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GRETCHEN SOLDAT
ParticipantWow, congratulations Gerald, and Ms. Nadeau! How exciting for you. Will you move down there full-time soon, or keep it for vacations? Good for you.
ParticipantI am now on my 3rd day/lesson with Duolingo, John. You are right…they make it fun so you stick with it. And the price is certainly right! I wonder how they make their money….? I will have to start listening to my many Hispanic co-workers more closely. Here’s today’s lesson: “Usted es un hombre”….LOL.
ParticipantHi Suzan,
I had the same question about homeowner’s insurance. I checked the Rolodex, but didn’t find any recommendations. Our area of interest is Canoa, not Cuenca, so do you have any advice? Thank you. The condo developer thinks insurance isn’t needed, but that seems a little scary to me….
ParticipantEdd, he’s taking it all with a grain of salt! All lessons to learn. I found out that the taxi ride of 5 miles from the airport to Stubel Suites, where he was staying, is no longer 5 miles as stated on their website. That was the old airport. As we all now know, the new airport is over an hour from the hotel so the fare makes sense now. But they need to update their website! The upside of the stolen laptop is that now he can’t waste his precious time there surfing the internet as he is wont to do at home, but has to get out and SEE Ecuador in person, lol! He’s having a great time, learning alot and is embarking on another Chill Tour (private) through Ecuador Insider, so that should be a better experience! He’s very impressed with Ecuador nonetheless!
ParticipantHe did notify his credit card companies of when and where he would be travelling. Good idea about a special account with low limit to avoid fraud, though.
ParticipantSuzan,
Do you know if “Stubel Suites” is near the new airport? They were recommended to us as a place to stay near the airport.
ParticipantHi Suzan,
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Here is the website for the finance company in Cuenca: http://cuencafinance.com/
So if anyone has any input…I’d appreciate it. I would not be considering this route if I could get anywhere on a loan here.
Good credit, good income, no debt at all, sitting on $200,000 property free and clear, it’s frustrating. Reason? (whisper, don’t say it out loud—the dreaded “mobile home”) Butt of all the “You know you’re a Redneck if….” jokes. This is a transition area, trailer/mansion/yurt/teepee/mansion…..but people come from all over the world for the scenery.
Anyway, so the developer is not part of Ecuador Insider, just contributed…good to know. A competent local real estate attorney would be able to spot any red flags in a contract, right? I’m spending all my free time researching all this, so doing all the due diligence I can without actually being there, which may be in a month or 2.
Any input from Edd would be appreciated, if he’s heard of this outfit. Thanks!
ParticipantHi Suzan,
I meant only is it too crazyduring that time for a relaxing vacation? And is it really that hard to get flights? Overall, is March a month best to be avoided?
ParticipantAnd they don’t subsidize it very well. Solar is really only for rich green people or those living off the grid. Panels have come down in price radically but batteries are still the weak link. I live 100% on solar but only because when my place was built, there was no electricity and the cost of bringing it, $30,000 or so. Oddly enough, cloudy, cold Germany and New Jersey are among places with the most solar. It’s all about government support, which is why I asked about Ecuador since the powers that be seem pretty “green” according to this site.
I thought about when Canoa was described as a place with unreliable electricity and relying heavily on generators. Noisy, y’know.
ParticipantSuzan,
Curious, why not Pedernales? I read all I could on this site about the North Coast beach towns but there was only a passing reference to it. Canoa sounded like my kind of place according to the I.L. info…laid-back surfer type town, except apparently when competitions are going on. I currently live in a very remote tiny town 40 min. from any services so don’t need big-city stuff…though walking to farmers markets, cafe’s etc, does appeal. Any opinion on Canoa? Cost, of course, is a big factor….thanks!
ParticipantMy partner thinks he HAS to have his electronic piano, which looks just like a regular upright piano. It seems cost-prohibitive to ship as does my elliptical machine. Can either of those be purchased in Ecuador? Other than that, I agree that there’s nothing that important to me to bring. Starting a new life, after all! (when that day comes)
ParticipantThough I have yet to visit Ecuador, my niece and other relatives grew up there. She married an Ecuadorian. On their way from the airport in Guayaquil, where they live, they were accosted by locals who forced them to the side of the road, then robbed them at gunpoint. Taking their computers and luggage. Luckily, they had their passports in their pockets. The take away from this experience is that there are apparently police escorts from the airport who will escort tourists to their hotels as the airport departures signify easy pickin’s to the local “toughs”. They neglected to avail themselves of this service, much to their regret.
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