I am asked over and over, “do I drive”, “why don’t I drive”, “will I drive”. No, No and No.

Yes, I live outside Cuenca. But I’m not living on a farm or an isolated place. I have a short 5-minute walk down to the bus stops. I am a phone call away for a taxi, with several that know me and come right away if needed. I have a few friends with cars, and I have several locals that will drive for hire. In the US I probably spent at least a $100 a week to drive. Car, insurance, repairs, etc. Here, I spend that in a month. And that’s only due to my choice to buy groceries in Cuenca and take a taxi to bring them home. I could take the bus, and that would drop my costs to closer to $20 a month. That leaves plenty of room to hire a driver now and then to make specialized trips.

Owning a car here is a bit of a hassle. Now everywhere you have to register, inspect, etc. But here, you are dealing with a bureaucracy that is frustrating, to say the least. Imagine the DMV in 1970. Arrogant, power-mad, and delight in sending you to the back of the line to get another form. People here that work for the government are on a power trip. Yes, of course, I am generalizing and yes, of course, some are very helpful. Of course. But many are jerks that get off on saying no and chasing you after things you wouldn’t need on another day or another office. So owning a car means I have that many more little Hitler’s in my life. No thanks.

Then you need to get your license. That means learning all the questions… in Spanish. It means for me, sending to get high school and college records, getting them certified and apostilled. That equals nearly $1000.Yes, I also know I might get them for closer to $300-$400, but I have learned here that by the time you are done you might as well add on another 200%. No one really tells you when you come you will need those records, so few people bring them (when it would have cost maybe $30). When you get your national ID, called a Cedula, there is a tiny little “status” comment on it. Mine says “Inicio”. When I got it, my friend laughed out loud. It essentially means you are a child, at least based on your education level. She made jokes the rest of the day about it, and a few days after that. Well to drive, you are required to be educated and that line should indicate your level. Mine is basically Kindergarten.

But let’s say you get past all that, and get your license, and then buy the car with all the overpricing that comes with the purchase. Now you are happily driving around the country. Stopping at endless road stops, handing out $10 bribes along the way. Let’s say you are going down a hill, and end up doing perhaps 10 kph over the limit. That is three days in jail, thank you! Mandatory… WITH a nearly $300 fine.

Sure, many people drive. They tolerate the hassles, Hitler’s, and the fees. They pay twice the value of the car. They do endless trips to various offices. They get their medical test, and psychiatry test (didn’t I mention that?). No, I will stick to calling my driver (s) and just pay them an extremely low amount to be my chauffeur. It works for me, and I don’t see it changing as long as I’m living here.

I woke up at 4:30 am today. The wind is blowing hard. It will probably damage my plants, but it also might dry things out a bit. i uploaded my last video and checked the news, and now this blog. It’s 8:30 and time to make some coffee with chocolate. I am to meet a YouTube subscriber and contributor to my channel for lunch. They are here in Giron today to do a spay/neuter clinic. Can you imagine a better thing in Ecuador? It’s about time! I love dogs, but things get so bad in some places you want them rounded up and put down for everyone’s sake, including theirs. Giron isn’t bad at all, and I am happy they are taking steps to solve it before it happens.

I really like this little town.