大咖福利影院

AMDG wrote:

I would agree that Guayaquil (where I live) is among the more dangerous.聽 But you can safely and reasonably live in Guayaquil... The most troubling are the moto's, usually with 2 people who can be upon you quickly.... Avoiding situations is best..

Avoiding situations is best, he wrote!聽

For Expats, how about just avoiding a move to GYE.聽 You can't hang out in Sambo all the time.

Armed moto drive-bys.聽 50 secuestro express robberies a month in a recent year.

Also to mention, Guayaquil is hot and humid and not near the oceanfront.

Forget it.

cccmedia in Quito

suefrankdahl wrote:

Why do you feel that Cuenca is safer than Quito? It is not as large as Quito but there are a lot more gringoes

I wouldn't slough off the big-city part.聽 In assessing the crime factor in most Western countries, size matters.聽 Quito is about seven times the size of Cuenca, which is a big difference, and it has a large area --- South Quito -- that historically has been unfriendly to Gringos

The percentage of Gringos is higher in Cuenca, but that is IMO a lesser factor than the big size difference in comparing this aspect of these two cities.

cccmedia in Quito

suefrankdahl wrote:

crowded busses, bad neighborhoods...procedures for reporting crime, what to do in emergencies.

Crowded buses...take taxis when it's a borderline decision.聽 Still cheap here in Quito, two dollars and change from El Centro to most of Mariscal.聽 A recent study showed that a high percentage of women get hassled, to put it mildly, on the public buses.聽 Pickpockets are active on the Ecov铆a line in Quito.

Bad neighborhoods...find out where they are.聽 Avoid them.聽 Don't move into them.

Procedures for reporting crime and emergencies....911 is the number to call in Quito.聽 But don't expect Batman to arrive in the nick of time.聽 In Quito robberies in which under $600 is taken and no one is physically injured, the police don't take a serious interest.聽 If someone here tells you that you are adding to the crime problem by not reporting the pickpocketing of your cheap cellphone or $30 in cash, that someone is uninformed about current realities.

cccmedia in Quito

Lizardo wrote:

At least folks don't pack n carry here....Only folks that never traveled are usually targets.聽 Wearing backpacks, stupid hats, cameras on your shoulder. Wallet in your back pocket, putting your phone on the table, other than your home. Where are u from, Podunk, Iowa?

Despite the blunt talk and Podunk-bashing, Lizardo makes some good points.

No Ecuadorian wants a 17-year prison sentence for using a gun in a crime.聽 So the typical Expat will likely not encounter anyone with a gun besides the 辫辞濒颈肠铆补 or some security guards.

Stay away from Guayaquil, the northern oil district including Lago Agrio, the Colombian border and South Quito, and the safety odds in your favor are even better.

cccmedia in Quito

sueb4bs wrote:

Dumb topic IMO but oh,
so popular esp among gringitos.

.

Yeah maybe it is a "dumb" topic in your opinion and yes it was started by a gringito. Actually someone on the EC Forum team. It now appears on many of the other countries' Forums.

Much of the obvious HAS already been stated. If you type "crime in Ecuador" into the search box above you'll find at least 10 threads on the subject so maybe this one isn't necessary

Given some of the postings here on the EC Forum it is painfully obvious that some of the expats and potential expats do come from Podunk USA. People that are really fearful of crime are the ones that become victims and probably shouldn't expatriate to a city in a 3rd world country where they don't speak the language

So the thread does serve a purpose to people just starting to look at EC as a retirement destination

smitty88 wrote:

Only time I felt really threatened was one time walking to a pizza place for a slice in Berkeley and felt two guys making a move on me. Ran into a liquor store.

Back in my visitor days in Quito dating back to 2001, I used to have some run-ins with malditos until realizing I needed to 'up' my vigilance.

One time El Gordo grabbed my gym bag while I was shooting baskets in Parque la Carolina and was distracted by his gabby buddy.聽 But Gordo was so fat and full of cervezas that I easily ran him down and he peacefully surrendered the bag of towels and gym stuff.

As I said, I became more vigilant.聽 So when an obvious young delincuente had me in his sights while I was walking home with a couple of bags of new purchases two years ago in Centro Hist贸rico, I was aware of him.

Like Smitty, I ducked into a place, in my case a small hotel, and then I waited a couple of minutes to see if the suspected 尘补迟贸苍 was hanging around.聽 He was.

Then I exited the hotel and retraced my steps to the corner, away from the sinister 濒补诲谤贸苍.

