Crime; Infectious desease

[ORAL KENZIE]

US or Canadian travel advisories seem to paint a pretty bleak picture regarding Ecuador as far as  crime goes.  Also, when traveling to Ecuador is there any issues with common diseases or should one get inoculated for Malaria, Denque fever, etc,

I am traveling there in November so would like to have information from someone who lives there.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Good news: malaria has recently been eradicated in Ecuador. Unfortunately there is no vaccine for dengue — and you can get dengue anywhere from Florida south. We don’t have many mosquitoes at all in the mountains so as long as you are careful and you use repellant, window screens and nets, etc. — your chances of catching dengue are low.

As for crime, I’ve lived — and traveled all over the region –in Latin America 12 years and NEVER felt concern for my safety. I take common sense precaution and I avoid dangerous areas of cities. I do the same in the U.S. (By the way, how must the state departments of other countries caution their citizens about travel to the U.S. these days??!)

Truthfully, if it were overly dangerous, I wouldn’t be living here.

 

[DON MELLINGER]

According to Fox News, burglaries and robberies were up 30% in Ecuador in 2012 compared to 2011.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Then it MUST be true.

[DON MELLINGER]

How very informative, don’t like the message, kill the messenger.  So what is the truth, or you just got sarcasm?

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Sorry, Don. The sarcasms wasn’t directed at you or Fox News per se, but at quasi “official” sources of information (like the state departments referenced above). The “truth” about statistics such as this in countries like Ecuador is hard to pin down because so much of the population is dispersed in rural areas with poor reporting capabilities. The country’s open door policy unfortunately allowed entry to some “undesirables” before steps like requiring police reports for all new residents were required. I have no doubt that crime in the larger cities, especially Guayaquil and even Cuenca, has increased, but overall Ecuador is a safe place to live.

[DON MELLINGER]

thank you

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Just like anywhere else in the world, there are areas to avoid. In Cotacachi where I live, I (a woman) feel safe walking alone at night. I wouldn’t do that in larger cities, of course. In 12 years of living off and on in Ecuador, my husband and I have never been mugged, robbed or otherwise assaulted. Do we know others who have? Yes, of course. And we hear about incidents now and then. But I could count the number of people I personally know who have had a problem on one hand…and I know a lot of people. 🙂

 

[GRETCHEN SOLDAT]

Though I have yet to visit Ecuador, my niece and other relatives grew up there. She married an Ecuadorian. On their way from the airport in Guayaquil, where they live, they were accosted by locals who forced them to the side of the road, then robbed them at gunpoint. Taking their computers and luggage. Luckily, they had their passports in their pockets.  The take away from this experience is that there are apparently police escorts from the airport who will escort tourists to their hotels as the airport departures signify easy pickin’s to the local “toughs”.  They neglected to avail themselves of this service, much to their regret.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Gretchen, I am sorry for your family but this kind of thing has NEVER been my experience in Ecuador. I’ve been living there off and on for a decade now and have never had a problem. I don’t spend much time at all in Guayaquil but I don’t think armed robbery is a “common” occurrence there either. I am not saying it doesn’t happen, but it has never happened to anyone I know.

[LOWELL JONES]

robery and petty thievery is one matter.  However, kidnapping is quite another.  How prevelant are the more serious crimes?

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

It’s rare to hear of things like rape, murder, or kidnappings.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

The communities we focus on through International Living are, for the most part, safe. We would never write about places where we would not live ourselves. I don’t know anyone who had ever been kidnapped either… Usually kidnappers target someone local whose family they know how to reach for ransom. I have heard of ATM “express” kidnappings, but again — don’t know anyone this has happened to.

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