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Ecuador: Who is NOT here anymore?:
In Ibarra and loving it! CFS
Ecuador: Dog:
Hello Whisperer
You are correct! Airlines will not accept a French bulldog in baggage or cargo. When we lived in Cotacachi, a young couple from Oklahoma were neighbors who owned a FB who they had to leave behind with parents because the dog was not allowed to fly.
There may be one possibility for you, however: having your FB certified as a therapy dog. The airlines must allow therapy dogs to fly in the cabin with their owner. You will have to buy the seat however. To investigate this process, you might try starting with your family doctor or veterinarian. Either may have information that will get you started in the process. We know a contractor from New Hampshire who owns a small 17 year-old spitz. For 22 years he's been coming to Ecuador to visit friends for 90 days each year. After last year's visit, he returned home and was not pleased with how his dog had been cared for. Desperate, he began asking around and found a way to have the little thing certified. This year, the two of them flew in First Class on Delta or LAN from Miami. When they arrived, he had the broadest grin on his face and was absolutely bubbly with stories about how the cabin crew pampered his little spitz - she even had her own filet mignon enroute.
So, with a FB, that might get the job done. Go for it!
Ecuador: Bringing my pet into ecuador:
Although you did not say from what country you are traveling, another of your posts mentions the United States.
My wife is a veterinary technologist and had been a breeder for 30 years. She thoroughly researched the dog transportation issue from the U.S. to Ecuador and our two Idaho rescues, a doberman/shepherd cross and a border collie cross made the trip AS CHECKED BAGGAGE with no problems. Follow Ocean hideaway's advice for learning what the U.S. exit and Ecuador entry requirements are for the animal and comply with them.
As for airline selection: we planned to travel United from Houston to Quito until United would not confirm our dog's reservation until 3 days before departure. We refuse to travel separated from our dogs so we cancelled with United. Delta, on the other hand, had absolutely no problem accepting and guaranteeing our dog's travel with our travel as checked baggage and not cargo. Delta's flight from Atlanta was only 4.5 hrs as opposed to United's 5.5 hrs. from Houston and Atlanta has a dog park where we exercised and rested our dogs while waiting to board the flight to Quito. AND, once onboard in our seats, the Delta crew came to our seats to let us know that our dogs had been loaded aboard the aircraft. Upon arrival in Quito, our dogs were delivered to us at the baggage carousel while we awaited our luggage. An Ecuadorian agricultural representative met us at Ecuadorian customs and we had no delay or difficulty entering the Country.
Our advice: DO NOT ALLOW YOUR DOG TO TRAVEL AS CARGO! PERIOD. AND SCHEDULE YOUR FLIGHT SO THAT YOU ARRIVE IN THE MONDAY-THRUSDAY TIME FRAME. Check with your airline several times to see if you get the same answers to questions about how your dog will be handled. We know people who have departed from Miami (the shortest distance to Quito) following the same protocol and they had a great trip too with their fur children arriving with them as checked baggage and in good condition.
We have only heard horror stories from folks who didn't do their homework and their pets were handled as cargo. When they finally were allowed to claim their pet, he had been in his crate for 3 days without food or water, laying in his excrement. Cargo and customs employees are not concerned with the animal's needs.
Best of luck to you and your pet.
Ecuador: Graft, bribes, Corruption?:
Reading these posts, I guess we should distinguish between "Bribes" and "Expedite Fees" although, both are optionally offered rather than demanded.
When our visas were in the application process, Immigration "lost" our files. Our facilitator asked every day for an explanation. She finally was able to "persuade" a supervisor to have lunch with her to the tune of $75 and our files were produced the following day.
