I didn't know where I was. Well, that's not totally accurate. I had decided to walk home through a neighborhood I'd never visited before. I was aware of my general location and direction, and I had a sense of how long it would take to be sitting at the dining-room table... so I didn’t need to know my exact coordinates to enjoy my spontaneous exploration.
The moment I arrived in Ecuador I knew my decision to abandon my old life in the U.S. was the right one. With the shrinking economy and very little chance of scratching out a living in the home building business, it was time for change.
As I meet more and more people who are interested in moving here, I think back to that day in 1984 when Ecuador first came onto my radar... I ran out to the mailbox and saw the letter I had been waiting weeks for—my invitation to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer somewhere in the world. I tore open the envelope and read... My two-year assignment was to be a rural public health nurse in Ecuador.
Are you for real? Do you have any kids? Do you like squirrels? How old are you? What does that do? Can I wear your hat? How did you get this job? Is your teacher pretty? How much do you get paid? Can I drive? Is John your real name? Can I toot your horn? Answering questions. It seems I have been doing that for most of my adult life.
When my wife, Suzan, and I heard that we could get what is commonly called an "executive health assessment" in Quito, Ecuador, we decided to give it a try. Our primary care physician, Dr. Davalos, works with Hospital Metropolitano in Quito to put together a comprehensive package of tests that cover all the health bases over a two-day period.
My grandma, a legendary green thumb, once tried her hand at growing bananas. She was successful, producing exactly one banana... from a plant in a pot, in her living room, in Wisconsin, in the dead of winter. The bad news? I didn't inherit my grandmother's green thumb. The good news? Living in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, I don't need it. And neither will you because the area has such ideal growing conditions that anybody can be successful, even with little or no experience. Here's what you need to know to get started:
You can study all the collected data, analyze real estate statistics, crunch the cost-of-living numbers, study weather patterns and more...but nothing surpasses your gut instinct when it comes to choosing a place to live. And believe me, your gut can change—especially as you get older.
I’ve always been fascinated with South America. So when my wife Dana and I contemplated the “second half” of our lives, it seemed natural to look in that direction. A few episodes of House Hunters International, featuring U.S. expats in Latin America, particularly piqued our interest.
Good news about residence visas in Ecuador... In recent months the government has made huge strides to simplify visa applications. There are offices in Quito and Guayaquil, and to better accommodate the continued influx of foreigners, a new immigration office opened in Cuenca last year. All locations have bilingual staff.
During the recent Powerball hype, a friend asked me if I won the lottery, would I move somewhere else? Sure I would! I would move anywhere...but only if you can find me a place that has... 1. Good weather, the kind that doesn’t require a furnace or A/C to cope—just a T-shirt and a sweatshirt. 2. Beautiful scenery...because life’s too short to live someplace ugly.