The Ecuador Insider

Any seasoned traveler will tell you to take US Travel Warnings and Advisories with a BIG grain of salt.

Many are overkill, some are outright BS.

I’m not sure why the US government wishes to pump us full of fear of the outside world. It’s ridiculous. They highlight once in a decade events and hem over them in their reports, they mention every possible little thing that could go wrong, from bus vendors to rip currents, and expect us to enjoy our trip? I think we all have enough to worry about.

The Ecuador travel warning section is no different. One big thing the section lacks is that Ecuador is a wonderful place to be with welcoming people, mild weather, amazing food and nice beaches.

Kidnappings are not a problem in Ecuador, as in some Latin countries, and don’t , if ever, target foreigners.

Petty theft is the biggest thing you have to be weary of. But even things like pick pocketing in crowded buses are very rare in Ecuador.

Just follow the simple rule in Ecuador, “if it’s not tied down, it’s gone” and you will be fine, eat with your bags touching your leg so you know if they move. Hold backpacks in front of you in crowded buses. Don’t walk long distances in the large cities at night. Make sure you don’t leave things of value in plain view in your parked car. Common sense goes a long way in preventing this kind of mischief.

And remember, most importantly, forget for a minute what the Consular site says and have fun while in Ecuador!

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Registering the name of your business or brand in Ecuador is a necessary evil you must do as one of the first steps when starting a business in Ecuador. Follow insidemma for business updates.

As in most developing countries, intellectual property is not as well respected as it should be, so registering your name quickly before someone else copies it is a must.

Luckily, the process brand creation is straightforward in Ecuador. Anyone can do it, even foreigners who are not residents of the country.

You need to go to the governmental institution called the “IEPI”, with offices in Quito and the major cities of Ecuador.

Once there, you will be asked to fill out a form for them to do a domain search to see if your name is available. This service costs $16, nonrefundable.

Then, if available, you can register your name for a one time fee of $116. The brand or name is now yours, protected. If someone infringes it you can sue and win, but in most cases threatening is sufficient to demotivate the infractor.

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Parque Machalilla in Ecuador is located just north of Puerto Lopez and just south of Puerto Cayo on the souther coast of Ecuador.

Within the National Park are many things to do. You can stay for the night with a local indigenous community, just ask for the town of AguaBlanca once in the park.

Once in the town you can take a cultural tour, mud bathe, or bird watch in the dry, tropical forest.

Parque Machilla also boasts one of Ecuador’s TOP beaches, Los Frailes, where most feel as if they were in the Galapagos, not on mainland Ecuador.

The beach is secluded and a wonderful day trip from Puerto Lopez. For a few dollars you can pay a motor taxi to take you there. The park does not have an entrance fee, unless you go to the Frailes beach, in which case the cost of entrance is a few dollars for Ecuadorians, and a little more for foreigners.

Buying property within the park limits is not permitted.

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Pan de Yuca (or Yuca Bread) is an absolute must try for anyone visiting Ecuador. Usually eaten with coffee or juice in the mornings, this bread has a soft, warm interior along with a crunchy, toasted exterior and is served while hot…and is made with yuca and cheese…

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As to be expected, in Ecuador, the schools work differently than in the US or Europe.

Kids start school at age 5 as they begin the “Primaria” which lasts for 7 years. After finishing the “Primaria”, they move on to the next phase of schooling called “Secundaria” which lasts for 3 more years (kind of like the middle school of the US).

After that, they move on to the “Bachelerato” which is kind of like their high school, which lasts for 3 more years. Most kids graduate at age 16 or 17.

At that point many enter the universities, which have a standard duration of 5 years in Ecuador for most majors.

The schools in Ecuador vary greatly in quality from schools that are “not so good” to schools that are often considered even better than most in the US.

As for the grade and high schools…there are public (free) schools and private (paid) schools.

In Ecuador, over the last few years the quality of the public schools has improved greatly, but finding an open space (cupo) for your child in these schools is very difficult, they fill up fast!

Most foreigners put their kids in private, international schools where the kids are taught in English or German.

Private schools in Ecuador are easy to find, and enroll in, and cost starting from $35 a month.

To locate hoards of schools in the area of Ecuador you live, the best way is to try the local yellow pages of the town where you live looking under “Escuelas”.

To find the best schools, the only way is really to get personal recommendations from others in your area.

The requirements for enrollment are pretty basic, they will ask you for things like the birth certificate of your kid, and transcripts from past school, etc.

In an upcoming post, I’ll talk about the University system of Ecuador…until next time, Domenick

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