Cory Simek nice. I really liked that area until the pandemic hit. We moved further out in the campo last year to an area about 90 minutes from Quito. I like it even more than Tumbaco.

Awesome bit of trivia. I didn’t know that.

Ha, that’s funny. I was very confused about this 😂

Danvil man, I wish I could have experienced this place back in the 70’s. Quito is now a little too big and dangerous for my liking, but the smaller towns and suburbs around it are still nice. Lots of expats moving to Manta these days. They love it. My favorite areas are the small cloud forest towns like Mindo and Baeza.

@@FallofftheMap fr👏

Rick Garrett I wish I had experienced Quito years ago. The city is getting a bit too big and busy.

Mikko Hilden it’s a wonderful place. I travelled for two years straight looking for a place that fit me, and this is where I ended up.

Yeah, this video isn’t meant to be an in depth tour. It’s just a typical day video. And yes, my Ecuadorian wife is a handful. She’s a keeper though.

Edward Villate wing wing! Or something like that. Yeah, this particular area has nice clean streets. Not all of Ecuador is like that, but when you find a nice town you can tell because the streets are clean and the dogs are not aggressive.

@@FallofftheMap : NOTHING is ALWAYS , perfect, and PERPETUALLY STANDING, but you take It day to day , I can assure you that, after 3 CONTINENTE 17 COUNTRIES, that I've lived in, and if you have the means, to TAKE OFF, when things start to deteriorate , your PRIVILEGED !!!!....LOL.

Welcome again Graham, if you return to Ecuador

just dont let the gringos bring their perversion to your Beautiful country!!

Thanks and also be careful. The advice our Ecuadorian wives give is not necessarily wrong. It’s just filtered through the Ecuadorian way of seeing the world which includes a whole different set of priorities than we’re used to.

I had to go back and see what band you were talking about. Yeah, the jazz band was🔥

Nice. I lived on the cost for awhile, first on the wild far north coast, then in Canoa. I miss Canoa, but with kids the mountains seem to fit our family better.

I said “typical day?” She responded “mas o menos” (more or less).

You’re welcome. Ecuador really is a hidden gem. I’m surprised more people haven’t discovered it.

Quito has wonderful areas and areas that aren’t so good. I like living just outside of Quito in places like Tumbaco so I can go into the city when I want but I’m not always stuck there with the traffic and pollution.

Thanks!

Tumbaco. Pero nos mudamos y ahora vivimos cerca de la Ruta Escondida. Nos gusta el campo pero cerca de la ciudad.

crime is huge ass problem fuck that

@@christopherdiaz1038 I thought its mostly petty crime tho ?

Christopher Diaz I have had more problems with crime in the US than in Ecuador. Yes, Ecuador’s rates of petty theft are quite a bit higher, and statistics for violent crime are very slightly higher. However, domestic violence skews the violent crime statistics in Ecuador. Also the violent crime is less random here and more concentrated in specific cities. In other words, yes there is crime, but no it’s not as bad as people imagine.

@@FallofftheMap Shhhh, people will start flooding there and drive up prices before I get a chance to retire!

@@christopherdiaz1038 The videos I have watched said that while there is petty crime, violence if very rare. Just don't leave your stuff around.

Miguel Miguel awesome. Yeah, humitas y huevos fritos para el desayuno casi todos los días

Nice 👍 but that’s a little too much for my but you are a big dude so you can handle it

Miss you already

You’re welcome. Staying safe isn’t exactly my style though. Stay alive? Yes. Safe? Not so much.

Thanks. I’m raising a 5 and 13 year old. It is possible, but yes, it’s challenging, and the cost and quality of schools in Ecuador isn’t great. I do believe it gives the kids a big advantage though. My youngest is a dual passport holder. In my opinion that is a very powerful thing that will allow him much greater access to live and work wherever he wants to. The US passport is powerful, but the Ecuadorian passport offers visa free travel to a lot of places the US passport doesn’t, such as Russia, China, and Cuba. It also means he can live and work in several South American countries. Sadly, I haven’t been able to get a US passport for my 13 year old due to legal complications with his biological father.

@@FallofftheMap I first started watching your vids about working abroad in Afghanistan. I think the first one was the job you had to escape from the employer hold your passport. Crazy shit. I’m a journeyman plumber and I actually looked into some jobs building/renovating of US embassies in different countries with government contractors. Some of them being in Iraq and Afghanistan. I may pull that trigger when my kids are a little older. As long as the money is right. Until then I’m living vicariously through you. Good luck brother 👍🏻

Awesome. The embassy work is a mixed bag. The PAE jobs in places like Russia and China really don’t pay what they should, but I’ve heard they’re a good retirement job.

Yeah, the street vendors really bring the city to life. The police occasionally harass them and they’re definitely struggling during the pandemic, but I think there’s no chance Ecuador will give up its street vendors. It’s too deeply ingrained in the culture.

Only those who havent been out of the country.

Yeah, life on easy street is awesome.

I had to look it up. Dude’s hair... sadly I’ve been avoiding the barber during the pandemic. Your comment is now more accurate than you know.

Unfortunately, I’m in Afghanistan. Not sure yet when I’ll be home.

Yeah, I’m definitely see the similarities to the parts of Spain I visited, Catalonia.

