My 2015 Ecuador bucket list: Must dos no one knows about

I’m embarrassed.

Embarrassed that I’ve lived in Ecuador for three years now and still haven’t done or seen much of what Ecuador has to offer.

So naturally, one of my New Years resolutions is going to be to actively start doing the things I want to do in Ecuador.

This is actually an open invitation so if you’d like to join me on one of these just let me know. Some of whats on the list was on my list last year, but I didn’t get around to it. This year I will!

1. Stay at the hotel in Papallacta that pumps volcanically heated water right into each room making for a great bath. Afterward have a trout lunch.

2. Hike, or attempt to hike Cotopaxi, a 19,300 ft volcano just 50 miles from Quito.

3. Explore the largely undiscovered beaches of the Esmeraldas province and in the meantime surf the pristine waters of Mompiche.

4. Have a drink, dance and hang out for a night with the artists/hippies and see if they will show me how to make some of their jewelry along the infamous cocktail alley of Montanita.

5. Hitch-hike up the coast from Montanita. I’ve heard its easy in Ecuador.

6. See the most remote area of Ecuador, the Yasuni, in the Amazon region before they start their planned drilling, besdies its my best chance to see big Amazonian game like jaguars, anacondas and pumas. Another less intense option would be to fly to the city of Coca and go in canoe alng the Rio Napo to an Eco-lodge.

7. Take the train through the high Andes from Ibarra to Salinas (a different Salinas than the one on the coast).

8. Hike arguably the most beautiful area of Ecuador from the Lagunas de Atillo to the largest waterfall in Ecuador, the San Rafael Falls and the Volcano Reventador area.

9. Visit the Saquisili (near Latacunga) thursday market for an interesting more authentic (less touristy) look into indigeous highland life.

10. Go silver bargaining along the main plaza in Chordeleg (near Cuenca) where silversmiths flex their creative muscles.

11. Try hand-gliding for the first time off the cliffs of Crucita or Canoa on the coast.

12. Bike down the entire Ecuador coast from Esmeraldas to Salinas. Hope I get to do this one.

13. Watch the Tungurahua Volcano erupt at night from the look out over Banos. Tours can be arranged in one of the many agencies in Baños. Cost $20 per person.

14. Observe the amazing Pink river dolphins as they frollic in the unique flooded rainforest of Cuyabeño in northern Ecuador. Tours can be arranged once on the ground out of Quito or Lago Agrio. Anacondas, monkeys and sloths are also possible to be seen. Canoe Tours start from $40 per person.

15. Scuba dive in the crystalline waters of Galapagos off Wolfe Island where its common to see schools of hundreds of Hammerheads and dozens of whale sharks. 2 Dives start from around $130. Best arranged once on the ground in Santa Cruz Island near the port in Puerto Ayora with local dive shops.

16. Snorkel with the worlds smallest penguin, gigantic manta rays, big marine iguanas and (friendly) reef sharks off las Tintoreras on the picturesque snow-white sands and turqoise waters off Floreana Island in the Galapagos. Day tours to Isabela arranged in Santa Cruz start around $65/person.

17. Eat two buckets of the locally-famous garlic crab at one of the best crabhouses (Manny’s Crangrejal) in Guayaquil, a city known for its numerous crabhouses. Near San Marino Mall any taxi will know where it is. $12.

18. Hunt for fossils along the banks of the Nangaritza River, the only river that connects the Amazon to the Pacific Ocean, high in the Condor Mountain Ridge (Cordillera del Condor). For more try lindoecuadortours.com $25-50 /person.

19. Deep-sea fish for Marlin and Whale-watch in August off the calm shores of Salinas. Trips can be arranged in one of the several agencies along the boardwalk. Cost: Whalewatching from $20 per person, deep sea fishing price varies depending on amount of people.

20. Visit a coffee farm near Ibarra and learn the whole process from harvest to belly.

21. Hummingbird watch and observe thousands of butterflies at a butterfly farm in the cloud rainforests of Mindo. Tours can be arranged once in Mindo. Start from $20/person.

22. Trout fish in one of the surreal apline lakes in the barren Cajas National Park near Cuenca. Tours can be arranged with Terra Diversa in Cuenca.

