The unofficial web page of the greater Cuenca expat community

CB48 wrote:

Maybe if Nards introduced himself as Mugtech he would have gotten more of a response?

Yeah, Mugtech is pretty famous in Cuenca, despite his plans to retire in the Philipines,

Nards Barley wrote:

Yeah, Mugtech is pretty famous in Cuenca, despite his plans to retire in the Philipines,

It is true that Ecuador is my plan B, expect to spend baseball season in the USA and 5 months in the Philippines.
Since my wife has dual citizenship, as long as I arrive in the Philippines with my wife and leave with her I can spend up to a year there with no visa, no fees.  We will probably visit Ecuador within the next three years, hope to meet some of you folks.

Do the cheap seats in St. Louis!  No bad seats in the entire stadium.

CB48 wrote:

Do the cheap seats in St. Louis!  No bad seats in the entire stadium.

Already did box seats there, great baseball city.

mugtech wrote:

Nards Barley wrote:

Yeah, Mugtech is pretty famous in Cuenca, despite his plans to retire in the Philipines,

It is true that Ecuador is my plan B, expect to spend baseball season in the USA and 5 months in the Philippines.
.

You know Mugtech I was thinking that with you only spending 5 months of the year in the Philippines, we won´t be able to refer to you as an expat. Instead we will have to consider you a vacationer, or worse yet, a tourist.

I must be desperate for views since showing a photo of me puts at risk future undercover operations. However, since I don´t wear those shorts in town, I don´t think anyone is going to recognize me.

P.S.
This is me at the beach in Salinas being stopped in a case of mistaken identity.  I put my arms up in the air for effect despite the fact no one was pointing a gun at me...........

This article in the BBC Mundo is about internet speeds in Venezuela. 

Por su parte, el estudio Internet World Stats (IWS) asegura que la velocidad promedia 1.7 megabits por segundo (mbps), debajo de Bolivia, con 1.8mbps, y Paraguay, con 3.5mbps.
La conexión promedio en la región tiene 5mbps y la media mundial es de 20mbps.

In English, that says the average velocity of internet in Venezuela is 1.7 Mbps while in Boliva the average velocity is 1.8 Mpbs, Paraguay it is 3.5 Mbps, while the average in the region is 5 Mbps and in the world it is 20 Mbps. Of course these are average speeds for those who actually have it in their house.

Before I came to Ecuador, I had the cheapest plan with Comcast which gave me 784 Kbps which is less than 1 Mbps. Now I have a plan with Etapa that gives me around 2.8 Mbps.

To stream movies Netflix recommends  at least 1.5 Mbps or  5 Mbps if you want High Defintiion (1080p) quality.

I can´t imagine getting 20 Mbps which this article claims is the world average...................

Nards Barley wrote:

I can´t imagine getting 20 Mbps which this article claims is the world average...................

I just checked and I'm getting 22.2 here in Phoenix, and I get about 26 at my daughter's place in Chicago. In Quito I got about 3.

Bob

Nards Barley wrote:

You know Mugtech I was thinking that with you only spending 5 months of the year in the Philippines, we won´t be able to refer to you as an expat. Instead we will have to consider you a vacationer, or worse yet, a tourist.

Yes, ugly words.
People who spend the winter in Florida are known as snow birds.
Since we own a home in the Philippines and my wife was born there and is still a citizen, we are NOT tourists, any other term is better.

Nards Barley wrote:

I must be desperate for views since showing a photo of me puts at risk future undercover operations. However, since I don´t wear those shorts in town, I don´t think anyone is going to recognize me.

P.S.
This is me at the beach in Salinas being stopped in a case of mistaken identity.  I put my arms up in the air for effect despite the fact no one was pointing a gun at me...........

[img align=c]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aCqGpiyzF-0/VCIdWkDz5qI/AAAAAAAABys/Y6USPftBl-o/s800/IMG-20140725-00137.jpg[/url]

So how was the beach?  The surf appears to be the Pacific living up to its name

mugtech wrote:

People who spend the winter in Florida are known as snow birds.
Since we own a home in the Philippines and my wife was born there and is still a citizen, we are NOT tourists, any other term is better.

Your wife, as I'm sure you know, would be a balikbayan. Of course, that still doesn't tell us what you would be.

