The Ecuador Insider

Internet is readily available and cheap in Ecuador…you have several options…my personal favorites are TELMEX and TVCable…

With TelMex I pay $18 a month for internet with reasonably good speed…i can watch videos and listen to radio online ok…no contract required, no installation fees…you could hire for one month and chao, no strings attached (just like I like it)…

With TVCable they charge $36 a month for Cable TV(41 channels), broadband internet, and a local phone line with 700 minutes included per month (to other land lines)…

If you are really out in the boonies, I would recommend getting a Huawei with Porta…it is one of those USB cards you can plug in to your lap top and connect to the internet anywhere there is cell phone access (which is almost anywhere in Ecuador except maybe the deep amazon jungle)…

…the cost for the huawei is around $80, and then around $30 per month, prepaid, you can also buy day cards for $3 (last I checked)…But caution, this type of connection will be slow!

As for getting free WIFI internet, I usually have luck in Ecuador in the biggest malls in town, the lobbies of up-scale hotels (being a foreigner they probably won’t even ask you if you are a guest).

If you liked this you’d love my weekly Ecuador Insider’s Newsletter laying out everything an investor needs to know before they go:

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One big problem foreigners have when traveling by bus in Ecuador is getting overcharged by the bus drivers for not knowing the actual prices…! Know before you go using this crokis…

Quito- LataCunga $1.70, 1 hr 30 min
Quito – Ambato $2.70, 3 hrs
Quito – Banos $3.70, 4 hrs
Quito – Puyo $5.20 , 5 hrs
Quito – Tena $6, 5 hrs
Quito- Riobamba $3.75, 3 hrs 30 min
Quito – Lago Agrio $7, 7 hrs
Quito – Santo Domingo $2.75, 3 hrs
Quito – Pedernales $6.50, 6 hrs
Quito – Cuenca $10.20, 9 hrs
Quito – Guayaquil $8.25, 9 hrs
Quito – Esmeraldas $7.20, 6 hrs
Quito – Huaquillas (Peru Border) $10.50, 12 hrs
Quito – Loja $14, 13 hrs
Quito – Azogues $9, 8 hrs
Quito – Canar $8, 6 hrs
Quito – Otavalo $2.25, 2 hrs
Quito – Ibarra $3, 3 hrs
Quito – Tulcan (Colombia border) $5, 6 hrs
Quito – Macas $8, 8 hrs

Manta – Montecristi $.50, 30 min
Manta – Puerto Cayo $2.38, 2 hrs
Manta – Machalilla $2.80, 2 hrs 30 min
Manta – Puerto Lopez $3.00, 3 hrs
Manta – Ayampe $3.75, 3 hrs, 30 min
Manta – Crucita $1.50, 1 hr 30 min
Manta – Quito $8, 8 hrs
Manta – Guayaquil $3, 4 hrs

Guayaquil – Salinas $3, 3 hrs
Guayaquil – Playas $2, 1 hr 30 min
Guayaquil – Machala $3, 3 hrs
Guayaquil – Cuenca $4, 3 hrs 30 min
Guayaquil – Montanita $4, 4 hrs
Salinas- Montanita $1.50, 1 hr 30 min
Montanita – Olon $.25, 15 min
Olon – Ayampe $.75, 45 min
Ayampe – Manta $3.75, 3 hrs, 30 min

The Tilapia is a true Ecuadorian delight! The Tilapia is a fish that is often found in fisheries and ponds in the highlands and Amazon regions of Ecuador.

The meat is white and tasty, similar to trout but less “fishy”.

Locals LOVE it.

The best places to try it is in Puyo, Banos, Loja, Zamora and Vilcabamba.

Obleas are another unique to Ecuador food where they take two very thin, crunchy wafers, and sandwich dulce de leche or jam in between and serve them. A great treat.

The Babaco is a fruit I have never seen anywhere but in Ecuador! Not even in nearby countries like Peru and Colombia.

It looks like a rugby ball, and is completely yellow when ready to be eaten. The Babaco is native to the Amazon Jungle region of Ecuador and is sold street side in that area. It is a very tasty fruit, but has a flavor very different to anything you have tried before, a little tart, a little sweet… and You don’t eat the skin.

Must try!

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