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A new book written by an expat: Notes From Ecuador: An Expats Journey of Roses, Thorns and Betrayal
Expat Hugh Prather has published a book with personal stories of him while living in Ecuador. The book is available on Amazon.com (opens page with book). This is the book description on Amazon.com:
Hugh Prather, affectionately known as "The Rose Guy," is an American hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina.
For the past nine years, he has made Ecuador his home, immersing himself in the vibrant culture and natural beauty of the country. With a passion for roses, Hugh has dedicated himself to bring the “World’s Most Beautiful Roses and Flowers” farm direct from Ecuador to customers in the United States and Canada. Personal Stories about Ecuador life. A must read, especially for any man looking to move to Ecuador to find love.
Join my email list at yourroseguy@gmail.com Order my book now and receive 10% off your first order of 50 long stem roses at my website, www.yourroseguy.com
Use the discount code Book10 at checkout.82uc
I believe that Hugh Prather currently lives in Colombia.
Pros and Cons of Living in Ecuador
Pros
Low housing costs
Low medical costs
Low costs of utilities
Beautiful scenery
Cons
Neglected public areas
Property taxes and other taxes in Ecuador are low or even don't exist, so municipalities don't have enough money to well maintain public spaces.
Poverty and survival mindset
Half of Ecuador's population only has informal jobs. On average they earn around $150 per month. The result is a mindset of surviving. This mindset usually makes people less honest than they probably would like to be.
You cannot count on the police
More than 4,000 people (including 73 police officers) were murdered in Ecuador in 2022. The underfunded judicial sector couldn't solve more than 400 cases. For less serious crimes it's not better. In other words, you cannot count on the police in Ecuador.
Incomplete healthcare
If you use healthcare from IESS you will need to take into account that there can be long waiting lists and that not all medications are available. In recent years, there have been various cases of expats who had to go to private hospitals after unsuccessful operations in IESS hospitals. They had to start GoFundMe fundraises to collect money to pay their hospital bills.