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Thomas, thanks for this great and informed response. We’ll be interested to hear how the T-mobile plan works for you. Also, I’ve never had customs look through my stuff coming into Ecuador… and I come and go frequently and bring in all kinds of odd things, including electronics. (On my last trip I had my cellphone, digital camera, laptop, ipad and two brand-new in-the-box Kindles.) So while there is an off chance they might discover you had two phones (especially if one were physically on you… say in your pocket), I think it’s doubtful. And my guess is they’d be very lenient about the situation.
No, if you have a residence visa it is no problem. You’ll just need to show that to the desk agent. Let me qualify that by saying we’ve not had a problem by showing our cedula. Your visa should work similarly, but I’d call the airline to verify. I’d write down the name of the airline rep, the date and time of the conversation in case there are any issues, but you should be fine.
Answers to the best of my ability:
1. yes. see this: http://www.ecuadorschedules.com/ and http://andestransit.com/ — but unless you are traveling on holidays you just show up and buy a ticket, they typically leave every 20 minutes or so to major destination.
2.There are direct buses and there are buses that stop along the way…
3. Bahia de Caraquez and Canoa (if you like small towns); Manta and Crucita (if you like small towns), Montanita and Olon…
4. Unless you are traveling on an Ecuador holiday you should have no problem. I use TripAdvisor.com to find recommendations.
5. ATMs should work fine… not all small towns will have them but all those you mention will. Only larger hotels and restaurants will take credit cards, so always good to have some cash on you.
6. Sometimes. But pack light and do laundry along the way and you won’t need to worry about it. (And when traveling on buses never leave anything of value out of your sight. If you have a computer and camera, for instance, keep them in a backpack on your lap at all time — never overhead and never under your seat.
7.I wouldn’t leave my computer in it..
8.yes, it should be — but do stay at well-recommended hostels and ask them if it’s safe.
9. yes
10.finding a hotel vacancy anywhere along the coast will be a problem during Carnaval. (I would not want to visit the coast then as I don’t like crowds.)
11. Google it – -ends on Fat Tuesday/Ash Wednesday
12. On the plane.
13.no
14.no
15. Of course, people travel all the time without knowing the language. It will be a challenge, for sure, but your ability to cope totally depends on you. Ask the people at your hotel for help with buses, etc. when you are ready to go from place to place. If they go to the station with you to get you on the right bus, give them a nice tip — it’s worth it.Send more questions my way.
Ken, that is completely subjective and totally depends on your personal needs. If you want access to larger-city amenities including medical care, for instance, you’ll want to be close to Manta and/or, perhaps, Salinas or Guayaquil. If you want peaceful small town living (but no supermarkets) that’s where you’ll find the best values. Totally depends on what you want and what you can put up with not having…
Hi Philip, if it is an unlocked phone, you shouldn’t have any problems. Hopefully, someone else who has done this can chime in here?
Frank, I will check it out — and no worries, that response comes up now and then when you try to post something here. Some kind of gremlin. I get one that says “Slow down, you move too fast.” weird…
You might also contact tax and wealth advisor Nick Hodges: nick@nchwealth.com — I think he is hiking in Peru right now but should be back on the job in a couple of weeks.
I’ll ask Edd to weigh in about mold in Cuenca, but I think it all depends on the property and how it was built, how old it is, etc. Wet cement is the most-used construction material in Ecuador and if it doesn’t have a chance to dry properly there can be issues. So look carefully at any property you may be interested in.
And yes, you are correct in your research about the places you mentioned.
Hi Louise, you can check the website here: http://www.pathfinderinternational.net/site/tags/tag/ecuador/
Hi Malcolm, unfortunately you’ll be spoiled for choice in Ecuador. I find the weather in the mountains to be perfect for me year-round. Other people think it’s too chilly, especially during the rainy season which in the mountains is roughly November to March, when you plan to be there. Don’t let the term “rainy season” dampen your search, though, as I often prefer this time of year. It doesn’t rain all the time so days are often 70 to 75 degrees and there is a lovely, cool fog during the nighttime.
