Big $280 Rental Home in Cuenca Ecuador

This is a photo tour of a rental home in Cuenca Ecuador. The home sits on the outskirts of Cuenca and is about 7 blocks to the bus line. Because this house is outside of the city a little ways it does have a bigger yard than most of the postage stamp yards we see.



                 

What's Going On in Cuenca Ecuador in May 2013?

It's the end of the month again and you know what that means? It means we have several different shots of video taken all over the city of Cuenca in one 2-1/2 minute video. Enjoy!



             

Cuenca Secure 3/2 Apartment $325, Great Location!

How would you like to walk 2 short blocks to the grocery store or 3 blocks to a three floor, huge department store and be located very close to a major bus line? Well, with this rental you can. It is a wonderful location. This rental is no longer available. See $300 Dollar Cuenca Rentals for more home tours, rental specials and updates!



                

Are Taxis Safe in Cuenca Ecuador and How Much Should I Pay?

A question we get asked sometimes is if hailing a taxi off the street is a safe thing to do in Cuenca. And our answer is always the same, “yes it is”.



The worse thing that can happen is some drivers might try and gringo gouge you a few bucks just because you’re new here and don’t know the prices for travel distances. Having said that, we recommend always take a registered taxi, which here in Cuenca 95% of them are.



BTW, hailing a taxi off the street in Manta, Quito or Guayaquil is not a safe practice and we do not recommend that anyone just hop into a taxi off the street in these big cities of Ecuador. It’s unfortunate but also a real scary truth that you cannot trust taxis in these areas of Ecuador. Do your due diligence and stay safe!



3 Reasons for Calling Radio Cabs



Rumor going around in Cuenca is to always call a radio cab for safety reasons. What’s funny about this is if you hop into a yellow cab in Cuenca it is already registered with the city and so it is a “radio cab”. The purpose for “radio cabs”, which is what ALL THE TAXIS ARE ANYWAY, is…



1. …to have the convenience of having a favorite driver who may speak English.

2. …to not have to stand around on the street hailing a taxi since they come to you.

3. …and because the same cab driver will charge the same fee to you.

All of which are very good reasons for having the same driver. Hence-"radio cab".



UPDATE November 2014 - ALL taxis in Cuenca should have meters. If the cab does not have a meter, do not take it; hail another. Taking taxis in Cuenca now is the normal rate it should be when you compare the rates to other areas, like Quito, Loja, and Riobamba. Before the meters were put in the rates were higher than anywhere else in Ecuador.  



We are leaving the information about "how not to get gringoed gouged in this article for those folks who live outside of Cuenca and take taxis often.  Also if you visit the coast or any other cities in Ecuador the taxis probably will not have/use the meters.



Popular Ways Expats Get Gringo Gouged When Taking a Taxi



1. Hopping right into the cab without asking the fare. New arrivals that own the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide, know the fares in advance, and so don't need to ask. See below:



2. Talking amongst yourselves about the expensive hotels you’re staying at and eating at, in English. (Understand that to the locals, all tourists are rich and have money to spend, so what is a few extra bucks for your cab ride?)           PRINCIPLE - PRINCIPLE - PRINCIPLE.



3. They hand the driver a $5, $10, or $20 dollar bill for a $2.50 cab ride.



4. They readily pay whatever the driver says the fare is and do not negotiate.



Things NOT to do when flagging Down and Taking a Taxi in Cuenca



1. Never get into an unmarked taxi cab!



2. Always ask the price first, or know the price and have exact change.



3. Tone down the English until you have been told what the rate is.



4. Don’t pull out a wad of cash in front of the driver.



5. Do not brag about where you are staying and the expensive restaurants you are eating at.



6. Do not hand the driver anything but the EXACT change!



7. It is best to, either know the price ahead of time and hand the driver that amount at the end of the ride, or ask what the fee is BEFORE you get into the taxi, knowing what the approximate fare SHOULD be.



8. Speak Spanish if you can and act like you know where you are going.



Just the other day, Frank and I went to the Cuenca airport to pick up a friend. Heading outside we see about 10 or 12 taxis all lined up waiting for fares. We asked the first guy how much the rate was to take us where we needed to go and he quoted $4.00 for a cab ride we knew should only be $2.50 to $3.00 at the most.

So we simply said, “No thanks” and went to the next taxi in line, who said they would take us for $2.50. We happily climbed into the taxi and paid the real rate, not the gringo rate.



When people pay whatever the taxi driver says it sets a precedent. That means if a gringo just pays $4.00 then that driver will expect $4.00 the next time and the next time…and the next time…pretty soon all the taxis will be gringo gouging the gringos! It’s up to us to not allow gringo gouging.



What do you think? Please, go ahead and chime in with your comments or questions in the comments area below.

$250 Town Home Rental in Cuenca Ecuador!

