[orlfl]

Is anyone looking to travel to Ecuador or probably interested in touring Ecuador?

[kittygilchrist]

what kind of trip did you have in mind? are you forming a group?

[BarryRX]

For awhile, I was considering retiring to Ecuador. International living has chosen it as the best foreign country to retire to. So to answer your question, I would be interested. However, we are traveling to Scotland next month, so it will be awhile before we can go.

[orlfl]

I just came from a 10 day trip to Ecuador, and let me tell you, its a beautiful country to retire!!

On the 10 days that I spent, I was able to visit, Cotopaxi Volcano, Mitad del mundo (middle of the world) take the city tour bus, 16 century churches, and many other places.
I still have to visit Cuenca, but thats in my agenda next time I go.

I think its a very affordable place to retire, as gas, food, rent, utilities are very cheap.

As safety goes, I felt safe all the time, police are posted in many places, as the government has a strong campaign on tourist safety now.
Crime is low, as the country is going through economic growth, and people look very happy with the government. Of course like in any part of the world, always use common sense and do not go to places you are not supposed to. The president is one of the few in Latin america, that has actually lived and study in the U.S, so he keeps an open mind in governing the country.

I am already scheduling to go next year on February 2015 for a longer stay.

Quito the capital, has a brand new airport, and airplane tickets go from $500 roundtrip from miami to quito. I took the megabus, so saved a lot of money from traveling from Orlando to Miami ($2.50 per trip).

What I loved most, its the climate, and people. Temperature ranged between 55F -70F during the day. You can actually feel the four seasons in a day. When the sun comes out, it gets hot, but when it gets cloudy, it all of a sudden you have a drop in temperature 55F.
I also enjoyed the countryside, as the view of the Andes mountains is spectacular. Some volcanoes have snow glacier peaks at the top, and at the bottom you can see pre-amazon jungle.

It helps that I can speak spanish, so If anyone wants to join me next year, let me know. It is wise to get a tour guide, if you do not know spanish. I saw many guides that tourist where not really into understanding them very well, as they probably do not sync very well with the american culture.

If I can answer any questions or be of any help let me know.

[tippyclubb]

Yes, we would be interested and when do you plan to do this? Galapagos is on our bucket list.

[orlfl]

I am planning on next year on February 2015.

[Bonnevie]

I'd love to go to the Galapagos

[orlfl]

Galapagos is about 2-3 hour flight from Quito or Guayaquil. You can get roundtrip tickets from $300-$500. LAN, AeroGal, Tame all fly to the Galapagos.