@dlwilliamson5644 you are so sweet. Perhaps the best is to watch and rewatch. Whenever we find a great informational vid we save it to a playlist and then rewatch it several times, over the course of a week or two. Thanks so much for watching!
We were in Ecuador in 2021 and rented a car near Quito to drive to the mountains (Antisana, Pichincha) and back, and then drove to Mindo. We had no problems with driving, and were never once stopped by the police. We were in Ecuador primarily for bird watching and photography and did not go to the beaches.
That sounds like an excellent trip! Did you enjoy it? How long were you there? Happy to hear that your driving experience was without incident-that was lucky. How did the bird watching go? Probably awesome. That was the main reason that drew us to Ecuador too-focusing on hummingbirds. You will likely find the hummingbird videos on this channel interesting: th-cam.com/channels/IXZFLmFqBYaKfxwSZi0GPg.html Thank you for watching and commenting.🍹
@@PlanFree It was a great trip - we went for ~ 3 weeks. After Mindo we went to Papallacta, and then on to Coca and Lake Limoncocha, on the Napo river ( an Amazon tributary). We never had any problems, and I had not expected problems.
Yes, Guatemala has many great attributes as you've listed. We have seriously looked into going there shortly for a couple of months. Accommodations were surprisingly expensive for central America-at least what we found. We are now researching other countries in the region that compare favorably cost wise. If cost is less of a concern for you Guatemala has much to offer! Are you thinking of going there soon?
@@PlanFree I’m undecided between Nicaragua, Guatemala, Paraguay, Ecuador and Mexico as which country I want to move to. I might have to visit all of them first then make a decision!
@christopherhouse7937 We like where your head is at! We also prefer to visit countries for a significant amount of time before we decide where we would most like to relocate to. We encourage you to visit all of the countries that interest you, and when you have a short list, rent in those countries for 6 months to 1 year minimum before making any financial commitments. Have you been to any of the countries on your shopping list? We have several videos on our channel from both Mexico and Ecuador, with more coming!🍷
So far, we like Mexico better because it offers more things that we would consider benefits. For this reason we chose to obtain temporary residence in Mexico. Both Mexico and Ecuador have many good things to offer and either is a good choice. Have you been to either/both of these countries? Thank you for watching and commenting.🍹
@@PlanFree i drove into mexico once accidentally when i lived in yuma but didnt explore in case i got caught by my chain of command. but we're doing an exploratory trip to ecuador this December. looking to expatriate in Cotacachi/otavalo area. I would stand out in mexico since the Yarbros said they looking for haitian immigrants so brothas get check all the time.
We've heard good things about the Otavalo area, from local Ecuadorians too.@@BibleSamurai If we ever return to Ecuador we'll try to check it out. We stick out EVERY where also.....barely darker than white as snow..... 😂
Thank you so much @Mrcamm4, sounds like we have had very similar experiences to you. Do you think you will continue to live in Ecuador long term? Or try Mexico again or another country?
I really like Mexico so I hope one day to return. I think as I get older and need more health care I might make it my permanent home! We will see! Great video!@@PlanFree
@@Mrcamm4 very kind of you to say. Yes, Mexico does offer a lot. Is the health care offering not quite as good there in Ecuador? (All we explored was the dental cleaning arena in Ec)
@@Mrcamm4 Yes, that's true, or Canada also, fast flight etc. But also, with a residency in MX we heard that there are other health care options that open up to a person. We may explore that one day also. Thanks for the chat! We hope you get to enjoy some of our other videos!
You're welcome and we thank you for watching Gail! Yes plans are already being discussed! What are your travel plans this winter? Blessings to you and Dale! Ayr and Lori
I've driven across both Mexico and Ecuador. I don't recall being stopped even once by police in Ecuador whereas in Mexico it was fairly frequent. All but once the police were friendly. And I had much more experience with 2 lanes being used as 3 lanes in Mexico than in Ecuador. Hmm... opposite to your experience.
