New members of the Ecuador forum, introduce yourself here - 1st quarter of 2015

At 66 I am waiting on Jana to work for three more years before we retire.  I will be living on my Social Security as will she - with 401K's as backup.  We love to travel and hope to do so in retirement.  We are both foodies and love to experience different cultures.

jimandjana wrote:

At 66 I am waiting on Jana to work for three more years before we retire.  I will be living on my Social Security as will she - with 401K's as backup.  We love to travel and hope to do so in retirement.  We are both foodies and love to experience different cultures.

Good morning and welcome to the forum.  There is a wealth of information here so be sure to check back often.  The members here give, I feel, an honest assessment of daily life in Ecuador, Cuenca specifically. I live in Los Angeles and  I have about 10 years before I can retire, but I am on this forum to learn all that I can about and to keep current on the state of affairs in Ecuador.

Have a wonderful day.

Hello all. I am 24 and from China. I moved to Quito at the last day of 2014:) Right now i am studying Spanish. I would like to make some friends!

Jianshan wrote:

I moved to Quito at the last day of 2014:-)  Right now i am studying Spanish. I would like to make some friends!

Welcome to Quito and to Expat.com.

You're in luck.  InterNations is holding a January meet-and-greet event at SWING Meson Cultural here in Quito, and so far 112 attendees from 24 nations have registered.

The event is this Thursday evening, January 29th.

Details at internations.org ... Ask your Internations hosts to introduce you around.

Or just wear that hat, which I predict will be a big hit.  It's OK for women to wear hats indoors at SWING.

cccmedia in Quito

Greetings.  I'm a 60 year old single male who works for the Boeing Company up near Seattle, WA, (Go Hawks!!), and as I get closer to retirement I'm looking at my different options as to what to do.  I've got property in Montana, but who wants to sit through a winter in weather that gets down in the minus digits? 

Once I started looking at what's going on in Central and South America, it didn't take me long to want to learn more so I'm hoping to visit in March for a couple of weeks with a destination of Vilcabamba in mind.  I don't speak the language so that's going to put me at a disadvantage, but I'm game to give it a go anyhow and learn what I can.  (If I can learn a little bit of Salsa dancing, language should be a snap)  :-)

I'm hoping to find some kind of tour group, or better yet a string of American's who, (possibly for a dinner or a fee), would be willing to show me what some of the local towns are like, and then give recommendations for the next towns on the bus line, etc.

Blessings.

Joe1954 wrote:

I've got property in Montana, but who wants to sit through a winter in weather that gets down in the minus digits?

Nobody.  So get outa the d*** cold and come on down, Joe.

You've got a month or two to learn some Spanish beforehand, and in the digital age it's easier than ever to access audio training materials, etc.  It'll enhance your trip and get you off on a flying start.

Most folks don't start their Ecuador experience in Vilcabamba, but with so many Gringos there, it might be perfect for you, at least for the start.  The much larger city of Loja, 28 miles up the road, has more of a true Ecuadorian experience, but the percentage of Gringos is much tinier, so you may want to bring your guide along if you're taking a day-trip there.

Word is, there are plentiful Gringo bulletin boards in Vilca, so I think you won't have a problem networking your way to finding a helpful guide even if you don't set it up before you get there.

Welcome to Expat.com Ecuador, and have a great trip.

cccmedia in Quito

Gracias!  Good advice.  What's a bulletin board?  On-line, or a physical poster board with various ads?

I was thinking of the latter.

Well that's something that I would have never thought of - I can sure give it a try.  Thanks for the suggestion.

Hello everyone!   29 year old man looking for a new life in Ecuador with the rest of the family. Would love to get in touch with any Canadians that are planning on moving there or live there already.

Cheers!

Csmith480 wrote:

Is it safe to take pictures with my phone or text someone in the street? Can I bring my computer to a cafe without being robbed? The blogs around seem like Quito is the MOST DANGEROUS PLACE EVER, but I am hoping that's not the case. I'd love your input.

Welcome to Expat.com Ecuador, Colleen.

Calling this city "THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE EVER" is a total exaggeration of the truth.  (That distinction belongs to Guayaquil*.)

