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An interesting thing happened to me recently while shopping in our local SuperMaxi in Salinas, the popular beach town on the Pacific Coast of Ecuador. I was in the spice aisle, and another shopper asked me a question. “Lo siento, no entiendo,” I said, as I didn’t understand what she had asked...
There are plenty of things to do near, in, on, and even under the water in Salinas—but what about when you want something that doesn’t involve sand, sun, and ocean? Fortunately, Salinas has you covered there as well. Let’s look at just five of the non-beachy things to do on the Santa Elena peninsula.
Ceviche is a popular dish on the coast of Ecuador. It is a blend of a few marinated vegetables and seafood, served cold in a citrus-based broth – the perfect refreshing meal for those warm days on the beach! This video walks you through the process of preparing one version of this delicious treat, ceviche Read more...: VIDEO: Making Ceviche de Camarón
Ecuador is an incredibly diverse country. Even though it is only about the size of Colorado, it has many distinct eco-systems, several cultural groups, and landscapes from beaches to some of the tallest mountains in the world…and everything in between
Although it’s not one of those “retire-at-half-the-cost” destinations, more and more expats are taking a closer look at Uruguay. They are attracted to the peaceful and relaxed lifestyle, the stable government, strong banking system, and mild, seasonal climate, without extreme temperatures...
The tranquilo lifestyle is what attracts most expats to Uruguay. It’s a healthy, stress-free approach to living. And in the capital, Montevideo, it’s evident almost everywhere I go. People sit on benches gazing out to sea, almost every block has a good coffee shop...
Living in Ecuador, we have a big money problem. Or rather, we have a problem with big money. The sad truth is that the cost of things like cabs, fresh produce, lunches, and so on, is so low that no one likes to break large bills.
“What do you DO in Ecuador?” That’s a question that expats get asked all of the time. For the most part, the simple truth is that we do pretty much the same things that retirees do anywhere in our day-to-day life. We read, watch some TV, get together with friends, indulge in hobbies, and so on.
My wife, Rita, and I have always loved to travel. There is just something about visiting someplace new and different, that keeps us feeling young and enjoying life. Unfortunately, travel can be an expensive hobby, so we used to have to limit ourselves to one or two trips a year.
Something an expat often hears from family and friends is “but what do you do there?” Sometimes they are let down to hear that in general, our lives are not much different from other retirees. That is not the whole story though, since we are also living day to day in a different culture...