Life in Quito. Anecdotes. Ecuador. August 2015.

For many years, every Sunday morning, we have Sunday edition of "El Comercio" delivered to our apartment building, whoever want to buy it goes downstairs and for one dollar it's yours.

The seller, woman who appears to be physical and mental handicap, has a paper route spanning few blocks and many apartment buildings. Her "modus operandi" - she usually sits on a sidewalk in front of one of the conjuntos (apartment building) and hollers "El Comercio", eventually, people living there come out and buy papers from her, sometimes people don't want to walk and they shout so she would deliver paper to their footsteps. Then she moves on to another conjunto and so on.    

One Sunday she seemed to be upset, I asked her what's the matter and it turned out that she left her "base" with rest of the papers and walked short distance to closest apartment building to sell one "El Comercio", she moves very slow due to her disability. Someone stole her papers while she was gone!!! 20 of them, along with the bag. At our peaceful and empty, on Sunday morning, street!

As you can see, thieves in Quito are equal opportunity and if they steal from this kind of person, they will definitely steal from you - if you let them.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/02/05/how-to-develop-the-situational-awareness-of-jason-bourne/

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/07/29/how-to-avoid-getting-pickpocketed/ 

Rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.

We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled

Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.

Anti-noise windows in both bedrooms

For booking, pictures and more info

http://quitorental.blogspot.com

Anti-noise window

Crime in Ecuador. April 2013.

There are buzz on Ecuador expats forums, English and Russian speaking, about marks made by thieves & burglars in front of the house they want to rob.
Our conjunto's administration bought plastic chairs for the communal room and they were stolen next day (in March 2013). The thieves went thru fence, broke window and took these chairs. It was a catalyst to put an electric fence around conjunto.  I didn't see any marks though.
There are 20 units in our conjunto, eight - two bedroom and 12 - three bedrooms. The electric fence cost us $1272. It took one week to install it and it is running 24 hours per day now. I wonder what our communal electrical bill would be next month. Usually our electrical bill for the public areas is between $8 - $11 per month.

No gated community is gated enough here in Ecuador!

Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.
We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled
Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com

Is it safe on a streets of Ecuador? Expat's opinions. Part two. July 2011.

Here is a link to part one
http://dayinquito.blogspot.com/2011/07/is-it-safe-on-streets-of-ecuador.html


From Facebook Ecuador expat group

quote

Today (Thursday, July 28, 2011 - LB)  at the gringo book exchange in Cuenca, calle larga y hermano miguel, with the front door open to calle larga.....

one of the gringos put his backpack down in a seemingly safe area....but maybe too close to the front door.  A couple of Ecuadorians? an older man in his 50s and a younger one, I didn't see him came in, and stole the backpack.

The older man distracted a few people while the younger one made his way in and snatched the backpack. They were in and out in less than a minute. by the time the owner of the backpack realized it....i think it was a couple minutes later, or even just one minute later, the pair was long gone.

end of quote

More posts on a subject from ExpatExchange

quote
....Sure, weapons are illegal, but for a high price you can get one. Find a thief hovering over your bed in the middle of the night ready to kill you? You must take action and sometimes, it must be covert. Why do you think Ecuador has one of the highest rates of "sicarios"--it's because people usually 'get no satisfaction' from local police authorities, unless they pay exorbitant fees and this is not even a guarantee. This is why years and years ago, we used to see dead bodies thrown on the road outside of Quito on the way north to Otavalo in the middle of night....you just don't call the police when you kill a thief who is trying to kill you...the way the twisted justice system here is, you may go to jail for life! People here know that.
 Yes, I know all of this sounds downright 'lawless' and it is because it really is. Inexperienced gringos who are used to calling their local "911" will never be able to truly grasp the 'law of the land.' here! Brutal as it may sound, you must take things into your own hands. Some people when building a house, install a "safe room" or a hidden safe. If you are not living in a gated community, some have extensive alarm systems, even hire guards, and that is just the way it is. I advise making friends with your neighbors. Help them out and they will help you, and of course, a weapon will not hurt if you are so disposed and know how to and are prepared to use it. Sorry to be so blunt. Many pie in the skyers and honeymooners will not be able to relate at first...
end of quote

