This is a question asked of us by many, and I find myself asking the same. How the heck did we get here? Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the beauty, climate, people and the economy of this country. Then there are times that I panic a little and wonder what I was thinking to sell everything I own and move to a small South American country. Those moments are few and short lived. The days of breathtaking beauty seem to go on forever. The truthful answer to the question, “why Ecuador?” or “How did you get here?” is not so simple. I will try and explain how we arrived at the idea of moving to this wonderful country.
About 7 years ago, I was working hard training hunting dogs, doing guided bird hunts and giving shooting lessons 7 days a week. Lisa was working hard at a well known Hi-tech company in Austin, TX and fighting traffic every day. While Lisa made terrific money, (I was her little tax write off) we couldn’t seem to really save enough money to even come close to retirement. My original plan was to retire at 50, and that was blown out of the water. Taxes kept going up, property taxes were not going away and once we bought our farm, I could not visualize a day when we would not have to work.
I thought we needed to enjoy life more instead of just working all the time. Two vacations in 15 years was just not cutting it. I was doing some research online, thinking that maybe there was some way we could afford a second home like a lake house or something of that sort. We just wanted a place to relax occasionally. We soon realized that there was not a place that we could afford with our income. More so, it was the property tax issue which we could not find a way to avoid or afford once we retired. Almost every place we looked at either had severely hot summers or cold and snowy winters. The only white stuff I like I like goes on top of birthday cake.
A couple of different friends had vacationed in Costa Rica. So, I started investigating. I had a shooting client who lived in Costa Rica and came to Austin several times a year. He told me most of what I needed to know. Costa Rica was once an excellent value, and it is a very pretty country. However, the window of opportunity for us had passed, as real estate prices there were very close to the Austin, Texas market. It appears we missed it by more than 10 years. It is still a wonderful place to vacation. Cost of living has gone up there just a bit, and the locals are not too happy with the Gringo invasion of the last 20 years.
I started reading emails from Gary Scott of International Living. I finally realized that while there was some useful information in his newsletters, he existed for one purpose; to make money from people like me. I noticed he had wonderful things to say about Ecuador (I do not recommend taking any of his courses) and I started to read everything I could get my hands on. It appeared to me that Ecuador was what Costa Rica had been 20 years ago! You must keep in mind, that we are not big beach people. Costa Rica has great beaches. Ecuador has good beaches, but we could care less. My Cousin’s former husband was a guy named Thom who we all adore. Thom had remarried to a nice lady in Dallas, and I found out they were relocating to Ecuador. We immediately drove to Dallas to visit them and learn of their plans. After hearing about their hopes and ideas we realized we needed to really think about things. Lisa and I started to talk daily and came to an agreement on the things that mattered to us most:
Affordability – Could we obtain a nice enough home without spending our nest egg?
Cost of living – What about groceries and all those necessities that we have become fond of?
Climate – We new we wanted to get away from the sweltering summers of Texas. We realized there were two times a year we were most happy. Spring and fall when the temps were 65 at night and 75 in the day. Can we grow vegetables in a new country?
Safety – We did not want to move to a country that we would be afraid for our lives. Many places are great retirement locales but are not very safe. We looked hard at Mexico, but the crimes rate has steadily climbed there, and the anti-American sentiment is rising as well.
Culture – Would the local people be accepting of us, would we fit in? Can we learn the language? Do we want to live as the average person in this country?
Location – can we fly there easily, and does it border a country we can flee to if something goes wrong?
Healthcare – We wanted to live where we could access decent medical care in case of an emergency.
Ecuador seemed to fit the bill perfectly (or as perfectly as we can afford). The price of housing was less than half for comparable homes from our current homestead. Property taxes were so cheap (less than $200 per year for the home we purchased) Rentals in Ecuador go from $200 per month to $1,500.00. Depending on location, and amenities. The high end gets you a 3,000 sq. ft. penthouse apartment in a city like Cuenca (this is where Thom and his wife moved to.)
Lisa and I decided that we needed to get busy. We started to dream and plan. After a few years, it seemed it may take forever for us to get to retirement. I kept getting cedar allergies which would turn into pneumonia. I nearly died several times in my life from upper respiratory infections and wasn’t sure I would make retirement age. Finally, a little over a year ago We decided that we needed to come to Ecuador and really check it out. Several of the people we knew in Ecuador lived in Cuenca and did not want us to move to Southern Ecuador but wanted us to move to the big city of Cuenca. We flew into Loja the largest Southern City (about 400,000) and drove down to Vilcabamba to stay at Hosteria Izchalyuma. We loved it right away. Even though things are a little more expensive in Vilcabamba than other cities in Ecuador, we loved the Idyllic climate. It is as perfect as you can get on the planet. Lots of restaurants, quite a few expats (which may or may not be a good thing) and the cleanest air and purest water on the planet.
We had already developed a relationship with a realtor here, and he took us to look at a few properties. We saw some variety, but none stood out like a place that was called Vista Bella. The house was not on the market yet, because it was involved in a family lawsuit. We then took a shuttle to the City of Cuenca. I have to say from the start, Cuenca has a lot of amenities for retirees, but we are just not city people. Neither of us like the noise, traffic, exhaust fumes and way too many people (about 800,000.) We also found Cuenca to be too cold. We looked at properties in surrounding villages but felt disappointed that none were big enough to support everything we wanted to do and would find ourselves having to drive back into the city of Cuenca for basic needs.
We came home to Texas with much to think about and very excited about Ecuador to say the least. We devised a two-year plan and decided to start getting our Organic farm in shape to sell. That was February, and by July we had it on the market and within 45 days we had an offer. We agreed to stay on for an extra 60 days to help the new buyers get acquainted with things. We decided to sell all our furniture, cars, kitchen equipment, clothes and almost everything we owned. Slightly less than a year from our visit to Ecuador we found ourselves on an airplane flying towards our new home. Our prayers had been answered!
