The unofficial web page of the greater Cuenca expat community

pensionado wrote:

SJpersonal note:
I highly recommend you spend a bit of time in your chosen location before relocating.
Your enthusiasm is admirable. But if you plan to retire to Cuenca then flip flops will not be part of your daily wear I can assure you.
Great idea to take up Spanish: have you considered Pimsleur approach to learning Spanish?
You also need to think about what you will really miss about "back home" if/when you relocate. That is why this forum is an excellent source of info so you have landed on the right spot for some of the folks who have chosen Ecuador as their new permanent home.
My personal choice is to visit and travel Ecuador every odd year (while I am still able, the even years are for other SA countries) for a chunk of our winter (90 days max.) and then return home. And I am fluent in Spanish, having grown up in Colombia and Peru.
You will see that there are a number of folks who buy into IL's selling of Ecuador (for example) only to return home after a few months of realizing they weren't in Kansas anymore.
Just my thoughts.

Hi, I am definitely not looking for a little America.  I have traveled throughout Europe, the Caribbean, etc.  I want out of the US! But no flip flops, now that may just be a deal breaker LOL!  I do plan to visit before relocating there, at least several times before, that is a must.  I totally understand that Ecuador is not the US, that is the appeal for me.  I want a simpler healthier lifestyle, I want to be out in nature, to walk more. I want a different life.  I am definitely NOT Naive.  That is why I have started my research so early, I want as few surprises as possible.  Regarding learning Spanish, I have already purchased Rosetta Stone and I have 30 days to try it out.  I see people complaining about the US foods that they miss, I have not eaten anything out of a can or plastic bag in over 5 years, I love cooking I have over 200 International cookbooks.  If I want Fried Chicken Pasta or BBQ then I will make it myself, I am looking forward to learning about Ecuadorian foods.  I found out that there is even a Raw Food Community in Cuenca, which I have become interested in during the last few years.  Trust me I am going into this with my eyes wide open.

I can't wait!  If I hit the Lotto I will be there that much sooner.

sjpersonal wrote:

But no flip flops, now that may just be a deal breaker

If you are living near the coast I think there are places where you can get by in flip-flops. You certainly can in Galapagos as long as you aren't running around in the rougher areas. I would expect other coastal areas to be similar.

sjpersonal wrote:

I can't wait!  If I hit the Lotto I will be there that much sooner.

Perhaps if you stop playing the Lotto you will get there sooner, or at least show up with more cash.

MikeGB wrote:

sjpersonal wrote:

But no flip flops, now that may just be a deal breaker

If you are living near the coast I think there are places where you can get by in flip-flops. You certainly can in Galapagos as long as you aren't running around in the rougher areas. I would expect other coastal areas to be similar.

Ok you are aware that the above was a joke right?

mugtech wrote:

sjpersonal wrote:

I can't wait!  If I hit the Lotto I will be there that much sooner.

Perhaps if you stop playing the Lotto you will get there sooner, or at least show up with more cash.

Yep this one too

SJpersonal  says she loves to cook and has lots of cookbooks. I did too. Problem is that cooking at this altitude  is a totally different  animal!  Cook books are helpful  but a lot of experimentation  is required.

CB48 wrote:

SJpersonal  says she loves to cook and has lots of cookbooks. I did too. Problem is that cooking at this altitude  is a totally different  animal!  Cook books are helpful  but a lot of experimentation  is required.

Has also been my experience, when I get too high everything changes.

sjpersonal wrote:

MikeGB wrote:

sjpersonal wrote:

But no flip flops, now that may just be a deal breaker

If you are living near the coast I think there are places where you can get by in flip-flops. You certainly can in Galapagos as long as you aren't running around in the rougher areas. I would expect other coastal areas to be similar.

Ok you are aware that the above was a joke right?

Sorry, I must be stupid. It wasn't obvious to me.

