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SUZAN HASKINS
ParticipantYes…www.posadamirolindo.com/ and airporthotelquito.com/ and http://www.hosteriasancarlostababela.com
ParticipantPosada Mirolindo is a very nice place to stay near the airport (and great family that runs it) and Quito Airport Suites is a very basic place…
ParticipantYes, rafting is a big sport here — there was a great article on the internet some months back. I’ll see if I can find it. Not sure about the Chone… most of the rating is done near Banos and Tena…
ParticipantIf you are arriving in Guayaquil by air, the bus station is just across the street, so probably just as easy and cost effective if you hop on a bus, as long as you are traveling light and not hauling lots o’baggage with you.
In Quito, you don’t say where you are staying. If you are staying at an airport hotel, they will typically arrange transportation for you. Just send them your flight details and be sure the driver holds up a sign with your name on it.
If you are staying in the city, I’d just grab a taxi at the airport. Should be only about $30 to take you into the city. Be sure to have the address and tel # of your hotel written down, especially if it is one most drivers don’t know.
ParticipantThere are definitely questions you should ask about the construction, especially about if the building was built to code and if any other special demos (like applying membranes to reduce damp), etc. They need not disclose anything but you certainly can ask. You can also hire a structural engineer if you’d like to be sure load-bearing columns are adequate to withstand earthquakes and so on. It’s my understanding that new construction codes were adopted a couple of years ago. But does that mean every builder adheres to them? Of course not.
ParticipantGretchen, I think if you can prove you live full-time out of the US you’ve nothing to worry about. For a definitive answer, email tax advisor Nick Hodges at nick@nchwealth.com.
ParticipantHi Kenneth, I’ve lived in Ecuador off and on for many years and have never been the victim of any kind of crime. (My husband was once pickpocketed on a crowded trolley in Quito — that’s the extent of his brush with crime.)
That said, this is a land where most people have very little, so you have to exercise a bit more caution than you may be used to at home. We never wear flashy jewelry, for instance, or pull out wads of bills from our pockets. We don’t carry smart phones. Not to say you can’t, but we’ve no need for them here.
Some places are safer than others, just like at home. Small towns are safer than big cities. If you’re walking at night in a city, you should be aware of your surroundings and/or take a taxi. (They’re cheap so why not?)
As for police, I think we have only been stopped once while driving, when we made an illegal turn. They were polite and we were soon on our way. That was 13 years ago — these days we rarely drive (just don’t want the expense or commitment of a car) so we’re never stopped. There can be the occasional police checkpoint (we’ve experienced that once in all these years) and we were treated very politely.
In truth and for the most part, Ecuadorians like and respect everyone, including Americans. I can’t recall a time where I’ve ever been treated hostilely or felt threatened.
I will say that I do know some expats who have had cameras snatched or had their homes broken into. On very rare occasion there have been home invasion robberies. (The same happens everywhere in the U.S.) I caution anyone looking to live here to take a look at how the Ecuadorians live. They have bars on doors and windows and security systems, maybe a dog or two. My apartment building is very secure and we have personally never had an issue.
ParticipantThere are a couple of golf courses you might want to check out, one just outside of Guayaquil (on the way to Salinas). I think it is called La Costa and a new one being built at Manta in a project called Montecristi. I’ve heard rumors of a big marina/golf course to be built somewhere farther north on the coast near Pedernales…
ParticipantRaymond, the reason to maintain at least some kind of US mailing address is because you’ll need one attached to your US bank account and credit cards. (You won’t be able to get a credit card in a foreign country without some kind of credit history.) You’ll want to keep a US bank account to pay those credit cards. And I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think US banks like it if you don’t have a local US address.
As for #3, that’s totally up to you. There are only a couple of banks in Ecuador qualified to accept direct deposits of US social security payments. Those are Produbanco and Banco de Guayaquil. I always recommend that you wait to open bank accounts until you know where you will be living. You want a relationship with a bank branch conveniently close to your home.
ParticipantThank you very much, Gretchen, you rock! We tried to put 12 years of experience into this book and very much hope that everyone who reads it will find it practical and helpful!
ParticipantMelanie, when you are in Salinas, go to Smoking BBQ on the malecon at 24 de Mayo Street. You’ll meet lots of expats there – -the owners are expats, in fact, Gary and Kathryn Kelly. They have a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SmokinTexasBBQ
Here is a website for expats in Manta: http://mantaexpatsonline.com/ — Al, the guy who runs this site, is a nice guy.
ParticipantYes, Yolanda is a nice lady and seems very professional — thanks for the reference, John!
ParticipantThanks, Melanie. One other option for those flying from the west coast is to overnight in Las Vegas and then fly from there on a 6 am flight the next morning on a Copa Airlines direct flight to Panama and on to Quito. We’ve done this route when visiting our kids in Phoenix. Not optimal but saves some time and, occasionally, money.
ParticipantGREAT help, thank you, Michael!
ParticipantActually, Edd knows more about this than I as he lives in Cuenca. He’s on holiday right now but I’ll ask him to weigh in when he gets a chance. I believe he feels there are better places, but again, I’ll let him respond.
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