Will do man. I've heard that those dongle ones are decent but I'll find out off the locals when I'm down there. I won't last long there if the internet is **** but I'm not sure if 4 tabling Zoom/Rush is that intensive. I might be able to cope with it if it can handle that.

Hey..
Thanks for making this thread.. have enjoyed reading it.
I´m going to Colombia (Bogota) for new years.. my gf is from there and has family there. Will probs hit the tournament in Panama, Panama Poker Challenge, Jan 19-23rd i believe..
Hopefully see some of you there

thanks for this thread and pics - awesome!

I've been in Quito for about two months now and it's a pretty cool place, except the bipolar weather. If anyone has any questions about here, I'd be happy to answer. I'm planning on heading to Montanita in the next week here, not yet sure what to expect regarding internet. I'll try to remember to post an update later...

Cool man. You staying for long? I should be down there in Montanita towards the end of January. Please update us on how you get on.

I only stayed in Montanita for a weekend. It was fun, but I wasn't really interested in staying much longer than that. Extremely hippy, surfer, party type of place with a ton of backpackers. The Internet at the hostel I stayed at was pretty ****, but that happens in hostels everywhere. A ton of places advertised wifi so I imagine better connections exist. I used my usb mobile internet thing there and it worked great. Also spent a couple days in a different beach town called Salinas which I didn't really like. Huge resorts, not much to do though, and a lot of older people. Been in Cuenca a couple days now and really like it here so far.

Been to Montanita a few times, definitely a cool beach town. Lots of hippies and surfers, and lots of partying. If you need a place to stay temporarily i would recommend a hostal called Charro's, right on the beach with clean rooms/hot water and very reasonably priced ($30 if i remember correct)

subscribed.

I have been very interested about Ecuador ever since I saw a travel show that made ite seem like a place I would love. Not sure which area would be best for us (poker couple).

Picked up some useful info in this thread. Will keep an eye on it and probably have more questions after this years WSOP when we get ready to move there.

Cuenca would be pretty ideal although I still like Guayaquil more, there is an easier lifestyle here in Cuenca and it is super super cheap. Moving in tomorrow with a poker buddy to a 2 bedroom penthouse with sick views. Let me know whatever u need lupita.

any thoughts on quito? I've been asking around a bit, I hear everyone gets mugged, super dangerous, people are known to throw poop on you from balconies above to distract you, then others come to rob you while ur all confused and disgusted. Also heard nightlife can be fun, but friends told me a few times when they went out there'd be like 11 yr old kids learning how to pickpocket and just keep reaching in peoples pockets - more annoying than anything as they were horrible at it and you just push them away and they go on to the next. Sounds kinda dumb, so I might book a flight straight to guayaquil

also how long u stayin in Cuenca for Keith? That was another spot I might like to spend a few months in, although prob won't be till late summer

sounds like a light version of peruvian piraÑas in the late 80`s - mid 90`s (when it was very dangerous).

Thanx for the thread; Equador sounds interesting.

Hey Kerwinty. I just read your thread again, and I have a few questions.

In the beginning you mention Salinas, but there is not much information. How long did you live there? Was the internet fast enough for poker? Over all was this a good place to live to play? Did you live on or near the beach? Was the cost of living higher being near the ocean?

Of all the places you have lived in Ecuador, can you please let us know what the major differences are from each one?

We are looking to live somewhere where life is simple. Our main requirements will be:
1-banking/internet and online poker
2-location (preferably near an ocean, but willing to consider other places)
3-being in an area not too isolated. we need to be able to walk to get groceries etc
Other than that, we are not too picky. We don't party, drink, go out, etc.

Are the places you rented furnished? If not, how much did it cost to get all the stuff?

Is it possible to find small apartments that are available to rent on a month to month basis?

Given the information above about what is most important to us, where would you recommend we live? How much do you think we would spend on a small studio apartment?

thanks.

I am also interested in the answers to these questions. Mainly renting an apartment on a month to month basis. Could you give an estimated cost and description of the quality of these accommodations please? I am not big on drinking but I would like to go out, experience the nightlife and meet some new people.

I am interested in surfing while there as well. I am still trying to figure out where I would like to go in Central/South America in order to relax for a few months, live in a new place and experience a new culture. these threads in the travel section have been very helpful. Thanks to kerwinty and all others who have taken the time to post valuable information for the rest of us.

if you have any pics of your new place that would be great too!

I saw a house listed on Craigslist (i know i know) that is in Crucita. I looked on a couple of fairly detailed maps and could not locate it. Do any of you know anything of this area in particular? I do not believe it fits what I am looking for in terms of proximity to the city, but I would rather check out as many places as i can than leave a stone unturned.