MikeGB wrote:

sjpersonal wrote:

MikeGB wrote:

If you are living near the coast I think there are places where you can get by in flip-flops. You certainly can in Galapagos as long as you aren't running around in the rougher areas. I would expect other coastal areas to be similar.

Ok you are aware that the above was a joke right?

Sorry, I must be stupid. It wasn't obvious to me.

I believe it was obvious to her because a woman of her international refinement could surely exist without the footwear  favored by the poorest people in the Philippines, hence the joke.

mugtech wrote:

CB48 wrote:

SJpersonal  says she loves to cook and has lots of cookbooks. I did too. Problem is that cooking at this altitude  is a totally different  animal!  Cook books are helpful  but a lot of experimentation  is required.

Has also been my experience, when I get too high everything changes.

Yes it definitely does LOL!  Good one!

mugtech wrote:

MikeGB wrote:

sjpersonal wrote:

Ok you are aware that the above was a joke right?

Sorry, I must be stupid. It wasn't obvious to me.

I believe it was obvious to her because a woman of her international refinement could surely exist without the footwear  favored by the poorest people in the Philippines, hence the joke.

Mugtech, Flip Flops and sandals are pretty much all that I wear in Los Angeles.  It is all about comfort for me.  I am assuming that the comment regarding the Philippines was in jest.

CB48 wrote:

SJpersonal  says she loves to cook and has lots of cookbooks. I did too. Problem is that cooking at this altitude  is a totally different  animal!  Cook books are helpful  but a lot of experimentation  is required.

Yes, I read about the altitude, so that is something that I will have to figure out, but people do cook at home in Ecuador so it should be fine.

MikeGB wrote:

sjpersonal wrote:

MikeGB wrote:

If you are living near the coast I think there are places where you can get by in flip-flops. You certainly can in Galapagos as long as you aren't running around in the rougher areas. I would expect other coastal areas to be similar.

Ok you are aware that the above was a joke right?

Sorry, I must be stupid. It wasn't obvious to me.

Just look for the LOL or 

sjpersonal wrote:

mugtech wrote:

MikeGB wrote:

Sorry, I must be stupid. It wasn't obvious to me.

I believe it was obvious to her because a woman of her international refinement could surely exist without the footwear  favored by the poorest people in the Philippines, hence the joke.

Mugtech, Flip Flops and sandals are pretty much all that I wear in Los Angeles.  It is all about comfort for me.  I am assuming that the comment regarding the Philippines was in jest.

Of course

Best I could tell today, this was a promotion for Fuze teac.

It appears that the guy who went by CharlieinCuenca who got banned at Expat Exchange for a lack of political correctness (apparently) has a found a place where he can sound off.  I know it is him not only for this comment but for some others he left where he talks about "minnesota nice" and not being able to voice his opinion.

Ken Merena
January 30, 2015
Hello, Monte,
My skin crawls when I get around the lunatic fringe (yeah, microwaves change the molecular structure of water, right), thus I don’t get out much these days because Cuenca (and God forbid, Vilcabamba) has them lurking around every bush. I often ask this question: “Why does Ecuador seem to attract so many of these kooks?” I still can’t figure it out.
Do you know any safe places where I can go to avoid this nonsense? A nice meal without drunken, yelling, conspiratorial theorists would be nice every once in a while.  ;-) Of course it will have to be someplace free of chemtrails because they’re real, you know…
http://www.wnd.com/2010/09/206525/
Ken

http://cuencahighlife.com/gluten-love-i … ee-debate/

P.S. I posted my first two comments at CuencHighlife waiting moderation.  I am curious to see if I am persona non grata over there.

I can sympathize with him to some extent. It does seem that expat communities harbor a disproportionate number of conspiracy theorists -- that was certainly my experience in the Philippines.

After pondering on why, I decided that expats are definitely not a random cross-section of their home countries -- they are among the small (even tiny) percentage who choose to leave those countries. Why do they leave? Perhaps they are 'economic refugees', perhaps they would just like some adventure and different scenery, or perhaps they are convinced that the home government is trying to force-feed them with GMOs.

