Long time AA member needs help moving to Ecuador

There are AA meetings in Quito and Cuenca that I know of, not much else, as it is mostly a gringo thing.  I take it you do not intend to stay longer than 6 months, just extend the 3 month tourist visa and then go home again?  Actually earning money in construction in Ecuador could be a real challenge.  You will find a lot of help on here if you ask the right questions, but many take the weekend off.

My goal is to get a place to live, have some established contacts to hike with, line up  tutor or some people to fully emerge in Spanish use with and to find AA meetings I can regularly attend. HELP!!

Leo:

Welcome to the group. I just arrived in Quito this week, so I'm still finding my way around. Haven't attended an AA meeting yet, but will soon.

You don't say where you are planning to stay, but here is a list of several cities with English-speaking AA meetings:
http://ecuadorresources.com/category/events/aa-group/
The list is about a year old, and meetings come and go as I'm sure you know. Here's the Ecuador AA website, which will allow you more choices, though undoub tedly almost all are in Spanish:
http://www.aae.org.ec/

Hiking: I'm on an email list for a group that does weekly events (for a fee) ranging from vigorous mountain hikes up to serious glacier-climbing, as well as mountain biking. I can provide an email contact if you are interested.

Spanish: I start classes Monday at Yanapuma school here in Quito. I met them yesterday and they seem like very nice folks, but of course I'm not ready to recommend them yet -- I'll let you know in a few weeks, at which point I expect to be fully fluent    ).

Best wishes,
Bob

Thanks for the input!!

Hiking: I'm on an email list for a group that does weekly events (for a fee) ranging from vigorous mountain hikes up to serious glacier-climbing, as well as mountain biking. I can provide an email contact if you are interested.


Bob,
Please do send that email.
I am very interested in doing this and am looking to maybe even do it in the spring  instead of the fall. Maybe in early May.
If you have any suggestions for finding a good host family or a place to share please do tell.
How long do you plan on staying?
--Leo

The hiking/climbing/biking group is called Zona Verde and their email is: [email protected].

I don't have any host family info, but if you sign up with a Spanish school, they will provide a list of hosts near the school (which will of course also help with learning Spanish via immersion).

Thanks Bob. The more I read on this site the more I realize the process is not going to be a big deal. However,
I did have a few less than ideal things happen when traveling in Eastern Europe so my concerns are based on past, pre internet, experiences.