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You can see what is recommended at the CDC website — you might want Hep A/B if you’ve never had that, but you won’t really need it, or anything else for that matter. If, however, you are traveling on to Costa Rica directly from Ecuador (or Colombia) Costa Rica will require a yellow fever vaccination, and they are very strict about that.

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I like to use Tripadvisor for recommendations. I stayed at the Grand Victoria and loved it — right in the heart of El Centro. The Howard Johnson also rates highly (they are usually nicer in Latin America than Hojos in the States.)

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Ilbookstore.com — look for the Warren Hardy program, worked for me.

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Immigration and customs don’t really have an issue with it, but the airlines often do. They sometimes won’t let you on the plane without a return or onward ticket of some kind…

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I think it depends where it is being sent from and what is inside. You need to do a good inventory, but you don’t, for instance, need to say “8 forks” — you can say “kitchen untensils” — at least that’s what I’ve been told. it is probably best if you contact Sandra Baquero at Sandy_Baquero@hotmail.com. She is a customs broker and has helped many expats move their things to Ecuador.

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There are many places. Look in the itineraries section of this website. But, are you staying in Quito or going off somewhere else immediately? If you are staying in Quito a few days, I’d suggest Hotel Andino: http://www.andinohotel.com. You can email the owner, Miguel Perez, at migueangelperez@hotmail.com and he can help arrange a transfer for you.

If you just need a place to spend one night, near the airport, you might try this — nothing fancy: http://airporthotelquito.com/

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You can fly there from either Quito or Guayaquil. Check out Aerogal airlines: http://www.aerogal.com.ec/?lang=en or Tame Airlines: http://www.tame.com.ec/?lang=en

Most people book a package to the Galapagos — you might speak to the folks at Nuevo Mundo Expeditions about that. Email Julieta Muñoz: julieta@nuevomundoexpeditions.com and see if she can help you.

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I’ve not seen Britta pitchers in Ecuador, but I know there are water systems available in Quito, and I’d suspect they are available in Cuenca and elsewhere, too. We have the big multi-gallon garafons delivered to us every Friday. It’s pretty easy to get used to using your water this way and it costs maybe $3. (In Mexico we had a filter under our kitchen sink, but every other place we’ve lived we have used bottled water.) But you should be able to find what you are looking for…

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Andrea, here is another answer for you, from Roberto Moreno’s office:

Dear IL Reader:

Currently the law has changed regarding the birth and death certificates,
they no longer only have a time limit and they are no longer needed for any
part of the immigration process. The only documents that have a time limit
are the police record, and the marriage certificate, the government observes
the time limit for both documents as 180 days, from the time they have been
granted.

Don’t worry about getting all the documents detailing toy marital history
the only time this will be needed will be when you apply for the Ecuadorian
ID, for this process an attorney will draft and notarize an affidavit
detailing you marital history. This is a new process the is done instead of
showing all birth, and marriage certificates.

However, please keep in mind that if you will be coming with a child or your
spouse you will need a marriage certificate and/or a birth certificate in
order to prove your relationship with them and be able to sponsor your child
or husband in the visa process.

All documents must be legalized by a public notary before they can be
apostilled.

Regards,

Alvaro Coronel V.
International Relations Assistant
acoronel@morenodidonato.com
<http://www.morenodidonato.com/&gt;

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Thanks, Edd, for clarifying.

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Sharon, you will be able to do laundry so do not overpack — best advice ever. And you can layer in Cuenca and buy an inexpensive alpaca sweater or scarf.

Here is an easy way to convert C to F: C to F: Multiply the C temperature by 2 and then add 30.

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Andrea, here is the response I received from Santiago. Feel free to email him directly at santiago1397@gmail.com. Not his last comment — he works the Quito immigration office…

I feel ridiculous asking this question (because it’s probably been gone over a bazillion times) but I am still unclear. Birth and death certificates do not need to be within the 90-day time frame, right?

Correct, beacuse those documents will never change the info that they contain. They can’t be altered or changed. Correct.

But marriage, divorce and background check documents do need to be within the 90-day framework? SIx months old, no 90 ddays. S

ince I am female, I’ve had name changes and probably need to provide every single document along the way, in order to track me as an indiviudal with my various name changes – is this true?

TO obtain the cedula, yes, that was the route, but not anymore. Now it is back to the Affidavit only, where the Client just decares under oath that the information containning the cedula card is accurate and true.

I get different info from various people who have done it themselves, a lawyer in Cuenca, website forums, and the Ecuadorian ‘official’ website. So now, I’m turning to you to see what your take is.
Here’s my (document) bio:
1. birth
2. married
3. divorced
4. married
5. husband died
6. married
7. background check

1 and 5 I can get and have apostilled any time/2, 3, 4, 6, 7 need to be obtained and apostilled within 90 days of applying for visa – IS THIS CORRECT TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE?

And is the background check the only thing that needs to be notarized (the others are to be ‘certified’) before being apostilled?

THANK YOU!

Suzan, to get the visa, the so many documents this reader describes are not required anynore, at leat in Quito, dont know about the Cuenda branch. They have never been requeired to obtain a visa but the cedula, which of course expats tend to confuse.

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I like quality sheets with high thread counts. I bought a queen pair of Ralph Lauren sheets at a discount outlet and no way would they fit on my bed. (They fit on my sofa sleeper, though, so no harm.) I then bought a pair of deep-pocket Walmart sheets. They fit, but they ripped at the bottom, which doesn’t bother me… I use them anyhow. They may have ripped because I also have a very thick pillow top mattress pad on my bed (also purchased at Walmart — took up one giant duffle by itself.)

The sheets I bought here in Ecuador fit just fine — not exceptional quality but good enough.

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Your US passport is fine.

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Andrea, I am sending this to Santiago Andrade for his comment… will be back to you when I get an answer.

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