One of the great worries, at least for some potential foreign property buyers, prior to the passing of the new Constitution was the specter of property confiscation. The way some were portraying the situation the government was determined to confiscate unproductive land and pass it on to the poor.
But hearing this I checked through the [...]

I am always being asked how you can make money in Ecuador, what can you do? My answer is always the same – you must start a business of some kind. Trying to compete against competent low wage workers is not the best way forward – I can guarantee that. I did no more than survive for three years teaching English in Quito. It was fun, it was interesting, stimulating and challenging. But not financially rewarding.

As Gary has explained, one very viable way to generate substantial earnings is to start an import export business, which is precisely why we offer our import export expeditions.
http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-import-and-export-tour

Other possibilities are to open a restaurant or small hotel – many have done this very successfully. But for something completely different read on below to see an opportunity concerning technology.

After just spending two days without internet at Meson de las Flores after a short duration power outage caused all the modems and routers to lose their settings, I’ve been scratching my head wondering how broadband internet could be better and faster in Cotacachi.

Of course, once we are used to having something we take it for granted – human nature I suppose, but I never forget that it’s something of an achievement that we can live here in the Andean mountain valleys and yet we’re connected by broadband to all corners of the globe. If I had a stock portfolio, and I’m glad I don’t as of today’s writing, I could be subscribed to a data service and get almost instantaneous ‘live’ data to trade my portfolio.

At Meson de las Flores we used to receive broadband from a company that uses microwave dishes to bounce the signals around the mountains until they reached Quito and the global data cable network. The only problem was that up at 13,000 feet on mount Cotacachi the dish they used was often buffeted by high winds and in some way failed to operate. I was never sure if it was inadequate equipment or just a bad location.

Needless to say there were frequent outages and so when DSL finally arrived in Cotacachi about a year ago I was front of the line to receive that service in El Meson. It has been a real blessing, trouble free and reliable for a year now, until last Wednesday.

Even so the tecs from the phone company came out the following day to fix the dsl line and then I needed to wait another day for someone to come and figure the wireless inside the hotel – not such an easy job for the amateur as we have three routers, two password protected networks and a voip phone that runs off a separate router (free internet and international calls for all guests at El Meson).

But while working in the nearby super-modern internet café, I was talking to the owner and he told me his brother is now offering a service using internet delivered by microwave dishes. The difference being that this new company has three dishes within the village so the reliability is much more assured.

In fact one of our new ex-pat residents is sitting pretty in his condo in Primavera (still priced competitively by the way at roughly $50,000 for a 2/3 bedroom with great mountain views) yet he tells me the speed is slow, ok for browsing the web and emailing, and that he pays $35/month.

I went back to the owner at the internet café again and asked him how he says you can have any bandwidth you want. The issue is price. You do pay more down in Ecuador for broadband and to get the really fast speeds that many of us are accustomed to at home now, you’d really need to pay quite a hefty monthly fee.

I think we have all heard the phrase ‘where there is a problem there’s an opportunity’.

I’d heard that there was cable tv in Cotacachi so my thinking went along the lines of “if there’s a cable network here why can’t they run internet along the cable?”

I found the owner of the local cable tv network unloading supplies from the back of his pickup as I arrived at his office. He has the whole of Cotacachi cabled and charges $13 a month for his clients to receive 22 channels. I asked about the internet and he wistfully shook his head.

He’s aware of the opportunity but bringing internet through the cables would require another type of cabling. The cable costs about $3,000 for a 400 meter roll. He estimates the investment might be $50-60,000 but he doesn’t have that money. I asked if he would consider a partner or joint equity scheme and after stroking his chin and giving the matter some thought he said he would.

Do you remember the time when we all accepted dial-up speeds? This is where Cotacachi is at right now. I can’t cycle down the street without finding another internet café open. Yet it’s an inconvenience to work in an internet café for any length of time. High on the Christmas wish list of many Ecuadorians is a home computer .. and once they have that they want a fast internet connection.

