Impressions - After 90 Days

We have been in Ecuador for three months and are now beginning to form some distinct impressions of the country and its people. Thought it about time we shared some of those impressions with you folks back home. Bare in mind these are our observations and assessments not facts. These are just the feeble perceptions of two Gringos who have just been wandering about this magical bucolic land.
First and everlasting impression - The incredibly beautiful natural environment,
especially the highlands. Because we are on the Equator, the Andes here are unlike any mountains we have ever experienced. They are greener, alot higher up and gigantic volcanoes inter-mingle with a seemingly endless range of mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, canyons ,mesas and yes even deserts. Everything is just soooo much higher here. Almost all of the highland cities and towns are above 8,ooo ft.
Except for the big cities the high mountain air is crystal clear. The bizarre thing is, as high as 12,000ft. you still have an array of tropical trees and plants thriving,lush,green and happy. Anyway, the photos we have posted speak for themselves.
The downside of the environment here, you guessed it, Man! The litter problem here is epidemic, trash is everywhere. The people here discard their opala anywhere any time. A couple of our Ecuadorian friends have relayed to us that when they were growing up, the signs on the buses read,"PLEASE DO NOT LITTER THE BUS THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW." Those signs are no longer on the buses, however the practice still is. This is the saddest discovery we have encountered on our journey. The level of disregard for the sane disposal of trash is even worse on the coast. We have two suggestions, Ban plastic!! and more realistic, Education....but who cares what we think. All of our gringo friends are horrified by the same issue.

To keep it simple, we thought making a few lists might be easier than running on & on. So to that end, Lists follow.....

WHAT'S BETTER HERE
Attitude:
- people are more friendly, not stressed, non-confrontational, laid
back, mellow and not in a hurry, especially the Indigenous people.
- People are generally helpful and willing to please, particularly those in the
service industry.
- Respectful and hard working people
- Family is very important and proud of their culture

Fresh Fruits & Vegetables:
- Can't beat the price, freshness or variety, every city & town have "farmers
markets" on a daily basis...4 avacados for $1, 16 oranges for $1, lemons &
tomatoes 10 cents each.

Eating Out:
- Almuerzo (local style lunch)$1-$2 you get fresh made juice, soup, main course which
includes rice and potato or plantain, meat/chicken, veggie and dessert.

Public Transportation:
- Local in town buses are $.25 and run frequently
- Between towns buses are $.45 and run every 15 minutes
- Between cities buses are about $1/hour
- Taxi's are plentiful, even in small towns, average $1-2 to go across town

Housing Cost:
- Rent, most Ecuadorians pay less than $150/month. We have friends that rent a 2
bdrm. apt. for $150 and we rent a nice, 2 year old, 1500 sq.ft., furnished, 2
bdrm. house for $300/mo. in a gated community which includes water & sewer
- Utilities, ours run monthly $5-6 electric, $5 gas

Cost of Real Estate:
- In our community, brand new 2 bdrm. condos $50K, brand new 3 bdrm. house
3,000 sq.ft. $130K, both with awesome views

Fuel Cost:
- gas is $1.48/gal
- diesel is $1.02/gal
- propane is $.35/gal

Custom Handmade Products:
- Doors, windows, furniture, cabinets, iron work, pottery, clothing made to your
specification for a fraction of cost in U.S.

THINGS THAT DRIVE GRINGOS CRAZY

- Trash (see above)
- Sound pollution
-electronically enhanced music-people blast loud latino music anytime day & night
not unusual to have music blasting from 4 in afternoon 'til 9 the next morning.
-loud music played on all the buses
-restaurants, stores & public offices have TV or radios playing all the time,
again at high volume
- Total lack of pedestrian courtesy, you take your life in your hands if you think
that you have the right of way as a pedestrian, drivers do not give way for anyone!
- Constant use of the horn in any vehicle, the normal non confrontational Ecuadorian
turns into a demon behind the wheel
- Smog pollution in the cities is bad, old diesel buses are the biggest offenders
- Plumbing issues, there is no uniform building code here, they don't vent their
plumbing here,i.e., it can smell like sewer in your house, water pressure often
sucks, hot & cold are often reversed so be careful
- BUREAUCRACY
-Best just not to go there if you can avoid it. Everything you ever heard or
imagined is true. As far as government is concerned this is still a
"Banana Republic". ALL rules, regulations and laws are a moving target that can be changed
by a new administration , officer or worse, interpreted at the whim of whatever
official is currently in front of you. Our advise..... go with the flow.
-DO NOT ASSUME GOVERNMENT IS LOGICAL or compare it to what you are used to.
-If you ask an Ecuadorian a yes or no question they will always answer yes,
so be careful. We are poking fun here a bit but this really does happen.
-PUNCTUALITY
-Being on time for an appointment or invitation just is not a value for the vast
majority of Ecuadorians. This holds true for Professionals and Gov. officials.
-MONEY
-All clerks hold bills up to the light to check for bogus bills.
-Making or Having change here is a big deal. They hate breaking "big" bills,
which they consider anything over a dollar. Often times a shop owner will have
to go next door or down the block to get change. Then the change you receive
is most often just that, change. Five dollars of change might come in all coin.

Most of these things don't bug us anymore. We laugh alot and are finally accepting the things we can't change.