About SWIRLZ

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Male

Currently Lives:

United States

Citizen Of:

United States

Some Forum Posts:

Ecuador: Traveling Around Ecuador:

During the last 4 years we have driven all over Ecuador and into Peru. You will need an Ecuadorian drivers license and some degree of Spanish...the more the better! You MUST have four wheel drive and a medium to good sized engine. GPS is nice but once you get off the main roads you're on your own. Yes....the initial cost of a car is high...but so is the resale. Net/net it's less than in the US. If you're truly going to drive a lot....buy a used car because the roads will simply ruin a nice new car too quickly. Stay within 6 to 8 years old and around 100K kilometers. Get it examined by a mechanic. get new hoses and maybe a timing belt and then don't worry about it. Carry water and toilet paper!

Ecuador: Interested in Equador:

First....it sounds as if you would enjoy Ecuador's beauty and mountains 2) forget what IL (intentional liars) says about Ecuador....they are hucksters and their info is false and outdated. 3) BEFORE you jump come here for a month at least and see firsthand how it feels for YOU. In December AA is starting non-stops from DFW to Quito so travel is getting easier.

Ecuador Welcome Forum: document translation:

Sorry....the answer is none. All your translations must be done in Ecuador and then notarized here in Ecuador.

Ecuador: Travel in Ecuador / Cotopaxi?:

It will depend on several things: 1) of course....IF it erupts 2) where in Ec are you going? 3) what you're fear is....hot lava, NOT unless your right there very close...or sooty/ash filled air which will depend on which way the wind blows. I wouldn't be overly concerned. IF it erupted big....my fear would be will my flight leaving be delayed.

Ecuador: Hair salon quality:

There are100's of salons from high end to low end. And after listening to the MRS post salon complaints for 30 years.....it is just as hit or miss here any anywhere we have lived. However, I will add the costs are much less than she paid in the US.

Ecuador: vacation trip to Ecuador:

I would suggest you start in Quito because it has a good array of flights. There are hundreds of hotel options....we use Hotel Eugenia. Then fly or take a van service to Cuenca. The van takes about 7 or 8 hours but the scenery will be worth the time. Cuenca is home to a couple thousand xpats, many hotel options at all price ranges and many restaurants and gringo hangoust. So meeting/chating etc etc will be easy. Gringos tend to be the tall gray-haired ones! I would keep my eyes and ears open re the coast as EL Nino is being predicted to be quite bad.....because of this I'd save that until the last minute. IF the coast is very important to you....do more research and maybe come at another time.

Ecuador: Moving to Cuenca:

I can only answer the second half of your question re dogs: yes, there are apartments/houses that rent to dog owners....but...as you would expect, they are harder to find and typically a little more costly. Typically newcomers move two or three times the first year for various reasons as they learn the lay of the land so keep your options open and you will find the right place given time.

Ecuador: Apple Mac Books:

We have had Apple ipad and ipod repaired at an Apple store in Millenium Mall. Prices are about 50% higher mas o menos

Ecuador Welcome Forum: Looking for an apartment in Ecuador:

OK.....first tell us "where" in Ecuador you want to go. It's not a huge country but you need to narrow this question down geographically. Beach, mountains, urban, rural? Next....tell a little about yourself.....what you are thinking about or want to achieve by coming here. Last....research the archives of this site....everything from where, to how much, to immigration etc etc have been written about hundreds of times. Also....don't even think about shipping belongings until you have been here and until you have legal residency! (it will cost $6000 to $12000 and take about 6 weeks and you MUST have residency to avoid taxation)

Ecuador Welcome Forum: pets:

You imply you MIGHT be thinking of driving here and I assume you mean from North America to Ecuador. Research research research because that is virtually impossible. Plus it is VERY difficult to enter/import a vehicle into Ecuador. FLY!

Date Joined:

3/25/2011

Total Posts:

474

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0.21