By Donald Murray
"How could you have possibly moved to Ecuador without ever visiting?"
My
wife Diane and I get that question fairly frequently. As a former
military guy, I was accustomed to being told where I was going to live. I
learned early on to bloom where I was planted. So, while I certainly
wouldn’t suggest that everyone follow our lead, it’s worked out great
for us.
Our
journey to Ecuador started a few years ago. First the bottom fell out
of the U.S. economy...and the equity in our home vanished in a few
months. Then I had my second heart attack and lost my job—just about the
time that retirement was looming. With the loss of our home equity and
the rapid depletion of our small nest egg, we began to look for other
opportunities to rescue our retirement on our fixed income.
We
first considered Stateside locations but found nothing that fit what we
sought with regard to our budget and desired lifestyle. I did not want
to be one of those folks who needed to work until death just to squeak
by, so we expanded our search to include the entire globe.
Having
lived in Alaska for many years as well as Florida, we felt a bit like
Goldilocks. We wanted a climate that was neither too hot nor too cold.
We wanted to be close to an ocean. We also wanted a relatively safe
environment with a stable government and currency...an accessible and
affordable health care system...affable people...and a culture that was
accepting of North Americans. Last but not least, we sought an
affordable cost of living.
Our
search turned up a few places, such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
and a few others that didn’t ring our bells...until we discovered
Ecuador.
Diane
and I talked of an exploratory trip...but after a brief discussion, we
decided it wasn’t necessary. We had each traveled internationally—so we
knew we were both adaptable—and had seen Central America and Mexico. I
had also seen Asia and Australia. And because we knew we could always
return to the States...we were happy to commit to Ecuador.
Thanks to some
friends we met through the Internet, we selected the Bahia de
Caraquez/San Vicente area—on the Pacific Coast—as a landing zone. From
there, we reasoned, we could explore the coast, north and south, and
make a more permanent selection. Our friends arranged a great condo for
us in a nice, small enclave in San Vicente.
When we got to San
Vicente, Manabi province, we loved it. Nestled between the Bay of
Caraquez—where the wide Chone River empties into the Pacific Ocean—and
the rolling coastal hills, the small town is an example of a true, small
Ecuadorian fishing and farming community where the people work mostly
with their hands to earn a living.
Fish vendors sell
their daily catch from makeshift stands along the sidewalks or in the
large, open market on the outskirts of town. Fresh fruits and vegetables
can be bought all along the main street. From almost anywhere in this
small community, one has a stunning view of the Bay of Caraquez and the
striking skyline of Bahia de Caraquez on the other side.
As luck would have it, we found nothing we liked better and now San Vicente is still our home.
Living here, I have
much more time to slow down and enjoy life. In my spare time, I write
and have recently published a Kindle e-book called "Our Ecuador
Retirement...The First 8 Months" about our experience.
So while not
everyone can make an international move without visiting their
prospective home first, for me and Diane, it worked out fantastically.
From past experience, we know we will bloom wherever we are
planted...and if we don’t like a place, we can always try another.
After all, nothing in this life is permanent...and there are a whole lot of adventures just waiting to be experienced.
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