[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

You’ve got the right plan, Rupert. Duty free shipments are allowed for 6 months after you have obtained your visa. We shipped a 40′ container 3 years ago with no problem. The company we used is Relocation Services of Ecuador (http://relocationservicesofecuador.com).

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Good luck with finding that. FYI–the main neighborhoods are Ordonez Lasso (west of downtown), Primero de Mayo and Puerto del Sol (southwest), Stadium area (south), and El Vergel (southeast). Maybe this info will help your orientation.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Simple supply and demand economics. Massage is a common part of the culture in Thailand but not so here in Ecuador. Only people with significant disposable income partake of such a “luxury” and there aren’t that many trained massage therapists, so their professional services demand a higher price.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

This link has maps of the city plus all the bus routes.

http://cuencatransit.com/

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

If you’re downtown you can’t walk more than a couple of minutes without seeing one. Don’t know about Amex, but all the ATM’s take Visa cards. $500-600 is the max I believe you can withdraw per day unless your own bank has a lower limit.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

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

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

No. Massages in the US usually start at $60/hour, so using that price comparison they’re quite reasonable here. Isolating the price of a single thing from country to country doesn’t paint a realistic picture of overall costs. Our gasoline is $1.48 per gallon, and you can buy 4 or 5 avocados for $1. But the price of wine from our neighbors in nearby Chile and Argentina is higher than on the grocery shelves in the States. You have to factor in everything.

[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.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

H-m-m-m—the link didn’t seem to work. A testament to my technological prowess. Well, check out the FB IL Ecuador page.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Oh, my goodness. I didn’t know what you were talking about and had to look it up. Now that I know—no comment.

The “best” methodology of learning a foreign language really does boil down to the individual. A lot of folks like Rosetta Stone, for instance, but I didn’t care for it. And I have friends who religiously go to private lessons and still can’t speak Spanish worth a ____. Many people have had success with the Warren Hardy course promoted by IL. In the end the best choice is whatever you can stick with that produces results. And it may take a few false starts to figure that out.

You may have seen the piece I wrote recently about this very subject:

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

You ask the most interesting questions, Gretchen. Yes, massages are much cheaper, but like everything else, availability depends on where you’re talking about. I know you two are looking at the coast and I can’t really address how much luck you’ll have there finding someone there. Here in Cuenca massages are about $20-25/hour from individuals, a little more if at a spa.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

The entire Mariscal area is nicknamed “Gringolandia,” if that gives you a clue. 😉

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Chuck, unfortunately you have found the answer. There’s one private nine hole course here. I think it’s $8K to join and $120/month. If golf’s your thing look somewhere besides Cuenca.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Thanks for your kind words, Gretchen. For sure coconut and olive oil are available in Cuenca, but I have no idea what you would find on the coast. Can’t say I’ve ever looked for walnut oil. There are lots of organic products–there’s even an organic market here on Saturdays. I have an organic baby Thai salad mix from Supermaxi in the refrigerator right now.

Is there any raw dairy? I see men dipping milk straight out of the cows’ udders from containers on the back of pickup trucks around town. But understand that cows in the highlands are raised for milk; on the coast and in the Oriente they’re raised for beef. In general selection where you want to live is probably going to be a lot different (and honestly more limited) from a good-sized city in the mountains.

You two have a great attitude. All the best on your journey!

Edd

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Contact Maribel Crespo, owner of Ecuadorable Homes. Her email is crespomaribel@hotmail.com.

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