23. Go way off the beaten path and discover the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida) of Ecuador’s Amazon. Extreme adventure available through local guides only out of Nangaritza. Cost: Highly negotiable.

24. Pamper myself with a the natural mud bath in the mud pools in the dry rainforest of Machalilla National Park and spend the night playing volleyball with the local indigenous and later sleeping in one of their tiki huts. From Puerto Lopez hire a motorcycle taxi and pay a few bucks from them to take you to the indigenous community of Aguas Blancas in the park. Cost: $10 for the day tour to the mud baths and $10/person for the night.

25. View thousands of Orchid species and hummingbirds along the well-kept trails of the Podocarpus National Park easily reached in a $4 taxi ride from the town of Zamora. Free entrance to park.

26. Get a taste of ancient Incan life by hiking the 10km trek from El Tambo to Ingapirca, ancient Incan ruins and effectively Ecuador’s own “Machu Picchu”. You can also take a train, taxi or bus which can be arranged out of Canar. Ruins Entrance fee $6.

27. Get certified as a glider plane pilot in Santo Domingo through a one month course with a local flight instructor. They say if you can fly a plane without an engine you can fly a plane with one. Course starts around $1300. 2015 prices yet to be released.

28.Learn to kite surf with an instructor against the strangly barren cliff landscapes of Santa Marianita near Manta. Classes can be arranged on site. Prices vary.

29. Zip-line through a Banana plantation in Machala and learn all the ins and outs of the interesting business with CristyViajes. Tours start around $20 per person.

30. Fish for Pirana in Laguna Pañacocha, a beautiful black wáter lake backed by cloud forests. To get there, hire a local canoe where the Rio Panacayu meets the Rio Napo, to get there you’ll need to take a Nuevo Rocafuerte Canoe hired in the town of Coca. Price varies depending on season.

31. Visit a Chocolate factory in Mindo.

32. Hike the Quillotoa Volcano and witness the majestic, stunning turquoise-colored lake in the volcano’s crater. Can be done solo by taking a bus from Latacunga and getting off near the base. Cost: $4 bus fare from Latacunga.

33. Mingle with sexy locals dressed to the tilt during the 2 hour river-boat cruise on the all-you-can-drink boat ‘Morgans’ which leaves every night from the boardwalk (Malecon) of Guayaquil. $15 per person includes all you can drink.

34. White-water raft and try kayaking for the first time in the lazy to fierce rivers around the city of Tena where the activities have made the town famous.

35. Explore the rarely-visited beaches north of Esmeraldas while at night dancing salsa to afro-latino beats after eating the local delicacy of Shrimp cooked in spiced coconut milk (encocado de camaron). I’m sure I’ll feel like I’m in the Caribbean. Cost: $5-6.

36. Just for fun one day try panning for gold in Yantzaza with the locals in the southern Ecuador Amazon.
Now, how to find the best-priced properties in Ecuador? For that and more subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time:

What to bring to Ecuador? And what NOT to.

This week I´m checking in from Miami, FL.

First time I´ve been in the USA for a bit over three years since moving full-time to Ecuador.

And now, it´s quite clear to me what is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper or easier to find in the USA compared to Ecuador.

What to bring with you to Ecuador?

1. Laptops. In countries like the USA, lap top computers are not just cheaper than in Ecuador, but the variety is much greater. For instance, want something specific like an i7 processor? Best buy in USA and bring to Ecuador. Maximum 2 allowed per person.

2. Cell phones. There are very strict import regulations in Ecuador on cell phones thus jacking up the local prices. Best bring from USA. You can bring a maximum 2 down per person per trip.

3. Apple products. Apple computers, iphones, ipads and anything else Apple is best brought from USA.

4. Footwear. Name-brand shoes like Nike tennis shoes can be double the price of the same shoe found in USA. Moral of the story, bring down! summer walking sandals are often MUCH less expensive in USA, too. Bring, the local Ecuadorians already know this! Speaking of summer walking, Ecuador Summer is one of the hottest in the World, make sure to visit riverfronttimes.com and learn more about portable air conditioner units.

