WHY EXPATS LEAVE CUENCA ECUADOR (and NEVER move back) 

A nice story to offset the dark side... a few days ago I only had a $20 bill to pay for my $8.64 dinner which arrived by motorcycle. Miguel, the biker, had been paid with large bills prior to my delivery and had no change left. I had already asked around in my building but nobody could change a $20 and neither could the shopkeeper next to my building. I was about to tell Miguel it was his lucky day and to keep the change, but he asked for my phone number and said he would be back later in the day with my change. I thought, okay, maybe it's actually MY lucky day. Five hours later, I get a call from Miguel asking me to come to the entrance of my building. He had my exact change. It was a lucky day for both of us as he drove off with a good tip for his service. "Disculpe la molestia" can go a long way and there's no need for cynicism.

Years ago an expat surgeon in Shell-Mera Ecuador couldn't sleep because the next door neighbor had a noisy rooster. The surgeon persuaded the neighbor to sell him the rooster, which became Sunday dinner. All was quiet for about a day, until the neighbor bought two more roosters with the money the surgeon had given him.

I’m actually looking forward to the cool weather in Cuenca after living in Texas my whole life. I’m tired of the long hot summers here. They seem to be getting hotter and longer.

The chilly, cloudy weather is one of my FAVORITE things about Cuenca (I can't stand hot weather)!

I arrived in Ecuador, for first time, today. Quito. The weather is beautiful. Blue skies and white puffy clouds. I'm staying at Quito Airport Suites. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm hoping the rest of the next 90 days, traveling Ecuador, is as pleasant as today. And yes, the Ecuadorians are very patient and helpful with my "Spanglish".

The weather - I’m from San Francisco and it seems to be the same here in Cuenca. No such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. Pollution - I will never walk down Cordova, you need a hazmat suite. On 12 de Arbil at least you have the river on one side. Traffic - 12 years ago the traffic was really OK. Now it’s a disaster. We went to an Ecuadorian reunion and 100% of the 35 cars there were SUV’s. We were the only sedan. They are just in love with the bigger the better vehicles. On narrow streets. Street crime - don’t show the bling and carry only want you intend to spend, in a money clip. You don’t need to carry your entire financial history in a wallet. I leave the gold ring at home. And I pack a cheap flip phone and a cheap watch. And a good copy of my cedula. Spanish - once I gave up the fear of sounding like a total idiot I now make the clerks smile and we both giggle about my pobre Español. Just another estupido gringo, but with a smile. But we get the job done. Beggars - I have two disabled guys in the Central I always give a buck to when I see them. The disabled always get something. If they’re selling something I’ll usually buy. If it’s the hand out they get the Ecuadorian finger wag before they get close. That usually stops the approach. The altitude - I fear the steps going up the barranca. Never had an issue other than that. Noise - we live in a penthouse along the river. No chickens, no dogs, no car alarms, and the roving fiestas are not tolerated in the building. Sleep like a baby ever night listing to the roar of the river. I’m missing a couple of points here, but your commentary was spot on. Insightful. Thanks.

I have 3 young kids, no interest in moving to Ecuador, but I watch all of your videos. Just love to hear your thoughts on living abroad, see the awesome sites, and hear about your life and journey there. This is really a great channel. Thanks!

#1 is the most important point for me. We need to immerse ourselves in the host country language and culture or they will think that we are arrogant. Don’t try to change the way the do things and always remember the reason why you left your country.

Great information! Tracie and I are headed to Ecuador later in the year for our first exploratory visit! Thank you for the candor in this video!

