Let’s get the hell out of Quito—road trip to Papallata Resort

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Let’s get the hell out of Quito—road trip to Papallata Resort

September 30th, 2010 | Ecuador - Culture, Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Places to Stay, Ecuador - Travel Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »

We were all still shaking off our hangovers on Sunday morning as we gathered at Finn’s. Everybody was belly up to the bar and spilling over every square inch to watch England get annihilated by Germany in the world cup. As we piled into Jake’s SUV the mixture of cheers and groans from opposing fans exhaled from the bar as Germany scored the goal-that-should-not-have-been. I was happy to be getting out. The sun was shining, finally. We had a case of wine, a tank of gas, and, what would be the sparsest commodity on a Sunday, motivation.

Gunning it through the cities northern portal, through Cumbaya, the valley just north of Quito, the world spread before us. We drove Read more

Nuts and Bolts–Visa Requirements for Retirement in Ecuador

September 23rd, 2010 | Ecuador - Business, Ecuador - Relocation, Ecuador - Travel Tips, Uncategorized | 15 Comments »

Continuing on our series about retirement in Ecuador, this week we’ll be focusing on the nuts and bolts of obtaining visas. Previously we focused on why to retire here and where to retire. Now we’ll see just how to do it. The frustrating thing expats face coming to settle in Ecuador is the shifting visa laws–they seem to be written on a scratch pad with pencil. So any info that you seek should be double and triple checked and followed up with a visit to a a good lawyer here in Ecuador to reconfirm.

Fortunately there are a heap of foreigners residing over here and q myriad of blogs and forums have sprung organically documenting the lives of these Read more

Come visit the Big Gringo at Bungalow 6

September 16th, 2010 | Ecuador - Adults Only, Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Gringo Owned Business, Ecuador - Nightlife, Ecuador - Places to Eat, Ecuador - Travel Tips, The Best of Ecuador | 11 Comments »

Want to come meet the author of the Ecuador Gringo? Come to Bungalow 6 in the Mariscal. That’s right everybody, I have been working upstairs in the famous Bungalow since I got to Quito 3 months ago. Bungalow is known as the Mariscal’s prime party spot and you can tell by the lines of people waiting to get in outside. Bungalow started becoming a cornerstone of the Mariscal’s party scene about 3 years back when John Ott and Sean Carter, a couple of American expats, took it over and began transforming it into a popular hangout, popular with both Ecuadorians and Foreigners alike. I heard one local Ecuadorian describe its secret as being a sort of melting pot Read more

Retirement in Cuenca–I’ve got a couple o’ good reasons for ya!

September 9th, 2010 | Ecuador - Business, Ecuador - Culture, Ecuador - Relocation, Ecuador - Travel Tips, Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

When one thinks to retire in a foreign land they must think how to maintain a lifestyle that would par up or be better with the lifestyle left behind. Most importantly certain basics need be established if one is to think of permanent relocation. This is why Ecuador with it’s favorable climates, access to good and affordable healthcare, easily understood Spanish, and good Gringo landowning laws is a great destination. Cuenca is on the tips of tongues here and abroad as the most popular spot to settle here in Ecuador.

Previously, in our series of articles on Cuenca, I wrote about the great housing deals on Cuencan property. And it is a steal out there, not to mention Read more

Guapulo: Sample the Best Ceviche in the City

September 2nd, 2010 | Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Places to Eat, Ecuador - Travel Tips, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Last Sunday a large group of us were all sat around a cropping of picnic bench tables ordering buckets of Pilsner. One of the first timers here asked about how much he should expect to spend and Kevin, who lives up the road and comes about every week said: “I don’t know really, I always order a few beers a plate of fish and ceviche and always end up paying about $10. In the end after a few crates of beer– I’m not sure how many beers our group of thirteen drank, but we all had a plate of fish and ceviche and it was a $138 bill. I probably shouldn’t be telling you about the best cevicheria Read more