大咖福利影院

JasonDC wrote:

As long as there is heat in the apartment in Quito, we鈥檒l be fine. Probably won鈥檛 be camping in the mountains if that鈥檚 what you mean. Or are you saying most apartments don鈥檛 have heat? And really, only one Filipino living in Ecuador? How long ago was that? I wasn鈥檛 expecting a community of Filipinos but hopefully she can connect with a few

I am sure someone from Quito or Cuenca can give you a better idea of the home heating situation in rentals, since you will be renting for at least a year.聽 You could enjoy organic heat for sure.聽 I did my search 18 months ago and asked questions on many blogs, even got International Living Magazine involved, and they came up with the one.聽 Since Ecuador is 95% Catholic perhaps the Catholic churches would be a good place to start once you are there.聽 If you are familiar with the Catholic Mass you might want to attend so you can hear the Spanish version of words you already know in English.聽 Religion and politics are forbidden on here, so please realize I am only mentioning the church as a way to meet people and improve your language skills.

JasonDC wrote:

Is there a name for it (other than 180 day visa extension)? Is it easy to obtain? What are the requirements? Hopefully not much more than just a fee.

It's the 12-IX tourist visa.聽 As a tourist visa, the requirements are less than for a permanent visa, but any encounter with the EC bureaucracy can be a challenge*.聽 Anecdotal reports on the Internet indicate that it has usually been granted upon proper application.聽 Expect a fee of several hundred dollars.

This visa extension is discussed in an 大咖福利影院 online guide聽 reachable via a link that Top Cat provided in her earlier post #504 responding to you at New Members.聽 This guide may answer some of your other questions, as well.

cccmedia in Quito

*Using an experienced immigration attorney in EC for complex visa matters is recommended for those whose Spanish is limited, who prefer to avoid massive bureaucratic headaches and who can afford it.聽 The basic fee I paid to my attorney to obtain my residency visa and cedula (EC ID) last year was $700.聽 Non-attorney visa specialists, with lower fees, are also available but may require you to do more of the work on your own.

JasonDC wrote:

When we get there, we鈥檇 have to find out what special rules might apply to Filipino visa holders. Any idea where we go to inquire once we鈥檙e there? I mean an office not a web site.

Two building addresses in Quito -- one for handling immigrant visas, one for non-immigrant visas -- are listed at the U.S. Embassy website link below:

ecuador.usembassy.gov(forward-slash)service(forward-slash)living-in-ecuador(forward-slash)visas-for-ecuador.html

JasonDC wrote:

Based on the link mugcat posted, it looks like my girlfriend won鈥檛 get the 12-IX without leaving the country but I could, so it means we鈥檇 have to leave the country. No big deal....Good advice on lawyers and non-attorney visa specialists. I think we鈥檇 try to go with one or the other to assist with the residency.

Thanks for the addresses and the responses cccmedia.

That's a wise move in your case to get an expert to assist you going forward, Jason.

Thank you for the acknowledgment, I appreciate it.聽

However, please stop torturing mugtech and Top Cat* by unintentionally combining their names.

*aka gardener1

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia wrote:

However, please stop torturing mugtech and Top Cat* by unintentionally combining their names.

*aka gardener1

cccmedia in Quito

Mugcat is the name of our child, don't know how he found out, it was our secret.

JasonDC wrote:

Wow, unbelievable! $10 per month for electricity?...
I assume this means you cook with gas, not electricity, which is something I look forward to as well.

I have to imagine space heaters would boost the electric bill quite a lot though if used daily. But I guess as long as we can keep electric under $50 I'll be happy.

Then you should be more than happy, Jason.

Actually, all my cooking is with electricity...no gas.聽 There's no oven:聽 I use a two-burner countertop unit for my "sartenes" plus a George Foreman-style grill (tho' not George's brand, a local brand instead and it works great.)聽 I also use a microwave oven and occasionally a juicer.
I run the automatic dishwasher about once every five or six days.

I use the space heater in the "comedor" so infrequently -- and the one in the bedroom virtually never -- so they don't much impact the bill.聽 YMMV, due to insulation, usage time of equipment, how much sun and heat enter your place during the day and are retained, as examples.

Of course, there's no air conditioning needed here, which I am aware can be a major part of the electric bill during most of the year in northern Thailand.

cccmedia in Quito聽 --聽 yes, under ten bucks a month for electricity

JasonDC wrote:

I plan to get a place with gas if I can.

Relatively few apartments in Quito have central gas, most use propane for hot water and stove/oven. I think the gas heaters sold in hardware stores are also propane. You will have to arrange (your landlord can help) for delivery of new canisters.

My second apartment, in north Quito, had central gas service for the whole complex, and my landlady emphasized this when I was looking at the place, as a major advantage over other buildings.

JasonDC wrote:

Not paying much for electric is going to leave more money for fast Internet, which I'm eager to make sure I get....Anyone have any experience with CNT? I was thinking of getting their 10/3mbps (download/upload) package for $36 per month and maybe getting something with roughly comparable speed for backup.

Arranging for good Internet:聽 a natural subject of interest for arriving Expats.

In fact, this topic is potentially so juicy that we're setting up a new thread to discuss it amidst a wider audience, titled "Internet for Expats:聽 2015 Updates."

For those leading a geek-free existence, the best way to navigate over there is to type the first words of the new thread into the Search 大咖福利影院 box at the top of this page, and then click on the search icon to the right of said box.

cccmedia in Quito