You Don't Have to Look Far to Find All Kinds of Bargains in Quito Ecuador!

The old town district of Quito has some of the best priced items on clothes and housewares we've seen in Quito. It is definitely worth exploring if you need clothing, shoes, housewares, appliances, and more!

          

Pase del Nino Christmas Eve Parade (December 2013) in Cuenca Ecuador!

This is the HUGE Pase Del Nino Christmas Parade going on today that we accidentally got caught up in last year. We thought we'd repost since it is that time of year again and everyone likes a good parade and this parade is probably the most lavish of all the parades in Ecuador. Some of the costumes are from the Nativity while others are traditional costumes of Ecuador.

               

Happy Holidays from Cuenca Ecuador - The Cheapest Retirement City in the World?

Supermaxi grocery of Cuenca Ecuador, 14 0Z can of cranberry sauce $3.46

Aldi grocery store North Carolina, 14 OZ can of cranberry sauce, whole berry even, $0.89 cents. Click on image to enlarge.

Two Guitar Players on the Malecon in Manta Beach Ecuador

We didn't invite them over to our table but they just began playing the guitar. This is why it's always a good idea to have some $1 coins in your pocket when living in Ecuador, as you never know...

                       

Small Town Ecuador Coast Shopping with Frugal Frank!

Let's Go Shopping! This video is a short commentary about a couple of food items that we use in the home regularly. Here on the beach, in some of the smaller coastal towns these items are REALLY expensive! 



We recommend shopping around to find the best prices... and for frugal shoppers like us, it does pay to buy the items you love in bulk when going to the major shopping centers in the bigger coastal towns; that is if you live in a small coastal town where some items are waaaay over-priced...or just hard to find. 

                     

Nice ONE LEVEL Home in Challaubamba Rented in 2-Hours for $450

Before we could even send the photos to someone this house rented! 



So let's take a look at the home that rented to foreigners for $450 within 2-hours of its ad placement. 



The main home has 3-bedrooms and 2.1/2 baths, LDK and patio all on one floor. Plus it has a huge paved parking area. Then there is 2 more bedrooms (apartment) and another bath in a daylight basement with its own yard.

 

 

 

Apartment in the daylight basement (BELOW)

Needing to Take a Bus in Cuenca? El Arenal and Terminal Terrestre in Cuenca Ecuador

After three years of living in Cuenca we had the old bus routes down. We knew pretty much which bus number went to what area in Cuenca. In fact taking the bus system had become a familiar standard and routine in our Cuenca lifestyle.


We knew the bus routes were going to change we just didn’t know when…until yesterday when we no longer saw our familiar bus numbers that take us from one end of the city to the other. It was the first day of the new bus routes and even the locals were walking around bewildered and feeling lost. But thankfully there were lots of young people with clip boards helping passengers get to where they needed to go.


Here’s how our day went taking the new buses and routes in Cuenca. Enjoy the ride with us. We also took some video shots of the new El Arenal Terminal.
 

From Av. Las Americas the red buses now go north and south on same road, but with a twist. Now you get off at transfer stations and transfer onto a different red bus to continue either north or south.
So from the Arenal transfer station which is next to Feria Libre Mercado we traveled through El Centro and all the way to the old bus terminal called Terminal Terrestre, which to our surprise also has a transfer area behind the main station where passengers must transfer onto another bus to continue where they may need to go in the city of Cuenca.


So, we disembarked bus number 100 and a pleasant young lady showed us the bus to get on that goes to Ricaurte. We got on a red bus number 101, which took us to the Ricaurte area of Cuenca. From our starting point to the ending point it took around 50-minutes and three different buses…but we made it safe and sound to our destination.

What Are the NEW Transfer Terminals Like?
 

Both new transfer terminals, the Terminal Terrestre and the El Arenal Terminal are clean, safe, and at this time of writing, organized. The assistant has passengers wait in an orderly line to board the bus, which is really nice since before this, people behaved disorderly, pushing and cutting in front of you as if you were an invisible soul to them.
 

The terminals have nice big maps showing the directions in color-coded routes. It is really quite simple and streamlined. However, give yourself about 15 extra minutes to where you need to go in case you have to wait for your transfer bus; sometimes this will happen. You just look for the signs which say which 'direction' north or south, you are intending to go, then get in line, and wait there without having to pay again!


What Are the New Buses Like? 

The new red buses are quieter and smoother. There is a bit more leg room; we guess about 3 to 4 inches, which makes the ride more comfortable. The new red buses have three doors. The front door for boarding, and the middle and end door for getting off. This is nice too, especially when the bus is full and almost everyone is getting off.
 



