Retire to Ecuador? Why not!

Thought I'd share a few of the items we've purchased for our move to Ecuador. We wanted things that would last the five years, be as lightweight but serviceable as possible and not cost an arm and a log. Since we have an Amazon Prime membership, most of our purchases have been from there, giving us the free two day shipping. French Coffee Press We got a small, single cup coffee press while in Cuenca. It was overpriced but we wanted to try it out AND we missed our morning coffee. It worked so we ordered a larger version, one that is also thermal. It makes 3 large (8 oz) or 4 small (6 oz) cups. So far we really like it. Coffee Grinder Hard to make good coffee without a grinder for the fresh beans. We had a couple of requirements: removable cup for washing, choice of number of cups and coarseness, compact size and easy to use. We ordered this one and it's working great for us. Wok Set Okay, this wasn't specifically for our move but it will go with us (as our

The decision is made, the family and friends have been notified and a tentative date has been picked. So what's next? First we have to continue living our daily life here in the US - family and friends to visit, motorcycle trips to be taken as well as trying to continue good eating and exercise patterns. That said, we know that December will be here before we know it. As in the joke, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.", we will work slowly through the things that need to be done. Some of that has already started, watching for sales on items we want to bring with us. Since we do plan on coming back in 5-6 years, we don't want to strip all our belongings to take them to Ecuador. Plus, that would be too much weight and too much luggage. The things we plan to bring, other than the requisite clothing items, are: Pots/Pans (good ones are available but quite expensive) Coffee grinder and French coffee press Single serving size George Foreman grill Tabl

When we mention Ecuador we get some interesting observations, like "Do you speak Ecuadorian?" or "Why do you want to go to Africa?" While we smile and change the perception, it makes us realize that many folks might not know much about Ecuador. So here are a few links to quickly acquaint you with a country about the size of Nevada with four distinct climate areas (we will be in the highlands) as well as other informational sites. Simple Wiki page Full Wiki page   US Gov Travel page CDC Ecuador page Ecuador - a world apart

Not going to say too much other than the fact that we can easily say NO to all the questions asked in this blog post. Unfortunately, it only takes one really ugly gringo to wipe out twenty good ones if you happen to be the local dealing the the UA. Sigh.... The Ugly American in Ecuador Self Test

As always there are things that I forget to put in the blog that might interest others about this journey to living in Ecuador. Here are a couple that popped into mind after a great night's sleep here in the US after 36+ hours of unbelievable traveling. Q: Doesn't tossing used toilet paper into a trash can bother you? Nope, not at all. But then again, we've been RVers for more than a few years and have done this ourselves to help the waste tanks in our rig perform better. You dispose of it frequently and there is no real odor.   Q: Did you have trouble living at over 8k feet (altitude)? Not really. We did get an Rx from our doctor here in the US for Diamox (which can have some side effects). We took it two days before and after our arrival. The only side effect either of us experienced was a little tingling in extremities on the last day. It really helped us survive both the altitude and climbing the mountain of steps that first day. Then we stopped at every landing. By

In the last few years there have been several articles written about retiring in Ecuador. International Living is probably the top promoter, then of course there in House Hunters International (where we discovered Ecuador and Cuenca), but most recently there seems to be a wave of new stories almost daily. The most recent was this feature from ABC News set in Cuenca. While we were there, we didn't attend any Gringo nights. Will we? Maybe. Who knows. Someday we might. LOL! But for now we just worry that all this attention might: Cause influx of expats moving to Ecuador without doing their due diligence - it isn't for everyone! Said influx could conceivably increase the perception of the Ugly Gringo - because Ecuador isn't the USA Correa might decide to make it more difficult to become an expat (in the loose terms since most do not give up their US citizenship) as well as more expensive Only time will tell....

