Christine went on to mentor me on the meaning of the five. "You have to have a community of friends you can count on; a Cuenca family. People you can share your deepest secrets with. Someone you can call if you've fallen on the sidewalk and hurt yourself. People who will show."
Josh Beedham first visited Ecuador on a work placement program. “I went to Quito, took Spanish classes and helped in an orphanage. On the weekends I traveled around the country,” he says.
Quito is the capital city of Ecuador, located just south of the equator. Quito has so much culture and history to offer. My husband, Brian, and I live in a different area of Ecuador, but recently had an opportunity to go house- (and cat-) siting there for a week. We took full advantage of being in the heart of the capital city and did a lot of exploring.
The five-month whale-watching season on the Pacific coast of Ecuador runs from June through October every year. By the time these awe-inspiring animals reach my waterside wonderland, they have traveled 4,100 miles north from the frigid waters of Antarctica.
After a month of searching for our future home in Ecuador, my wife Monica and I, were back where we had started, in Quito’s Centro Histórico. Knowing that we had to wake up at 3 a.m. for the shuttle to whisk us off to the airport—the first leg of many on our trip back to Seattle—I suggested that maybe we should just stay up, and out, and sleep on the plane.
A lot of people in Ecuador, locals and expats alike, do just fine without ever owning a car. In fact, getting around without one is part of the healthier lifestyle that they enjoy.
It has now been three-and-a-half years that I have lived in Ecuador, and I couldn’t enjoy living life here more. I chose Ecuador because it is affordable, I wanted to experience living in a different culture, learn Spanish, and enjoy a warm beach life.
I vividly remember the day when our five-year plan turned into a much shorter one. I had received our Canadian property tax bill in the mail, and after reviewing it said to my husband, “Why are we waiting?”
Many expats who are considering retiring to Ecuador look for a city or town they think they would like to live in, myself included. Many also make one or more trips to check out different locales prior to making their final move.
When I lived in Florida, I used to joke that my truck had more dates than me. I am not a professional mover, but by the time we sold our truck, I could have been—we had moved so many times. So, now, I'd do almost anything to avoid it.