quote
One simple way to try to blend in as much as possible is to carry an Ecuadorian newspaper ---- pick one up at a newsstand and carry it in your hand ------ It is not a cure all just a small tip that may let a potential thief think you are not a tourist. Another thing about walking - anywhere in Ecuador is to watch where you are walking -- the streets are uneven and there are lots of hazards ---- also, keep moving ---- watch the Ecuadorians at least in Guayaquil and Quito ---- they don't walk lazily down the street - Get rid of the fanny pack -
It is hard to try to look like an Ecuadorian when you are not - but there are a few things you can do ---- In the Sierra ---- I always where dark clothes - lots of black and grey ----
end of quote

Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.

We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled

Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
Anti-noise windows in both bedrooms

For booking, pictures and more info

http://quitorental.blogspot.com/

Is it safe on a streets of Ecuador? Expat's opinions. July 2011.

From the blog

http://l4slundonthemove.blogspot.com/2011/06/back-in-vermont-its-raining.html

QUOTE

My experiences on the streets of Cuenca. The first occurred on a Saturday morning on a busy street in El Centro. A man came up behind me and removed my earrings from my ears - leaving a slight scratch on one ear, but scaring me. I soldiered through that, going on with my planned activity for that day, determined not to be cowed.

But then a week later, three young men surrounded me and hassled me for several minutes, scaring me again. The two incidents started to wear on me, and I found my behavior changing..... I felt unsafe and unable to lead the kind of life that I wanted to. So I made plans to leave and arrived back in Vermont a few days ago.....

end of quote

From the ExpatExchange forum
quote
I'm from Guayaquil
I can tell you that Guayaquil is dangerous.
-Robberies on buses
-Sicarios cases (more in Gye) due to money owed, territory rights, or vengeance
-Robberies when you stop at a red light - robberies when you're on a bus and it stops, people from outside try to peek inside to rob you
- secuestro express cases mainly in Gye
- dulce suenos victims
- businesses getting robbed - restaurants, cafes, cybercafes, pizzerias, hospitals, clinics, offices, jewelry places, etc, etc..
Aside from that, traffic is horrible. :)
end of quote

from the blog

http://cuencachronicles.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-is-living-in-cuenca-really-like.html

Quote

As a former mental health therapist who worked with trauma victims, I recommend presenting in an assertive confident way.  By that I mean walk with good posture and a confident stride.  Do not wander along looking vulnerable and lost. Take note of your surroundings. LOOK at what is happening around you, be aware of the "tone" of an area.  Ask locals if an area is safe for walking, go out after dark with other people - not alone.  Common sense stuff a person should exercise in New York or Berlin or Quito

end of quote

Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.

We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled

Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
Anti-noise windows in both bedrooms

For booking, pictures and more info

http://quitorental.blogspot.com/

Mariscal in Quito is a nest of criminal activity, June 2011.

Again and again - Mariscal and Plaza Fosh, Quito.

Our renter, let's call him Alex, white tall Norteamericanos in his 30's, went to some sport bar in Mariscal. Alex got there at 9:30 p.m.  sat at the bar,  ordered few beers first, then few cocktails. He didn't leave his drinks unattended, chat with some English speaking foreigners and one Ecuadorian guy, who approached Alex twice. The next thing he knew he was in a taxi near apartment he was staying. He didn't remember how he left this Irish named bar, how he got in a taxi, his money was gone and he had to give a taxi driver his watch, cheap one, but still cost more than a taxi ride from Mariscal, to pay for the ride. Luckily he only had $40 on him. It happened in his first week in Quito.

After that he went out only to La Ronda,  which is around the corner from the apartment he was staying in, found some friendly bar there. La Ronda is more place for locals. There are some foreigners hanging out there, but not much, plus La Ronda has the best security in Quito.

Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.

We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled

Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.

For booking, pictures and more info

http://quitorental.blogspot.com/
 

Walking tours of Centro Historico Quito with Liliya and Leo

Entertaining history, legends, stories, gossip and

a lot of info about things to do and see in Quito.  

$50 total cost for three hours for up to four people (1 - 4 people)

For booking email us   lbassist2003@yahoo.com

 

Plaza Foch in Quito is a nest of criminal activity, May 2011.