However, a young Gringa needs to adjust her security behavior here because there is low-level crime -- pickpockets on the Ecovia bus line, and snatch-and-run artists especially in Gringo-rich areas.

Boost your alertness, avoid using an iPhone on the street or mass transit, don't carry your laptop around in the type of carrier that obviously contains a computer.

If you want to respond to this post or learn other security tips, please visit one of this blog's security-related threads instead of posting here.  That way we can avoid polluting the New Members thread, which tends to irritate the folks at the Home Office overlooking the Indian Ocean;  they're already understandably on edge during cyclone season over there.

You could type the word "crime" into the Search Expat.com box that normally is found at the top of this page, and then click on the search icon to the right of said box.  That would take you to a page from which you could easily navigate to any of a mere 131 or more existing threads on crime and security, etc.

cccmedia in Quito

*Just kidding about GYE.  It's not the most dangerous place in the world.  Just the most dangerous in Ecuador.

Julien wrote:

The thread New Members of the Ecuador Forum continues below....

Coming up:

The Top 10 Username Handles of the Month....






                                                                                  .
Time and temperature brought to you by Relojeria de Quito:
Quito forecast: 68 F. and cloudy.

Julien wrote:

Newbie on the Ecuador forum? Don't know how to start?...
Welcome on board!

And now, New Members...

The Top 10 Expat-Blog Username Handles of the Month                                               February 2015

10.  ixerlay18

9.  oh sole mio

8.  Sophiamoosh

7.  dankoo78

6.  quitoflower

5.  Jo-li Jubilada

4.  mermaid57

3.  wangkalo


And the number-one Username Handle of the Month:


It's a tie!...



Xanderlop     ...    and Ningaboop. 




                                                                                  .

lale4 wrote:

29 year old man looking for a new life in Ecuador with the rest of the family.  Would love to get in touch with any Canadians that are planning on moving there or live there already.

Cheers!

Welcome to Expat.com, Lale -- family man and hockey fan in Toronto.

You may wish to visit Expat.com's Canadian Expat Network, which enables message-access for qualified bloggers.  The network includes both groups you mentioned -- EC arrivals and EC hopefuls.

Also, if you search the blog's threads using the word "Canadians," you can navigate to existing conversations about your fellow Canadians' experiences and interests in Ecuador.

To see if the Grand Baie Guardians will give you full access to the above, start by typing the phrase "Canadian Expat Network" or "Canadian expatriates in Ecuador"
or just "Canadian" (for the threads) into the Search Expat.com box, normally found at the top of this page.  Then click on the search icon to the right of the box.

If you don't succeed in getting a message through to your countrymen, it could be due to the Guardians' arcane rules, such as a threshold for the number of completed and verified posts in order to obtain full Expat-Blog privileges.

cccmedia, Expat from USA, in Quito

Colleen:

I never felt unsafe in Quito, but ccc's advice is good (and applies to a lot of places in the world, including many neighborhoods in the US).

No, I would not use a good phone on the street -- I bought a cheapie in Quito, so I figured nobody would bother to steal it and if they did, I'm not out much. When I was new there, I used an inexpensive digital camera to take a few pics -- it soon disappeared from my pocket (my only brush with crime).

You'll be OK with reasonable caution.

Best wishes,
Bob

wendeel wrote:

I'm a Canadian lady living with an Ecuadorian family while I study Spanish - I would love to meet some people in their twenties

Welcome to Expat.com, Wendy.  Can you say "Chiva bailable"....

InterNations in Quito is sponsoring a chiva dance-night where I would expect there will be plentiful Millennials, on Saturday, February 21st.

A "chiva" is a brightly-painted, rustic, open-air bus frequently seen in the cities of Ecuador and Colombia.

The InterNations group will ride the chiva "bailable" (danceable) through city streets for two hours, then move to an indoor disco for more late-night "farreando."

Have a blast at this post-Valentines Day celebration.

Details at internations.org

cccmedia in Quito

Hi New Friends-To-Be!

I'm Julie and I'm interested in moving to Ecuador with my sweetheart, Terry some time this year. We'll be living on our social security (and maybe some sort of new business) and have been studying all the possibilities like crazy. I experienced fraudulent management of my investments that completely wiped out my retirement funds this past October, so we'll be coming on a wing and a prayer (and a song--I'm a retired music educator/performer).