Thank you for your #1 ... It's exactly what so many need to be reminded of. ❤️

We've lived in the countryside just outside of Cuenca for 3 years now. Our home is at about the 10,000' level and it definitely can get cool. We have encountered the "Australian" woman who lost her passport before. She caught up with us at Chifa Nueva near Parque de la Madre. Interesting to learn that she has now lost her Australian accent. Always enjoy your videos. 🙂

Always excellent Content guys… much appreciated for knowledge about Ecuador 🇪🇨

Ecuador is geographically small, compared to its neighbouring countries, but it is very rich in biodiversity, it is ranked number 3 worldwide, but I don't know how their economy is though. Good video

Very informative video, thank you.😇

Thanks so much for sharing - again 😊 I will definitely check out the city - - as I will check out all the other great places in Ecuador 😊

As an Ecuadorian, I thank you guys for the great information and the effort in making these videos. I have learned a lot more about my country thanks to your channel. So every snippy comment is disrespectful and wrong. Muchas gracias por todo lo que hacen para informarnos 🙌🏻💖

As always, thanks for the fine information. Very appreciative that you consider the expat-bubble a Con. Kudos!

Excellent report, 100% spot on. I'd like to add that it's easy to mitigate these 10 negatives (kudos to JP for lifestyle changes to better tolerate high altitude), like investing in over-the-ear noise cancelling headphones streaming calm music when the neighborhood volume level is at 11. Also make your home comfortable. When you do that, you don't care that much about what's outside of it that you cannot control.

Your hair looks great, Amelia! Love both the style and color.

I am working on moving there soon, looks so beautiful🌻

Thank you for this video, very honest and I appreciate it. JP I liked your version of the motorcycle noise .....

Great to have found your content guys thanks for sharing the ups and downs of my country. Im Ecuadorian moving in the following months to Cuenca and I found this video really funny because you were spot on the many cute disavantages of living in a small city that is fastly facing the problems of bigger cities. You are wonderful embassadors of our country to the world. Hope the best for you.

You are a definitely beautiful couple... I really love how you find the positive things in the middle of the negative... Thanks...

I love it all - so funny! Looking forward to it all when I mo

Thank for your your videos they help me in my immigration decision.

You guys are great thank you

Great video ! I've been to Cuenca twice and love the city. I agree with you on these problems but these are problems in any US city and they don't bother me when I'm in Cuenca. Just enjoy the nice, friendly people. The wonderful food and the beautiful city. I will definitely return to Cuenca since I don't think any of the problems are that bad....

My parents are from Cuenca and I have traveled here all my life, there is no place I feel as happy as being here, downsides and all. Your video is pretty right on, especially not finding any cabs during a soccer match, hahah. I would spend all my summer vacations in Cuenca as a child and boy, what a difference from the city it is now. I LOVE the Expat community here, it confirms to me what a magical place this truly is. I recently came back to spend some time here with my son and guess what? We were in a restaurant near Parque de la Madre and there walks in the "Australian" lady! I gave her $ but realized there was something really off about what she was saying to me. And then, you mention her in this video. (^_^) It takes all kinds to make a village, or in this case, a city called Cuenca...gotta love it! Great video!

You are so right about not being in an "expat bubble". I have seen this in other countries and it's truly an unnecessary struggle.

We absolutely LOVE cool weather. We both grew up in hot humid cities and can’t tolerate it any longer.

I love you guys. There's quite a few volcanoes there heard. Thanks again for all you do please take care.

Thank you for your presentation

Thank you for another great video. I cant wait to officially move there as a retiree.

Love you guys!

In your listing of aggravating noises, you missed talking about the car alarms. They're always going off and the car owners don't care. They just keep making noise until they time out. My wife and I referred to them as the Ecuadorian National Anthem.

Great video! greetings from Canada

I came to Cuenca after spending time in several huge cities (Buenos Aires, CDMX, Bogota, Medellin…) so it did not feel crowded at all to me…quite the opposite. Sometimes it feels like a ghost town walking around anywhere outside of the centro, especially on a Sunday. I guess it’s all relative to what one is used to.

Thanks, JP and Amelia for the informative video. The snow is going to start falling in a couple of months where I am and I am not looking forward to it, in fact, I am dreading it. Cuenca would be like summer compared to where I am.

Thank you for this video! I needed this. I am possibly moving here with my Ecuadorian girlfriend and after hearing all the positives from everyone it's nice to see the negatives so I know what to expect. I can't wait to live here still!

Thanks for the video, guys! I will be going back to Cuenca in March. The housing prices still seem OK thankfully...

