On April 25th of this year I left Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and moved to Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador. My reason for the move was twofold. The owner of a small inn wanted me to come down and re-open it and the second was that I had been in Mexico for many years and was ready for a change. What I found here was a small town, neat, clean, very safe and very inexpensive. At least compared to Mexico, and I am sure, many places in the United States.
The country uses the US Dollar as their currency, including the coins, and although the change was made in 1999, many people, think it was the wrong thing to do.
The country is open to foreign investment and especially when the investor becomes part of the community and the money spent by the resident’s stays in the city and enriches it. I watched in Cabo San Lucas as it was invaded by three big box stores including Costco, and although everybody likes the lower prices, many business folded and thousands lost their jobs. These kinds of businesses suck off the cream and send it to other parts of the country or even worse out of the country. This kind of foreign investment is counter productive. A small percentage benefit but the majority loses...in my opinion. Sorry I just can’t stay off the soapbox when I think about this subject.
Ecuador could be a wonderful place to retire, and for the nature lover, Baños would be the perfect community.
For all of you who are looking for another place to call home...for a few of you Baños de Agua Santa could be of interest. I have posted my observations on banosecuador.blogspot.com. Feel free to e-mail me if you would like more information.
Roberto
What are visa requirements for US citizens?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your generous sharing!
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteTo visit Ecuador as a tourist you can stay for up to 180 days per year. You need only your passport.
If you want to retire here it is an easy process. I will be posting more on this subject in a few days.
Thanks for your comment.
Roberto