Travel in Ecuador

San Clemente is a laid back little town 28 km from Bahia de Caraquez and Torsten Meier's Sabor de Bamboo is one of our favorite stops for cold Brahma beer and fish a la plancha. The shot above is the door to the ladies room. Pretty neat, isn't it?

Ecuador reminds me of the USA in the 1950's with all of the promise and challenges that was rampant in the states at that time, the good and the bad!

Fruit and vegetables are abundant and cheap.  This is a vegetarian's paradise but don't believe the statements that you hear and see that it is all organic.  We travel the length and breath of Ecuador and the chemical backpacks used for spraying are almost as plentiful as the cattle.  But if you enjoy tomatoes that taste like they did 60 years ago and dream of mangoes for breakfast then please do join us here in this South American garden of Eden.

Spanish is the language of the land but more and more natives are learning English.  The people are pretty indulgent of non-Spanish speakers so we get along just fine.

There is a vibrancy to this land that I feel in my blood.  It seems to vibrate in my veins when I am here.  

Pack your sense of humor and come see for yourself.

1. You need a passport, period, explanation point, end of story.
2. If you plan to stay for more than 90 days you will need a special Visa. You can contact an Ecuadorian lawyer who will talk you through the process. You will find a link to the lawyer we use in Ecuador on this site.
3. You are (at present) limited to 90 days a year unless you have a special visa or are in the process of applying for residency. If you overstay your visa you will be charged $200.00 and possibly prevented from returning to Ecuador for two years.
4. You will be required to pay an airport fee as you leave the country. You pay this fee in cash at the airport before you are allowed to board the plane. UPDATE: The airport fee is now included in your ticket price.  I am about to return to the states of the 15 th of May, I'll let you know how this works in practice.
5. We have never left or entered the country other than by air so I am offering no advice on this subject. Anybody out there that has info on this from recent personal experience, please help me fill in the blanks.
6. This information may or not be correct at this moment or at the moment you arrive. It is just the account of my most recent experience (February 16, 2011).

1. Avoid night travel whenever possible. The Ecuadorians will dig a hole the size of a swimming pool in the middle of the road and blissfully go home leaving it unmarked.
2. Night buses occasionally get robbed. Day time buses are much safer. Just because there is a night bus is no reason for you to be on it. At this writing, this situation appears to be getting better.
3. Don't drive after dark for the same reasons as above.
4. A strange object in the middle of the road is often a warning that the road is damaged or even under construction.
5. Slow down if you see branches laying in the road, this means that a vehicle may be broken down in that lane, unless of coarse the vehicle has been repaired and the driver forgot to remove them.
6. If you accept a ride in the back of a truck and you sit on a bench, expect to pay $1.00. If you don't sit on a bench but remain standing or sit on the floor or side rail (God forbid) you pay the driver less (whatever amount he asks).
7. Yes, it is illegal for 5 people to ride on a 100cc motorbike but it happens anyway. Deal with it.
8. Expect anything to be in the middle of the road at any time. On our last trip to Manta we topped an hill on a blind curve to discover a dump truck load of gravel in the middle of the oncoming lane with an oncoming truck in our lane trying to get around it. The last report I had was that it was still there two days later, and there was still no warning, not so much as a branch in the road.
9. Most Ecuadorians are kind beyond belief. We have had extraordinary help from locals on the several occasions we had a breakdown on the road. A good sense of humor will go a long way toward getting yourself on the road again.
10. Most people in Ecuador don't tip taxi drivers, nor do they tip in restaurants. We find that a dollar in both instances goes along way, especially in a restaurant we expect to return to frequently.
11. If you accept a ride in the back of a truck and you sit on a bench, expect to pay $1.00. If you don't sit on a bench but remain standing or sit on the floor or side rail (God forbid) you pay the driver less (whatever amount he asks).
12. Yes, it is illegal for 5 people to ride on a 100cc motorbike but it happens anyway. Deal with it. Ecuadorians do the best they can with what they have and for many Ecuadorians a motorbike is the best they can do. I have seen two men a child and a TV on a motor bike.
13. All taxi drivers and bus drivers seem to have a death wish and wouldn't mind taking you with them.
14. There is air travel available within Ecuador.  You are going to do your own research on this one folks.  It is changing all the time.  As with many things in Ecuador it is getting better all the time.