Cool and interesting experience for you @davidrosen4951 ...yes almost the opposite of what we experienced, at least in the time and areas that we were in each country. Maybe we just hit all the "hot" spots for road blocks in Ecuador during our time there!?? Maybe there was a "crack down" issued, especially along the coastal routes where there were not a lot of other route options and the police knew it. ? In Mexico, though, we did see some also for sure and we heard about WAY more also (just did not experience any personally in all that time) from friends and people we met living and travelling around Mx. Perhaps it's "luck of the draw". Who knows! Sounds like you did a cross-America's driving route? Or did you travel through each of these countries separately? Thank you so much for watching and we LOVE your comment! Thank you for sharing and taking the time to write it!
It’s interesting how we try to generalize but it’s hard to really come up with any firm conclusions. There’s so much variety of experience. Interesting watching your video. I traveled from California to Brazil. In an electric car. Mostly for the adventure but also partly to show that it was possible to keep the car charged along the way.
Yes, our individual experiences can be so different from one another, makes it tricky to generalize. Your driving tour in the electric car is awesome. Was it fairly easy to find charging stations along the way, and in every country? We should think that more and more that's getting easier. Except for in between larger cities. Is that accurate?
Oh wow....hacked! That is super not fun. One of our personal acct's was hacked to the point where we couldn't log in with our password and apparently the EMAIL was changed...no idea how they did that. So, we couldn't even ask for a new pswd to be sent to the email. We finally had to let the account go. And it was a total shame too...we have over a decade worth of family photos on there.... boohooooo! Well, welcome back! What kinds of things have you been noticing in Quito?
@@PlanFree I have not went out much in the 3 weeks since the shootings started but the few times I did, I haven't noticed anything. I am more vigilant in watching my back though. I have underwear with zipper pockets so I keep my Cards and major money there. I have a running belt for my phone under my shirt. I carry a really cheap phone in view 5 dollars in my purse and a Prepaid Debit Card with only a few dollars on it. So if I ever get robbed hopefully they will think that's all I have. I never go out at night. My landlords daughter lives in my building and said if I did never to carry anything. I like it here but who wants to live like that. I heard they are also robbing people on the way to the airport because they know most international flights are at night or very early and the foreigners are carrying everything. Its scary. Still the US is becoming no picnic either and Canada seems to have lost most of their freedoms I heard. I heard that you cannot even carry pepper spray there. I have pepper gel here. Be safe
@@Whatsupbuddiebud yes you are correct on Canadians not being allowed to carry even pepper spray, it's crazy! And quite right about many areas in the USA. I don't think many of us want to live as you are describing....no money, no phone on us. It's no way to live. The "hunt" continues for that more ideal location if you ask us! Stay safe in Quito, we appreciate your comments and info. Ayr & Lori
Mexico is one of the best places in the world to live/visit/retire….and certainly the best in Latin America so comparing Ecuador to Mexico is out of line😀 The gastronomy of Mexico is a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE (patrimonio de la humanidad)the only in the world with that nomination.
"Out of line" is very strong language. One thing to think about perhaps is that there are hundreds and hundreds of retirees and visitors to Ecuador for SOME reason and they would likely not agree with you. They chose Ecuador for certain reasons, don't you think? And though we agree with you that Mexico's food is muy excelente, they probably chose Ecuador over Mexico for more than the jalapeno! Lol The beauty of this comparison video is that we all have different opinions, that's why we did it! We're so glad that you put your comment and perspective up here for us all to read! Thanks for watching, if you did.
@@PlanFree I lived in Costa Rica, Panamá and Ecuador and didn’t like them. I ended up moving to Mexico, I found out that Mexico is a world on its own, it has it all! I would say Mexico in one country has what the rest of Latin America have combined. That’s my opinion.😀
We are fastly getting to the same opinion also@@alalesc3796, except for the prices....those are climbing fast in Mx. We still go to explore all the other latin American countries to see if there are still location gems for less money. What are your favorite places in Mx so far?
