Another Newbie Here!

hidyaphrodite wrote:

My daughter and son-in-law were both adamant that Ecuadorians do not like Americans and are not particularly nice to the expats....

From my years of experience mostly in Quito, it’s evident that 99 percent of Ecuadorians are friendly and welcoming to North Americans, especially if you greet them or engage them in the native tongue.

At times they might appear to be standoffish -- most likely unsure given the perceived language barrier with Gringos -- if they are given no verbal cue.

I give a failing grade to the priest in Otavalo who refused my request to meditate in his fancy iglesia when he discovered that I had been raised Jewish, even though the place was empty other than the two of us on a weekday afternoon.  Minutes later, the anfitrión of a nearby hotel allowed me the courtesy of a quiet meditation in the hotel lobby when I offered him a modest propina.

cccmedia in Quito

hidyaphrodite wrote:

Thank you for the important info, especially as to the earthquake. The situation in Ecuador now as a result of that awful experience is, of course, primary on my mind but I really wasn't sure if that post was the proper place to mention it. And, yes, healthcare is something I want to learn about. I'm cancer free and my plan is to stay that way but given my history I do need to learn what is available and what is not available medically. My daughter and son-in-law (who thankfully returned to the States just prior to the earthquake) were both adamant that Ecuadorians do not like Americans and are not particularly nice to the expats and that is certainly something I'm wanting to learn about, too. My other option is Mexico as I've spent quite a bit of time in the Yucatan area and do feel comfortable there.

Hidyaphrodite/Little Rock

Personally I haven’t experienced bad attitudes with locals and neither has my family. Having said that I am certain they are people who are not nice. It’s like that everywhere, but overall I’ve never felt a vibe of disdain from local towards foreigners. The exception is Colombians as I occasionally hear negative comments about them from locals. I think a lot of this is caused by the press sensationalism as there is recurrent coverage of Colombians trafficking drugs. I’ve also heard about sicarios, and how such was non-existent before Colombians started coming here en masse. How much of that is true I don’t know, but there is some resentment in this regard. I think every society develops a scaptegoat for their own dark or nasty side. It's similar in the US, where Latin American illegal-immigrants are portrayed as criminals by racists despite statistics that clearly indicate that Americans are moreso criminally inclined (source Texasmonthly).

But I can definitely understand if some locals are negative towards foreigners. My wife and I were out one night having a good time at a restaurant. Then I noticed a raucous going on, and it turned out that a North American tried to leave without paying his bill. I asked if that frequently happens and the waiter replied sometimes when it’s very crowded.  So it’s conceivable that some locals especially in tourist establishments might have negative attitudes by witnessing foreigners conduct themselves in such a base manner. Your relatives were probably an unfortunate consequence of such vile behavior by previous tourists. There are also the bigoted foreigners who talk obnoxiously by belittling locals or local customs. I’m sure in the tourist industry locals hear and understand enough to make a negative judgement. But I think this is limited, and definitely not to the point in which I've ever experienced negative attitudes by people.

Visit the country, and judge for yourself, but I'm fairly certain that you will find that the locals are kind and hospitable.

lampshade65 wrote:

Salinas and all the beaches south of Manta sustained no damage. My friend owns the Salinas Re Max office and assured me that the season of snowbirds, those from US and Canada who come for the winter, is going strong.

Of course a real estate agency in Salinas wants to make it seem like the earthquake is having little impact on tourism.

But this is a joke !

All the 2016 snowbirds had long since arrived in EC by the time the earthquake hit during the third week in April.

The real snowbird-test for Salinas and the coast will be from next December to February 2017.

cccmedia in Quito