Just my speculation.

In any case, if he likes Ecuador, he might want to try Quito -- I regularly went weeks without speaking with another gringo other than at Spanish school. I understand that's less easy to do in Cuenca.

BobH wrote:

I can sympathize with him to some extent....he might want to try Quito -- I regularly went weeks without speaking with another gringo other than at Spanish school.

Sympathy for that guy, no.  I have sympathy for his readers and for Susan, the coastal-resort manager and blog moderator whom he harassed for weeks.

Thanks a lot, Bob, for sending him to Quito.

cccmedia in Quito

Am not particularly into the whole conspiracy theory/theories, but at least the crowd that belong to that category tend to be interesting folk. Conversations are always colorful. Imagine living in a world where everyone was only liberal, or conservative, or catholic, or mormon, etc. Would be a pretty boring world if everyone thought the same.

j600rr wrote:

Am not particularly into the whole conspiracy theory/theories, but at least the crowd that belong to that category tend to be interesting folk. Conversations are always colorful. Imagine living in a world where everyone was only liberal, or conservative, or catholic, or mormon, etc. Would be a pretty boring world if everyone thought the same.

They ("the fringe") don´t bother me either, although I am not especially interested in listening to conspiracy theories because they bore me.  I know someone like that in Cuenca who reads those websites all the time, and I avoid her whenever possible.

Of course I find it ridiculous that guy or anyone else comes to Cuenca and Vilcabama and obsesses over their fellow expats.

Here is my much anticipated summary of my recent trip to Vilcabamba. 

I departed from La Cigale hostel at 1:30- in a van packed with Gringos. They were mostly Europeans, but if you look like a gringo, you are one.  The cost of the ride was $15 and it took about 5 hours. We had to dodge boulders in the roadway most of the trip.  The highway passes through the center of Loja, so like it or not, you are going to see a lot of Loja.  I wasn't especially impressed with what I saw in Loja, but I did see a SuperMaxi which is always a plus.

When I arrived to Vilcabama it was dark and I didn't have a reservation.  Using the GPS on my phone, I walked in the direction of a hotel I had identified beforehand.  I passed the drunks in front of gringo hotspot Charlitos and after a few blocks I arrived at Hotel Le rendez-vous and asked if they had a room available. They said they did but it was for only that night.  The cost of my room was $25 and included breakfast. It rained like hell for 3 hours that night.  No restaurant, so I was stuck in my room.  Here is the garden area from the porch of my room:



The next day after checking out of my room at 10:30 a.m. I walked a few blocks to the hotel Jardin Escondido to see if they had any rooms available. They only had a dorm room.  While I am frugal, I don't do communal living, so I left.

Next I took a taxi outside of town to the hostel Izhcayluma.  They were booked up so I sat down in the dining are, pondered my options, and took this photo:

[img align=c][/img]

I then called the Tierra Madre and was able to book a room at a cost of $28 for the night.  So I took a taxi back into town from Izhcalyuma and walked to the most popular gringo hangout in all of Vilcabamaba: The Juice Factory which is on one corner of the central park next to the big church.  I ordered a fruit salad and shot the bull with some of the fringe element, and was quickly embraced as one of them by condemning chemtrails. On the corner diagnol from the Juice Factory there is a another popular gringo cafe whose name escapes me where a group of expats start pounding beers around 9:30 every day.


After finishing my fruit salad, I walked about a mile along the highway to the Tierra Madre where I stayed the next two nights.

I rented a bike in town the next day from Chinos for $10 and cruised through town, shocked that there wasn't much traffic to dodge.  I found the climate to be very pleasant and foliage quite green and lush.