Of the typical mountain destinations that most expats prefer, you’ll find Quito and Cuenca to be the chilliest. (Cuenca has the largest number of expats in Ecuador, by the way, so if you are looking for fellow English speakers you’ll find many here. Quito is a huge city of 2.6 million and Cuenca has more than 500,000.) Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador has probably the warmest climate of all the mountain destinations. It is a small but charming village, but within an hour of Loja, a larger city of about 150,000 (I think).
As for beach locales, November to April is the sunny season, but can also be hot and humid — not nearly as hot and humid as Central America or even the U.S. beaches in summertime, though. I’ve just finished a coastal tour and I enjoyed Olon (45 minutes from Salinas), Crucita (35 minutes from Manta) and Canoa (30 minutes from Bahia de Caraquez)… all very tiny towns but each with a distinct flavor. Larger communities you may want to look at include Salinas (90 minutes from Guayaquil) and Manta and perhaps Bahia de Caraquez. Keep in mind that if good health care is a major concern, you need to be in or close to Quito, Guayaquil, or Cuenca.
Are you looking for a high school with an IB program to qualify him for a Canadian university? If so, look at http://www.ibo.org to find schools in Guayaquil and Quito. Or do a Google search on international baccalaureate guayaquil
Does your son speak Spanish? While there may be some classes given in English, the bulk of the curriculum will be in Spanish — especially in university. I am unaware of IB designation being given to universities, but there are several universities in Guayaquil. Again, he’ll struggle if he is not fluent in Spanish.
Also, be aware that the word collegio in Spanish means high school.
Wine…
No, I don’t know anything more. I’ll be in Manta in early September and will check on it.
Outside Quito you might look at Tumbaco and Cumbaya or Los Chillos. If you want to live in a purely local community (little-to-no expats) then maybe Guayabamba. And you may like the communities of Loja and/or Vilcabamba — lower elevation and warmer. From Cuenca, you might look at the Yunguilla Valley. Get an hour or more into the valley from Cuenca and you’ll be at a lower elevation that’s also a bit drier and warmer and where just about anything can be grown. But remember that there won’t be many income opportunities in smaller communities. And no matter where you live, you’ll have to be entrepreneurial as finding employment in Ecuador can be difficult.
Hi Veronica, I do believe the Otavalo/Cotcachi areas are drier than Cuenca, at least at the time of year you will be here. You’ll be coming that shoulder season between our dry and wet seasons. But in the mountains of Ecuador it can rain at any time. For the last few days for example we have been having rain and fog at night. We love that and it keeps everything lush and beautiful. And the days are gorgeous.
Yes, there is decent infrastructure in the entire Imbabura province (north of Quito), where Otavalo and Cotacachi are located. The largest city is Ibarra, followed by Otavalo and then Cotacachi. You’ll find more retirement-age English-speaking expats in Cotacachi. Another area you might look is Ambato, to the south of Quito and Banos. (This is a really sweet little town that has been overlooked, I feel.) And you might want to check out Quito itself. It’s a fabulous city and, of course, enjoys the best infrastructure in the country. I’d recommend you stay in La Floresta neighborhood, perhaps at Hotel Andino. Miguel, the owner there, is as nice as they come and would be very helpful to you.
Whether you rent a car or not is up to you (all major companies are in Quito, plus a local called Simon), but it would probably be an expense you wouldn’t need, as you’ll want to explore most of these places by foot and/or bus — the local transportation is VERY inexpensive and buses are safe, although taking them at night is not suggested as the mountain roads are hard enough to navigate in daylight. Also, driving can be challenging if you don’t know where you are going. (I wouldn’t recommend driving in Quito; the traffic is awful and it’s difficult to figure out how the city is laid out.)
How to find places to stay with locals: the Spanish schools often offer this type of stay — just look for those where you want to be and contact them and see if they can help. Or try AirBnB.com — people often post on there who rent rooms in their homes. And the hostals in Ecuador are awesome, usually locally owned, very inexpensive and comfortable. You might just Google a few and see what you find. (In Cotacachi, try La Jora and Mindala — I am sure you will find lots of recommendations for Otavalo and Banos; I already mentioned Andino in Quito.)
Enjoy your travels!
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