Underground Guide to International Volunteering eBook. Click on Image for More Information and to Order.

This started out as a review of the eBook “The Underground Guide to International Volunteering” by Kirsty Henderson (aka The Nerdy Nomad) and quickly morphored into an endorsement. If you are thinking of or planning a trip abroad to volunteer this book will be invaluable to you and is a must-have for any ‘world traveler volunteer-wannabe’.

Want to know how to choose an organization to work with and find an opportunity that is right for you (either skilled or non-skilled)? Read the book. Confused about how much to pay, or if to pay any money at all and if you do where the money goes to? It’s in the book.

In a nutshell, you can spend weeks researching online and most likely will not learn:

1. What volunteering is actually like in reality.
2. First-hand accounts of volunteering by folks who have been doing it for years.
3. What is needed – emotionally & physically – to successfully complete a volunteer stint abroad.
4. Shady aspects of the volunteering community i.e. folks who create organizations simply to make money off of homestays.
5. How to make sure you will be a help - not a hindrance – to an organization.
6. How to get an Internet connection even if in a remote area of a Third World country.

Lastly, there is a list of “24 Free and Cheap Volunteering Opportunities” that have been hand-picked and researched by Kirsty with a brief description of the organization and projects they offer plus a link to the site online.

The Author Kirsty Henderson Helping Out Hands On Disaster Response

The organizations featured are in Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America, Oceania and of course, South America. The two featured South American organizations are Pisco Sin Fronteras and Otra Cosa, both located in Peru.

Note: For more opportunities to volunteer in South America read: Hundreds of Volunteer Opportunities in South America.

The 63 page eBook costs only $14 USD with all profits going to the organization Hands On Disaster Response (HODR) – a disaster relief organization that Kirsty says she has “grown addicted to” and has been following around the world since January, 2008.

As a bonus, the book is beautifully designed with many photos plus easy-to-read text and formatting (many highlighted bulleted lists).

Some quotes from the book:

Often volunteering will be done in parts of the world that are very poor with people living each day with less money than you might spend on a coffee in your home country. Living in a way that is
so different from your day-to-day life at home could help you to reassess your priorities and become more socially conscious.

While many people’s motivations for volunteering are different, one thing they all have in common is that they’re helping people in need and that brings with it a great sense of satisfaction.

Before you commit to volunteering internationally, take a look at your own motivations and what you expect to get out of the experience. Be honest with yourself. Knowing what is motivating you will help you find a volunteering experience that is a good fit.

The most important trait for being a good volunteer is having a positive attitude. The work you will be doing won’t always be interesting or inspiring.

Purchase the eBook online here: http://www.nerdynomad.com/volunteering/. You can connect with Kirsty via her website or follow on Twitter: @travoholic.

Monument at La Mitad del Mundo

Below are five popular things to do when visiting capital city Quito in Ecuador. Where to stay, eat and additional information is here: Travel Guide to Quito

La Mitad del Mundo

Although Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World in English) is extremely touristy, it would be a shame to stay in Quito and not visit the equatorial line located only 30 minutes from the city. Taking photos straddling the equator is obligatory, but there are a few interesting museums at the site as well.

Inside the equatorial monument is an ethnographic museum where you can learn about Ecuador’s different indigenous groups; their traditional dress and customs.

About 100 meters from the monument is where the actual equatorial line exists and you can visit the Museo del Sitio Intiñan, which allows visitors to participate in experiments to prove the different gravitational pulls on each side of the equator. There is also a planetarium and insectarium near the monument.

Pululahua Crater

This 2,500-year-old volcanic crater a few kilometers past Mitad de Mundo is worth a visit. The views from the top of Pululahua are spectacular and there is an expensive hotel and restaurant called El Cráter on its edge, if you’d like to enjoy a meal or coffee with the vista.

Pululahua

For the more adventurous, you can hike to the bottom of Pululahua where a small agricultural community lives and explore one of the several hiking trails on foot or by horseback. If you’d like to spend the night, you can camp out or stay at Pululahua Hostal – a comfortable eco-lodge with cabañas, Jacuzzi, restaurant and horses for hire.

The crater is part of a larger protected ecological reserve – Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve – designated in 1966. It contains many unique species of flowers, birds and butterflies.