And then we have the expats arriving in ever greater numbers. Doing a quick mental calculation my guesstimate is that some 200 homes are either built, being built or planning to be built. Specifically for foreigners, that’s you and me, resettling here. Nearly all of us want a fast internet connection.

Luis, the cable tv operator tells me that the monthly charge for cable internet would be about $50-60 a month – which would totally undermine the current competition. So there you have it – a potential partnership with a successful Ecuadorian business man who needs a partner/investor to move forward to tap a growing demand right here in Cotacachi.

If technology is not your bag and you enjoy searching for bargains, could see yourself sourcing new products (otherwise known as being a super shopper) and traveling as much as you’d like and deducting all your expenses as a tax write-off then you will probably want to read about our last import export expedition this year http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-import-and-export-tour

Signing off over my now wonderfully stable DSL connection – Steve

Ecuador’s new refinery means even cheaper gas prices in Ecuador. One of the things that new visitors to Ecuador have always noted is the cheap gas prices in Ecuador. Super gas is at $1.80 per gallon whilst regular is at just $1.20 and diesel is at an incredible $1.03 per gallon.
How can this be?
Aren’t gasoline [...]

Watchout in upcoming posts for a more detailed analysis of what is available but today let us take an overview of what is available in this charming village.

For a small rural village of 5,000 people there are a number of doctors and dentists, a community hospital, alternative health center, 2 clinical laboratories for testing samples of blood and urine etc., and also a hard to track down (but I’m working on it) French chiropractor.

Below is the hospital which is on Calle Pedro Moncayo just slightly out of the center of the town. You can see a map of Cotacachi here http://www.ecuadorliving.com/2008/04/02/cotacachi-street-map.html

Here is Doctor Albuja outside of his house. His consulting room is just 3 blocks away from Meson de las Flores.

Below is the consulting office of Doctor Teran in Avenida 10 de Agosto. Next door in the same building is a clinic.

And below is a dentist, not the one we normally recommend but another, who has her small dental clinic in 10 de Agosto as well. She charges NOTHING for a checkup and $10 for a cleaning or $40 for a whitening which will last for 30 months unless you drink a lot of coffee she tells me laughingly – she must be a psychic! How’s that for useful Cotacachi medical information?

And here is the home/consulting office of our good friend Doctor Vaca who manages to combine general medicine with Russian energy medicine, he trained as a doctor and graduated in the former Soviet Union but now part of Ukraine.

Just yesterday Dr. Vaca ran me through his Russian energy medicine software program. The results will remain largely private but suffice to say they were amazingly accurate and can also serve as very timely preventative medicine. More on that in another post.

More detailed Cotacachi Medical Information to follow in subsequent posts. In the meantime, we hope to see you in Ecuador and Cotacachi very soon and may you never be in need of any more than a checkup!

Ecuador Import Export tour

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-import-and-export-tour

Coastal Real Estate Tour

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-coastal-real-estate-tour

Super Thinking + Super Spanish

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-spanish-course

Imbabura Real Estate Tour

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate

Ecuador Shaman Tour

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-shaman-mingo-tour

Ecuador politics are complicated at the best of times. There is a tremendous assortment of interests from a vast range of different groups here in Ecuador, some with representation in Ecuador politics.

But many of these groups have often lacked representation at the highest levels in politics and so it was with a lot of hope that the electorate voted in President Correa at the end of 2006 as he seemed to be a strong figure, a unifying force who could perhaps bring the change that so many sought and indeed still seek.

His ride in Ecuador politics has not been an easy one. It has never been easy for any President but he stood on a platform of change which appealed to many of the electorate. He is a populist but one who seemingly has good intentions; which is a good start at least.

He makes no bones that he is a socialist yet as he is at pains to explain, just because Hugo Chavez is a socialist that does not mean that Ecuador is on the same path as Venezuela.

The recent attack by the Colombian military on the FARC guerrilla base, one mile inside Ecuadorian territory, caused much consternation in Ecuador and many other Latin American countries as well. But there was never any likelihood of war or any appetite for war either.