Yes, it’s a very popular retirement spot. Healthcare here is super affordable. It can be a little bit of a challenge finding a good doctor, especially if you only use the government healthcare system, but even paying cash out of pocket for the private clinics and hospitals is cheap. Also Ecuador has visas that are designed to attract retirees, and discounts on many services and taxes for people over a certain age. Many people that find that they could just scrape by on social security, move here and live comfortable upper class lifestyles. Of course, it’s not perfect here. It’s a poor country with a weak economy and a lot of corruption. And the trouble in Venezuela has created some issues with street crime. In spite of all that, I feel safer here than I did in Tacoma, Wa where I grew up. My only fear in Ecuador is that economic crisis will create too much instability.

@@FallofftheMap thanks for such a comprehensive answer!!

Yeah, Ecuador is a pretty amazing place.

You, sir, are excellent!

Jeorge Castro yeah, it’s my favorite

Thanks. She knows it too, but I’ll show your comment to her all the same. It’ll make her smile.

@@FallofftheMap Is your wife Ecuadoran? And if so does she have any sisters? I'd be very happy with someone like her.

Yes and yes.

Thanks man. The channel is starting to pick up, but everything on KZfaq is always at the mercy of the algorithm.

Great comment. Are you a hep cat as in cool, or a cat with hepatitis? Do cats get hepatitis?

Thanks. Yes, from the USA, but I consider myself and immigrant to Ecuador. Eventually I’d like to become a citizen here.

The situation in Quito has been changing pretty quickly. I still live near Quito, but I’m an hour outside of the city now. The valleys near Quito where this video was made are still ok, but the inner city is suffering from a big increase in crime. If I were a new expat moving to Ecuador I would look at places like Cotacatchi and Cuenca for locations in the mountains with other expats, but if you don’t mind being far from other expats and out in the country there’s some pretty amazing places in rural Pichincha province within about a 2 hours drive of Quito. Napo also has some cool towns and areas around Baeza and Archidona.

@@FallofftheMap Thx for the info, especially on the Quito crime, definitely want to stay away from all that. I see mostly positive things about Cuenca and I guess it's the starting point in Ecuador for a lot of expats. But thx for the other ideas, I appreciate it.

Yeah, this video is a bit old too. At this moment I wouldn’t recommend Quito because of the sharp increase in crime since the pandemic has increased poverty.

Yeah, but these countries are safer than the U.S(sarcasm).

Traditionally, Ecuadorians don’t tip. If you’re in an area that gets a lot of tourists it’s becoming more commonplace and could range anywhere from 15% or be as little as leaving whatever coins were left after paying.

I’m back in Afghanistan now. Fluor upped the bonuses enough to suck me back in, but it’s worse here now than it was on my previous two contracts. Better money, worse everything else.

Especially when you can get 3 for $1. Screw that $2.99 for 1 business at Whole Foods.

I visit Colombia often, or at least I did before the pandemic. If I didn’t live here I would probably be in Manizales.

Wait, they made it illegal to put broken glass on your walls? Why? Is so criminals don’t get hurt while robbing you? Is broken glass really any more dangerous than razor wire or a barb wire fence? Or is it just because the government thought it looked trashy? These sort of nanny sate rules really annoy me.

@@FallofftheMap yes they’ve got it the wrong way around in my opinion too, people have been charged here in the U.K. when they have used a bat on a burglar they have found inside their home in the middle of the night. I’ve been travelling to the USA since the late 70’s & I’ve always felt that their attitude towards home defence is the right one.

Second place was an awesome jazz club and brewery.

Mike I agree. Sometimes I just get a little lazy on the editing. Also, there is something to be said for having a little bit rough style. It creates the feeling in the audience that anyone can be successful doing this. The idea is that it’s more accessible, but perhaps I’ve taken that theory a little too far.

@@FallofftheMap Ah, no it doesn't. But I learn from them anyway. Check out "CruisingTheCut" for amazing videos. (No, I'm not pushing the channel, it doesn't need me. They are just a pleasure to watch because they are done so well)

@@FallofftheMap nah...just leave it. It’s your channel. I don’t know how I stumbled across your channel but so far so good. Thanks man!

Yeah, Bogota is a cool city. I like the street art. Lots of intense psychedelic murals.

@@FallofftheMap Agreed. I wish I could visit my aunt more. I had sars in 03 & the elevation bothers me now with basically one lung. 🤷‍♀️

You’d hate Quito then. It’s almost 1000 ft higher than Bogota. For me Quito is a bit too high. Bogota is better, but 2000 to 2400m elevation is my sweet spot. Above the mosquitoes and below the altitude headaches.

Thanks. When things open up a bit after this pandemic I’ll definitely do a few more videos along these lines.

carapungo no, we live in the valley.

Perhaps just a quirk of Latino culture

It’s there to keep the pigeons from landing and shitting in your yard.

@@FallofftheMap - I don't know about Ecuador, but I'm pretty sure that in Andalucia they did it to keep the gypsies from trying to burgle them.

Yeah, I’ve been to Cuenca a few times. Since there’s already so many videos from other expats about Cuenca, I made a video about the small towns around Cuenca: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bpqpptxzy9SaeWQ.html

Yeah, it’s to keep people from climbing the wall and running off with your TV. I showed your comment to my wife. She’s trying not to smile.

Why is that too bad?

@@cincinatus90 what do you mean bad, paying cheap price for good food? you might be rich and not care about prices but i work for my money and care about prices. must be nice to be a rich prick with a comment like that

I love it when that happens. Welcome to my weird world.

Ecuador tends to be a quiet place. A lot less narco activity and extreme political groups. It kind of stands out from its neighbors in this way. Hopefully that doesn’t change in the future.