I’m so happy to found people like you that promote my beautiful home country better than any Ecuadorian. I love to watch your videos and see my beautiful Ecuador! Thanks for doing that!

Thanks for keeping it real.. there's another channel I noticed they never mention any downside of Portugal. It's all sunshine and rainbows. Life isn't like that

Thanks for the stories. Your stories are similar to where I reside in Cartagena, Colombia. ☺

I've been there & can't wait to get back to Cuenca!! To be honest every place has its negatives but Totally felt at home there !!

Keen observations as usual. Elevation can be a problem, especially if you have some preexisting conditions. I guess that’s what makes Richie Carapaz a world-class cycling champion. Glad you dropped the extra weight JP!

It’s got to be a relief leaving the USA. I’ve been living out of the country now the past 5 years and just the thought of going back there scares me. Glad you’re back in Ecuador but where in Ecuador are you? It seems you’re no longer on the coast, and you keep posting visits to Cuenca so you haven’t relocated there. What town do you call home now and are there videos?

Amelia and JP this a non perfect world we live in. I live since I was 11 years old in NYC and I came back to Ecuador . Love NYC !!!! But there was the good and the bad like everywhere. So enjoy and many blessings for a safe and happy life.

Saludos desde Cuenca Ecuador 🤗🥰👏

I have been in Cuenca for over a year and agree with your list but I love it here, I usually can't wait to get back when I leave.

I had to leave Cuenca Because of the cold ! I moved there from the Pacific NW and the altitude and the Constantly grey cloudy weather gave me bad arthritis ..

Super excited! We're finally visiting Cuenca for 16 days in November, staying at a location highlighted in one of your videos. Thanks, Amelia & JP, for all your helpful info! My only concern is how to discern a valid vs. inauthentic taxi and are there apps we can download to make reservations.

Couple things: 1. I just found this channel. Thank you for the great content! 2. It sounds like you left Cuenca. Why did you leave, where did you go, and why? (Still reading your blog. Maybe the answer is there.) 3. Amelia - It sounds like you're from Wisconsin. That's awesome. I was born in Cudahy. Nice to find someone from home who is living my dream.

I visited Ecuador in the month of March 2023. Stayed in Cuenca for two weeks. I suppose the altitude affects some people more than others. I did not experience any air pollution for the weeks I was there. I interviewed numerous expats and all had nothing but positive experiences in Cuenca, even though I probed to find anything they did not like, they had nothing negative to say. Cuencanos were very friendly and curious about where I lived. From the Airport to the town was very easy using the Tram. Of all the cities I visited, Cuenca was the most charming. I also went to a very small town somewhere in the northern cordillera in a town called Chugchilan where I stayed a week in the ''Cloud Forest Hostal' a very charming place with very pleasant owners who made you feel very comfortable. For a very reasonable fee the owner drove us to the extinct volcano Quilota and back. If you are a trekky, I recommend the hostal and the trek around the Quilota laguna.

Spent about three weeks in Ecuador, Guayaquil, Cuenca, and Guarumales, it was amazing.

I enjoyed your video about Loja and it really caught my interest. Looking into it now as I'm 68 and want tranquilidad. Would like to find a safe piece of land where I can grow my own vegetables and chickens

Amelia, your hair looks so nice!

Despite all the bad, I love the Andean area, Cuenca, the valleys of Quito, Ambato, loja, Ibarra, santo domingo, macara etc.

Great job

Great points. However, during my one week in Cuenca last fall noise was not much of an issue for us. Our biggest issue was my wife getting sick from something she ate. So we did not get to see nearly as much as we wanted. This next trip will be longer.... :-)

Thanks guys for this video. BTW, Amelia you're looking fabulous. Love your hair!! Was your pre gray hair dark brown? Asking for a friend considering going gray😉

Thumbs up for keeping it real.

I found this video very thorough about my city! But I still insist Cuenca is the gem of Ecuador, Greetings ☮

you have a nice videos ...

I'm surprised that you never mentioned the number of stray dogs and cats.

Hey Guys We’re arriving Sept 13 first time in 8 years..Hope to run into you somewhere. And we’re staying at Otorongo!

