@@gracelynne3918 please tell me exactly what you think is an exaggeration? This is based on verified statistics about homicide rates. It may conflict with how safe you feel, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

@@dddkzxz1 rarely. Typically only when. The international hire already has permission to work in the U.S. there are a few exceptions for specific projects here and there.

@@2freakout I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything more about them.

@@LuciaMinca the “talent” to document your life on KZfaq is something that comes with practice for most of us. The great thing about it is that you are your own editor, so anything you record that you don’t feel comfortable with you can edit out and/or record again. When you get comfortable with this reality you will find you become much more comfortable on camera because it means you have all the power to control how you tell your story. I encourage you to give it a try, and if it doesn’t take, give it another try. Anyway, I’m glad you found and like my videos. Good luck.

@@ar-1571 so, my experiences and information is pretty dated. I worked there in 2016/17. Back then a company called Canadian Air ran the pilots and mechanics for both fixed wing and helicopters. They were kind of separate from the rest of us simple tradesmen. I do know that there was a lot of grumbling about how old the equipment was, helicopters that should have long since been retired, and it wasn’t uncommon for there to be accidents. While I was there a plane crashed trying to land at a field camp where the ice runway was not groomed. There was a very obvious lack of funding for the demands placed on the aviation operations.

@@affiliatemasterysystem the Internet in Quito is ok in most neighborhoods but it depends a lot on how good a connection you need. Also, there are frequent power outages.

@@FallofftheMapthanks for the reply. I will be looking for decent WiFi in the airbnbs plus I’ll get mobile hotspot data as a back up. how frequently/long are the outages? Will my mobile hotspot data still be alright during a power outage? Sorry to bug ya, just trying to over prepare. Don’t wanna get there and not be able to do my program cuz that would suckkkk

Yeah, banana grows much faster than guanabana. I think the guanabana tree was there first but banana took over around it. Eventually there was a guanabana tree hiding in the center of a cluster of bananas

So, well seasoned organic chicken feed. ;)

Yup 😂

Absolutely, but what is the cost to eat healthy… not the coast of an almuerzo that is mostly rice, but a meal that is actually good for you… salad, lean protein, complex carbs? It’s not something you’ll find in most restaurants (though on the coast there may be some good options because of the seafood). If you’re like me, watching your carb, sugar, cholesterol intake and trying to eat like an athlete, what does it cost?

Cierto, pero por KZfaq hablo gringo.

@@vandutch4220 no, I wasn’t intentionally referencing the Patriot. Nice that you caught that detail in the video. I was referencing a particular defeatist attitude that people have at McMurdo. Often problems that are easily solved are simply ignored resulting in terrible consequences. Something about the cold hard conditions and underfunding from the government causes people to have an attitude and refuse to do anything to try to make things better. Not everyone is like this, but the people that have worked there for years mostly are, and because they have seniority they tend to set the tone e of the culture.

Brother, I am an electrician. Local #46.

At the bottom of the world.

You’re not wrong and I appreciate the thoughtful and careful way you approached the topic. Most of the infrastructure at McMurdo Station was build by the US Navy many years ago, and a lack of serious investment has prevented it from being replaced by anything that is more efficient and less destructive. Per the Antarctic treaty, nothing can be left behind, not trash, not old buildings, nothing. Everything must be removed once it’s no longer used, so there are some strict controls in place, but the amount of damage done by the day to day operations there are significant. It’s a balance between continuing to support research there and avoiding destroying the environment while researching. There is no perfect solution short of adequately funding science and research which isn’t politically viable right now.

@@FallofftheMap Hello, thank you for your consideration also. Ah, you mention which entity it was that first determined how they would approach this precious area. Our military agencies have, <sigh>, perhaps a complex, um, purpose that is partly clouded by give a man a hammer and everything (everywhere) looks like a potential threat or strategic advantage to seize upon. Not to mix metaphors or anything 😏 Those agencies have had carte blanche in many ways that are ugly, and hiding in the darkness of secrecy. Sorry, if perhaps we value peace and peace-making, peace-practicing as much on the agency- governmental level as much as many individuals worldwide do, we will support a cabinet-level Department of Peace... Would that culture shift let us protect the planet on which we live, breathe, and depend for every breath and morsel of life, a bit more protectively? Like a papa polar bear might protect its den? Seeing those polar bears so skinny, and adrift on ice floes is so sickening. 🕳☠️ Thanks again for caring.💌

@@2ndpersondancing I have a complex view on the military. I think it’s very easy for people to confuse the world we wish we had with the world we have and underestimate how many countries are ruled by power hungry psychopaths that would destroy us if given the chance. Throughout history terrible people have been attracted to power. The sad truth, the uncomfortable lesson of history, is that without a strong military we end up attracting rather than preventing wars. In most aspects, especially environmental, I lean left, but when it comes to the military I’ve seen enough of the world to prefer a strong military. It causes my politics to be a bit weird… like my perfect president would be a cross between Bernie Sanders and the late John McCain.

@@FallofftheMap Appreciate your candor. Diplomacy is an art and seeing it done publicly more often would do us all a world of good! Ever see the episode of TVNation in which diplomats from countries "pitted in opposition" eventually shared some pizza? kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n9-gZ8eB2rmro5c.htmlsi=4ecPg631IOoeTPfB Really appreciate you!!