Termas de Papallacta

A popular day trip from Quito, Termas de Papallacta are public hot springs located in the páramo (ecosystem above the forest line yet below the snowline) on the way to the jungle. For $7 USD, visitors can spend the entire day relaxing in the hot springs of varying sizes and temperatures and chow down on locally caught trout. The termas are best and most romantic after dark.

If you aren’t on a budget, spending the night at the upscale Termas Papallacta Hotel and Spa is worthwhile and you can access its private pools to avoid the weekend crowds at the public facility. The surroundings are a great place for hiking with many folks heading out in the early morning for a hike, ending the day with a dip in the rejuvenating baths.

Mindo

Located only 2.5 hours from Quito, this cloud forest paradise is an easy weekend trip. The area is gorgeous, with green landscapes, a milder climate and a laid-back vibe. Activities include bird-watching, visiting butterfly gardens, hiking to waterfalls, tubing and zip lining. More information on the popular zip line tours can be found here: Mindo Canopy Adventures.

It is also possible to take a chocolate tour to see the whole chocolate-making process at El Quetzal, which runs an artisan chocolate business out of Mindo. There are lots of budget accommodations in town, as well as some excellent eco-lodges right outside the downtown area.

Otavalo Market

The bustling Otavalo Market, located about two hours from Quito, is one of the biggest artisan markets in South America. It is a colorful spectacle of handmade rugs, jewelry, painted wooden products, woven bags and hammocks, alpaca clothing and more. View Photos of Otavalo

Although it takes place every day in the central Plaza de Los Ponchos, the market is best on Saturdays, when the most vendors are set up. You can buy all sorts of regional artesanía; just be sure to bargain. Travel in Ecuador – Otavalo

On early Saturday mornings, there is also a traditional animal market, which is fun to see and photograph. This is an easy side trip for just the day.

Jena Davison is a Travel Writer and Editor based in Quito who writes of her adventures living and traveling in Ecuador on her blog: Everyday Musings From Across the Equator.

Photographs by Jena Davison, all rights reserved.

After a nap and an avocado I carried on, singing into the vast dust planes (there was no one around) and rock formations and the dunes of different hues, and I crossed a big salt patch, this one a bright reflective, almost harsh white, and the salt crystals crackled under my boots.

Sand and Sea at Paracas National Reserve

I felt like I was on some alien planet or in the future. I reached the beach where I would pass the night. It was a very big beach too, but in its bay it enclosed striking rock features, arches that the sea burst through, crags and angles, protruding grit platforms.

I glimpsed some crabs disappear into the holes they´d dug into the sand. I went to one of the holes, nudged some sand in and sat back down. Out came the crab with an armful of sand, cradling it out in front of him and scuttling sideways with his legs. Then he tossed the sand out of his arms with such an abrupt and disgusted sideways jerk that I apologized immediately. But it was very amusing and I had a few more goes before I left him in peace.
            
I ran down high cliff dunes with the ocean churning below. Wind, water and elemental chaos. I felt free.
            
I slept nestled in sand humps and it was very snug. Although before I fell asleep I was afraid the ocean would rise to claim me and swallow me in the night. The only victim nestled there on the beach. (There was an earthquake here in 2007)
            
The next day I embarked on the final stretch. As the sun intensified I grew tired. The sun had sapped my energy more than I´d noticed since it was masked or seemed to be diffused by the wind. Also I would take cigarette breaks while walking: the hiking-smoking combo. But I think the pictures on the cigarette packets are going to help me quit again.

On both sides there is a picture of a man with sallow flesh like a zombie, his mouth gaping open and a tube wound into his nose. I will quit, or I will die from the psychological trauma of having to look at that picture every time I want a smoke. Even as I write this I can see the translucent flesh and lolling head and grey eyes on the back of my eyelids.
 
I continued on, kind of stumbling now, corroded by the sand granules and beaten by the wind and sun. Finally I reached the fishing village. I looked down to where the shacks were clustered on a bay (it is a fishing village in the middle of the desert!) Triumph! I thought, and lay behind a dune to shelter from the wind and scraped at the last remnants of jam and peanut butter with my fingers and ate a lot of sand.
            
