Basics
Having Landed On January 8, 2000, Ecuador converted to U.S. dollar. This gave the country a huge shot in the arm as lenders realized Ecuador could not devalue its currency to buy its way out of debt. For those from the States, it means no exchange rates. This can be huge for those setting up […]
Contents
- Summary
- Disclaimer
- Author's Background
- Website Style and Purpose
- For Those Who Decide to Move
- For Those Who Decide to Move
- Ecuadorian Expats
- Moving: Setting a date
- It would likely help to…
- Taking an animal (Brrrr)
- The Airline
- Basics
- Warnings
- Quito
- Guayaquil
- Bargaining
- Intercity Air Travel
- Cell Phones
- On the Subject of driving here
- English
- Passport
- Blue Pens / Ink
- Going out alone
- Necessities
- KFC
- Water
- Hot Water
- Paros (From the verb Parar – to stop) Work stoppages
- Geology
- Earthquakes
- Volcanos
- Landslides & Mudslides
- Geography
- The Weather
- Places of note in: The Sierra
- Places of note in: La Costa
- Places of note in: La Selva (Jungle)
- Galapagos
- Peru
- Ecuadorian History
- Visas
- Business & Competition
- Websites
- Animals
- Medicine
- Insurance
- Real Estate, Banks, & Credit Unions
- Money
- Banks & Credit Unions (Cooperativas)
- Real Estate
- Mortgages
- Looking for MLS? Might we suggest Mercado Libre Ecuador?
- Buildings
- Acreage Size, shape, and Cost
- Some Things to Consider before Buying or Renting
- Condos
- Asbestos
- Homes – Construction Styles
- Homes – Common Designs
- Urban Neighborhood Designs
- Unfinished Homes
- Electrical
- Location, Location, Location
- Security
- Timbres / Doorbells
- Insects
- Renting a Home
- The House
- Culture
- Expats (Extranjeros)
- Ecuadorian Culture
- Education
- ¿Por qué? Porque
- Almuerzo (Lunch) / Siesta
- LGBTQ
- Religion
- Jewish Population
- Humor
- Saving Face is Everything
- Family, Family, Family
- Tradesmen/women
- Greetings – Buenos Días, Buenas Tardes, Buenas Noches
- Bureaucracy
- Corruption (A bribe vs. a tip)
- Different is not wrong
- Doctors
- Hospitality
- “I Want to Live in America”
- Marriages
- Patience
- Politics
- Taxes
- Bus Stations – Terminal Terrestres
- Laws
- Guns
- Begging Children
- Notaries
- Judges
- Racial Profiling and Soft Social Boundaries
- European? Sort of
- “You’re such an Indian”
- Sierra – Culture
- La Costa – the Coast
- El Oriente – The Jungle
- Work Ethic
- Macho Stereotypes are real
- Quichua – Pictures – Not!
- Languages
- English
- Quichua & Shuar
- Spanish
- Names
- Royal Spanish Academy – Real Academia Española
- Coastal vs. Sierra vs. Cuban vs. Maracaiban
- Dictionaries
- Typing in Spanish
- Not Learning the language
- Learning or Considering Learning the language
- Aids in Learning the Language
- Like English, Spanish is actually a very beautiful language
- Like English, Spanish can be confounding – Idiomatic Expressions
- Good English students will have an advantage
- Warning!
- IOU
- Pronouncing the other letters
- Verbs – Be afraid. Be very afraid.
- Cognates – True or False?
- Diacritics – Accent and other pronunciation marks
- Numbers
- Tricks
- Common Words / Expressions
- Restaurants
- Shopping
- Shopping
- Grocery Stores – Types
- Store Types
- Monthly vs. Total Cost price tags
- Negotiating / Haggling
- Repeat Customers
- Black Friday Sales
- U.S. Clothing Stores
- Lockers
- Be Prepared, some names do not translate
- If it’s on the shelf and you want it get it
- Experiment
- Bread
- Sodas
- Milk
- Nestle
- Eggs
- Fruits & Vegetables (F & V)
- Here are some foods we rarely buy on the street and why
- Seafood
- Candy
- Behind Glass (Lock & Key)
- Quito & Guayaquil vs. Everywhere else
- Street, sidewalk, and Traffic signal venders
- Transportation
- Transportation
- Freight
- Ground Transportation
- Pedestrians
- Bikes
- Motorcycles
- Automobiles
- U.S. Driver’s License – good for 30 days
- Seat belts and Car Seats
- Autopistas – Freeways
- Toll Roads (80¢ – $1.00)
- Tickets & Fines
- Accidents
- Street Names and Addresses
- Driving Restrictions
- Muros – Aaagh!
- Traffic Signals
- Traffic in General
- Age
- Automobile Types
- Dashboard Cameras
- Dashboard Rugs
- Taxis
- Mixtos
- Tuk-Tuks
- Recreational Vehicles – ATV’s, Sport Utility Vehicles, Go Carts
- Sea
- Theft
- Miscellaneous
- Batteries
- Birds
- City Designs
- Fireworks
- Gyms
- Holidays
- Homelessness
- Luxury – ¡Sí hay!
- Marijuana
- Paying – Cable, Water, Electric, Phone Bills and recharging bus cards
- Poverty
- Prostitution
- Security Guards
- Tobacco / Vaping
- Things that are very hard to find or are very expensive in Ecuador:
- Things that cannot be found, or are hard to find in the U.S.
- Cuenca
- Cuenca
- Spanish
- Medical Facilities
- Dentists / Orthodontists
- Country Club
- Geology & Geography
- Restaurants
- American
- Pizza
- Breakfast – Desayuno (Des-eye-yu’-no) & Café’s
- Almuerzo – Lunch
- Dinner
- American – Styled Food
- Chinese
- Ecuadorian
- French
- Indian
- Mexican
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Ice Cream
- Seafood
- Views
- Sidewalks
- Sights
- Road / Day Trips
- Las Cajas (Las Ká-has), (The boxes [National Park])
- Access to the Coast
- Real Estate
- Grocery Stores
- Hardware Stores
- Furniture
- Metalworkers
- Carpenters
- Ceramic Tile
- Clothing
- Miscellaneous Things We’ve had constructed
- Marble & Granite
- 3 x 5 Cards
- Appliances & Electronics
- Crime
- WIFI
- Entertainment, Diversions, & Recreation
- Nightlife
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Transportation of things from the U.S.
- Transportation in Cuenca
- Backward (The Opposite of a Foreword)