Panama”.
Sounds good, right? There’s nothing wrong with being self sufficient, in fact it’s great. But let’s be real guys. How many 60ish something retirees are going to grow their own food and medicine? Is this for real? They are not your “average retirees”. Guys, what were they thinking!?
How many people are going to move abroad and actually live like that? Does this sound like something you would do? Would you grow your own food, medicines and herbs instead of relying on grocery stores, health care and hospitals?
All of the retirees we meet want to be near a major grocery store and at least 15 minutes of a hospital! And that is the reality. What do you think, is this a fair assessment of how you are going to live when you move abroad? Is using this self sufficient couple helping you decide appropriately if Panama or Ecuador is right for you?
And incidentally has anyone actually shopped for land around Cuenca or in Panama? Good luck trying to find anything at a reasonable price. Clearly, the prices are similar to u.s. prices, and do not at all reflect developing world prices that are thrown around when reading about how ‘cheap’ it is to live abroad. Check out our Ecuador guides for more detail on that.
Not to mention that living out in the country in a Latin American country can be dangerous, especially for a retired foreign couple. But we will not go there today. That’s a whole other article we’ll save for another day.
Whiner’s signing off, until we write again…
If you would like to have a more balanced view of what’s it’s really like to live in a developing country then please rummage through the 1500 posts we have written (many of them updated!) on this blog to help you make a more informed decision about your move abroad.
And let's not forget: The DIY Cuenca Ecuador Landing Guide is just that, the Guide to help you understand what Cuenca Ecuador is Really All about! Some have coined it their Life Saver.
Source: InternationalLiving.com
Hello Subscribers. Would you like to support our "Tell It Like It Is" adventure about everything abroad? Check THIS out for those who like what we do, we offer even more goodies and details.
 |
| ...yes, miles of unspoiled beaches that are still trying to recover from a devastating earthquake |
We used to soak all this stuff in like sponges when we were in our 20s and before we moved to a “paradise” (No place is perfect as we all know). We were young and didn’t know any better. In our younger days there was no Internet and we were subscribers to their snail-mail, travel newsletter about living in cheap paradises around the world. They were called something different then and they only had a few writers. Today they hire perfectly talented writers around the globe that whitewash how it really is.
For You Resentful Ecuadorians: Be on the Lookout, ‘Rams’ Pumping Ecuador, Again
In June of 2017 (RAM) Retire Abroad Magazine is going to have “another” conference pumping Ecuador. Ok, ok, we know what they won’t say about Ecuador but what are they going to talk about? We wonder what has changed from 2015 in Ecuador that deserves such a big splash (conference) in 2017. What are they going to say that they haven’t already said last year, or the year before, or the year before…? ….?...?
They even brag on their sales page that they have named Ecuador as the “best place to retire” for 6 years in a row. Wow! So then we have to say it again, we know what they won’t say about Ecuador, but what are they going to talk about?
Well, according to their sales spiel and getting through the white-wash, they will have their usual “experts” on banking, consulting, real estate and investments, speaking at the conference to help you make your move to Ecuador. They already have their own built-in experts picked out for you; isn’t that nice of them?
Next, they select a retired couple already living in Cuenca that will tell you how wonderful everything is and how they live so cheap and how good the medical system is, how cheap it is to eat out and how good the food is, and how great the weather is and how nice every single local is and how safe it is and blah, blah, blah. Most of you know the rigmarole.
But watch out, if the couple they provide for the Ecuador conference is anything like the couple they used as role models to the last Panama conference, then it’s time to start worrying folks. We meant to write about this back then and we wish we would have, but we never got around to it; so here it is now, we think it fits in perfectly with the Retire in Ecuador conference.
Role Model Couple NOT Your Average Retiree
When they had their last conference for Panama they used this couple as an example for retirees to see how cheap it is to live in Panama. They’re basically saying, “Look at how cheaply they live; you can do this too”. Below is a snippet about this couple that moved to Santa Fe, Panama.
“The 60-something couple bought a small farm out in the country… they garden organically, growing most of their food so they don’t need to be near grocery stores; they have chickens for eggs, and they grow herbs for medicinal purposes instead of relying on healthcare. They even call themselves “self sufficient”. They are basically living in “their” paradise in a small town community on some acreage out in the country of Panama”.
Sounds good, right? There’s nothing wrong with being self sufficient, in fact it’s great. But let’s be real guys. How many 60ish something retirees are going to grow their own food and medicine? Is this for real? They are not your “average retirees”. Guys, what were they thinking!?
How many people are going to move abroad and actually live like that? Does this sound like something you would do? Would you grow your own food, medicines and herbs instead of relying on grocery stores, health care and hospitals?
All of the retirees we meet want to be near a major grocery store and at least 15 minutes of a hospital! And that is the reality. What do you think, is this a fair assessment of how you are going to live when you move abroad? Is using this self sufficient couple helping you decide appropriately if Panama or Ecuador is right for you?
And incidentally has anyone actually shopped for land around Cuenca or in Panama? Good luck trying to find anything at a reasonable price. Clearly, the prices are similar to u.s. prices, and do not at all reflect developing world prices that are thrown around when reading about how ‘cheap’ it is to live abroad. Check out our Ecuador guides for more detail on that.
Not to mention that living out in the country in a Latin American country can be dangerous, especially for a retired foreign couple. But we will not go there today. That’s a whole other article we’ll save for another day.
Whiner’s signing off, until we write again…
If you would like to have a more balanced view of what’s it’s really like to live in a developing country then please rummage through the 1500 posts we have written (many of them updated!) on this blog to help you make a more informed decision about your move abroad.
And let's not forget: The DIY Cuenca Ecuador Landing Guide is just that, the Guide to help you understand what Cuenca Ecuador is Really All about! Some have coined it their Life Saver.
Source: InternationalLiving.com
Hello Subscribers. Would you like to support our "Tell It Like It Is" adventure about everything abroad? Check THIS out for those who like what we do, we offer even more goodies and details.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Love Cuenca for JUST Being Cuenca, NOT What Someone Else Says
We should decide on our own that we love Cuenca after visiting for a good while. If we visit and enjoy Cuenca on our own terms, without the hype, we'll most likely love it even more because of absent expectations.
Hello Friends, we hope you have enjoyed this video or article. We have posted something new several times per week for the past 5 years and there are a lot of crucial insights and every day life experiences to help others on this blog. If you're looking for straight forward answers and honest reporting about life here, you've found it!
Hello Friends, we hope you have enjoyed this video or article. We have posted something new several times per week for the past 5 years and there are a lot of crucial insights and every day life experiences to help others on this blog. If you're looking for straight forward answers and honest reporting about life here, you've found it!
