The unofficial web page of the greater Cuenca expat community

aterosin wrote:

HI NARDS, I'm glad you got down to the Vil area. We stayed a couple of nights at the Iz place since it was recommended by a certain friend that we both know. Anyway, too bad they didn't have a room for you. Very nice restaurant, pool. bar with pool and ping pong, Great food, a super walk into town along the back "streets", Yep, we saw the same locals on the corner drinking beer, kids going home from school. It's a nice little town. We also went to Podacarpus and did a hike that just about killed me. Right after a rain storm and the trail was steep and unruly due to the run off. Great views up there.

I was was wondering where you have been. Thought maybe you went to Cuba...................

We're here...Hanging out in rainy, yet dry, no snow Southern Oregon helping the 15 year old get thru Freshman year. Still hopeful about Tutupali. The road is about halfway paved.

Nards Barley wrote:

A youtube video clip worth seeing on President Rafael Correo, Since I am not a guest here in Ecuador, I have no qualms in linking to it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei0kEgoTDAE

Gotta love John Oliver and also non-guest status.

How do u find this stuff?!!

aterosin wrote:

How do u find this stuff?!!

.
It was discussed in an artilce en El Commercio or El Universo. In fact, it was the most read article for that day according to a list they publish.  While the journalists have to steer clear of criticizing the government, they can summarize what somebody else is saying about the government in aother country.

Today I see, the BBC covered the video although, I can only find a Spanish version.

Correa responded with a tweet that translates like "So there are English Comedians? Really?"
:

Si han existido comediantes ingleses? Seguro?

HIs secretary of Communication tweeted something whose point I don't understand so I won't try to translate:

Alvarado dijo que “para los wannabe cualquier payaso “gringo” es digno de aplaudir, Allá ellos con su aculturación, acá escribe un ecuatoriano hasta la médula”.

HIs secretary of Communication tweeted something whose point I don't understand so I won't try to translate:

    Alvarado dijo que “para los wannabe cualquier payaso “gringo” es digno de aplaudir, Allá ellos con su aculturación, acá escribe un ecuatoriano hasta la médula”.

Alvarado said that "for the wannabes any gringo clown is worthy of applause.  They are there with their culture, here writes one who is Ecuadorian to the very marrow of his bones.

Basically, it's a gringo and not worthy of comment... Probably the best as calling out John Oliver is not a winning strategy.

So what does the peep squad think of the points made by the Frugals in their article titled 10 Shocking Truths about Retirement to Cuenca Ecuador

I think the title would make more sense if it was titled "10 reasons why you may want to reconsider your retirment in Cuenca."

Nards Barley wrote:

So what does the peep squad think of the points made by the Frugals in their article titled 10 Shocking Truths about Retirement to Cuenca Ecuador

I think the title would make more sense if it was titled "10 reasons why you may want to reconsider your retirment in Cuenca."

Right on all 10 points.

I found Cuenca to be the most expensive place we visited in Ecuador, notably higher than Quito.

I think there are a few main reasons it is so popular with expats:
- It's a very European type city
- Safe potable water supply
- Near first world infrastructure
- Relatively clean and 'safe'

These things cannot be said for many places in Ecuador.

Nards Barley wrote:

So what does the peep squad think of the points made by the Frugals in their article titled 10 Shocking Truths about Retirement to Cuenca Ecuador

I think the title would make more sense if it was titled "10 reasons why you may want to reconsider your retirment in Cuenca."

I think they are a little excessive in their opinions from time-to-time. Like the post about the city being overcast 250 days of the year. That is certainly not what I have found since I have been here. There are usually clouds in the sky but there are many days when they do not get in the way of the sun. I would also like to know where in the world that prices don't keep increasing. And the title including "Shocking" is a bit much. If they find it that bad I am surprised they are still living here.

Nards Barley wrote:

So what does the peep squad think of the points made by the Frugals in their article titled 10 Shocking Truths about Retirement to Cuenca Ecuador

What's your take on the apartment one, Nards....Specifically, do you believe that apartment rents have more than doubled in the last three years....You've been there during this time frame.   

The most 'shocking' thing -- and I give them credit for this   -- is that The Frugals have suddenly transformed into the IL Truth Squad.

These are not shocking despite the attempt to say they are:

-- Most but not everyone will qualify for a residency visa.

-- Ecuadorian citizenship is costly and full of paperwork.  (It's the EC bureaucracy, dammit.)

