New members of the Ecuador forum, introduce yourself here

Roeyklein wrote:

I can't figure how to make the quotations work and how to comment on a post that was posted by another member...

K-Bros.,

To use the Expat.com "quotation" system to comment on another's post:

Click on "Quote" to take you to a work page that shows the original post.

Use the cursor and the backspace key to remove any excess verbiage.

To be fair to the first poster and the reader, you should insert triple dots...indicating any passage(s) that you removed.

Go to the end of the original post with your cursor and then type your new commentary.

Optional for veteran posters:   press "Preview" to make sure the format and all are good.

Eventually, press "Submit."

Read your completed post and, if necessary, return to the work page by pressing "Edit."  You typically have 60 minutes to do any editing, then the post is permanent. 

Permanent, that is, pending review by the Home Office in Mauritius, of course.

cccmedia in Quito

HiI am very curious about Ecuador I've heard so many good things about it so I'm planning my first trip on December the 12th staying for about 3 months I am going to the south where there is water I am looking at GQuile  as my first stop that's where the plane will land so from there I can go in Land if it's a little too expensive in that town city.one of my main concerns is can I take my phone and have it activated there and have phone service and internet on my telephone Thanks Evan

tomone wrote:

I am very curious about Ecuador. I've heard so many good things about it, so I'm planning my first trip on December the 12th staying for about 3 months.  I am going to the south where there is water.  I am looking at GQuile as my first stop;  that's where the plane will land so from there I can go inand

"GQuille" is not as GQ as you may think.

If you're "looking for water" -- and by that you mean the beach -- you should know that GYE is 90 minutes from the nearest beaches.

If you do like beaches, you might reconsider going inland immediately from GYE and instead head west to the Pacific Ocean.  Bahia de Caraques and Salinas are popular places.  If you want to avoid the popular cities, there is a great variety of different kinds of beach towns with totally different vibes.

If city life is more to your liking, though, consider Quito over Guayaquil.

GYE is hot and humid.  The capital, though, at 9200 feet of elevation, has springlike temperatures year-round.

Also, GYE is the most dangerous place in Ecuador, with the possible exception of Colombian border areas where the "pandillas" purged from Cali and Cartagena, etc. now hang out.

Over a 10.3 month period, there were 510 express kidnappings in Guayaquil (January-November 2012;  source: the Latin America crimewatch publication Dialogo).  That's way more kidnappings than anywhere else in La Republica.

Cuenca and Vilcabamba have many Expats and have enough elevation to enjoy pleasant weather.

cccmedia in Quito

Actually, that is what I meant  re market prices on rentals and sales--yet I also do believe that renting out rooms for the purpose of making money on the backs of Ecuadorian and or Gringo owners--leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I think greed has no place anywhere. And I mean anywhere--one of our baser human characteristics. OK--ok--that should get some discussion.

cccmedia wrote:

I don't have that booklet anymore (or contact info on the guy), one of many casualties when I had to move to EC hurriedly in June 2013.

OK, this has to invite the question:  Why "hurriedly"?

MikeGB wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

I don't have that booklet anymore (or contact info on the guy), one of many casualties when I had to move to EC hurriedly in June 2013.

OK, this has to invite the question:  Why "hurriedly"?

The law was after him and he remembered how well Butch and Sundance did in SA.

Giggles

mugtech wrote:

MikeGB wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

I don't have that booklet anymore (or contact info on the guy), one of many casualties when I had to move to EC hurriedly in June 2013.

OK, this has to invite the question:  Why "hurriedly"?

The law was after him and he remembered how well Butch and Sundance did in SA.

Good one!!

MikeGB wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

I had to move to EC hurriedly in June 2013.

OK, this has to invite the question:  Why "hurriedly"?

I was feeling fatigued for months while dealing cards and roulette in Bethlehem PA, in 2012.  I quit the job and took a trip to Thailand and Cambodia for three months to take a break from work.

When I returned to the USA in Cincinnati, OH, in February of 2013, I got sick and ended up in an emergency room.

