Cuenca Ecuador

A $3 taxi ride delivered us to the Hotel Casa del Aguila where we spent our week in Cuenca.

This restored colonial home was splendid. The rooms were modern, the linens were luxurious and the complimentary breakfast featured scrambled eggs each morning.

Cuenca is recognized as a UNESCO Heritage Site and the colonial architecture did not disappoint. Our favorites were the churches. Cuenca is reputed to have 52 of them!

We ate well in Cuenca. In fact, the variety and quality of the cuisine is a big factor in Cuenca's appeal for an expat lifestyle. We can recommend: Kookabura Cafe, Hotel Alcazar dining room, Sucre Sale Cafe, Tutto Freddo, El Yogur, California Kitchen, La Vina Pizzeria, Inca Lounge, Wunderbar, and the spectacular, Tiesto's.

We transversed the Rio Tomebamba daily. We happened upon a parade of the Indigenous, kicking off the Carnival festivities. We took the tourist bus up to Turi for the panoramic view of the city.

Ultimately, this visit was about assessing Cuenca as a possible location for our future expat lifestyle. We found a perfectly suitable condo for less than $500 a month just south of the Rio Tomebamba, about 10 blocks from Parque Calderon. We found the area surrounding the Hotel Oro Verde to be most attractive to us with plentiful options for mid rise condos or typical Ecuadorian housing.


We were blessed to have dinner companions almost every night with which to contemplate all things expat. Jon was a buddy we were introduced to in Cuenca and we enjoyed his stimulating conversation on more than one occasion. The Kimblers were one of the expat couples who graciously met with us to help us get real world experience about an overseas move. Meeting up once again with friends made in Quito was icing on the cake.

As always, trips come to an end. Here we are on our last day up in Turi with all of Cuenca spread out before us, incredibly happy. Cuenca gets our vote should we elect to expatriate to Ecuador.

Cotacachi Ecuador

After leaving Quito, we took a 2 hour car ride to Cotacachi. This is a small town nestled in between two beautiful mountains. The town enjoys a pretty main square, plenty of dining options, in and out of town living and not much else.

Prices dropped dramatically,about half, from Quito. Lunch was now $3.50 and dinner $5-6. Wine is expensive - as much as an entree. Our room rate dropped considerably as well.

We stayed at the Land Of The Sun Inn, US phone 336.792.4767. Besides ourselves, the hotel was full with guests attending the Morya Ecuador Discovery real estate tours. Among them were the Mattoxes, who we made fast friends with. Rhonda is a hairdresser and Rick is a character, both an absolute delight from AL.

The hotel itself was comfortable and the staff impeccable. Our room was in no way as roomy as depicted (rooms definitely vary) and anything happening in the hotel was heard. They provided room heaters since Ecuadorians do not typically have temperature control in their buildings. Oh, and the church only rings the bells about 40 or 50 times (Rick says 100) each morning, sometimes as early at 5:45 am! We would return here in a heart beat.

Our new friend, Rhonda, didn't care so much for the food. I can empathize - Ecuadorian food is somewhat bland and often served with multiple starches such as rice, potatoes and plantains. They do serve a type of salsa (salsa di aji) that adds spice and flavor. The "locro" was consistently tasty. We appreciated the reasonable portions. During this trip, Doug and I ate our own entrees for the first time in years.

Along with La Turista, we also dined at the Inn ( lunch and dinner, with more than our fair share of coffee breaks), Serendipity (expat owned), Solid Rock (fabulous tacos), La Mirage (cocktails in the garden) and El Lenador (great meat!). We were pleased with all our dishes. You won't find better tasting avocados. We regret not getting to D'Anitas or Bocaditas.

We spent one day touring with the agent for Adobe Made. Despite the quality product of Adobe Made, we found the San Miguel development most to our liking. Within the development, we were lucky to tour one on the homes featured on House Hunters International. It was a stunner and we wouldn't mind having our own abode in the neighborhood. Our agent, Carolina Denapoli, was a pleasure to work with...cdepoli@gmail.com .

We were having computer problems since we had arrived in Ecuador. Mauricio, a former Land Of The Sun employee, was able to arrange for it to be fixed on a Sunday for $10. gbsmaury@hotmail.com.

Cotacachi was exactly as depicted: clean, safe, affordable and walkable. Housing developed for expats have all the features of home with prices on the high end (likely too pricey for Ecuadorians). We would be interested in touring in town residences to see how the real estate market compares. Besides Carolina, Lee and Peggy Carper are a great resource for rentals, home purchases and real estate investments (a message can be left for them at the Inn). The expat community appears to be close knit. Cotacachi is a short bus ride away from Otavalo and Ibarra, where you will have to go for any kind of shopping, recreation and night life.

Cotacachi convinced us that a life in South America was possible. Practically anyone with a pension or Social Security could live comfortably there. The air is pure, the streets are clean, the people are friendly, the surroundings are spectacular and the atmosphere is peaceful. Now, on to Cuenca.

Quito, Ecuador

Quito, the capital of Ecuador, was the locale for the International Living Ultimate Event. The conference was very productive in our consideration of an expat lifestyle and international investing. Best of all, we met some incredible people whom we hope to enjoy lasting friendship.

Highlights of Quito

Locro de Papa - a potato cheese soup that is ubiquitous in Ecuador.
Azuca Latin Bistro - Plaza Foch, Latin flavors and good cocktails.
Le Ingelsia de la Compania de Jesus - Church in historic Quito. 7 tons of gold leaf decorate this Baroque church of the Jesuits.
Plaza de La Indepencia - Central square where Socialist President Correa addresses the public on Fridays.
Quicentro - Modern and upscale mall in Quito. The food in the court is restaurant quality. They have a restaurant named Menestras del Negro. This popular national chain is named after the enterprising founder nicknamed "del negro" by his family because he is so dark and "Menestras" for the beans meal that is the main dish, his creation. So Mr. Obama and the left can relax - Ecuadorians aren't racist and there is not an outbreak of TEA partiers!
Coffee Tree - We visited the Plaza Foch location. This cafe chain serves authentic espresso drinks.
Magic Bean - Serving Ecuadorian and American meals in the La Mariscal district.
Madonna Statue - The Virgin of Quito is winged and watches over the city from high on a hilltop.
Gianduja Chocolate - Visited this chocolate maker early in the trip. Almost none of the chocolate treats made it home!

Throwing toilet paper in the trash takes getting used to. Just because you see barred windows doesn't mean its dangerous. You likely need an umbrella every day. You can get a meal consisting of a soup, entree and dessert for $10 - and that's considered expensive.