My mother is from Cuenca Ecuador and Im a born in Virginia boy. I have a lot of family there, but I just don't like the cold weather even though some days gets pretty warm, I have been to Medillin Colombia a few times and I just love the weather, it's 74° all year and there's so many expats living there now and the medical is incredible ......and other things.....

I lived at Lake Tahoe for many years and now I think I’d absolutely love living at 8K or more again….. I love the cold still. I’m now probably too old to be moving there, which breaks my heart.

There is no place on earth where everything is perfect for everybody. Cuenca's weather is very nice from mid september to january. February to May it rains a lot but the temperatures are ok and the sun shows in many days. June, july and august is winter and gets chilly and sometimes cold between 50s at night and 65-68 during the cloudy days. If you live in a condo it wont get as cold as in a house.

I'd love to see a video on public transit in your area

Thanks for the info. folks! Not moving there!

I was 100% looking at Cuenca until this video it's the pollution bowl I've seen this in a few places do not wish to move into it Plus the traffic noise I can not stand the noise of loud cycles I'm right on the main road in y small town we get the odd one especially on the wkends might get a few but if I had to listen to them all day would drive me insane I guess I'm now looking at more of you videos for another place in Ecuador I do like the cooler weather though sighhh back to the drawing board P.S. going to join your patreon tomorrow you 2 have already been an incredible help

Most of these 'issues" are normal for a good size city anywhere. The only one is the cold and damp conditions, this might be harder to work around and these days supply chain issues can happen anywhere.

I live Philippines 15 miles from Taal volcano. Experienced the eruption and the ash two yrs ago..Much silicates like razor blades in the eyes and lungs.Finally we were evacuated

Hi Amelia and JP, I have been enjoying your channel! We are traveling to Ecuador July 2023 and flying into Guayaquil and staying one night there on the way to Manta. Do you have any recommendations to the stay for that one night?

The overhead flight path...i have spent a lot of time adjacent to LAX. But good reminder its not heavy air traffic in Cuenca

JP mentioned mate de coca being available. Can one chew coca leaves in Ecuador as in Bolivia? I LOVED chewing coca in Bolivia. I didn't transit any borders with it, as gringos are always singled out for exploration. But, having that around would be so nice. When I lived in Aspen, we knew it was going to rain between 1pm and 3:30pm. Duration was only about half an hour. Is it similar in Cuenca and the mountains? Are there rainy and dry seasons?

You can always come back and visit the Montañita, Olon, Curia and San José area

I’m glad that you mentioned to learn the language and meet the Ecuadorians. Americans are known in Cuenca for hurting the economy , only getting together between them, plus going only to their own coffee shops .

Thank you for the good the bad and the ugly

I fell in love with Ecuador. I can't wait to come back. I'd like to retire there or Guatemala.

This sounds like developing world issues, we have been to west Africa and encountered many of the same issues. I think we all remember that when venturing to these different nations 😊

thank you guys all you stated here is true like you said no city is perfect i like to go out and sketch landscapes and Cuenca is the worst city to practice this because rain can come suddenly and unannounced even when the sun is out massive rain drops can ruin my sketchbook that's my only complaint about my beautiful city that i adore and thank you again for making this videos

About the elevation verify you iron level thats was happening to me check your red cel levels in case of an anemia

New to your channel and have been watching some videos; they’re great! In this one you mentioned the possibility of strikes and ??? blocking the road. I think it started with a P-not the landslides. Is it a protest? Can you explain what this word means, please?

I love Seattle. Now I'm sold!

International means it can accept a flight in an emergency. I think....I'm open to a correction on that one.

I spent some time in La Paz Bolivia earlier this year and as soon as I arrived I was like woah! This place is cold! It was end of April and I had already been to 3 other cities in Bolivia but the cold weather and elevation did a number in me those 4 days. It was my least favorite. I’m looking for a place to spend the USA winter months starting in January and I really wanted to go to Ecuador but between Quito and Cuenca I don’t think it’s best option for me 🙃🤦‍♂️…I know there’s other warmer coastal cities but I feel like the WiFi won’t be as strong as the metro bigger cities. So still searching for a country…

🤣All night karaoke is where our family tends to end up at during special occasions so I'm hoping we'll have some built up immunity. I could see how the roosters and pop-up nightclubs might get old very fast. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for sharing your stories. Do you still live in Cuenca? Also? I am a bug freak. How do you keep the bugs outside?

