Ecuador's top-notch medical and dental care

By Gary Scott

On the most recent International Living Discovery Tour to Ecuador we were joined by a 93-year-old reader. The guy was unstoppable, para-sailing, mountain climbing... seemingly indestructible... until he simply stepped off the bus and banged his head on the door.

The reason I'm telling you all this? Believe it or not, in all the years that I've been involved in Discovery Tours to Ecuador, we've never really had a medical emergency. So in the way that sometimes mishaps can be fortuitous, this minor accident allowed me a birds eye view of Ecuadorian medical care... and I liked what I found.

We rushed Paul to the emergency room where we happily discovered the cut was far less severe than it looked. Quite a few stitches later and with some medicine, our near centenarian was comfortably back in his hotel room.

Then I looked at the bill. $15 for the visit and the stitches, and another five bucks for the medication. "That's all?," I questioned? In the U.S. we aren't even allowed to think the word hospital for 20 bucks! Just how good is the medical care? The whole experience prompted me to explore just how good and inexpensive are medical services in Ecuador?

I had spotted a new hospital near the U.S. military base in Manta. One of the other IL readers on the tour is an old-timer M.D. with 40 years of general surgery under his belt so I decided to take him along for his professional opinion.

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Expat Advice: City Review of Cuenca

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Cuenca

How long have you lived there?

Little less than a year

What activities, clubs and organizations would you recommend to newcomers to help them meet others?

Weekly expat Fridays at 5, currently held at Sakura Restaurant on 3 de Noviembre in front of the Tomebamba River at the bottom of the Escalinata.

In terms of religious, racial, economic and cultural diversity, are the people of this city or town diverse? Are they accepting of differences? Describe.

It's strange here, in that on the surface, everyone mingles well and it is quite the mixing pot. Cuenca always has lots of tourists due to both its reputation as well as being such a destination for learning Spanish. Beneath the surface, for residents, however, there is not a lot of mingling between classes, as in most Latin American countries. In expat circles, everything is fairly acceptable as we tend to have quite the liberal lot.

What are the main industries in this city? What types of career opportunities commonly exist? How do most people find new jobs?

Unlike Quito and Guayaquil which has many multi-national companies, jobs here are fairly non-existant, however, entrepreneurial opportunities abound. Many people are retired, however, once you have a Permanent Residency Visa...no matter which type you get...you can open a company to do any number of things. People here have restaurants, export business, real estate businesses, retail shops, etc. It's very simple to open a business here once you have a cedula.

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HOUSING IN ECUADOR

Expat areas

Most popular areas are Guayaquil and Quito.

Housing

Houses and apartments, generally unfurnished, are available for rental and expatriates will have no difficulty in finding suitable accommodation with car parking facilities (garage or carport).

Cost of housing

If you decide to rent a house by the Northern districts of larger cities such as Guayaquil, or Quito; these, are quite expensive areas and the cost ranges between US$ 700 and US$ 2500 per month (always depending on the property). The local currency is US Dollar (US$).

More info at Allo' Expat.

Ecuador's President: Mr. Rafael Correa

Rafael Correa won the run-off vote in presidential elections in November 2006, promising a social revolution to benefit the poor.

He took up his post in January 2007, joining Latin America's club of left-leaning leaders, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales, who have not been shy in their criticism of the US and who have led a South American nationalisation drive.

Mr Correa, an outsider with no political party backing, moved quickly to secure the support of voters in a referendum for a special assembly to rewrite the constitution.

He said the new constitution was designed to hand more power to the poor and reduce the role of the traditional parties, whom he blames for the country's problems. Critics said it was solely aimed at increasing his powers.

Despite resistance from the opposition-led Congress, the revised constitution was approved by 64% of voters in a referendum in September 2008.

The new basic law also allowed Mr Correa to stand for re-election, enabling him to win a second term with a convincing election victory in April 2009.

Mr Correa is against Ecuador entering into a free trade pact with the US, saying it would hurt Ecuador's farmers. Talks on such a deal were frozen with his election.

He also refused to extend the US military's use of the Manta air base on the Pacific coast for drug surveillance flights after the treaty governing its use expired in 2009.

One semester of Spanish video

This is just hilarious!! Take a few minutes to laugh, laugh and laugh

10 Tips to live in Ecuador

My 10 tips for Living in Ecuador
1) Don't be a Dreamer. Keep both feet planted and your eyes wide open (not: "Eyes Wide Shut)
2) Don't spend like crazy. Save your money. Don't invest in land if it's too good to be true.....
3) Choose a nice area to live in. Talk to the people in the neighborhood, smile, wink and nod. But never say I have this and that.
4) Be kind and Humble
5) Keep to yourself in the beginning. Remember you will always be observed due to the simple fact that you are a foreighner.
6) Maintain your money in a U.S. bank. Open an acct in an Ecuadorean bank but just enough to have "escape" cash for you and your family. You have heard of keeping your cash under your mattress this is not a bad idea in Latin America. Things can change quick and not always for the best.
7) Never burn your bridges in the U.S.. If possible leave your home rented for a few years or sell it and downsize your potential residence here in the U.S. Sell your big house and buy a 1 bedroom condo or a small house and maintain it for a few years.
8) Legal papers. Make sure everything is in order. Get your residency , Ecuadorean Drivers License anything where you may need a Lawyer use one. Get everything notarized and have your lawyer verify everything. If you are going to buy a car, land, house etc. check it out first.
9) Schools. Choose the correct school. I taught English at various schools and the inmates run the assylum. These schools are privately owned and the "students" pay $400 a month in tuition so the owner being a good businessman will protect his investment.
10) Have fun. See the country little by little. Always travel in the daytime and use common sense.
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Spanish immersion with Bueno Entonces

If you need to learn Spanish quickly, watch more videos on youtube