In the Philippines, shorter-term visitors are less sneered-at by fellow expats than seems to be the case in Ecuador. Not sure why, but that's the way I recall it.

mugtech wrote:

So how was the beach?  The surf appears to be the Pacific living up to its name

Glad you asked.

I was on the Salinas beach for about 7 hours. I would say every 15 seconds there was a different vendor walking by to try to sell me something. It didn´t really bother me, but I thought there were a few missed selling opportunities for beach toys such as frisbees and small plastic footballs.

Nards Barley wrote:

mugtech wrote:

So how was the beach?  The surf appears to be the Pacific living up to its name

Glad you asked.

I was on the Salinas beach for about 7 hours. I would say every 15 seconds there was a different vendor walking by to try to sell me something. It didn´t really bother me, but I thought there were a few missed selling opportunities for beach toys such as frisbees and small plastic footballs.

Every 15 seconds?  Sounds almost as bad as Jamaica.

Did you read this internations survey?

This caught my eye about expats in Ecuador

Luckily, one in three expats (30%) also think that learning the language is very easy.

My guess is that same one in three expats are self-deluded about their level of Spanish proficiency.

Luxembourg, really? I wonder where those expats are coming from, betting it's not the US. I couldn't afford to look at a latte through the cafe window in Luxembourg.

I know to qualify for a pension visa in Austria you need to prove an annual income of at least $75,000 a year.
(and they turned down mini-oligarch Yuri Luzhkov the former mayor of Moscow. heh)

Nards Barley wrote:

Luckily, one in three expats (30%) also think that learning the language is very easy.

My guess is that same one in three expats are self-deluded about their level of Spanish proficiency.

Yeah -- of course a lot depends on each individual's definition of 'learning the language'.

I found that getting to a level that I'll call 'getting by' was fairly easy. This means that I'm good enough to ask for items in a store, give directions to cabbies, and answer simple questions. I'm especially good at 'Que hora est?'

I'm still struggling to get much past that, however. Being able to hold a conversation of even moderate depth with a local is, I'm afraid, a long ways off.

Bob

BobH wrote:

Yeah -- of course a lot depends on each individual's definition of 'learning the language'.

I agree. That is why I support standarized testing for Cuenca expats who consider their Spanish proficiency to be other than "crap"..  Eventually I will try to impose it, although it will ruffle a few feathers.

Nards Barley wrote:

BobH wrote:

Yeah -- of course a lot depends on each individual's definition of 'learning the language'.

I agree. That is why I support standarized testing for Cuenca expats.  Eventually I will try to impose it, although it will ruffle a few feathers.

And what will be the reward for passing or the consequences of failure?  Inquiring minds want to know.

mugtech wrote:

Nards Barley wrote:

BobH wrote:

Yeah -- of course a lot depends on each individual's definition of 'learning the language'.

I agree. That is why I support standarized testing for Cuenca expats.  Eventually I will try to impose it, although it will ruffle a few feathers.

And what will be the reward for passing or the consequences of failure?  Inquiring minds want to know.

I slightly modified my prior post. I will have to think about the consequences but at a minimum marginalization.

Images failed... Oh well.

I bought a one-way ticket to Quito today online from Tame Airlinesfor a trip next week.

Fare            47.00
Surcharge   11.00
Taxes          13.46
Total            71.46

My first attempt to book the flight online with my United States. issued Visa card was rejected. I thought It was because I hadn´t notified my Bank recently that I would be using my card in Ecuador.  I have to "reactivate" my credit card for use in Ecuador every 90 days. However, my second attempt to buy my ticked was rejected by Tame again after notifying my Bank that I would be using it in Ecuador.
.
I then read a post by a local Cuenca blogger on Tame airlines states the following:

So, save yourself some grief. Don't try to buy online from Tame. - See more at: http://www.captivatingcuenca.com/tame-f … l8ela.dpuf

Since my rule of thumb is not to follow Cuenca blog advise whevenever possible, I decided to try for a third time, this time using a VPN connection that gives me a U.S. based IP address. My preferred free VPN is VPNReactor, in part because they have a version which I can activate directly from a USB flash drive.  That did the job and I was able to book my flight to Quito. I even received an email confirmation.

aterosin wrote:

We asked if we could share the taxi back to Cuenca and he agreed....We walked along the streets looking at all the guinea pigs and chickens for sale and then came upon the Crones who do the purification at some outdoor market. have you seen them....A young man, gosh were they giving him a beating!  they smack you with bunches of sweet smelling herbs, put charcoal on your belly button and forehead, rub an egg all over you, and then the final cherry on top is they lift up the front of your shirt and spit a mouthful of water on you. of course they do the back of you as we'll. All the while they murmur some Words over and over like: Meechu, meechu, meechu. How do I know all of this????  because I had it done. it was invigorating and the herbs smelled wonderful.