Friday, November 25, 2016
Cuenca vs. Salinas: 4 Noticeable Differences
In this video e talk about four physical differences we felt once we moved from Cuenca back down to sea level.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We lived in Cuenca Ecuador for five years and now we are in Salinas Ecuador where our adventure continues.We vlog several times per week where we share crucial insights and every day experiences to help others see what its really like to live in a Latin American country.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We lived in Cuenca Ecuador for five years and now we are in Salinas Ecuador where our adventure continues.We vlog several times per week where we share crucial insights and every day experiences to help others see what its really like to live in a Latin American country.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Prowlers & Burglars in Cuenca Ecuador: What We Did about It (Part 1)
This is our introduction video explaining about our prowler and burglary problem we were having in Cuenca Ecuador. We have a lot more informational videos to share with you about this so keep watching the blog and or video posts on YouTube.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We lived in Cuenca Ecuador for five years and now we are in Salinas Ecuador where our adventure continues.We vlog several times per week where we share crucial insights and every day experiences to help others see what its really like to live in a Latin American country.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We lived in Cuenca Ecuador for five years and now we are in Salinas Ecuador where our adventure continues.We vlog several times per week where we share crucial insights and every day experiences to help others see what its really like to live in a Latin American country.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
I Just Want to Sleep Thru the Night in Cuenca Ecuador
Have you ever been deprived of sleep for days and days? It's not a good place to be. Finally, Frank is speaking up about his chronic altitude insomnia that he has carried with him since we moved to Cuenca Ecuador five years ago. We call it altitude insomnia because when we go to lower elevation (sea level) he sleeps like a baby.
UPDATE 2016: Doing the research we discover a name for this that occurs in 1/4 of the population that live at high altitudes above 6000'.
It occurs even in healthy persons at altitudes above
6000 ft. Cuenca Ecuador is 8200'. PB may lead to sleep disturbances with frequent awakenings...Yep, that's us!
SOURCE: NCBI
This is something that we have experienced; you may or may not experience insomnia while living in Cuenca because everyone is different with a different body type. Also, doing research we find that some people who were born at sea level and then move to high altitudes may experience some health issues (overtime) with living in higher altitudes. For us, its sleep problems. To see more of our articles about living at high altitudes, see below the video.
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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
UPDATE 2016: Doing the research we discover a name for this that occurs in 1/4 of the population that live at high altitudes above 6000'.
It occurs even in healthy persons at altitudes above
6000 ft. Cuenca Ecuador is 8200'. PB may lead to sleep disturbances with frequent awakenings...Yep, that's us!
SOURCE: NCBI
This is something that we have experienced; you may or may not experience insomnia while living in Cuenca because everyone is different with a different body type. Also, doing research we find that some people who were born at sea level and then move to high altitudes may experience some health issues (overtime) with living in higher altitudes. For us, its sleep problems. To see more of our articles about living at high altitudes, see below the video.
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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Monday, May 30, 2016
Less Noise, Less Smog, Less Traffic...When?
Living in the city has its annoyances, like the noise, traffic and diesel fumes but during this 3 day holiday weekend, it was actually peaceful in 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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Uh Oh, Parasites Again!? -- Ups and Downs of Life Abroad
Second time someone in our family has been checked for parasites. It's one of those things that you have to watch out for in Latin American. And the results came back...
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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Saturday, May 14, 2016
The Vicious Cycle of Rental Inflation in Cuenca Ecuador
The ‘average’ foreigner, will google “Ecuador Inflation” and think he’s hit the jackpot. “Aha”, he/she will say, “look here, inflation between 2% and 10%. That doesn’t sound so bad”.
Well those of us that have graduated to above average, just because we’ve been thinking independently for many years, already know that statistics, well, don’t show the complete picture.
Here’s why:
The above chart shows ALL OF ECUADOR. Yes there are many places within Ecuador that are completely devoid of foreigners. No Gringos, no Europeans, no Australians, no developed western world citizens.
And if a person ventures out into any of these virgin areas he/she will be first surprised, then astonished and amazed. Wow, I can still rent a house for $250 here. And $300 gets me a large, no make that huge family sized house. According to these areas the inflation rate is probably 2% or less.
But but but…there are no westerners there. You’re all alone with the Ecuadorians. No gringo night, gringo meetings, gringo meetups, gringo bars, gringo restaurants, bi-lingual facilitators (they’re also gringos), bi-lingual real estate agents, etc. etc. you get the picture. No one here is comparing any prices to “back home”. Everyone here knows what the local rate is because that’s all there is.
Now, in 2007 International Living and others, started pumping the best city to retire in the world. Note, they did not say “the best country in the world” to retire to. They did not pick “Ecuador”. They chose, TAH DAH…CUENCA. That right there throws your chart out of whack.
In contrast to the foreigner free areas of Ecuador, Cuenca is inundated with foreigners. So much so, that International Living apparently decided to change the flow and name LOJA the best city to retire to. Someone decided there were too many foreigners already in Cuenca.
DISPELLING THE 1% MYTH....Again
We wrote about the actual figures of foreigners in Cuenca here. (please read that post and then come back to this article.)
I don’t think anything needs to be added, except that, as the song goes: One bad apple spoils the whole bunch. Not trying to say foreigners are bad, not at all. Just making the point that it’s not the number that matters, it’s the result of who they are and what and how they do things.
Hence the comparison above between foreigner infested areas like Cuenca, and let’s call the other areas, virgin areas. I have to ask: why would anyone waste their time defending “gringos”. As if they’re on the witness stand? Figures don’t lie but liars figure.
Why is it that there seems to be a persistent attempt at dispelling all the facts by simple statements like, gringos are not to blame; or its only 1% it can’t be so. They say, "You’re wrong". It seems that there are some that have a vested interest in doing this. And low and behold, they’re usually in the real estate industry. They’re pretty easy to spot. Moving on…moving on...moving on...
Some quick math:
Local rental price in 2011= $250-$300
(we’re still paying that in 2016)
Gringo (Furnished) prices 2011= $600-$800 and up to $1000
Local rental prices in 2016= $500-$700
(A 100% increase or more in five years, which translates to 20% per year rental inflation from local pricing.)
Gringo (Furnished) rental prices 2016= $700-$1400
There are lower prices but usually for very small apartments
The “average” gringo price in 2011 was $800 (these figures are approximate taken by adding the lower and highest listed above and dividing by two)
The “average gringo price in 2016 is $1050.
An increase of $250 which is 31%. Divided over five years, is roughly 6% per year. So you see, statistics tell a picture, but…not the whole story, see? Even though prices have receded recently about 5%-10%, that’s a minuscule amount from the lofty prices foreigners were/are naively paying.
Did you know it was only 5 years ago (2011) when the N. American could come to Ecuador and rent a nice three or four bedroom home with a yard for just $250 dollars! Yes, with a small yard! In fact this is what we paid and now pay for a one story (yes ones story) 3-bed 3-bath, detached home, plus office, dining, living, kitchen, patio and yard, views of Mountains and river very near and we still pay $250. Cuenca’s rents (value comparisons) have gone past the double mark….and we’re shaking our heads.
***disclaimer***the above figures are approximates and are listed for the purpose of conveying the idea of the article. There are many variables that go into the price of a rental including but not limited to, whether bldg. has an elevator, square footage, foreign owners or local owners, etc. etc. We find that houses are more expensive than apartments.
