The Sacajawea Dollar coin - popular in Ecuador.
Within the past month, a lot has been going on here in Ecuador. President Correa has imposed a new tax levy on a large number of imports in order to develop and stir interest in buying local goods, and to vaccinate the country against the effects of the downturned global economy. This move will doubtless affect a major sector of the middle and upper class who build their businesses around selling imported goods in Ecuador.
The government has imposed a tax of 30% on various luxury goods like imported alcohol, perfume, clothing, and up to a surprising 200% for other products from places like China and the USA. Add that to the typical 40% that local stores mark up their imported goods and the price extended to the consumer is a full 70% markup of the normal retail price found in the States.
The truth is, Ecuador doesn’t have infrastructure and technology to “setup shop” over night to replace the demand for many of the industrialized imports from China and the USA. In some cases, the local industry exists but the quality and technology is years behind that of the imported products.
On the other hand, companies like the Cuenca based Cerámica Andina, who produce local ceramic plate-ware and specialize in printed designs on their ceramics, are likely to feel the response of these new tax hikes in a positive way. Restaurants, hotels and retail stores alike will be looking for more economic alternatives for cups, mugs, and plates. Some people however are worried that the new spikes in local interest will keep many companies scrambling to keep up with demand.
Its arguably a good measure to attempt to insulate the tiny produce and petrol based economy, with a move like this when prices are falling around the globe. An over-night tax hike of 30% is indeed a bit drastic, and we’ll just have to wait and see if it turns out as President Correa has planed.
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]]>Unfortunately, AFAIK right now Bahia is pretty much the farthest beach area to reach in Ecuador from Cuenca. It **should** be soon remedied when neighboring Manta gets improved airport connections…. but untill then, it takes two flights from Cuenca to Manta and the peak travel time (aka weekend flights) cannot really be considered “connecting” flights in that you have to stay overnight in Guayaquil or Quito. A drive to Bahia by private car is about 7-10 hours depending on roads and traffic, add a few hours if going by bus. For fellow North Carolinians, its analogous to driving to The Outer Banks from Asheville along HWY 64 in 1960.
That being said, Bahia ROCKS! Its clean, calm and picture perfect. Its the first coastal city that is more or less “environmentally aware” with hosts of sustainable horticulture, agriculture, and other ecolodge / projects going on in that region. Across the bay in neighboring and burgeoning Canoa, the surf and sun is right for a tranquil getaway that’s hip with the backpackers and surfer crowd. Its much more low key than Montañita to the south.
I truly hope the purported growth of nearby Manta and the new bridge being built across the bay are not too detrimental to the pristine environment in the Bahia de Caraquez, but continual pollution as Ecuador grows is almost inevitable.
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]]>- In general, how is bus travel in Ecuador?
- Do Ecuadorians travel with livestock on buses?
- What is the lechero?
- How can I avoid the lechero?
- What are the travel times between the major terminals in Ecuador?
- Night bus versus day bus for long distances?
- The Quito bus terminal… logistic
The Quito bus terminal… logistics?
The quito bus terminal is in a sketchy area on the southern end (near to nothing of relevance for a tourist). If you are in the northern part of Quito looking to go south, ask around for the Panamericana or Flota Imbabura (has the newest busses in Ecuador). Instead of heading all the way to the very southern part of town to the official bus terminal, I believe both of these companies have offices from where night busses depart in the central part of Quito much closer to the Mariscal district.
What are the travel times between the major terminals in Ecuador?
| Route | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Quito – Guayaquil | 8-10hrs | ~$10.00 |
| Quito – Cuenca | 8-12hrs | $9.00-12.00 |
| Cuenca – Guayaquil | 3.5-4hrs | $8.00 |
Night bus versus day bus for long distances?
Trips between Quito and Cuenca are arguably better at night, if you can sleep through voracious speeds and curvy mountain roads. During the day, the options for direct buses are few and far between, meaning if you dont plan well, you will lose an entire day on a lechero. Direct day buses are nice because there’s lots of beautiful scenery between the two Andean cities, but, again, not for the faint of heart. If you know you easily get bus sick, I recommend going for a flight: 30 minutes, US$49… well worth the price in time saved and avoiding constant nausea.
In the end, as stated above in the sections about the lechero, some buses are light-years more comfortable than others. Its worth paying a few extra dollars for the $12 Flota Imbabura direct night bus.
Now-a-days its not so necessary because the newer buses have heating, but on older night buses a heavy blanket, or tons of layers is a must.
QUICK TIP: If the night bus you are on seems to be really cold, its probably because
- Some windows are cracked, stuck, or left open.
