I’ve never been so strapped that I had to get an emergency wire, but as we all know travel and living abroad can be unpredictable so having a solid backup plan is advisable and not too hard. Fortunately for us there are many services that offer support for emergency cash while abroad taking some of the fret of life abroad. For North Americans, Ecuador is a convenient place to transfer money. The currency is in US dollars, so no conversion fees. And in major urban centers like Quito, Guyaquil, and Cuenca there are a palethora of banking facilities making for easy receiving of your cash. Money transfer can be expensive though with high transfer fees in some occasions, but with Read more
Survive South America—Study Spanish in Cuenca and the Galapagos
Travel in South America can be exciting frustrating all at the same time. There are amazing sites to see here in Ecuador: Galapagos islands, Cuencan colonial colossuses, snow-capped Cotopaxi. But unless you go on organized tours, you’re gonna have to know a little Spanish to get around. And if you plan on settling here in Ecuador, you better know a lot more than a little Spanish to survive the day-to-day living. Even a trip to the market for bread and butter will result in a lot of pointing and frantic hand gestures if you don’t know the most elementary of Spanish. Compared to places like Asia, where education is held in high esteem and, thus, you can always Read more
New to Cuenca? Get the Dixie tour – highly recommended.
Dixie Davie, an Australian from Perth, and her husband have been in Cuenca for two years now – and loving every minute of it. Her site is Retire – in – Ecuador.
The Gringo and company had an opportunity to join her on her tour this past week – it was a very well spent $75. We learned a lot – both the positive and the negative about moving to Cuenca. It was mostly positive.
From her site, here is her description of her tour:
This tour is designed to show you a little of what it is like to live here and to find out where the best neighborhoods are, and where to do your grocery and other Read more
Hotel Carvallo in Cuenca – Probably better to pass if you like to sleep
The Gringo is in Cuenca this weekend and checking out Cuenca with Dixie Davey of Retire-in-Ecuador.com.
Tour was great and highly recommended. More information about Dixie here.
Now about Hotel Carvallo- it has a great location, right in the heart of downtown. It is a very nicely redone. Staff is great, very friendly and quite helpful. Price is ok at about $100 a night. The rooms are fine enough, but the beds are on the small side.
Here is the issue though – the building is like a big atrium with wooden floors, so be prepared to hear everything, and I mean everything! People roaming the hallway sound like they are right in the middle Read more
Facts Regarding Investing in Real Estate in Ecuador
In Ecuador equal treatment is given to local and foreign investors, so across the board you receive the same rights of entry as Ecuadorian citizens. Almost all sectors are open to investors, and profits and capital can be repatriated without restriction.
Foreigners have the same legal rights to own property anywhere in Ecuador.
You do not need to have any special visa to purchase property in Ecuador; the Tourist Visa that you purchase upon entrance is all you need to invest in real estate. Make sure you know how long your tourist visa is valid for – click here for additional visa information.
Investing in real estate, be it a house, an apartment
Update Regarding Ecuador Tourist Visas
Immigration authorities in Ecuador are getting stricter when it comes to the 90 day tourist visa. In the past, if you wished to extend your visa, all you had to do was leave the country for a day, and then upon reentry you were granted another 90 days, making for a total of 180 days in Ecuador on a tourist visa.
Recently, things have changed.
Many immigration authorities are now counting the number of days you have already spent in Ecuador and giving you the number of days needed to equal the alloted 90 days as a tourist.
So, if you would like to stay in Ecuador for more than just 90 days, what do you do? Read more
Finding an Apartment in Quito – Short and Long Term Rentals
Renting an apartment in Ecuador is a good solution for those staying for several months or more. Once you arrive in Ecuador it is easy to locate furnished apartment or house rentals while staying at a local hotel or hostel. If you want to get a head start on finding a place to stay in Quito check out what EcuadorExplorer.com has to say on the topic:
Renting a one bedroom furnished apartment for a period of less than one year or more with the following facilities:Area: 65 m2.Living and dining room furniture Complete beddingFully furnished KitchenHandicap accessible BathroomPrivate telephoneParking spaceIs located in a secure building with a 12 hour guard from monday to friday and 24 hour Read more
Invest in Beachfront Property in Northern Ecuador
Today I am going to share a special report from Gary Scott, an expert on pretty much everything Ecuador and everything investment as well.
In a recent article, entitled Ecuador Beach Acreage, Gary highlights the investment potential of areas north of Manta and Bahia. He writes:
“Bahía is a Pacific coastal city located on a peninsula about an hour and 15 minutes north of Manta and is bordered by the Chone River. This river creates the opportunity. The estuary has always stopped the traffic flow.”
Bahia is one of nicest resort areas due to its natural beauty and cleanliness, as well as easy access from Quito, Manta, and Guayaquil. The problem is the estuary Read more
Customized Tours from Happy Gringo
The Ecuador Gringo is a fan of Happy Gringo Travel, and that’s not just because I’m a happy gringo too. Happy Gringo is dedicated to planning the perfect trip to fit your needs, and they are genuinely happy to do it.
Tours include trips to the Galapagos, into the jungle and the cloudforest, as well as a whole host of day trips. The trips highlight Ecuador and provide tourists with glimpses into the everyday life of Ecuadorians. Tours are designed to have a more real-to-life flair than your traditional mainstream tours, which make them a favorite among travelers who want to experience the real Ecuador, but can’t make the travel plans on their own.
All the guides are Read more
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