It doesn't matter if you are an unsuspecting tourist just having arrived in Ecuador or a person who has lived here for many years. For all of us, gringos, Mariscal in general and Plaza Foch in particular are dangerous places to go.

One Thursday night, two gringos (I know one of them personally - this is how I learned about this accident), who have lived in Quito for about ten years and should know better, went to a boy's night out. It started out innocently enough in a nice restaurant in North Quito, only after a few drinks and dinner they wanted some adventure - let's go to Plaza Foch!!!

Here they are at one of Plaza Foch cafes, two tall, well dressed white guys, to make it interesting for the thieves working this night shift, one of them was wearing a $20K famous brand watch.  Right away they noticed some Ecuadorian guy looking at them, but it didn't alarm them - drinks were flowing. Apparently, a few of these drinks were courtesy of the bandit, because they blacked out at some point. One of the guys, the one who had the watch, was scratched all over, especially on the wrist where the watch used to be.  It looked like someone had drug him on the ground.  His nice clothing was stained and bloody. The other guy was beaten badly. Their possessions were gone. They were found by the police, late at night, unconscious, on some obscure street in Mariscal.

The guy who was beaten up had his blood tested and it was discovered that he had indeed been given the Ecuadoran "date rape" drug.

Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.

We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled
Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
Anti-noise windows in both bedrooms

For booking, pictures and more info

http://quitorental.blogspot.com/ 

 

Crime in Ecuador - how it affects us.

Quito crime - how it affects us.
We had a brush with criminals, but not a serious one.
When I started to come to Quito in 2006, 2007, all by myself, I decided: from 6 p.m. wherever I am going, even few blocks to my apartment - I am taking taxi, door to door.
It probably helped I am middle aged and I didn't wear jewelry, didn't have a camera, and didn't carry my laptop around - there were no accidents when I was alone in Quito.
When I came to Quito in 2008 with Leo, at first we were riding trolleys and buses. In the trolley a thief tried to get into Leo's backpack right in plain view! I told him - kish (go away in Russian). He looked at me and didn't move! He acted like nothing happened.
My favorite purse (it was before I started to wear cross body purses) was slashed on the trolley. The thieves didn't get anything but it was my favorite purse!
Two times, once in 2009 and once in 2010 we were smeared by a mustard looking substance and of course some good looking, nicely dressed people offered their help - we knew about this kind of crime, so I told them to go away in a few languages, but not in Spanish. They probably understood me because they looked at us strangely and hurried away.
We don't wear jewelry except our simple wedding rings, don't have a camera, don't walk around with a laptop. I wear cross body purses now. We don't ride trolley or busses anymore. We have our favorite taxi driver; Luis most of the time. We also use a taxi cooperative near our apartment building and when we are done with the grocery shopping at El Condado shopping mall we use only an El Condado shopping taxi cooperative. Once we put our groceries into another cooperative's taxi and the taxi driver tried to drive away without us, but with our shopping.  We ran after him and caught him, but since then we only use reputable taxi companies.

Tomorrow (manana) or sometime next week I will write about our experience buying real estate in Quito. 


We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath
 totally remodeled Colonial Quito,
La Ronda apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com/



Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.
3 bedroom, 1 bath remodeled
Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental2.blogspot.com

Crime in Ecuador

At English and Russian speaking forums, people (Norteamericanos and Russians living in Ecuador) are talking about a rise in criminal activity in Ecuador. According to the posts, these are equal opportunity robberies and assaults, the thieves rob Ecuadorans and gringos with the same gusto! Most of the time the thieves are getting away with their criminal activities.
From ExpatExchange
Tourists robbed at Hosteria Mataraya
http://www.expatexchange.com/expat/index.cfm?frmid=202&tpcid=3352486
The same topic (Tourists robbed at Hosteria Mataraya) at the Russian forum
http://www.rusecuador.ru/judicial/6980-napadenie-na-turistov-v-odnom-iz-postoyalyx-dvorov-ekvadora.html   

Remedies for robberies in Ecuador written by Linda
http://blog.pro-ecuador.com/?p=3273eries  