Do you have any travel/rental sites for Ecuador that have a good reputation Kerwinty? Thank you again.

bump

Hey Jameson. I have never heard of the city you mention so not really sure. It is really not hard to find accomodations in Cuenca very quickly and cheaply from my experience. There are numerous agencies that post online if you google, short-term cuenca rentals etc. We just used the classifieds and postings from a few of the gringo bars to find our 3 month rental. In guayaquil, pricing is a bit higher and the "short-term" rentals probably cost about 60 percent more as they cater to business travelers. It is still possible to find a one bedroom in the $350 range though, you just have to work out the contract details with the landlord. I still haven't gotten my deposit back from my second apartment in guayaquil, though it was month to month and we didn't sign anything. If you are looking for places where you can surf, your best bet is salinas as it will have the best internet connections, the most modernity, but is still close enough to Montanita and the more laid back beaches. Rentals there can def be found online as well, though if you were set on a place or city, arriving, staying at a cheap hostel for a few days, and looking around is probably your best bet. For what it is worth, high season in salinas and at the beach is January through April so coming to the end of the season so prices will drop significantly, but will then also become a much more chill place with less nightlife.

Most short-term long rentals come furnished and it is not hard to find them. Banco Bolivariano allows foreigners and Americans to set up accounts, and you can then link to Moneybookers to transfer between stars or poker site you play on for your account. You can probably see the requirements needed but I listed them earlier in this post. Cuenca is a cool, charming city in the Andes and has the most foreigners followed by Quito. Guayaquil is my favorite city but there are far less tourists and expats. Salinas, is the major beach city and is pretty awesome, though in the off season, it is pretty quiet. In cuenca it is easy to find month to months, I think Salinas is the same way, and in Guayaquil it is possible but more difficult. Especially because there are more areas you wouldn't want to live in in Guayaquil since they are a bit dodgy, so finding a place in one of the better areas is a tiny bit trickier. Sounds like you have to decide if you want something like Cuenca, Salinas, or Guayaquil but from your needs Cuenca would probably be a great first stop, and then move on from here if you decided. Also, most apartments come with pretty high speed internet.

thanks again for the great information! I am going to take your advice along with another poster who said just come down and figure it out once I am down there. Sounds like an experience I will enjoy. definitely stoked for the next 6 months to fly by so i can get down there. I have had enough of work haha.

finally here!

Canoa - Ecuador is pretty ****in awesome fwiw.

crazy little small beach surf town city. sea kayaking to some caves after breakfast today, super chill vibes. kinda hippy city but not overrun dirty hippy. all the roads are sand, everyone is pretty happy, I notice I walk a lot slower here for some reason. split a half ounce of bananas with the hostel owner as soon as I walked in, seafood cheap as balls, fun (touristy) party scene.

Quito is way cooler than everyone says, but that being said there is zero reason to live there with so many other better capitals/metropolitan areas. Fun place to party and organize day trips to some fun spots outside the city/glacier hikes, see the equator line, etc. 10,000 ft altitude and the 2nd highest capital in the world (or south Am, idk) so it def takes a little while getting used to. A ton of people have been getting robbed lately, but I guess that's the norm for alot of places in ecuador. People keep warning me about guayaquil but I'm looking forward to it regardless. anyways, just an "I'm in yo' country B*itch!" update. will be living in playas by the end of the month, if anyone's there hit me ups!!

sorry double post....but ecuadorian homies...WTF do you guys do for backup internet or internet when you're travelling? I have a movistar usb modem that's unlocked so I can use it in any country, but movistar ecuador only lets me do 500MB for $20 that lasts a month, and 500MB can go quick even if strictly playing poker. Technically it's a better deal since if the usb modem IS only a backup then you wouldn't use it for more than a few hours a month, but colombia was $30/3gb/1month, so at least it would last a bit. I'm having to reload every 5-6 days here though if I lightly use 2p2/poker/facebook

Claro any better? Other providers that have as good of service as Movistar? (3.5G/4G internet, great coverage, never cuts out, connects and disconnects fairly quickly?)

Update from me- Have been in Cuenca for almost 6 months now and have enjoyed my time here, though I am really looking forward to going back to GYE. Have stayed in two places since arriving here- 1 suite paid monthly for $240 and now with a roomate, who is a poster in this thread, a cool guy, and moved down to Ecuador. We got a 3 month lease on an old, big two bedroom apt overlooking the city. Only downside is it gets cold at night and the internet here is very choppy. I think Cuenca is a really chill place, but is a bit too small for my liking. Feels like a small college town in the US. However, it is super cheap and convenient because everything is literally within walking distance.

Should be a player moving down mid May through Poker Refugees as I am their Ecuador contact. I'll be moving back to Guayaquil and trying to find a slighter better place to live, though it does take work to find something that makes sense price wise. They either charge a **** load for the foreign work visitors, or nothing but in ****ty areas. Still looking forward to the weather, the tropicalness, the friendlyness of the people there, and seeing many of my on and off girlfriends that are in GYE. Feel free to ask anything as usual. so yea just an update and bump to this.

Im gonna be in Salinas next week, any idea how the internet is there?

Should be fine most places for sure. How long you going to be there for? How come?

Holy ****, who's the guy on the left?

Im planning on staying in Salinas for 3-4 days, then montanita for a few, going for vacation. I usually go to Mancora Peru, but last time I was there (september), the ocean was crazy and corroded almost all of the beach in front of most of the hotels.