This town home for $250 per month is like the $230 per month town home except this one has a small bonus room off of the covered laundry area instead of green space, and it has ceramic tiles on the bottom level instead of simulated hard wood, and it has curtain type shades on every window. They are both in the same private, gated community and have a guardian/caretaker for an additional $25 per month. I also added different music in the background on this one for a change of pace...:-)   so sit back and enjoy the video home tour.  For more info about this town home or the villa for rent for $300 click here for the photos and specifications.



                    

$230 Home Rental in Cuenca Ecuador: Video Tour with $300 Dollar Cuenca Rentals!

This NEW home in Cuenca has a guardian/caretaker in a private gated community. It is a ten minute bus ride to Supermaxi grocery store. There is a $25 maintenance fee with this home. So for just $255 per month you can have a brand new home in a quiet, peaceful, safe Ecuadorian neighborhood! Not bad, eh?  For more information (sq footage and photos) go to $300 Dollar Cuenca Rentals.



           

3 Day Rental Special with $300 Dollar Cuenca Rentals!!

***Special, next 3 days only***

  If you want a nice, new home act now and contact us asap!!  Special ends in three days, on Friday, May 24th.

Click here for more information and to see 3 new homes for rent in Cuenca!!

Pronto Tacos Mexican Food in Cuenca Ecuador

 Frank and I checked out this Mexican restaurant that was recommended to us. We were not impressed with the dish that we ordered, in fact it was downright awful! Perhaps other things on their menu are tasty and worth the money but the flautas was a no-go and we would not recommend this Mexican dish to anyone. If any of our readers have eaten at Pronto Tacos in Cuenca leave your comments below. We are seriously wondering if it was just the dish we ordered, or if the food is just not very good. Let us know what you ordered and if you liked it.

                

PUBLISHED: Expanded and Updated Third Edition of the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide!

We are very pleased to be sharing with our readers the new updated and expanded Third Edition of the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide.  We expand on subjects previously touched on, and added brand new ones.  We added three new chapters! We just emailed everyone on our list and sent them the PDF to download this NEW expanded and updated Cuenca Guide. 



We added a lot of ground in this third edition. We think you’re going to really enjoy this updated Landing Guide! It’s now 190 pages of fact filled information plus personal experiences, designed to make you wiser, and avoid the pitfalls of moving to a new country.



Here’s just some of what has been added and expanded on to the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide



-    New Chapter -- All New Real Estate / Rental Section with photos

-    Rental Price Guidelines for Cuenca

-    New Chapter -- Racism in Ecuador

-    More about Immigration with checklist

-    Bus from Quito to Cuenca with detailed instructions

-    Researched another beautiful hostel in Cuenca for new arrivals

-    Bringing your valuables to Ecuador – What to do – What not to do

-    More about taxi service in Cuenca and Quito airport and how not to get gouged

-    Needed Health/Foods Products

-    More of the popular true stories and anecdotes throughout the whole book



Didn't Get the Landing Guide?



***If you did not receive the THIRD EDITION of the Cuenca Guide, first check your spam folder. If it is not there, then we don’t have your email. Please send us a note letting us know the date you purchased and the email you used for buying the Landing Guide and we will send you the NEW PDF of the Cuenca Guide immediately. 



Lulu Buyers



***For those of you who have bought the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide recently on LuLu, Please email us with the date of your purchase and the email you used to purchase, and we will send you the PDF of the new updated Third Edition of the Landing Guide. Please email us from the button at the top of the Discover Cuenca Ecuador website.

Thank you for your patronage and devoted readership;
we truly appreciate YOU!

Mother's Day in Cuenca Ecuador: Brandon (my son) Made Me Lasagna!

It has been a wonderful day just sitting around and enjoying my day relaxing, reading, writing, and not having to worry about a thing! that's because my son Brandon did all the cooking and cleaning up afterwards. Brandon is an exceptional cook and sweet baker. We are so blessed to have our three sons with us in Ecuador!!

Happy Mother's Day!              

     

What Is It Like Doing Buisness in Ecuador

DISCLAIMER:  As is customary on this website, the article below depicts our experiences and not our opinions.  Please do not take this article as a personal rant. Our readers want to know the nitty-gritty of Cuenca-life. We are becoming quite accustomed to the way of life and these things are hardly ever an issue with us anymore.

Setting Appointments in Ecuador?

In Ecuador expect to not get anything accomplished too early, unless of course you have a scheduled appointment with a lawyer or other business type person. And “by too early” we mean not until after 10am. And even then setting an appointment BEFORE almuerzo hour is a “hit and miss” at best. If you have to set an appointment more than likely it will be pushed back to after 3pm or later in the afternoon, which is end of lunch hour here.

Setting appointments on Friday afternoon or Saturday has not been a good idea because we’ve been stood up almost every time, although some of the times we received a call letting us know they can’t make the appointment. We finally decided to not meet or set appointments on these two days. Ecuadorians like their family time, and that’s perfectly fine with us, we just need a reminder now and again.