5. Cosmetic products like specific facial creams, make-up. Again, these products can be hard to find or double the price in Ecuador.

6. Lingerie. The good, name-brand stuff, even Victoria Secret, can be double or triple the price in Ecuador.

7. Name-brand jeans. Levi, Tommy, all that can be triple the price in Ecuador, and even still, when buying in Ecuador you are never quite sure if what you´re buying is REALLY authentic. Know what I mean?

8. Designer sun-glasses. Much cheaper in USA. But the cheapies for $8 that break in a few weeks can be found in Ecuador.

9. Projectors, DVD players, other specialty electronics. These type of products can be hard to find or simply double the price in Ecuador.

10. Video game systems, i.e. XBox 360, PlayStation. Often these systems can be over double the price of similar systems found in USA, plus, the games are much cheaper if bought in USA. Personally, Id buy both the system and games cheap in a pawn shop in USA, then bring down.

11. Musical equipment. A Keyboard in Fry´s of Las Vegas costs $99, the same keyboard is over double the price in Ecuador. Nuff said.

12. Fishing, hiking and other extreme sports equipment. Its not the price here, its that these type of specialty items are simply hard to find in Ecuador. Best to bring.

13. Security equipment. Systems like security cameras and other specialty home or personal security equipment are best brought from the Security Info.

14. Baking equipment. Specialty items like cookie-cutter molds, mixers and other items related to baking can be non-existent or far more expensive in Ecuador.

15. Designer jackets, leather, pleather, etc. More variety and cheaper in USA.

16. Specific food spices and sauces. For instance, stadium-mustard with that unique flavor is hard to find in Ecuador.

17. Liquor. Things like Tequila and many other liquors can be much cheaper in USA compared to Ecuador, but you can only bring up to 3 liters per traveler according to this recent article from the Ecuador customs (Aduana).

18. Big-screen TVs. MUCH cheaper in USA, a 32 or 40 inch TV is often half the price in USA at a place like Walmart compared to Ecuador. While a 32 inch, flat-screen LED Sony in Ecuador starts around $440, the same TV or similar can be found in USA for around half that or less! But according to the Ecuador customs, you can only bring ONE TV up to 24 inches tax-free per traveler unless you´re bringing one down in your one-time-only tax-exempt shipment from USA after attaining residency in Ecuador.

What NOT to bring to Ecuador?

Almost as important as what to bring is what NOT to bring, in my hotel near the airport in Quito I meet a lot of foreigners everyday that haul things to Ecuador unnecessarily due to the fact that they are readily available or cheaper in Ecuador.

Like…

1. Sheets, pillows and bed linens. One set of sheets for a double bed in Ecuador start around $18 and are of good quality.

2. Towels. Dont bring towels, they are cheap and plentiful in Ecuador.

3. Furniture. Ecuador has some very nice and reasonably priced furniture. Most are happy acquiring here.

4. Sweaters, hats. Also plentiful and reasonably priced in Ecuador. Alpaca is the norm.

5. Belts, wallets, other leather objects. Also cheap and readily available in Ecuador.

6. Designer lamps, lighting. Ecuador also has some beautiful designs not available in USA.

7. Jewerly. Ecuador has some very nice, unique gold, silver and other options available at reasonable prices.

8. Peanut butter. It´s a myth peanut butter is hard to find in Ecuador. Actually in any big box store like Supermaxi you can find it.
Now, how to find the best-priced properties in Ecuador? For that and more subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time:

Why I just bought in Cayo, Ecuador? The next big thing?

This week I closed on my newest Ecuador property.

Four 330m2(3552ft2) lots, together, with an oceanview a short walk from the beach in Puerto Cayo. The lots are flat and have road access, water, internet and electricity nearby (which matters!).

The plan…

…build a townhouse on each and resell. I’ll send updates on how it goes.

But for now, why’d I choose Puerto Cayo?

Just like I liked Manglaralto (a small town near Montanita) when I bought a property there 2 years ago, and then watched it explode with development, foreign investment and a subsequent surge in prices… I like Puerto Cayo entering 2015.

