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Johninnv
  5/15/2018 07:46 EST

There are so many places nier than Guayaquil. The coast offers many alternatives. Manta is the next biggest Coast city and has some of the best and most consistent weather in EC. I live on the beach in Santa Marianita (about 15 mins from Manta) and my 36 YO daughter lives with me. You should try to spend a couple of months "exploring" before deciding. I'll bet many members of the forum would offer you inexpensive or free accommodations for a week or a few days. Everyone has different preferences. I agree that Cuenca is TOO cold for me..... I never even considered it. Having spent 50 years in the Park City area of Utah I never want to be cold or see snow again! The 73 - 86 f degree year round temp here suits me just fine! If I were you I would set out on a road trip if you can.

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EARLABS
  5/15/2018 13:09 EST

There are so many places nier than Guayaquil. The coast offers many alternatives.
ABSOLUTLY CORRECT! TRY The coast start at Salinas or close by and explore the coast. Weather is much nicer and less humid than GYE and you can be at the airport in 2 hrs or to shop in GYE.

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kmoriarty45
  5/15/2018 13:37 EST

Guayaquil gets a bad rap - even by Ecuadorianos - but it really is not more dangerous than most large cities in the world and like many large cities - New York, Barcelona, London, Rome etc. - it has a great deal to offer culturally, economically, and freedom of lifestyle.


There are pros and cons of living anywhere but don't let a few naysayers scare you off. If you want the true skinny on Guayaquil and living there, ask Dr. Dana Camaron ( Agua Plata), She's lived and worked there for over 10 years and she'll be happy to give you the truth about La perla, as GuayaquileƱos call their city.


If I were 30 years younger and single, I wouldn't hesitate to live and work in Guayaquil There are some terrific barrios in and around the city. It's a city of great diversity and vibrancy.


Me ? I prefer, in my senior years, the comparatively slower pace of Machala ( about 3+ hours south of Guayaquil, on the coast and 1 hour's drive to the Peru border.

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user001
  5/15/2018 17:43 EST

just to counter the above opinions, Guayaquil is a hot, horrible, big, dirty, polluted city that I wouldn't choose to spend a day more than I had to in.

Just got back from a long weekend there and hopefully that will be it for this year


> and it didn't seem as scary as I had been led to believe

It's no where near as bad as it was. The memories of how bad it was fade slowly, even for the local population. The inlaws tell me about murders in the urdesa restaurant areas seemingly every year (robberies gone bad more than anything else), but there are very much very dangerous neighbourhoods that do not compare to UK cities (cannot say for other countries).

But if you want a big hot city where you can buy things, then it does tick those boxes. Personally, I like to be able to walk around, breathe clean air. But each to their own :)

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Penguin007
  5/16/2018 09:41 EST

I totally agree. I like Guayaquil. I am from Chicago originally but bought a condo in Salinas in 2009. I have a condo in Guayaquil also and enjoy spending some time there.

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withoutego
  5/17/2018 09:39 EST

As much as I like Cuenca I must agree - anymore it is cold and clammy and wet.

I am camped out in the city of four rivers and one hundred churches for two weeks.

Dental work prior to flying north.

With three days of continuous overcast and afternoon showers. It naturally cools down a lot. At a mile high the air is thin. Without the input of heat from the sun - its less than ideal.

As in Vilcabamba the rainy season is not giving up easily. Down there its maybe 8F warmer on average even with its rain and cloud.

This year I put my stuff in storage so that I can have a fresh start in the fall. I'll find another house, maybe in the area of Vilcabamba, maybe elsewhere in Ecuador.

It might be nice to complain about a climate too hot vs too cold in a new area. That is one reason for not sending expat roots too deep in this soil. Seven years back, when I spent my first year in Cuenca, it was fine.

time to look elsewhere.

sinego

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28204km
  5/17/2018 17:43 EST

Yes you sure said that right.Nothing much good about Cuenca.Expats are crazy wanting to live in Cuenca.

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kmarch
  5/17/2018 18:24 EST

The best line of your comment:

"It might be nice to complain about a climate too hot vs too cold in a new area."

The punch line?
There is no Shangri-La.
I quit looking a long time ago.

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Blueridgeboy1
  5/26/2018 18:43 EST

How about any suggestions for "warmer than Cuenca" in the central highlands? Altitude plays such a role in temperature. Does anyone have recommendations of lower/warmer small towns where an Expat with good Spanish could settle down?

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kmarch
  5/26/2018 19:04 EST

Loja sounds like a good fit for you.
Less expats so more Spanish required. Big enough to have most of the services a city offers. A SuperMaxi, Symphony, cheap plentiful public transportation. Vilcabamba close by. A botanical gardens on the edge of town. Easy access to Cuenca & its airport by bus. (Or there is a tiny regional airport close by. Podocarpus National Park - So access to nature close by. I think the water is safe to drink there.

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kmarch
  5/26/2018 19:10 EST

Loja sounds like a good fit for you. Less expats so more Spanish required. Big enough to have most of the services a city offers. A SuperMaxi, Symphony, cheap plentiful public transportation. Vilcabamba close by. A botanical gardens on the edge of town. Easy access to Cuenca & its airport by bus. (Or there is a tiny regional airport close by.) Podocarpus National Park - So access to nature close by. I think the water is safe to drink there.

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kmoriarty45
  5/26/2018 19:58 EST

I've got 3 recommendations... 1st is the ubiquitous "other" expat hangout - Vilcabamba. Lots of plus/plus - small quaint town, dryer climate than Cuenca ( almost anyplace here is ! ), very nice people ( even some of the gringos ) and within easy bus ride to a major city - Loja.


2)
The aforementioned Loja is my "city of choice". Good climate, good people, clean and attractive, not too many gringos and lots of amenities.


3) The best kept secret - a half an hour bus ride south or Lojas _ is Catamayo. Dryer than the other two, less gringos, but very friendly locals and very affordable real estate & rentals. Also THIS is where the Loja airport actually IS !


My personal choices, were I not here in Machala would be Loja for a city or Catamayo for a great town.


P.S. We also love Ambato and Banos but am not really cool about living that close to the volcano.

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Blueridgeboy1
  5/26/2018 21:19 EST

Thank you. The outskirts of smaller towns is my cup of tea These sound nice. My weak spot is access to a library, but I'll take the bus to get to one.

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