Newly Unemployed!!!!!

LaureeJ wrote:

Not this chick!!! This is a new start for me and it just means I can come to Ecuador a lot sooner...

That's the spirit, Chickie!  

Fly into Guayaquil (GYE), and you're 90 minutes by ground transport from the Pacific Ocean beaches.

Educate yourself by visiting some of the coastal-topic threads on this forum.  Type the word 'coastal' into the Search Expat.com box at the the top of this page and then click on the search icon to the right of that box.

Consider including this place on your visit agenda:  Bahía de Caraquez.

Don't buy any property right away.

And be careful of those quaint fishing villages.  Not enough infrastructure yet.

Have a ball !

cccmedia in Quito

Here's a snapshot of the beaches beginning with Playas (the closest beach I believe to Guayaquil) and ending in Esmeraldas near the Colombia border.  Obviously, you'll want to  form your own conclusions but you might find the pictures and commentary helpful in starting your search.

http://ecuadorbeaches.org/beaches/guaya … mil-beach/

So I have just finished my Ecuador travel book and it has answered a lot of questions and created some new ones. As much as teaching English (TESL) seems like a great idea, I am not seeing a lot of opportunities other than the major hubs.  I don't want to live inland.  Not much sense to move to a beautiful country with fantastic beaches if I can't see one from my window! I do have a lot of skills in a variety of areas. I have worked as a bartender and am very skilled at basic home renos and decorating. I love to be outdoors and respect and love nature. So...

At the present we are trying to get our house ready to put on the market. Unfortunately everything seems to be going wrong! I think it's cursed. Hot tub, washing machine and coffee maker all broke within 2 weeks of each other. Some bad juju or something. In the meantime I have been busy pulling everything I don't need out of cupboards and the shed to have a giant "Leaving the Snow!" yard sale. I am aiming for late May or early June to come to Ecuador for 2 weeks and check out various areas.  I am really leaning towards Bahia de Caraquez. I love the idea of not having a car.  I detest driving, especially in a foreign country where I would be even more directionally challenged than I am here.

Just felt like chatting and hoping to hear some ideas from all of you.

You can probably get that stuff fixed or replaced in Keswick for a couple hundred dollars total, so don't sweat the small stuff. 

The next Gringa bartender I see in Ecuador will be the first, so there may not be a big future in that.  The locals don't like to see Gringos taking jobs that could be going to Ecuadorians.

However,  home reno's and decorating marketed to Expats could be a winner once you get some positive word-of-mouth going.

cccmedia in Quito

Good going !! I'm about 45 mins away from Manta.. Manta is growing a lot since the last year. More city like.. perfect.. Good luck on all your transactions ! and keep your posotive attitude !