Rural VS Urban

nothing? I'll take any info at all....

Hey Ron,
I too am moving to Ecuador this coming June. As far as an answer to your question, I think it's a difficult one. You don't really specify what rural is, nor, what area of the country you'll be in. ( what city will you be close to?)  You can be in a rural area a couple of miles out of town. Certainly food is not an issue, no matter where you chose to live. But, you are not going to have the availability that you would have in the city, say, to supermarket type stores. Same goes for clothes, and in a rural setting, it will probably more the local style of clothes.
My feeling on the crime issue is the more isolated you are, the greater the chance for falling victim to home burglary, just by the nature of being isolated. Certainly it's also an issue in the cities, but it's somewhat easier to safeguard your property in the city, through secure buildings,guards, alarm systems, and proximity to neighbors. Plus, the police presence is much more felt in the cities. I am sure that there are secure compound type settings in the rural areas also. Another important factor: Do you plan on having a car? Almost a must in a rural area, not so in the cities.
Best bet would be to get in country, and do some scouting on your own. Rent a place for awhile, meet some of the locals, and also some of the expats. Gather as much information as you can to make a decision. It is a HUGE asset that your girlfriend speaks Spanish.
Best of luck in your travels,
Neil

I myself prefer the country.  The big city has to many people and crime is way more prevelant. Living outside of a small city is the way to go in my opinion.  You can enjoy nature and culture of this great country plus you are a quick bus ride to what you need.  Zen is right though.  Come down visit, find the spot you like, get to know the routine then you can decide.  It all depends what you want.  Mountains, beach, jungle, tons of gringos, no gringos, etc...  I prefer the North coast but I like not living in gringolandia.  Here is our story about us relocating to Ecuador.  Hope it helps.   http://www.atruetalltale.wordpress.com

Hi it depends where do you want to live

If you decide to live in Guayaquil you are 2 hours away from Montanita that it is a really cool place that you and your girlfriend will love.

Every city has crimes but dont worry you just have to be careful and not trust everyone

danygirl8903 wrote:

Hi it depends where do you want to live

If you decide to live in Guayaquil you are 2 hours away from Montanita that it is a really cool place that you and your girlfriend will love.

Every city has crimes but dont worry you just have to be careful and not trust everyone

do not drink tap water

First of all, where are you getting your certification?  In a large city?  At a University?  This will drive where in the country you will settle.  But urban or rural, you can be in the other by moving just a few km away.
Many of the amenities and the required infrastructure (Medical, shopping, legal, etc.) are only available in urban areas.  But as noted before, you can live just outside the city and be in  a rural environment.  You should decide what you are looking for in general terms to narrow your search.  There are three environments in Ecuador, the beach, the mountains ad the jungle.  Each has its own climate and usually drives where most expats settle.  Both the shore and the mountains have both cities (from 10,000 to 1.5 million people) and rural environments and are the preferred locales.  In any event, plan to rent a place until you decide where to settle permanently. 
We spent six months in Ecuador just to find the area we like.  Returning this year.

Thanks for all the input guys, it's greatly appreciated. As far as what I mean by Rural and Urban...I guess what I am really asking in the differences in lifestyles for the various sized cities and towns in Ecuador. I know I will be in Montanita for 5 weeks initially to get certified and I know a bit about the setting of that town. After that, I will probably have a few options so that is why it is such a general question.

As far as transportation is concerned, I would rather not have a car. I would highly prefer to use a bike and public transit/taxis than actually buying a car and that sort of thing. I love outdoors, surfing, camping, hiking, biking, so I am looking more towards the coast areas for the beaches, if not than the jungle for the scenery.

How about commuter and/or recreational cycling outside of cities and inside cities too? Is it dangerous? Are there more trails or places specifically for bikes in the city? Is it dangerous to be biking int he rural areas? I know these broad questions are hard to answer, but if you have any info about any specific place at all it would be helpful to me.

Danygirl I have heard about tap-water problems. What is the most convenient/cheap way to solve this do you think? Bottled water or filter system? Thanks!

Docputter...at this point I don't have a really good idea of where I will be staying permanently. I think I will have options but I am unsure. I am just trying to get some info here so I can make the best decision possible for me. I think I am leaning heavily towards a beach town or leaving somewhere where I am 15-30 minute bike ride or taxi ride to the beach. I am curious about cycling in this situation, just in general.

Once again, thanks for the responses guys it helps a lot more than you might think!

Hey Ron,
When we were there, we rented a car because we needed to travel with a fair amount of luggage (6 months worth!) and seethe entire country.  In a small town, you can walk everywhere except when you need to shop.  But a taxi will do the job then.  Riding a bike is possible but traffic on the main roads makes it a poor choice for traveling from town to town.  I don't know of any biking trails but you could probably ride on hiking trails.  Just don't know.  When we were in Salinas, people there were riding around and to the beach.  If you settle on the coast, like Montanita, reaching the beach is not a problem.  If you pick a rural area away from the beach, most likely you will still be able to walk to the water.  A bike is a viable option but one really needs to be careful of the traffic. 
A note on the water....It is normally clean but has bacteria in it that that causes GI problems for most.  Even Ecuadoreans drink bottled water.   Filters do not remove these bugs.  Boiling does but if one boils the water too long, evaporation can have the effect of raising the metal and salt levels in the water to what could be unacceptable levels.  The water can be sterilized with UV light and there are sterilizers available to handle small amounts of water for drinking. 
Good luck!