Our original intention was to buy a small apartment in Loja for an investment and just live there for 6 months while we learned Spanish. On a side note, CD rates here pay 8.5%! We really did not like the first two days in Loja as it was just another city. We decided to move to Vilcabamba and start to look at real estate. We lived in a nice rental home in Hacienda San Joaquin for about 3 months. We looked at several homes, and then found out Vista Bella was about to come on the market. We jumped in with both feet, negotiated a deal and here we sit looking at the best view in all Southern Ecuador.
The area we are in is called Lambanuma, and is 5 kilometers further South than VIlcabamba and about 1,500 ft. higher in elevation (about 6500 ft.) At night, it has dropped down to as low as 58 degrees but is usually 60-65. During the day, it had been as warm as 78-79 but is usually around 72. I put on a long sleeve overshirt in the morning ad usually take it off by noon to wear short sleeves the rest of the day. Vilcabamba is 5-6 degrees warmer. We purchased this home well within our budget including renovations and construction costs of a new 2-story Casita which we will rent on air b-n-b and let friends and family stay there for free. The main house is about 2500 sq. ft. There is also a container home which our new friends Francisco, Rosa and their daughter Marley live in. They have lived on the property for about 5 years and take care of the place when we are gone. They have been a godsend as far as helping us acclimate and helping us get the gardens back into shape.
One of the wonderful things, is how many fruit trees are on this property. We have orange, mango, bananas, Mandarins, Cherimoya (sugar apple), Guava, Papaya, Figs, Raspberries, Strawberries, Coffee trees and numerous medicinal plants and flowers and shrubs of all kinds. It really is a Paradise. I would say that there is no perfect place, but this is perfect given the parameters we laid out for ourselves.
We feel safe (15 ft brick wall around the property with 3 strands of barbed-wire at the top including a panic room in the main house.) The local people are extremely accommodating and easy to get along with. We are learning the language with some effort, but easier than we first thought. Flights from the states to Quito are about $500 round trip, and about $60 from Quito to Loja. Then a cab ride to Vilcabamba. However, we bought a car because I like the feeling of freedom. We can buy most of the groceries we need at the Farmers Markets (which there are many) or the local tiendas in Vilcabamba. We drive to Loja (about 45 minutes) to get the items that aren’t available locally. Some things are cheaper in Loja, but some things are more expensive. If it’s something special or unusual we can find it in Loja. Somethings are better to bring from the states. We have some things shipped in here from Florida. We ship free with Amazon Prime to Miami and then pay $6.25 per pound to have it delivered in Vilcabamba (takes 4-6 weeks.)
We estimate that with our utilities which include hi speed internet, water, electricity and propane we spend less than $150 per month. Here is how hi-speed internet works: You pay $39 a month and it is blistering fast. We download movies with no interruption. In addition, unlimited bandwidth. In the states they throttle you back after “X” amount of usage (which I think is a crime) but not here. $39 buys all you want to use it for! Groceries and eating out run us less than $300 per month because we eat out a lot! We have been spending a lot getting the home set up with all the mattresses, bedding and household items. It would have cost us $10,000.00 to have all our things shipped here. We will spend about half of that replacing the necessary items. Having furniture made here is cheap.
We are paying $1,200.00 per year for a healthcare plan for the both of us. That includes vision and dental and things like flying home for the death or hospitalization of an immediate family member. Most things here are so cheap, you simply pay out of pocket. Medicine is less than 1/3 the cost of the States. There is a Pharmacy literally on every corner. There is a bakery on every corner. There are many meat shops, markets, and lots of Artisan and hand-made items. Organic meats and vegetables are available. This place is a Vegan/Raw Foody/Juicer’s dream. Most of the highways are good. Electricity is almost everywhere. We have had several outages but not more than a couple of hours tops. Most are momentary.
We have been here just a little over 4 months and feel very at home. We do miss our friends and family but are trying to use skype and email to stay in touch. Skype works very well here. The internet is faster than anything I ever had at home and cost us $39 per month. Day labor here is about $20 per day. Live-in housekeeper about $300 per month. A mans haircut is $3, and it is one of the best I have had anywhere! Women pay $5 for a custom cut and style. Food and locally made products are cheap, imported items are 30% higher than the states (import taxes). A Pedicure in Vilcabamba is $5. Almonds are very expensive at around $9 per pound. Locally grown coffee is $3 per pound, French Roast is $4.50. A Taxi ride anywhere in town is .50 to $1.50. From town to our house is $3.00. You can take the bus to Loja for $1.25 or a shared Taxi for $2. Private Taxi is $20.00 one way and $10 per hour wait time and return.
We don’t know what the future will bring, but we feel quite sure we will live out the remainder of our days here. We plan to go to the states twice a year to visit family. The last three homes we have lived in we have said “this is the last time we are moving”. I won’t say that this time. Who knows what the future holds? For now, we are happy as clams and no longer stressed out from life in the states. In short, we have moved here for a better quality of life and to live as healthy and happy as we possibly can. I can’t stress enough that this is such a great country for those who need to improve their health.
I really recommend living abroad for at least 6 months to see how you will like it. Everyone has different financial obligations, desires in life, family needs and are driven by different things. We made the decision to get off the hamster wheel and to live peacefully, economically, and healthier than we ever could have in the states. I recommend you lease your home furnished in the States, come down here and try it for a while. Maybe take a 6-month sabbatical from work. It is not as daunting and scary as it may seem. For us, it has been an enjoyable adventure to date and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for us tomorrow!
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