As it turns out, many of our preconceptions (based upon reading online and books), turned out to be misconceptions (at least for us). Here are our current feelings about Cuenca, Ecuador. Noise, pollution and traffic For us thus far, the noise level has been tolerable. But this is entirely based upon where we are staying. There are many places noisier as well as quieter. The pollution hasn't been an issue unless caught in a trail of black diesel exhaust from a bus. The good news is that they are working on converting to propane powered buses in the next few years. There is also a light rail being built and a percentage of El Centro will become pedestrian malls. Traffic? No worse than any city and surprisingly not as chaotic as we thought it would be. Conservative dress I think we were a little mislead on this one. While business professionals wear conservative dress, we also see a lot of casual dress on all ages (locals and expats). Bright colors abound and not just on the indi

First and foremost, Happy Mother's Day! The last several days the streets have been full of additional vendors selling flowers, jewelry and other trinkets. We made reservations at Restaurante Rustico for dinner at 4 pm, knowing all the open restaurants were going to be very busy. Yesterday we had dinner with new friends, Bo and Linda . They are both excellent cooks and we enjoyed a great evening of laughter and sharing with them and their friends, Olga and Ed. After dinner we took a stroll around El Centro and enjoyed the sights and lights. Even at 9 pm, there were vendors out, ready for last minute purchasers. Linda stopped to talk to her flower lady and all three of us women were given a beautiful red rose to enjoy. Keeping this short, soon I will post about preconceptions, misconceptions and new viewpoints. Chao!

But it is...and the next few days are just as packed as the last three weeks. We've walked every day, enjoyed the several mercado's multiple times, picked up a few nice souvenirs in local artisan shops, met more new friends, and just generally had a wonderful time. The highlight of the day was picking up our custom, one of a kind, hand made, sterling silver wedding bands. We have been frequenting the Magnolia Caffe restaurant since our first week here and have become friends with the owner, Simon Cordero. He is an amazing silversmith and jewelry designer and we fell in love with his work the first time we visited. We showed him our gold wedding bands and asked him if he could do something similar in sterling silver. That was less than three weeks ago; we picked them up tonight and absolutely love them. (I wish the photos were better, will try again tomorrow in daylight). Here is the only photo I currently have of our gold rings: Here is the photo we took tonight when we

For those of you still wondering WHY, here are a few links that explain it better than I could. Best Places to Retire - Cuenca Top 10 Reasons Why Cuenca is a Livable City The ABCs of Retiring to Ecuador Exit Plan - Retire to Ecuador Ecuador - A Retirement Option Our time here is drawing to a close and unless something traumatic happens, we plan to return in mid-December (after our Tampa cruise). While many plan to live here forever, we still think we will stay 5-6 years, saving enough to pay cash for our log cabin and pole barn on our property in Tennessee. We have a lot of planning to do, several decisions to make (our pup, Sadie, being one of those) and a few grand adventures left to do in the US this year. We'll continue to blog here as decisions and plans are made. We have made dozens of friends already in Cuenca, some Cuencanos but most expat Americans. We'll keep following them as well as they continue their life in Ecuador and will still use them as the best re

We've been here two and a half weeks so I thought it was time to list some pros, cons and just general differences and opinions. First the pros - for us there have been quite a few. We're walking - a LOT. Stu says we're averaging about 5k steps per nap (yes, afternoon naps are a common occurance). The climate - while a bit cool at times (made worse by a drafty apartment), we don't really miss the heat. We're dressing in layers and always carry something in case of a rain shower. The weather here changes rapidly but the temperature variation from day to day is miminal - all year round. The vegetation - never have I seen so many gorgeous flowering trees, bushes and flowers in general. Again, all year round. The food - everything tastes so good. The fruit is amazing, no preservatives but so full of flavor. Since we aren't cooking, we're lacking in the area of vegetables but they look good, too. The ones we have eaten have been wonderful. The restauran

I have to look at the calendar to see what day of the week it is - this is real retirement! The days just keep running into each other - I have to check Google calendar so we know what we have planned for the day (if anything). Today was a nothing planned day. Yesterday was an evening out at a charity event to help fund the painting of 100 ft of murals for the children's hospital. We continue to meet new folks, wander the city on foot and even try riding the bus system. A bus ride anywhere is 25 cents (and if you're over 65, it's 12.5 cents - you use a bus pass). Stu continues to lose weight with all our walking but the eating out is my downfall. We'll see at the end of our month here when we get home and weigh ourselves. Here are some photos from the charity event: Here are some general pics taken recently (the drinks are Iced Tea and Lemonade): Here are some from walking around today, Labor Day, including peaceful demonstration walks th