大咖福利影院

ZenSPIKE wrote:

In Cuenca there are many of the tiny storefront stores that are like SunGlass Hut. Hundreads of pair. You do have to haggle with them, and point out that they are not selling " real " Ray Bans . Tons of fakes, usually you can tell by the printed name, not etched. Also, one pair had the Ray Ban name on the left lens.... always on the right for the real deal.

I bought a pair of RayBans from a street vendor here in Cebu -- 50 pesos (~$1.25).

I hope they aren't fakes -- I'd hate to be ripped off.

OceanHideaway wrote:

as I was giving Gina something for scratching this evening -- she likes to take a dip in the pool and is allergic to chlorine 聽 ... I remembered... BENADRYL!聽 聽one of the few drugs we do not have here in Ecuador

The same substance as Benadryl (diphenydramine) is available in lotion form under Caladryl brand name. For a pill alternative, you can buy Clarityne 10 mg over-the-counter (around $1.00 per pill). Or if you want to save money, then its generic version Loratadina can be bought for around $0.15 per pill.

Healer wrote:

will they let you bring dried peas into the country?

To learn about Nards Barley's success in getting dried split peas into Ecuador, you may wish to peruse the following threads:

"Are there no dried split peas to be had in Cuenca"
聽 (originally posted by Nards Barley in 2012)

"Barley's Pea Strategy:聽 Is This the Future for USA-to-Ecuador Shipping"
(just posted by cccmedia, Jan. 22, 2015)


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 聽 聽 聽 聽 .

wlae84 wrote:

I miss access to cheap electronics (costco, amazon.com, ebay) and used furniture (craigslist). Also, I miss not having access to specialty items such as non-synthetic vitamins, chorella, certain natural shampoos, etc.

But so far the benefits of living here far outweigh the inconveniences.

Is there a reason that you do not have access to Amazon or Ebay?聽 Do they not ship to Ecuador?聽 I live on Amazon, it is my first go to for almost everything except furniture, clothes etc.

wlae84 wrote:

PLUS all the complications such as the possibility of having to reship your package back to the US at $100 if it doesn't meet customs rules (which from what I've read can change at whim), having to order one item at a time in order to avoid customs confiscation and having to pay unnecessary tariffs as a result of ordering 1-by1.

I've had two separate Amason shipments get snagged on technical violations of customs rules.

In the first case, Amason stepped up and paid the return freight when the Correos system refused to forward (or promptly return) a package that was overweight and contained forbidden over-the-counter-vitamins.聽 Correos's freight forwarder in Miami refused to send a fax confirming it had blocked the shipment to Ecuador, and I did emailing directly with Amason until the package ultimately was returned -- at no cost to me.聽 Bless Amason, they even refunded the $180 for the contents (which they didn't have to do, since by then the shipment was past the stated window for refunds).

As for the other package (slightly overweight), Econcargo -- the Correos freight forwarder -- with my approval, removed some individual pasta boxes from the shipment, to accomodate the weight restriction, then sent the main package to me in Quito.

This was a rare moment of unexpected and welcome customer service from Econcargo.

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia wrote:

contained forbidden over-the-counter-vitamins.

Hmmm....would you mind sharing what these vitamins were so we won't make the same mistake?

Also, have you tried including a doctor's note in the package? Do you think it would make a difference?

I'm eagar to learn how to get supplements through because there are a lot of products that I haven't been able to find in EC.

wlae84 wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

contained forbidden over-the-counter-vitamins.

Hmmm....would you mind sharing what these vitamins were so we won't make the same mistake?

Also, have you tried including a doctor's note in the package? Do you think it would make a difference?

It's my understanding that you cannot import ANY vitamins.聽 I don't recall exactly what I ordered at that time, almost a year ago.

I have since found that any vitamins or supplements I have wanted in Quito can be purchased here in the health stores.聽 So I haven't had the need to consider the doctor's-note strategy.聽 I doubt the dogs of SENAE would care a fig about an Expat's doctor's note.聽 They'd sooner attempt to confiscate the products.

cccmedia in Quito

wlae84 wrote:

I'm eager to learn how to get supplements through because there are a lot of products that I haven't been able to find in EC.

Let's talk about specialty teas.

Herbal teas including the vaunted (for health) green teas have been available on EC SuperMaxi shelves in boxes of tea bags for a long time.

Now Fuze Tea is producing fruity teas in bottles, containing healthful ingredients聽 聽These products are available at "pulperias" -- the Mom and Pop convenience stores -- I sometimes visit in Quito.

So far I've tried the delicious green tea (a cancer preventive) with mango and manzanilla (a聽 healthful herb)...and black tea with apple and a bit of lemon.

If not available at your local pulperia, ask your SuperMaxi grocer if he can get them.

Sabroso!

cccmedia in Quito