Until we write again, take a look at these educational articles to help you get an idea, before you get here, of what to expect and then be prepared for life abroad! These articles could apply to living anywhere abroad, not just 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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Well those of us that have graduated to above average, just because we’ve been thinking independently for many years, already know that statistics, well, don’t show the complete picture.
 |
| 2006 thru 2016 Inflation Chart for the COUNTRY of Ecuador |
Here’s why:
The above chart shows ALL OF ECUADOR. Yes there are many places within Ecuador that are completely devoid of foreigners. No Gringos, no Europeans, no Australians, no developed western world citizens.
And if a person ventures out into any of these virgin areas he/she will be first surprised, then astonished and amazed. Wow, I can still rent a house for $250 here. And $300 gets me a large, no make that huge family sized house. According to these areas the inflation rate is probably 2% or less.
But but but…there are no westerners there. You’re all alone with the Ecuadorians. No gringo night, gringo meetings, gringo meetups, gringo bars, gringo restaurants, bi-lingual facilitators (they’re also gringos), bi-lingual real estate agents, etc. etc. you get the picture. No one here is comparing any prices to “back home”. Everyone here knows what the local rate is because that’s all there is.
Now, in 2007 International Living and others, started pumping the best city to retire in the world. Note, they did not say “the best country in the world” to retire to. They did not pick “Ecuador”. They chose, TAH DAH…CUENCA. That right there throws your chart out of whack.
In contrast to the foreigner free areas of Ecuador, Cuenca is inundated with foreigners. So much so, that International Living apparently decided to change the flow and name LOJA the best city to retire to. Someone decided there were too many foreigners already in Cuenca.
DISPELLING THE 1% MYTH....Again
We wrote about the actual figures of foreigners in Cuenca here. (please read that post and then come back to this article.)
I don’t think anything needs to be added, except that, as the song goes: One bad apple spoils the whole bunch. Not trying to say foreigners are bad, not at all. Just making the point that it’s not the number that matters, it’s the result of who they are and what and how they do things.
Hence the comparison above between foreigner infested areas like Cuenca, and let’s call the other areas, virgin areas. I have to ask: why would anyone waste their time defending “gringos”. As if they’re on the witness stand? Figures don’t lie but liars figure.
Why is it that there seems to be a persistent attempt at dispelling all the facts by simple statements like, gringos are not to blame; or its only 1% it can’t be so. They say, "You’re wrong". It seems that there are some that have a vested interest in doing this. And low and behold, they’re usually in the real estate industry. They’re pretty easy to spot. Moving on…moving on...moving on...
Some quick math:
Local rental price in 2011= $250-$300
(we’re still paying that in 2016)
Gringo (Furnished) prices 2011= $600-$800 and up to $1000
Local rental prices in 2016= $500-$700
(A 100% increase or more in five years, which translates to 20% per year rental inflation from local pricing.)
Gringo (Furnished) rental prices 2016= $700-$1400
There are lower prices but usually for very small apartments
The “average” gringo price in 2011 was $800 (these figures are approximate taken by adding the lower and highest listed above and dividing by two)
The “average gringo price in 2016 is $1050.
An increase of $250 which is 31%. Divided over five years, is roughly 6% per year. So you see, statistics tell a picture, but…not the whole story, see? Even though prices have receded recently about 5%-10%, that’s a minuscule amount from the lofty prices foreigners were/are naively paying.
Did you know it was only 5 years ago (2011) when the N. American could come to Ecuador and rent a nice three or four bedroom home with a yard for just $250 dollars! Yes, with a small yard! In fact this is what we paid and now pay for a one story (yes ones story) 3-bed 3-bath, detached home, plus office, dining, living, kitchen, patio and yard, views of Mountains and river very near and we still pay $250. Cuenca’s rents (value comparisons) have gone past the double mark….and we’re shaking our heads.
***disclaimer***the above figures are approximates and are listed for the purpose of conveying the idea of the article. There are many variables that go into the price of a rental including but not limited to, whether bldg. has an elevator, square footage, foreign owners or local owners, etc. etc. We find that houses are more expensive than apartments.
Until we write again, take a look at these educational articles to help you get an idea, before you get here, of what to expect and then be prepared for life abroad! These articles could apply to living anywhere abroad, not just 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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
11 Ways to Spot a Tourist Abroad
As we’re walking down the street in El Centro we spot a gringo couple we have never seen before.
“I ask, “Do you think they are tourists or residents?”.
“Ummm, they look like tourists. Notice how they keep looking up at the buildings and looking around a lot?”
“Yes, and look at the huge camera dangling from the guys neck.”
“Yep, definitely tourists.”
There is nothing wrong with tourism. We were tourists once too, for about a week…LOL…here’s 10 more ways to spot a tourist.
1. Tourist pay the asking price and do not bargain.
2. Tourists wear huge floppy brimmed hats and Panama hats often.
3. Younger tourists wear shorts and flip flops, even in 68 degree weather in the Andes Mountains.
4. Tourists are always taking photos and have expensive cameras hanging around their neck.
5. When walking, instead of looking ahead they tend to look up at the architecture and many of them stumble and fall and hurt themselves.
6. Tourists wear lots of shiny, dangling jewelry.
7. Newcomers tend to rubberneck.
8. Tourists act rich because they’re on vacation.
9. Tourists are not usually aware of their surroundings and that’s why many of them get stuff stolen from them.
10. If they’re riding the bus they're also talking in English loudly and drawing attention to themselves all the while totally oblivious to their surroundings. Btw, many tourists get pick pocketed on crowded buses because they aren’t paying attention. This has actually happened a couple of times, that we know of.
11. Tourists think the traffic is going to stop for them, therefore, they start walking the cross-walk only to find out the hard way that drivers don't stop for pedestrians in Ecuador.
This can't be all the ways to spot a tourist. Can you think of any other ways to spot a tourist?
Until we write again, check out these articles on tourism and residency abroad.
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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
“I ask, “Do you think they are tourists or residents?”.
“Ummm, they look like tourists. Notice how they keep looking up at the buildings and looking around a lot?”
“Yes, and look at the huge camera dangling from the guys neck.”
“Yep, definitely tourists.”
 |
| Cuenca Tourist group |
There is nothing wrong with tourism. We were tourists once too, for about a week…LOL…here’s 10 more ways to spot a tourist.
1. Tourist pay the asking price and do not bargain.
2. Tourists wear huge floppy brimmed hats and Panama hats often.
3. Younger tourists wear shorts and flip flops, even in 68 degree weather in the Andes Mountains.
4. Tourists are always taking photos and have expensive cameras hanging around their neck.
5. When walking, instead of looking ahead they tend to look up at the architecture and many of them stumble and fall and hurt themselves.
6. Tourists wear lots of shiny, dangling jewelry.
7. Newcomers tend to rubberneck.
8. Tourists act rich because they’re on vacation.
9. Tourists are not usually aware of their surroundings and that’s why many of them get stuff stolen from them.
10. If they’re riding the bus they're also talking in English loudly and drawing attention to themselves all the while totally oblivious to their surroundings. Btw, many tourists get pick pocketed on crowded buses because they aren’t paying attention. This has actually happened a couple of times, that we know of.