Nobody here in Ecuador knows whether this presidential term will be completed but if we look at recent history then the odds would suggest that Ecuador politics will be as unstable as ever.

Here in the interview of President Correa below you can gain an insight into his thinking regards the attack, relations with Colombia, and other issues in Ecuador politics.

The interview took place in Spain with a journalist called Gorka Castillo from the Spanish daily newspaper Público, and the translation is by Machetera.

*************************************************

Ecuador’s president doesn’t mince words. Over an hour’s interview he analyzed the Latin American political situation and didn’t hide the wound opened by Colombia that will take some time to heal.

The British writer Richard Gott considers Colombia to be the main element in the region’s instability. Do you share his view?

This is nothing new, rather something that goes way back. Colombia is the only country that has paramilitaries, guerrillas, drug traffickers, extensive coca cultivation and extensive zones of the country uncontrolled by the state. Paramilitarism and narco-politics doesn’t exist in Ecuador. Nor do we cultivate coca. Those are exclusively Colombian terms. I say this regretfully because [the Colombians] are our brothers, but Colombia today is the focus of the greatest instability that exists in Latin America and this hurts all of us.

Do you wish to say that the Colombian government’s image in Latin America is not a good one?

Uribe’s government is completely discredited. We’ve already pointed out his lies; now no-one believes him.

In Europe it’s not seen that way.

It’s true that in the European Union as much as the United States, the backing of his lies by some powerful media has harmed us and for that reason, very soon, I will undertake a tour of Europe to let people know about Ecuador and show that we are a decent government and a peaceful land. What’s problematic is on the other side of the border. We’re victims of the Colombian conflict. We’re not perpetrators nor are we accomplices.

You give the impression that a media war has been launched. (Ecuador politics)

It’s not that I’m giving that impression, it’s that it’s a fact. We know with whom we are dealing; with a militaristic country, with a president who has an imperfect past, with enormous support from foreign intelligence agencies and with an impressive propaganda machine. We have faith that the truth and justice will prevail. We’ve already achieved that in Latin America, where Colombia has been soundly defeated politically, diplomatically and informationally.

What drives Colombia to accuse its neighboring countries of collaboration with the FARC?

Uribe’s militaristic policies began when he became president. First in contradicting the strategy of his predecessor, Andrés Pastrana, who came to embrace Manuel Marulanda. But in came Uribe with the hard line and he wanted us all to do the same. He’s like the little emperor who follows his boss’s dictates. It’s obvious that his political and economic power is based on the struggle against the FARC. Peace is not convenient for Uribe because fighting guerrillas gives the Colombian electorate a secure feeling. What is troubling is that this conflict is spilling over the borders.

But before the bombing on March 1, relations between the two countries were ruled by respect.

Uribe has always shown a lack of respect toward Ecuador. So much so that our territory continues to be fumigated with glyphosate and to the point of frequently violating our airspace with their planes. Anyway, as to the March 1 bombing, there’s a question that still remains unanswered.

What?

They had Raúl Reyes’ group under their control when they could still be found on Colombian soil. Why did they wait until they passed over to Ecuador to kill them?

Why?

Was it by any chance done in order to involve Ecuador in a conflict that is not theirs? Was it not a matter of intimidation? Could it have been to force us to participate in Plan Colombia? What Uribe didn’t count on was our response, nor the condemnation he received from the countries in the OAS. The plan failed because we didn’t fall for it.

During the meeting of the Rio Group in Santo Domingo, you showed your hands to Uribe and told him to take a good look at them because they are clean and without blood. What were you referring to? (Ecuador politics)

Uribe has tried to involve us, not only my government, but also the Armed Forces, as supporters of the FARC. Later he alleged that my presidential campaign had been financed by the guerrillas. It’s disgraceful. Where does this gentleman get off, after having violating every international law, accusing us of support for guerrilla groups whose actions we’ve said a thousand times we reject; it’s insulting. That’s why I told him to look at my hands. Just to highlight the contradiction with Uribe’s position, which has been so scandalously related to drug trafficking. His warmongering policy is not going to end the conflict, instead it will exacerbate it and he’s going to leave thousands dead as a result. My hands are clean and bloodless. That’s something Uribe cannot say.