I have live in Ecuador over 10 years and I will never get used to the noise - especially the parties late at night.

I am bald on the crown of my head. My son used to give me grief over it. it doesn't phase me all that much. I just told him "As I am now you will be." To this day I hear about his adventures to the hair replacement place. I just laugh and laugh and laugh. Confidence in yourself is key. Let it not worry you or me. Enjoy the weather. It is 95 here today in Tennessee. I am inside so the UV rays don't phase me either. It is always good to hear about how the others enjoy the good life as you do. Now that bothers me that my partner in crime is thwarting "The good life" for me. Have you tried ear plugs and sleep masks to block out the karaoke music? We live a mile or so away from a train track and I don't hear it anymore. Of course, I do take my hearing aids out at night. Hope you get the dogs and roosters under control.

Hi Guys..In just 48 hours we leave and our first stop is Cuenca!!! You mention a neighbourhood where you live or lived recently in a post and we can’t figure out how you spell it. …something like Aberfan or something like that. ( Sounds Welsh)..We will be looking for an apartment or house and would like to check out that neighbourhood…Thank You David.

You mean that's cold? Here Midwest we are in the 20s cold winds. Have you visited Riobamba? Ambato? Please try to visit those nice cities.

When we were there in 2019, some American guy approached us asking us to take him to Quito. He just had to get to Quito. He even was hitting up the Ecuadorians.

If it feels like Seattle, I want no part. I moved away from there to Costa Rica because of that. I was interested in Cuenca because International Living talks about it a lot. Perhaps a good place to visit though. thanks for the video

Moved to Cuenca from San Diego just about six years ago. Apart from the chilly weather and the lack of my beautiful beaches, I’ll take Cuenca over most American cities today. You guys have done your due diligence in keeping the grumpiest happy. Please tell me of a city that does not have a dark side. By the way, how many cities does anyone know where you can safely drink water straight out of the faucet? Enjoy your blogs!

I'm having the same problem here in Quito

Nice report. We lived in Cuenca for 5 1/2 years, and it was a great experience. I would add the following: Pollution is definitely an issue. Although it isn't a photochemical haze, the ambient quality isn't good - we lived near the Tomabamba River and even there you could smell fumes - the problem may be the quality of the gasoline, the altitude, or the carburation of the vehicles - it's a definite problem and is at the top of the list of why we finally left. On the noise front, a recurring problem all over the place are CAR ALARMS, which go off continually and are a constant annoyance. Yes, security is an issue, not only in respect to getting ripped off, but in respect to the character of residential neighborhoods, in which we find concrete walls, barriers of all kinds, electric fencing - the feeling is like an armed camp and it's highly unaesthetic and unpleasant. I would mention also: The Ecuadorians don't know how to drive safely. Period. I can't tell you how many times, on the road, we felt, "Oh my God, we're gonna die!" When I played with some numbers what it came to is that it was about 10 times more dangerous to be on the road in Ecuador than in the states. I would also add: The terrible Ecuadorian bureaucracy. We had to jump through all kinds of ridiculous hoops, including two government agencies, to hire a gal to work 4 hours a week in our condo - needed an attorney, contracts, etc. Finally, the crafts in Ecuador are, with notably exceptions, disappointing - the quality is just not there. So that's it. It's a small world and you get what you pay for.

Cold in Equator? Lots and lots of US brightest people believe it must be hot. If that is the most negative, still sounds a great place to be

Lol, since I grew up in Cuenca, I never had issues with the weather or the elevation. Lol 😅 but that weather would be heaven compared to the Toronto winters, that is really freezing, but still love Toronto. Cuenca to me felt like spring in Toronto, just wear a sweater and your ready to go, but then again that was 30 plus years ago. Last time I was in Cuenca it looked very different, Ingot lost in the new parts of the city 😅