What to Bring to Ecuador

Are you coming to Ecuador to live .. or for an extended stay?

Mr. Second Passport has just posted a video to help you avoid scarcity-problems and high prices compared to the USA.

What to bring...

1.  shoes, including Nike-quality athletic footware

2.  makeup (as for the face), a/k/a 'maquillaje' -- mah-kee-YAH-hay

3.  luxury bedsheets

4.  Apple smart phones

5.  specialty cheeses, including hard cheddar (often can be frozen in Ecuador)

6.  specialty sports equipment, including fishing gear

Search at YouTube.com...

           things you must bring to ecuador mr second passport
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If such things are so important to a person, I would suggest Ecuador is the country for them in all honesty :-\
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@user159 Hi, Just wondering, but I think you meant that Ecuadaor is NOT the country for them.

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Whether User 159 meant that Ecuador IS or IS NOT the country for someone .. is irrelevant.  The concept of is-not is too similar in spirit to the ignoble expression 'Yankee go home' to be worth a reasoned discussion amongst our members.

cccmedia
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When I lived in Ecuador long ago as a child, there were many  walls with "Yanqui go home!" painted on them.  But the Ecuadorians always treated me with respect and affection and in truth there were so few from the US there, that we were a novelty and hated only in the abstract.

At that time the Sucre which was Ecuador's currency, fluctuated between around 16 and 17 to the US Dollar - about 6 cents or so to 1 Sucre.  It used to cost me 20 centavos - about 1 US cent - to board the bus to go to el centro from our home at the north edge of town (which was then marked by Av. Naciones Unidas), via Av. 6 de diciembre.

By the time Ecuador dollarized their currency in the year 2000, inflation had pushed the Sucre far far down in value.  When they switched over to the dollar, the government fixed the exchange rate at 1 USD = 25,000 Sucres.  The Sucre was almost worthless and Ecuador was in dire straits economically.

But with the dollarization came much-needed stability, and slowly at first but soon accelerating, the economy started to flourish.  Most Ecuadorians who lived through this, of course welcomed it - and many understand that in spite of all our gringo faults, one of the best things that ever happened to them was when their government adopted the dollar as their national currency.

Yanqui go home! became bienvenido, Yanqui, ¡gracias! for those in the know.
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What small kitchen appliances are readily available in Ecuador? 
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You should be able to find whatever you need for the kitchen .. at MegaMaxi or in stores in and around Calle Guayaquil in Quito's El Centro.

I bought a blender or 'licuadora' this month at MegaMaxi Six.  Rice cookers, microwave ovens, toasters and plentiful of other 'aparatos' are available.

Like most locals, I have not purchased a stove for my kitchen .. and have a countertop two-ring cooking device instead. 

Cooking a turkey can be farmed out to oven owners in the neighborhood who advertise this service with street signs.

---

FYI, at high altitudes -- for instance, Cuenca and Quito -- it takes longer to boil water than at the Pacific coast or other lowland places.  For spaghetti, I put water in a pot .. set my cooker on high heat .. cover the pot .. and come back in 20 minutes to 'ingresar' the pasta.

cccmedia in Quito
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Thank you.  I've never cooked at higher than about 700 feet, so that will be a learning experience.
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@Listening hello, some of the newer Apartments have induction cooktops. They cook remarkably fast even at high altitude. If I want to boil water I put an induction compatible pot on my cooktop and in a very few minutes it is boiling. For baking at higher altitude that is the more complex thing and there are quite a few recipes online would show you how to adjust the ingredients. Generally in baking, less sugar, a good thing, and differences in the amount of baking powder or baking soda, usually less. Regarding small appliances, if you are interested in something like a cappuccino machine that is something you might like to bring with you. There are lots of small appliances here some being well-known brands, some not.  Another thing that exists in Ecuador are businesses for the repair of small appliances as well as larger appliances. People here are very conscious of trying to keep an item working for a long time.

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Thank you.  I guess I should take a couple of hours of my exploratory trip to run through a store?  I was hoping to avoid that.  My energy is limited, which is part of the point of moving to a slower-paced country.  Or maybe pack my great-granny's skillet and cast the idea of air fryers to the wind--que sera, sera.
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At high altitude the boiling point of water is reduced - in Quito it boils at about 195 degrees F.  My mother used to complain she couldn't get a hot enough cup of coffee in Quito!