1. There are bad apples in every bushel but the kind and generous people in Ecuador far outnumber the 'bad apples', but don't let the really good ones blind you to the bad ones. Always keep your guard up. We have had some extraordinary experiences of generosity, helpfulness, and kindness in Ecuador. We exercise reasonable caution and have been reasonably lucky in Ecuador.
2. Most people in Ecuador don't tip taxi drivers, nor do they tip in restaurants. We find that a dollar in both instances goes along way, especially in a restaurant we expect to return to frequently.
3. Don't bring travelers checks, they can be difficult to cash except in a bank and even that is not always easy.
4. Bring lots of small bills. We each bring about $300.00 in ones and fives. A $100.00 bill can be a problem in some locations. Many small shops can't make change even for a $5.00 bill.
5. Be sure to bring your ATM card. Contact your bank and let them know that you will be traveling outside the country so they won't decide that your withdrawals are "unusual activity" and disable your card.
6. Make a list of any medications you take regularly and keep several copies in several locations.such as your purse or pocket, passport pouch, suitcase, and even online (I useGoogle documents).
7. If you are a writer or frequently reference documents on your computer put those on Google documents as well.  Then you can access your work from anywhere.
8. If you plan to carry a computer (we carry two) bring along a thumb drive or two. Internet service may not always be available at your hotel or hostal but nearby internet cafes are cheap and you can access your stuff there.
9. If you are a reader, invest in a Kindle (B & N Nook will not allow you to purchase a book in Ecuador) or add the Kindle application to an iTouch or iPhone and carry most if not all your books digitally.
10. Don't pack shampoo, cream rinse, hand and body lotion, soap, toothpaste or a host of other body products (every small town has a store where you can buy the essentials) but do bring sun screen (it is expensive in Ecuador).
11. If you are going to spend time in the Andes, bring something warm, maybe even a rain jacket because the Andes can get cool and damp. If you plan to hit the coastal areas their may be no need for a jacket.
12. Bring sturdy hiking or walking shoes but unless you are heading for the Andes you can leave your boots at home. I seldom wear anything but flip flops and I am not alone.
13. Count on the rainy season being hot and humid. It is generally at its most active in December, January, February, and March. It can get pretty warm on the coast and you won't need much more than shorts and short sleeved or sleeveless shirts. You see a lot of peddle pushers here on both sexes so don't rule these out. Jeans are acceptable almost everywhere. Ecuadorian jeans are an interesting proposition for women. They are almost always skin tight and have very limited, or no, pocket space. Ladies jeans will run you about $18.00 a pair in the markets, men's jeans run about $16.00 for good quality Levis® type jeans that may be more durable than the real thing.

OK! I can't really help myself, so some of this is tongue in cheek but all contains a grain of truth, actually more like a lump of truth.

1. If time is important to you, stay home. Wasting time seems to be a national pass-time.
2. Punctuality is unheard of in Ecuador. The President was actually late to a meeting kicking off the national campaign to encourage punctuality. Don't expect any one to actually be on time for anything. It is a contagious condition and rapidly spreads to ex-pats and vacationers.
3. From what I have been able to gather from various sources it is actually more acceptable to urinate in public than it is to burp, so bring your antacids and pack the bicarbonate of soda.
4. Air kissing is mandatory upon meeting and greeting and parting with Ecuadorian women. If you are a germ-a-phobe you might want to come prepared.
5. A Chifa is a Chinese restaurant.
6. Ice is not always made from purified water.
7. Bactrim is an excellent remedy for stomach distress (how is that for delicacy?) and will cost you about 30¢ a caplet. One will usually do the trick in about 16-20 minutes.
8. As long as you are in the farmacia get a tube of Dermtex for insect bites
9. Bring Benedryl with you. It will stop a serious itch dead and you will need a nap soon.
10. It is not a bad idea to bring at least one epi-pen with you in case you get an unexpected allergy event.
11. Just because a piece of land or house is for sale doesn't mean that the owner will be legally able to sell that piece of property.
12. Just because you agree to purchase a piece of property at a set price doesn't mean that the price won't go up.
13. The beer is really good and comes in huge bottles. It is not always cold and is of no use at all to get testy if you are served a warm bottle of beer.  Ask before you order.  Cold beer is getting more plentiful every year.
14. Pigs, cows and buzzards roam the beaches at will.
15. All taxi drivers and bus drivers seem to have a death wish and wouldn't mind taking you with them.
16. Bring a spare sense of humor, you may need it.