We're especially interested in Loja. Anyone have anything to share with us about housing rentals or...? Terry is from Maui and I'm concerned that some of the other locales may be too high in altitude for him. He's doing fine here in Albuquerque so Loja should be perfect. We're also interested in Bahia, but I'm very sensitive to bug bites and I'm wondering if that's a big problem in Bahia.

We'd also love to hear about actual, workable budgets for 2015, so we're not making decisions based on old news.

We're very excited about our big adventure and will appreciated anything you'd like to share.

Thanks, and Keep A Song In Your Heart!

Julie

julieandterry wrote:

We'll be living on our social security (and maybe some sort of new business)....

We're especially interested in Loja....We're also interested in Bahia....

We'd also love to hear about actual, workable budgets for 2015.

Welcome to Expat.com Ecuador.

For updated cost-of-living information, visit numbeo.com and click on "Ecuador."

I've reserved most of my commentary for the "Living In Loja" thread you started.
It's recommended that you post over there for the time being, to maintain the purity of the New Members thread and thus not annoy the good folks at the Home Office -- which, according to the latest report, is either in frosty France or cyclone-challenged Mauritius.

cccmedia in Quito

Again, Gracias!

Hey guys, I am 30, just moved to Quito permanently from the States. It's been two weeks and I am loving it. I am in the process of sorting out my residency papers, almost done. Next step is to buy a house and a car and eventually start my own business. I am open for suggestions and even welcoming a business partner. I am fun, easy going, open minded kinda guy:)

Hey I just got to Quito too. How long u plan to stay here

SterlingGlobal wrote:

Hey guys, I am 30, just moved to Quito permanently from the States. It's been two weeks and I am loving it....Next step is to buy a house and a car and eventually start my own business. I am open to suggestions.

Welcome to Quito and to Expat.com Ecuador, Sterling.

We don't usually witness such unbridled optimism.

You do know that the conventional wisdom is to wait a year before buying property anywhere in Ecuador.  Even at 30, it could take a while to be sure you are adjusting to the altitude here in the highlands and life amidst a new culture.  Also, time gives you more opportunities to understand what neighborhoods and type of home would suit you.

It's been chronicled that many Expats experience a honeymoon phase the first month or so...and then move through different phases over a period of many months.

Good luck with your early steps and beyond.

cccmedia in Quito

I like
Donkey jote

Thanks ccmedia,

Sorry I don't know how to address you. I appreciate your advice and will take that into consideration.

Are there any expats group meetings here where able to meet expats, make friends etc...

Hello, i am  efrain from venezuela, i am 25 and i hope to move to ecuador on april. What can you guys tell me about quito and living there?? i am also planning on applying to enginnering jobs there... Thanks to all.

"I am Efrain from Venezuela, I am 25 and I hope to move to Ecuador in April. What can you guys tell me about Quito and living there..."

Five Facts About Living In Quito

1.  It is at an altitude of about 9,300 feet at the Equator, so has highs in the upper 60s Fahrenheit year-round.

2. It has one of the best-preserved colonial centers in South America.  This is where the presidential palace and the enormous church, the Basilica, are located.

3. The tourist-and-Expat center is in Mariscal Sector, where there are plentiful restaurants with foods from around the world, Internet cafes, nightclubs, hair salons with Swedish massage, and bakeries.

4. Major parks include Parque la Carolina with many sportsfields, Parque El Ejido with weekend "mercados artesanales" and art shows, and Parque Metropolitano, one of the largest parks in South America.

5. Quito's suburbs are in surrounding valleys and the temperature, unlike Quito, is warm enough to accomodate a number of outdoor swimming pools.

cccmedia in Quito

SterlingGlobal wrote:

Are there any expats group meetings here where able to meet expats, make friends etc...

In a word, yes.  I'll send you a Personal Message (or PM).

Hello everyone and welcome to Expat.com

Please note that this thread has been created for the introductions of the new members only. If there are any specific topics that you would like to talk about, I suggest that you create a new thread in the Ecuador forum so as to avoid being off-topic here.

Thank you all,

Shaazia
Expat.com Team

Hello, all! I've posted a few questions already to the forum, and I am so grateful that the members have answered and been so helpful!

