Just some personal stuff...

I should have posted this earlier but we were out shopping for gifts to take back to the US with us. It's been a hectic week as we try to figure out what needs to go back to the US with us. We leave later this week...WOOT! Excited to see everyone, and excited to attend my first ever writer's conference. (Check out my writing blog for more details).

Many of you know I write fiction from time to time. Well, the first book in my Klondike Mystery Series is ON SALE! Here is the sale schedule:

August 23, 2014 at  8:00 AM (PST)  20h     $1.99 61%
August 24, 2014 at  4:00 AM (PST)  20h     $2.99 41%
August 25, 2014 at 12:00 AM (PST) 20h       $3.99 21%
August 25, 2014 at  8:00 PM (PST)  Original list price $4.99

CLICK TO BUY NOW

Oh, you don't have to have a Kindle to read the book - check out the Kindle Reading apps for your PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet.

Be sure to tell your friends about the sale - get it before it's back to full price!

Books to research living in Ecuador

Many folks have asked us why we chose Ecuador and more specifically, Cuenca. We've written about our reasons before but the top reasons are:

1. Cost of living - Quality of Life
   The cost of living might be comparable to a few more rural spots in southern US but we have the advantage of being in a location with a wealth of history, free symphony concerts, free or almost free museums, and a wide variety of new experiences.
   
   We can enjoy a good standard of living here that will allow us to save significantly, allowing us to return to the US in 5-6 years with enough saved to be mortgage free when we build our log cabin (or close to mortgage free).
   
   In the meantime we get to experience a whole new culture in a new country on a new continent. Our grand adventure!
    
2. Medical Care
   The medical facilities in Cuenca are very good and compared to the US, very inexpensive. We have yet to research insurance but will soon. For comparison, the son of a friend recently had emergency appendectomy surgery. Due to an infection from the burst appendix, he was in three days instead of two. Total cost: $3000.
   
   Most medication is low cost without a local doctor's prescription, some require a written Rx often obtainable for an office visit of under $25. One hospital offers free visits and written Rx. It varies across the city.
   
   We have seen recommendations for many specialties including endocrinology, dermatology, cardiology, retinal specialist and more.
    
3. Weather
   This is weather we can live with and enjoy. It's rarely into the 80's although being at this altitude (over 8000 ft), when in the sun it can feel warmer than the actual air temperature. It's also rarely below the 50's at night. Now, in the winter months (summer in the US), it has on occasion dropped into the upper 30's but that is rare; in the summer months (winter in the US) it has been known to be in the 80's but again, rare.
   
   The humidity is low unless we are in the rainy season. We haven't had much rain since we arrived in mid-December, less than we experienced last April-May when we first visited. But we know it will come. The winter months tend to feel cooler because of more rain and less sun but we know to dress in layers and we also lucked into an apartment that has morning sun in the living room and afternoon sun in the bedroom. That helps warm the apartment along with the skylight that keeps it brighter inside.

Those are our three main reasons but they may not be your top reasons for selecting a retirement area. For some our city, Cuenca, is too cool or too high. There are other places in Ecuador that might suit. Some love the coastal areas with their more laid back lifestyle and warmer weather. We will visit but it's too hot and humid much of the year, at least for us.

Here are some book recommendations from Amazon that will give you varying views and opinions of living/retiring in Ecuador. Some of blogs turned into books. Some document their vacation trip here. Others do an excellent job of showing the good AND the bad of the country. But they are all worthwhile reads.

In order of usefulness FOR US: [Note - the first four are actually tied for first place]:

Living and Retiring in Cuenca: 101 Questions Answered
Expats in Ecuador: Life In Cuenca
Becoming an Expat in Cuenca, Ecuador
Why Ecuador? [free pdf file]
Our Ecuador Retirement...The First 8 Months **On sale for $.99 on Feb 6-8, 2014
Why Ecuador for me
ECUADOR 2013 - RETIREMENT FACT FINDING TOUR

Please feel free to post your questions in the comments and we will do our best to answer you!