11. Tourists think the traffic is going to stop for them, therefore, they start walking the cross-walk only to find out the hard way that drivers don't stop for pedestrians in Ecuador.
This can't be all the ways to spot a tourist. Can you think of any other ways to spot a tourist?
Until we write again, check out these articles on tourism and residency abroad.
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. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Are Expats Going Home after the Earthquake Disaster?
Yes, some of the expats and local folk are leaving the Ecuador coast as they have no home left to live in. Sources say some of them are moving to Cuenca. The earthquake completely decimated several small villages and towns along the central /northern coastline in areas like Canoa, Pedernalas, Portoviejo, parts of Bahia and Manta and small villages in between.
We wrote about this area as being prone to earthquakes in several different areas of our DIY Ecuador Coast Travel Guide. We were very clear at the time (2013) that Earthquakes were a serious matter in this area and was the reason we didn't live at the coast. Those that purchased the guide and perhaps begrudgingly accepted the facts we presented and acted accordingly, are now likely on their knees thanking their lucky stars or their creator.
Naturally, some foreigners are anxious that another earthquake will strike again, and it can and it will at some point in time. No one can predict when an earthquake will strike; that’s nature’s job. Just a small bit of advice from us, “listen to your gut instinct” and play it safe.
In 1998 Bahia de Caraquez suffered a severe 7.2 earthquake that did considerable damage to many of the condominium buildings that stand abandoned today…from the outside they look fine but they are not livable. They never rebuilt these buildings; it would cost way too much money, money that Ecuador did not have; now only eighteen years later another one hits.
In our guide we call Bahia the Jewel of the coastline for a reason; not only is it the most picturesque town on the Ecuador coast, at least in our opinion but it has always been one of the more less expensive areas to live on the coast and that is partly because of the 1998 earthquake. However, prices have risen substantially over the last couple of years, ever since foreigners decided to make Bahia their home.
We explained in the Ecuador Coast Guide that the areas mostly affected by quakes extend from Manta as far North to Esmeraldas and that it would not be a good idea to set up house in these areas on the coast. As a matter of fact it was the main reason why we did not move to Bahia de Caraquez ourselves, our favorite beach town on the Ecuador coast and rent an apartment in a high rise back in 2012.
At that time, you could rent a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, huge terrace penthouse apartment overlooking the bay side for $400, and that was the asking price! We looked at it and even seriously considered the idea of moving from Cuenca; it had a magnificent 360’ degree view; what stopped us was that Bahia has earthquakes and is the reason why we were not living in Bahia.
Many people live life thinking that “bad things won’t happen to them” but cautious people take heed. Isn’t that written somewhere in the ancient writings? Sometimes, actually in many cases, people’s greed and emotions overtake their senses and they sweep negatives of a place under the rug. That’s what some foreigners have done in these small Ecuador coastal towns and sadly, for them, some of them have lost their investment to an earthquake and many have lost their lives too. If they were lucky enough to not have their property damaged, it will be difficult to get out of.
We make choices and then pay the consequences of those choices. There is no home-owners insurance company that is going to pay out for a natural disaster. And even though rumor says the builders that built shoddy construction will have to pay, even multi million dollar insurance companies in the states go bankrupt due to natural disasters. No one can withstand that kind of loss, except maybe Warren Buffet; Reality is you will probably never get a cent from anybody.
Buy at your own risk as the saying goes. In this particular area, the risk was earthquakes. While others areas on the coast further south are prone to flooding. And we've been outspoken about all of these issues.
We are the ones that probably have a reputation for being outspoken and opinionated, sometimes suffering public scorn over it, but its only because we actually care about people and can't stand the deception that passes for "expat culture". The road is narrow, and few are those that traverse it. It's sad that people lost their lives and had their "dreams" shattered, but it didn't have to happen.
Of course, there will always be folks that live in Ecuador and love the ocean and they will simply mover further south where there are fewer incidents of quakes but of course and sadly, Salinas is not immune to having earthquakes. It’s less likely but the chances are still there.
More and more people are saying (just read yesterday) that the altitude of Cuenca is not good for their health and they don’t want to move to the coast and they do not want to move back to the US, so they move on to another popular and often touted paradise on the travel abroad pumpers list.
We’re quite sure there will be more and more people leaving Ecuador and less folks arriving until everything settles down enough where they can move this tragic event out of the forefront of their memory and live in peace. Although, we doubt there is ever a true “feeling of peace” when the trepidation of an impending earthquake at any time lingers in the back of your mind.
Recently when we were in Salinas we sat on the Malecon and watched as an older expat couple were moving out of their high rise apartment building; there was a huge professional moving truck halfway full with their furnishings; they are moving on, perhaps they are moving to Cuenca or maybe they are going home?
So, yes, some expats and locals alike are leaving the coast, especially from the northern part to start a new chapter of their lives. As one expat put it who is trying to sell her property in Jama Ecuador, “The Ecuador coast has become geographically uncomfortable”. Perhaps there are too many blogs and too many books about Ecuador and the coast, and our "voice in the wilderness" gets lost in the wind.
Until we write again, you might like to read these articles remembering some of the towns and villages after the earthquake.
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!
We wrote about this area as being prone to earthquakes in several different areas of our DIY Ecuador Coast Travel Guide. We were very clear at the time (2013) that Earthquakes were a serious matter in this area and was the reason we didn't live at the coast. Those that purchased the guide and perhaps begrudgingly accepted the facts we presented and acted accordingly, are now likely on their knees thanking their lucky stars or their creator.
 |
| Quote taken from 'DIY Ecuador Coast Guide' |
Naturally, some foreigners are anxious that another earthquake will strike again, and it can and it will at some point in time. No one can predict when an earthquake will strike; that’s nature’s job. Just a small bit of advice from us, “listen to your gut instinct” and play it safe.
In 1998 Bahia de Caraquez suffered a severe 7.2 earthquake that did considerable damage to many of the condominium buildings that stand abandoned today…from the outside they look fine but they are not livable. They never rebuilt these buildings; it would cost way too much money, money that Ecuador did not have; now only eighteen years later another one hits.
In our guide we call Bahia the Jewel of the coastline for a reason; not only is it the most picturesque town on the Ecuador coast, at least in our opinion but it has always been one of the more less expensive areas to live on the coast and that is partly because of the 1998 earthquake. However, prices have risen substantially over the last couple of years, ever since foreigners decided to make Bahia their home.
 |
| Quote 2013 from 'DIY Ecuador Coast Guide' |
We explained in the Ecuador Coast Guide that the areas mostly affected by quakes extend from Manta as far North to Esmeraldas and that it would not be a good idea to set up house in these areas on the coast. As a matter of fact it was the main reason why we did not move to Bahia de Caraquez ourselves, our favorite beach town on the Ecuador coast and rent an apartment in a high rise back in 2012.
At that time, you could rent a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, huge terrace penthouse apartment overlooking the bay side for $400, and that was the asking price! We looked at it and even seriously considered the idea of moving from Cuenca; it had a magnificent 360’ degree view; what stopped us was that Bahia has earthquakes and is the reason why we were not living in Bahia.