However they continue to claim that you were aware of the FARC’s activities in your territory. They say that you were warned as many as 16 times of guerrilla bases in your territory, and were ignored. Is it true?

This is an unbelievable infamy. All my orders are on record. It’s all so coarse and ridiculous that we’ve decided it’s not worth answering. It’s just that we don’t know why he does it. Just when relations improve with him, something strange happens and you get stabbed in the back. Something in his head’s not working right.

How is it possible that this climate of tension has been reached if at the end of the Rio Group meeting, you managed to shake hands? (Ecuador politics)

That’s Álvaro Uribe Vélez. Something’s wrong. His behavior is terribly psychotic.

Is it true that Reyes had contacted the French in order to negotiate the liberation of Ingrid Betancourt, when he was bombed?

Uribe doesn’t want peace, nor does he want hostages released, because Betancourt is a potential presidential candidate. It’s true that we’d known that contact would be made in a neutral third country in order to liberate them later on Ecuadoran soil. President Chávez also asked me if we could receive hostages in our territory because a transfer over the Colombian-Venezuelan border had become very dangerous. We were in the middle of that process. Those movements toward liberation of the hostages that the guerrillas entrusted to Reyes were precisely the reason Reyes was destroyed.

Ecuador has just denounced Colombia before the Hague Tribunal for illegal spraying on its territory. (Ecuador politics)

The verdict will still take many years but we hope that a stiff sentence will be handed down to force Bogotá to suspend the aerial glyphosate spraying they’ve been doing since 2006. These fumigations have caused Ecuadoran farmers on the border to leave their homes, lose their crops, their income, and have caused serious illnesses, even death. However, do you know what the Colombian government’s reaction has been up until today? It’s to say that our demand that the spraying cease coincides with the FARC’s pleas. It’s shameful.

The crisis has revealed huge cracks in the Ecuadoran intelligence system that have caused military leadership to be relieved of its duties. What reforms should it undertake?

Something serious is going on with our intelligence services. We still don’t have all the firm data but we can say that we have been infiltrated by the CIA and this agency works for Colombia.

There are some who criticize you for being naive in having waited so long to change the military leadership, with its loyalties to the prior regime. (Ecuador Politics)

They’re probably right. And also for having trusted Bogotá. You might say that we underestimated the threat of external attack once things had been resolved with Perú and we had good relations with Colombia. But we underestimated the fact that Uribe was there.

THE BORDER

Is it true that Ecuador draws its line with the FARC and not with Colombia?

We have a jungle border with 13 posts. Colombia only has two, when the guerrilla conflict is theirs. Why? Because it hopes that we will put them to death. Despite this, we have 11,000 men deployed which costs the state coffers around $100 million annually. Last year 13 soldiers died in a war that is not ours and on top of that we have to swallow the insolence of Álvaro Uribe Vélez. Bogotá has around 170,000 square kilometers where its army cannot go (controlled by the FARC). Against this situation, I repeat that we don’t limit ourselves with Colombia, we limit ourselves with the FARC.

SPAIN

What has been the response of the Socialist government to the political crisis? (Ecuador politics)

It’s been a little ambiguous. I am very appreciative of the Socialist government and of President Zapatero, but his statement was extremely vague, trying to please both sides when we were the ones attacked. The explanation that we were given was that he was in the final stretch of his electoral campaign. We understand that but we expect something more of the Spanish government. God willing, the hundred odd transnational businesses operating in Colombia are not being pressured, because in this kind of affair the principles and convictions that we share with President Zapatero are more important. We agree that international law should always prevail.

HOSTAGES

Are you willing to be a mediator with the FARC to achieve a humanitarian exchange?