My new doctor said the chronic conditions meant I needed a more favorable climate and no more full-time work.

Although I needed to get my affairs in order, I got out of Cincy as fast as I physically could what with the summer heat coming in June and my health in jeopardy of worsening, which would have ruled out travel.

So I moved to Quito, and slowly, bit by bit, things have gotten better.

I came here with several suitcases.  I was too weak at the time to sort out my 10 by 12 storage space in Cincinnati, so that booklet and a thousand other boxes and possessions were just given away, and lost to me. 

cccmedia in Quito

Barbara Suderman wrote:

I also do believe that renting out rooms for the purpose of making money on the backs of Ecuadorian and or Gringo owners--leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I think greed has no place anywhere.

Babs, I don't see how renting out rooms is climbing "on the backs of Ecuadorian or Gringo owners."

I also don't see why this is "greed."

The Kleins want to offer a service that will allow them to make enough to live in Ecuador.

That's not greedier than other business owners who offer a service.  In fact, I don't consider it to be greed at all.  It's service and receiving.

They're not getting a free ride.   They're taking a risk, starting a new venture, promoting their services, maintaining and operating their rentals and providing a place for folks to stay.

IMO you still haven't made a case why there's anything wrong with that.

I support the Kleins and their concept for doing business in Ecuador.

cccmedia in Quito
.

cccmedia wrote:

MikeGB wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

I had to move to EC hurriedly in June 2013.

OK, this has to invite the question:  Why "hurriedly"?

I was feeling fatigued for months while dealing cards and roulette in Bethlehem PA, in 2012.  I quit the job and took a trip to Thailand and Cambodia for three months to take a break from work.

When I returned to the USA in Cincinnati, OH, in February of 2013, I got sick and ended up in an emergency room.

My new doctor said the chronic conditions meant I needed a more favorable climate and no more full-time work.

Although I needed to get my affairs in order, I got out of Cincy as fast as I physically could what with the summer heat coming in June and my health in jeopardy of worsening, which would have ruled out travel.

So I moved to Quito, and slowly, bit by bit, things have gotten better.

I came here with several suitcases.  I was too weak at the time to sort out my 10 by 12 storage space in Cincinnati, so that booklet and a thousand other boxes and possessions were just given away, and lost to me. 

cccmedia in Quito

Glad to hear you found a place where your life could reacquire a modicum of peace..

Hi my mate. I agreed with you..!!! We all have to make a living. . That is what I have in mind.   But I don't have clearly what to do. To meke some  """"money"""
If you have un idea. Please. Help..!!!

Maybe I don't understand the situation clearly enough. In my opinion when you rent something and pay a landlord --that is your deal with him or her. It would be in my mind like my renter up there turning around and re-renting out my house for more money than he is paying --or renting out the basement suite without my knowledge. That is not how its done up there in Canada. Maybe I am missing something and therefore stand to be corrected--making a living off someone else's back is not moral as far as I am concerned. Nope--sorry--it just doesn't sit well with me even if it is only ' to make a living" Try selling candy--it's popular here and probably will get you lots of money. Oh by the way--mate--or whoever you are--funny how when someone agrees with you--they are 'mate'--but then that is how it goes on this forum.

Barbara Suderman wrote:

Maybe I don't understand the situation clearly enough. In my opinion when you rent something and pay a landlord --that is your deal with him or her. It would be in my mind like my renter up there turning around and re-renting out my house for more money than he is paying --or renting out the basement suite without my knowledge. That is not how its done up there in Canada. Maybe I am missing something and therefore stand to be corrected--making a living off someone else's back is not moral as far as I am concerned.

Let's break this down, Babs...

You said:  "when you rent something and pay a landlord -- that is your deal with him or her..."

If you negotiate the right with the landlord to re-let, then that's Kosher.
(If the landlord happens to run the synagogue, it would even be under rabbinical supervision.)

"It would be...like re-renting out the basement suite without my knowledge."

