Questions from a newbie

[Sue Jessup]

Hello, My husband John and I are in the very early stages of considering a move. We have eagerly read so much material and many of our questions have been answered. Here are a few that we are curious about.

1. What does it cost for 2 cell phones there? Need to make calls and text to the USA.

2. Are there good veterinarians there? What are typical costs?

3. Does Amazon deliver to Ecuador?

4. How much does it cost to mail a letter and how long does it take to arrive in the states?

5. What surprised you the most?

6. What has been the hardest adjustment?

Thanks in advance! — Sue

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Sue, here are some general answers to your questions. As always, there are workarounds and everyone has a different experience.

1. You can buy an inexpensive Nokia-type cell phone in Ecuador for $40-$50 or bring one with you from the States with a remove bale SIM card. you can even bring a smartphone with a removable SIM card. By an Ecuador card and off you go. There are 2 main carriers in Ecuador: Claro and Movistar. In Cotacachi where I live, Claro is favored. You buy cellphone time in $5 increments for coverage…or you can buy a service plan, same as in the States. To make calls to the States, though, most people opt for VOIP (a voice-over-internet-protocol) system. Magic Jack seems to be the favorite here, but SKYPE works great, too. (You can download both these apps to a smartphone, by the way.)

2. Yes, there are good veterinarians. You’ll get recommendations in the expat community where you settle. I don’t have a pet here so can’t tell you of the costs but from what I’ve seen, it’s very affordable. (Wendy DeChambeau, maybe you can jump in there?)

3. Yes, but don’t count on your delivery finding its way to you for a long, longgg time. That said, some expats report good luck. Most, though, will tell you it is not worth it. And there can be hefty duties and tariffs. The better option is to stock up every time you go back to the States and/or find a willing friend to “mule” you your needed items when they return from a Stateside trip. Honestly, there are very few things you can’t get here in Ecuador these days.

4. Again, most people do not use the mail service. We conduct all our business online and via email. I’ve not gotten or sent physical mail in the entire six years I have lived here.

5. The 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness was the hardest thing to get used to. Coming from Nebraska, I always instinctively knew what season it was by how long the days were. Here, I always have to stop and think about what month it is or what holiday is approaching.

6. See above. (And the generosity and warmth of the Ecuadorians and the low cost of most everything continues to amaze me…)

[Sue Jessup]

Thanks so much Suzan! Great info.

[Country Expert Jim Santos]

Hi Sue – It looks like Suzan covered most of your questions for you, I just wanted to hit a couple of the points as well.

1) MagicJack will also allow you to send text messages to US phones, which is handy. Many people also use Messenger via Facebook, which has a voicecall option to other Messenger users. If you bring a cellphone from the US, make sure you have it “unlocked” by your US carrier first, so that it will accept the local SIM cards.

2) The better vets are in the larger towns, like Cuenca, Quito, Guayaquil. But you can find vets just about everywhere. We brought a Corgi with us to Salinas, and we have used vets who charge about $10-15 for office visits, $20 for house calls. Note: if your pet is on any medication, be sure to check and see if it is available in Ecuador. Sometimes vets will send you to the “people pharmacies” to get meds.

3) Mule, baby, mule!

4) I have experimented with the mail service. Letters tend to take about 14-21 days in either direction, and cost $2-3. Packages may be subject to import/export fees. Like Suzan said, not the fastest or most secure way of communication.

5) The constant day/night cycle and near-constant weather is a big change, as Suzan mentioned. But I think what surprised me most was that once you get past the initial excitement, it is really not that hard to live in another country.

6) Learning Spanish. On the other hand, it has also been one of the most rewarding adjustments. We are far from fluent, but my wife and I have come a long way. We took our driver’s license test in Spanish, for example. But it really does give you a great sense of accomplishment and makes you feel much more connected to your life abroad to learn to communicate – however badly – in the local language.

[Sue Jessup]

Thanks Jim!

One more question:

I’ve seen that retirees get 25% and 50% off RT flights that start and end in Ecuador. Which is it?

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Sue, to be eligible for discounted airfare, you must have your residence visa in Ecuador. Then, you qualify for a 50% discount on international airfares that originate in Ecuador. This discount is on the base fare and not the additional taxes, fees, and service charges applied. In other words, and for example only, if the airfare is $1,000 and the base fare is $700 and the additional charges are $300, you’ll pay $350 (50% of $700) + $300… or $650.

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