An obvious problem in Ecuadorian buses, but often very hard to fix. - Not enough cows on board!
The bus lacks enough bodies to produce interior warmth. This is also an unfortunate situation that can’t really be helped. - The window shades are open!
Subtly, these fabric/canvas shades do a lot to keep a buffer between the interior warmth generated by body heat and the constant stream of cold night air pushing against the glass windows from the exterior. Close as many as possible around you, and get others to do the same. This also helps keep distracting oncoming headlights from ruining your good nights sleep
In general, how is bus travel in Ecuador?
Bus travel is by far the most popular means of public transportation in Ecuador. Whether you are going to pueblitos within a specific province, or heading across the nation long distance, you can generally find a bus to get you there at a very low price. Quality, however, varies widely between routes and bus companies. A good model to keep in mind for longer distances is that they should charge you betwee US$1.00 and US$1.50 for each hour of travel. As nothing is ever “certain” in Ecuador, this factor does change in various circumstances. For example, the route between Guayaquil and Cuenca is now operated by an alliance of bus companies who, working together, have devised a schedule by which a bus leaves every 40 minutes during peak hours eachway and fixed the price at US$8.00 (for a 3.5-4 hour ride). This seems to me a bit outrageous when the most luxurious night bus between cuenca and Quito (twice the distance & time) costs only $12.
In general, tickets are only sold the day of travel. If you are planning one of the longer interprovincial night busses between Quito/Cuenca or Quito/Guayaquil, call ahead to find out the schedule for the evening as each company usually have 2 or 3 busses heading out each night. Buy your ticket in the afternoon, or try the true ecuadorian way by showing up 30 minutes to an hour early to get your ticket. Its only slightly more risky because these busses rarely fill up *the notable exception being during holidays when busses are packed out, stuffy, and stinky.*
Do Ecuadorians travel with livestock on buses?
Outside the larger cities, livestock is a way of life, and occasionally you do see people bringing smaller farm animals such as chickens or ducks onto the slower provincial buses. But certainly it is a rarity to see this type of thing on a daily basis, especially on interprovincial buses that don’t stop every 5 km to drop off or pick up locals. I’ve never seen a sheep on a bus, but it doesnt mean it wont happen to you!
What is the “lechero”?
I’ve heard Ecuadorians say something to the effect of “i caught the lechero”, which, in busing terms, means they caught the bus that is always slowest to arrive to a destination, because of frequent stops. These “lechero” buses are provincial (but also sometimes long-distance) buses that tend to stop in every village waiting for a “minimum” number of people to straggle in to warrant onward travel. They are also characterized by driving extremely slowly (10 to 15 km per hour) on the road out of town picking up every additional man woman and child until filled to literal capacity, in order to make an extra dime. These buses are the most interesting (read: dangerous) vehicles on the road, because if they are willing to overload the bus with passengers to exorbitant levels, then they are also as equally likely to throw caution to the wind, disobeying ever traffic law imaginable, in order to get to the next stop more quickly. Doubting, anyway, that any traffic laws are enforced or heeded by the majority of the public transport system.
How can I avoid the lechero?
In some smaller out of the way places, the lechero simply cannot be avoided. This could be because not many people happen to be traveling at that moment, and waiting for the bus to fill up is the only viable means of turning a profit. In other places, where there are different companies going to the same place, you have more options, and a better chance to avoid the lechero. It takes skill and a keen eye to succeed in beating the lechero. Here’s my tips for avoiding a long painfully slow, generally uncomfortable ride:
- Be wary of older buses covered in dust. They usually take the “long dirt road” home.
- Regardless of what the chofer (driver) or cobrador (guy who takes your money) tells you about when they are leaving, don’t ever get on a bus that is stationary with fewer than 6 people. Exception: large bus terminals where buses must come and go more or less on a schedule.
- Given a choice of buses: always pick the one with fewer medallions hanging in the rear-view and pictures/slogans of the virgin Mary or Jesus. These superstitious buses tend to throw all caution to their god(s) putting faith in these plastic or furry objects that they will arrive in one piece.
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*Money Issues, a.k.a “$end mon€¥ ₦ow, Mom!”*
# “How do I carry around my money?”:#1
# “Should I take traveler cheques with me?”:#2
# “Are Visa, MasterCard useful and are ATMs available in South America?”:#3
# “Debit Versus Credit?”:#4
h3(#1). How do I carry around my money?