Very interesting. Mexican food wins. But the last 20 years, once Peru get into the food scenario, suddenly Lima was declared Food Capital of Latin America. Colombians, Venezuelans, Chileans, Argentinians, Panamenians, Guatemaltecos, Uruguayos, etc praizing Peru food. trophies in a row at World Travel Award, best 50 restaurant in the World , etc. The knock out was when Luisito Comunica the most famous mexican on youtube setup a peruvian restaurant in Mexico. After this, mexicans now joint to the list of latinos praizing our food. Brazil has a magnificient list of wonderful beaches. Peru does not have caribean style beaches, so for your standard are probably "ugly". but they are "energetic" ocean. This energy comes from the vast Pacific Ocean and in front of Peru runs the richest amount of nutrients as plankton. Humboldt Current, so much food for fishes and seafood. From this to ceviche in Peru but also food for millions of birds, pooping on the islands ( guano -> islas guaneras ), The fertilizer of the incas Sounds weird but is true
@davidvera6574 Interesting comment, thank you for adding to the conversation. We will likely visit Peru sooner than later. The diversity of different hummingbird species that Peru is blessed with already had our interest and your reminder about how popular/famous the food is only adds to it for us. Where are you originally from? Peru? Cheers!🍹
@@PlanFree soy de Perú . I am from Peru. The diversity of birds is very big too. I suggest going to Paracas and Islas Ballestas, to see an astonishing amount of birds, sealions and penguins
Gracias por la informacion@@davidveraok! Yes, we hope to visit your beautiful country one day also! Thank you for watching and adding your comment here for us all. Ayr & Lori
The information is invaluable to anyone wanting to travel to either Mexico or Ecuador. Good stuff to know.Thanks Ayr and Lori.
Glad it was helpful!
I love all of their videos. I wish I could take all of their information in all at once.
@dlwilliamson5644 you are so sweet.
Perhaps the best is to watch and rewatch. Whenever we find a great informational vid we save it to a playlist and then rewatch it several times, over the course of a week or two.
Thanks so much for watching!
We were in Ecuador in 2021 and rented a car near Quito to drive to the mountains (Antisana, Pichincha) and back, and then drove to Mindo. We had no problems with driving, and were never once stopped by the police. We were in Ecuador primarily for bird watching and photography and did not go to the beaches.
That sounds like an excellent trip! Did you enjoy it? How long were you there? Happy to hear that your driving experience was without incident-that was lucky. How did the bird watching go? Probably awesome. That was the main reason that drew us to Ecuador too-focusing on hummingbirds. You will likely find the hummingbird videos on this channel interesting: th-cam.com/channels/IXZFLmFqBYaKfxwSZi0GPg.html
Thank you for watching and commenting.🍹
@@PlanFree It was a great trip - we went for ~ 3 weeks. After Mindo we went to Papallacta, and then on to Coca and Lake Limoncocha, on the Napo river ( an Amazon tributary). We never had any problems, and I had not expected problems.
Has anyone been to Guatemala! 🇬🇹 I hear it has the perfect climate, volcanoes, hiking, and a giant lake. Not forget amazing coffee. 😁☕️
Yes, Guatemala has many great attributes as you've listed. We have seriously looked into going there shortly for a couple of months. Accommodations were surprisingly expensive for central America-at least what we found. We are now researching other countries in the region that compare favorably cost wise. If cost is less of a concern for you Guatemala has much to offer! Are you thinking of going there soon?
@@PlanFree I’m undecided between Nicaragua, Guatemala, Paraguay, Ecuador and Mexico as which country I want to move to. I might have to visit all of them first then make a decision!
@christopherhouse7937 We like where your head is at! We also prefer to visit countries for a significant amount of time before we decide where we would most like to relocate to. We encourage you to visit all of the countries that interest you, and when you have a short list, rent in those countries for 6 months to 1 year minimum before making any financial commitments. Have you been to any of the countries on your shopping list? We have several videos on our channel from both Mexico and Ecuador, with more coming!🍷
@@PlanFree I have only been to Mexico 🇲🇽
@@christopherhouse7937 Looks like you've got some country shopping to do! The good news is, you'll probably have tons of fun in the process.
nailed it. those other videos are have on eye candy without substance. Thanks for this video. so between the two, which you like better so far?
So far, we like Mexico better because it offers more things that we would consider benefits. For this reason we chose to obtain temporary residence in Mexico. Both Mexico and Ecuador have many good things to offer and either is a good choice.
Have you been to either/both of these countries?