I’ve said this a thousand times to President Álvaro Uribe: the Colombian people can count on Ecuador to resolve this civil war that’s been bleeding it dry for so many decades. That’s what we were trying to do before the attack. However, they don’t want to resolve it. The campaign against Ecuador from Bogotá shows that. We don’t reject the theory that they want to destabilize us for not following Washington’s policies. Neither do we rule out that it may be a strategy to put a puppet government in Quito that would accept Plan Colombia and permit the Manta airbase to continue operating beyond 2009, when the contract expires.

INVESTMENTS

Are you thinking of eliminating the concessions for resource extraction by large companies?

The new Constitution that is now being debated in the Constituent Assembly is part of a new legal framework for this issue. We will change the law made by those indescribable bureaucrats at the World Bank, that was such a disaster. It managed to grant more than 4,000 concessions, of which 70% never even managed to start any operation whatsoever. The contracts will be renegotiated. A very short time ago we met with Repsol. The interest is mutual. As long as the workers and the environment are respected and the state is paid the taxes it is owed, there will not be problems and the projects will be profitable. The oil belongs to the state, and we want the contracts to be signed for services rendered.

IMMIGRATION

What measures are being directed toward immigrants so that they do not feel so uprooted?(Ecuador politics)

On reaching the presidency, our government created an immigration ministry. We are in the process of strengthening our embassies and consulates, especially in Spain, because we believe that Ecuadoran migration is already the country’s fifth region. We have just adopted a provision of $9 million for Plan Return (a program of tax exemption so that those who return to the country may do so with their goods and housing subsidies). We are also creating a Migrant’s Bank. At the political level I will say that there are six immigrant representatives in the Constituent Assembly for the first time in its history.

******************************************************

There you have it. An unabridged interview with the President where he spoke frankly on his feelings about Colombia, border relations and the like. I would like to point oot that my views don’t necessarily coincide with the views above. And in any case, even within the President’s own party there are many conflicting views on the way forward for Ecuador politics – something we may touch on in future posts. Steve.

Is Ecuador safe? This must be one of the questions we are most asked. My answer after living here for six years is “Yes. Ecuador is safe as long as you take precautions”.

  In 1992 after the marriages of her two sons Charles and Andrew broke down and Windsor Castle caught fire Queen Elizabeth  refered to that year as ”an annus horribilis”.

  So far,  you might think that 2008 is shaping up to be an ‘annus horribilis’ for Ecuador. Or at least you might garner that impression if you only focus on the buzz from the media. You might ask yourself “is Ecuador safe?”

  Amongst other newsworthy events there have been floods, an intermittently belching volcano and the ‘war’ that never was with Colombia. Only the floods have had a long lasting effect.

  And now, anyone with half an ear cocked towards Ecuador will have no doubt heard or read about two news-worthy incidents in recent days. First, 5 young British girls died in a bus crash on the coast and then there was a fire in a disco and 15 young Ecuadorians died at the weekend.

  These are truly regrettable incidents yet I’m tempted to put them into some kind of perspective because media reaction tends to sensationalize these events.

  Ecuador is often compared to the state of Nevada in the USA because they are of comparable size but if we look to compare population then Ecuador is most similar to Illinois, both have around 13 million population. No doubt every day there are car wrecks in Illinois and although there have been no fires in discos there was an outrage at the university where 25 people were shot and six died including the crazed gunman.

  Is Ecuador safe? Is Illinois safe? Again, a lot depends on fate and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet reason tells us that if we exercise caution and the Gods are with us then our chances of a safe trip to either Ecuador or Illinois are certainly good. This is certainly borne out by tourism figures. At least 1 million people a year are currently counting on Ecuador being safe for them.

  In 2005 Ecuador received over 800,000 tourists and although no figures are yet available for last year the projected trend is sharply upwards and it’s likely one million plus tourists descended on this country during 2007, the vast majority have a wonderful time and leave with overwhelmingly positive sentiments about the country. For them, Ecuador is safe.

