tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051630296920548597.post4925154058035409665..comments2023-04-30T05:52:57.997-05:00Comments on Retiring in Ecuador: Questions about EcuadorAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04517965289380852147noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051630296920548597.post-65467096089316184722011-12-22T08:22:37.425-06:002011-12-22T08:22:37.425-06:00Here in Cuenca we can buy coffee from Loja at seve...Here in Cuenca we can buy coffee from Loja at several locations. The current cost is $3 per pound. Sometime the4 coffee is roasted with sugar. You have to ask.retired_poppihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17544782191373276471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051630296920548597.post-88256246074309353172011-12-21T16:38:07.212-06:002011-12-21T16:38:07.212-06:00Thanks to Bob Barber for posting his answers to th...Thanks to Bob Barber for posting his answers to the questions above. You can find Bob on his website at<br />http://bob-barber-ecuador-photos.blogspot.com/<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hi, I do not currently live in Ecuador (going back in 2012), so this is from memory. I bet a lot of it is still applicable, though.<br /><br />What market or vendor have you bought coffee beans from? At what price?<br /><br />Most coffee in Ecuador is instant! They often make a sort of liquor out of it, which you add to hot milk or hot water, your choice. "Cafe pasado" (real coffee to us, made from ground beans) is harder to find. I'm sure you could find coffee beans at Supermaxi, if nowhere else. And if there is an American-style cafe in your city, ask them. They will know.<br /><br />Cocoa beans? What price? <br /><br />Don't know. But everything is available at a market, if you go to the right market. In addition to retail markets of various kinds, most cities have a "mercado mayorista", or wholesale market, where you are allowed to buy things, although they are not set up for casual shoppers. Just walk in and ask around.<br /><br />Anyone have satellite internet through Direct TV?<br /><br />Don't know about this, but I've seen lots of American programming in Ecuador, even in restaurants and places like that.<br /><br />What is the #1 thing you don't like about Ecuador?<br /><br />The post office, which is slow, inefficient, and charges you taxes on anything mailed to you that is not declared a gift (and sometimes even then) and the fact that you have to pay taxes to import anything.<br /><br />What is the #1 thing you love about Ecuador?<br /><br />The people, who are courteous, friendly, and helpful. <br /><br />Have you witnessed crime?<br /><br />Yes, but nothing major. However, I have been nervous once or twice. You have to know where you are, just like anywhere else. My wife and I are not night people, so the answer to this question might be different for people with a night life.<br /><br />How difficult is it to obtain your drivers license? Have you experienced this?<br /><br />I don't know how applicable this is to other countries, but as an American, you can get an international driver's license before you leave, which is good for a year. I've done it through AAA in the United States. It was easy. I did it over the phone. After a year you have to get your license in Ecuador. I have never done that, but it is supposed to be a long process. I know that I have seen long lines outside the licensing agency in Quito.<br /><br />Does your locale need English teachers (paid positions?)<br /><br />Almost everywhere in Ecuador does. In general, you will make more money working at a private high school than you will at a public school or an English academy (a place that is not a school, where students go just an hour a day for English).<br /><br />Do you feel safe in your area of Ecuador?<br /><br />I felt safe living in Quito and Ambato, as long as I didn't do crazy things, like go to areas that I knew were unsafe at night.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04517965289380852147noreply@blogger.com