Introduction Thread – Wendy DeChambeau

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to post a quick note about myself so you all have an idea of my background and how I can help you. I believe the other experts will be introducing themselves as well, so you’ll all have a good idea of who to go to for specific information.

So, I am Wendy DeChambeau your Ecuador Highlands Correspondent. Today is actually my five-year anniversary here in Ecuador and nearly all of that time has been spent living in the little town of Cotacachi in the northern Andes. It’s a gorgeous place and makes for fantastic photo ops! It’s also a very peaceful locale where you can take life one day at a time and pursue your interests. For me, that includes hiking in the mountains, meeting friends for coffee or lunch, and enjoying the frequent cultural events.

As you might expect, I’m very familiar with Cotacachi and can help with questions about cost of living, lifestyle, other expats, and amenities within the town and Imbabura province. I also love visiting Quito and enjoy spending a few days there whenever I can. Of course I’ve visited many other Ecuadorean cities and towns including Vilcabamba, Loja, Cuenca, Tena, Mindo, and some of the north-central coast.

When my husband and I moved here we also came with our two sons who were ages 7 and 9, but are now 12 and 14. If you have children or grandchildren who will be coming with you or visiting, let me know and I can help with most of your questions about kids in Ecuador. We’ve experienced private school, homeschooling, summer camps, and medical care for our sons along with general family life here.

I have rented several apartments, had a house built, and most recently bought a farm here in Ecuador. I currently still own the house in Cotacachi as well as the farm where we have fruit trees, honeybees, horses, ducks, and rabbits. My husband and I also opened and operated a restaurant here for our first year and then sold it to another couple who are still successfully running it today.

All the experts here at the Ecuador Insider have unique experiences here in the country and while some of our expertise overlaps, we all have our specialized areas of knowledge. And of course if we don’t know the answer to something, we’ll do our best to find it for you. Hopefully these introductions will help you know who to target with certain questions and give you more confidence in our abilities.

[Randy Hartman]

Greetings Wendy: My wife and I will be making our first visit to Ecuador in the fall of 2017. We sponsor a Compassion International child who lives near Quito. And we know a couple who moved to San Clemente two years ago. We want to visit both of them on this 10 day trip. But then also try to explore a few possible locations to consider for retirement, which is about five years out. We love the beach. But reading your introduction peaks an interest in a higher elevation where there are likely few bugs, the temperature is still warm or moderate, and land is affordable. I would love to be able for my wife to have a horse or two again. Can you provide a few suggestions where a house with a little bit of acreage, and a nice view is very affordable, that is also reasonably near a town or city that has some shopping, activities, and good medical facilities available? What would you recommend wee take a look at, and why? Thank you!

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

Hi Randy. How exciting to be planning your first Ecuador trip! It’s great that you already have some contacts here in the country, but I’m always happy to help too.

I do love the highland climate and you’re right in that we have few insects here. You’ll get an idea of what it’s like when you’re in Quito. As for finding acreage with your requirements, I’d look at the Chota Valley near the city of Ibarra. It’s a little lower in elevation than I am here in Cotacachi so it’s about five degrees warmer on average, but still not what I would classify as hot. You’d be about 30 to 45 minutes from Ibarra where there is good medical care, shopping centers, a movie theater, restaurants, etc. The area is also great for farming and there are many sugar cane plantations in the area.

There are few expats in that area, but the closer you get to expat-heavy areas, the higher the price of land tends to be. The one catch is that in rural areas, you’re unlikely to find anything that resembles a real estate office. Your best bet is to ask the locals about land for sale – trust me, they ALL know someone who is selling something. 🙂

There are other great areas in Ecuador with good land prices, but many of them tend to be farther away from major cities.

[Harry Watkins]

Hello Wendy,

My wife Carol and I are planning our first exploratory trip to Ecuador this winter from Dec. 17 through Jan 4. (Possible move summer of 2019.) We will be splitting our time between Quenca, a couple of days in Quito, and then Cotacachi at Hostel La Cuadra from Dec. 29 through the afternoon of Jan 3. Other than a visit to the Otavalo Market and a brief real estate tour with Mickey Enright on Jan 2nd, we are open. We would love to meet some expat residents in Cotacachi while we are there. Do you have any suggestions about how we might arrange that? Or should we simply hang out at local “watering holes” and seek to strike up conversations?

Also as we will be there over New Years, should we expect local celebrations or events that we might enjoy?

Finally, if there was one local trip/tour that you would recommend, what might it be? We love the mountains, hike (some – Carol is slowed a bit by a manageable heart condition – but we spend time each summer between 7000 and 9000 feet in the California Sierra Nevada without problems), enjoy flowers, birds and other wildlife, enjoy indigenous culture….most anything that you would want to share with older but adventurous relatives visiting your area for the first time!

Thanks for any suggestions you might offer!

Harry and Carol Watkins
San Diego, CA.

[Country Expert – wendy dechambeau]

Hello Harry and Carol,

It sounds like you have a good itinerary planned out for your trip and I’m glad to hear that you set aside time for the Otavalo market – well worth it!

You’ll find that most of us expats in Cotacachi are a friendly bunch and we’re always eager to answer questions from newcomers. You can easily find expats to strike up a conversation with, especially at Solid Rock restaurant or Rio Intag Cafe. But if you want to arrange to meet people in advance you can join the Cotacachi Expats Facebook page and just put out a note asking if anyone would be interested in meeting with you. I’m pretty certain you’ll get some quick friendly replies.

New Year’s is also a fun time to be here. In Ecuador people make dummies (called monigotes or muñecos) out of old clothes stuffed with newspaper and masks. This represents the Old Year and these effigies are burned at midnight to symbolically express getting rid of the bad and starting anew. You’ll also see young men dressed in drag representing the widow’s of the outgoing year. There will be concerts and parties and a general festive feeling.

There are a lot of great things to see in this area, but if I had to pick just one tour based on what you’ve told me about yourself, I would say you should do a day tour of the Intag Valley. This is a nearby cloud forest with a large and unique variety of birds, plants, and small animals. You can visit a hot springs and an archaeological site while you’re there. Fairly adventurous, but not too strenuous and it’s a great place for nature lovers.

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