My children and I will be heading to Cuenca in mid-May, from Japan. We chose Ecuador based on the cost of living,  the quality of life for children, and the seemingly laid back pace (I really hope it is as relaxed as it seems online!). I do not speak any Spanish, but am attempting to learn using Duolingo. I've sought out Spanish lessons, but unfortunately the options are limited here in Japan. We will be arriving on tourist passports, and seeing how we like it (although I'm pretty sure it will be just as wonderful as it seems. We're pretty adaptable).  I am then hoping to get a student visa, if all goes well, to stay and study Spanish for the next two years, while finishing up my degree online with UMUC (looking for recommendations for great language schools, by the way).

I'd love to be able to chat and perhaps get to know some people before we arrive. I am a bit worried about being able to make friends, loneliness isn't fun for anyone!

Hi Everyone...Just joined.  Great site/forum.

Currently retired and living in the US near Washington DC.  Hoping to visit Ecuador soon to get a feel and ultimately looking to settle.  Thanks

I am a post graduate in management and in mathematics. Also having a PG diploma in Human resource management. Working as a senior executive in a large company having responsibilities of warehousing of agri products. Am proficient in english. Want to settle in Equador and have a job. I am good in organisational skills and keen interest in business development as well as teaching.

I am just a good old plain Jane.  I live in Pretoria, South Africa at the moment. Have been working with my husband in his business for 15 years doing all the administrative work.  I speak English, Afrikaans & Flemish. 
We would like to move to Cuenca.  Can anybody give us some advice?

sonjavdm wrote:

I am just a good old plain Jane.  I live in Pretoria, South Africa at the moment. Have been working with my husband in his business for 15 years doing all the administrative work.  I speak English, Afrikaans & Flemish. 
We would like to move to Cuenca.  Can anybody give us some advice?

Start learning Spanish

I am super excited about my upcoming move to EC in May!  Still debating between living in either Cuenca or Loja and would love to hear more about each.  I am hoping to teach English while I'm there but don't need any visa advice - got that part covered - more about places to live/work/have fun.  While I visited Cuenca this past October/November, I still haven't been to Loja, but everything about it (as far as the internet can take me, I guess) seems amazing.  Anyways, I am 30 something and from NYC, nice to meet you all!

Greetings to all,

I plan to travel to Ecuador late May for 2 weeks with 7 friends to learn about the culture and get a feel of what city I would like to reside.  Will be flying into Guayaquil and plan on visiting Vilcamba, Cuenca, Manta and Banos for the hot springs.  Would appreciate any information on housing rentals available in these areas with 4 bedrooms. 

Also, is there any particular city or tourist site you recommend I visit? 

Monica

Welcome all new members and in particular Advisorsis, sonjavdm and PinkCookie.

We note that these three named posters all were seeking information on this thread.

Unfortunately, under the Home Office's consistent interpretation of the Grand Baie Doctrine, the New Members thread must be reserved for the introduction of same -- and not for answering their questions.  Mugtech's solid advice about learning Spanish notwithstanding.

However, we actually welcome your questions, as long as you post them on another existing thread or start a new one.

That would help you find out more about Ecuador while not raising anyone's blood pressure unnecessarily during cyclone season in the Indian Ocean


                                                                      .

Hi everyone,

I am working on getting ready to move to southern Ecuador sometime this year.  Hope first to make a due diligence visit to Loja Province first and likely also to see the Yunguilla Valley (close to Cuenca).  I am a Canadian.  Lately I have visited Nicaragua , both with Potters for Peace and also on my own.  Also love Oaxaca area in Mexico (clay workshop with indigenous women some years ago).  By now you will have guessed that I am an artist, but that has been secondary to my historical business for decades.  Am ready to pension out of the country, with my feral cat.  I don't quite know how to compare places like Giron in the Yunguilla Valley to say, Malacatos (close to Loja), but this is my goal, to understand which would work best for me.  Guess you have just got to go there!  (Am worried about the cat taking the plane trip and hotels accepting her.)
Cheers and luck to everyone,
Helen

Hi I'm interested in learning all about ecuador specifically canoa. Currently living in Oklahoma USA and tired of unpredictable weather.  I'm not retired but I do live on disability income. Looking to relocate and planning a trip to visit soon.