Besides that I did sit by the pool at the hotel:


While I could have departed Vilcabamaba using the same van, I would have needed to depart at 7:30 a.m. Therefore I took a shared taked from the Terminal Terrestre in Vilcabamba to the center of Loja for a cost of $1.75 followed by another take ride to the Terminal Terreste in Loja for $2.00.  From Terminal Terrestre I took a big bus for $7.50 to Cuenca.

Overall, I really like Vilcabamba and look forward to my next trip.

Nards Barley said:  Of course I find it ridiculous that guy or anyone else comes to Cuenca and Vilcabama and obsesses over their fellow expats.


Everybody needs a hobby

Thanks for the great art from Vilca, Nards.

In your opinion, does the presence of Gringos there mean the place is "overrun" with Gringos, as some have reported, or do you consider their presence a positive aspect of the town\valley....

cccmedia wrote:

Thanks for the great art from Vilca, Nards.

In your opinion, does the presence of Gringos there mean the place is "overrun" with Gringos, as some have reported, or do you consider their presence a positive aspect of the town\valley....

You still see more Ecuadorians than Gringos when walking around town, so I would say it is not overrun.   I am going to say their presence is positive. although that is highly subjective.  I like the fact I can visiit Vilcabamba and find some restaurants and services catering to my delicate tastes.  One other place I liked around the corner from the Juice Factory was a French bakery selling baguettes, quiches and croissants, If there wasn't a large base of expats, you couldn't support a business like that.

For the purists who can't stand the presence of gringos, they can go hangout or live in Malacatos which has a similar climate and town without gringos or gringo services.  Undoubtedly,  some will choose to live there for that reason and then patronize gringo restaurants and services in Vilcabamba while bitching about the fact there are too many gringos in Vilcabamba.

Good story, Nards.
I did enjoy Vilca, especially the guided horseback ride into Podocarpus ($40) but found a place where the bus drops you off right near the restaurant across from the outdoor mercado...$6/night.
I will be visiting Loja later thus month so your info is timely.

cccmedia wrote:

BobH wrote:

I can sympathize with him to some extent....he might want to try Quito -- I regularly went weeks without speaking with another gringo other than at Spanish school.

Sympathy for that guy, no.  I have sympathy for his readers and for Susan, the coastal-resort manager and blog moderator whom he harassed for weeks.

Thanks a lot, Bob, for sending him to Quito.

cccmedia in Quito

While I do not condone his methods. He does have a valid point about Susan not being a very good moderator. I have seen a number of posts where she has inappropriately criticized people. And she allows many inappropriate posts to be made that have nothing positive to say about the related topic.

MikeGB wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

BobH wrote:

I can sympathize with him to some extent....he might want to try Quito -- I regularly went weeks without speaking with another gringo other than at Spanish school.

Sympathy for that guy, no.  I have sympathy for his readers and for Susan, the coastal-resort manager and blog moderator whom he harassed for weeks.

Thanks a lot, Bob, for sending him to Quito.

cccmedia in Quito

While I do not condone his methods. He does have a valid point about Susan not being a very good moderator. I have seen a number of posts where she has inappropriately criticized people. And she allows many inappropriate posts to be made that have nothing positive to say about the related topic.

Agreed. I have popped in there a few times, and on one thread she was talking about going out in Salinas after the "geriatrics" had left to go home.  Then someone followed up saying something about the expats coming here to die and being a burden to the government.

While I don´t like too much censorship, I don´t think a forum which is trying to appeal to expats who are mostly retired and older should  have its moderator referring to expats as geriatrics etc. It doesn't seem like a good business practice.

Nards Barley wrote:

While I don´t like too much censorship, I don´t think a forum which is trying to appeal to expats who are mostly retired and older should  have its moderator referring to expats as geriatrics etc. It doesn't seem like a good business practice.

In my experience, it's just a very nasty forum, which of course calls into question the quality of the moderation. While some of us (including me) occasionally complain that the moderators here can be a bit heavy-handed, overall I think they do a good job, and certainly it's a more open atmosphere than there.

