About penathey

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Some Forum Posts:

Ecuador: where are the USA Travel Warnings???:

Go to google.com. Search phrase: travel advisories united kingdom. Click on the first link. You will go to a home page where you can click on the USA link to see what the British government advises about travel in the US. You could do the same by going to another country's travel advisories (France, say, or Germany). They will all talk about the threat of terrorism in the US and crime in major cities.

Ecuador: a shame:

Mmmmm.....yes, and the top five most dangerous (violent crime) cities in the world are all in the United States, which is known for senseless mass killings and serial killers, and where the fabric of society is being rent by a class war because the form of government is an oligarchy.

Ecuador: the simple truth about it:

Amen, fellow old gal. I've lived on four continents and worked in many many places. There is no perfect year round climate or cultural context or perfectly drinkable water or reliably safe food anywhere in the world...even in North America, the water and food can make you sick and you can detest your hillbilly townspeople and nearly expire or have to electronically insulate yourself from the heat or cold or humidity or aridity. You said it...just pick the place where you get a wart on your finger now and then, instead of on the end of your nose with a big thick black hair growing out of it.

Ecuador: Where in the country are dengue fever and malaria a problem and where are they not?:

They are both mosquito borne diseases, so wherever you expect to get bitten a lot, that's where your greater risks are. I had both dengue and malaria in Asia. No fun. You can take malaria prevention tablets, but it is not recommended to do so for a long period of time. i don't know of a vaccine yet for dengue fever. It is worse than malaria, in my personal experience. You can cure malaria if you catch it in its first stages, but many people die or break bones from dengue.

Nepal: Safety in Bodihnath area:

How safe is the area around Bodhinath these days? I have not lived in Nepal since 1989, so please catch me up on the situation there. Any reasonable rentals in that area? Thanks

Ecuador: Help me change to a daily digest vs individual posts:

I now get every individual post in my email inbox. Nowhere can I find out how to change that to a daily or weekly digest format, so that I don't have one or two hundred messages a day. thanks.

Ecuador: Pro-active crime prevention?:

I would look at your maid and gardener, too. They probably make less than your security guard. Periodic bonuses and really getting to know them and their whole family will go a long way toward discouraging tipping off criminals as to your possessions and activities. I lived in a country in Asia in the center of the city, just a few blocks from the royal palace, where police presence was heavy. I had broken glass embedded on the walls, a full time security guard, a junkyard dog, and watchful neighbors. One time when I was out of the country, all of the above were defeated. The thieves came in the wee dark hours, tossed poisoned meat over the fence, and knocked out my security guard. What kept my personal property secure was iron window bars and iron security door. It was the only time I was targeted. I didn't report it to the police, who--in that country--are some of the most corrupt in the world. Better to look out for yourself as an expat in all of the ways you possibly can (hoping for the best but planning for the worst) than to think that the local gendarmerie are going to protect and serve you.

Ecuador: Opinions on BEST, and LOWEST Altitude cities to live:

Mini lecture on high altitude: I lived and worked at a high altitude research and rescue station at 13,943 feet in the Himalayas. Almost anyone can adapt to living at altitudes up to 10,000 feet--commonly do so in the Rockies and other North American mountain chains. Lhasa in Tibet is at 12,000 feet. People live very successfully at altitudes up to 15,000 feet. Cuenca at 8,500 is just a bit more than Aspen, Colorado at 7890, to put it into perspective. Anyone who comes from sea level to even 5000 feet or higher can experience symptoms of high altitude sickness...headache, cough, fatigue, disorientation, dehydration, to name the major ones. There are degrees of severity, and what appears to be a mild case can progress quickly to a life-threatening emergency. Almost everyone will experience some of these symptoms in a mild form, and you shouldn't let it scare the heck out of you, just listen to your body and follow some common sense rules. The two main forms of high altitude sickness which can cause death if severe are pulmonary edema (the lungs fill with water) and cerebral edema (the brain retains water and swells). Whatever degree of manifestation, the ONLY cure for high altitude sickness is DESCENT to a lower altitude...the faster the better, if it is severe. In the meanwhile, in a severe case, keep the person warm and calm. If there is no way to descend, get the person to a doctor for administration of diuretics and steroids (not always helpful, but it may buy you some time). A hyperbaric chamber can also be used for mild to severe sickness. It is essentially a pressurized tube. I imagine that if you check around, one of the hospitals around Quenca has either a Gamow bag (American made) or a Certec (from France). You can buy a Gamow bag for about $2200 but need a physician's prescription. There are some preventative measures one can take with regard to high altitude. A gradual ascent with intermittent rest days at successively higher altitudes is the best way to go, but generally, that means making an overland trip. When flying in from a lower altitude, the main rules to follow for the first few days are: rest and drink water. For a full three weeks, just take it slow and easy, drink water, and get lots of sleep, gradually increasing your activity to match your increased level of stamina. Why three weeks? This is the average amount of time it takes for your body to kick into gear and produce more oxygen-carrying red blood cells. If you take a trip down to sea level at the end of your acclimatization to 8,500 feet, you will probably find that you have greatly increased stamina. Why drink water? Your newly thickening blood is more subject to sluggish passage through your smaller blood vessels, and may also be more likely to clot. Also, when you are huffing and puffing when you are acclimatizing, you are exhaling a surprising amount of water. Why go slow and get lots of sleep? The first is obvious, and the second is because sleep is the body's restorative time. Hope that helps.

Ecuador: I'm interested in Lojas:

Dunmovn, I've been snooping around this forum for a couple of weeks and LO! finally a really short answer to a long series of questions about why I would want to retire in various locations in Ecuador. Thenk yew.

Nepal: Buddhist author:

http://keithdowman.net/

Date Joined:

9/12/2012

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51

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0.03