Cuenca,Ecuador another expat haven

We stayed in Cuenca , Ecuador for 11 days. Cuenca is a charming , colonial city which it's historic area  is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of the buildings date back to the 1500's and the streets are cobblestone and narrow. It has a small town feel even though there are 330,000 people living in Cuenca. We rented an apartment  in a hundred year old  building for 10 days overlooking the Tomebamba River for $280 . If we had decided to stay for one month the rent would have only cost $500 which includes utilities and satellite tv. We found housing to be extremely affordable in Ecuador. You can rent a beautiful apartment in the historic area, which is the center of town , for $400 a month utilities included plus maid service once a week, plus free continental breakfast every morning. This apartment has high ceilings with tin tiles, arched doorways and a balcony overlooking the main square. We met some expats  from Canada who were renting this particular apartment. Everywhere we went we met Americans who had retired and decided to move to Ecuador due to the low cost of living and low cost health care. Most of these people had never even been to Ecuador. After researching and of course probably reading "International Living", they had decided to sell most of their things and move to Ecuador to live comfortably during their retirement years. Some people that we met were very young and just wanted to live a better quality  life than they were  in the United States. International Living Magazine has deemed Ecuador the #1 Retirement Haven. After being in Ecuador for almost a month now, I truly understand why. I think if you lived on a  budget, for two people,  you could live comfortably on less than $1000 a month. This would include rent, utilities, food, health care, transportation and entertainment. Most people who live in Cuenca use public transportation or walk, so this would be the trade off. I think you may even find that you could live off of $600 if you were really smart with your money. It is very difficult to find housing in the U.S. for under $600. The trade off would be your location and safety. We all know how much health care costs in the US, the price alone is killing people.In Cuenca you can chose the hospital you want to affiliate with and sign up for their plan, the cost is generally under $100 a month for a family of four. This is just another reason why someone may chose to live in Ecuador. It has been interesting meeting all these people who are truly happy living in a 3rd world country, living a better life than they would coming from a 1st world country.

-Rent  a two bedroom apartment for $400 utilities and satellite tv included plus weekly maid service

-Go to the central market and buy a weeks worth of organically grown papayas, banana's, tomatoes ,onions and avocados for $4.00

- Have lunch at a neighborhood restaurant , hot vegetable soup, stewed beef , white rice, salad and fresh squeezed juice for $1.50

-Fill up your gas tank for your car for  $1.48 a gallon

-Go to the Museum of Contemporary Art for  free

-Stay at a four star hotel for $20 a night including breakfast

- Take a taxi anywhere in the city for  $1.00

After 10 days we hopped on another bus for 8 hours and headed north to Quito, Ecuador. I was a little nervous because the elevation in Quito is 9350 feet and a few of us had suffered altitude sickness at 7330 feet in Arequipa ,Peru. When we arrived it was a little hard to breath but it was mainly because ths sidewalks were very hilly and it was a struggle to climb uphill with a stroller. After a few days we had all acclimated and were actually ok with the high elevation.


Quito  has a well preserved historical center and was one of the first UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES in the world. The  streets were narrow and cobblestone and the architecture was beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We had an opportunity to go to the equator which was about 30 km from Quito. There  was a bus that took us to  this attraction called "Mitad del  Mundo" which means" middle of the Earth" and we actually had to pay to get in. Someone had turned this piece of land into the Disneyland  of the Equator. There were souvenir shops and restaurants and even roaming alpacas. This is the monument they had built to show the line of the equator. Unfortunately, after we had visited this place, we found out that the equator was actually 240 meters from this monument. We had been suckered into a tourist trap! But , considering we had been traveling for almost four months and this was maybe our first or second time being lured into the a "touristy" attraction , I'd say we've done pretty good!