Where does one begin?

Begin by coming to visit.  Ecudor is the right call.  Have been to Costa Rica and though beautiful it is way overpriced.  If you want affordablity, sloooow pace, and a grand adventure Ecuador is the place for you.  Come down for a month or two and get to know this beautiful country.  This is the best way to research.  Check out how we did it at http://atruetalltale.wordpress.com

Thank you.

EDLAm,
I am from the same neighborhood as you ( Minnesota ) and have many of the same feelings as youself. I retired, and started in the process you now find yourself in: looking for an alternative place to retire in, rather than the US. I, like you, came to find Ecuador. Last year, I went and spent 2 weeks in Cuenca. I absolutely fell in love with the place, and am going back to buy this coming Spring.
Schedule a trip. Visit. Work on your Spanish if need be. I would suggest a minimum of 2 weeks, but, if you're retired, why not take longer? From my research prior to my trip, I was pretty sure Cuenca was the place for me. Others have different needs and desires, of course. For me, Cuenca was very much a " sister city " to where I'm from, Minneapolis. There is a lot of theater, rivers, good eating, and music, music, music!!! And, if you happen to be Catholic, there is a good chance you'll be able to find a church!! ( wait till you get there to see the humor of that )
If you should make the decision to move there, you and I can get together in the Fall, watch the Vikes beat Da Bears, and both end up crying in our beers at seasons end! ( some things DON'T change )
If you have any specific questions regarding my experience, or flights, accomadations, etc., feel free to PM me.
Good Luck in your journey!
Neil

ZenSPIKE
Thank you so much for your reply.  Yes, it's hard here in the States and I can no longer tolerate all the political nonsense and expenses.  It's time to get out.
Again, thank you for your time, and feel free to tell me more about yourself.
Ed

Read your profile.  If you love dogs and animals be prepared to have your heart broken in Ecuador.  There's lots of animal abuse and neglect here.  I see it almost daily on my walk to work.  I'm an animal lover too and it's rough.

jm141302
That gives us a cause.  Animal rescue? Shelter for animals? Educating people of the value of animals?  Show how they can be useful to help people?
This may be naive, at the same time, I find optimism a great motivator.  Glad to hear from a fellow animal lover.  Thanks.
Ed

Ed, this is a third world country without sufficient resources to support humans let alone animals. If caring for animals concern you, prepare yourself for little children begging on street corners. You might reconsider your attitude about the USA and opportunities it offers.

EDLAm wrote:

jm141302
That gives us a cause.  Animal rescue? Shelter for animals? Educating people of the value of animals?  Show how they can be useful to help people?
This may be naive, at the same time, I find optimism a great motivator.  Glad to hear from a fellow animal lover.  Thanks.
Ed

You're 100 % correct.

There is no Animal Humane Society in Cuenca, nor all of Ecuador. BUT.... there is a group of dedicated Vets and Volunteers that donate their time to humane treatment of these unfortunate animals, and a spaying/ nuetering program. I intend to step up, and volunteer. Education is also a tool.
So, as always, we can wring our hands, and claim this is an unsurmountable problem, or roll up our sleeves, jump in, and try to illeviate the problem.

There are always nay sayers, and those that will see problems as unsurmountable, but, no problem was ever solved by ignoring it. I support you in your desire to help. Good on you!
Stay Well,
Neil

Neil,

In your profile you stated that you were going to visit Ecuador but never stated that you made it there to retire.  Did you?

We are approximately the same age which gives us our optimism for change.  We did a lot in the 60s and 70s and are a determined group.  We might not be able to change things but maybe we can make a small dent to improve quality of life for both people and animals.  (That must be the residue of my idealism speaking.)

Ed

I do not think that man Ed meant to be rude we North American love animals and we are fortunate to be able to care for them like we do...of course we would want to save children/humans..but animals are part of nature as we are... .so respect ALL  I say..

