Some Things I have Learned About Cuenca

Where to begin?

There is so much I have learned from perusing expat blogs, a few downloadable books and other websites. But I must put this in perspective. Some of the information you read in these blogs are opinions (which are still useful, but may not apply to yourself). Some of it turns out to be fact, but this is only known for certain when you experience it for yourself. So, that is what I am off to do.

There are good recommendations, like don't rent a long-term place until you are present in the country. Or, don't buy property until you have been in the country for at least one year no matter how attractive the offers are nor how much people tell you to buy now as the prices are going up and you will never see such a great deal again.

And of course there are lots of recommendations on what to bring with you and what not to bring. There are some things that are, apparently, more expensive (but most of this is subjective - i.e., where the person is from). And then there are some things you just can't buy in Ecuador.

People coming from the US will no doubt find some things more expensive, especially things that are imported into Ecuador. Whereas, people coming from Canada might not find things that expensive. We always pay more for items than people do in the US.

To be specific some of the recommendations have been to bring clothing (shoes, pants, shirts). Ecuadorians tend to be shorter than North Americans and also require smaller shoe sizes. So, I have loaded up on these things enough to last me for a few years as I probably won't be leaving Ecuador for the first year if not a little longer.

There is so much to cover so I will try to divide it up over several log entries so as to not make them too long.

UPDATE (May 18, 2016):  Despite what I had heard, I have purchased clothes here that fit quite nicely. There are short people here but there are also people taller than myself (I am almost 6'). Imported clothes tend to be quite expensive (e.g., Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, etc). One pair of very nice Nautica pants cost me $150 US.