  -- Cuenca is not the cheapest place in the world to retire.

cccmedia, Quito Peep Squad

quito0819 wrote:

Basically (tweeted Correa's secretary of communication), it's a gringo and not worthy of comment....

Calling out John Oliver is not a winning strategy.

And yet, late this week, El Supremo did call out 'el payaso gringo' (the Gringo clown) Oliver.

In a series of tweets, he opened with:

"Regarding John Oliver, too much noise for too little nuts."  (A reference to an Hispanic saying meaning 'Signifying much ado about nothing.')

Without regard to Britain's long history of comedy and Oliver's encyclopedic knowledge, el presidente suggested in another tweet that the term "British comedian" is an oxymoron;  then he tweeted:

"They're making someone famous who probably thinks the capital of Ecuador is Kuala Lumpur.  He does not deserve a second of time."

(latinamericacurrentevents.com)

El Presidente (One of my favorite Tijuana Brass songs) thinks he is going to win a war with John Oliver by calling him stupid?  Or is El Presidente trying to be the bigger comedian?

cccmedia wrote:

"They're making someone famous who probably thinks the capital of Ecuador is Kuala Lumpur.  He does not deserve a second of time."

(latinamericacurrentevents.com)

And yet El Supremo engages in twitter war with Oliver, not even listening too his own assessment.
John Oliver is already more famous than any Banana Republic "leader"

cccmedia wrote:

What's your take on the apartment one, Nards....Specifically, do you believe that apartment rents have more than doubled in the last three years....You've been there during this time frame.

I personally think that is BS although I am not in the biz like they are.  It wouldn't surprise if there were individual properties or buildings where that has occurred because of their desireable location, but across the board,  no.

I am really making my mark on the Cuenca expat community (or at least leaving my mark) now that CuencaHighlife.com is now accepting comments from readers, and more importantly, is NOT supressing them like the pundit class is known to do:

http://cuencahighlife.com/the-importanc … t-spanish/

Not sure.  I read about complaints concerning rising rents.  And locals tend to blame the expats for the rising costs.  Food prices do seem to be rising and some local products are expensive.  In Nov our rental contract runs out and will be interesting to see what happens.

Nards Barley wrote:

I am really making my mark on the Cuenca expat community (or at least leaving my mark) now that CuencaHighlife.com is now accepting comments from readers, and more importantly, is NOT supressing them like the pundit class is known to do:

http://cuencahighlife.com/the-importanc … t-spanish/

Looks like you hit a sensitive nerve with your remarks...

Nards Barley wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

What's your take on the apartment one, Nards....Specifically, do you believe that apartment rents have more than doubled in the last three years....You've been there during this time frame.

I personally think that is BS although I am not in the biz like they are.  It wouldn't surprise if there were individual properties or buildings where that has occurred because of their desireable location, but across the board,  no.

Maybe some of the places that doubled in price (if they actually did) were renting well below market value, and are now just priced at market value. Have never been to Cuenca. Have no idea of current prices, but Cuenca has always been highly marketed. Seems pretty logical that there would be at least a bit of a rise in prices. Plus, almost anywhere in the world the cost of living will go up, not down. Unless it's some hole in the wall little town with absolutely no amenities, or anything else. Guess I don't understand some people. They want quality medical, nice restaurants, updated infrastructure, etc, and then they seem perplexed by the idea that the cost of living will rise. Let's say Ecuador continues with a strong economy, and upgraded infrastructure for the foreseeable future. Do people really believe that the overall cost of living won't rise as well?

j600rr wrote:

Maybe some of the places that doubled in price (if they actually did) were renting well below market value, and are now just priced at market value. Have never been to Cuenca. Have no idea of current prices, but Cuenca has always been highly marketed. Seems pretty logical that there would be at least a bit of a rise in prices. Plus, almost anywhere in the world the cost of living will go up, not down. Unless it's some hole in the wall little town with absolutely no amenities, or anything else. Guess I don't understand some people. They want quality medical, nice restaurants, updated infrastructure, etc, and then they seem perplexed by the idea that the cost of living will rise. Let's say Ecuador continues with a strong economy, and upgraded infrastructure for the foreseeable future. Do people really believe that the overall cost of living won't rise as well?

I have an Ecuadorian friend who goes to Loja frequently because his wife's family is from there. He assures me cost of Living is living is less in Loja, including food. So worst case, expats can start relocating to Loja, and start forming gringo enclaves.  There probably aren't any Gringo restaurants to hang out in now, but Vilcamba is only 45 minutes away.

