I am new to ECUADOR and am worried.

‘express kidnapping’.  People are kidnapped to extort a quick ransom out of the victim’s family or they are driven to a cash machine to withdraw as much money as possible. Foreign nationals are often the target of such kidnappings and it is advised to avoid creating a predictable routine and to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.

Of course, this stuff could happen in any EC city.  The fact is that Guayaquil has historically had a much worse problem with this crime than Quito or any of the smaller places.

Several years ago, there were an average of 50 express kidnappings a month in Ecuador's largest city, GYE.  Source... Diálogo.

Suggested solution for Expats ... don't move to humid and dangerous Guayaquil.  It's a port city, but is 90 minutes from the ocean beaches.

Quito and Cuenca are far safer cities than the bad places in South America, in Colombia and Venezuela for example.

cccmedia in Quito

We know that the OP's material is a cut-and-paste job that did not originate from a 'friend on Facebook.'  It apparently was lifted verbatim from the Expat Focus site.

Nevertheless, these issues are valid, and should be addressed from time to time.

And so we continue.

cccmedia in Quito

Guidoma wrote:

Passengers in taxis are also often victims of crime, particularly robbery....It is recommended that people avoid hailing a taxi in the street and use a radio taxi instead. "

Even better than a radio taxi may be Easy Taxi, the award-winning app that allows taxi riders to hail a cab on their handheld device.

It's more secure because the drivers and/or their companies are vetted and their information is saved by the system.

Many upscale restaurants in Quito now offer the service.  I was pleasantly surprised this month to have MegaMaxi, the supermarket, hail my cab via EasyTaxi.

The app allows the user to see where is cab is on a map on its way to the pickup.  There can be a 50-cent surcharge collected by the cabbie for the service.  Well worth it for nighttime security in the big city, IMO.

cccmedia in Quito

Guidoma wrote:

"Ecuador does have a high crime rate, particularly in cities such as Quito and Guayaquil. Foreign nationals are often targeted by criminals and in recent years there have been increasing numbers of cases where they have been victims of robbery, assault and even murder. In order to carry out their crimes, criminals regularly use the threat of violence to get what they want. It is advised that if you are robbed that you hand over your wallet or purse and do not resist, as this increases the chance of violence....

Those who use public transport, particularly at night, often find themselves victims of crime....

Other than citing the names of Ecuador's two largest cities, this is boilerplate safety information that would apply to more than 95 percent of the world's larger cities.  Note that the writer never cites statistics or personal experiences.

In my experience in Quito, one is more likely to be victimized on public transport, meaning buses, during the daytime when there is overcrowding and more pickpockets are on the scene.

If you see the matón is flashing a weapon, don't even think about engaging.  Just give up your camera.

cccmedia in Quito

Guidoma wrote:

The roads are not in good condition and the driving practices of those who use them mean that the accident levels are high...

Opting not to travel on the roads means you would miss the up-close experience of seeing some scenery or stopping off in some obscure pueblos...  But the fact that bad conditions and accidents are common on Ecuador's intercity roads means that Expats should consider flying, not road travel, between Cuenca and the coast ... or other intercity excursions.

EC drivers are often aggressive whether inside a city or not, but it's the accidents outside of and between cities that are most prone to producing major accidents and carnage.

cccmedia in Quito

Guidoma wrote:

Among other risks that foreign nationals should be aware of is the regular breakouts of violence at political protests. There are often protests held in the major cities, usually taking place at government buildings. This means that the areas around these places are to be avoided. Foreign nationals are not permitted to take part in such protests and can be arrested if they try.

Now that indigenous protesters have set up a base in a Quito park, this issue is potentially hotter than it has been in years.

If you doubt the part about foreigners being arrested and you haven't seen this week's iconic and heartfelt story of the foreign professor and her indigenous husband who were at a recent national-strike confrontation, you can the follow this link to the pictorial and commentary: 
        www.dayinquito.blogspot.com

cccmedia in Quito

Hi Guidoma

Welcome to Ecuador
These warnings for the most part right on target.