That said, I know nothing at all about this particular guy's beef.

Nards Barley wrote:

Agreed. I have popped in there a few times, and on one thread she was talking about going out in Salinas after the "geriatrics" had left to go home.  Then someone followed up saying something about the expats coming here to die and being a burden to the government..

I suspect that the general population sees all of us as fitting quite nicely into the category of "geriatric."   

Mike

I talked to two expat couples who have resident visas that voted in the last elections in Ecuador.  I know for certain that I researched this a couple years ago and found a statement on the CNE website that said permanent residents can vote after 6 years here. Neither one of these couples have residents that long. So either the CNE website was inaccurate or the people working the election didn't check or don't have a way to check this. I am going to see if I can find that statement again on the CNE website.

I just heard that last Friday the municipality imposed a new law where people owning dogs and that allow them to run freely in the street will be fined anywhere from $300 to $1000. I haven't found out what the difference is dependent on yet. This information came from my Ecuadorean girlfriend's daughter just moments ago.

I am curious if anyone else has heard of this.

MikeGB wrote:

I just heard that last Friday the municipality imposed a new law where people owning dogs and that allow them to run freely in the street will be fined anywhere from $300 to $1000. I haven't found out what the difference is dependent on yet. This information came from my Ecuadorean girlfriend's daughter just moments ago.

I am curious if anyone else has heard of this.

I approve of this.

Tough n ew animal protections  passed last week. I don't know  the  specifics though

gardener1 wrote:

MikeGB wrote:

I just heard that last Friday the municipality imposed a new law where people owning dogs and that allow them to run freely in the street will be fined anywhere from $300 to $1000.

I approve of this.

So Top Cat approves of dog limitations.  There's a shocker

Nards Barley wrote:

CNE website that said permanent residents can vote after 6 years here. Neither one of these couples have residency that long. So either the CNE website was inaccurate or the people working the election didn't check....

As soon as you get to the bottom of this, Nards, I'll have an attorney-referral waiting to work on your citizenship paperwork, now that the Big Vote is only two years away.

cccmedia, Quito campaign manager,
   Nards Barley For Presidente 2017

gardener1 wrote:

MikeGB wrote:

I just heard that last Friday the municipality imposed a new law where people owning dogs and that allow them to run freely in the street will be fined anywhere from $300 to $1000. I haven't found out what the difference is dependent on yet. This information came from my Ecuadorean girlfriend's daughter just moments ago.

I am curious if anyone else has heard of this.

I approve of this.

I am glad you do and so do I.

You may have misunderstood because I should have used "instated" rather than "imposed".

A youtube video clip worth seeing on President Rafael Correo, Since I am not a guest here in Ecuador, I have no qualms in linking to it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei0kEgoTDAE

Nards Barley wrote:

A youtube video clip worth seeing on President Rafael Correo, Since I am not a guest here in Ecuador, I have no qualms in linking to it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei0kEgoTDAE

OMG!  ROFLMFAO!

Nards Barley wrote:

A youtube video clip worth seeing on President Rafael Correo....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei0kEgoTDAE

You know the election is approaching when Nards posts a video containing a 'clown-a-gram' inspired by El Supremo...

   ...a post in which Nards 'inadvertently' misspells el presidente's last name.

cccmedia, Quito campaign manager,
    Nards Barley for Presidente 2017

HI NARDS, I'm glad you got down to the Vil area. We stayed a couple of nights at the Iz place since it was recommended by a certain friend that we both know. Anyway, too bad they didn't have a room for you. Very nice restaurant, pool. bar with pool and ping pong, Great food, a super walk into town along the back "streets", Yep, we saw the same locals on the corner drinking beer, kids going home from school. It's a nice little town. We also went to Podacarpus and did a hike that just about killed me. Right after a rain storm and the trail was steep and unruly due to the run off. Great views up there.