Many people live life thinking that “bad things won’t happen to them” but cautious people take heed. Isn’t that written somewhere in the ancient writings? Sometimes, actually in many cases, people’s greed and emotions overtake their senses and they sweep negatives of a place under the rug. That’s what some foreigners have done in these small Ecuador coastal towns and sadly, for them, some of them have lost their investment to an earthquake and many have lost their lives too. If they were lucky enough to not have their property damaged, it will be difficult to get out of.
We make choices and then pay the consequences of those choices. There is no home-owners insurance company that is going to pay out for a natural disaster. And even though rumor says the builders that built shoddy construction will have to pay, even multi million dollar insurance companies in the states go bankrupt due to natural disasters. No one can withstand that kind of loss, except maybe Warren Buffet; Reality is you will probably never get a cent from anybody.
Buy at your own risk as the saying goes. In this particular area, the risk was earthquakes. While others areas on the coast further south are prone to flooding. And we've been outspoken about all of these issues.
We are the ones that probably have a reputation for being outspoken and opinionated, sometimes suffering public scorn over it, but its only because we actually care about people and can't stand the deception that passes for "expat culture". The road is narrow, and few are those that traverse it. It's sad that people lost their lives and had their "dreams" shattered, but it didn't have to happen.
 |
| Quote taken from 'DIY Coast Guide' |
Of course, there will always be folks that live in Ecuador and love the ocean and they will simply mover further south where there are fewer incidents of quakes but of course and sadly, Salinas is not immune to having earthquakes. It’s less likely but the chances are still there.
More and more people are saying (just read yesterday) that the altitude of Cuenca is not good for their health and they don’t want to move to the coast and they do not want to move back to the US, so they move on to another popular and often touted paradise on the travel abroad pumpers list.
We’re quite sure there will be more and more people leaving Ecuador and less folks arriving until everything settles down enough where they can move this tragic event out of the forefront of their memory and live in peace. Although, we doubt there is ever a true “feeling of peace” when the trepidation of an impending earthquake at any time lingers in the back of your mind.
Recently when we were in Salinas we sat on the Malecon and watched as an older expat couple were moving out of their high rise apartment building; there was a huge professional moving truck halfway full with their furnishings; they are moving on, perhaps they are moving to Cuenca or maybe they are going home?
So, yes, some expats and locals alike are leaving the coast, especially from the northern part to start a new chapter of their lives. As one expat put it who is trying to sell her property in Jama Ecuador, “The Ecuador coast has become geographically uncomfortable”. Perhaps there are too many blogs and too many books about Ecuador and the coast, and our "voice in the wilderness" gets lost in the wind.
Until we write again, you might like to read these articles remembering some of the towns and villages after the earthquake.
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!
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Low Tech Measuring Trick
You never know when you're going to need to measure something...and well, this way works great.
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!
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!
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Moving Abroad? Are You Being Pushed Out or Pulled Out?
In our five years of living in Cuenca Ecuador and traveling in South America we have met all types of people that have decided to move abroad. And we have found that most people generally fit in two major categories.
Those that are:
1. ‘pushed out’ and those that are 2. ‘pulled out'.
Pushed Out from the Land We Live in Now to Move to a New Land
Pushed out of our homeland means that ‘our society’, ‘our culture’, ‘our neighbors' and 'our compatriots’ are no longer appreciating who we are as a person. Because the feeling that we are not appreciated as a person by an entire culture, or at least it seems that way because we are becoming a minority in the way we act, do, and well, live.
Being a minority in and of itself is not necessarily a problem. If you’re queen Elizabeth, or King of Thailand for example, you’re a minority of one, but almost everybody loves you. Or at least they act like they do. On the other hand if your “type” is not appreciated, not respected, not loved, or worse, despised by the very actions of your culture, by the fact that they treat you as an outcast, your type is publicly ridiculed meaning they ridicule others like you, with impunity and without apparent consequence because that is the current way the wind is blowing, well then, it is likely you’re being pushed out.
Pulled Toward a Different Land, Because Well, the Grass Seems Greener...Well Is It?
In this category we find what is referred to as the financial refugees. Now, to me, that term in and of itself is sort of a pushing term, as if you have no standing, no land, no culture because you’re on a “low income”.
In this category is also those that have plenty of means, but in their own land they would not be able to necessarily, according to their understanding anyway, live at the top end of consumption and lifestyle, i.e. live in luxury, get a maid, a butler, eat steak and lobster, have the best views, etc. etc. and all on a salary which would in times past be considered not really all that extravagant.
These types back home would be considered those that “keep up with the Jones's”. They want to report to those ‘back home’ about the wonderful views they have, how many more bedrooms they have, how many more square feet they have, than their counterparts back home.
There is a third category, those that have these kinds of means, but are also being pushed out. However they straddle both sides of the whole.
Moving somewhere to improve your surroundings in such a way that you find peace is a long established, historical norm. Abraham of the bible did it. However, this is not the kind of ‘peace’ that the second category is looking for. This is the kind of peace, where you are willing to accept the perceived minor inconveniences of lowering your standards, just like Abraham did. Why? Because you are finding your peace from within. Such is the kingdom of God. There is more to say about this.
The second category, the financial refugees may feel they are being pushed out but in reality they are being ‘pulled out’ with the promise of a better financial life. If you’re in this category, take heart. You may have spent your whole life working up to your social security check and realized you’ve been swindled.
It’s ok, there’s a lot of things you can do, and nowadays, in this information age we live in, there are lots of tutorials online from people that live well on practically nothing. If this is your major concern, you may or may not find peace moving abroad. It all depends on your skills at blending in, living local, picking up new skills such as a new language etc. If this is not part of your thinking already, you may have a rude awakening.
No matter where in the world we’re thinking of relocating to we may find that no place is going to be PERFECT.
Finding our REAL Paradise is within our attitude and emotional well being; No place on earth can make a person at peace in and of itself because that person must first be a contented person. Running from the problems of the world is like running from God…they’re everywhere…we must learn to detach from those things which bring us discontent. Life is about detaching from circumstances that we find destructive and if we’re the type of person that has a difficult time doing that, moving to a different city abroad will not make our life happier.
Leaving one country to move to another country for financial reasons is escaping the fear of living below normal economic standards. However, moving to a third world country where most things are not up to the standards of the North American middle class may not bring most people the peace they are looking for, in fact, you will come to find out that “cheap paradise” is not all cracked up to be what you thought it would be.
Why would someone move from the economic standards of a society they are so used to, to move to a lower standard of living? Perhaps because they were mislead?
The “travel abroad hucksters” prey on people who want to continue living in the middle class and subsequently they are usually the ones that are the most susceptible to being mislead. The hucksters love to say that blah-blah developing country has a growing and high middle class because they know that it will “wow” you” and “entice you” to move there. But this is very misleading.
It’s perfectly fine to move to a place because cost of living seems lower compared to where you are living now but do not expect to live in the lap of luxury like many of these hucksters insinuate. Continuing calling a city abroad “paradise” for instance, gets people who feel discontented where they are now to move abroad for mistaken reasons that we have mentioned in this article thus far.
