xaminer

Hi everyone, First, let me say, as others have noted before me, this is a site that appears to answer questions in a positive manner with the intention of being as helpful as possible. Thanks for that. My name is Bob and I have lived in Ellijay, a small town in north Georgia, for the past 21 years. Prior to that I lived in Atlanta and Indianoplis. Grew up in Tennessee. I worked in restaurants for 30 years. I was one of very few "Gringos" working as a waiter and got great exposure to other cultures as my co-workers were from all over the world. The last restaurant owner I worked for was Italian and, prior to that, I worked for 2 Swiss brothers. I have been twice in Brasil, twice in Peru and once in Costa Rica. The Brasil and Peru trips involved travel primarily by motorized canoe into remote areas with no roads, no electricity and no restaurants. I trained in real estate title work in 2002. I now operate my own company. Now I am too busy to do anything else. I have been working 60-80 hours each week for the last 5-6 years. Weekdays are spent doing research and the weekends and evenings are spent putting together reports. I am getting tired and I am getting old and I want to get out of this "rat race". I turned 66 last November and waited until that time to take SS. I get a little south of $1,900.00 each month, I have some savings and I have an IRA. I have been divorced for over 25 years and have no children. My house and vehicles are paid for. As I conducted research, Ecuador kept showing up in the photograph. Keeping in mind that a lot of things that shine can also tarnish very quickly I got in touch with a gentleman I met in Peru years ago who is director of a non-profit conservation organization. He has put me in touch with ecological organizations in Ecuador and in Costa Rica. I will be visiting in late October and part of November. I know some Ecuadorians from the restaurant business. They sill have family in the Cuenca area and have offered to have me visit with them to get a feel for the Ecuadorian lifestyle and viewpoint. I am not going into a decision prematurely or blind. I would appreciate any input and advice you expats with boots on the ground can give me. I have a target date of Dec., 2014. I speak only enough Spanish to get dinner and a beer and locate the restroom. When I visit later this year I would like to personally meet with some of you to get your viewpoints. Thanks to all.