Coastal Ecuador, Culture & Safety

---

I am back in California, Left Ecuador a week ago, Didn't have good internet in Ecuador. This is from the point of view of a retired, divorced, Spanish student, with an eye out for a retirement lifestyle, not into Indigenous culture , don't lay on the beach and I didn't get to many traditional places especially colonial places. But I was in several small towns, one big city and one little city (libertad).

Salinas area is considered a resort for the Guayaquil rich (who are looked down upon by even the well to do who I met) , & about 200 expats mostly USA.


I would have been bored silly in days if I had not got lucky and met Sonia from the Couchsurfing website. She took me places and introduced me to educated interesting people, even so a week was enough.
Will's Gringo hostal & bar...we had some enjoyable evenings there.
For me, a single retired person more interested in long-term stay than travel....Ecuador doesn't really work.

Ecuador is often more unsafe than Medellin.That said you have to learn how to avoid trouble in either place. That said, the average traveler in Ecuador is a very good looking 25 yr/old blond female backpacker and they mange pretty well. Many from Sweden, Switzerland, England, Canada, USA and many other places. They seemed to outnumber male travelers.

I have not traveled yet to the coastal areas of Colombia Yet. I am comparing apples and oranges. But the little I have seen of the fincas (farms & everyone I meet has one for weekends) and countryside in Colombia I like it and hope to visit more. Colombia is more European and & colorful, nice looking buildings, although you know your not in Canada.

That aside 60 miles of coast including Salinas and Montañita have an amazing climate with the Humboldt current of cool ocean water washing the shores every day/night was perfect. Montañita...totally different from Salinas (think thailand/hippie/60's surfer culture) but other than a good school for surf and Spanish...nothing more to offer me. Of course if you 25 years old, etc then different story probably.

Guayaquil (city of 2 million)...I didnt see much but it is definetly pushes beyond the limits on my safety needs. Some great people but that wasn't enough. I did not see Colonial Ecuador...and I wont since there are other places that fit my lifestyle better.

Arriving back to Medellin from Ecuador, the trip (30 minutes) from the airport to town was exciting, I felt like I was returning home. Some very bad things happen here & I know I have a lot to learn, but I feel comfortable even in new or rural areas (unless of course I perceive them to be dangerous).

Next trip (Sept. or Oct.) will probably be Colombia but near the water, maybe San Andreas Island (low crime and on Caribbean side) or maybe Cuba although I am not too fond of dictators and will have to be careful of what i say. But the criminal element doesn't have a major presence and with all the coast line there must be some good surfing and wind-surfing.

One more post to come on Life in Palm Springs California.

---

Photos

Triathlon In Salinas
International competition.

Beautiful Ecuadorian Waitress
Big smiles for the camera.

Little Girls Cross Street
Culture difference. Of course these kids would be taken away by the state up north just for working let alone sent across a busy street with their hands full.

Salinas Beach
Crowded on the weekends.

Front Rd of My Cabañas.
Not so good when it rains. Luckily a guy next door, with a booming stereo and an endless supply of liquor, was a way for the week I was there. He started playing it when he got home around 2AM in the morning.

Typical Dress and Persona
Even in Monañita a hippy paradise. They call them vagabondos

My Cabaña in Montañita
30 tourists were robbed (for 3 hours) a few miles up the coast in a much nicer place than ours. It was the 4th strike for the gang of ten armed Delinquents as they are called here.

Guayaquil Ecuador, North end
Poor neighborhood=not safe.

Guayaquil Malecon
The only nice (and secure) spot I saw.

Main Street Next to Malecon
A walkway along the water. A business man said 3x's: Use Malecon, no seguridad! (street not secure).
Hotel security escorted me 1 block to a store that evening when I asked where it was.

Big fence on Malecon for security
The security inside said crime on the N. end and on the S. end and across the street is pretty dangerous also. That only left the Malecon

Guayaquil Burger King
Another security was at an armored car so I assume this guy was doing more than protect the burgers.

Airline takes my scissors.
Dont for get to go though you carry on before you give up your checked bag.

Quito Airport
I was there a few minutes, It was the coldest I felt on the entire trip.

Medellin Airport.
Modern and clean, gives a good feel to being back.

Barbacue, Montañita
At the cabañas and for the surf and Spanish school.

MX down again 2nd day back.
Larry & I saw one go down yesterday also but no collision just wet road.

Accident victims get patched up.
Generally a foot injury and generally taken care of at the scene.

The buseta to Medellin airport
From downtown Medellin. Near hotel Nutibar and Parque Berrio

Looking for a place to stay.
Shared accommodation or other ?? Bulletin board at the gate might be a good place to advertise and slipping the guard $5 might get him asking around.

SpiritAir CheapoAir
I don't think I would do more than 3 hours on these planes again. Very uncomfortable.

I HATE GREYHOUND (GH)
I cann't say enough bad about GH rude, unhelpful, late, did I mention rude and unhelpful. Guy staring at me took my duty free Tequila. Employee yelled you can't foto in here!!! So I said OK. Actually this is in LA my next post.

Comments

[cathy]

Greyhound
Was the bus station in Ecuador? Your blog has made South America seem more dangerous than ever, unless you are a young, blond female!