It’s got one of the most spectacular oceanviews of nearby cliffs and offshore islands of the whole coast of Ecuador. And rare for Ecuador, the ocean on a clear day can have a turquoise color due to the multi-color rocks beneath.

The beach has surfing, an activity that attracts foreign interest and gives people something to do. It´s something Manglaralto doesn’t have, but nearby Montanita does.

I like the proximity to the city of Manta (population about 200,000) which is about an hour away, with decent shopping, big box stores and the nearest airport.

I like that its in the Manabi province on the central part of the coast, compared to Santa Elena, the province on the southernmost part of the coast, where the locals have a serious litter problem.

I love the seafood options people have in the oceanfront cabanas near town, and that the town is relatively safe, I know folks who live there that sometimes leave their doors unlocked.

I like the fact it is a sleepy town instead of a party town like Montanita or Crucita.

I also like that there are already a good amount of foreigners and foreign investment in the area, but that you can still find cheap land if you know how to look, like I explain in my full guide.

Foreigners attract more foreigners.

In short, I think the place could explode in the short term.

What do I NOT like about Puerto Cayo?

Most would still consider Puerto Cayo a bit remote.

It is.

It still lacks a lot of things like things to do, shopping, etc.

Also, there’s not many taxis in this town for some reason, and the distances can be far to walk.

Basic services can be iffy. Not all lots have easy access to the city water system and the Internet, meaning you should inquire first! Not to mention that it’d also be hard to get hold of a maid to cook and clean, in which case it’d be beneficial to learn from websites like ChooseVacuum on how to keep the house immaculate.

In this area, beachfront land prices have already jumped in the last couple years due to foreign investment, the cheapest I found in my search was around $60-80 per meter. 3-4 years ago the prices started around $20-30 per meter in this area for beachfront.

But you can still find inexpensive oceanview lots a short walk from the beach for around the price I found mine at. Thats the opportunity. Foreigners love a view and Puerto Cayo has it, and at a good value for now. But the place is poised for some serious possible appreciation in the short-term (1-3 years).

So get in while you can.

NEW! OCEANVIEW HOUSE FOR SALE FROM $145k

Enjoy the best oceanview of the whole Ecuador coastline right from your porch of the islands off Puerto Cayo!

The house is a short 3 minute walk from the beach and a short walk to the center of a sleepy, safe fishing village with AMAZING seafood!

Rise in the morning and slide open your sliding glass doors and bask in the 180 degree oceanview from your porch.

Also, enjoy the safety and comfort of a small gated subdivide without all the politics of a large one.

Entertain your loved ones during a BBQ from your deck as you whale watch and entertain your closest friends and family. This beach house, built to North American standards is the place for you, all for under $1000 per square meter which is much less than the new construction residences in nearby Manta!

Year built: New! 2015
View: 180 degree oceanview
Lot size: 337.5 m2 (33750ft2)
Roof: Spanish-colonial style clay tiles
Availability: 1 finished house available only, 3 pre-construction

Construction size: one story 190m2 (1900ft2)
Distance to beach: 500 meters
Bedrooms: 3
Bath: 2
Patio/deck: covered (27m2 or 270ft2)
Garage: covered, one car.

Property type: Stand alone home in small (4-5 units) gated community.
Landscaping: Desert landscaping
Master bath: His and hers sink, bath-tub. (9m2 or 99ft2)
Bedrooms: Finished wide closets with extra large windows with screens. (22m2 or 240ft2). Replacement Windows Installation offers a wide variety of window installation and replacement options to fit almost any Colorado residential or commercial need. You can visit website for more about the window replacement service.

Water pressure: House comes with installed pump and pressure tank, plug and play. Pumps are a standard installation in modern homes. they’re generally installed in basements and cellars to assist the fast flushing of water through a sump hole. Sump holes are places where water that goes to the basement or cellar seeps to urge out of the house. But sometimes, the speed of water entering the basement is quicker than the speed of the water getting out. The pumps are installed to quicken the speed of outgoing water, thus preventing floods. Most pumps are installed to pump water to a direction where they will not be causing damage. In some localities where flooding may be a normal occurrence, they’re installed in such how that they drive water towards rain drains or wells.

