People rarely use seat belts and most cars don’t have air bags, making accidents a lot more serious.

If you want to drive with no muffler, that’s OK, and too bad for anyone who doesn’t like the noise. If a car is belching black smoke, there’s no emissions law to enforce. We have no convenient highways to get us efficiently around the country, and the roads we do have are not in the best of repair. What’s worse is that people still litter, and environmental laws are weak or nonexistent. 

When I went to get the records for the purchase of my car, which I thought were computerized, I found an old man on the third floor of the police station surrounded by mountains of cardboard boxes stuffed with paper. He told me he needed five days and sent me on my way…hoping I’d never come back.

Where are all the Gringos?

If you enjoy submerging yourself in the culture and blending into the community, this is a good place to be.  There are no throngs of expats driving up the prices, isolated in the gated communities that we saw in some other countries. The few expats who live here have pretty much melted into the background, being easily accepted by Ecuadorian families and the community in general. 

As romantic as that sounds however, think twice about it: While some people will find their experience enriched by the lack of expatriates, others will feel isolated, particularly if they don’t speak Spanish. Unless you’re in Vilcabamba—where there’s a fair amount of English spoken—it’s rare that you’ll hear your native language.

You also won’t hear anything about the World Series, no one’s heard of the Super Bowl, you’ll be surprised by the country being shut down on May Day, and you’ll find everyone at work on Thanksgiving. With no expats, it’s hard to maintain some of the old traditions—we even missed St. Patrick’s Day this year—although I must say that our Ecuadorian friends are learning to like turkey and stuffing. 

I’d still pick Ecuador again

But after almost two years here and all the intervening travel around the world, I’d still be here if I had it to do over again. When we first toured Ecuador, one look at colonial Cuenca was all it took. With its beautiful historic downtown complete with restored colonial buildings and cobble-stoned streets, near-perfect weather and welcoming people, it was just what we were looking for. It has everything we need: there’s pure tap water, several ISPs, a symphony orchestra and theater, excellent health care, and a rich culture complete with bustling indigenous markets, and a wealth of tiny Madrid-style shops selling everything one could imagine. The flowers, fresh fruits, and hummingbirds are with us year-round. 
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We also found the country’s diversity and beauty to be beyond our expectations. When not at the symphony orchestra or theater, we enjoy swimming on Ecuador’s beautiful beaches, dancing at the many Salsa clubs, eating fresh seafood at the shore in Esmeraldas with Afro-Caribbean music playing in the background, and hiking in the Amazon rainforest. For a small country, there’s a lot to offer. 

Look at the big picture

There’s more to Ecuador than bargain-priced homes, a low cost of living, and an entrepreneurial climate. More than life in the 50s, with all of its good and bad points. When you come to Ecuador, come for the brightly colored buses rolling down the highway with Latin rock blasting through the windows and animals riding on top; come for the roadside pig roasts, where you can eat a delicious meal for a dollar; come for the colorful Indian markets, the rainforest, beaches, and the adventure…come for the hot home-made Mallorca direct from the still.  Because these are the things that really set us apart from the rest of the world. 

A pioneering spirit

There’s plenty of opportunity to do business in Ecuador. IL readers Chris and Leslie Breen recently opened an “International Tapas” restaurant—the Eucalyptus Café—which enjoys a packed house just about every night of the week and has become the most successful venue in the city. Anga Miller operates a small clothing factory in which she makes designer clothing for the U.S. market. Reader Bobby Shelton is scouring the countryside in Vilcabamba looking for a development site for “in character” but American quality homes, while reader Ellen Schultz of New York is writing her first promos for a proposed Yoga retreat. All one needs is a good, original idea, and a pioneering spirit to make a go of it.