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Originally Posted by MartinSE
Excellent post. Thank you.
I have been to Guayaquil once (I lost my Passport and had to go there to get a new one). I think once is far more than enough in Guayaquil for me. I don't know what it was like back then, but recently it is a dirty industrial town with a very high crime rate and crowded everywhere. And "dismal" would be a kind way to describe the room I had there. Ugh...
Ecuador has a long history of socialism, the most recent Presidential election went to the Conservative Candidate, which here would be called a communist - LOL. But, it is all relative.
As with most (all?) S. American counties, the politics are turbulent. The politicians promise everything and mostly pad their own bank accounts. And, of course, the "OTHER" guy is the corrupt one, Very strong opinions on both sides, and it sometimes breaks out into violence. Glad it is not like that here. Ahem.
I have not spent any time in Quito other than flying into Ecuador. Most (all?) flights go through Quito and connect with domestic flights to other places.
I spend most of my time in Cuenca, which is a "larger" city. I have explored the countryside east of Cuenca, and your description rings very true, a very lovely country.
And yes, excellent choice of words, "culture shock". If you are looking for a suburb of a US town, you are going to be very disappointed. I refuse to participate in most of the ex-pat activities. Most of my experience with Expats in Ecuador is they sit around and bitch about how different it is from "back home" and how they want it to change to be more like where they come from. (Sounds a lot like some people here in TV - ahem.)
I guess if you love it here, don't move there.
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I’m okay with anyone who wants to fly into a third world or developing country for their health or dental care but I would not be interested in the least.
I have to ask, do you have a dentist in the USA who will clean up any emergency situations that may develop because of your Ecuadorian dental procedures. Emergencies such as an oral sepsis or low virulence infection, failed bone graft or improper crown fitting for example that require prompt and urgent attention.
It is a beautiful country but that wouldn’t be my guideline for dental or healthcare. I wonder how these citizens feel when moneyed Americans use those services but because of low income levels, many in Ecuador go without..
Upon retirement, we discovered dental insurance to be too expensive for the coverages provided so we self funded our dental care. We put the proposed monthly premium away and that is our dental fund which has sufficed for any work and routine cleanings. I think we would move to dentures before we’d go to Ecuador but that’s us.
Are you also aware most high caliber dental schools in the USA will provide dental care at a greatly reduced price for the low income? (That would include implants..)