Base Camp

[RUSSELL REINA]

I set the wheels a-turnin’ and whether I’m ready or not, come May, ya voy al Ecuador!

Quite frankly, until I get tuned in much better, I’m not up for spending any time at all in Quito or Quayaquil, and I’m trying to get some feedback on a good, semi-rural location suitable as a base for my exploring the country (Andes, south of Cuenca), with access to expats and also to a place convenient for me to begin and follow through on the residency process.

The obvious place to start would seem to be Cuenca, and I understand they are getting set up to handle most(?) aspects of the residency process, is that correct? And what must absolutely be done in the other bigger cities? Still, my first choice would be more rural for starters (surrounding areas?)but I could be talked out of it.

What I want to do is get off the jet in Quito (7 p.m. arrival, weekday) get into a cab (preferably pre-arranged), shuttled to a nearby hostal or B&B and picked up again the next morning to catch a connecting flight to somewhere that I can live for a month as I explore other areas. I’m coming with a few pieces of luggage (over 50 kilo), and am NOT a backpacker, so my vision is to hunker down in one location (preferably a one-month rental) and make a series of day and overnight trips to surrounding areas until I figure out where I’ll stay for the next few months as I lock in my retirement residency.

I’m not a high-roller, so would need to keep to a very modest budget.

What say you on-the-ground folks?

 

 

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

I’ll let Edd comment on Cuenca — he lives there and knows the landscape far better than I. There are several small illages around Cuenca that also look attractive – -Paute and Gualaceo come to mind.

From there you could also go to Loja and Vilcabamba for a few days and see how those places suit you.

Or…another small town I like quite a bit is Banos, about three hours south of Quito. (There is also a Banos at Cuenca, so don’t confuse the two. And of course the village of Cotacachi, two hours north of Quito, is very nice. That’s where I live.

You could hire a driver to take you from Quito to Banos and spend a few days there before venturing further south to Cuenca…

So many possibilities…

 

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Cuenca would be a logical spot from which to explore southern Ecuador. There are accommodations in all price ranges, and from the bus terminal you can go on safe and comfortable buses literally to anyplace in the entire country quite inexpensively (rule of thumb–$1 per hour of travel).

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