There are many sorts of sump pumps within the market today, and what you select depends on your preference, needs and budget. they’re usually classified consistent with their capacity. For homes that have relatively low rates of flooding, a pump with alittle motor will already do, while homes that have high rates of food, big sump pumps are ideal. Water will accumulate very quickly if floods have high rates then your suction pump got to have a capacity large enough to match or maybe exceed this rate by even a touch . You can also check out backup sump pump review, to know more which pump is suitable for you.

City water: yes!
Sewage: Septic
City electric: yes!
Internet/Telephone ready.

Open kitchen with island, air extractor, and granite countertops.

Porcelen flooring
Spanish tile roofs
Screens for windows

Very desirable area for rentals… great possible return on investment! Duplexes in nearby vacinity are going for over $250,000 with no oceanview.

Finished! Move-in ready. Only 1 finished house available, could go quick!

For the finished house asking $159,000. For $145,000 get the same house on adjacent lot if you buy pre-construction!

For more details or a showing call 0988899774(Ecuador) or write us below and we will respond within 1 business day:

[contact-form 20 “Cayo house for sale”]

Now, how to find the best-priced properties in Ecuador? For that and more subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time:

How I lost 37 pounds in 1 month the Ecuadorian way

When most people move to Ecuador, myself included, they lose weight.

Its not that they get hit by a never-ending case of Montezuma’s revenge, but the food down here is simply more natural, you know, not so genetically altered as in ‘the developed world’.

But recently, primarily due to working the night shift at my hotel near the airport in Quito, I started to ballon up.

Your friends notice, and start to razz you.

You feel down.

So I decided to do something about it. But a lot of the info and diets I found online were not for someone that lives in a small Ecuadorian town like me. Good luck finding Quinoa and Chia and other wierd stuff in the tienda on the corner.

I had to find something that would work in Ecuador.

My journey started with a brief chat with a nutritionist from the States that stayed in my hotel.

He said, “there’s a lot of conflicting info online and people don’t know what to eat to lose weight. Just focus on three things…

1. Eat less (Mass can neither be created nor destroyed, want less eat less.)
2. Don’t eat processed food (anything that comes in a shiny rapper.)
3. Eat lots of fruits and veggies (they fill you up but are mostly water.)”

So I combined that with a little bit of a low-carb diet plus a twist of a Paleo diet. I do agree with the Paleo diet in that a lot of what we put in our bodies our bodies were not meant to ingest.

Think how did the cave-men eat.

That’s a good start.

So I cut out the pasta, potatos, rice and bread from my diet. I also cut out the sugar, refined sugars, dairy and other foods in the ‘grains’ category. We are, in fact, the only animals who drink milk after infancy.

And I focused on eating foods high in protein and natural fats, like fruits, veggies, fish, meat, poultry, nuts, avocados, olive oil.

Thankfully, fruits and vegetables are plentiful and CHEAP in a place like Ecuador. If you make that the focus of your diet, you could spend literally cents on the dollar to eat everyday.

So, to prove to myself I could do it, I went the first 24 hours without eating anything. One full day. And I was fine.

That proved to myself that we really don’t need as much food as we think we do.

Then I settled on a diet full of Ecuadorian recipes like…

Breakfast- Veggie omelet with fresh squeezed OJ (no bread).

Lunch- Chicken-stuffed avocado (veggies and chicken mixed with a hint of sour cream then placed in an avocado) or Chicken con palmito (Chiken baked with diced Amazonian palm heart), or Grilled Andean-Trout with veggies. Or maybe I’d have a Ceviche (Ecuadorian-style fish soup minced in lime juice with tomato and onion), or a Corvina fish (not farm raised, but from the ocean) cooked in garlic (al ajillo) or Encocado (cooked in coconut curry Esmeraldas-style).

Dinner – Something light like a vegetable soup, an apple or two, or maybe a salad with a bit of tuna.

Rinse and repeat.

The good news for me is I found exercise not all that important to lose weight, it helps, but more its the diet that matters.