So the Crones worked you over for two bucks. Not bad, but we were stopped by some cops in downtown Denver a while back who doled out equivalent treatment for no charge.

Per Wikipedia:

Machala (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈtʃala]) is a city in south-west Ecuador. It is the capital of the El Oro Province and located near the Gulf of Guayaquil on fertile lowlands. Machala has a population of 241,606 (2010 census),it is also the fourth biggest city of the country; and the second most important port, it has been referred to as the Banana Capital of the World.

I didn´t want to hijack Gardner´s thread on Manta by making it about Machala. Machala is a large costal town that is only around  3+ hours by car from Cuenca.

The following blog extract does not in any way discourage me from wanting to visit Machala.


to these bloggers:

The town of Machala was filled with people on the streets. The streets were littered with trash and the weather was hot. Not as hot and humid as Guayaquil, but still quite uncomfortable. The central plaza was clean and well laid out. The church on the plaza was nice.


I would not recommend Machala as a tourist destination. Ecuador has so many better places to visit. There was one thing that I did like. We went into a large casino right of the central plaza. They had two floors of slot machines. The payout was similar to what you might get in the USA, unlike other casinos we have been to in Ecuador. Luckily, I turned $10 into $30. We celebrated by having dinner at a Chinese restaurant.

Of course I think casinos have been outlawed so don´t plan on playing the slots.

We will go thru Machala on our way from Loga to GYE. I'll file a report.

This caught my eye. Ecuador elects its first indigenous queen. 



Most of Ecuadorian beauty contest winners I have seen in the newspapers look more European than indigenous.   In Cuenca, at the time they elect the beauty queen they also elect Ms. Chola Cuencana at a different venue.  The "cholas" are judged on their outfits and ability to talk etc, rather than their beauty I think.

The outfits below look different than the Chola outfits;



I wonder what percentage of the Miss Ecuador entrants are indigenous, and whether an indigenous has won or can win a national beauty contest?

Also how does one proove they are indigenous?

Speaking on the word "chola", I overheard an Ecuadorian woman last week critically referring to her cell phone as "cholita". An obvious racist adaptation of the word "chola".

Nards Barley wrote:

I think casinos have been outlawed.

El Jefe Supremo did outlaw the casinos over three years ago, starting with the unlicensed, smaller ones.  The last of the grandes was shuttered two and a half years ago.  The Machala 'blog extract' above probably dated from a previous "epoca."

Anyone still subscribe to blogs? I subscribe to this one, despite my preference for brevity.

http://floratheexplorer.com/sexism-mach … xplorer%29

Nards Barley wrote:

Anyone still subscribe to blogs? I subscribe to this one, despite my preference for brevity.

http://floratheexplorer.com/sexism-mach … xplorer%29

You are correct, it was a lot of wind to communicate what everyone has known for some time.

On a different note, only 25 more posts and Nards will be a VIP!!
Aren't you excited?
Wonder how many it takes to become an "expert".

mugtech wrote:

On a different note, only 25 more posts and Nards will be a VIP!!
Aren't you excited?

Many congrats to Nards on his upcoming status upgrade -- fully deserved.

Wonder how many it takes to become an 'expert'.

If I were in a nasty mood, I could offer several comments on what it appears to take to become an 'expert' -- but I'm much too nice a person these days. 

mugtech wrote:

On a different note, only 25 more posts and Nards will be a VIP!!
Aren't you excited?
Wonder how many it takes to become an "expert".

Too bad the qualification to become an "Expert" is determined solely by the quantity of the posts and not the quality!  Based on the quality of the posts, Nards and you are already "Experts" and others holding that title, well, are not.

