The first thing people ask me when they meet me is…
So why’d you choose Ecuador?
Good question.
Well, here’s how Ecuador compares to the other countries where I’ve lived or spent significant time over the last 10 years.
Here’s my take based on my own experiences, despite my critique i really did enjoy each place listed below…
Spain: Lived in Madrid for 8 months studying abroad. In this part of Spain the climate swings from dreadfully cold in winter to scorchingly hot in the summer. Ecuador has much more mild and steady weather. Also, quite a few, not all, of the locals in Spain were a bit xenophobic, or rascist towards foreigners, specfically gringos like me, not so in Ecuador.
Hawaii: Studied and worked here for 1 year. Hawaii IS paradise, but it is expensive too and this is another place where the locals don’t think too kindly of white “howleys” (people not from Hawaii). Hawaii is small and I think most can get burned out quick. Ecuador has more variety like the Andes, Amazon and coast plus it has more things to do.
San Diego, California: Lived and worked here for 4 months. Nice weather, beautiful city, tons to do, friendly people, good tex mex food. Great place with lots of money to make, really no complaints but real estate and rental prices are really high meaning I would have to take on a job I really don’t like just to keep spinning my hamster wheel just to make it. I prefer being able to have the time to do what i really want to do in a place like Ecuador.
Lithuania: Lived and worked in Vilnius for 1 month. Too cold for me, if I’m going to be sitting through a snowy winter I better have some mountains to ski nearby.
Italy: Lived in Ascoli for 1 month. Stunning little town on the Adriatic coast where I spent time with long lost relatives, but how would I make a living and the high prices scare me. The Ecuador economy seems to be moving faster and i see more opportunities in Ecuador.
Mexico: Lived in Chihuahua for 1 month. If I weren’t in Ecuador I would probably be in Mexico, I love the place, the food, the culture, the people but I rarely felt “at ease” in most parts of this country.
Peru: Lived in Lima for 1 month. The coastline of Peru is akin to the Sahara Desert. Seriously, all the way down! I’m talking sand dunes and trash blowing in the wind, cool to visit, but Ill stick with living in Ecuador.
Bolivia: Lived in Santa Cruz for about 1 month. Nice place with a lot of variety like Ecuador but with no beach. Economy particularly bad, don’t think I could make a living here like Im doing in Ecuador unless I worked online. Ecuador wins.
Brazil: Lived in Rio and Porto Alegre for about 1 month. Beautiful place, really high prices, even more costly than the USA these days, it kind of squeezes the fun out of everything. I’ll stick with the low costs of Ecuador for now.
Uruguay: Lived in Montevideo for 1 month. In my month living in Montevideo I coudn’t figure out why anyone would want to live there? The beaches are not tropical like most northern US beaches, and you’re really far from the States. More organized than Ecuador yes, but Ecuador is more “latin” which to me makes it more interesting.
Argentina: Lived in Buenos Aires for 1 month. Never saw people party until daylight… regularly. And the beef is as good as advertised, so is the wine, and the country is incredibly diverse but the increased cost of living over the last few years and hyper-inflation is a concern for me here.
Colombia: Lived, worked and studied here for 1 year. Colombia may seduce you at first sight as it did me but the culture struck me as simply “wierd” and “tense” after years and years of violence, the drug trade, and being closed off from the rest of the world. I’ll stick to the more laid back Ecuadorians any day.
Philippines: Lived and worked online here for 5 months. Dirty. Poor. Usually i don’t mind it but this place is on another level. Hot and flat. Didn’t like the food. Nice people though who really like foreigners and try to make them comfortable. Far away from US. Makes Ecuador look like Beverly Hills, Ecuador much more developed. Like in most Asian countries there are restrictions against foreign ownership of land limiting possibilities.
Thailand: Lived and traveled here in Krabi area for 1 month. Too on-the-beaten-track for me, just hoards and hoards of travelers. Beaches are amazing, but language is too difficult, Spanish is easier making it easier to integrate with the locals of Ecuador.
Malaysia: Lived in KL for 1 month. About the next blandest place I’ve seen after my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. For me, Ecuador has better food, weather, lower prices and more things to do.
Dominican Republic: Lived in Santo Domingo for 6 months. Beautiful beaches and people, vibrant culture and lively music but the public transport was deficient, food was nasty and there were too many guns. It seemed as though literally every male member of society had one tucked in his pants. Didn’t make me feel very safe. Ecuador outlaws guns which for me makes me feel more comfortable than the other extreme which is the DR.
Vietnam: Lived in Mui Ne and Hanoi for about 1 month. Great food! But here I really felt like a walking dollar sign most of the time, the locals really try to grossly overcharge you whenever they can. In Ecuador it is not so in-your-face.
China: Worked in Shenzhen and Guangzhou for 5 months. Dont live in southern China in the winter! You see, the Chinese government outlaws heat in homes below a certain point but trust me, you need heat, its cold, freezing cold inside the apartments in the winter. I found China hard to get a grip on, I’ve never been more lost, more often as I was there. Overall I found it good for westerners to make money, but I bet few would consider it a better place to live than their home countries.
India: Worked in Bhopal for 1 month. I’ve never seen so many guys just standing around in the streets all day. Like most foreigners working in India, one moment I loved india, the next I hated it. Generally, I felt like a walking dollar sign here while many locals tried to hussle me. Others were incredily nice inviting me into their home upon meeting them. Too much of a challenge for me, and too hot, I’ll stick to Ecuador for now.
Egypt/Israel: Lived here for almost 1 month. Countries of extremes and it starts with the people. Met some incredibly friendly people and the exact opposite, usually within the same day, would not consider this place as one to live in near future. Politically and socially unstable making me weary about investing.
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