ECUADOR
Ecuador will always have a special place in our hearts! It was the first country we traveled to after leaving the U.S. in 2022, and it was our intent at the time to live there for at least a few years. We brought our dog, Roxy with us to Ecuador. She was an older dog, but we thought she would live another few years and so we wanted to settle somewhere until she passed away. However, 7 months after we arrived, Roxy was diagnosed with cancer in her throat. Surgery removed the tumor, but within weeks another tumor had grown back. We didn’t want to put her through another surgery, so we made the agonizing decision to have Roxy put to sleep. Afterwards, we had her cremated and then spread her ashes in the ocean near our apartment for her final resting place. Roxy loved the water and she used to watch the Pacific Ocean from our balcony, so we knew that’s where she’d want to be.
After she passed, we soon decided that staying in the apartment was going to be too hard because everything reminded us of her, so we made a decision to move. We’d heard great things about Cuenca, so we packed up our things, had a driver pick us up in a van, and made the move. At about the same time, we realized that this might be a good time to start traveling more, so we only stayed in Cuenca 2 months before flying to Malaysia, and spending about 5 months in Asia before returning to Cuenca. During this time, we realized that we wanted to see more of the world, and eventually wanted to get back to Asia, so we sort of made Cuenca our home base until we could make that happen. We recently left Cuenca, and Ecuador (probably for good this time), but it will always be very special to us. We met lots of great people there and have fond memories. All together, we spent about 14 months there.
Helpful Apps!
- Google Translate
- Google Maps
- Rappi – to order food delivery
- UBER – available in Quito but not in other places
- Moovit – for local bus routes
Links to our Accommodations:
Things we liked about Ecuador!
- The people are incredibly nice!
- Low cost of living
- More laid back way of life
- Diverse landscape
- Ecuador uses the U.S. Dollar as its currency
Things we didn’t like as much:
- It’s always hard to find change (money)
- Ecuador is rather remote to fly to and from
- Crime is on the rise in certain areas of the country
- “Paros” – these are strikes or protests held sometimes throughout the country. Protesters will block roads and cut off entire cities. Sometimes these last only a few days, but can last more than a few weeks.
Some of our favorite things in Ecuador include:
- The fruit – fruit in Ecuador tastes heavenly! We think it might be the best in the world!
- Pan de Banana (Banana bread) – yum!
- Pork Hornado – is a whole roasted pig, and it is delicious! Sorry to any pigs who may be reading this!
- Ecuadorians are very family oriented and can often be seen together, just enjoying each other’s company and having fun!
For a more complete list of the good, the bad, and the ugly of Ecuador, please see my blog titled “So What’s Ecuador Really Like?” You can click HERE, or click on the button below.
Places We Lived
Manta
When we arrived in Ecuador, we had no idea what to expect (other than what we’d seen in Youtube Videos). We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at our AirBnb. It was actually located in a condominium/hotel called El Poseidon (which we quickly learned was pronounced “El Po-say-doan”) It was very loud in the area around the hotel, but it was safe and gave us a good start in our new city.
We only stayed here for one month. By the next month we had already found our first apartment and signed a one year lease. We ended up breaking the lease after 8 months after our dog died and we decided to move to Cuenca.
Cuenca
Cuenca is a city that I would describe as “perfectly planned”! It is picturesque, and is laid out nicely, with gorgeous walking trails that run along the rivers that run throughout the city. It’s got plenty of parks and green space, and is just a lovely city in which to live, or simply to visit. It’s one of the cleanest cities we’ve ever seen. The only thing that might be considered a negative in Cuenca is the elevation at which it sits. Cuenca is in the mountains at about 8300 feet above sea level, so the air is thin. It’s also nearly always cool, with lots of cloudiness and it can rain frequently. But other than that, Cuenca is wonderful! The people are friendly and it’s one of the safer areas in Ecuador.
Places We Visited
Montecristi
Montecristi is about a 20 minute taxi ride from Manta. It is the home of the “Panama Hat”. Although named after the country of Panama, these hats were originally created in Ecuador, and Montecristi is the place where they were “born”. The hats are made from a plant locally referred to as the “Jipijapa Palm”. Craftsmen weave together the leaves of this plant, and the tighter the weave, the higher quality the hat becomes.
The hats became known as Panama Hats after they were shipped to the Isthmus of Panama in order to sell, and in 1906, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the construction site of the Panama Canal and was photographed wearing one of these hats thereby, increasing its popularity. It’s been known as the Panama Hat ever since!
Isla de la Plata
Isla de la Plata is also known as the “poor man’s Galapagos”. This island is located off the coast of Puerto Lopez, Ecuador (about a 45 minute boat ride). It’s known for its most famous resident, the “Blue Footed Booby”. These birds get their blue feet from eating their seafood diet. They are very interesting birds because they mate for life, and can be seen around the island in pairs (husbands and wives), having out. They are protective of each other and will make a lot of noise and commotion to scare you off if you approach them too closely. This island is a protected natural reserve and has plenty of sea turtles, whales and abundant life everywhere.
Quito
For a detailed description of this beautiful city and what we saw while we were there – see my blog titled “What’s Quito Like”. (Click HERE)
Mindo
For a detailed description of this beautiful city and what we saw while we were there – see my blog titled “Why You Should Visit Mindo”. (Click HERE)
