The Ecuador Insider

“Damn, I feel like a slave owner…”

…I thought as I watched my team of 4 Ecuadorians work on a property of mine this week on the coast of Ecuador.

I mean, it was hot, and they were heaving bags of cement and stuff, my eyeballs were sweating just watching ’em but I was in fact paying them to do work they chose to do. But I still felt like a slave owner, don’t know why.

Chances are, once you find your dream property in Ecuador, it will still need a bit of work.

In Ecuador, there are two basic ways locals build or remodel a property.

More expensive way: You can hire an architect and they can draw up the plans for you from scratch, hire a building team and manage the project quoting you one price at the beginning for the whole project.

-or-

Less expensive (cheaper) way: Find some local “albaniles”, that’s the Ecuadorian term for “builders”or “handyman” and build and manage your own team, and for HVAC and plumbing systems, they can get servicesa via THAHeatingAirPlumbing.com to work on this field.

If you’re looking for a new water heating solution, then you will be sure to come across power vent models. A power vent water heater has become one of the most popular choices for home use as it offers numerous benefits. When choosing a new water heater to install, you will need to make sure that you pick the right unit for your space and needs. Let’s take a deeper look into what a power vent water heater is, and when to use one. Go through https://waterheaterreviewssite.com/ site for more details.

Where can you find them?

While building home plumber plays a huge role in it. There are many reasons to rent a plumber. you’ll be within the process of building a replacement home and have now reached the phase where the plumbing must be installed. otherwise you might be tackling a transforming project and you would like a reputable plumber to maneuver plumbing to a replacement area or install plumbing to accommodate new fixtures.

A third scenario which may find you in need of a plumber is when your plumbing needs repair. during this instance, the necessity for a plumber is quite likely an emergency, or it could become one soon. thanks to the urgent nature of this scenario, it’s easy to overlook the necessity to seek out a reputable plumber who does quality work. this will be a costly mistake in terms of not only money but also additional inconveniences if the plumber wasn’t well versed within the trade.

The Local Plumber Australia company have expert plumber. They also offer a good sort of services. These include those that immediately come to mind like installing new plumbing systems for brand spanking new houses, fixing leaky faucets and other repairs, and unclogging sinks, tubs, and toilets. it’s going to come as a surprise, however, to find out that plumbers must also skills to read blueprints correctly. additionally , a plumber might even be the person to make the blueprints since a plumber are going to be conscious of the applicable codes.

So how much do they charge in Ecuador?

The average going rate for an “albanil” or “maestro” in Ecuador is $120 for a full-time work week (5 days, 8 hrs a day), as of in April of 2012 as I write this.

But to see quick results I recommend, from personal experience, to not pay by the week or by the day and instead to pay by breaking the project up into steps negotiating a price to pay upon the completion of each step.

Overall, hiring an architect or building company is recommended if you aren’t going to be present, or if you’re building from scratch, while the second option is good if you will be present and would like to micro-manage and be a little more hands-on.

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“Is it to late to go back?”…

…I thought, as the one-way turnstyle clicked shut behind me as I finished crossing a dry river into a land full of Spanish, siestas, 3 course lunches, salsa music and Tequila.

As I crossed the border into Ciudad Juarez I was immediately surrounded by poor kids pulling my shorts trying to sell things, and shady characters dwelling in the shadows near rows and rows of Pharmacies.

I couldn’t believe how fast everything turned to Spanish. But I did in fact find my way along the cracked streets to the bus station, and by that night I was drinking Tequila with my Mexican friend on his father’s hacienda listening to, of course, Mariachis.

It was my first day in Latin America. Mexico to be exact.

The first day of an 8 month trip from the border of the US all the way down to Argentina, by land. And I was already hooked. I loved it, maybe because it met my basic requirements, it was something different and more interesting than the bland, largely Italian-American suburb of Cleveland, Ohio where I grew up. (Not hard to meet that requirement!)

One big benefit of moving to Ecuador a lot of folks don’t realize is they’re moving to the center of a brand new, very different continent. Heck, there are still places in South America that no anglo-saxon has yet to discover!

Here are 7 cool things I bet you didn’t know you could do in South America, which also make great side trips once you’re living in Ecuador. Boy it was tough to choose but here’s 7 of my favs…

7. Venture the infamous Darien Gap by land, on small boats, starting from where the PanAmerican Highway ends near Turbo, Colombia and working your way north… visiting one of the most pristine, breathtaking, secluded beaches in the Americas: Capurgana- Sapsurro, on the Colombia-Panama border. Truly the road less traveled.

6. By day, climb the enormous rock of El Peñol, or paraglide in San Felix, or raft the Rio Coca, and by night enjoy stuffed Arepas on the street while you sit and chat with friendly, curious locals stricken at the odd sight of a foreigner until one of them, probably named Lina, invites you to dance Salsa with her in Medellin Colombia.

5. Coax your way onto a Tuna or Oyster fishing boat in Northern Peru in one of the small towns like Mancora, Chiclayo or Trujillo. Striking up a simple conversation with a local fishermen will often lead to an invitation. Or you could surf the long, lazy, world-class lefts this area is known for.

4. Marvel from atop a small prop-plane at the Nazca Lines, in Southern Peru, which are unexplainable designs in the earth surface made thousands of years ago only noticable from the air. A good stop for most on their way to the majestic Machu Picchu.

3. Meander the crazy streets of La Paz, Bolivia, a city which doubles as one-gigantic-street-market. The whole place is just loaded with stall after stall of local entrepreneurs selling their wares. By day, you could hire a guided bike tour of the world’s most dangerous road, an all-day-long-decent along cliff-hanging roads from frozen tundra until hot jungle. A real white knuckler. Or for folks who prefer nature, try taking a jeep tour of the nearby world-famous salt flats, Salar de Uyuni. Either way, prepare to be amazed at the uniqueness of Bolivia.

2. Practice your Portuguese, see pink river dolphins, pirañas and enjoy virgin rainforest on a several day trip aboard a river boat taking you down the Amazon river from Manaus to the colorful northern coast of Brazil.

1. Enjoy the extreme fury and hold-your-breathe excitement of a Boca-River soccer match by day and by night wine and dine in front of a Tango show as you devour a juicy T-bone and savor some “vino tinto” in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Or if big cities aren’t for you, you could always go hike glaciers or snow ski in Patagonia, near Mendoza on the other side of the slender country.

This is just the beginning of this beautiful continent, so stop saving or waiting and make the leap today!

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