As I posted earlier, not telling the landlord is a bad idea...that could lead to raised rent, raised voices and who-knows-what-else.  Klein Bros. should do their thing with a landlord who is on board with the plan.

"That is not how it's done here in Canada."

Unless you can persuade me that it's not being done in any of Canada's thousands of municipalities, this is not a convincing assertion.

Commerce growing through the use of middlemen is a way of life all over the world.  You may think it raises prices, but it's not unethical in most businesses. 

I posit that it's fine in real estate as well.  What else is a real estate agent or Realtor but a middle-"person"...

cccmedia in Quito

Barbara Suderman wrote:

Oh by the way--mate--or whoever you are--funny how when someone agrees with you--they are 'mate'--but then that is how it goes on this forum.

The "mate" that London Johnny aka bekerst was addressing was me.  And he can call me that any time.

C'mon, Babs, you remember Johnny.  Our conversation on New Members about business ideas for Johnny was cracking you up about a week ago.

Then the "curmudgeon" kicked us off New Members, so I created the new thread "For Entrepreneurs, TV Producers and Blackjack Players."

To keep the curmudgeon at bay, I'm going over to the Entrepreneurs thread now and see if we can't drum up some more ideas for London Johnny.

cccmedia in Quito

Barbara Suderman wrote:

Maybe I don't understand the situation clearly enough. In my opinion when you rent something and pay a landlord --that is your deal with him or her. It would be in my mind like my renter up there turning around and re-renting out my house for more money than he is paying --or renting out the basement suite without my knowledge. That is not how its done up there in Canada. Maybe I am missing something and therefore stand to be corrected--making a living off someone else's back is not moral as far as I am concerned.

This does happen even in Canada. It is called business. You look for a deal that you can turn around to make more money. It happens all the time. It may not be acceptable to everyone but it happens. There are lots of things in this world that happen that are not liked.

Barbara Suderman wrote:

Maybe I don't understand the situation clearly enough. In my opinion when you rent something and pay a landlord --that is your deal with him or her. It would be in my mind like my renter up there turning around and re-renting out my house for more money than he is paying --or renting out the basement suite without my knowledge. That is not how its done up there in Canada. Maybe I am missing something and therefore stand to be corrected--making a living off someone else's back is not moral as far as I am concerned. Nope--sorry--it just doesn't sit well with me even if it is only ' to make a living" Try selling candy--it's popular here and probably will get you lots of money. Oh by the way--mate--or whoever you are--funny how when someone agrees with you--they are 'mate'--but then that is how it goes on this forum.

All depends how the lease is written.  So if someone owns stock which pays dividends then they are living off the backs of whoever earned the money for that company?  If you sell candy at a profit then you are living off the backs of the people who sold it to you wholesale because you sold to others for more than your purchase price?  Sounds like most people in this world are living off the backs of others.

Hello everybody,

We are completely off topic here.

Please keep this thread for the introduction of the new members only (like it is clearly written in the title).

If you wish to discuss about an another subject that matches to our criteria, you may create a new thread on the Ecuador forum.

Thanks

Priscilla 

OK--let's agree that we don't see this the same way. What I actually said was re-renting my house for a higher price would be illegal there in Canada. I am here in Cuenca. I also said that renting out the basement suite without my knowledge would be illegal. Why? Because there is a rental agreement which, if broken, can result in eviction. I t is there to protect both the landlord and renter. Yes, I agree that the Klein brothers should explore this with whoever they are wanting to deal with--but it should be clear as to their intentions. There is just something shady about this that doesn't resonate well with me. As for realtors--having been one at one time, they must adhere to strict rules also. They represent the seller and list for market price using comparisons of similar properties.  I don't see them as middle men.
As for illegal basement suites up there--yes there are many but the city chooses to ignore these as there is 1% vacancy in Calgary--maybe less now and forget it if you have an animal.

You are completely right, Priscilla--sorry! But a question--I am not sure what you mean by off topic and if it is because the comments go on too long??

Barbara Suderman wrote:

You are completely right, Priscilla--sorry! But a question--I am not sure what you mean by off topic and if it is because the comments go on too long??