In Quito, we approached an intersection where we wanted to turn left. There were no signs prohibiting a left turn so we made the turn. About a block up the street, a transit officer stepped out of the median into my lane. He ushered me to the right curb and proceeded to enter my information into his computer. I got a bi-lingual friend on the phone who facilitated the conversation. The officer said that I made an illegal left turn. I replied there were no signs prohibiting it. He insisted there were 4 signs posted. The citation was $90. My translator suggested that I would be glad to settle the issue on the spot. The cop said he would forget all about it and remove my information from his computer for $40 cash. Not wanting to have me pass cash through the window, he handed me a small yellow book opened to a certain page. I took the book from him and inserted 2 $20 bills, close the book and handed it back to him. He printed something off his computer and wadded it up and let me go. We went back to the intersection and , sure enough, NO signs were there - not even sign posts!
Yes, President Correa has indeed weeded out many and we have not encountered any such interactions since this incident. But, I still have concerns that police and government employees can and sometimes even enjoy making up their own rules and you must comply.
I have great concerns that there does not seem to be any addressable oversight. So, to get along, its best to be courteous and be prepared to accept the results.
Roadblocks can pop up anyplace anytime, even in rural areas. The best advice I can give is, keep your car in good operating condition and your paperwork up to date.
BTW, I really like the idea of the camera!
Ecuador: Personally driving in Ecuador:
My wife and I came to Ecuador from the U.S. 2 years ago. We obtained Ecuadorean drivers licenses. To navigate the process, we hired a "facilitator", a local, to help us complete the process. One thing you should always keep in mind is that the rules here are very dynamic.
As O.H. said, you may rent and drive on your foreign D.L. with your passport but, don't have an accident! Follow her advice for roadblocks and stops by the transit and highway patrol officers. BE RESPECTFUL & POLITE.
The govt. requires successful completion of driving school for all applicants UNLESS the applicant possess a D.L. in good standing from Spain or any of the United States, in which case the license can be examined in Quito and a letter of authorization for you to bypass driving school will be issued for the local driver's license bureau to advance you to the written test and ultimately, license issuance.
DRIVE DEFENSIVELY! We find that it is very unwise to "sightsee" while behind the wheel. It is possible to encounter missing manhole covers and missing storm drain grates as well as spontaneous repairs to the driving surface or buried utilities. You must be completely aware of what all drivers around you are doing, especially the very slow ones way up in front of you and the very fast ones approaching you from the rear who may pass you at twice your speed.
If ticketed, you have to settle up at a bank designated by the government. Officers are not allowed to handle monies. You must wait at least 10 days for the citation to be entered into the system before you may pay it.
The highway system is greatly improved over the past 5 years so driving will be more pleasant. Don't expect signage to direct you.
I read a post from someone who bought the Garmin update and they said it wasn't worth the $50 or the trouble. I have not purchased one for my GPS.
Ecuador: Get busy living or get busy dying:
Excellent! How true.
Ecuador Welcome Forum: subsidized airfare:
Book with airline as he said or you may book with an Ecuadorean travel agent too. Your qualification as a senior is affirmed by your cedula and the 50% discount on AIRFARE only, applies to any domestic or international flights which originate in Ecuador. Some foreign carriers may honor the Ecuadorean discount on flights that connect in non-Ecuadorean cities while others may not. Check with your airline or travel agent. We received a full 50% discount on a round trip from Quito to the U.S. and return, this past summer. Present the cedula and buy the tickets - no problem!
Ecuador: Where is a good place to buy ceramic tile and lighting in Quito:
If you are building, I would begin with your general contractor unless he can't help you or you are doing it on the cheap. If you want quality, send me a private message and I will give you the name of someone in Ibarra who can help you.
Ecuador: Looking to talk / meet with expat families..:
Where are you living presently and how long have you lived there?
Ecuador: Banking US to Ecuador:
If your situation in EC requires an account at a EC bank, you might take a look at Spanish-owned Banco Internacional headquartered in Madrid with branches all over EC.
If all you need is spending cash, keep your money in your US bank and use ATMs like PashkaCapn suggested. Its the easiest, quickest and least expensive way.
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