Why We’re Leaving Our Dream Retirement Home in Ecuador

Comments · 3K

• DE

  @DessertcrazyEcuador · 1 year ago

  I moved to Cuenca a year ago. &nbsp;It’s paradise for me. &nbsp;I like the cooler weather. &nbsp;There’s a very active expat community, and it’s easy to make friends here’s &nbsp;Cuenca is a beautiful, walkable city. &nbsp;The people are friendly and welcoming. &nbsp;You can get an amazing multicourse lunch for $3. &nbsp;The quality and variety of produce is mind blowing. &nbsp;<br>There are parks everywhere, plus the walking trails along the gorgeous rivers. &nbsp;Day trips are easy to book if you want out of the city. &nbsp;No need for a car, you can walk or take the tranvía. <br>Free symphony and events all the time. &nbsp;Between the arts, music, festivals, architecture, and archeology there’s never a time when I’m bored. &nbsp;Plus it’s a foodie city. &nbsp;I could eat at a different restaurant every day for a year. &nbsp;Anywhere from a local almuerzo for $3 to a Michelin star dining experience (again, at a small fraction of the cost in the US).<br><br>Every day I’m thankful to have found this amazing place.

  134

• NI

  @ninakay1813 · 11 months ago

  I live in Ecuador for last 10 years , I truly love it …..

  35

• IN

  @indio2flechas2012 · 1 year ago (edited)

  I have been to Ecuador, &nbsp;Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, Japan, etc.... The first thing I look for is how the children and pets are treated( Are all the kids in school during school hours and home after dark. How many stray dogs are out) it tells me all I need to know about the place.

  1.1K

• AL

  @alexalexanderman1238 · 1 year ago (edited)

  Wow! &nbsp;So many comments! &nbsp;We are moving back to Canada at the end of the week. &nbsp;We have lived at the other end of the beach from the gentleman in the video down in San Clemente. &nbsp;We owned an apartment there. &nbsp;Now we own a house south of Loja. &nbsp;We loved it when we first came 9 years ago but we have decided to return. &nbsp;Mostly for health reasons and family. &nbsp;But the culture here does wear you after a while. &nbsp;Many of the comments have mentioned things they don&apos;t like. &nbsp;The noise, the garbage, &nbsp;the impatience! &nbsp;If we were younger and in better health we would probably stay. &nbsp;Unfortunately we cannot sell our house for anything near a reasonable price so will have to leave it in the care of a friend. &nbsp;I would NOT recommend that you buy here even if you think you love it. &nbsp;The housing market is not like the US or Canada. &nbsp;We lost some money on the place at the coast as well. &nbsp;Just some thoughts on our time here. &nbsp;Oh and by the way, &nbsp;if you think you are eating healthy by eating the fruit and vegetables here, think again. &nbsp;Most of the produce etc. here is sprayed to death. &nbsp;We have seen it every where. &nbsp;If they don&apos;t spray, the bugs will eat or destroy everything. &nbsp;The exception my be the hydroponic gardens or maybe those designated &apos;organic&apos;. &nbsp;Not sure what the standards are light for those.

  149

• MA

  @mariadavis3797 · 1 year ago

  Crime made me leave Ecuador. The safest place was Cuenca and &nbsp;being up in the mountains it’s rather cold.

  146

• MA

  @matthewgarrett1964 · 1 year ago (edited)

  Owned a home in San Clemente even closer to the beach than this home. 5 minutes away. EVERYTHING corrodes &amp; rusts! Door hinges, locks, keys, wires, all metals inside the home, forks, knives, spoons, springs in the mattresses, light sockets, electrical outlets, etc! That transformer you see in the background...in approximately 2-3 &nbsp;years, it will need replaced, along with the wires to the house needing cleaned or replaced. Ceiling fan blades absorb the humidity &amp; in a year or two expand &amp; fall apart, which may not matter because the motor &nbsp;itself will be corroded. Water may or may not be available from the city, so you&apos;ll likely have to have it trucked in occasionally. There is little to nothing to do in these small, coastal villages. It can be a paradise for the right mindset, but a LOT of harsh reality checks &nbsp;are necessary when it comes to the nuts &amp; bolts of everyday living. It can also take weeks or months to get things done that you would think could be done in a day or two or a few weeks at the most. Also, be prepared to be relentlessly asked for money from all sorts of people for every reason imaginable. Again, it can be a great fit for the right person &amp; yes, the vast majority of the locals are incredibly kind, friendly &amp; helpful! Do lots of research &amp; interviews! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtAD0OhB3TQ&amp;t=598">9:58</a>