It is for the introduction of new members only, if you have something else to say start a new thread or chime in on an old one

OK--I understand--thanks!

Wow that post was quite a stir I see   (good for me, I am already getting famous;) hahaha)- so to clarify some things:
1. Initially posted a QUESTION(???) about renting and re- renting cause to me it also sounded shady and unfair. The question came up after looking at a post that 333luise (i think) had posted on this site.
2. After cccmedia had shared some information about the legality of that action then I am defiantly interested in looking into it. Of course I agree that everything should be leagle and not be hidden from the land lord.
3. I understand that this is happening all around the world. There is even airbnb, a very common site that many users are using this method.
4. I am new to the world of business. I lived in a sharing community in the us for many years where people were looking after each other all the time and life was based on trust, trancperancy, sharing, and giving... I hope that those values have stayed with me and I can bring them into the business world that I am now entering.
Peace, and thank to all your comments.

Hi. I am thinking about moving abroad. I have been wanting to do so for a while. I wouldn't want to live by myself. At least in the beginning, while I become acquainted with it. I have narrowed it down to Ecuador or Chile. However Chile, I've heard, is expensive.
I did visit Ecuador many years ago, I found it to be a beautiful place. I am a native of South America who has lived in the USA for over forty years. I still speak Spanish adequately. So I may be of use to somebody that also wants to move there who does not speak it and may feel better to be around someone that speaks both languages . I would also consider housesitting for someone over there. 
In my younger years I've worked with different airlines. So I do have some travel experience.

I am a retired high school teacher,and my wife is retired biology teacher
I am 62 years old from Iran

Hello there!
I am 50 and plan on retiring within the next few yrs.  I will have worked 20 yrs. as a chemist and plan on obtaining my pensioner's visa for relocation to Ecuador.  I will be traveling to Ecuador in March and probably will be interested in Cuenca.

Bienvenido...Joyfv --  You sound like you need to visit Ecuador and yes, having lived in Chile two years and visited friends there for the the last 15 years, I know costs are very high there, hurting many Chileans and yes, you can still save here in Ecuador . THere is no magic to this relocation process however, It is a step by step process and, in my view, after three years here I think a visit here is your next step to knowing whether you really like the various climates in Ecuador and the country itself.   Don't believe most of the hype on the Internet... find out for yourself!   Buena Suerte!  Sue in QUito.

Great -- make a plan to visit , come and see for yourself and those of us here awhile will encourage you to relocate, probably!  Good luck, Sue in QUito

Hi - Can you provide contact information or details on these apartments.  I'm planning to move from Atlanta to Cuenca in March 2015. 

Thank you. - - jwe.

Hello,
I am new to this forum.  Nice to meet everyone
I am Russian (from Moscow) who is looking to relocate to Ecuador.  Searching for information about naturalization process in Ecuador and new friends:)  Any help on how to obtain citizenship will be greatly appreciated.

Chezhka wrote:

Hello,
I am new to this forum.  Nice to meet everyone
I am Russian (from Moscow) who is looking to relocate to Ecuador.  Searching for information about naturalization process in Ecuador and new friends:)  Any help on how to obtain citizenship will be greatly appreciated.

Hello, Chezhka, and welcome. I know nothing about the naturalization process, but I believe (others, please correct me if I'm wrong) that you first have to get residency (i.e., obtain one of the resident visas), stay for several years, and then apply for naturalization.

The visa process is not terribly complicated (though the rules are changeable and bureaucrats' interpretations are even more changeable), and many people do it on their own -- especially if their Spanish is good. I used an attorney, as do many others who are less adept in Spanish.

Where are you planning to live? That of course makes a difference in terms of recommending an attorney, if that's the route you wish to take.

Good Luck!

BobH wrote:

Chezhka wrote:

Hello,
I am new to this forum.  Nice to meet everyone
I am Russian (from Moscow) who is looking to relocate to Ecuador.  Searching for information about naturalization process in Ecuador and new friends:)  Any help on how to obtain citizenship will be greatly appreciated.