@2ndpersondancing I will check it now while having dinner in a little restaurant in Ecuador. Thanks for the recommendation and for making it a slightly smaller world.

Anti-intellectualism such as this will be the downfall of our society.

I’ve never clocked it, but it’s slow. I can watch KZfaq and stream movies but at low resolution and with the occasional stop to wait for the download to catch up. Uploading a short 1080p video to KZfaq can take a few hours.

Yeah, 11 years ago when I moved to Ecuador, it was a more stable and safe option compared to Colombia and Peru. At the moment, yes, Ecuador is dealing with serious safety and security issues. However, the incidents of violence against foreign tourists and expats is still higher in Colombia than Ecuador (in Ecuador the vast majority of the violence is between gangs competing for territory while in Colombia it’s common for men from North America to be victims while looking for local women). Also, the cost of driving in Ecuador is way lower than in Colombia or Peru. Gas and diesel are heavily subsidized. The price is creeping up as the government increases taxes and reduces subsidies in an attempt to get the population to accept the actual cost of fuel, but it’s still really cheap for those overlanding across South America.

Yeah, but it didn’t last very long.

I haven’t experienced any problems from them, but I like spiders. They help control other insects on my farm. There are several types of snakes and a few spiders that can be dangerous if you’re walking in jungle or tall grass without boots or sticking your hands in the wrong places, but it’s pretty easy to avoid doing those things.

@@FallofftheMap thank u for answered🌸 I been in beautiful place in Tena 75 Gectars paradise plants, jungle heaven, Called "Los Yapas holistic center" and no snake spiders, only littel monkeys

Es una ironía que los estadounidenses puedan vivir mejor en Ecuador y los ecuatorianos puedan vivir mejor en Estados Unidos.

In general, Loja is one of the safer cities. Violent crime rates slightly lower than the US, property crime rates slightly higher.

I can only react with amusement when someone gets annoyed with me for sharing my honest opinions and impressions. If Mompiche has suffered from corruption for years and it has stifled development then perhaps the community lacks the organization and willingness not change. I’m not blaming you specifically, but the community as a whole, the community that tolerates such corruption and the corrupt leaders they keep choosing. Some places just don’t have the capacity to break these sort of cycles. Most of the mountains towns and communities would simply hold mingas to solve these sort of problems. Near my farm we would wait forever for the municipal leaders to fix the roads so we have a minga twice a year and do it ourselves, same with our water system, and with cleaning the streets.

@@FallofftheMap Typical American. You spend 5 minutes in a place and suddenly know everything about it...

@@roniad9722 I never claimed to “know everything” about Mompiche. I simply gave my opinions and impressions as a visitor. You seem really sensitive and upset about this, as though you feel like it’s not ok for people to have an opinion that differs from yours.

Yeah, things are still mostly ok out at my farm on the Ruta Escondida (about the same distance outside Quito as Yunguilla is outside Cuenca), but even in this peaceful area there has been an increase in crime in the last 2 years. Ecuador is changing even in the campo. It’s not bad yet but i worry for the future.

What area is he in? In many cities you really do need walls like that, but in other areas they’re totally unnecessary.

@@FallofftheMap Tumbaco, a suburb of Quito

@@Fra42below yeah, I used to live in Tumbaco. It’s definitely one of the areas where each property is guarded by a high wall. It’s not a bad area but it’s so close to Quito that crime is an issue there.

We gotta get cash to throw away at the bar somehow.

​@@FallofftheMap can you remember the month or days this footage was recorded?

I suppose if you want to view it in the most negative possible way… other’s would say that expats don’t place their loyalties in governments but that they contribute financially to impoverished communities by bringing in an income or pension typically earned from their home country but spent in their country of choice, usually a place where the economy is in desperate need of imán infusion of cash. While there is some resentment towards expats in parts of the world where either far too many of them move to one place or they go there to exploit women (Colombia and Thailand). In most places the locals appreciate having some expats because it provides economic opportunities. When too many move to one place it causes prices to rise and the economic benefits to the locals are overshadowed by inflation. Like most things, it can be good or bad depending on the details.

You blocked me, but your response is called gentrification, desplace poor people for the one that can afford and pay the rise price

Word salad… I didn’t block you. Our conversation exposes this lie. I’m happy to have a conversation with you.

@@GildyVintage nothing about your response makes sense. Is this a bot account trolling for interaction?

@@GildyVintage why are you claiming I blocked you? I’m trying to understand your perspective, but it sounds like you believe that people should not be free to move from a wealthy country to a poor country. That if you are struggling to survive in a wealthy country that you should remain trapped there rather than have the freedom to move to some place where you can afford to live. Is this really the point you’re trying to make?

In my opinion, the ability to either avoid or negotiate yourself out of a conflict is far more important than knowing how to fight. While the police may not protect you, if you defend yourself and injure your attacker the police are very likely to take the side of a local that started the fight. Only once in my 11 years here have I come close to fighting and it was because I flipped off a car full of guys that were honking at my wife. They jumped out of the car and i realized they were drunk and I was outnumbered 4 to 1. Fortunately the guy that was most eager to fight got talked down by one of his buddies.