Floridalva Zambrano is our lawyer in the purchase of a condominium. Her firm was also instrumental in getting us our residency quickly and without the necessity of paying bribes.

1. Be careful in the larger cities. There is some crime and some areas are best avoided.
2. A motel is not necessarily a motel. Ecuadorians have difficulty getting any real privacy so they will check into a Motel for their most private activities. If you do choose to stay in one of these (we have) expect some pretty fundamental differences from American Motels. Your car will probably be locked into an enclosure just outside of your door. There is usually a door in the room that leads to a central hallway but the door can be opened from the hallway but not from the room (we pile our luggage in front of it). You will have to call the office to be released from your room and car enclosure. There may be a bathtub located in the bedroom. There will be mirrors on the ceiling. Condoms are on the menu right nerxt to the Papas Fritas and Champaign.
3. Hostals (yes that is how they spell it) and Hotels may have five or six beds to a room.
4. A matrimonial is a double bed. A momento means you are renting the room for a short period of time (usually an hour or so). You do the math.
5. You can't flush toilet paper down the commode because almost every building in Ecuador has a low pressure system that won't handle toilet paper.
6. Don't drink the water no matter what the locals say.
7. Wash your fruit, all of your fruit, all of the time. then dry it.
8. Be careful of lettuce. It is hard to clean.
9. Some or all of the milk in clear plastic bags is not pasteurized. It is whole milk.
10. Skype works just fine unless one or both parties are deaf, like my Mom and I.
11. Cabinas will allow you call internationally for cheap.
12. Electricity is 110v 60 cycle just like the us, and while the outlets may look different your appliance plugs will fit and you don't need an adapter.
13. If you absolutely have to have hot water ask about it before you check in. It may not be available. In most hostals and hotels your hot water comes from a "suicide shower", which is an electrical shower head. We have not even heard rumors of fatalities.

1. Medical care is socialized in Ecuador.
2. Simple medical emergencies are often treated for free in emergency rooms.
3. Most medication can be purchased across the counter at pharmacies. You can buy them by the dose or in larger quantities.
4. Pain killers and tranquilizers can be more problematic than ordinary drugs.
5. Small clinics abound and we have found the medical assistance to be adequate and it includes the missing human aspect of doctor's offices in the states.
6. We travel to Ecuador without any sort of special inoculations but if you are a more cautious type you might want a pre-trip consultation with your doctor and see what she/he recommends.
7. Many, but not all, common medications are available across the counter in pharmacies.
8. Competent medical care is available in Ecuador. See our experiences with the free medical care system in Vilcabamba on my Vilcabamba Hub at: http://hubpages.com/hub/Vilcabamba
9. Make a list of any medications you take regularly and keep several copies in several locations.such as your purse or pocket, passport pouch, suitcase, and even online (I useGoogle documents).

http://hubpages.com/hub/Healing-in-Ecuador to see the lovely town of Baños

http://hubpages.com/hub/Ecotour-Otavalo-and-Cotacachi for a look at Cotacachi.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Vilcabamba gives you a look at the Valley of Longevity

http://hubpages.com/hub/Bahia-de-Caraquez for a look at Bahia de Caráquez, a beautiful and peaceful (except for the parades) beach city.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Otavalo-Shopping-Therapy-for-the-Craft-Obsessed for a comprehensive view of Otavalo’s famous indigenous market

http://hubpages.com/hub/Zaruma for a look at this famous gold mining city. This one is a work in progress as we will be returning to Zaruma to explore the possibilities of using it as a permanent base.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Ecuador-Favorites to see many of my favorite photos taken in Ecuador with commentary.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Ecuador-Favorite-Photos for pictures of some of my favorite places in Ecuador with commentary.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Ecuador-Folklore to see some interesting talismans I have come across in Ecuador.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Bahia-de-Caraquez-the-Malecon to take a closer look at the Malecon during a holiday.

http://hubpages.com/hub/San-Clemente-to-Bahia to discover the beach that becomes a road at low tide.

http://hubpages.com/hub/personal-best for my best poems.