Ecuador?

[bigbadwolf]

Has anyone here visited Ecuador? I'm thinking of paying a visit and the only information I have is this from the US State Department, the gist of which is, "Be afraid; be very afraid." Is it really that bad?

 

[PhilipDT]

No its fine. There are parts of quito that you don't want to go to but outside the cities the people are fantastically friendly. Don't drink the water.

 

[John.St]

The US State Department always says "Be afraid; be very afraid." because of possible liability and law suits from shyster 'no cure, no pay' lawyers and an insane jury.

FCO is more balanced and usually very reliable, except they don't include a "yankee go home - but leave your money" attitude in their recommendations: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/south-america/ecuador

21 out of 23,100 British tourists needed consular assistance in 2010, last reported rape of a British national was in March 2010 - not awfully bad.

 

[bigbadwolf]

The US State Department always says "Be afraid; be very afraid." because of possible liability and law suits from shyster 'no cure, no pay' lawyers and an insane jury.

FCO is more balanced and usually very reliable, except they don't include a "yankee go home - but leave your money" attitude in their recommendations: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/south-america/ecuador

21 out of 23,100 British tourists needed consular assistance in 2010, last reported rape of a British national was in March 2010 - not awfully bad.

Just finished reading it. I have to say the FCO is no more reassuring about Ecuador than the US State Department.

 

[PhilipDT]

I haven't been there for about 20 months but in 2009 it was fine. Not adventure tourism by any means. We were extorted for $20 dollar bribes twice by security/military personal at check points but it wasn't a stick up "we're going to shoot you if you don't give us your money" thing, more of a if you don't want to wait in a pointless line for 10hours....

 

[John.St]

Just finished reading it. I have to say the FCO is no more reassuring about Ecuador than the US State Department.

I have read the entire recommandation and see no real problems.

I would of course stay away from the volcano and the exclusion zone along the border with Colombia, as always keep away from demonstrations, avoid remote areas, use common precautions and be street smart as usual.

21 out of 23,100 British nationals - 1 in 1,100. About as dangerous as a major GB, US or Italian, ... city.

Personally I wouldn't hesitate to go to Ecuador - remember most accidents occur in peoples' homes

 

[mcaffa]

I went backpacking in Ecuador last July with my husband and we didn't have one problem, aside from a kid who tried to screw us with counterfeit bills. Just use common sense and be alert.

It's a beautiful country - enjoy!

 

[sesamosinsal]

I was working in Quito for three months earlier this year. The US Embassy says its dangerous because its, well, dangerous. But it's also amazingly beautiful. So, I guess you can take the good and the bad.

I never had problems, but a lot of people I spoke with there did run into problems. A friend of mine had been kidnapped, and, along with his debt card, given a tour of the city. He was just picked up in a bar by a fake police officer and accused of having drugs. He escaped unharmed, but I was told of a case of an American citizen who was tortured (fire and testicles -- ouch.) because the kidnappers didn't believe him when he said that he didn't know have the PIN for the card.

It's not like many parts of Buenos Aires where it's safe to walk out at night. Even in the nicest neighborhoods, walking out past 9:00 is a no-no. Taxis are dirt cheap (think $4 USD from Callao/Rivadavia to Juan B Justo/Santa Fe), but you always have to call the them. In Buenos Aires, they'll send you a taxi regardless; in Quito, if they don't have one in the area, you'll have to call back later.

La inseguridad is a huge problem. They have programs on TV whereby people call in, report a crime, and demand justice. One newspaper has a daily section for people to talk about how they were victims of crime.

The downtown area of Quito where all of the bars are is guarded by military police at night. After 3 a.m., the area becomes tierra de nadie, and it's downright creepy if you ask me.

I was so happy to leave to be completely honest. There are a lot of beautiful sights, but I think they're all outside of Quito. I only did a few trips, so I can't speak on behalf of others parts of the country.

 

[elalancito]

My wife and a friend visited Ecuador last year and raved about the visit. She loved the place, the food, the culture, the people and whatever else you can think of. She reported nothing bad and I am now the proud owner of an Ecuadorian T-shirt.