Ecuador Safety Crime Health Care

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Let me 1st qualify this with I only spent 16 days total in Guayaquil, Salinas (which includes Libertad and Montañita.
I don't want to bemoan the fact that GENERALLY Ecuador is getting less safe by the day and Colombia is doing better (I never felt at risk when I followed common sense in Colombia). That said, I heard many stories in Ecuador, by people affected and 2nd hand of friends affected by robbery and shaky medical care. One hostal owner told me "If you don't use something for a while most workers don't consider it stealing if they take it". Theft is a constant problem, employees generally take little stuff daily worth a dollar or 2.
The stories are endless. By the way a "hostal"is not necessarily a hostel, in Ecuador it is usually a small hotel.

The Hostal where the guests were robbed just up the coast (gangs 4th similar hit) shows how much of a sitting duck you are.
A side note: Mama Llenas hostel, Panama City, in a bit of a shaky area and was hit with armed gunmen 2 weeks before I arrived in 2010. La Jungla hostel in the Cangrejo zone was better for me.

The article in the local paper shows in detail the invasion by the gang.


4 guys leaving for the airport with me who spent a week in Salinas said they were very disappointed. There is just not a lot there for the average person.

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Comments

[papamccartney]

Ecuador is a place for common sense
After spending three weeks in Ecuador (Cuenca area, Salinas, and Guayaquil) I felt generally as safe as I am in the Dallas\Fort Worth area in Texas. I was given good advice about where not to go, when not to go out, and general common sense. The same as I follow in Texas. I think the violent crime is less in Ecuador, but more petty theft. It does seem to get a lot of bad said about it. If you read the State Dept of the USA's comments and took them all at face value, you would most likely never come. I traveled with my three girls and my wife, and am thinking about a move to Ecuador. If you pay attention to good advice from Ecuadorians, I think you are in pretty good shape. Thanks for the tips William.

[topspinwilly]

Hi Scott, I make no claim to being much of expert on Ecuador.
Only a very short time there for me and hostels and hotels are robbed at gun point all over Latin America. Mama Llenas 3 years ago in Panama City, some Bogota hostels and the hotels I wrote about in Ecuador. It is part of the deal especially in an area of town not know to be the safest. Right now I am back in Medellin and will have some stuff to write about soon I hope. The most important part of safety is doing things right. Buena Suerte Oh a quick tip, dont carry any of your bank cadrs with you and there will be no point in the ever popular express kidnapping to drain you account. Do carry enough cash $50? so the bad guys are not o upset.

[topspinwilly]

Guayaquil was scary for me.
Hey Scott thanks for the feed back. Well taking a taxi in Guayquil is high risk according to everyone I met also I could have dated several widows there. People are killed fairly regularly after making large withdrawls. I was only there 2 weeks, you did three and you do learn with time. I suspect cuenca is quite safe and Salinas seemed very safe but the area around it is shaky. With all that said, I know generaly saftey is what you make it and there are tons of 20 something girls traveling through Ecuador.