Passenger Bus Etiquette 



The new red buses have color-coded seats. The blue seats are for the general public, while the red seats, closer to the doors are RESERVED FOR pregnant women, folks carrying small children, and the disabled. Please take into consideration the red seats are reserved. We have seen many young people take advantage of the front row seats before the new changeover and just recently when we took the new red buses, young folks were sitting in the red seats that are reserved. We will talk more about this in another blog post. Stay Tuned.


So, all in all the new terminals and the new buses and routes will take some getting used to but we think it will make the transportation system run much smoother and be a bit more organized.


Remember to add an extra 15-minutes to your schedule and enjoy the new transportation in Cuenca. Also, the great news is there is far less buses running on the main roads, which means far less diesel fumes spewed out into the atmosphere, which means healthier lungs and body! Now, that is something to celebrate!

The NEW El Arenal Bus Transfer Terminal in Cuenca Ecuador

We were impressed with the organization of the new bus-transfer station of El Arenal. The minute we got off the first bus a young lady with a nice smile asked us where we were going and showed us which bus to take.



What we noticed right off the bat was there are buses going norte (north buses) and buses going sur (south buses). There are placard boards showing the exact areas the bus goes to. The terminal also has excellent maps showing the routes and the number of the bus to take for the routes. There is a security guard on the premise and it was clean and nice. 

  

The best thing about it, there was no cutting up in front of people, no pushing and shoving to be the first on the bus; it was actually organized. They are passing out the new bus schedules at the El Arenal Terminal, so you might want to go check it out and grab a new schedule if you ride the buses in Cuenca. We have more to talk about with the new bus schedules in an article coming soon! Until then, enjoy the video.

                      

We're Having Spaghetti with Ketchup for Almuerzo in Manta Ecuador!

You're probably wondering the cost for this almuerzo delicacy? $3.50! Yep...$3.50. Funny thing is we saw other gringos eating in there and the waiter says it is always busy for lunch! You gotta just laugh because there is nothing else you can do! LOL.  We should add, the soup was pretty good.

                     

Inside Scoop on Best Priced Laundry Service in Quito and Along the Ecuador Coast!

When traveling we invariably have laundry that needs to be cleaned. We like it when we find a laundry service that has the prices listed. When the prices are already listed for something you will not get gringo gouged! This laundry service has the prices listed. Frank and I checked out a lot of the laundry service establishments in some of the coastal towns when we were traveling north up the Ecuador coast, so now we know where to take our laundry and where not to take our laundry.

                    

Frugal Coast Traveler: Look at the BIG Bag of Laundry We Got Done FOR $5 Bucks in Manta Beach Ecuador!

Now this is more like it! At the laundry service in Manta Ecuador we didn't even have to negotiate because the price was already what it is supposed to be. We knew that $6 for a small load of laundry just did not seem right, especially after having that same load done in Salinas for $2. We have never paid more than $2.50 for a load of laundry in Salinas!



So several weeks later when we travel north up the coast and seeing $6 laundry service we already knew it was not the REAL Price! By the time we got to Manta we had a pile of laundry to be done and we were pleasantly surprised when she said, "that is a load" and it will cost $5! Frank was grinning from ear to my ear! :-) 

                     

FRUGAL TRAVELER: Gringo Gouging Laundry Service in Puerto Lopez

To be a frugal traveler you can't really accept gringo gouging...especially if you live here (Ecuador). It doesn't matter if you speak Spanish and dress just like the locals, they size you up for the "new made up price" because they think they can get away with it. That's so funny because with Frank, they never get away with it...very rarely are we ever gringo gouged just because we already know the prices for things. Watch the video and you'll see what I'm talking about.  



We have MUCHO to share with our readers about shopping, where to stay, how to eat frugal, how to be frugal while having the time of your life along the whole Ecuador coastline. We already did it and now we're going to share our secrets and our experiences on how to be a FRUGAL TRAVELER on the Ecuador coast in our new DIY FRUGAL TRAVELER Ecuadorian Coastal Guide Book.

                     

New Pier and the Bay Area of Puerto Lopez Ecuador!

This is the new pier in Puerto Lopez Ecuador. We have a lot more to share with our readers about the coast of Ecuador. The past few weeks we have been sharing some of our videos we have taken along the coast, and we have a lot more to come! But we have so much more detail to share with you about the Ecuador coast in our new Ecuador Coastal Guide book, such as where to stay in 25 different coastal towns along the Ecuador coast with photos and prices, from Salinas to Atacames! This coastal guide is going to have a lot in it that we have already researched for you; And it will help you save money while traveling the coast of Ecuador!