My latest mystery book is DONE!!!

It's done, it's live - finally!! You can now purchase book two of the Klondike Mystery Series, Barely a Spark at Amazon.
BUY NOW

Police Sergeant Jim Sanders has been appointed the Acting Police Chief while his boss takes a vacation in Montana. Jim thinks two weeks will be a breeze, crime isn't a big thing in the small town of Bradford, Pennsylvania.

Was it an accident? Maybe suicide? Or could it have been something more sinister. John Crocker was not a well liked man. He smoked too much, drank too much, and gambled too much. But even he had a family and they deserved to know the truth.

Small town Klondike, up the hill from Bradford, suddenly sees a spike in vandalism. Cabins ransacked, cars trashed - who is responsible? Summer tourist kids or someone more menacing?

Sometimes, two weeks can seem like a year...

FIRST AMAZON REVIEW IS IN!From the poster of the review: Loved "Barely a Spark". I was happy to put the first review up on Amazon. Hope you have a great Route 66 trip and then, lady, you better start tapping those keys again - 'cause I want to know what happens next. LOL You really hit this one out of the park.

Reading, reading and MORE reading!

I know I've already mentioned several books we've bought and read to help in our research but since I recently bought a couple more, here is a recap.

In order of usefulness FOR US: [Note - the first four are actually tied for first place]

1. Living and Retiring in Cuenca: 101 Questions Answered
2. Expats in Ecuador: Life In Cuenca
3. Becoming an Expat in Cuenca, Ecuador
4. Why Ecuador? [free pdf file]
5. Our Ecuador Retirement...The First 8 Months **On sale for $.99 on Feb 6-8, 2014
6. Why Ecuador for me
7. ECUADOR 2013 - RETIREMENT FACT FINDING TOUR

We're starting to focus more on learning Spanish but it's a challenge. Sigh... We also have our first Gringo meet and greet set up for April 18th with Len and Sharon. Excited to hear all their input and learn more about their experiences.

33 days and counting!!!

Interesting Articles & More About Books

Just wanted to pop in and post links to two interesting articles for anyone considering an move to any where outside their home country.

The first is After Shock!: Transitional Phases Expats Experience and the other is One Divorce You'll Never Get [related to finances].

On a side note about research, my lat post mentioned several books. So far the most informative one for me has been Living and Retiring in Cuenca: 101 Questions Answered. I did read the newest one I mentioned, ECUADOR 2013 - RETIREMENT FACT FINDING TOUR, and although it was interesting (especially the photos), I didn't find much that I couldn't have discovered via blogs and other posts. Why Ecuador for me is a distant second place with some great nuggets of information almost hidden in the middle of too many personal stories. ;-)

55 days and counting!

Books about Ecuador

While researching Ecuador I've come across several books and I've bought several. Here is another book that is up for free at Amazon Feb 17-18. I plan to nab it and hope it will provide more insight to this country.

ECUADOR 2013 - RETIREMENT FACT FINDING TOUR:
This is a look without the normal hype at our on the ground research of Ecuador as a possible retirement country. A review of prices, people, attractions, hotels, restaurants and history. We visited Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca and Manta.

Over 225 pictures included. This information is based solely on our criteria for retirement living abroad. It is a journal of 11 days in January. We do not claim to be experts however, in preparation for the trip we read every blog, magazine and book we could get our hands on. Our goal is to share our findings and let you make your own decisions about your future abroad.

Here are the other books we have bought. Each brought out something of interest and has been helpful. The first two I bought as e-books, the last is paperwork.

• Living and Retiring in Cuenca: 101 Questions Answered
  
• Why Ecuador for me
• Frommer's Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands (Frommer's Complete Guides) 

Here are the books we have bought to help us through the translation/transition of Spanish to English and back again.

•  Merriam-Webster's Pocket Spanish-English Dictionary (Pocket Reference Library) 
•  Easy Spanish Phrase Book: Over 770 Basic Phrases for Everyday Use (Dover Easy Phrase)

Hoping these references will help others in their search for information.