Nards Barley wrote:

I am really making my mark on the Cuenca expat community (or at least leaving my mark) now that CuencaHighlife.com is now accepting comments from readers, and more importantly, is NOT supressing them like the pundit class is known to do:

http://cuencahighlife.com/the-importanc … t-spanish/

And those other commenters were no dummies.
One guy figured out Nards is not your real name.

A report has been posted at the Quito Forum on new developments in the IESS health scandal:

The replacement of the head of the IESS's largest hospital (in Guayaquil) after mismanagement was recently documented...El Supremo's surprise visit to the hospital...and his announcement to the nation that he is drafting legislation to address the "crisis."

The Home Office has been asked to move the thread to the Ecuador Forum.

This just in: the Home Office obliged and thread has been moved to the Ecuador Forum.

The new thread can also be accessed by typing "IESS Health Scandal" into the Search Expat.com box at the top of this page, and then clicking on the search icon to the right of said box.

cccmedia wrote:

A report has been posted at the Quito Forum on new developments in the IESS health scandal:

The replacement of the head of the IESS's largest hospital (in Guayaquil) after mismanagement was recently documented...El Supremo's surprise visit to the hospital...and his announcement to the nation that he is drafting legislation to address the "crisis."

Yes I read about this on CuencaHighlife.com . I have two profound and provocative comments awaiting moderation over there.

Nards Barley wrote:

Yes I read about this on CuencaHighlife.com . I have two profound and provocative comments awaiting moderation over there.

As it happens, we have a spare moment while waiting for Russell E. to justify his praise of the EC public health system on the "Cost of Living" thread.

Would you care to share the gist of just one of the profound-provocative comments with Expat.com readers...

Quito Expats

Here is the follow-up video by John Oliver responding to Presidente Correa's criticism of him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRzFVbGKkGc

cccmedia wrote:

As it happens, we have a spare moment while waiting for Russell E. to justify his praise of the EC public health system on the "Cost of Living" thread.

Would you care to share the gist of just one of the profound-provocative comments with Expat.com readers...

I am going to preempt that discussion by posting two comments from the thread "The importance of being earnest about Spanish".  I like it when anyone agrees with me, partially or fully. Feel free to state your opposition or agreement.

Arizona Transplant
February 15, 2015
I have to agree with Nards overall. The expats I meet who claim to be fluent from living in Ecuador can make a sentence or two that a native Spanish speaker may be able to understand, but are unable to make sense out of Spanish that is spoken in ordinary conversation by Spanish speakers. They are lost in the first two minutes of a Spanish speaker talking to them in Spanish. And when these “fluent” people try to explain Spanish to someone who is trying to learn it becomes clear that they really haven’t learned it themselves.
I do believe that people over 50 CAN learn Spanish, but very few are actually willing to put in the amount of work it would take, which is far greater than the amount of effort they think they need.
In Cuenca expats seem to spend their time with other expats speaking, guess what, English.

Kenneth A. Merena Ph.D.
February 16, 2015
Sorry, I have to agree with the guy calling himself “Nards Barley”. First, let me state a bit of background just for context. I’ll start by saying that as a trained scientist I have been taught to ignore anecdotal evidence and that is what every opinion on this page is. Including my own.
I took 2 years of Spanish in Junior High School and 3 years in High School, but unlike Matthew, I attended one of the finest public school systems in the country and when I graduated, my Spanish was decent, especially the fundamentals. I spent 11 years in College, but that includes grad school. However, during all of those years, I studied Spanish in addition to my Ph.D. level courses in the sciences. My undergraduate degree (B.A.) is actually in Spanish. Upon graduation, my Spanish was still decent, but certainly not fluent. Subsequently, I owned a business with 72 employees, virtually all of whom spoke Spanish. I ran that business for 10 years and continued to learn and practice, but I never achieved anything close to what I would consider fluency.
I have now lived in Ecuador for 5 years and have never been part of the gringo community. I just can’t see paying twice as much to eat at a restaurant because the menu is in English and the wait staff speaks English, and frankly, I don’t have much respect for gringos that never leave their comfort zone and will eat in only those places and only patronize various businesses where English is spoken. You know who I’m writing about. You see their ads in the other two rags (GT and GP) where they whine about not being able to find reading glasses, like in a drug store “back home”. “Where can I find an English speaking massage therapist?” Substitute any of the following for massage therapist; car repair shop, tailor, dentist, barber, hairstylist. The list is endless.
One of the words I loathe most is “facilitator”. A facilitator facilitates one thing,for sure. He insures that you won’t learn Spanish as quickly or as well as you would if you did without him. You take your facilitator to the bank, to the grocery store, to do all the mundane tasks that would actually help you learn the language if you did them on your own.
I could go on endlessly about all this but I won’t. I will just say that as Nards claims, I find very few gringos that are actually fluent in Spanish. I’m not, but I’m still working on it. I am finally at the point where I can competently discuss highly technical subjects with colleagues in the medical field and feel comfortable that I am understanding and being understood. I still don’t understand every word that my girlfriend’s mother says, but it’s important enough to me that when I don’t, I ask her to explain things to me. There is never any shame in that. I think she respects me more for it. Also, as another poster points out, beg your friends to correct you when you say something incorrectly in Spanish. If they don’t, they are just reinforcing your error every time you say something wrong, with their tacit approval.
I truly hope this screed helps at least one person advance in their ability to speak Spanish. I’m not even sorry I don’t state things in Minnesota Nice format that would be acceptable in the two rags (GT and GP) that the gringos I allude to above, love to read. Those publications are doing as much to advance your learning as your facilitator