[Sinta]

Smile & Scared
I found your article is very interesting. I do smiling and then feeling scared and smiling again. You are good in writting, very informative and I feel like I have been there by reading your article only. Wish to be in Ecuador soon. Thanks for sharing.

[topspinwilly]

Bus Station and Danerous
Catica you would not beleive the level of danger I read about and was told about live and on the internet. Ecuador hasrecently deteriorated and peple have siad it is wrecking our country. In guayaquil I would say it is extreme. One fellow who lives there said, I pretend to be a secret agent and I try to get though the city without being robbed. I wasn't nervous on the Ecuador coast, but stuff can happen. I will post an article from a local paper about the robbery of 30 tourists by an armed gang on the coast while I was there, It was the 4th time a gang did this same crime. And No the bus station was in Los Angeles, and that was one of the most unpleasant parts of the trip for me.

[topspinwilly]

Sinta good luck in Ecuador
I subscribed to your blog to see how your trip goes for you.

[topspinwilly]

Article on Guaquil safety shows what I saw and felt
GUAYAQUIL RESIDENTS UNDER EXTREME STRESS DUE TO CRIME El Universo reported recently that the residents of Guayaquil do not live a day without thinking about crime and the possibility of being a victim. I have spent thirty years visiting Guayaquil and have never seen a situation which seemed as dangerous as it does now. Crime has permeated all levels of society and violence is on the rise. In other analysis, I have suggested that part of the increase in crime may be due to the return of many Ecuadorians from abroad since the beginning of the world financial crisis. Employment is so difficult to obtain that the thousands who have returned place additional pressure on the job market. Newspaper reports earlier this year indicated that many of the university graduates in Ecuador are having a very difficult time finding employment in their specialties and often settle for positions in which they are over qualified (often marketing or sales positions). In my last edition of "Culture Shock Ecuador" I recommended that Guayaquil now possessed numerous reasons to visit as a tourist. The city had made tremendous progress since the influx of tax dollars for projects, namely, the Malecon 2000, which is a world class project. Even more impressive to this author was the turnaround of Santa Ana hill which sits adjacent to "Las Penas". I remember thirty years ago, this was a no mans' zone and if you entered you may never leave with your life or your wallet. This is a wonderful example of a community and local government turning around a neighborhood with money and imagination. Residents of Guayaquil were very proud of the improvements in their city and there was a new sense of pride. No one could refer to Guayaquil as the "armpit" of Ecuador. However, crime is now a significant problem for those residing in or visiting Guayquil. It may be to soon to call it a war zone, it is certainly not a time to take safety for granite in almost any situation. The residents live in fear daily and police do not seem to have gotten control of security at an acceptable level. Some Facts: There are at least 28 crimes committed daily that include assault, express kidnappings, and theft along with sexual assaults. This is compared to 2005, when an average of 13 crimes were committed. In the first seven months of this year there have been 176 robo expresses committed and over 4000 robberies. Shopping in malls is also no guaranty of safety any longer as both patrons and stores are under increase threat. Murder is also on the rise. While firearms are not currently permitted, guns are readily available. A recent report submitted that many of the juveniles arrested in Guayaquil are in possession of a firearm. An important aspect to remember is that many crimes go unreported in Guayaquil and in much of Ecuador. Therefore, the crime situation is much more dangerous then the above stated numbers represent. Most residents have very little trust in the criminal justice system. Victims also are reluctant to report crime in fear of retaliation by assailants. I recently had a close friend who has lived in Guayaquil as an expatriate for thirty years, was held up at gunpoint while getting out of his taxi. He did not report it to authorities. He believed there was no reason to do so as nothing would come of it. He was just happy to be alive. Other Articles: Anti crime group appears in Guayaquil - Vows to fight crime, Large number of gun offenses in Guayaquil conducted by minors

[S. America Traveller]

This Amazon Review Shows Concerns
Culture Shock! Ecuador: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette [Paperback] Nicholas B Crowder (Author) Amazon 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews) ? Like (0) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: A very mixed message from this author, August 5, 2010 By Michael Stephens This review is from: Culture Shock! Ecuador: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette (Paperback) I'm hoping to retire to Ecuador or another Andean country in three years or so, so I really looked forward to reading this book. The author is married to an Ecuadorian woman and has lived there for well over 20 years now, and he obviously loves the country. I found the sections on history, geography/ecology and culture/customs quite useful as a starting point. But then, he splashes cold water all over the reader with his sections on crime and health/medicine. He makes even a short visit to Ecuador seem like the most perilous possible journey -- if you don't die from some tropical disease, you surely will be mugged, robbed or murdered. In effect, he seems to be saying "Gringos! Keep Out!" Very disappointing.

[topspinwilly]

As you know I concur with this review
Also the stories I heard from guys (fellow surfers etc) who went to the hospital would frighten you with the lack of concern for hygiene etc. Dogs running around hospital and not too much concern about hand-washing/clean needles apparently. As far as crime goes I was surrounded with people affected. Did I mention David (the well to do/great guy American with the mansion on the beach) being the target of kidnappers and the fact that it cost him $30,000 to eventually get the ringleader arrested and to build in more security while the guy was investigated? Certain popular places for expats are not so dangerous like Cuenca. But apparently even Quito is growing more dangerous by the day.