I waited for a car to pass. There wasn´t much traffic. Eventually I hitchhiked a quad bike going into the village (the wrong direction, but anything was good.) ´Are you lost? ´ asked the driver, and I felt a bit sheepish telling him I was here intentionally, I´d planned this walk deep into desert to emerge, at the end, at an unknown fishing pueblo.

I´d just assumed it would work itself out. It was Saturday so the entire village had gone to buy supplies from the city. But it turned out the driver was a park ranger and he took me to the building and I ate lunch with two rangers, bathed and even slept on a mattress. Then from across the bay I saw a truck chugging slowly around the shore towards us. It moved very slowly so I had plenty of time to intercept.
            
The driver cheerfully agreed to give me a ride out so I hopped in the cab, displacing a young man who went to lie on top of the cargo in the back. They had been collecting a type of seaweed from the beaches. It would be ground up and sent to China, where they would use it in creams and shampoo.

We drove slowly around the bay and stopped for long intervals to pick up piles of it that had been thrown out by the sea. They had to bundle it up and weigh it before stashing it in the truck. It took ages. Like the other truck ride I´d caught in Peru. We´d waited all day while they brought endless bags of rice up the trail on donkeys, and heaved it into the truck with brute manpower. It was very hot and all day the sweat boiled out of my skin.
            
But finally we were off. We didn´t sink in the sand. There were four of us in the cab and another four in the back, piled high on the seaweed. Our driver was late for a meeting with his wife and there hadn´t been any reception to call ahead. His wife was very angry with him and her sharp voice pierced through the phone. Our driver was frustrated and angry, what could he do? And his helper, a young man, was calling a client to tell him they couldn´t make it today.

It was already dark, they were tired, they´d been driving all week. Everyone was riled up, indignant and shouting. Everything was frantic and loud. I sat squeezed in the middle. When we reached Parancas I wished them good luck and escaped fast from clamour. The human world had flooded chaotically back.

Photograph by Emilie Dannenberg, all rights reserved

The Bakery at a Mega Grocery Store - One of the Only Places to Buy Baguettes in Cusco!

Below are prices for a few items bought at both of the two grocery stores in town – Orion & Mega. There are a few identical ones (litre of milk, apples per kilo, etc.) listed for both stores so you can compare prices.

You can browse through the ailes of Orion by viewing this short YouTube video: Orion Grocery Store in Cusco, Peru.

Orion is located across from the main farmer’s market at Union #70. Mega grocery stores are located throughout Cusco but the closest one to Plaza de Armas is located at Matara #271.

Orion has a much larger selection of imported items and ‘specialty’ goods such as bottles of curry sauce, garlic black bean sauce, flavored pretzels, pickled baby asparagas spears and artichoke hearts, etc.

Mega is special for one main reason… make that two! It has a bakery onsite – one of the only places in town to find French-style baguettes (most street bakeries do not make them) – and prices for many items are 15% or more less than at Orion (compare below). Only exception below is for imported Nestle Nesquick Cereal.

The prices below are for 2012 and have been converted into US dollars. At time of conversion $1 USD equaled 2.6 soles. Real-time exchange rates can be found here: Currency Calculator

 
Prices of Commonly Purchased Items at Orion in Cusco

 
Prices of Commonly Purchased Items at Mega in Cusco

 
Similar to most areas in Peru, the best place to buy fruits and vegetables at the lowest cost is the local farmer’s market.

Photograph & video by Molly McHugh, all rights reserved.

Just a Backpack and the Paracas National Reserve

Editor’s Note: This is a personal account of hiking through the Paracas National Reserve by Emilie Dannenberg from England who is on her way from Peru to be “one of the best cloud forest guides the world has ever seen” in Ecuador.

The place is magic; it crept into my thoughts and I had to go back. I´d walked into the desert and scraped my foot in the sand, and underneath was smudged purple silver and blue like a bruise on the face of the desert. Or the wind blew over craggy shingles and they tinkled in an ancient song.

After being warned many times I would be assaulted I packed my bag with water and set out walking. The north side of the park was busier. There were cars and tour buses passing by on the dirt road, but also long stretches of silent desert. I strode happily along until I reached the first beach where I would camp. It was a very large beach that swooped and carved out the land in a crescent. The walls of the cliffs that protruded out to sea were lined with ages and eras, condensed into layers, each a different tone. The balconies soared out from the land at an upwards angle and broke off with a jagged edge into the ocean. It felt prehistoric, especially in the late afternoon when misty traces hung in the sky.