Well, this is really a very personal question and thus requires an analysis of your personal preferences. I think every traveler I’ve ever met has a different scheme for toting his monetary wealth. The solution depends on a handful of circumstances, and the first thing to realize when you asses this situation is to consider how you deal with your money at home. Do you have a bank checking account with direct access via a check (debit) card. Are you currently under a wealth of credit card bills? Do you skip the tax and banking system altogether? Do you carry a fat wad of dough in your pocket? All these things add up to your monetary awareness. And now my personal solution, (so everyone knows where i hide my money at night): when I’m on the road…. i do things like MacGyver or your everyday boy scout would: a little bit of everything:
When traveling I rely mainly upon my trusty tarjeta (an ATM card) that has direct access to a small checking account where i control the amount of funds available from my bank’s secure website. I also have the everyday allotment of efectivo (cash) in my wallet that I’ve budgeted for daily use. You’ll find a tiny stash of travelers cheques (travelers checks) in the bottom of my backpack. And a kanguro, a flat, hidden waist belt i picked up at the market in Otavalo containing my passport, some extra cash, keys to tiny travel locks in placed on my backpack, to keep out curious fingers, and finally the ever useful earplugs. I dont keep cash in my backpack because of the three things I have when traveling (my pack and my clothes, and my person) i figure the pack is the most likely to get violated or stolen.
h3(#2). Should I take traveler cheques with me?
Why even bother with TCs in South America, when 1) almost no negocios (businesses) in SA accept travelers checks to pay for goods, and 2) most bancos (banks) charge a commission to exchange them or even buy new ones (eg, Banco de Guayaquil changes and sells them for $3 on every $100.)
Well, again, I think this has everything to do with personal preference about your illusion of security. If you get robbed, and you have the cheque numbers memorized or stored somewhere safe. Then yes, you can get some of your money back, but not without hassle. You’ll probably have to pay for an international call to file a claim and get the reimbursment. It is a little known fact that most banks in South America (particularly in Ecuador) that issue travelers checks will not reimburse you for checks lost. Don’t even bother going to one to complain that you lost money. Instead find out from a local where the nearest Western Union, go there and get their transfer id. Then make your call to the TC issuer to file a claim on the missing cheques. You give the TC issuer the numbers of the lost cheques and the Western Union id, and they give you a transfer code which you then take back to said Western Union to pick up your cold hard cash! Luckily you pay no commisions in this process other than the phone call (the TC issuer will pay for the wire transfer).
I suppose its really to your advantage to have some cheques, in the case that you loose all your money, your ATM card and your credit card. Then, independently, you still have your pride (and this essential wild card) to avoid the embarrassing “E.T., phone home” scenario to borrow more money.
h3(#3). Are Visa, MasterCard useful and are ATMs available in South America?
Here is the deal (quick and dirty) with ATM machines: ATM machines are indeed ubiquitous in Ecuador and everywhere else in South America. They work flawlessly for both debit (check cards) or credit cards on the Visa Plus and MasterCard networks [others beware!] It goes without saying that you definitely need your PIN to withdraw funds from either check or credit cards at ATMs. I highly recommend using ATMs as opposed to relying on changing travelers cheques, if and only if you 1) have your money in a bank that has affiliate banks abroad (in whatever country in South America you are visiting) such that they dont charge you a boat load for each withdrawal. PS, Make sure you tell your bank (in person, to a real person) you are traveling to X countries for X amount of time, so they can put a note into their security systems not to flag your account when it starts seeing money being withdrawn from abnormal locations.
h3(#4). Debit versus Credit?
You won’t know till you get there, but the odds are that credit card providers will charge more of a commission per withdrawal than your banks direct debit ATM card. For instance, I have both credit and debit cards issued from the same bank in the USA, but the Visa credit card fines me a hefty $10 commission per withdrawal, where as my debit card charges NO commission from withdrawals at affiliate bank ATMs, and a $2 commission for withdrawals from non-affiliates in Ecuador.
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]]>We met up with my buddy Jim in town and he set us up with a room in the Hotel where he worked as a cook. This pueblo has a definite Bohemian feel to it, lots of truly earthy people, artisans, musicians, etc. This town is at the foot of where the mountainous country begins and the scenery was great. The hotel had a guitar and I got a good dose of jamming in while I was there. I met an eccentric Rastafarian named David, an artisan from Colombia who was very friendly and explained a lot to be about the Rasta. The town is a surf town but the surf wasn’t up very much while we were there so I didn’t rent a board. Maybe further up the coast we can find more waves. The first night there I didn’t sleep well because of cocks crowing, dogs howling, pigeons landing on the roof, donkeys ´hee-hawing´, hammers and saws pounding away. By the third night we got used to it and it became a refreshing change from the trains planes and automobile horns that i heard constantly at my place in Raleigh.