Country Archive
Country Archive
Displaying [17] - [24] of [109] Items
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Travel Writer: A Day in the Life
Date: 05/28/2009 Author: Steenie HarveyI’m paying $75 for a seven-hour date with Genaro. Bit pricey, but that’s still $15 less than the competition. Now, don’t get me wrong. Although some travel writers outrageously abuse their travel expenses, my Ecuador expenses are legitimate.
Read On
Too Many Bargains at Ecuador's Market Town
Date: 05/12/2009Dear International Living Reader,
I’ve gone mad. Totally mad. I’m now loaded with blankets and all kinds of alpaca wear. Hand-woven textile and leather belts. Tagua animal figurines carved from vegetable ivory. Multi-hued woven table runners and shimmery rainbows of long cotton scarves. A textile wall-hanging of Piscean fish. Four pieces of signed art work. A Panama hat...
I already know it will be a struggle to lug everything home. But it’s impossible to visit Otavalo in Ecuador and not buy up the market.
North of Quito (2.5 hours), Otavalo’s claim to fame is its handicrafts extravaganza on Plaza de Ponchos. It’s said to be South America’s largest indigenous textile market. Saturday is when the square and surrounding streets get packed solid, but traders are here every day of the week.
Read On
Secret #4: Where to Find Ecuador’s Thriving Expat Community
Date: 03/26/2009 Author: Lee HarrisonWe were driving along the fast, modern, four-lane coastal road as we rounded a curve and entered Manta, the largest city on the Ecuadorian coast.
Sure, I’ve heard plenty about Manta; but even so, it took me completely by surprise.
Because of its solid industrial base, port, and commercial fishing industry, I had expected Manta to have an industrial character. But instead, I found a contemporary, clean, and cheerful city with tall modern buildings and beaches facing blue Pacific waters.
Read OnSecret #3: Building Ecuadorian Condos with a Smile
Date: 03/25/2009 Author: Dan PrescherWe stood on the unfinished terrace of our fourth-floor penthouse condo overlooking the little village of Cotacachi, Ecuador, surrounded by the green and fertile slopes of the Andes.
“Jorge, we have a few changes we’d like to talk to you about.”
We said this in our broken, faltering Spanish. But Jorge Quilumbaqui, our builder, obviously understood. He’s a native of Cotacachi and speaks no English. But we’ve never had trouble communicating with him. And he has never failed to smile throughout every meeting we’ve had during the construction of our unit.
Even when the meetings involve changes to our floor plan.
Read On
Ecuador Secret #2: The $20,000 Beachfront Lot
Date: 03/24/2009 Author: Lee HarrisonThe restaurant was nothing fancy. Just a simple, open-air affair with a thatched roof, wooden tables, and plastic tablecloths. But the menu was remarkable. I enjoyed a sizzling mound of camarones al ajillo (shrimp sautéed in fresh garlic and olive oil) with a side order of rice and a salad, for just $3.50. And fresh fish, pulled from the ocean just hours earlier, was available for the same price. The beers were ice cold, and the view to the beach--one of the widest beaches you’ll find in Ecuador--was unobstructed.
Read On
Ecuador Secret #1: The $300 Apartment With Stunning Views
Date: 03/23/2009It's easy to try a new life in Ecuador on for size. Furnished apartments…with phone, Internet, utilities, cable, all included in the price…are readily available for $200 to $400 a month.
In fact, our home here in Cuenca is a good example. We pay just $300 for a small rooftop apartment with views in every direction across this stunning colonial city. We have a wonderful deck overlooking the iconic blue tiled domes of the Cathedral. A half block from the city's heart we are in the center of every festival this renowned "City of Festivals" celebrates.
Mornings are always on the terrace with fresh ground Ecuadorian coffee from the stand up the street, complimented by the most delicious...
Read OnThe Ultimate Ecuador Week
Date: 03/20/2009 Author: Len GalvinEcuador is where most IL readers move to enjoy a top-notch quality of life.
That's hardly surprising. Ecuador has the world's best climate. From snow-capped volcanoes to dense Amazon jungle to sun-drenched Pacific beaches to the famous Galapagos Islands, Ecuador offers something for everyone and at prices unheard of for years in North America and Europe.
If you like the outdoors, have dreamed of owning a Spanish colonial home in a colonial city, or want to spend hours strolling on an undeveloped beach, then Ecuador will be perfect for you.
Read OnThe Cedar Saints of San Antonio de Ibarra
Date: 03/18/2009 Author: Dan PrescherEight years ago, when Suzan and I were first living in Ecuador and working for International Living, a friend in Europe asked me to find him a life-sized statue of Saint Michael… San Miguel, as he’s known in Ecuador.
That search took me to a little town in the Ecuadorian Andes called San Antonio de Ibarra. It’s not much more than three or four long streets that run up a high ridge at the base of an inactive, cloud-wreathed volcano called Imbabura.
At first glance, San Antonio de Ibarra looks like any other mountain village in the Ecuadorian highlands...
Read On
Displaying [17] - [24] of [109] Items