By Amber Cypcar Over recent years, prices in the United States have skyrocketed. From housing costs, and gas prices, to utility bills and food expenses, the numbers on the receipts just keep getting higher. And while the price of things continues to go up, it seems that quality is going down. But what can be done about this you ask?Well, simply put, move. The number of expats around the world is increasingwith each year and the search for a cheaper cost of life is one of the reasons why. There… Read More

Ecuador’s coast is known for its beautiful beaches, warm waters, and relaxed style of life. But what is also exceptional about this area is the savory foods that make up the typical cuisine. Differing greatly from the chicken and potato gastronomy of the sierra, the decadent seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables thatcan be found all over the region leave no question as to why so many people have fallen in love with the coast’s local flavors. Sitting directly on the Pacific Ocean, mariscos (a general term for seafood) are… Read More

Colorful costumes, enormous parade floats, lively music, cheerful dancing; it must be Carnaval! Carnaval is a special holiday that takes place 40 days before Easter each year in many countries with dominant Christin populations. People go all out with their celebration and Ecuador is no exception however Ecuador also incorporates the indigenous tradition of celebrating the second moon by throwing flowers, water and flour. The festivity events begin with the Taita Carnaval (Father Carnival) being elected to preside over the festivities and head the parade of each city. The parades… Read More

Ecuador is an insanely beautiful country and I’m pretty sure we all know this. From the abundance of life inhabiting the great Galapagos Islands and the lush vegetation of the Amazon rain forests to the awe-inspiring peaks of the Andes Mountains and the cultural rich city of Cuenca, Ecuador has a little something for everyone. However, here are 10 things you maybe didn’t know about Ecuador… Because the Earth bulges at the Equator, Ecuador’s Mt. Chimborazo is technically 1.5 miles higher than Mt. Everest when measured from the Earth’s core… Read More

Before people uproot their life and move abroad, there are many things that they think about and cost of living is definitely at the top of the list. On so many of the expat pages and facebook groups, the question always arises “what is a typical budget in Ecuador.” This is not an easy question to answer because it truly depends on the type of lifestyle you are looking to create. Do you dream of living like royalty in an estate with a maid and gardener, consuming your mus- have… Read More

Imagine the stress of moving to a new house. Now multiply that stress by 1000 and that is the stress you feel as you prepare to move to a new house in a new country. How are you supposed to know what you will need for the rest of your life? Do you ship everything down or just buy new stuff when you arrive? What if they don’t have what you need?! I’m sure these thoughts have crossed all expats minds at least once or one hundred times as they… Read More

Yes, many people have the nickname flaca here but I was extremely surprised when people started calling me flaca. What does flaca mean you ask? Skinny. Flaca means skinny and that is something I had never really been called before. So how did I come about obtaining this nickname? I’ll share with you now. In the United States, I worked at a restaurant called Buffalo Wild Wings. Home of wings, beer, and sports. I had worked there for six years starting in high school and then in college as well…. Read More

Ecuador is a place of variety. From the abundance of life inhabiting the great Galapagos Islands and the lush vegetation of the Amazon rainforests to the awe-inspiring peaks of the Andes Mountains and the cultural rich city of Cuenca, Ecuador has a little something for everyone. Each one of these distinct regions offers a wider variety of different types of adventure and in my opinion; it is hard to ever say you are bored here. I would call myself an adventure seeker. It isn’t always the purpose of my travels… Read More

The infamous question of every phone conversation I have with beloved friends and family, “what’s the weather like? Is it hot?”  As simple as these questions may be, they are surprisingly difficult to answer. You see the weather of Ecuador depends on where you are. Each of the 4 regions offers a different climate and sometimes each city within a region differs in it weather compared to its neighbor. And despite being named after the equatorial line, Ecuador is not always blistering hot. More times than not, it’s a comfortable… Read More

10 Reasons Why I Love Ecuador   People ask me all the time why I came to Ecuador and honestly, the only thing I can say is because I hadn’t been there before. I didn’t know much about Ecuador before arriving besides that it was in South America, I didn’t need a special visa to go there, the Spanish was easy to understand, and the people were generally nice. But after living here for 2 years, I now have many reasons why I love this country and choose to make… Read More