About Keylime

Status:

Repatriate 

Gender:

Male

Currently Lives:

Citizen Of:

Canada

Dual Citizen Of:

United States

About Keylime

I am a dual citizen of Canada and the USA. Our residence has been in the USA since 1972, with the exception of 8 years in England. I speak fluent German, and am studying Spanish. All three of our adult children live in the Seattle area. My wife speaks and understands Russian and polish. I am presently learning Spanish in Riobamba (apr to june 2012)

Some Forum Posts:

Ecuador Welcome Forum: Banos Ecuador:

I suggest you check out Vilcabamba in the province of Loja.... A town of about 4000 people... with about 800-1000 Europeans and North Americans. Temperatures up to 85F and at night generally not colder than 50F

Ecuador Welcome Forum: rural living around Loja/Vilca:

I sent you a private message

Ecuador: Working abroad with Resident Visa:

We are retired and have had our resident visa for over two years now. My wife wants to work as a travel nurse and for a couple of years. How long can she stay out of Ecuador without losing her resident status?

Ecuador: basic cell phone in Ecuador:

A basic cell can be purchased for $40+ As far as Skype is concerned I would just go to an Internet Cabina, less than a dollar per hour.... and they are around everywhere

Ecuador Welcome Forum: Shipping to Vilcabamba:

Hey sin-ego, I live in Vilcabamba, and around here, we spell "the suitcase" LA maleta, not el maleta. We can talk about it at Charlitos.... by the way Pilsner there is now $1.75 keylime

Ecuador: Loja - Saraguro - more transport:

I have taken a bus from Loja many times going to Cuenca.... and they all stop at Saraguro, and they will also stop at Ona... if you ask them. There is one bus that used to even drive up to the town center of Ona.... can't remember which company it was. There are 2 or 3 bus companies that take the same route going from Loja to Cuenca.

Ecuador: Loja Taxi:

About $15

Ecuador: Advice on cash access.:

There is no sense having more than a couple of hundred dollars in your pocket. I don't know how much money you need, but probably your best bet is to use the ATM. Before you leave for this country, talk to your bank and let them know when you will be in Ecuador and and you might want to increase your daily limit, since that is the only way to do it. If you are needing, say $20K, then I would suggest you open an account at a Co-op (credit union), make a minimum deposit to open the account, and then write a check from your bank back home and write yourself a check for whatever amount you need, and deposit in your account here at the co-op..... a deposit like that typically takes about 2 weeks to clear.

Ecuador: Banking in Ecuador?:

Floridaray: Ray..... I don't think your questions have been fully answered. It is true that there is no FDIC in this country, but funds in all banks are guaranteed up to $30,000 per person if they are in separate accounts. This is guaranteed by the Ecuadorian government. When you come here for a few weeks or months... your best bet for your own safety is to use the ATM here for cash. However, you have to let your bank that you will be in Ecuador, and give them the dates you will be there. How much you can draw in one day is determined by YOUR bank, so you may consider raising your present limit. Say your limit per day is $1000 at your bank. Generally speaking there is a limit at the ATM here for say, $300. So obviously if you ask for $1000 you will get nothing!.... however you can draw $300, and then put your card in again and ask for $300 etc etc. If you want to open a bank account I can tell you that you have to do quite a bit of paperwork.... typically they will want a reference by a doctor or attorney that you are in good standing in the area. It took me a full 1 1/2 days to get mine! An easy solution is to use a credit union, a building society in the UK and here in Ecuador they are called Co-ops. I opened an account with them and it took 10 minutes. The funds in a Co-op are not government guaranteed, but many of them have insurance for the same amount the banks have.

Ecuador: Immigration Office -- Cuenca or Machala better?:

When I first moved to Ecuador three years ago, my wife and I lived in Cuenca and got our visas there. A year later, we moved to Vilcabamba in the province of Loja. Our son and his family moved to Vilcabamba also, He was instructed that he needed to get his visa in Machala. The office there is small, and they do have at least one person there that is fluent in English. That was two years ago, and it may have changed. I suggest you talk to Jose at jose@espinosareyesruiz.com.... a law firm in the city of Loja, he is a young man that helps getting a visa.... he is not a lawyer yet, but I assume he will be soon. He would be able to help you with your questions and save you a trip to Machala or Cuenca. Jose speaks fluent English. Their office is one block north of the Town square in Loja.

Date Joined:

3/2/2012

Total Posts:

241

Posts/Day:

0.13