I just can’t see paying twice as much to eat at a restaurant because the menu is in English and the wait staff speaks English

Are there many such restaurants in Cuenca? Wow -- I don't think I was ever in a place like that in Quito. I'm not saying there aren't any.

BobH wrote:

I just can’t see paying twice as much to eat at a restaurant because the menu is in English and the wait staff speaks English

Are there many such restaurants in Cuenca? Wow -- I don't think I was ever in a place like that in Quito. I'm not saying there aren't any.

You didn't see any restaurants catering to gringos in Quito? There are some here and their menus usually are in both English and Spanish and often the waiters speak English.  And if you are comparing the cost of say an Ecuadorian almuerzo with that of a gringo lunch, the gringo lunch will be double or more.

Of course there are upscale Ecuadorian restaurants that are outside the budget of many gringos including me.

This has been changing in Quito.

Until a few years ago, I never encountered English words on a chifa's menu, for instance. 

Since moving here permanently in 2013, I've noticed that it's become commonplace.

Finally, Expats understand that "chaulafan" is fried rice.

cccmedia in Quito

Here is an interesting bit of news. excerpted from Fortune.com below. 

The largest funder of the $9.5 billion Ecuadorian environmental suit against Chevron threw in the towel today, pledging to give no more money and to turn over his entire stake in the judgment–7%–to Chevron  CVX 1.73% .

The funder, James Russell DeLeon, did so to settle a suit the oil company had filed against him in Gibraltar, where he lives, alleging that he was knowingly funding a fraudulent suit. (The full settlement is here.)

Interestingly, both sides are claiming victory.

Nards Barley wrote:

Here is the follow-up video by John Oliver responding to Presidente Correa's criticism of him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRzFVbGKkGc

Keep 'em comin', Nards.

This episode of "El Supremo vs. El Gringo" was even more entertaining that the first.

Nards Barley wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

As it happens, we have a spare moment while waiting for Russell E. to justify his praise of the EC public health system on the "Cost of Living" thread.

Would you care to share the gist of just one of the profound-provocative comments with Expat.com readers...

I am going to preempt that discussion by posting two comments from the thread "The importance of being earnest about Spanish".  I like it when anyone agrees with me, partially or fully. Feel free to state your opposition or agreement.

Kenneth Morena certainly does have an attitude doesn't he?  Maybe a little Prozac (or some other relaxing agent) is in order.

If one's first language is not Spanish (as is the case for most of us here) then we are always learning Spanish.  Fluency is much harder to define.  About.com defines fluency this way.

In order to figure out whether you are fluent in a language, you need to analyze your own language abilities. According to the "official" definition, fluency refers to an ability to converse fluidly and easily. Do you feel comfortable speaking the language? Can you communicate easily with native speakers? Can you read newspapers, listen to the radio, and watch tv? Are you able to understand the gist of the language as it is spoken and written, even if you don't know every single word? Can you understand native speakers from different regions? The more fluent you are, the more of these questions you can answer "yes" to.

So I guess that means if I feel I can do those things, I am fluent - even if nobody understands me...

quito0819 wrote:

Do you feel comfortable speaking the language? Can you communicate easily with native speakers? Can you read newspapers, listen to the radio, and watch tv? Are you able to understand the gist of the language as it is spoken and written, even if you don't know every single word? Can you understand native speakers from different regions?

