I had so many kids from Ecuador show up in my classes last year. They told me it wasn’t safe.
They weren’t wrong.
Ecuador has been rocked by a series of attacks including explosions and the abduction of several police officers after the government imposed a state of emergency in the wake of the escape of a powerful gang leader from prison.
Adolfo ‘Fito’ Macías, 44, the leader of Los Choneros gang, was found missing from his cell in a low security prison on the same day he was supposed to be transferred to a maximum security facility, on Sunday.
A manhunt is underway for Macías and Los Lobos leader Fabricio Colon Pico, who also escaped prison on Tuesday since his arrest last Friday for alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Ecuador’s attorney general.
Peru also declared an emergency on Tuesday along its northern border with Ecuador because of the ongoing violence.
The US State Department said it was ‘extremely concerned’ by the violence. The British Foreign Office warned against all but essential travel to parts of the country.
I’m curious to see the US response to this.
China’s embassy and consulates in Ecuador announced on Wednesday that services to the public were suspended.
France and Russia both advised their citizens against travel to Ecuador.
Such a shame and very concerning to a lot of people that chose it, based on places such as Internationalliving.com, as a retirement destination.
Although somewhat far from retirement (and having abodes in two different countries in Europe), there was a time when I considered it as a possibility in a decade or so.
I travelled there in 2013. Absolutely loved it. From the highlands north of Quito in places such as Otavalo, to the lovely climate of Cuenca, to the coastal and Amazon areas.
So sad to see it descend into anarchy but it highlights that certain Latin countries may not be ideal retirement destinations. Things can change quickly.
State Department advisory as of last friggin June.
Exercise increased caution in Ecuador due to civil unrest,crime, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.
Reconsider travel to:
Guayaquil north of Portete de Tarquí Avenue due to crime.
El Oro province outside the cities of Huaquillas and Arenillas, due to crime.
Los Rios province outside the cities of Quevedo, Quinsaloma, and Pueblo Viejo, due to crime.
All areas south of Esmeraldas city in Esmeraldas province, due to crime.
The provinces of Sucumbíos, Manabí, Santa Elena, and Santo Domingo due to crime.
Do not travel to:
Guayaquil, south of Portete de Tarquí Avenue, due to crime.
The cities of Huaquillas and Arenillas in the province of El Oro, due to crime.
The cities of Quevedo, Quinsaloma, and Pueblo Viejo in the province of Los Rios, due to crime.
Esmeraldas city and all areas north of Esmeraldas city in Esmeraldas province, due to crime.
Country Summary: Crime is a widespread problem in Ecuador. Violent crime, such as murder, assault, kidnapping, and armed robbery, is prevalent and widespread. The rate of violent crime is significantly higher in areas where transnational criminal organizations are concentrated.
Demonstrations occur frequently throughout the country, usually motivated by political and/or economic factors. Demonstrators routinely block local roads and major highways, often without prior notice. Past demonstrations have varied in duration, with some extending for several days or weeks. Blocked roads may significantly reduce access to public transportation, health services, and airports and may disrupt travel both within and between cities.
Outside of Ecuador’s urban and semi-urban population centers, much of the country’s territory is sparsely populated and isolated. First responders’ and U.S. government officials’ access to rural and remote regions of the country is often extremely limited and can lead to significant delays in assistance to U.S. citizens in these areas.
They had good and stable leadership after Allende.
Getting back to Ecuador, I think this gang problem is mostly related to Guayaquil, parts of Quito, and other coastal areas with deep ports that are drug running areas. My favorite places such as Loja, Cuenca and Otavalo, are still safe relatively speaking.
One upside to this crime wave is that I think Ecuador was overhyped to a lot of Yanks from lower middle class backgrounds that could live there rather comfortably on just US social security cheques. They could live pretty comfortably on 1000-1500 US or so but still more than most Ecuadorians make. The result has been a big increase in real estate prices during the past decade like much of the world. If anything, this might return them to normal levels as I think it will severely impact it as a retiree market and the country is still safe, in places. People just need to do due diligence.
It will be interesting to look at metrics in a few months to a year but I think it will have major impacts on retirees moving to certain cities such as Otavalo, and especially Cuenca.
Cuenca is a really nice city with ideal temperatures and lovely colonial charms. But prices have risen way too much because of the influx of retirees.
But that’s my point. Cities such as Cuenca, the mountain cities north of Quito, and the far Southern highlands are not really impacted by this wave, or it is very, very marginal.
The violence is mostly localized to coastal areas and Quito. The bad fucking city is Guayaquil . Insiders in Ecuador realize this but the overall media reports will scare off foreign people even to the safer areas, which may not necessarily be a bad thing price wise for those possibly considering in the future.
The drug running used to be a lot more popular in Colombia and Peru, but Ecuador has a number of advantages. Easy to launder money with US currency being the currency and the deep water ports make it ideal for transportation logistics. Relatively low salaries means there are lots of locals willing to be involved in the trade. With the assassination of a previous presidential candidate, it will be interesting to see how the new president handles the shit show. But the military needs to display iron force, even stronger than what has been currently provided.