Another kind of crime - " as more expatriates move in, the scum of the earth will follow and take advantage of the situation" and " Future folks wanting to move to Ecuador, buyers and investors, beware. Be careful and do your homework ahead of time when looking towards purchasing property in Ecuador.
http://www.expatexchange.com/expat/index.cfm?frmid=202&tpcid=3352516  

Read this (written by Gary) before you buy real estate in Ecuador
http://blog.pro-ecuador.com/?p=3257 



We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath
totally remodeled Colonial Quito,
La Ronda apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com/  



Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.
3 bedroom, 1 bath remodeled
Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental2.blogspot.com

Our gated building not gated high enough.

Tuesday morning I heard a noise downstairs. I went to see que pasa and there were police, our builder/engineer and some neighbors in the basement - garage. It turned out that our gated building is not gated high enough. The thieves climbed over the garage door, damaged the mechainzm of the garage door opener and robbed two cars in the garage. The car alarms beloved by so many Ecudorian drivers didn't help one bit!! The cars had to be towed to a repair shop after that robbery! Our garage door was repaired the same day.


We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath
 totally remodeled Colonial Quito,
La Ronda apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com/



Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.
3 bedroom, 1 bath remodeled
Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental2.blogspot.com

What to do to prevent being robbed in Quito

I was showing to my friends Centro Historico on Saturday. We were walking around, three russian girls. On Flores street a boy, about 10 years old, made a bold move and got a golden chain from one of us.
It is very common in Quito.
I always tell everyone who visits us in Quito or rents our condo:
When walking in the city take as little money with you as possible
Leave your valuable jewelry at home.
Hide your camera.
It is better to have a cross body purse and hang it in front of you.
Men, carry your wallet in your front pants pocket (this is Leo's advice)
When you are smeared and offered help to clean it - refuse, refuse, refuse.
No accepting flyers from passersby.
In Centro Historico stay away from clowns (they perform Sundays at the Plaza Grande and it was rumored that sometimes they give a substance to lone tourists and rob them)


We have a charming 2 bedroom, 1 bath
totally remodeled Colonial Quito,
La Ronda apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com/



Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.
3 bedroom, 1 bath remodeled
Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental2.blogspot.com

Loaning money to Ecuadorians

From the ExpatExchange forum, one of the forum members wrote:
" When I first came here, I wanted to be a good friend and good neighbor, and tried to help friends. Well, no one has EVER paid me back. Ecuadorians will automatically assume that as a gringo you have lots of money. Even, if like me, you work here for Ecuadorian wages, they still think you have lots of money. I don't know, maybe they think you get funds deposited into a special account if you have blue eyes or something. But anyway, I don't lend money anymore. EVER. I ask them why they would want to borrow money from a single mother with kids, or I tell them I am not a bank. There's nothing wrong with being kindhearted, but being stupid is another thing. The point was driven home to me once when the lady who lived below me (my landlady's sister) sent one of her six kids up to ask me to borrow $5 dollars for milk for the kids. She would pay it back Friday. 10 minutes later, I saw her latest boyfriend and his buddies sitting on the patio drinking cervezas. Never again, and of course the money wasn't repaid Friday, or ever."

We like Ecudorians, they are very friendly, smiling, people. We feel comfortable living among them, however, this and other posts explain why we don't want to get too close with them. We are who we are and we are happy with our Russian and English speaking friends here in Quito.

We have a charming 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled Colonial Quito,
La Ronda apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com/

Walking tours of Centro Historico Quito with Liliya and Leo
Entertaining history, legends,stories and gossip
$50 for three hours (1 - 3 people)

Crime trend(s) again .. and again

I thought I was done writing about crime in Ecuador at least for January.
No so fast!!!
There is a post on the ExpatExchange forum about a group of english speaking tourists renting a house in Conocoto (outside of Quito, in Valle de los Chillos).
According to the woman who posted about incident:
"We found the house on Homeaway.com. The house is located away from the central part of Conocoto. We were held up at gunpoint by five men and one woman while walking into the house (in the daytime). There were several groups of people (not involved in the hold-up) who told us a group had been watching us. After the incident, she(landlady - ecuadorian woman) didn't want us to speak with the police because she didn't want to call attention to herself.
The woman(landlady) was not open to ANY type of negotiation in regards to the rental fee though we only stayed one week out of a four week reservation."
On the same topic from the another forum member:
"Anyone planning on owning a vehicle here, should bring a Steering Wheel Bar Lock with you. They can be purchased in automotive stores in the states. They are not sold here and they will stop someone from stealing the car" 

