Retire to Ecuador? Why not!

It's official - we're heading to Ecuador for a month. We booked our tickets this morning, flying out on April 15th and back home on May 14th. We opted for a longer flight time with two stops, saved us $200. Guess the seats from JFK to Miami are harder to sell because it's cheaper to fly DCA->JFK->MIA->GYE than DCA->MIA->GYE. Go figure...LOL. Yesterday our Amazon order arrived with the following items: Frommer's Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands Miriam-Webster Spanish English Dictionary (pocket edition) Easy Spanish Phrase Book (770 Everyday Use Phrases) Instant Immersion Spanish Levels 1, 2 and 3 Travelon Bag Bungee (easy way to carry a small bag stop a larger suitcase) Digital Luggage Scale Frommer's looks like a good read; the pocket dictionary print is so small we have to use a magnifying bookmark that I had to read it, the Spanish phrase book is definitely a great buy, both the bag bungees and the digital scale are perfect for

When we returned from our last cruise, we had to throw away a medium sized rolling duffel that I've had for years. We had also, for the umpteenth time, sworn to get rolling backpacks. Backpacks make good carry-ons but tend to get a bit cumbersome and heavy - especially for me. After much research we settled on High Sierra AT3 rolling backpack . We found the local Sears store had them in stock so we went to look. We not only bought the backpacks, which give us the bonus of a daypack, but the High Sierra AT3 32" Rolling Duffle . Stu got the dark gray and I got the red and we're really pleased with the bags. The 32" bag is bigger than our old luggage and will allow us to use one less bag on our cruises. The bonus is the combination of these two bags will cover our needs for our month in Ecuador. Yippee!!

We've been asked what our Plan "B" would be if our move didn't work out. Initially we plan to keep Big Red (Stu's trike) as well as our pickup truck, Scooby. We still have our property in Tennessee and since it has an RV site there, we could easily put a small trailer there. Our storage shed will hold all the basic household needs, the things that don't get taken to Ecuador. We could easily purchase a small travel trailer or used mobile home for living space. So, with minimal effort we would have a place to live and transportation. This works for year one and maybe two. By the end of year two we would decide whether to continue keeping the motorcycle and pickup or sell them at that point. Being debt-free will be the bonus that comes out of all this adventure!

So where are we at in planning? Well, I have a spreadsheet with ten tabs right now...I'm sure there will be more tabs before we are done. There are so many questions and so far we're getting the right answers, even if they aren't what we want to hear. Medical Care and Insurance : There is good quality medical care in Cuenca. Many of the doctors are US trained so they speak English. Medical insurance is available for under $100/month for us both.   Water Quality : Cuenca has some of the best water around BUT you need to remember parasites and amoebas are no fun. Here is the best analysis I've seen and probably something we will invest in ourselves if we move. http://www.gringosabroad.com/how-to-drink-the-tap-water-in-cuenca-ecuador/ Pollution - Air & Noise: It's there, ever present in the main city area. This will be an adjustment and we will have to weigh the option of being out of town slightly to get away from it or being in town and being able to walk

I read this blog post and it touched my heart so much that I wanted to post it here. I think I will go back and read it often. We are spoiled Americans here in the USA- there is no comparison. We plan to do all we can to NOT be Ugly Americans (rich gringos) in Ecuador. We do plan to use local labor whenever we can but we need to remember to help keep the balance. If we are willing to pay 'anything' for what we want/need, we are helping price things out of the reach of the locals. We don't want to do that.

We've spent the morning talking out our options for our initial visit to Cuenca, Ecuador. Originally we thought mid-summer or next January. Well, after much discussion it looks like we'll be taking our month long evaluation trip in mid-April through mid-May of this year. We decided it makes sense to give it a 'yeah or nay' sooner rather than later. If we think it won't work for us, then we can continue researching other areas. So lots of list making, airline flight checking, hotel comparisons going on.  Will post more as we make decisions and plans. Stu is handling any Visa/Passport issues and the airline tickets. I'm working on the hotel/apartment stay for a month as well as what we need to take. April is the last of the 'rainy' season so I already know we need raincoats and an umbrella. It's the little things like taking Rx bottles rather than our 30 day pill containers. Or remembering our expandable walking sticks, helpful for me especially,

We found this ebook about Amazon and downloaded/read it yesterday. GREAT guide, lots of contact information and even more reality checks. I highly recommend it to anyone else considering this move. Living and Retiring in Cuenca: 101 Questions Answered

Ecuador plans to invest close to ten billion dollars on highways Posted on January 18, 2013 • Filed under: Economy , Ecuador , TRAVEL Worldhighways.com reported that Ecuador to invest near US$10bn in major motorways Construction to begin during 2013 Reasons are to reduce trip times, improve safety levels, and give direct benefit to freight movement. Plans include linking a road from Manta Ecuador to Manaus Brazil which will link the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic. Includes a major planned Troncal Amzonica road and the Ruta del Spondylus which will transverse 1000 kilometers along the Pacific coast of Ecuador. Read Article

Here are some of the current bookmarks we've saved - hoping they might help others. Details From Locals AHHH CUENCA!!: Observations - 1st Edition AHHH CUENCA!!: Observations - 2nd Edition AHHH CUENCA!!: Observations - 3rd Edition AHHH CUENCA!!: Speaking of Dinero AHHH CUENCA!!: Expat Social Life in Cuenca Cuenca Law Office, Ecuador - GringosAbroad.com ecuador_expats : Message: Banking in Ecuador Can I Watch English Television in Ecuador? - GringosAbroad.com Where Are the Dangerous Areas in Cuenca, Ecuador? - GringosAbroad.com Living In Ecuador - City or Small Town? What We've Learned - GringosAbroad.com Expat Interviews: A Family Sabbatical in Ecuador : Blog : Expat Info Desk Cost of Living in Cuenca, Ecuador. Prices in Cuenca. How To Send and Receive Mail in Ecuador - GringosAbroad.com Club Correos: A New Way to Receive Online Purchases in Ecuador - GringosAbroad.com Life Startup Costs Abroad - Expat Start-up Costs - GringosAbroad.com What Should You Bring Wh

Where did this all begin? Maybe a year ago, we were watching an episode of House Hunters International. The couple was looking at homes in Ecuador (wish we could remember the town). One of their options was a somewhat rural house that rivaled anything we could ever wish for AND it included a guest house for the caretaker/cook to live in. The price? $40,000 We both chuckled and from time to time Stu would drag out this story and share it. Recently we watched another episode of HHI that featured a young couple from Canada that was looking for a rental in Cueca, Ecuador. The three homes they showed were all in the $500 or so range (rental) and were huge. We started talking and started reading online about Cuenca, the expat community, the cost of living and even found the blog for the couple featured in the most recent show, Bryan & Dena Haines GringosAbroad.com So why consider this move? One, to save money. Over the last couple of years we've played a lot and we've seen