And when Friday afternoon rolls around, many Cuencanos have already started their weekend, which lasts until Sunday in the late evening. We really respect and appreciate the values they have for family in Ecuador and it is the top-most reason why we chose Ecuador ourselves.

Ecuadorians DO NOT Check Email Very Often 



We have found most Ecuadorians that we have queried do not check their email and if they do check their email it is only about every ten days or so. Email has not caught on in Cuenca like it has in the Northern country.  This also applies to professional, well-known lawyers in Cuenca. It might be different for the bigger cities of Ecuador.  We’ll see.

We have found the best way to get a hold of an Ecuadorian service business is to call or just show up at their office. FORGET EMAIL.  We’ve asked every single real estate agent that we have worked with how often they check their email and they just smile and tell us not very often.  North Americans are also dismayed and report that when trying to make reservations they don’t get responses to their emails and or phone calls.

This practice of not checking emails leads us to believe that Ecuadorians prefer to do business over the telephone and in person, which is reasonable enough, as long as you know you may not get a reply if you email them. We have had new folks to Cuenca tell us that top-named Cuenca Lawyers don’t answer their emails. Some of them simply gave up and got a new Lawyer, others waited until they got down here and then made an appointment to actually see them in person, which always works, unless it is Friday afternoon.

Ecuadorian Business Hours
You will not find business hours posted on the windows and doors of most businesses. Most service type businesses in Ecuador do not even open until around 10:00 or so in the morning. Many mom and pop businesses open their doors whenever they feel like it.

Because business hours are not posted on the doors of businesses we will ask them when they open and how late they stay open. Oftentimes they do not open at the time they verbally told us, but later. In point of fact, we had a business owner telling us they open at ten a.m. on the very same morning that we waited for them to open and they had just opened at ten forty a.m.  (smile) 

If you try calling businesses before 10am you probably will not get an answer. Ecuadorians like to eat a late breakfast and it lasts until 10am. If they happen to be eating breakfast they will very rarely answer their cell phone. Keep trying however, once they are through eating they will answer. 
 

Plan on Twice as Long to Get Business Done
Because the hours don’t start until after 10am for most businesses and because they take between 1:30 to 3:00 off for lunch, it may take twice as long to get business tasks accomplished in Ecuador. Simply allow for the extra time it takes and enjoy your new laid-back lifestyle in Ecuador.

Remember to be patient with the Ecuadorians because after all, it is their way of doing things and they are used to it. When Norte Americanos become impatient, frustrated, and testy with the Ecuadorians it makes them look like the nasty gringos. And we don’t think anyone would want a reputation like “the nasty gringo” going around in this beautiful country, which has been called paradise for the fourth year in a row, right?

Cuy (Guinea Pig) - A Traditional Ecuadorian Food!

We're at a food fair in Cuenca and the main dish is guinea pig, or better known here in these parts of the Americas as cuy. Cuy is a local delicacy in Ecuador.



Cuencanos ask us during conversations,"Have you tried cuy yet? You've gotta try cuy"!



"Ur, uh, well, no, not yet but our oldest son has eaten cuy at his friends home",  We proudly tell him.



"Oh yeah, what did he say?" They ask with big grins on their face.



"He said it tastes like greasy chicken".  We all start laughing.



One of our other sons grew up having hamsters, mice, rats, and gerbils as pets and he lets everyone know right off the bat that he does not eat pets!! We're with him. Guinea pigs are about as big as a rats but cute like hamsters.



                 

Live Entertainment on the Cuenca City Bus in Ecuador

Here is some more live entertainment on the city bus in Cuenca Ecuador. You never know what type of musical groups you're going to have on the buses. Many of the street entertainers are from Peru, Columbia, and Argentina. Not sure where these guys were from but the music was interesting.



                 

What is Cuenca Ecuador Like in April 2013

What is Cuenca Ecuador like in April? Well, here is our month of April video captions. It was another great month adventuring around in the city, meeting new expat arrivals, and enjoying the beautiful weather. Last week we experienced five days of clear blue skies; it was amazing! You would of thought we were in an Idaho summer. Well, maybe it wasn't quite that warm in but it sure felt like it. Enjoy Cuenca in April 2013!!



                                     

Cuenca Ecuador Renovations:This is the Stairs Leading up to Calle Larga

Cuenca Ecuador is becoming more beautiful by the day. New roads, bridges and parks are being updated and renovated everywhere in the city of Cuenca. One of the three sets of stairs leading up into the city from Doce Abril recently was renovated. Madre Parque was just updated with many new facilities, new underground plumbing has been put in all over in downtown just recently. Cuenca is a work in progress but slowly Cuenca is becoming a more livable and enjoyable city.This video is of the NEW stairs leading up to Calle Larga.