Ecuador seems Kool

we will be there August 5 we are set with visa and have already packed...lol...our girls think we are crazy....well we are not going to wait until we are 100! It's funny our daughter drove on the autobahn in Austria at 210 miles an hr...and I'm crazy....rrriiigghhttt...

fdmcg wrote:

Ed, this is a third world country without sufficient resources to support humans let alone animals. If caring for animals concern you, prepare yourself for little children begging on street corners. You might reconsider your attitude about the USA and opportunities it offers.

Perhaps people could reconsider the type of charity work they want to do as guests in Ecuador.  I searched the web for soup kitchens in Ecuador and only came up with 3, all in or around Quito.  One was built by the nonprofit Christian organization Workers in the Harvest and opened in August of 2008 "30 minutes north of the existing one".  I could find no current info on it, and fear it had the fate of many of these projects that do not survive very long after the founders move on. 

A soup kitchen that is still operating through the Joliet, Illinois, Diocese, started in 2004, serves 90 meals daily to school children for $.50 or less, depending on what they can afford.  The high mortality rate among the very young is caused by malnutrition, plus 55% of the children have a parasitic tapeworm in their digestive systems.  The kitchen is open to all ages, for being old and having no family could mean starvation. The organization, Quito Barrio Outreach, is a registered 501(C)(3)charity which figures it requires $1,100 to $1,200 a month to function.

Quito Barrio Outreach also set up a pre-school, elementary school and two nurseries in El Centro Infantil Miguelito, 20 minutes northwest of Quito at 3,120 meters above sea level.  Over 20 years ago a single mother went to work and left her three children at home.  While the two older children were playing outside, a pig entered the house and ate the sleeping baby.  The center was built a year later, and by October 20, 1993, the center had its formal inauguration.

Obviously this is a drop in the bucket of what needs to be done in Ecuador to save lives and improve the quality of life.
"How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see?"  Bob Dylan

"How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see?"  Bob Dylan

Another quote from local boy!!!

I think compassion is an in borne thing, that some of us have, and other's will never experience. My son, while attending The U of M, was a full time student, with a full time job. He managed to accomplish being on the Deans List, and National Honors Society, while working full time and, volunteered 2 day's a week for a  food shelter in a different city. I was so proud of him, that I joined him in preparing and serving food. What a fulfilling experience that was!
I don't think I've ever been more proud of him for his work ethic, nor his scholastic achievements, than for his humanitarian works.
Stay Well,
Neil

Yes, it could be genes and/or envirnment that would allow a person to help his fellow man.  Others have quoted me a guy NOT from Minn. who said that helping the least fortunate is doing God's work.  Then there are those of us that were on our own, with no direction home, like a complete unknown, who have used such services and want to give back 10 fold.

At $2,000 a month, you will be fine. If you are retiring from the military, Tri-care (but not Medicare) will cover your medical expenses here, at the allotted percentage, which I think is 75%. But, medical cost here are much lower. Interestingly, I am taking a medicine that costs $4 per dose here and $1,000 per dose in the U.S. That is an extreme case, but still a good indication of the differences. There are just a few opposite examples. For example, Allegra (which is now generic) is about 8 times more expensive here.

Women here are like women everywhere. If you are a nice guy and treat them well, you should have no problem. From what I have seen of the male attitude towards women here, the average American male is more enlightened than 90% of the Ecuadorian males, and you will be appreciated for that. Also, people are much more open here and not  prudish at all. I don't have a girlfriend, but all my Ecuadorian friends here tease me and are are annoyingly persistant in "hooking me up." I think I will have to get a girlfriend just to get them to stop pestering me.

Now, the really sad news; they eat Guinea Pig (Cuy). In fact, it is considered a delicacy. How gross is that?

Tricare can be transferred for overseas care. I am retired army and the out briefing Tricare covers it. But the VA I can see being all sorts of fun. My hubby and I just thought since the VA just sends you your meds every month why not have them sent to a relative and they can put them in a shipping box and send them. We currently just retired and live in Idaho. We have a couple more years before kids are out of the house but we still find all sorts of time to travel. We are heading to Ecuador in January for a few weeks. I hope this helps.
Rory