I’ve joined a couple of Facebook
expat sites too and have really enjoyed meeting people who already live there,
spend a lot of time there, or, like me, are contemplating moving there. They are a fountain of great information,
both the good and the bad of living there, and I look forward to meeting them
when I go boots on the ground.
Anyway, what exactly does one
look for in moving to a foreign country?
First, where in the country do you want to make your home? The country has four main geographic regions:
- La
Costa, or "the coast", which comprises the low-lying land in the
western part of the country, including the Pacific coastline. (My
selection)
- La
Sierra, or "the highlands", is the high-altitude belt running
north–south along the center of the country, its mountainous terrain
dominated by the Andes mountain range.
A lot of expats live in this belt.
Not sure if it’s the majority but it seems to be.
- La
Amazonía, also known as El Oriente, or "the east", comprises the
Amazon rainforest areas in the eastern part of the country, accounting for
just under half of the country's total surface area, though populated by
less than 5% of the population.
- La
Región Insular is the region comprising the Galápagos Islands, some 1,000
kilometers (620 mi) west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.
The government is relatively stable,
they use the U.S. dollar as their currency, and healthcare is very good in the
major cities with American standards hospitals.
Normal everyday medical and dental needs are pretty darn cheap compared
to America and you can buy a pretty cheap insurance plan to supplement that.
Safety is an issue everywhere in
the world and it is not any more dangerous in EC. As with anywhere you need to keep a “heads up”
when you are in the street. Keep you
money in several pockets and don’t carry more than you need. Hey I’ve been all over the world so I already
have that heads up and, knock wood, I’ve never had a problem. Of course I have my “don’t f*ck with me” face
on when I’m in sketchy areas too.
Transportation is really good
here, and cheap. From what I’ve been
told most buses are $1 an hour for chicken buses, similar to Belize. They also have a good selection of 1st
class buses and vans for those longer trips..
A couple of the cities even have light rail. So the last 2 are step up from Belize.
Food costs are low. Fruits and veggies
bought in the local markets are ¼ the cost of Belize and the U.S. There are
also several large supermarkets that have much more variety than the markets (tiendas)
in the smaller towns.
Real estate costs are very
affordable in EC but are on the rise because of all the foreign nationals
moving there. Prices of course depend on
what geographical area you live in, with the coast being the highest it
seems. I’ve seen new condo listings in
the Andes for around $80K. That doesn’t
matter to me though because I don’t want to own anything. I plan to rent either
and apartment or small house. Some of
the prices I’ve seen for that on the coast range from $250-$500 depending on
how close you are to the center of town.
I’m not citified and I want quiet so I’ll be looking at the lower end of
the scale. A nice yard to garden in
would be nice too so that I can save on food costs. Between that and fishing I can really save!
Ecuador is a BIG surfing
destination and hosts quite a few annual events. Whale watching is a very big thing too. Mostly humpbacks and you don’t even need a
boat. Lots of museums and cultural events
too.
The weather varies
depending on the area that you live in and the season of the year. While the equator runs through EC it is not
as hot as you would expect because their weather is affected by an Antarctic current,
which flows north. They have a rainy
season along the coast, much like Belize, but because the seasons are opposite
(being in the southern hemisphere) so the rainy season is December to May
instead of May to October. Most days are
cloudy along the coast during the winter also.
Nothing that I can’t handle though because I’ll still never see snow or
freezing weather again!
So anyway there is so much more
that you need to research in order to make that decision but the best way is to
have boots on the ground and actually experience it. I’ll be traveling the coast for the entire
month of November. I have a list of
about 15 towns that I’d like to see and I’ll narrow that down to 2 or 3. I plan to go back for 60 days in the January
to March timeframe to spend a greater amount of time in those places to see if
living there is what I expect it to be. I may also revisit a town or 2 that I
visited in November to try them on for size. The reason for coming back and
spending time is that too many people go on holiday and fall in love with a
place, run home and sell everything, and move back. Big mistake for a lot people! You have to be
able to live with customs, languages, foods (lack of usually), bugs, bad water,
etc. that are different from what you are used to. There are quite a few
stories here in BZ of people who’ve moved here and spent a lot of money
building their dream beach home only to hate the place after spending a couple
of months here. If you talk to anyone
who’s made the move they will always caution you to come back and spend “quality
time” living where you think you might like to live and to rent, not buy, for
the 1st year to see if living in that country is all it’s cracked up
to be. You all know me and my journey
to, and living in, Belize. I’ve really loved
it but sometimes it’s not been pretty. Remember my night in jail? I know my brother Dave does! You have to take the good with the bad and
hope that the good side weighs down the scale.
Being flexible in any situation is really important. So, again, spend time, and in different
seasons, to get a true feeling for what life in a country will be like before
you make that big leap. For me there is nothing more exciting than meeting
people of a different culture and learning what their life is all about. Of course a few expat friends thrown into the
mix is always a plus!
I’ll be blogging my way along the
coast to give you a feel for the country and the trials and tribulations of
operating in a country where you don’t speak the language…yet. My friend Sheila will be traveling with me
for about 2 weeks too so I’ll let her add her 2 cents to the mix so you get a
woman’s perspective of the country.
Five more days before I leave for
Cancun for my flight to Guayaquil EC and a new adventure. I'm really excited!