There were no gringos but a fair amount of people on the beach and they were all concentrated on the near side or centre. I walked the length of the beach until I was tucked away on the far side where there was no wind. I spent the afternoon drawing skeletons and thinking vaguely about ‘the thing that died and drained away.’ I saw some dolphins off the coast and felt very lucky. I watched the seagulls plummet into the ocean for fish; a vulture soared on an air current very close to my head. There were lizards that looked like miniature T-rexes.

Sunset on the Beach at Paracas National Reserve

By late afternoon all the people had gone, save a tent far on the opposite end, a couple of kilometres away. I camped behind some dunes (put my bag down behind some dunes) and lay on the slope of a dune on my belly and poked my head over the top and watched the sun go down.
 
The sun was setting when a dirt bike revved over the dunes toward me. I was wary and darted around the dunes a while, but then a short stodgy man took off his helmet, got off the bike, and pushed at it because it was stuck in the sand. The man was a park ranger. ‘You can’t camp here’ he said, ‘There are fishermen. It’s dangerous. You´ll be assaulted.’ I protested. The sun was nearly down. There was no one around. I offered to hike further into the desert to hide from the fishermen. (The fishermen that, by night, would sail in from the ocean, dock on a rock and scour the dunes looking for people to assault.) I told him he only wanted me to leave because it was so beautiful here; he wanted to keep it a secret. ´You have to camp at Lagunillas.´ he said.

They try to keep all the tourists fenced in at Lagunillas. Over the radio his boss affirmed that ‘Negativo’ I could not camp here, I had to go to Lagunillas. Lagunillas is very beautiful but very eerie and misty, and the wind is wild and pummelling. I could not sleep on that stormy beach, plus there were a ton of fishermen there. It was a port. The park ranger sighed. The sun was nearly down. He wanted to chat with his friends who were camped in the tent on the far side. He had no light on his bike. He would have to carry me out if he wanted me to leave. ‘You can stay, I´ll tell my boss you left,’ he said.

I felt very pleased. I had spoken to a human who was his own locus of decision not a cog in a system. Maybe it’s because here the system doesn´t have the resources to swallow up the individual, but I spoke to a human, not a robot that must unquestioningly execute rules and regulations. ´I´ll go chat with my friends,´ he says, and his bike takes of rickety over the sand dunes. 

There was cloud cover but the night had muffled brightness because it was close to full moon.

The next day I set off early. After a few hours I came to the salt lakes. On the other side of the ´road, ´ shrouded in the distance, was a grey cluster of buildings, a mining camp. The first lake was a black, grainy blemish. It had a lot of character and I called it Mustafa. I walked on and down the path I reached a silver lake where the water rippled peacefully. It was full and shining. The ripples seemed to stand up on the water as they glided to shore.

There were small birds on its banks that seemed to walk on water, and a flock of flamingos stood full of poise a short distance away. The sound of the birds and swish of water was the only noise that stirred the desert silence. I lay on the shore of the lake and the quiet stirred in me too.  

To be continued… read Part 2

Photographs by Emilie Dannenberg, all rights reserved.

Helpful Checkout Clerk at the El Super Store at Plaza de Armas

Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru with approximately 840,000 people. All those folks need to eat and buy groceries. In addition to the large farmer’s market Mercado San Camilo there is a small supermarket located at Plaza de Armas – El Super – and a few Plaza Vea megastores that sell electronics, homeware, toys and clothing in addition to most grocery items you could wish for.

Plaza Vea also sells a large selection of prepared foods in the deli: roasted chicken, vegetable dishes, pastas, and salads plus has a fresh seafood section.

Both El Super and Plaza Vea have a large selection of imported cheeses, packaged goods, sauces, wine and spirits, etc. You can compare prices between the two stores for a few items using the chart and information below.   Planning a trip to Arequipa or considering living there?   Travel Guide to Arequipa

Packets of Spices at El Super

Packaged Soups at El Super

Mercado San Camilo is your best bet to buy fruits, veggies & dried goods in bulk.

The prices for items available at El Super below are for 2012. The prices have been converted into US dollars. At time of conversion $1 USD equaled 2.6 soles.

                  Prices of Commonly Purchased Items at El Super in Arequipa.