SawMan wrote:

Too bad the qualification to become an "Expert" is determined solely by the quantity of the posts and not the quality!  Based on the quality of the posts, Nards and you are already "Experts" and others holding that title, well, are not.

Hence the quotation marks

Hi guys, i got an email for the residency visa:

Se solicita su presencia en las ventanillas de ingreso del trámite, con el fin de corroborar ciertos datos que fueron ingresados dentro de su formulario de solicitud de visa de .....
Have you ever received email like this?

Hey Nards,
thanks for bringing her blog to my attention. I like her writing style and even tho some people may think it was a lot of hot air, it is nice to hear a clear, concise perspective and have the ability to share it with others.
Flora's blog also contains some great descriptions of places I want to visit.
We just left Machala yesterday and pretty much have the same description to share as we had heard...port town, stinky, fishy, could not find a breakfast place to save our bellies even at 9 am. Headed up the coast 7 km to Puerto Bolivar with the same conclusion.
The trip from Loja to Machala was remarkable. Rainbows galore, beautiful scenery, enterprising farmers, lotsa people raising pollo,
Later,

mugtech wrote:

On a different note, only 25 more posts and Nards will be a VIP!!
Aren't you excited?

Only if I were to get some of those blue suitcases that wjwoodward has over his photo.

netbean wrote:

Hi guys, i got an email for the residency visa:

Se solicita su presencia en las ventanillas de ingreso del trámite, con el fin de corroborar ciertos datos que fueron ingresados dentro de su formulario de solicitud de visa de .....
Have you ever received email like this?

Yes I did receive an email like that during the application process for my residency visa. If I recall there was a problem with my translation and had to fix something.  Of course it could be something different in your case.

aterosin wrote:

Hey Nards,
thanks for bringing her blog to my attention. I like her writing style and even tho some people may think it was a lot of hot air, it is nice to hear a clear, concise perspective and have the ability to share it with others.
Flora's blog also contains some great descriptions of places I want to visit.
We just left Machala yesterday and pretty much have the same description to share as we had heard...port town, stinky, fishy, could not find a breakfast place to save our bellies even at 9 am. Headed up the coast 7 km to Puerto Bolivar with the same conclusion.
The trip from Loja to Machala was remarkable. Rainbows galore, beautiful scenery, enterprising farmers, lotsa people raising pollo,
Later,

Thanks for the report. I guess I will cross Machala off my list, which means Vilcabamba is the only one on my list for now.

we all enjoyed Vilcabamba. The pace is easy, the people friendly and the temperate climate was welcome. we stayed at a recommended place, Izhacayluma...I think is the right spelling. Run by Germans and has a restaurant, yoga, pool, and our room with two beds was $25/nite. Th restaruant was good. Food a plenty and reasonable prices. We did a two hour hike around the town, saw the river, poverty, high end places, schools, older Gringos hanging out at a local bar....Of course we joined them! Two nights there, then we headed to Podacarpus for a two hour hike...it about killed me. Up and up and up in the cloud forest. Gorgeous!
Loja was just ten minutes down the road and we stopped at the University but found no music department. into town we went ith no mapa and found a parking garage right next to the Music Museum...luck, pure luck. We parked and found a BBQ sit down place. Good. To the museum which was nice. found a cello student taking a lesson on the Saint Saens cello  concerto. I'm a cellist so it was nice to hear a familiar piece of music. That night we made it to  Manta. we allllllll wish we had stayed in Loja.
We are on th coast now in a little town we stayed in last year. I won't tell u the name cause we don't want it to be discovered. langostinos are on the fire.

aterosin wrote:

Loja was just ten minutes down the road and we stopped at the University but found no music department. into town we went ith no mapa and found a parking garage right next to the Music Museum...luck, pure luck. We parked and found a BBQ sit down place. Good. To the museum which was nice. found a cello student taking a lesson on the Saint Saens cello  concerto. I'm a cellist so it was nice to hear a familiar piece of music. That night we made it to  Manta. we allllllll wish we had stayed in Loja.

Considering your appreciation and knowledge of music and arts, and considering Loja´s reputation as an arts-centric town, would you not like to live in Loja, and be in charge of expat recruitment there?  Plus, I heard from another poster on this board there is a need for a liberalization of the cultural values there and the formation of a community of hippies.