Trust me, I´ve been there.
I mean, living in a small town on the coast of Ecuador.
The town (Manglaralto) was 4 km from Montanita and had a total of 3 streets parallel to the ocean with about 20 streets perpendicular.
Tiny.
You know, I didn´t really need or want a car.
I could use the frequent/cheap buses for long distances.
Plus, with car prices double or triple what im used to in the US, I wasn´t in a hurry to buy one.
But walking 20 minutes just to buy some fish or veggies can get tiring.
So… let me introduce the ideal vehicle for an expat on the coast of Ecuador… the motor-bicycle.
Literally, its a BICYCLE with a little motor on it and a half gallon gas tank.
You can pedal it like a normal bike if you feeling like getting some exercise or turn on the little motor and away you go.
The max speed with the motor on is 40 km per hr (25mph).
Did I mention you can get 100 km (62 miles) to the gallon!?
And don´t worry about parking, just chain it up (its a bike)!
Got groceries? Put a basket on it.
And no special licenses or insurance needed (so the local policia tell me).
Did I mention one of these little motors put on your bicycle in Ecuador only costs around $250?
Obviously not great for long distances or highway riding but great for zipping around your little beach town.
One place you can buy one I know of in Ecuador is in the suburb of Quito called Tumbaco. The shop is named Taller Turbo and one contact number is 02 2373946.
But they sell them on the coast too.
And by the way, all the cool kids have one.
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