                  Prices of Commonly Purchased Items at a Plaza Vea in Arequipa.

Saturday Afternoon at a Plaza Vea

Want to compare the prices of El Super (located at Plaza de Armas) to the larger megastore – Plaza Vea? Here are prices for a few of the same items listed in the chart above: green apples per kilo ($2.97), red apples per kilo ($2.63), whole chicken per kilo ($2.68), 200 g butter ($2.35), 15 eggs ($2.17), fresh pineapple per kilo (95 cents).

The Plaza Vea did have quite a few more imported goods (is a much larger store) such as: imported cheddar and Gruyere cheese, Kellogg’s Fruit Loops, Quaker Instant Oatmeal packets, Johnnie Walker Gold Label and Austin Nicols Wild Turkey Aged 8 years Bourbon. Plaza Vea also has a large fresh seafood section.

Photographs by Molly McHugh, all rights reserved.

Side Street Behind the Cathedral at Plaza de Armas with Indoor/Outdoor Restaurants. Lovely Spot for Lunch.

If I had to choose between a visit to Lima or Arequipa in Peru – the two largest cities – I would choose Arequipa. Its Plaza de Armas with El Misti Volcano in the background is spectacular and historic buildings regal; the central area around the plaza was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.   YouTube Video of Plaza de Armas

The city is full of attractions but very compact so you can walk and wander around without becoming overwhelmed. Lima has many highlights, yet is very large and cumbersome to navigate, taxi costs can add up quickly. In addition, Arequipa is much safer than Lima.

        View Photos       Interactive Map
        Where To Eat       Where To Stay

Arequipa is hot on the backpacker circuit for two main reasons: to climb Volcano Misti and as a stop-over on the way to trek in the Colca Canyon. Travel Guide to the Colca Canyon & Trekking .

Editor’s Note: If it was lower-cost, Arequipa would have been included in our Cheap Places to Live section, yet is an excellent choice for a long-term stay for those with a budget of $800 USD per month or more.

Things To Do in and around Arequipa

• Spend a minimum of two hours walking through the maze encompassing a full city block known as Monasterio Santa Catalina (Saint Catherine Monastery in English). Built in 1580, the convent is still active with around 20 nuns living there. It is two blocks from Plaza de Armas at Santa Catalina #301. View the official website here: www.santacatalina.org.pe.
• Museo Santuarios Andinos (Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria). Only a block from Plaza de Armas (opposite direction of the monestary) at La Merced #110. It currently houses the famous Ice Princess mummy though a site has been marked near Cabanaconde for an “Ice Princess Museum”. Official website here: www.ucsm.edu.pe/santury.
• Museo de Arqueologia (Archeology Museum in English) – also sponsored by the Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria. It is located at Cruz Verde #303, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Have an early breakfast in the cafeteria at Mercado San Camilo (main market in Arequipa) – open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. – or afternoon wandering its sprawling ailes full of food, crafts and some clothing.   Photos & Video – Mercado San Camilo
• Visit the Colca Canyon to hike and see the magnificent Andean Condors. No, not in Arequipa but is the main reason many travelers transit through the city. The first town on the Colca Canyon trail is Chivay, 3 hours by bus from Arequipa. If you would like to take a guided tour of the Colca Canyon and be chauffeured around in a private minivan that can be easily arranged. Pablo Tours has tours througout the area.

Note: In addition to Museo Santuarios Andinos and Museo de Arqueologia UCdeSA also runs the Yanque Museum (Museo de Yanque in Spanish) in the small town Yanque of the Colca Canyon.

Does Arequipa Have a Shopping Mall?

There are a couple of shopping malls in Arequipa, but both are very small. Plaza Real is the fanciest mall, with the lower level a huge Super Vea megastore, restaurant, cafe and a few shops. The upper level has a few more stores in addition to the large (clothing, homeware, kitchenware) department store Oechsle (which has an upper and lower level).

For information on grocery shopping read: Grocery Shopping in Arequipa & Price Chart of Items.

Beaches Near Arequipa

Want some time in the sand and sun when visiting Arequipa? Get out of town and to the beach! Around 140 km (87 miles) from Arequipa is the coast with the towns Mollendo (main port), Mejia (upscale resort) and Punta de Bombon (sandy beaches for swimming).

