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I’d love to hear how long you’ve lived in Ecuador and how do you like it there?

by whb07 8y ago

johnwyles 8y ago
I have little clout but as an American who visited for 2 weeks during the whole Snowden ordeal I felt it kinda "meh" looking at the place through expatriation goggles at the time. Quito is a very religious and conservative city, Baños is a cute mountain village with a quiet reserved culture, and Guayaquil was the more liberal but raw and somewhat... "boisterous" city. Not sure that word fits but outside of smoking pot and surfing all day in the costal town of Montanita all day I would say it's not a great ex-pat country. Overall the country felt very religiously devout and not starting to hockey-stick (at the time anyway) on tech-forward business and culture. It also is an OPEC country so it is bogged down with corruption and political issues though it does seem to strive to stamp them out. However, if your goal is South America and you would like to expatriate and remain in tech, Chile would be the place I would recommend most for all the programs the government is pushing for startups. Much more to say but I'll just wrap up with that...
- phasnox 8y ago
  You got it all wrong. Guayaquil is conservative and Quito more liberal.
mr_luc 8y ago
I lived in a small fishing village, barring the occasional tourist and surf expedition further afield, and it's still my favorite place in the world. I loved the only street noise being the occasional donkey. I worked over a tiny EDGE connection for years until real connectivity got to my area, working over a 'screen' session to a beefy VPS in the states. I can't help but agree with some of the characterizations of the cities in Ecuador. But then again, personally I wouldn't understand someone who would come to the country with the primary intention of seeing those cities, saying to themselves "oh, wow, I want to see Quito or Guayaquil." I wouldn't get it. Guayaquil is kinda like Bangkok or other big cities in underdeveloped areas; bustling and alive and joyous in its own sort of way, but not something that'd draw me around the world to visit. FWIW, Loja and Cuenca are more pleasant cities to visit. But a laid-back fishing village with good neighbors? With good sand-bottom beach breaks and warm water? Tuna and dorado right from the ocean, fresh local produce ... that's ideal for me, and I was already comfortable with small-town and rural life from my time in the United States.

I’d love to hear how long you’ve lived in Ecuador and how do you like it there?

by whb07 8y ago

I’d love to hear how long you’ve lived in Ecuador and how do you like it there?

I have little clout but as an American who visited for 2 weeks during the whole Snowden ordeal I felt it kinda "meh" looking at the place through expatriation goggles at the time. Quito is a very religious and conservative city, Baños is a cute mountain village with a quiet reserved culture, and Guayaquil was the more liberal but raw and somewhat... "boisterous" city. Not sure that word fits but outside of smoking pot and surfing all day in the costal town of Montanita all day I would say it's not a great ex-pat country. Overall the country felt very religiously devout and not starting to hockey-stick (at the time anyway) on tech-forward business and culture. It also is an OPEC country so it is bogged down with corruption and political issues though it does seem to strive to stamp them out. However, if your goal is South America and you would like to expatriate and remain in tech, Chile would be the place I would recommend most for all the programs the government is pushing for startups. Much more to say but I'll just wrap up with that...

phasnox 8y ago
You got it all wrong. Guayaquil is conservative and Quito more liberal.

mr_luc 8y ago

I lived in a small fishing village, barring the occasional tourist and surf expedition further afield, and it's still my favorite place in the world. I loved the only street noise being the occasional donkey. I worked over a tiny EDGE connection for years until real connectivity got to my area, working over a 'screen' session to a beefy VPS in the states. I can't help but agree with some of the characterizations of the cities in Ecuador. But then again, personally I wouldn't understand someone who would come to the country with the primary intention of seeing those cities, saying to themselves "oh, wow, I want to see Quito or Guayaquil." I wouldn't get it. Guayaquil is kinda like Bangkok or other big cities in underdeveloped areas; bustling and alive and joyous in its own sort of way, but not something that'd draw me around the world to visit. FWIW, Loja and Cuenca are more pleasant cities to visit. But a laid-back fishing village with good neighbors? With good sand-bottom beach breaks and warm water? Tuna and dorado right from the ocean, fresh local produce ... that's ideal for me, and I was already comfortable with small-town and rural life from my time in the United States.