We’re not discounting anyone’s feelings because ALL reasons for moving abroad are valid reasons to have but don’t become mislead by your reasons! Ask most expats that went home after living abroad and they will tell you, “It wasn’t better, but it certainly was different”. It wasn't better because there is too much confusing and misinformation out there about moving abroad.
Choosing to Move Abroad
CHOOSING to, or volunteering to move abroad means we have volunteered without feeling pressured to do so. We are neither pushed, nor pulled. We have a plan of how we’re going to live, what our cost of living is going to be, and what we’re going to do when we get to new land. We already know everything in advance and we’re gung-ho to begin the new chapter in our life.
We have met and know personally many expats over the last five years and the happiest and most content are the ones who volunteered to move abroad; there was no pressure to leave for economic or political reasons; they were not escaping something but rather opening up a new chapter in their life experiences.
Until we write again, try out these related articles about moving somwhere abroad.
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!
Those that are:
1. ‘pushed out’ and those that are 2. ‘pulled out'.
Pushed Out from the Land We Live in Now to Move to a New Land
Pushed out of our homeland means that ‘our society’, ‘our culture’, ‘our neighbors' and 'our compatriots’ are no longer appreciating who we are as a person. Because the feeling that we are not appreciated as a person by an entire culture, or at least it seems that way because we are becoming a minority in the way we act, do, and well, live.
Being a minority in and of itself is not necessarily a problem. If you’re queen Elizabeth, or King of Thailand for example, you’re a minority of one, but almost everybody loves you. Or at least they act like they do. On the other hand if your “type” is not appreciated, not respected, not loved, or worse, despised by the very actions of your culture, by the fact that they treat you as an outcast, your type is publicly ridiculed meaning they ridicule others like you, with impunity and without apparent consequence because that is the current way the wind is blowing, well then, it is likely you’re being pushed out.
Pulled Toward a Different Land, Because Well, the Grass Seems Greener...Well Is It?
In this category we find what is referred to as the financial refugees. Now, to me, that term in and of itself is sort of a pushing term, as if you have no standing, no land, no culture because you’re on a “low income”.
In this category is also those that have plenty of means, but in their own land they would not be able to necessarily, according to their understanding anyway, live at the top end of consumption and lifestyle, i.e. live in luxury, get a maid, a butler, eat steak and lobster, have the best views, etc. etc. and all on a salary which would in times past be considered not really all that extravagant.
These types back home would be considered those that “keep up with the Jones's”. They want to report to those ‘back home’ about the wonderful views they have, how many more bedrooms they have, how many more square feet they have, than their counterparts back home.
There is a third category, those that have these kinds of means, but are also being pushed out. However they straddle both sides of the whole.
Moving somewhere to improve your surroundings in such a way that you find peace is a long established, historical norm. Abraham of the bible did it. However, this is not the kind of ‘peace’ that the second category is looking for. This is the kind of peace, where you are willing to accept the perceived minor inconveniences of lowering your standards, just like Abraham did. Why? Because you are finding your peace from within. Such is the kingdom of God. There is more to say about this.
The second category, the financial refugees may feel they are being pushed out but in reality they are being ‘pulled out’ with the promise of a better financial life. If you’re in this category, take heart. You may have spent your whole life working up to your social security check and realized you’ve been swindled.
It’s ok, there’s a lot of things you can do, and nowadays, in this information age we live in, there are lots of tutorials online from people that live well on practically nothing. If this is your major concern, you may or may not find peace moving abroad. It all depends on your skills at blending in, living local, picking up new skills such as a new language etc. If this is not part of your thinking already, you may have a rude awakening.
No matter where in the world we’re thinking of relocating to we may find that no place is going to be PERFECT.
Finding our REAL Paradise is within our attitude and emotional well being; No place on earth can make a person at peace in and of itself because that person must first be a contented person. Running from the problems of the world is like running from God…they’re everywhere…we must learn to detach from those things which bring us discontent. Life is about detaching from circumstances that we find destructive and if we’re the type of person that has a difficult time doing that, moving to a different city abroad will not make our life happier.
Leaving one country to move to another country for financial reasons is escaping the fear of living below normal economic standards. However, moving to a third world country where most things are not up to the standards of the North American middle class may not bring most people the peace they are looking for, in fact, you will come to find out that “cheap paradise” is not all cracked up to be what you thought it would be.
Why would someone move from the economic standards of a society they are so used to, to move to a lower standard of living? Perhaps because they were mislead?
The “travel abroad hucksters” prey on people who want to continue living in the middle class and subsequently they are usually the ones that are the most susceptible to being mislead. The hucksters love to say that blah-blah developing country has a growing and high middle class because they know that it will “wow” you” and “entice you” to move there. But this is very misleading.
It’s perfectly fine to move to a place because cost of living seems lower compared to where you are living now but do not expect to live in the lap of luxury like many of these hucksters insinuate. Continuing calling a city abroad “paradise” for instance, gets people who feel discontented where they are now to move abroad for mistaken reasons that we have mentioned in this article thus far.
We’re not discounting anyone’s feelings because ALL reasons for moving abroad are valid reasons to have but don’t become mislead by your reasons! Ask most expats that went home after living abroad and they will tell you, “It wasn’t better, but it certainly was different”. It wasn't better because there is too much confusing and misinformation out there about moving abroad.
Choosing to Move Abroad
CHOOSING to, or volunteering to move abroad means we have volunteered without feeling pressured to do so. We are neither pushed, nor pulled. We have a plan of how we’re going to live, what our cost of living is going to be, and what we’re going to do when we get to new land. We already know everything in advance and we’re gung-ho to begin the new chapter in our life.
We have met and know personally many expats over the last five years and the happiest and most content are the ones who volunteered to move abroad; there was no pressure to leave for economic or political reasons; they were not escaping something but rather opening up a new chapter in their life experiences.
Until we write again, try out these related articles about moving somwhere abroad.
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!
Friday, March 11, 2016
Quito and Cuenca Ecuador in March 2016
Here's another mish-mesh video of different clips taken in Cuenca and Quito Ecuador for March 2016!
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!
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!
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Amazing & Funny Ecuador Experiences Past Five Years!
We have made hundreds of videos within the country of Ecuador and we've had some great times and experienced some pretty funny stuff. Here's is a small sampling of those fun times in the last five years of living here. Enjoy! There's so much more but then the video would be too long.
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!
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!
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Cuenca Ecuador Looks Like a War Zone
"Looks one step above a war zone": Comment left by a viewer of our YT video called 'Hermosa Cuenca Ecuador - Jan/Feb 2016'.
War Zone? Wow, that's going a bit overboard. People who leave comments like the one above, saying that Cuenca looks like a war zone are in shock and we mean that literally. They don’t really know what it’s like to live in Latin America and they probably have never ventured very far out of their home town or city either.
Wall art is not graffiti. Scribbling some angry words on a wall should not be associated with wall art; big, big difference.
Graffiti Can Be Shocking!