Hop on a bus for the approximate 3 hour ride and visit the Mollendo Water Park, Santuario Nacional Lagunas nature reserve (near Mejia) or any one of the many sandy spots to lay your towel and ‘in need of a tan’ bod.

Cusco Coffee – Where to Get an Espresso in Arequipa

Have a Starbucks fetish and going through withdrawls during your travels? Arequipa’s Cusco Coffee is the next best thing with plush interior, magazines and artwork that give the store a similar feel. Plus, where in the world can you order a coca tea at Starbucks? A WiFi hotspot, it is located two blocks from Plaza de Armas at Calle La Merced #135 (Cercado area) and open from from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Where to Stay in Arequipa

Expensive
Name: Hotel Libertador Arequipa   Book Now
Address: Plaza Bolivar & Selva (no number)
Website: www.libertador.com.pe/ Click on the link and view the photos. Luxury haven inside the city with pool, spa, restaurant.

Midrange
Name: Los Tambos   Book Now
Address: Puente Bolognesi #129
Website: www.lostambos.com.pe/ Modern, elegant boutique hotel (even though it doesn’t call itself one) with two rooftop terraces, excellent breakfast, Internet, WiFi and rafting/biking/hiking tours.

Note: Just across the street from the new, upscale Mochileros Hostal in Vallecito area behind the gate is Arequipay Backpackers with dorm rooms, Internet, WiFi, enormous T.V. Worth a look. Backpackers ‘here to party’ environment, cheaper than Mochileros with 8-12 bed dorm rooms.

Cheap
Name: The New Point in Arequipa
Address: Palacio Viejo #325
Website: www.thepointhostels.com/peru/arequipa.html Excellent central location four blocks from Plaza de Armas, party-fun atmosphere, game room with pool table, DVD collection, WiFi.

Where to Eat in Arequipa

Expensive
Name: Sabine
Address: Andres Martinez #415 (short cab ride from Plaza de Armas)
Website: None. Upscale dining, parilla and gourmet fare.

Midrange
Name: Granada
Address: General Moran #111 (one block from Plaza de Armas)
Website: Restaurant & parilla (grilled meats) with beef heart shish kababs, lomo fino, Fettucini Alfredo, creme of asparagas soup and a menu special consisting of soup, main course, bread, drink plus desert for 10 soles ($4 USD). Open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cheap
Name: El Fez
Address: San Francisco #229
Website: None. Falafel, French crèpes, sandwiches, salads, fresh juices & espresso all can be enjoyed in outdoor patio.

Interactive Map of Arequipa

View Larger Map

Photograph by Molly McHugh, all rights reserved.

Stand of Fruit Stands - Around $1.50 USD for Fresh Juice

The main farmer’s market in Arequipa, Peru is Mercado San Camilo. Spanning a few blocks and containing an upper-level cafeteria plus a couple basic restaurants. It is a nice spot to wander around in, buy fresh produce, meat, jams, bread and have a drink or a meal.

Breakfast time in the upper level is fun for people watching and very popular with locals such as tables full of police officers and security guards having an inexpensive meal to start their day; be on your best behaviour!

It is 5 blocks from Plaza de Armas and open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It celebrated its 130 year existence last January (2011). For historic photographs of the market view this online news article: El más antiguo de Arequipa: Mercado San Camilo celebra 130 años

To see what it is like now, take a walk-through by viewing this YouTube video: Mercado San Camilo in Arequipa, Peru

If planning a visit to Arequipa or stopping through on your way to the Colca Canyon… places to stay, where to eat and things to do can be found here: Travel Guide to Arequipa

Selling Dry Goods at Mercado San Camilo in Arequipa, Peru

Buy Your Pure Butter, Pizzas & Jam (Mermelada in Spanish) Here!

Photographs and video by Molly McHugh, all rights reserved.

Lush, Palm Tree Lined Square in Cotacachi, Ecuador

Editor’s Note: This post is courtesy of Phil Ware who lives in Cotacachi and publishes the Ecuador4U blog.

Are you thinking of a move to Cotacachi, Ecuador? Here is a run-down of what things cost. More information: Cotacachi – Cheap Place to Live.

Note: Ecuador uses the dollar as its currency: Money & Currency in Ecuador.