Thank you for watching and commenting.🍹
@@PlanFree i drove into mexico once accidentally when i lived in yuma but didnt explore in case i got caught by my chain of command. but we're doing an exploratory trip to ecuador this December. looking to expatriate in Cotacachi/otavalo area. I would stand out in mexico since the Yarbros said they looking for haitian immigrants so brothas get check all the time.
We've heard good things about the Otavalo area, from local Ecuadorians too.@@BibleSamurai If we ever return to Ecuador we'll try to check it out.
We stick out EVERY where also.....barely darker than white as snow..... 😂
Very good video! Lived in Mexico for 2 years and now in Ecuador for 8 and the video is right on the money!
Thank you so much @Mrcamm4, sounds like we have had very similar experiences to you.
Do you think you will continue to live in Ecuador long term? Or try Mexico again or another country?
I really like Mexico so I hope one day to return. I think as I get older and need more health care I might make it my permanent home! We will see! Great video!@@PlanFree
@@Mrcamm4 very kind of you to say.
Yes, Mexico does offer a lot.
Is the health care offering not quite as good there in Ecuador?
(All we explored was the dental cleaning arena in Ec)
If you live in Mexico then you can return to the U.S A when ever you need something that would be indepth!
@@PlanFree
@@Mrcamm4 Yes, that's true, or Canada also, fast flight etc.
But also, with a residency in MX we heard that there are other health care options that open up to a person. We may explore that one day also. Thanks for the chat!
We hope you get to enjoy some of our other videos!
Thanks for your input on MX and Ecuador. It'll be interesting to see where your next adventure takes you.
You're welcome and we thank you for watching Gail!
Yes plans are already being discussed!
What are your travel plans this winter?
Blessings to you and Dale!
Ayr and Lori
Back to PE in MX for one more season. Prices keep going up there so we plan on one year at a time. @@PlanFree
@@littlechumtravels we HEAR ya.
Not good. That's partly why we keep exploring other countries. 👍
Ambos paises son uiicos y bellos ❤ se divide mi corszon y eso mo hace mas grbade ❤❤
Sí, estoy de acuerdo en que ambos países son hermosos. ¿Cuánto tiempo has pasado en México y Ecuador?
I've driven across both Mexico and Ecuador. I don't recall being stopped even once by police in Ecuador whereas in Mexico it was fairly frequent. All but once the police were friendly. And I had much more experience with 2 lanes being used as 3 lanes in Mexico than in Ecuador. Hmm... opposite to your experience.
Cool and interesting experience for you @davidrosen4951 ...yes almost the opposite of what we experienced, at least in the time and areas that we were in each country. Maybe we just hit all the "hot" spots for road blocks in Ecuador during our time there!?? Maybe there was a "crack down" issued, especially along the coastal routes where there were not a lot of other route options and the police knew it. ?
In Mexico, though, we did see some also for sure and we heard about WAY more also (just did not experience any personally in all that time) from friends and people we met living and travelling around Mx. Perhaps it's "luck of the draw". Who knows!
Sounds like you did a cross-America's driving route? Or did you travel through each of these countries separately?
Thank you so much for watching and we LOVE your comment! Thank you for sharing and taking the time to write it!
It’s interesting how we try to generalize but it’s hard to really come up with any firm conclusions. There’s so much variety of experience. Interesting watching your video. I traveled from California to Brazil. In an electric car. Mostly for the adventure but also partly to show that it was possible to keep the car charged along the way.
Yes, our individual experiences can be so different from one another, makes it tricky to generalize.
Your driving tour in the electric car is awesome. Was it fairly easy to find charging stations along the way, and in every country? We should think that more and more that's getting easier. Except for in between larger cities. Is that accurate?
Yes changing the money in Ecuador is a pain
Especially with a USD$20 and the bus fare is USD$0.35! hahaaaaa (NOT US 🤫 we witnessed that a few times and were super surprised!)
Finally got my account unhacked on Facebook. Ecuador is becoming awful. I am still in Quito.
Oh wow....hacked! That is super not fun. One of our personal acct's was hacked to the point where we couldn't log in with our password and apparently the EMAIL was changed...no idea how they did that. So, we couldn't even ask for a new pswd to be sent to the email. We finally had to let the account go. And it was a total shame too...we have over a decade worth of family photos on there.... boohooooo!
