Have we decided yet?
It seemed like an endless battle just to get through all the medical stuff and the paperwork to leave. Not to mention what to keep, what to see and what to give away! All the while I was supposed to be in bed rest. But eventually, I got most of what they needed. I had a great visit to my old school. It was a shock! To see the “millions” they must have spent on security efforts! No one was going to break into the school and have a mass shooting. On the other hand, there was no way to keep a sniper from picking kids off as they unload the buses so seriously… where is this country headed?
But the ladies at the school were so helpful and friendly. I missed that sincere friendliness of upstate New York. The Raleigh Durham area is a human wasteland in comparison. Everyone out for themselves. Everyone running some game. Lots of fake friendliness. The only place I know where they can talk trash about anyone, but it’s ok as long as you follow it with “bless their heart”. In New York, if we have something to say we say it. We don’t hide behind a mask. And when people are friendly and kind, it is sincere and from the heart. Of all the places in the world I have seen, there is no place more beautiful or friendly than upstate New York… six months of the year. The other six are a living hell. You are living in that very back part of your freezer. No warmth and no sunlight for months at a time. Your life revolves around preparing for cold and snow, moving snow, getting around in the snow, or cleaning up after a snow. It doesn’t take long to tire of $1000 heat bills and $800 ice tire bills. And God forbid if you forget to put your survival pack in the trunk!
So through all of this, I am thinking. I am searching. I am reading. I recalled a friend I had that was living in Ecuador and reached out to her. I told her I was considering a move to South America. I had narrowed my search to Cuenca or Loja. She wrote back and informed me she had just recently moved to Cuenca herself as she had some family there.
So why this part of Ecuador, and why Ecuador? Well, Chili was too expensive. Colombia, while much improved, and a “criminal mentality” after so many years of survival. Venezuela… well, let’s just say it is no longer fit for human beings (funny how socialism does that to a country. You would think after endless failures and zero successes, people would figure out that touchy-feely sensation you get talking about socialism is not possible in reality).
As I ran down the list of good places to go… Panama ( I dwelled on that for a few weeks), Costa Rica, Nicaragua etc. One by one I went through my list of possibles but kept coming back to Ecuador. Supposedly socialistic, but in reality run as a capitalist country. Relative stability and a strong and growing middle class (a sure sign of strength and the opposite trend of the US). First-rate medical. There is a program that if you leave the country for medical education, and you return, you live tax-free along with numerous other incentives. Over the last decade, this has created a top level of talent and ability. Hospitals and Doctors are as high quality as anywhere in the world. Dentistry is on the same level, but Medical and dentistry are about a tenth to a fourth the cost. You can actually pay about $20 for a doctor visit! If you file for residency, you can enroll in the national health care system. it costs about $86 a month and includes everything. No deductibles, all medicine included.
How about the weather? Since it is ON the equator (hence the name Ecuador) it must be hot as hell, right? Well if you are on the coast, or in the Galapagos Islands, yes (and yes, the Galapagos are part of Ecuador). But if you go up the mountains… the famous Andes mountains, you will come to about 8400 feet up to find a small city surrounded by mountains called Cuenca. Cuenca was once the home of the Incas, and birthplace of the most famous Inca leader. It was also once the center of Spanish rule for the new world. You will also find a year-round temp of about 70 days and 55 night. And that high up, very few bugs exist. No mosquitoes! Can you imagine living in a place with no need for heat, or AC? Well, it is true.
The economy In Cuenca is extremely strong. The middle class is the majority here. Technology is actually better than most of the USA. I mean I could get Fiber Optic internet here and in Durham NC, home of the Research Triangle… the home of technology, it wasn’t an option! There are signs of high tech everywhere. But more on that later.
In fact much of this I will go into greater detail. Like food shopping and choices etc. The contrast of the buildings from the 1400’s to the high rises springing up everywhere. The endless churches and Universities all over the city. It is a progressive, growing paradise located high in the Andes and seemed just right for me.
My decision was really shaping up!
Across the street from the Millennium Plaza. A mini-mall with a multiplex theater. Where I met my lawyer
Downtown Parque de Calderone
I wonder how old the streets are. I think around 1498