Transportation

Cabs:  To go anywhere in town $1 USD (a little more if you go out further). To Otavalo (10k, 6 miles 20 minutes) $5 USD. To Ibarra (25k, 15 miles 30 minutes) $12 USD. To Quito (100k, 60 miles 2 hours) $50-60 USD.

Bus:  Cotacahi Bus terminal is next to the market on Leather Street. The bus system is very good and economical. There are several bus stops in town, however you can catch a bus anywhere you just flag it down when it comes by. Busses run every 20-30 minutes to the main destinations of Otavalo and Ibarra.

Bus to Otavalo is 25 cents, to Ibarra 45 cents, to Quito $2 USD (best option is to go to Otavalo Terminal where one leaves every 30 minutes).   Travel Guide to Quito

Note:  From Otavalo you can get busses to Colombia, Peru, Guayaquil and other destinations.

Housing

Apartment Rental:  Two bedroom 1.5 bath furnished apartment with all utilities paid including wireless internet costs around $400 USD a month.

One of the Many Vistas Viewed From Cotacachi

House Rental:  Three bedroom 2 bath fully furnished house costs around $700 USD a month.

These examples are for nicer, newer places. Less expensive places can be found but may not be in the best location, furnished, or have good hot water or internet.

Food Costs & Grocery Store Items

A new Tia store recently opened in Cotacachi which is the biggest one in town but still small by US standards.

The town of Ibarra nearby has a SuperMaxi which has a good selection of items and is a good place to buy meat which is 10% off on Fridays.

Best to buy fruits and vegetables at the local Cotacachi market. Sunday is the main day with the freshest produce and biggest selection.

 
Prices of Grocery Store Items:

 
Prices at the Local Farmer’s Market

 
Beer, Wine & Spirits

Wine:  Bottle of Blue Nun is $9 USD, cheap brand is around $2.59 USD, medium quality is around $6.99 USD

Beer:  Budweiser 350ml can is 79 cents, Pilsner (local brand) 600ml bottle is 90 cents.

Liquor:  San Miguel Rum Oro (.75 liter) is $4.99, San Miguel Rum 5 year (.75 liter) is $7.99,
Bellows Whiskey (.75 liter) is $7.99, Bellows Vodka (.75 liter) is $6.99, Grants Whiskey (.75 liter) is $17.99 and for all you Jack Daniels fans… a .75 liter will set you back $54.99 USD.

Restaurant Meal

Nice meal without drink is $3.50 – $6.00 (nicer place) USD. Local meal (chicken, potato, rice, small salad) in a typical restaurant without drink is around $2.50 USD.

Internet & Cable T.V.

Internet service is around $35-$45 USD per month for basic service, more for higher speed. Cotacachi has several different types of Internet providers (cell phone, DSL, satellite).

Cable T.V is around $45 USD for a basic monthly package.

Entertainment & Local Attractions

Quicocha Lake a beautiful mountain crater lake at 10,000 just 8 miles from town. The Otavalo market is on Saturdays and is the largest indigenous market in South America.   Travel in Ecuador – Otavalo

Medical Care

There is a basic medical clinic in Cotacachi and a more specialized clinic and Hospital in Ibarra. There are very good hospitals in Quito, which is only 2 hours away.

A basic doctors visit is $5 USD. A cardiologist visit with exam and EKG consultation costs around $50 USD. A visit to a dermotologist including an exam and basic removal treatment is $50 USD.

Many medications are available in Ecuador without a prescription, such as antibiotics, birth control pills and anti-depressants.

Note about Health Insurance:  Some expats were checking into getting on the National Medical Care System but ran into complications.

Medical care in general is very good and reasonably priced in Ecuador yet you still might want to consider going back to home country for major procedures, especially if you have medical coverage.

Dental Care

Dental care is very good and very reasonable. Many people come to Ecuador just to get Dental work done. There is a good husband/wife dentist team in Cotacachi for basic work and a very good one in Ibarra for major work. The price of two new fillings and four gum restorations cost $150 USD. To get a crown replaced costs $50 USD.

Montly Cost of Living

A couple should be able to live comfortably on between $800-1200 USD a month. A single person for less.

Ecuador4U is a blog by American expat Phil Ware who writes about living in Cotacachi and in Ecuador.

Photographs by Phil Ware, all rights reserved.