[DANICA ROBERTSON]

When we travelled (we did the round trip twice) it was $25 to or from the airport into Quito. (Going to the airport you have to negotiated a little with the taxi driver, but coming in from the airport the fee seems to be flat.)

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

That’s good to know! Thanks, Scott.

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Thanks!

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Hi Suzan or Edd!

Will it be hard to get flights between Cuenca and Quito during the May long weekend?

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Safe travels!

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Hi Diane.  Nice to hear from someone from the Atlantic provinces (or so I assume).  We’re heading down in May (for our first visit), coming from PEI  Just wanted to say “hi” to a fellow Maritimer.  Hope you have a great trip/stay.

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Yes, I agree that the cost of living is only part of the reason to make such a drastic change.  We’re very much looking forward to immersing ourselves in a new culture and language, plus it will be a good jumping off point to see the rest of South America and Central America, but no matter where we live, cost will always be a consideration.  Many thanks for all the insight and guidance.

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Thanks Edd, here in Canada we pay through the wazoo for US$ out of a Canadian account (exchange PLUS international withdrawal fees PLUS the local usage fee).  Ironically, I can have a US$ chequing or savings account here, but CAN’T access the funds outside of Canada…weird, huh? I’ve found a credit card that charge $2.50 for international ATM withdrawals (plus whatever the local bank charges for the use of their ATM, I’m assuming the charge is the same whether I use a debit card or a credit card, so I might have that wrong) and I’m working on a way to get around the interest on a cash advance (at least we’re going to give it a try) when we visit.  It’s also not easy to get a Visa debit card here, which is why I’m researching the credit cards.  I’ll try and do a bit more research to see if I can find an institution that offers a Visa debit card in Canada.  But you would recommend Visa over MasterCard?

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

We have a large family, too, but are trying to keep our costs down.  We’re certainly okay with having a larger space as it would be nice to have a guest room, should any of the relatives decide to visit.  We’ll need it furnished, but are hoping to get most services and utilities included (is that the same as amenities?) Once we’re settled and have tackled Spanish, we’re hoping to travel around South and Central America, but have no idea of cost, so we’ll travel as often as our budget allows, plus we’ll need to plan a trip back to Canada every once in a while.  I don’t think that we really want to spend anymore than $600 on housing costs, so as long as you feel that’s reasonable, we can start from there.  Thanks!

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Hi Edd!    We want to develop a fairly realistic budget but housing is the thing most baffling to us.  We’re considering renting in Cuenca and only need one bedroom…preferably in a newer building where we can flush our TP (not a requirement…we can adapt) we’d also like an in suite washer and are prepared to hang clothes if necessary (not sure how realistic this is) and the apartment needs to be in town…no car, only walking.  We’re thinking that our budget will be between $1500 & $1800 including travel.  Can either of you recommend a good rental budget starting point for something like this?  In you budget, are you renting a large property (either condo or house)?

Many thanks!

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Gracias!  (don’t know how to put in the upside down exclamation point in front)  ;0)

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Thanks for the contact info, Bobby.  It’s appreciated.

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

I negleted to thank Suzan for asking the Gringo night question, so thanks for the help!

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Thanks for the all the info EDD, it’s greatly appreciated and we shall get in touch once we have everything confirmed.

[DANICA ROBERTSON]

Thank you Suzan, much appreciated!

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