  Contemplating the bus accident it is undoubtedly a tragedy yet the parents themselves have realised the unusual nature of the accident and stated that they would never warn off other teenagers from travelling to exotic locations because the benefits far outweigh the risks.

  Myself, I’ve travelled thousands of miles on hundreds of buses all over Ecuador. Perhaps it’s tempting fate to say that I’ve never once even been close to being in an accident. Buses are the main way to get around in Ecuador for 90% of the people. Millions of safe bus journeys are made every month (no exaggeration). They are mostly comfortable and secure and my only complaint is that I’ve now seen all the Jackie Chan and Jean Claude van Damme movies that are invariably shown on the longer journeys.

  Then last week-end there was a fatal fire in a Quito disco. This was obviously not safe and it was perturbing because fireworks were let off at an un-authorized rock concert inside a building seemingly built with inflammable materials. One interesting consequence was that the well-respected  mayor of Quito (ex armed forces officer) promptly tendered his resignation to the municipal councilors because “although I don’t feel I am to blame, I do feel responsible”. His offer was just as promptly refused.

  I have said for years that I see the economy of Ecuador and especially Quito growing and one trend as a result is earnings are increasing among the employed and then more money becomes available to spend on entertainment. As more money is generated so more will be spent on safety

  The centers of the large cities are buzzing at the current time and many locals as well as foreigners are doing very well by opening restaurants, cafes and entertainment centers. Every weekend, just in Quito, tens of thousands of people go out to enjoy the nightlife.

   Of course there are some incidents. You have to be careful to avoid pick pockets and the like in downtown Quito. What precautions are necessary in downtown Chicago?

  Closer to Cotacachi there is nightlife in Otavalo and Ibarra. Ecuadorians and tourists alike love to go out to theaters, international cuisine restaurants, multi screen cinema complexes, art exhibitions, cafes and discos.

  So although Ecuador hits the headlines occasionally, often times a reality check can provide another perspective. As Gary might say; in the market place there is always the daily buzz and associated volatility caused by the latest news and rumors but real value can be found by determining the underlying trends and distortions.

 Could that be true of countries too?

  Let’s finish by looking at sentiments expressed in a recent email to Gary by a Florida native – you are unlikely to read these types of sentiments in a newspaper. Having read the whole letter which I cannot repeat in its entirety here, one of the points this reader felt was that Ecuador was undoubtedly a safe haven, almost idyllic in fact, with a heavy onus on family and unity.

  “Dear Mr. Scott,

   I have been enjoying the postings on your Ecuador Living web site for sometime now. You see, my father is Ecuadorean and my mother is American. I was born and lived most of my life here in the States, but when I was 10 years old my family moved to Cuenca where we lived for 5 years.

I’ll never forget that the day my family arrived in Cuenca, my young aunt took me by the hand and walked me to the corner “tienda” and bought me a bag of “suspiros”. I’ve been hooked ever since.

There we were surrounded by a large contingent of immediate family members, distant family members and an endless supply of friends. All on my fathers side of course. I was young then and did enjoy our stay, but now I look back and realize what a truly special place it is.

After retuning to the states in 1978 I finished my education and am now an architect here in South Florida. Two children, a career, and a number of hardships later, almost twenty years have passed and I have not returned to my beloved Ecuador. It’s certainly not a lack for want.”

  The American reader above knows Ecuador and carries a piece of her in his heart and yearns to live here.

   But also Ecuador is becoming increasingly attractive as a tourist destination. By 2010 Ecuador is expected to receive 1.7 million visitors a year.  We here in our tiny corner of Ecuador receive hundreds of guests to Meson de las Flores every year. Just recently we received this compliment from the leader of a tour group:-

“Well, I’m glad to be home and sad that home is not Ecuador. I just wanted to thank you guys again for such a great trip.  It definitely went down in our history books as the best event EVER!  I’ve written about it several times in the e-letter already. Also, I’d like to set dates for another workshop in August.”

   We’ll be busy helping people gain a perspective on life in Ecuador on the following courses and seminars, and instead of reading about headline inducing tragedies they will come to their own conclusions at to whether Ecuador is safe.

