Public Saftey in Ecuador

[ROBERT BECK III]

I was reading the US Embassy site on Ecuador and the list of crimes that take place make me now VERY APPREHENSIVE about considering this country as a retiement haven. The site said pickpockets are rampant, busses get stopped and robbed or robbers get on and rob riders, taxis are a risk and in cahoots with crime perpetrators to rob folks. the list went on, at banks, ATM etc . I am scared now! Can anyone refute the US Embassy notice to citizens when travelling to Ecuador? Help!

[ROBERT CRENSHAW]

I can only speak from my experience. I’m in Quito right now. I’ll be here until the end of the month. On the 4th of July I had a dentist appointment. Took a taxi to my appointment and had no problem, getting back to my apartment was a different story. When writing down the address to my apartment to show the taxi driver I had failed to include the nearest cross street. So when I showed this to different drivers I was met with puzzled looks. I had a general idea which way to go so I didn’t feel lost. Didn’t know which bus to take. So to make a long story short I took a “hike” from about 3PM about 10 PM. I think I covered at least 10 miles or more. Luckily I happened upon the north bus station where there were a number of taxi drivers who tried to help me. Found pe0ple who spoke English, with no answer to my problem. Finally a taxi driver, who had just joined “our group” asked to see the address and said he could take me there ! Which he did. Moral of the story is don’t believe everything you read or hear. Use common sense and you shouldn’t have any problems. Would I advise walking around the streets of Quito at night by yourself ? No it’s not a good idea.

[IRVING WOLFE]

Robert
Thieves broke into my garage in Des Moines Iowa, USA,last week, stole lawn equipment and broke down the side door.
Crime can occur anywhere
So far nothing stolen in home in Cotacachi, so as of this entry Ecuador is safer than the US.

[MARSHA GROSMANN]

Marsha G. With all the news about the US spying on the world, what is the general feeling about Americans and what is what is the Ecadorian’s government feeling about us?

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Robert, my wife and I have lived in Cuenca for 3 years and have never had a hint of a safety problem. I would never bring my spouse anywhere where safety was an issue. Marsha, the government and media jawboning doesn’t trickle down to daily life. North Americans are welcome in this country.

[ROBERT BECK III]

You folks are great! Thank you for replying! My heart is set on Ecuador, only 1 year more and I can retire officially.
I was afraid the US Embassy web site might have overstated theissues.
My goodness, what would be said about big city crime right here in the US?!!! Thnak you all!

[SUZAN HASKINS]

The US State Department writes about every possibility that “might” happen. My thinking is that if you don’t put yourself in harm’s way, i.e. go to red-light bars where the criminal element hangs out or wander the streets alone and inebriated late at night, you should be fine. I say ‘should’, because as Irving says, crime can and does happen anywhere.

That said, in 12 years of living full-time in Latin America, I have never felt unsafe. Yes, my husband was pickpoketed of $40 on a VERY crowded trolley bus in Quito in 2002 — we were only on it to appease a friend. We’re taxi people… And our car was broken into once in 2004 outside Guadalajara when we parked it where we couldn’t see it. I had some jewelry stolen in either Panama or Nicaragua… I had become so complacent I don’t even know where it happened.

Point is: Ecuador is no more dangerous than anywhere else. Think ahead… write down addresses (with cross streets) AND phone numbers of your hotel so you can find your way back. Be prepared and ever-vigilant (as you would at home) and you will be fine.

[GARY POLLICE]

We just spent three weeks in Ecuador, going to many of the places we might want to consider for retirement and to some of the other interesting places. We never felt as if we were in any danger of being victims. While I’m not an expert on Ecuador, I have travelled quite a bit in the last 40 years and lived abroad in Europe. The key to being safe is to understand the local culture and customs and be as vigilant as you are in the US. I am not a city person, but I teach in a moderate-sized city in MA. I guarantee that smart people don’t walk around many parts of that city alone at night.

While we were in Quito we walked and took taxis. In Cuenca we took a couple of taxis, but walked almost everywhere. We never felt threatened. The people were warm, friendly, and very helpful. I will say that the only person I encountered whom I wouldn’t want to be around again was someone from the US in a restaurant who was booming out about how good he was at working real estate deals. He obviously wanted everyone to know how wealthy and important he was.

From my experiences and research, I am confident that if you move to a country and don’t expect that you’re moving from the US to a less expensive US, you’ll do fine. If you’re adventurous enough to fit into the country rather than expect the people there to adapt to you (the ugly-American syndrome), you can be really happy.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Gary, I probably know exactly who that guy in the restaurant was——.

[GARY POLLICE]

Well Edd, if we move down there (which probably will happen in the next couple of years), you can let me know so I can avoid him. 🙂

[MICHAEL SYLVESTER]

We were in Ecuador (Quito, Cuenca and Galapogos) July 3rd through the 12th. My son and I took evening walks in both Quito and Cuenca and felt as safe as we feel in Loveland, Ohio. This feeling might’ve been enhanced by what I considered a formidable police presence, far exceeding what you’d probably experience in most U.S. cities. I think that preventive police work is always preferable to post-crime cleanup.

I felt like a kid at Disney World during my visit to Ecuador. The climate, by my standards, is fabulous…mid-70’s with NO humidity and NO bugs. It seemed very affordable and, like anywhere you go, this affordability surely improves exponentially as one becomes more familiar with the terrain. The Ecuadorians struck me as delightfully friendly, hard-working and very serious about their faith. If you like mountains, Ecuador is for you…breathtaking! If I were single – and that ship sailed 39 years ago! – I’d be there tomorrow. Temporarily suspending my Rosetta Stone course, I’ve now begun in earnest the study of hypnosis…details to follow.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Good luck, Michael!

[THOMAS BEARD]

Some punk stole my $350 driver, right out of my golf bag in the garage, in a very nice Michigan suburban area. Don’t visit my house, it’s obviously not safe.

[THOMAS BEARD]

We were in Cuenca for 3 weeks earlier this year. What a place! We walked around all times of the day and night. Never had a single problem.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Good to hear, Thomas. Do not even think that crime doesn’t happen in Ecuador, because it does. But it happens everywhere. My advice when you are looking at homes and apartments is to look at the security of said abode. Doors, windows, fences, etc. We’ve never had a problem… but I would not want to live out in the middle of nowhere….

[Author]

Posts