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Edmond, keep in mind that many of the apostilles need to be done within 30 to 90 days of your application so be sure you don’t do it too far in advance. I’ll ask Edd to comment on this because he has just researched and updated this info.

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Yes, there are buses everywhere in Ecuador. I take them when I don’t have much luggage… just something I can hold on my lap.

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Hi Jerry, Dan says it is small and probably priced a bit high for the value it offers. But it is very close to the airport. So I guess it depends on what you are looking for… I personally would rather stay in a hotel than stay up all night at the airport, but I have no idea what your tolerance for lack of sleep is. I’ll ask Dan to get on here in the coming days and write a more comprehensive review. I am looking forward to trying Hosteria San Jose and Rincon del Puemboa one of these days, but like I said, I’ll go in the afternoon so I have time to enjoy the grounds and have dinner.

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Hi Edmond, most anything that is ‘official’ in nature will require an apostille… proof of income, marriage or divorce docs, police record, etc. But i’d suggest you ask whoever (lawyer, facilitator, etc.) who might be helping you with your visa. They usually have a detailed list of the latest required documents.

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Hi Barry, unfortunately about the only way to get a dog that size to Ecuador is for him/her to travel as cargo. I traveled all over Latin America with my 90-lb. lab that way, and I think it was more traumatic for me than him. We only flew him on direct flights. So in other words, we flew from Omaha to Miami and overnighted there and flew to Ecuador the next day. I think your only other options are to hire a private plane to fly you… and that would be cost prohibitive. Or drive to Panama and charter a boat to take you to Colombia… and then continue the drive from there. I think that would be more traumatic than being in the cargo hold. Those are about your only options… unless, of course, you get the dog certified as a service dog so it can fly with you in the plane..

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I have not seen the pod coffees anywhere in Ecuador.

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2 nights Playa, 2 nights Salinas, the rest of the time in Cuenca… that’s what I would do…

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Hi Joel, in Ecuador you should have the same concerns and exercise the same cautions as you would if you were swimming in the ocean anywhere else in the world.

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Gringo Tree is not on this site — it’s a Cuenca expat site.

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Hi Thomas, typically Ecuador’s coast is mostly overcast. But the most amount of sunshine (I am told) and do not know if this is proven or anecdotal data is at Playas — a beach town between Guayaquil and Salinas. And on the northern coast between Bahia de Caraquez and Pedernales.

In the northern Sierras (Quito and Imbabura) we get a lot of sunshine during the day. When it does rain, that usually happens in the late afternoon. I say “usually” because you have always have the odd day where it rains all day. But you can have that at the coast, too.

I hope this helps.

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City maps are hard to come by here, except from city halls. Please let us know if you find one… and let’s see if Edd knows a resource in Cuenca. I often use Google maps if I need to find a certain address in Quito. I know that’s not what you want, but it may work in a pinch.

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You might try the municipio (city hall) — often they have them.

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I think Hep A is a good one, no matter where you travel. Anything else is up to you. In 20 years of traveling in Latin America, I have never done any malaria treatment. And I’ve never had malaria — which, by the way, has been eradicated in Ecuador. I do know that if you travel directly from Ecuador or Colombia to Costa Rica you will need proof of the Yellow Fever vaccine, Costa Rica is the only country I know of that requires this, for passengers traveling from a country known to have YF in their jungle regions. By the way, I don’t know that I know anyone who has ever had Yellow Fever.

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Can you be more specific? If so, we can give a better answer.

Thanks

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Let us know how you fare. They run the gamut in price from $20 or so to thousands, depending on quality. Lost on me, but my husband loves hats, so we often spend lots of time admiring the handiwork. 🙂

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