I hung a left and ran up the hilly street for a block.

Now I had left the pandillero in my dust.聽 Even the locals have trouble running uphill at 9,400 feet altitude.

This has been the only incident or near-brush with crime I've had since moving to Quito in 2013.

cccmedia in Quito

seastar46 wrote:

I want to know about hospitals there....how good the hospitals are and how close is the closer hospital to any town.

Since you previously posted such questions on another thread, which is fine, it is evident that these are important factors to you.

If hospital care is a priority, you would do better to be in a large city such as Quito or Cuenca and not in a town.聽 Responding directly to your question, the hospitals in these large cities are right in the city, and Quito's suburbs have some excellent hospitals as well.

Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil, is not recommended for health-challenged persons due to its heat and humidity.聽 Some people do not do well in the highlands, which area includes Quito at 9350' and Cuenca at 8200' altitude.

Did you find useful the threads suggested to you earlier which have been active in recent months...

The Top Hospitals in Ecuador...Healthcare in Ecuador...Ecuador's Socialized Medical Program For Legal Residents...New Ecuador health care system.

cccmedia in Quito

seastar46 wrote:

How fast do they respond to an emergency call?

If you are ambulatory and in an area where taxis are available, get in one and don't wait for an ambulance.聽 Or, if a friend, neighbor or landlord is immediately available, ask one of them to drive you.

You should already have a plan as to which hospital you would go to in an emergency.

An exception to the taxi recommendation may be EMI service in Quito ( ), for which paid membership is required.

cccmedia in Quito

suefrankdahl wrote:

Another factor to consider is the language issue. Could you make yourself understood in an emergency room? or on a hospital floor?

As we read in Report 28 above, many Gringos are predisposed to get along without Spanish-language skills.

Here are a few words that might get one started now, to avoid the problem the Oracle brought up, for when the 辫辞谤辩耻别谤铆补 hits the ventilador....

Pain..........dolor (doh-LAWR)

It hurts..........duele (DWEH-lay)

Breathing.........respiraci贸n (reh-spee-rah-SYOHN)

Broken..........quebrado (kay-BRAH-doh)

Slowly..........lentemente

I would like to lie down..........Quisiera acostarme. (kee-see-AIR-uh ah-koh-STAR-may)

Doctor..........doctor (or) m茅dico

Nurse..........enfermera (en-fehr-MEHR-uh) ... enfermero (male nurse)

Weak..........d茅bil (DEH-beel)

It feels strange here (in this spot)..........Me siento raro aqu铆.
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 (May SYEN-toh RAHR-oh ah-KEE)

It happened before...........Se occuri贸 antes. (Say oh-koo-RYOH AHN-tess)

Never happened before.....Nunca se occuri贸 antes.

It's an emergency..........Es una emergencia. (ay-mehr-HEN-see-uh)

聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽.

seastar46 wrote:

Yes, I am a Spanish speaker. English is my second Language.

seastar46 wrote:

You say Cuenca has an 8200' altitude. Are roads very curvy with cliffs on the sides?

Expect all inter-city roads in the EC highlands to be curvy.聽 Mudslides and fallen rocks occasionally cause multiple-day road closures on some highlands roads.

There is a panoramic view of the more sedate Cuenca-city layout at the Wikipedia.com page for Cuenca, Ecuador.

DragonflyTraveller wrote:

I am a classic blonde, WASP expat and live in Cuenca at least half of the year - I have been doing this for 5 years and have never felt threatened or worried about my safety.聽 I choose to walk with personal power and presence and heightened awareness of my surroundings....

That was a great post, Dragonfly.

In a report brimming with irony, Kathleen Peddicord of the Overseas Opportunity Letter has just e-published A Single Woman's Best Choice For Retiring Overseas.

Ironically, in a week in which world headlines have been dominated by the prison-escape of a feared Mexican druglord, Peddicord chooses a town in the state of Sonora, Mexico:

"In more than 15 years of scouring the world for the best retirement havens, 脕lamos, Mexico, is unquestionably the best place I've seen for a woman moving abroad on her own."

It's a colonial town of under 25,000 in a valley surrounded by mountains.

The reasons for this choice include an active English-speaking Expat community with many artists, writers and musicians...an active, if low-keyed social life with dinners in Expat homes, many cocktail hours and girls nights out...and it's safe to walk the streets alone day and night.

Ironically, Peddicord states that she made presentations to local groups in the Mexican town about retiring to Uruguay and -- wait for it 聽 -- Ecuador.

cccmedia in Quito