About lional

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Male

Currently Lives:

Midlothian, Virginia, United States

Citizen Of:

United States

Dual Citizen Of:

Ecuador

Some Forum Posts:

Ecuador: what to wear/clothing prices in Ecuador?:

It is difficult to get quality clothing in Ecuador and expensive. And if you wear larger sizes in clothing or shoes bring what you think you will need from your home country you will find it very difficult to purchase sizes that will fit you (mens shoe sizes beyond 10 are hard to find and 12 1/2 and beyond are impossible. That being said, there are many talented tailors here who can custom make clothing at a fairly reasonable price. It just takes time, effort and some local knowledge to find the right people and material.

Ecuador: Can you deposit a US personal check into an Ecuadorian bank?:

You can make deposits into Savings and Checking accounts using checks drawn on foreign banks but the funds will not be available until they have cleared and that generally takes 2 to 3 weeks. Be aware that establishing a checking or savings account in Ecuador is not as simple as in the US. It generally takes several visits to the bank or Savings and Loan and letters of reference from at least 2 Ecuadorian account holders.

Ecuador: Making Choices:

Guayaquil is in the coastal area and is both hot and humid. It is also the largest (by population) of the cities in Ecuador. Cooler temps and lower humidity can be found in the cities of Cuenca and Quito and the many towns in the Andean Mountains. The problem you might face would be altitude adjustment problems. Cuenca is 8500 ft above sea level and Quito up to 9400 ft.

Panama: why do gringos move back ?:

The most common reasons (I have lived in Ecuador for 4 years) are family concerns (aged parents, new grandchildren, sick or injured siblings or children), personal or partner illness, difficulty with adapting to new country and difficulty with leaning a new language. Here I have seen several surveys that indicate about half of those who move here leave within 3 years and 50% of those left leave within 5 years.

Ecuador: Managing Foreign Investments from within Ecuador:

At some point in the future we may have fast and reliable internet available in the larger cities of Ecuador but not right now. It is not unusual to go to a bank and find lots of people standing in line and no transactions taking place because the systems are down. I live in a modern, newer condo building with all of the companies offering internet services represented. Seldom do I get the speeds I pay for and it is not unusual for my internet service to be down for several minutes or several hours. It is what it is.

Ecuador: Property by the beach:

Purchasing land in Ecuador before becoming very familiar with the area, real estate prices and the many land scams (especially on the coast) is not a good idea. Owning property here as an absentee owner is not a good investment. And I would caution you not to try to have homes built here without being present throughout the entire process. This is not the US and you can get burned big time. Realtors here are not like those in the US. I would not trust them to have my best interests at heart. If you are considering moving to Ecuador I would reccomend that you rent a home or condo in whatever city or town that interests you then live there for at least a year before considering purchasing real estate. Two years is even better. It will give you time to know the area, real estate values, real estate scams and exactly where you want to live (which may not be Ecuador).

Ecuador Welcome Forum: electrical outlets:

We have grounded outlets in most all of our condo. In some rentals that were built 10 or more years ago they just have the two prong outlets. However all of the homes in Ecuador use 110 volt not 220 as is used in most of Europe.

Ecuador: Cutrure diference or spam?:

Have been living in Cuenca for 4 years and have expat friends who have married Ecuadorians. From what I have learned from them this seems to be more the norm than an exception.

Ecuador: Cell Phone for visit/Airport transport:

Truly, with a bit of awareness as to your environment and common sense you should have no problems. As for phones, we use GSM as do most, if not all countries in SA. And the smart thing is not to flash around a "smart phone" in public places and to keep it secure on your person or in your lodging. Ecuador has many poor people. Snatch and grab and pick pockets are often out and looking for opportunities to take your goods.

Ecuador Welcome Forum: Health Care in Ecuador:

If you have such problems you will want to be in one of the major cities. I would suggest Quito or Cuenca. If you don't mind heat and humidity you could choose Guayaquil. In my opinion, most of the smaller coastal cities lack well equipped medical and emergency medical facilities. This holds true for the higher elevations as well with the exceptions of those cities I mentioned. For the best care you will need to settle in one of the larger cities I mentioned.

Date Joined:

12/10/2010

Total Posts:

444

Posts/Day:

0.19