This link has a chart of the boiling point of water at different altitudes plus some tips on cooking at higher altitudes:

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Cool, thanks!
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@Listening   Everything is available in Ecuador.  The refrigerators are LG, Samsung, GE, and there are companies in Ecuador that sell refrigerators too.

they are a little cheaper than the American Brands that are imported.  They have mixers, both cheap and KitchenAid(expensive)... but it depends on what you are able to pay.  I have cheap mixer and an expensive coffee maker, I bought here... there is also the abundant people moving back to the
United States or onto other adventures that sell everything and its a bargain that helps you get your self set up cheaply. 
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@listening

Since 2020, a lot of stores were prompted to put their merchandise online. If you search for "electrodomésticos Ecuador" you will find lots to browse from both major and minor retailers.
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Hi, We are purchasing  condo in Manta and would like a recommendation as to stores in the vicinity that sell good exterior terrace furniture. Or is it recommended to bring from the states with our house items? Thank you.
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Dear Jim and Bonnie,

Arriving Expats often find that their best option is to sell or give away their stuff before what's envisioned as a permanent move to Ecuador.

This would include selling your home, if you own it, and major appliances, terrace furniture, automobiles and all kinds of accumulated articles.  Smaller items and more valuable keepsakes can be packed into excess luggage for your flight.  It costs extra, of course, but nothing like what you'd be paying to ship a huge container or even half a container.

Start fresh if you can.

cccmedia in Quito
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Thanks!  I can't imagine bringing furniture or large appliances.  I was wondering about the air fryer.  I can't imagine leaving behind my pencils, and that's almost half a suitcase.
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@Listening People use air fryers here and they are also available to buy ranging from about $50-100 new.  Maybe used, too.  As for your pencils and suitcase space, much cheaper to buy some basic suitcases and pay the airfare than to use a 1/2 or whole container, prices like $100s of dollars versus $1000s.  And more immediate. 2- 3 months for a container to arrive.  Also most newcomers come at least 2 or more times to Ecuador while they are putting their plans together; my 5th trip was when I actually moved, although I bought my house on my third trip; always there is lots to arrange; I had to sell a house, furniture, car, a store business, etc. and say good-bye.   Each time you come bring some extra bags and items.  Here you will simply need to befriend someone or maybe make a paid arrangement with a hotel to store your items,  Maybe someone else has other ideas.

Generally the most important is to bring those things that you love, make you happy, perhaps allow you to continue some kind of work or skill / craft, etc.  I enjoy art so brought my art and textile collection and books.  There are almost no lending libraries here and with some books you can swap.  Look first at what is not replaceable but is important to you, photos, letters, awards, documents, etc.  Then build around.
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I was wondering about the rice cooker and other accessories for food making that is very necessary. In Ecuador, I want to Ecuadorian way of cooking rice to be a little bit different and more precise. The rice should be perfectly cooked, not too hard, not too soft, and firm and the grains should be fluffy and separate easily. Depending on where you live and the rice you buy, you might need to sort through the rice to remove any bad ones or small rocks. In that case, you probably also want to wash and rinse it well. If you are using a short-grain or glutinous rice you can also rinse. Though one of my favorite short grain rice (Calrose) says on the instructions that rinsing isn't necessary.

Also if you live in a higher altitude location, you'll probably need to add more water and let it cook for a little bit longer.

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I only eat brown rice, and soak it overnight before cooking it in a genuine Instant Pot for 10 minutes using the pressure cooker function with a water to rice proportion of about 1:1  Other than that, I only really need a blender and a microwave.


P.S. Not all brown rices are equal either.

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Dear Fanapig,


Welcome to the Ecuador forums of Expat.com ...


Rice cookers a.k.a. arroceras  are commonly found

in larger stores in Ecuador's cities.


I have one that I take with me when traveling

as it's possible to pack it in my 'maletas',

unlike a microwave oven.


FYI, many people in Ecuador do not have ovens.

Others who do .. offer the service of cooking

large birds such as pavos  for a fee.


cccmedia in Quito

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