Live Q and A Tuesday 9/13 11.30 AM EDT

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Here is another question we received:
Hi,
Are there storage rentals available in ex-pat towns/cities? Similar to what are in the US that once can rent by the month if they had some items to store?

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Answer to that: Storage units are advertised in Salinas and Guayaquil. CityBox in Guayaquil offers 2 square meters for $40 – http://citybox.com.ec/#!/precios In Cotacachi where I live, there are a few people who will personally store stuff for you. The cost is negligible. I am sure you will find the same in Cuenca. Just ask the expats you encounter…

[SUZAN HASKINS]

From Valeri:

Hi Suzan,

I have a trained, certified service dog that I would want to bring with me to Ecuador. Have you seen service dogs there? Are there Service dog laws in effect? Here in the U.S., service dogs are allowed to go anywhere their handler goes, except into surgery or other situations where sterilization is required. My SD accompanied me in the ambulance to the E.R. once. Can you also tell me the overall attitudes Ecuadorians have toward gays and lesbians? Are gays pretty much in the closet? Or is there tolerance?

Thank you!

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Valeri, let me address your first question first… about service dogs. As far as I can tell, Ecuador does not have a service dog law.

I have seen service dogs on occasion, but they are not as widespread here as they are in the States… and of course, that may be because Ecuador is also a much smaller country.

Technically, I suppose it would be up to the business owner whether or not they would allow your dog access. Some may, but there’s no legal requirement that they do so as it appears Ecuador does not have a service dog law. I found this article from 2011:
http://www.ecuadorliving.com/2011/05/21/ecuador-esas.html I do not know if things have changed since then, but I’ll see if I can find out more…

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Valeri, as to your second question: I have not seen discrimination here against the LGBT community. There are several gay couples living here in Cotacachi and I’ve met a few on expat forums who live in Cuenca and elsewhere. Only one time have I heard of any anti-gay sentiment and that came from fellow (out-of-touch) expats!!!

Latinos, by and large, enjoy a “live and let live” culture—they have far more to concern them than someone’s sexual preference. I do not think gays or lesbians will have any problems. And by the way, it is my understanding that Ecuador now is offering visas to same-sex couples, with one being allowed to come in as a dependent of the other.

[James Canfield]

Is ecuadorean food spicey or dull ?

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Does anyone have any final questions?

[Edward Daniszewski]

Thank you Susan for Doctor Alvira’s name and city he’s located in; I also have Retina problems but hopefully they will be taken care of before we arrive. I hope your husband Dan gets better. I’ll contact you at a later date when we get ready to come for good.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Thank you all for your patience. Apologies if this wasn’t a perfect situation, but we thought we’d give it a go. Thank you all for your questions. As always, you can post any questions you have here on this forum. Please start a new thread for any additional questions you may have…

The Q&A session is now over, but if you asked a question I didn’t get around to answering, email it to EcuadorInsiderQandA@InternationalLiving.com and our Insider team will do their best to answer it for you.

Have a great day!!

Suzan

[SUZAN HASKINS]

James, Ecaudor food is not spicy..they usually serve a salsa called ahi you can spice it up with.

[Carlton Higginbotham]

I sent this by e-mail this morning: I have seen web sites for services that help people settle in Ecuador – help with visa, finding an apartment, negotiating rent or lease, and so on. Are such services legit, can they actually help smooth the road, are they worth the time and money? Alternately, are there expat groups that can offer assistance?

[Country Expert Jim Santos]

I love to cook, so this question is near and dear to me. Ecuadorian food is “spiced” in the sense that it has many flavors. However, they do not generally use hot spices. Meals to be an interesting blend of flavors, rather than having one stand out. There are of course local exceptions, and “salsa de aji” that can be added. Overall, the Ecuadorian cuisine is varied and wonderful. I love making new discoveries, this place is heaven for a foodie!

[Aldric Woo]

Hi Susan, It was our pleasure meeting you and Dan at conference in Quito 2013, and Costa Rica 2015. Diane is doing quite well after all her treatments. We are still hoping to come and spend some time in Ecuador. Hopefully we could meet you both and also Ed and Cynthia sometime soon. Hopefully we could talk by phone sometime also.
Aldric and Diane Woo

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Carlton, I am sorry we missed your email. As you can imagine, some expat services are legit and others…well, they may be trying hard but not ready for prime time. 🙂 I think you’ll find this forum to be a good resource. Just keep asking us questions — we are happy to help. There are also several Facebook groups with active memberships if you feel like going that route. (Just search for “Expats NAME OF COMMUNITY”… be forewarned, though, that there is a lot of conflicting and downright wrong advice given…and everybody has an opinion to share. 🙂 If you’d like to start a new thread for this subject, those of us on this forum will be happy to weigh in with our own opinions and suggestions!

[SUZAN HASKINS]

And hello to you, Aldric, and to Diane. Let us know when you are ready to come for a visit!

[Author]

Posts