Graffiti can be shocking; it brings out trepidation in people because it is often associated with violence, crime and gang activity especially in hollyworld movies. The commenter is right, where there is graffiti it usually means hoodlums out at night that don’t have anything else better to do with their time. And we're not saying Cuenca doesn't have crime, but it's not as bad as some people think.
Cuenca has some gangs and problems with crime but it is getting better than it used to be thanks to the much more proactive Cuenca police that are working to curb drug gangs and violence in Cuenca.
The lower crime rate here could be the reason we’re seeing less graffiti on the walls as well. Yes, Cuenca has less and less graffiti on the walls just in the 7 years we’ve lived here. Now we're seeing more and more lovely wall art taking the place of graffiti.
From time to time we’ll receive a comment that says something negative about the tall iron gates and barred windows on the houses in Ecuador, because it scares people; they are literally in shock.
But it has to be that way, otherwise the vulnerable homes, without the bars on windows and tall iron gates will get broken into. Homes without electric fences are more vulnerable than those with electric fences in the same neighborhood.
This brings us to the topic of country living in Ecuador; we’ve touched on this before. Usually homes in the country do not have the tall cement walls or gates surrounding the property, nor does the house itself have bars on the windows. And if you are a gringo living in an unprotected home you will eventually get broken into.
Gringo Enclave Home Invasions
Gated gringo communities are also targets for home invasions; having the attitude that one is protected because they are behind a security wall, invites thievery.
Secluding yourself within a gringo enclave tells the outsider bad apples that “you think you are better than them” and it tells them “you have something of value to take” and it tells them you believe yourself to be safer because you are living among other gringos or in a better neighborhood”. We don’t say this, the thieves think it!
Well, let us tell you a little secret: more expensive neighborhoods get broken into ALL THE TIME! The gringos who are unable to live in the local standard type housing and neighborhoods, and do not blend in, will be more susceptible to being targets of crime. In a nutshell, that’s what it boils down to.
This brings us back to the commenter. All we can say is these types of people maybe shouldn’t venture out of their home towns because coming here would be too shocking for them and we don’t mean that in a bad way, we’re simply being serious and honest. Lots of people come here that shouldn’t. Like mom for instance; I already know that Ecuador would not be a good fit for her in so many ways.
Mom shouldn’t move here because she would want to live the way she wants, not the way she should live according to this country’s background and culture. She would not adjust very well. And if you’re moving abroad, you need to be the type that adjusts to anything.
Crime Is Different in Latin America!
We’ve always said on our blog to make people more aware, crime is different in Ecuador than in the U.S, which means you have to behave differently here. We’re glad we have tall gates around our home and barred windows; it’s what you need to do to protect yourself and your belongings in Latin America! Its part of life here and it’s not going to go away anytime soon!
Cuenca, as a whole is a beautiful city with gracious and curious locals; it has many charms you will never find in small towns in North America of the same size and we’re happy that we are here to experience and enjoy all that Ecuador has to offer.
As most of you know, we live on a local level, in a local style home, in a totally Ecuadorian neighborhood, speak Spanish and blend in…and doing all that, only after four years of living here did we experience prowler/robbery problem and this was only after our home became more vulnerable, at no fault of our own! A storage structure was butted up against our detached home, which made it very easy for a prowler to use as a stepping stone to get onto our roof; from there they just climbed down into our yard. Before that for four years we had no crime issues.
Until we write again…you might like these articles too.
We're Italian-American expats, living frugal, healthy and happy in Ecuador for 7 plus years. Our mission is to show you what it's really like to live abroad! The postcards provide us with a dream but the reality of how it really is provides us with honesty and truth.
War Zone? Wow, that's going a bit overboard. People who leave comments like the one above, saying that Cuenca looks like a war zone are in shock and we mean that literally. They don’t really know what it’s like to live in Latin America and they probably have never ventured very far out of their home town or city either.
Wall art is not graffiti. Scribbling some angry words on a wall should not be associated with wall art; big, big difference.
Graffiti Can Be Shocking!
Graffiti can be shocking; it brings out trepidation in people because it is often associated with violence, crime and gang activity especially in hollyworld movies. The commenter is right, where there is graffiti it usually means hoodlums out at night that don’t have anything else better to do with their time. And we're not saying Cuenca doesn't have crime, but it's not as bad as some people think.
Cuenca has some gangs and problems with crime but it is getting better than it used to be thanks to the much more proactive Cuenca police that are working to curb drug gangs and violence in Cuenca.
The lower crime rate here could be the reason we’re seeing less graffiti on the walls as well. Yes, Cuenca has less and less graffiti on the walls just in the 7 years we’ve lived here. Now we're seeing more and more lovely wall art taking the place of graffiti.
From time to time we’ll receive a comment that says something negative about the tall iron gates and barred windows on the houses in Ecuador, because it scares people; they are literally in shock.
But it has to be that way, otherwise the vulnerable homes, without the bars on windows and tall iron gates will get broken into. Homes without electric fences are more vulnerable than those with electric fences in the same neighborhood.
This brings us to the topic of country living in Ecuador; we’ve touched on this before. Usually homes in the country do not have the tall cement walls or gates surrounding the property, nor does the house itself have bars on the windows. And if you are a gringo living in an unprotected home you will eventually get broken into.
Gringo Enclave Home Invasions
Gated gringo communities are also targets for home invasions; having the attitude that one is protected because they are behind a security wall, invites thievery.
Secluding yourself within a gringo enclave tells the outsider bad apples that “you think you are better than them” and it tells them “you have something of value to take” and it tells them you believe yourself to be safer because you are living among other gringos or in a better neighborhood”. We don’t say this, the thieves think it!
Well, let us tell you a little secret: more expensive neighborhoods get broken into ALL THE TIME! The gringos who are unable to live in the local standard type housing and neighborhoods, and do not blend in, will be more susceptible to being targets of crime. In a nutshell, that’s what it boils down to.
This brings us back to the commenter. All we can say is these types of people maybe shouldn’t venture out of their home towns because coming here would be too shocking for them and we don’t mean that in a bad way, we’re simply being serious and honest. Lots of people come here that shouldn’t. Like mom for instance; I already know that Ecuador would not be a good fit for her in so many ways.
Mom shouldn’t move here because she would want to live the way she wants, not the way she should live according to this country’s background and culture. She would not adjust very well. And if you’re moving abroad, you need to be the type that adjusts to anything.
Crime Is Different in Latin America!
We’ve always said on our blog to make people more aware, crime is different in Ecuador than in the U.S, which means you have to behave differently here. We’re glad we have tall gates around our home and barred windows; it’s what you need to do to protect yourself and your belongings in Latin America! Its part of life here and it’s not going to go away anytime soon!
Cuenca, as a whole is a beautiful city with gracious and curious locals; it has many charms you will never find in small towns in North America of the same size and we’re happy that we are here to experience and enjoy all that Ecuador has to offer.
As most of you know, we live on a local level, in a local style home, in a totally Ecuadorian neighborhood, speak Spanish and blend in…and doing all that, only after four years of living here did we experience prowler/robbery problem and this was only after our home became more vulnerable, at no fault of our own! A storage structure was butted up against our detached home, which made it very easy for a prowler to use as a stepping stone to get onto our roof; from there they just climbed down into our yard. Before that for four years we had no crime issues.