When I can turn on the TV and watch and understand comfortably any program, I will be satisfied.  And while I get that it is not necessarily about knowing every word, I think I should be able to parse every word while listening to the dialog and look them up in the dictionary, if desired. The problem with listening to dialog now is the words get slurred together so that I am not able to parse them.

Lale, a hockey fanatic who is planning to move his family to EC from "True North and Free," asked an Internet question on an obscure Expat-Blog sports thread.

I figured he might have better luck if the question is presented to the Expat Geek Squad members previously known to hang out on the Cuenca pages.

Lale wants to know if it's true that fiber-optic Internet is on the way to Ecuador.  I'm curious, too, which is why I'm posting his question here.

Anybody have good news for Lale....

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia wrote:

Lale, a hockey fanatic who is planning to move his family to EC from "True North and Free," asked an Internet question on an obscure Expat-Blog sports thread.

I figured he might have better luck if the question is presented to the Expat Geek Squad members previously known to hang out on the Cuenca pages.

Lale wants to know if it's true that fiber-optic Internet is on the way to Ecuador.  I'm curious, too, which is why I'm posting his question here.

Anybody have good news for Lale....

cccmedia in Quito

I have heard they are rolling it out in select neighborhoods or buildings including on Ordoñez Lasso in Gringolandia.  So, if it is important enough to Lale, tell him to seek it out and he might find it.

Thank you, Nards.

The message has been delivered.

cccmedia wrote:

Lale, a hockey fanatic who is planning to move his family to EC from "True North and Free," asked an Internet question on an obscure Expat-Blog sports thread.

I figured he might have better luck if the question is presented to the Expat Geek Squad members previously known to hang out on the Cuenca pages.

Lale wants to know if it's true that fiber-optic Internet is on the way to Ecuador.  I'm curious, too, which is why I'm posting his question here.

Anybody have good news for Lale....

cccmedia in Quito

From what I understand there are areas of Cuenca that already have fiber running into buildings (usually apartment buildings). This is good for shared connections because more bandwidth can be provided to handle all of the simultaneous connections. However, fiber is not really necessary.

The bandwidth available via coax cable (which TV Cable uses) is quite adequate to handle many simultaneous clients.

The problem most people experience in shared services is the limitation in the service they purchase. For example, I could purchase a "business" class service in the same building that I previously had "normal" class service and I would experience MUCH better quality connectivity. It has to do with how much you are willing to pay. Not that the bandwidth and quality of service is not available. Although, having said that I have to qualify that statement.

If you are using ETAPA ADSL service then you can expect to have connectivity issues as ADSL is very limited as to the bandwidth it can provide and also can result in non-fixable connectivity problems due to the distance from your residence to the upstream ETAPA ADSL equipment. Telephone lines are subject to noise which is worsened by the distance away from ETAPA's equipment. Even rainy days can cause problems.

If your residence happens to be close to the ETAPA equipment then ADSL can work quite well.

ETAPA also uses fiber and where they have done this their service works well.

Coax cable does not suffer from the same problems that ADSL service does (using telephone cabling). However, coax cable connections can still have problems which can be resolved if the techs know what they are doing (which unfortunately is not always the case). Even fiber connections can be problematic. It depends on how good the techs are at splicing fiber.

In the case of fiber, the fiber may be connected to your service provider box that is installed in your residence. It does not have to be. In some apartment buildings the fiber comes into a piece of the service provider's equipment and the side that connects to the service provider's box in your residence is Ethernet cabling (not fiber). If the fiber runs into your box in your residence, Ethernet cabling or wireless is used to connect to your computer(s). All with their inherent limitations.

If you were referring to fiber being used throughout Ecuador, that is already in place in many areas.

Here is a network map showing the fiber connections. On this map you can see fiber going from Guayaquil to Central America and then to Boca Rotan There is another path: Guayaquil - Quito - Bogata - Barranquilla - San Juan - Boca Rotan.

http://www.internationalservices.telefo … /mapa-red/

Today, I had coffee with a member of the peep squad who introduced to a new place called Nuna which is located right next to Puente Roto (Broken Bridge).   They had no menu and not much in the way of breakfast, so I went with a humita.



While Goza is the place to go have coffee if you want to people watch,  Nuna is the place if you want a more peaceful environment:





One word of warning is the capuchinos come sweetened. Also, the cups come with knobs instead of handles.

Will have to try it.