As far as violent street protests a national strike was called for last Thursday, Indigenous groups, unions and other anti government activists participated

There were large demonstrations in Quito  with protestors prevented from reaching the presidential palace in the Historic District There were some violent encounters .An expat journalist French-Brazillian was assaulted and jailed for 4 days. Photos posted of her showed that she had a huge and fresh black eye. She is critical of the government, Her professional visa X-II was revoked and she is being deported. We have no idea so far if this has already occurred. She is married to an Indigenous activist . Video showed him being loaded into an ambulance and there were also photos of him in the hospital and no mention in any media outlet what happened to him or why he was hospitalized.

Among other things   almost half of the EC people  are objecting to the president being allowed to have a third term. The law was changed by the legislature to allow this. Now there is pending legislation that will essentially allow him to be president for life. There are a majority in the legislature favorable to him. As well there are members of his own leftist party that are not. His favorability rating by the EC people is at it's lowest ever 46% so there is some tension. He has been a popular president and only over the last few years  that his popularity has gone down .Freedom of the press and free speech at protests are being challenged by the government  there is evidence that this is already going on .As an expat this really does not affect you. It is their fight and you need not be involved in it .Follow the advice that was posted on your FB page and you will not have a problem

I don't know if you are  in Quito, but a volcano which I think is  about 35 miles north of the city  is active after 350 years (Cotopaxi) Last Friday it send a plume of ash into the air. The Geophysical  Institute raised a level of warning and reported that the volcano is actively erupting although there have been no lava flows. Quito could receive significant ash if  the eruption intensifies but is not in danger of lava flows. The mayor of Quito has arranged for the distribution of 1 million surgical masks to help prevent serious lung damage. They are not that effective. and it is recommended that you stay indoors and make sure you are stocked up on food, bottled water and any medicine that you take,. There is a new topic on the Forum where there is a discussion of Cotopaxi. Click on the Forum tab in the upper right corner and you will see all the topics. Also there is an older thread , the page numbers are on the bottom so you can look for it "Safety in Ecuador". and any other topic that interests you. There are almost fifty pages of topics.

There has been only one kidnapping  as far as most us of here know. It was an elderly .couple They were found and freed unharmed. There were four perpetrators who bungled the crime and did not receive the ransom money. They were caught trying  to flee the country  before they reached the Colombian border. One of them was an American female national. I don't think you need to worry about this.

When you look at the topics there is one for new members to introduce themselves and another one called Fielding your questions: New members want to know. My friend cccmedia is very active . He is the "Ecuador Expert" and I will make sure he knows you are here.


There are about 5K expats in EC. The majority of them are American .Because of these problems last week an emergency meeting is being held at the US Embassy to answer questions. Only American citizens may attend unfortunately., You can look at the State Dept page which always has  very current information about Ecuador when there are problems because there are so many Americans that live in EC         

us.statedept.gov

Sue

suefrankdahl wrote:

An expat journalist French-Brazillian was assaulted and jailed for 4 days. Photos posted of her showed that she had a huge and fresh black eye. She is critical of the government, Her (visa) was revoked and she is being deported. We have no idea so far if this has already occurred....

Among other things,  almost half of the EC people are objecting to the president being allowed to have a third term....

I don't know if you are in Quito, but a volcano which I think is about 35 miles north of the city is active after 350 years (Cotopaxi).  Last Friday it send a plume of ash into the air. The Geophysical  Institute raised a level of warning and reported that the volcano is actively erupting although there have been no lava flows.

Update... Journalist/professor/activist Manuela Picq is staying in Ecuador and is not being deported.

Late Monday, a judge in Quito rejected the Foreign Ministry's attempt to deport Picq.

source...  www.panampost.com

Corrections... Rafael Correa is already in his third term.  His first term, 2007-09, began when an electoral court declared him to be presidente...Cotopaxi is 35 miles or 50 km south of Quito, and its most recent eruptions before last Friday were in 1877.

cccmedia in Quito

tahnks you all for the info.

it looks like ecuador is still very uncivilised and backward and people can get killed easily. is ecuador so barbaric?

i think i must get out of here very quickly before i get into trouble.

@ Guidoma > As we can see here, the first post of this thread is simply a copy paste article. Do note that copy paste articles (without mentioning the source) is strictly prohibited according to the copyrights laws.

I am therefore closing this topic straightaway

Thanks

Priscilla

[ Topic closed ]