Until we write again…you might like these articles too.
We're Italian-American expats, living frugal, healthy and happy in Ecuador for 7 plus years. Our mission is to show you what it's really like to live abroad! The postcards provide us with a dream but the reality of how it really is provides us with honesty and truth.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Got Milk? Moooooove over Bessy! - Another Day in the Life in Cuenca Ecuador
What’s it like to live in Cuenca Ecuador, you may be wondering? Well, good thing you asked because we have a rather amusing story to tell you about today. After all, it is another wonderful day in the life in Cuenca Ecuador. And we mean that even though not everything always goes as planned.
We’ve been looking for raw milk to make yogurt or kefir with. So we went to a popular Cuenca gringo forum and found a couple of places to get raw milk in Cuenca according to the gringo forum in Cuenca. In fact, the daughter of one of the raw milk producers boasts on the forum that her dad’s milk is very clean, she says publicly on the forum, “He takes care that everything is completely hygienic”. Her exact words.
Ok, so we’re eager to try out this “raw milk”. Our intention is to try it out (to make yogurt) and if we like it we’ll buy more the next time. So, we call the milk producer and set up an appointment for him to come out the next day. We let him know over the phone that we only want a quart and if we like it, we’ll start buying more from him.
The next day he arrives with the raw milk. We chit chat for a bit and then says, “You need to boil the milk before drinking it”.
We are somewhat taken aback upon hearing this and say to him, “Then it is not raw milk anymore if it needs to be boiled before you can drink it.”
“But it’s not clean and you need to boil it”. He resounds, again.
We’re dumbfounded about hearing this. Really dumbfounded.
We ask, “What about your cheese, is it raw”?
“Yes, it is raw cheese, he tells us”
At this point we realize something is not right with what he is telling us because if you have to boil the milk first to make the cheese then the cheese is not raw.
We stare at each other in silence, waiting…waiting…feeling just a bit uncomfortable because the cheese is not raw but he just said it was.
He finally pipes up after about 10 seconds later and says, “I boil the milk first and then make the cheese”?
“Then the cheese is not raw either”.
He shook his head and said again a bit frustrated, “Just boil it before drinking”.
Our search for ‘raw’ milk thus far from a forum is in vain. We went ahead and made yogurt with the milk (we did not boil it) as the live enzymes formed during the fermentation process of yogurt making are supposed to kill any bad bacteria like E-Coli.
So, 18 hours later when the yogurt is done, we hem and haw with each other about who is going to try out the new yogurt we made with unclean milk and well, we decided not to eat the yogurt. We threw it out. Glad we only bought one quart instead of two or three gallons.
Since then we asked around of our Ecuadorian neighbors and were quickly hooked up with someone who actually does have hygienically clean practices and he says emphatically, “No way, you do not have to boil my milk, it is very clean!”
And it is. We’ve been making yogurt with it, no problems.
This just tells us, once again what we already knew all along, be wary of what you read on the Internet and watch out where you get your information from. If she (the daughter) would have stated in the advert that you need to boil the milk first, we would never have wasted our time calling it.
You can actually learn a lot from such incidents.
What have we learned from this incident? Now we know there is dirty, raw milk that needs boiled first before drinking and is advertised as raw milk, and there is milk producers that sell raw milk that actually do use safe cleanliness practices on their farms so that you do not need to boil the milk.
Interesting how when living in an Ecuadorian neighborhood, dealing with the locals seems to pan out much better than relying on gringo forums. Not a judgement, just a fact. And this is just one of the problems with going to a foreign country, not learning the language and not interacting with locals on a neighborly basis. You get stuck relying on forums that are, well, unreliable. Thank God we repented of our laziness.
Until we write again…you might like these other 'day in the life' articles too.
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!
We’ve been looking for raw milk to make yogurt or kefir with. So we went to a popular Cuenca gringo forum and found a couple of places to get raw milk in Cuenca according to the gringo forum in Cuenca. In fact, the daughter of one of the raw milk producers boasts on the forum that her dad’s milk is very clean, she says publicly on the forum, “He takes care that everything is completely hygienic”. Her exact words.
Ok, so we’re eager to try out this “raw milk”. Our intention is to try it out (to make yogurt) and if we like it we’ll buy more the next time. So, we call the milk producer and set up an appointment for him to come out the next day. We let him know over the phone that we only want a quart and if we like it, we’ll start buying more from him.
The next day he arrives with the raw milk. We chit chat for a bit and then says, “You need to boil the milk before drinking it”.
We are somewhat taken aback upon hearing this and say to him, “Then it is not raw milk anymore if it needs to be boiled before you can drink it.”
“But it’s not clean and you need to boil it”. He resounds, again.
We’re dumbfounded about hearing this. Really dumbfounded.
We ask, “What about your cheese, is it raw”?
“Yes, it is raw cheese, he tells us”
At this point we realize something is not right with what he is telling us because if you have to boil the milk first to make the cheese then the cheese is not raw.
We stare at each other in silence, waiting…waiting…feeling just a bit uncomfortable because the cheese is not raw but he just said it was.
He finally pipes up after about 10 seconds later and says, “I boil the milk first and then make the cheese”?
“Then the cheese is not raw either”.
He shook his head and said again a bit frustrated, “Just boil it before drinking”.
Our search for ‘raw’ milk thus far from a forum is in vain. We went ahead and made yogurt with the milk (we did not boil it) as the live enzymes formed during the fermentation process of yogurt making are supposed to kill any bad bacteria like E-Coli.
So, 18 hours later when the yogurt is done, we hem and haw with each other about who is going to try out the new yogurt we made with unclean milk and well, we decided not to eat the yogurt. We threw it out. Glad we only bought one quart instead of two or three gallons.
Since then we asked around of our Ecuadorian neighbors and were quickly hooked up with someone who actually does have hygienically clean practices and he says emphatically, “No way, you do not have to boil my milk, it is very clean!”
And it is. We’ve been making yogurt with it, no problems.
This just tells us, once again what we already knew all along, be wary of what you read on the Internet and watch out where you get your information from. If she (the daughter) would have stated in the advert that you need to boil the milk first, we would never have wasted our time calling it.
You can actually learn a lot from such incidents.
What have we learned from this incident? Now we know there is dirty, raw milk that needs boiled first before drinking and is advertised as raw milk, and there is milk producers that sell raw milk that actually do use safe cleanliness practices on their farms so that you do not need to boil the milk.
Interesting how when living in an Ecuadorian neighborhood, dealing with the locals seems to pan out much better than relying on gringo forums. Not a judgement, just a fact. And this is just one of the problems with going to a foreign country, not learning the language and not interacting with locals on a neighborly basis. You get stuck relying on forums that are, well, unreliable. Thank God we repented of our laziness.
Until we write again…you might like these other 'day in the life' articles too.
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!
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Meet 6 Ecuadorian Personalities: Café Owner, Tour Guide, Naturalist, RE Agent & Hostel Owner
In this video we talk with six Ecuadorian business owners, living in different parts of 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!
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!
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