  471

• MA

  @markwilliams5676 · 1 year ago

  We almost moved to Cuenca to early retire 16 years ago. We traveled to Ecuador 3 times, Mexico many, many times and Costa Rica once trying to find the perfect place to relocate. &nbsp;We love-loved Cuenca. It is still tempting. Very Nice city life with eternal spring weather. Clean great tasting snow melt water like Denver or Innsbruck, Austria. Geothermal hot springs baths/swimming pools in Bano just outside of Cuenca. &nbsp;We sold 2 houses and all of our &quot;Things&quot;,(I mean everything). Then our grandson was born. The gravitational pull of the Grandson is very strong and kept us from leaving. We are glad we didn&apos;t leave because of him. I have been able to pick him up from school or take him in the mornings after a sleepover...We spend lots of time with him. Priceless !! &nbsp;We also looked at Quito and Manta. Manta is a really nice seaside city. Like Miami in the 50s. These folks are just North of Manta and yes it looks pretty lonely there where they are. A beach condo in Manta would have been a great fit for us too. Lots of culture there in Manta. A Yacht Club and Marina to anchor a boat... Fun Fun !! &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;PS and FYI: &nbsp; The last few years, We have had to help my mother and father-in-law as they are &nbsp;both widowers in their 80s now. This would not be possible if we had escaped to Ecuador. We would have had to be doing something different by now anyway. 16 years ago they were both fine, in great health. This never occurred to us back then. This is another reason we are glad we did not pull the rip-cord... PSS: We travel a lot now, ( we have been to all 7 continents). We have an &quot;in town&quot; Waterfront lakehouse and a cool Camper Van to make &quot;escapes&quot; ... Life is Good !! Good luck to all of you !!

  235

• LU

  @luisxvgenovese1736 · 1 year ago

  As an Ecuadorian y would say don’t move to the coastal cities yet. &nbsp;The drug cartels have taken over the region and there is a lot of violence. &nbsp;The high lands “sierra” are more calm and safe. We are all hoping that the government can get a handle on all the cartels . &nbsp;We need to live in peace.

  160

• DS

  @dsbennett · 1 year ago

  I’ve lived in Vietnam, Germany, and Brazil. It was fun and interesting to be there, but there’s no place like home.

  294

• DE

  @deborahswansburg1410 · 4 weeks ago

  I have lived in cotacachi since 2015.

  4

• EC

  @ecuadorexpat8558 · 1 year ago

  I moved to Cuenca 5 yrs ago and still as enamored w it as on the first day..my rent is 300 a month all incl.

  26

• BI

  @billobrien4680 · 1 year ago

  We&apos;re working on out 8th year in Cuenca and we love it. Originally we were going to live on the coast, but we realized that we liked Cuenca much more. Our rent and utilites on our spacious, 3BR 3.5 BT penthouse apt with a large terrace and 24-hour security are less than $850 per month. Heat or AC is not necessary. Taxi rides are typically less than $2.50 (minimum fare is $1.50 - daytime - regardless of the meter reading - $1.75 at night) Bus fare is $0.30 ($0.15 if you&apos;re 65) and the Tranvía is $0.35 (or $0.17). <br> <br>We spend a portion of our time helping people in need. We are directors of an all-volunteer (as are we) charitable organization (secular, not religiously affiliated... although, I believe that some of our people might be orthodox druids) and we have no desires to ever leave Cuenca.

  108