Well, welcome back!
What kinds of things have you been noticing in Quito?
@@PlanFree I have not went out much in the 3 weeks since the shootings started but the few times I did, I haven't noticed anything. I am more vigilant in watching my back though. I have underwear with zipper pockets so I keep my Cards and major money there. I have a running belt for my phone under my shirt. I carry a really cheap phone in view 5 dollars in my purse and a Prepaid Debit Card with only a few dollars on it. So if I ever get robbed hopefully they will think that's all I have. I never go out at night. My landlords daughter lives in my building and said if I did never to carry anything. I like it here but who wants to live like that. I heard they are also robbing people on the way to the airport because they know most international flights are at night or very early and the foreigners are carrying everything. Its scary. Still the US is becoming no picnic either and Canada seems to have lost most of their freedoms I heard. I heard that you cannot even carry pepper spray there. I have pepper gel here. Be safe
@@Whatsupbuddiebud yes you are correct on Canadians not being allowed to carry even pepper spray, it's crazy! And quite right about many areas in the USA.
I don't think many of us want to live as you are describing....no money, no phone on us. It's no way to live. The "hunt" continues for that more ideal location if you ask us!
Stay safe in Quito, we appreciate your comments and info. Ayr & Lori
Mexico is one of the best places in the world to live/visit/retire….and certainly the best in Latin America so comparing Ecuador to Mexico is out of line😀
The gastronomy of Mexico is a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE (patrimonio de la humanidad)the only in the world with that nomination.
"Out of line" is very strong language.
One thing to think about perhaps is that there are hundreds and hundreds of retirees and visitors to Ecuador for SOME reason and they would likely not agree with you. They chose Ecuador for certain reasons, don't you think?
And though we agree with you that Mexico's food is muy excelente, they probably chose Ecuador over Mexico for more than the jalapeno! Lol
The beauty of this comparison video is that we all have different opinions, that's why we did it! We're so glad that you put your comment and perspective up here for us all to read!
Thanks for watching, if you did.
@@PlanFree I lived in Costa Rica, Panamá and Ecuador and didn’t like them. I ended up moving to Mexico, I found out that Mexico is a world on its own, it has it all! I would say Mexico in one country has what the rest of Latin America have combined. That’s my opinion.😀
We are fastly getting to the same opinion also@@alalesc3796, except for the prices....those are climbing fast in Mx. We still go to explore all the other latin American countries to see if there are still location gems for less money.
What are your favorite places in Mx so far?
Very interesting. Mexican food wins. But the last 20 years, once Peru get into the food scenario, suddenly Lima was declared Food Capital of Latin America. Colombians, Venezuelans, Chileans, Argentinians, Panamenians, Guatemaltecos, Uruguayos, etc praizing Peru food. trophies in a row at World Travel Award, best 50 restaurant in the World , etc. The knock out was when Luisito Comunica the most famous mexican on youtube setup a peruvian restaurant in Mexico. After this, mexicans now joint to the list of latinos praizing our food. Brazil has a magnificient list of wonderful beaches. Peru does not have caribean style beaches, so for your standard are probably "ugly". but they are "energetic" ocean. This energy comes from the vast Pacific Ocean and in front of Peru runs the richest amount of nutrients as plankton. Humboldt Current, so much food for fishes and seafood. From this to ceviche in Peru but also food for millions of birds, pooping on the islands ( guano -> islas guaneras ), The fertilizer of the incas Sounds weird but is true
@davidvera6574 Interesting comment, thank you for adding to the conversation. We will likely visit Peru sooner than later. The diversity of different hummingbird species that Peru is blessed with already had our interest and your reminder about how popular/famous the food is only adds to it for us. Where are you originally from? Peru? Cheers!🍹
@@PlanFree soy de Perú . I am from Peru. The diversity of birds is very big too. I suggest going to Paracas and Islas Ballestas, to see an astonishing amount of birds, sealions and penguins
Gracias por la informacion@@davidveraok! Yes, we hope to visit your beautiful country one day also! Thank you for watching and adding your comment here for us all.
Ayr & Lori