  I have no idea yet just how many people will be arriving in June but judging from the email enquiries it seems likely we’re getting close to a full house.

May 13-17 Ecuador Import Export tour

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-import-and-export-tour

June 6-9  Coastal Real Estate Tour

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-coastal-real-estate-tour

 June 11-15, Super Thinking + Super Spanish

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-spanish-course 

June 16-17 Imbabura Real Estate Tour

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate 

June 19- 21 Ecuador Shaman Tour

www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-shaman-mingo-tour 

Icaro, the airline we’re using to move our group from mountains to coast, haven’t paid their taxes on time. Consequently they’ve been forbidden by the Ecuadorian Internal Revenue service from making further ticket sales. There are “clausurada” (closed down) notices on all their ticket points in the airports.

Unfortunately for Icaro they are obliged by law to operate their flights, ticket sales or not. Meanwhile they try to sell tickets through brokers outside of the airport terminal building, hence the delay.

You have to laugh. This is a creative solution to an otherwise tricky situation for the airline. Now today, it’s my turn to use Icaro. You may ask why use an airline that is having operational problems. The answer is all in a cost saving opportunity. Icaro allows you to buy a book of cupons for their internal flights.

Buy a book of cupons for $810 and you get 16 cupons for one way tickets. As many tickets between Ecuadorian cities cost $65 – $70 this is quite a nice discount. This may be something that will work for you if you plan on exploring Ecuador or you’re travelling with several friends or family. Check Ecuadorian internal airlines at: http://www.icaro.com.ec/, https://www.aerogal.com , http://www.tame.com.ec

At one o’clock I turn up at Quito airport for my 40 minute flight to Cuenca. Same deal; no tickets are being sold or being allowed to be sold, but still, there will be a flight for those with tickets already bought or those with cupons.
As I stand at the check-in desk the pretty Icaro employee grabs her walkie talkie and tells someone in another part of the airport that there’s just 14 passengers. Am I the 14th I ask and she smiles “yes”.

As I’m sitting in the modern departure lounge I wonder how Icaro can make any money running jets with 14 people. No problem! A 20 seat turbo prop plane hums along the tarmac and we are all ushered on board.

As I’m waiting, I can’t help noticing and over hearing three North Americans sitting on the next row of the seats. They’re not concerned with Icaro’s travails or even aware of them. But they are conversing animatedly about Ecuador.

The couple seem to have been to Ecuador before. They have recently bought a lot on the coast. The lady they are talking too is down here too to “feel out” Ecuador. She isn’t quite sure where she is going or what she is going to do. But she says she’s looking forward to a new adventure and admits she is coming up to retirement and doesn’t have enough saved to afford a decent retirement in the U.S.

I seem to have heard this before! Why do I get the feeling I’m on the crest of a wave? Or maybe it was just co-incidence? I think back to when I first came to Ecuador in 2001. Back then I rarely saw North Americans in the streets, it was mostly European backpackers, much less overheard conversations about buying coastal lots. Things most definitely have changed in the last seven years.

Come down to Ecuador and use 20% discount cupons to fly around. Come down and see properties for sale to get an idea if Ecuador may be a place you like to settle or have a vacation home. I guarantee at the very least you’ll have a wonderful vacation.

April 10 – 14 Super Thinking + Spanish
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-spanish-course

April 16-17 Ecuador Imbabura Real Estate Tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate

May 13-17 Ecuador Import Export tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-import-and-export-tour

June 11-15, Super Thinking + Spanish
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-spanish-course

June 16-17 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate

June 19- 21 Ecuador Shaman Tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-shaman-mingo-tour

Nov 12-14 Coastal Real Estate Tour www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-coastal-real-estate-tour

Occasionally things can go awry with the weather especially when global phenomena such as El Niño make their presence felt. A recent reader email to Gary asked why we at El Meson aren’t talking and doing more about the flooding that is taking place in Ecuador at the moment rather than promoting the good things we see in Ecuador.

