Category: Ecuador for Investors

Top 3 scenic routes in Ecuador no one knows about

Working with tourists and new arrival expats in Ecuador on a daily basis at my hotel near the airport in Quito, It never ceases to amaze me how everyone comes to Ecuador for an adventure, thinks they are adventurous yet are quick to follow the same beaten path of everyone else. 

Same goes for when they rent cars and drive in Ecuador.  

For instance…

-From Quito to the coast, most go through Alaog-Santo Domingo- Chone.  Lame and dangerous (lots of trucks, traffic and landslides.) And for anyone who has passed through Santo Domingo, you know it’s a sh#t hole.  

1. Instead, go from Quito through Mindo, Los Bancos, and on to Pedernales (or cut down to Chone/Bahia).  Much more scenic, less traveled, no trucks, with nice pit-stops along the way like the middle of the world monument and Mindo.  (Almost takes the same amount of time, maybe one hour longer than S. Domingo route).

-From Quito to Guayaquil, most go once again through Santo Domingo and on down through Quevedo and Babahoyo.  

2. Instead, go from Quito through Latacunga on down through La Mana-Quevedo-Babahoyo.  The descent is breathtaking, be sure to do it in the daytime, and the road is good and there are almost no trucks or traffic.  

-From Quito to Cuenca most go straight down the pipe through Ambato, Riobamba then Alousi.  HORRIBLE way to go.  No places to eat.  Always foggy, very curvy and dangerous, lots of trucks.  

3. Instead, go the way NOBODY goes, but I just did, and it was great.  Go from Quito to Ambato, then on to Banos then on to Puyo in the Amazon region and on down to Macas and then over to Cuenca.  Took about the same amount of time as the normal route mentioned above (7-8 hrs), yet NO traffic, NO trucks and NO fog.  Plus, much better scenery and more good food options along the way.  The road is new, great and straight for most of the way!  For a long time the road was bad so I think that is why most Ecuadorians don’t use it.  You can even see orchids along the sides of the roads as you go. 

Now you too can go the road less traveled by in Ecuador.  

Hasta pronto, if you liked this you’d love my Insider’s newsletter on living and investing in Ecuador,

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The best new-age way to find furnished rentals abroad for expats

When moving to a new country, in this case Ecuador, as a new expat you are going to face a problem. Whether you’re looking for residential movers to help you with your heavy furniture, appliances and grand piano or looking for packing help for your office, BR Moving is here to help.

You don’t want to live in a cramped hotel room for extended periods of time with no kitchen.

And all the cheapest rentals that you’ve read about online (like the $200-400/month ones in Ecuador) are unfurnished. If you hire montrealmovers you can be sure that your furniture and fragile things will be safe.

Most do not want to jump right in and invest thousands in furniture.

But over the last few years another alternative has popped up meant mainly for travelers but I see it as even MORE advantageous for new arrival expats, discover this info here. If you are looking for a reliable, hard-working and cost-effective team to help you move then look no further. No job is too big or too small and, thanks to  removals london experience in the removals industry, you can ensure that your home and its contents will be treated with the utmost care.

AirBnB.com

With AirBnb you can find short-to-medium-term rentals at reasonable prices with all the services and furniture already in place. Finding a reliable Moving Company is always a challenge. Be sure to check reviews on all companies before deciding who to use.

Plus, you avoid the biggest problems new expats face when renting from Ecuadorians in Ecuador.

Faulty construction (you can just move if you don’t like it since you are not locked in for the long-term), you might be needing moving your belongings, because that happens to me also that is why I started using Backloading Australia. 

And the landlord not returning your security deposit when they should.  It is the NORM in Ecuador.

When renting through AirBnb if you pay a security deposit the money is held by a third party (AirBnb) and returned to you by them upon exit like should happen.

And while you are in an AirBnb rental you can learn your new city and then begin to search for a longer term, cheaper, unfurnished option as you go and you don’t even need to worry about any over the budget expenses with Room Four, because your renovations can be beautiful and also affordable for your pocket.

Hasta pronto, if you liked this you’d love my Insider’s newsletter on living and investing in Ecuador,

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The first 10 things gringos notice in Ecuador

 

“T.I.E. This. is. Ecuador.”  I find myself often telling my brother (from the USA) who is currently visiting Ecuador for the first time.

The things he initially notices crack me up when I’m just used to it being here a few years now.

Here were a few things he noticed first in Ecuador, and found strange…

1. Grass growing on power lines in Ecuador.  Unexplainable.

2. Ghetto glass.  Or broken bottles cemented into the tops of property walls to prevent break ins.  Interesting idea.

3. Whole extended families on motorcycles.  Slightly illegal in the USA, he found it strange the sight of a father, mother and two kids and the family dog on one motorcycle in Ecuador.

4. Street dogs humping in the street.  A common part of any Ecuador landscape. This one he found particularly hilarious.

5. Random cars with police-colored strobe lights.  Not exactly legal in USA.

6. Pissing in Public.  The ease with which male Ecuadorians pull up in public was impressive to him.

7. Cars parked on sidewalks making the pedestrians walk in the street.  A common sight in Ecuador.

8.  How close the buses whiz by you when biking on the road in Ecuador, literally they pass just inches away.  This one made him flinch.

9. Cars pulling other broken-down cars with a rope.  Not precisely legal in the USA yet a common sight in Ecuador.

10. No windows (or TP) or any ventilation of any kind in many gas station bathrooms in Ecuador.  The hot, humid stench of one particularly on the coast will make you want to shower right then and there.

T.I.E.

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1 Cell Phone-Related Biz-Opp In Ecuador

“I’m starting to think this is hopeless.” I thought as I visited the fifth store dedicated to selling cell phone protective cases in Quito (Ecuador’s capitol city).

You see, in Ecuador, just like the cars on the road, due to the import restrictions there is a very limited variety of cell phones available locally.

And the cell phone case stores cater to only the most popular brands and models of phones in Ecuador.

Yet, there are many people like me who brought their phone from somewhere else. And my poor-little Motorola smart phone is not a common make and model here.

And it’s da-n near impossible to find a case for it.

But I’m not the only one, there are A LOT of people who bring a phone to Ecuador.

Good luck finding a case for it!

Searching online I had slightly better luck, but the one store I found across country said they were sold out of my case, but could order it and it would be here in a month!

I can only imagine what it’s like in the smaller towns of Ecuador to find a case for their phone.

I think this is an opportunity for someone.

You don’t even need a store front. Selling online in Ecuador would be enough.

This is one example of an under-filled niche in Ecuador. There are many similar ones.

I’d focus on what you know…

Why do I share this idea?

Because I already have a business at the current time and I need a case for my phone before I break it!

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The Wrong Way To Close A Sale In Ecuador

“You did what?” I asked surprised at my new American friend who told me he just agreed to sell his car to an Ecuadorian girl.

He’s turning down dozens of people calling on his car every day (a car in high demand in Ecuador) because he already agreed with a handshake to sell and was planning on meeting her in a few days. No money exchanged.

“Naw! Man.” I responded.

Maybe that’s how you do business in North America, but that doesn’t work down here.

The first person to pay you in full for the car, get’s the car, that simple. Don’t be holding it for people!

Down here, if there isn’t at least a deposit paid, you got nothing, man!

Words are just hot air.

Handshakes are worse.

Checks are the equivalent of toilet paper, (seriously!) at least, when you don’t know the buyer in a deal like this one.

Particularly, when selling something in high demand down here like a car, if someone asks if they can pay in installments or whatever, tell ’em to f— off, you’re not a bank.

Cash in hand or deposited in bank account… then goods released.

That’s how you do business down here.

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