We have a charming 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled Colonial Quito,
La Ronda apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com/

Walking tours of Centro Historico Quito with Liliya and Leo
Entertaining history, legends,stories and gossip
$50 for three hours (1 - 3 people)

Crime trend known locally as "dulce suenos" Part 2

From the archive of an Ecuador forum:
"Around there and also in la Mariscal they have been known to use the scopolamine trick, almost always on unsuspecting women, but at times on men, especially at bars.. This street crime was imported form Colombia: It involves the use of Scopolomine, better known in the U.S. as the “date-rape” drug. It is also called "Burundanga" locally.
This drug comes from a plant that grows naturally in the jungle regions of the Andean countries. It is colorless and odorless and can be prepared for consumption (e.g. in drinks), inhalation (e.g. in cigarettes) or as a powder that rubs off on the skin and is absorbed. Upon ingestion, the victim loses the ability to think clearly and may pass out, making him/her vulnerable to theft or worse.
Most frequently, it is slipped into drinks.
Scopolamine induces a state of "twilight sleep", a state of "chemical hipnotism" , and produce sedation and drowsiness, confusion and disorientation, incoordination, and amnesia for events experienced during intoxication.
There have been cases of thieves putting it on pamphlets or fliers they hand out on the streets or inviting a woman walking alone, to smell perfumes or flowers laced with it.
When the victim opens the pamphlet, the crook blows the powder into the victims face. The victim inhales some of the powder. The crook apologizes and walks away but follows the victim at a prudent distance. The victim starts to get dizzy and either sits down or leans against a wall feeling very tired. Now the crook walks up to the victim to offer assistence. The victim now has no will-power left, cannot say no, and she is led to an ATM or bank to make multiple cash withdrawals or even back to the residence to be robbed.. The victim "wakes up" after a few hours and she will not remember anything. There is also an obvious danger here of medical complications due to adverse effets to the drug.
Also dollar bills on the floor of a taxi might be laced with the drug."
Be vigilant and Be Safe!!!

We have a charming 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled Colonial Quito,
La Ronda apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com/


Walking tours of Centro Historico Quito with Liliya and Leo
Entertaining history, legends,stories and gossip
$50 for three hours (1 - 3 people)

Crime trend known locally as "dulce suenos" Part 1

From the ExpatExchange forum in Ecuador:
it was reported by one of the forum members:
"Last weekend I decided to go out for the first time and try to meet some people at a popular gay bar here. (Tercer Mileneo).
I was approached by a very friendly, well-dressed, seemingly educated young man who was very sociable, attentive, polite, asked me to dance, etc. Toward the end of the evening he began sharing his drink with me (vodka and OJ). He asked if we should continue our conversation back at my place. I consented. After about 30 minutes of conversation there the next thing I realize is that it is about TEN HOURS LATER, I am waking up disoriented, the guy is gone and so is my laptop, ipod, camera, watch, alarm clock, etc. Obviously the drink he had so generously shared had been spiked with a knock-out drug."

Responce from another forum member:
"Regrettably this happened to a hetero gentleman who was staying with us and he too was robbed of his things. He had gone bar hopping and picked up a young woman.
The lesson here is the same from gay and hetero -- don't accept drinks from anyone ...and better to get a beer and open the bottle yourself."

The drug (used by criminals in both cases - LB) comes from a plant that grows naturally in the jungles regions of the Andean countries. It is colorless and odorless and can be prepared for consumption (e.g. in drinks), inhalation (e.g. in cigarettes) or as a powder that rubs off on the skin and is absorbed.

We have a charming 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled Colonial Quito,
La Ronda apartment for short-term rental.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com/

Walking tours of Centro Historico Quito with Liliya and Leo
Entertaining history, legends,stories and gossip
$50 for three hours (1 - 3 people)