I’m not a professional or anything so what I mention here should be taken with a grain of salt and cross-checked with your local expert, but I can only say what worked for me, in Ecuador, and I can say I lost 37 pounds in about a month dropping from 177 lbs to about 140 lbs.

And let me tell you, if you’ve never done it, losing 37 pounds makes you feel great, like superman or something! Totally worth it.

Now, how to find the best-priced properties in Ecuador? For that and more subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time:

Why I Really Moved To Ecuador

Oh, man.

I’ve been avoiding this question ever since I started this blog a few years back.

Yet, this is the first thing people ask me, how did a guy from Cleveland, Ohio end up in Ecuador?

Lie every time.

OK, maybe not “lie” but I always give a very vague, “blow off” answer like, “came to visit, liked it”.

I think many expats have reasons for moving abroad which aren’t exactly “bragging material”.

My reason was probably a lot different than yours, too.

So, do you want the long or short answer?

The short answer goes back to why I moved abroad in the first place… the women.

At age 22 when I left the USA for good… going out, partying, dancing, drinking, and dating primarily occupied my mind.

Of course, as I’ve gotten older my reasons for living abroad do and have changed, I’m not proud of that original reason, but in high school I got no love, man. Picture a young guy dressed for a party walking through sand dunes in the desert. Definitely graduated high school a virgin. It was rough.

College was better, though.

But my dating life really took off when I graduated and moved abroad. It pays to be different than the local norm, what can I say?

But the long answer of why i moved abroad and also chose Ecuador is more complex.

I was invited to Ecuador initially by an Ecuadorian friend I had made living in Madrid, Spain. He picked me up from the airport and we went to a friends house where a national soccer game was on and I just meshed right in with his group of friends. I was 22. And MAN Ecuadorians that age know how to party!

From day one I was already enamored with the fun-loving, welcoming Ecuadorian people.

Then I left Ecuador and lived in other countries in Latin America and Asia, but I kept coming back to Ecuador to visit.

Then, I read something online while living in the Philippines about how to sell e-books online for cash, so i wrote one on Ecuador real estate, where I saw potential (back in 2008-09).

And it sold.

And because of it I started a blog on Ecuador while not even living there, just based off my past visiting experiences. And it grew until one day I was sitting in China in 2011 thinking, what am I doing here? Let’s go back to Ecuador and grow this thing… Ecuador was just beginning to be touted as the NUMBER 1 retirement destination in the world by many international publications.

So I came back.

This last time you could say the reason was this blog, then with an Ecuadorian friend I started a business in Guayaquil, bought some property, sold it, bought some more. Then, started a business on my own in Quito.

Snow-balled from there.

So my reasons for moving to Ecuador changed over time, which will probably happen to you.

Now, the reason I STAYED here primarily was for my blog and as I see it more opportunity than the USA offers me.

Before I left the USA, my only real job in the USA was as a telemarketer for a mortgage company in Oceanside, CA for about one month and a half, now a days is easier to get a mortgage, with the help of tips from sites as Top 10 TN that help people getting their own mortgages. And more to know more about mortgage from MortgageRight. I hated it. You see, i majored in something vague and the only opportunities I saw for myself in the USA were sales, real estate agent, sell insurance or financial advising. Moreira Team we shop your loan with over 22 different lenders and banks to make sure we deliver on our promise to get you the best deal.

To me, all that just looked like that phone I had to stare at when i tele-marketed. Putting on a tie everyday and pushing the iron-coffin to work everyday in rush hour wasn’t for me.

Down here I’m the star quarterback!

Literally, as the leader of an American Football club in Medellin, Colombia (before I lived in Ecuador) I discovered guys in soccer countries mostly throw like girls. They never developed that skill-set, and I was the de-facto quarterback with the rifle arm (compared to them). In the USA I was never the quarterback.

And of course, I met someone special. But I also LOVE the food, the mild warm climate, the laid-back people, and of course the low cost of living. I like the foreigners that travel here too, usually the more adventurous ones compared to the fanny-pack-wearing-Cancun-resort-types.

I don’t think moving here just cause it’s “cheaper” is a good reason in and of itself. But hey, not like my initial reason was any better!

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