April 24- The Bad and the Ugly about Ecuador

Most of my Blogs and the Blogs of most everyone else,  concern themselves with only the good things about Ecuador so I thought it was time I wrote  about the seamier side, the under belly of the city and the country we live in. Now don’t get me wrong, we still love it here and we do not want Ecuador to become a little North America. However there are definitely many things that are not so great that you have to learn to live with.

Now I've already written on previous occasions about the garbage ( has gotten much better since we have a new mayor), the feral dogs & cats, the uneven sidewalks, open manholes etc etc. So far 4 of my friends have broken arms tripping on the uneven pavement plus 1 broke her hip, At all times, defensive walking is required!

As well, we know several people who have been victims of robbery in their home or experienced pick-pockets around town. We have also had our camera stolen while riding on the bus. Like everywhere you might travel, you must be aware of your surroundings and careful with your possessions.

Several couples that we know well, have lived here beyond the ‘honeymoon phase’ and after 6 months or sometimes more than a year, they have decided to return to their home country sometimes after selling everything there to come to Ecuador originally. Their reasons include sick parents needing help, heath reasons, missing grand kids, missing living in an English speaking country, too humid, too hot.all good reasons for returning home. Just be sure to do your homework concerning life here- read Blogs, Facebook Ecuador groups etc and spend some extended time visiting here before selling all you own in your home country and taking the plunge.

Ok, so here we go. First of all the climate here on the coast from Salinas north to probably past Crucita is definitely not what you expect in a country on the equator. The good news is that  throughout  the High Season- December to end of April/May- the temperatures range from 25 to 35C and the days are almost always sunny. Even though February to April are supposed to be the rainy season, it falls mostly at nights leaving the days sunny and hot. The only downside of this season are the crowds that come to the beach during the school vacation of March/April  and the sea weed that plagues our beaches for a few weeks.

Now for the bad news. The summer months- June to the end of November-are almost always cloudy, no rain just clouds and not cold, around 18-22C. The sun rarely shows it’s face to the point we have come close to the ‘Sad Disease’ a few times LOL. Of course, those are some of the months we pick to visit our friends and family back in Canada.

Next, the Ecuadorian government has made some strange decisions. On the Federal level, a new tax (5% to 45%) has been attached to 2800 imported items. This has a great impact on not just our wine and many other purchases but also on the livelyhood of the local people. Construction work is good employment but with new taxes on construction materials, this activity will definitely slow down as prices increase. As well, these taxes may inhibit renovations of older condo & houses- again causing problems for construction workers. On the local level, the beach vendors can no longer sell beer on the beaches along the coast of Santa Elena province. Only Salinas has so far been exempted. Big brother North American rules are raising their ugly heads here,

Next, prices have changed considerably since we arrived here 3 ½ years ago. Condo prices especially along the beaches have almost doubled and of course renovation prices are adversely affected by the new taxes. Restaurant prices have also risen. No more almuerzos(lunch) for $2- think $3.50 and up for this typical Ecuadorian lunch. The huge influx of gringos- both permanent and visitors-are affecting prices in all those cities popular with expats like Cuenca, Salinas, Manta etc.

Though we can and are adjusting, the local Ecuadorians are having problems with these increases as the minimum salary per month is still $350. As told to my friend Juanita, we,in some cases ‘are stealing their dreams’.

And lastly there are those gringos who have decided to own businesses here and now face various problems. One couple own a bar/restaurant and paid much money in renovations. Now, they would like to sell the business because they would like to be much less busy and enjoy their retirement. The problem is that they have tried to sell this business for over one year and no buyer.
And yet one more couple had a very successful bar/disco with a very busy client base of both gringos and Ecuadorians. They were checked by the police one evening. A law rarely enforced that requires everyone to carry identification was forced on everyone at the bar that evening. Twenty-eight persons including a sixty-seven year old woman, were found to have no ID with them. The bar owners were fined by the judge, first several thousand dollars but then only a few hundred. When they refused to pay the fine thinking it was yet another bribe, their place was closed permanently and all eight of their Ecuadorian employees lost their jobs and we lost our favorite bar!

So these are some of the not so good things about our adopted country but as noted many times previously, those of us who are adventurous and patient, still love our new home.