Hello, Chezhka, and welcome. I know nothing about the naturalization process, but I believe (others, please correct me if I'm wrong) that you first have to get residency (i.e., obtain one of the resident visas), stay for several years, and then apply for naturalization.

That is correct Bob. I believe I read somewhere that you have to be in the country for 3 years before you can apply for citizenship.

Hello, I just retired but my pension is about half of my regular income so we are looking to live on a $2,000 per month budget. We are looking to move to Vilcabamba for six months to check it out before possibly applying for permanent residency. It looks like we will have to home school our eight year old son because we all only speak English. Does anyone know of expat families with children that we can make friends with for our son's social interaction in Vilcabamba?
We are Spirit filled Christians and I am an ordained minister looking to join a conservative Christian Church or to start one in the area. Does anyone know of an English speaking Full Gospel Church in Vilcabamba?
We plan on eventually buying land with enough room for a vegetable garden large enough to supply most of our needs. Until then we were hoping to rent a home with an option to buy that would allow us to have a small experimental vegetable garden on the property. Thanks for any kind and helpful thoughts that all of you experienced expats already have. We are looking for sound advice in order to make this move in March, 2015.
God bless you all for your kind assistance!
In Christian Love
Steve and Juvy Ritchie

I'm a retired airlines manager,university instructor, and former director of a science education program.  I've lived and worked overseas for many years and am now interested in trying Latin America.  I would like to find a place to enjoy the next ten years that would also be a good place for my sons to bring their children to introduce them to international living.  I hear many good things about Ecuador and how nice the people are.  Today was my first time hearing about racism towards Blacks.  I'd like to hear more about that and get recommendations on a good Spanish school for a total immersion class (2-3 weeks).

@Normanb

Perhaps a better focus of your attention should be how to acquire permanent residency visas for three generations of family, quite a large number of diverse people.

Visas are issued on a per person basis. Each family member would need to qualify as an individual for an Ecuador visa, under whatever visa provisions might apply to that person.

I suggest you start you start your search with permanent residency visa requirements, rather than more esoteric criteria.

Thanks Sister for your "brutally honest" post.  It's so informative!!!  Do you feel discrimated against?

Normanb wrote:

Thanks Sister for your "brutally honest" post.  It's so informative!!!  Do you feel discrimated against?

??????

Normanb wrote:

I'm a retired airlines manager, university instructor, and former director of a science education program.  I've lived and worked overseas for many years and am now interested in trying Latin America.

Norman, you have some options not yet mentioned in considering Ecuador for residency.

With your impressive background, I suspect you have pension or Social Security income that would qualify you for a pensioner visa.  The requirement is $800 per month for you, plus $100 per month for each dependent.

The other option is part-time or "snowbird" living in which you arrive on a 90-day tourist visa and get an extension visa, which -- according to anecdotal reports -- can usually be arranged.

cccmedia in Quito
(holder of investment visa, requiring 25K minimum investment)

Thank you very much.  This is very helpful!!

Hi, I am George,

I am 65 and retired living on social security income of approx. $1,400/month.  I initially was interested in Belize because it is English speaking, until I heard about Cuenca which has a large expat population and low cost of living. I hear the weather in Cuenca has average temperature  in 60's with a lot of rain. Also would like to know if rain is all day or just and hour or two -- big difference.  Speaking with Equador expats on Facebook I was drawn to Manta because of the milder climate. 

I have recently had spinal cord surgery and need ongoing physical therapy (PT).  So being near good medical facilities is very important.  I was told the 3 best locations for medical treatment were Cuenca, Salinas and Guayaquil.  I have also heard good things about Quito.

Personally I like town/city live with live music and good restaurants and some cultural activities.   I also like the beach but that is secondary.  I would like to live in city in small (1bedroom) furnished apartment.  I would also like a locations with a good sized expat population since my Spanish is extremely limited (muy poquito).

To sum up: expat nearby, medical facilities, nice weather, mid city location.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

George