I believe Gary responded that whilst we are a very small organization we strive to make an impact on a local scale here in Cotacachi and the surrounding area. We have facilitated free English classes, an English book library and education to those who wouldn’t otherwise have the same opportunities, not to mention made several donations to local organizations and contributed and supported local fund-raising events.

What we are not able to do is alleviate in any meaningful way the suffering that is currently taking place all over Ecuador but especially the coastal provinces. The coastal plain in Ecuador is between 50 and 150 miles wide and is a mainly agricultural area responsible for palm oil, rice, banana, and shrimp production among many other products. There is plentiful irrigation water from the large rivers flowing down from the western Andes slopes and also some reservoirs.

The same rivers have now overflowed their banks and the latest estimate is that 250,000 acres of crops have flooded and been destroyed. Some 20 people have died, 265,000 have been evacuated and there are estimated to be 3.5 million (a quarter of Ecuador’s population) adversely affected by the flooding. Every evening the local news shows people wading down main highways in waters up to their waists. Outboard powered dugouts are rescuing stranded people and animals. We see shots of people standing in their doorways with water up to their necks!

We are asked shouldn’t we be doing more yet the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health said days ago that demand for medical assistance has been so intense that it has surpassed what they had predicted. “Our mobile units can cope with, on average, 80 to 100 patients a day but at the moment they are receiving between 200 and 400 visits a day.”

It seems that as usual international reporting of these events is biased in terms of audience attention span. Last year there were floods in England that saw one death, a lot of property damage and some loss of homes. As far as I can make out, that event was reported worldwide and even made the news in Ecuador. Yet when hundreds die in Bangladesh or India, or now we see 3.5 million adversely affected in Ecuador it barely makes the news (so it seems to me) in the international media.

Slowly, international agencies and governments are recognizing the gravity of the situation. The governments of Japan, Spain and Argentina are sending blankets, tents and water storage tanks. Spain has sent 8 tons of aid in a Hercules transport plane. Ecuadorians themselves are starting to raise money through televised fund raising events and the International organization Catholic Relief Services has sent $10,000. (Is it just me but it seems that at least a couple more noughts on that amount wouldn’t go amiss).

Chile sent aid yesterday and Venezuela has allocated $3 million of aid. As of today, 26th February, the $250,000 of aid allocated by the U.S government is expected to arrive and will be handled by the Red Cross. In addition the Pope has said prayers for the affected and asked we show solidarity with the victims.

The overall cause of these prolonged rains is a strong El Niño phenomenon. It had been predicted for this year but not as strong as has occurred. Here in the highlands of Cotacachi we have had more rain this year than normal. January and February correspond to what the locals call the “little summer” a break in what is normally considered the winter. The little summer should see little rainfall and many clear sunny days. ( Aligning the Ecuadorian seasons with names taken from our high-latitude seasons has always seemed mis-leading to me)

Meanwhile I’m hoping “the Little Boy” (El Niño) will take his leave soon and leave us with our sunny mornings here in Cotacachi and also that the world at large will be able to mobilize effective aid for the homeless in the Ecuadorian coastal provinces.

Come and see the good things in Ecuador – there are many!

See how below:

Join us in Ecuador….

March 7-9 at International Investing and Business Made EZ which will be conducted at our Ecuador hotel. See www.garyascott.com/catalog/international-business-made-ez-ecuador

Mar. 10-11 Imbabura Real Estate tour. See
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate-tour

Mar. 12-14 Coastal Real Estate tour. www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-coastal-real-estate-tour

SAVE! Mar. 7-9 IBEZ and one or both real estate tours. www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-tours-savings

April 10 – 14 Super Thinking + Spanish
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-spanish-course

April 16-17 Ecuador Imbabura Real Estate Tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate

May 13-17 Ecuador Import Export tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-import-and-export-tour

June 11-15, Super Thinking + Spanish
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-spanish-course

June 16-17 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate

June 19- 21 Ecuador Shaman Tour
www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-shaman-mingo-tour