Margarita Island, Venezuela

BY Karl Ike

Do you know the average life span in the United States is 76.9 years? That’s 28,068 days and I have already lived 21,900 of them, which means that I have only 6168 days left and I really want to make the most of them. That is unless I get T-boned at an intersection going to a job that I don’t like and get to work with a bunch of people that I do not socialize with away from work, but I get to do the same thing every weekend except for two weeks a year on my paid vacation. Then I get to clean out the garage and sleep late. I really don’t think I will ever see 76.9 cause if I don’t get T-boned going to work, a cancer will probably rot a part of my body away.


One thing I do know. I can’t retire in another 5 years, as I haven’t put enough away to retire which means that I will have to work the rest of my life at Wally World asking people want “paper or plastic” That’s why I want to make the most of my 6168 days left. I know that I cannot live on Social Security in the US so a couple of years back I decided to see what the rest of the world has to offer as a way of life. I went to England, France, Germany and Amsterdam but they are right up there with the US. Costa Rica I wasn’t impressed with, Canada is way too cold and I did live in Mazatlan Mexico for a year.

Mexico is not as cheap as it used to be however liquor and cigarettes are still cheap: helps get that cancer thing going and medications are cheaper to help kill the pain.

Mexico is definitely out.The Bahamas and Virgin Islands are right up there with Hawaii and my last name isn’t Trump so affordable living isn’t there either. I was stumped?

One day checking my e-mail, an old friend, Scott Boswell sent me a note. Scott and I met while we were both living in Mazatlan but this message wasn’t from Mexico? Scott & Kasey were e-mailing me from Margarita Island Where in the world is Margarita Island? As it turns out Scott had been looking for the perfect place too.
He had checked Central America, Equador, Argentina and a friend of Scott’s recommended this Caribbean island. To make a long story short, Scott went to visit for 6 weeks, came home, sold everything and moved back. Now he’s recommending it to me. You make your own decisions. I’ve made mine.

Scott started describing this wonderful island with a temperate climate year round located outside the hurricane corridor with beautiful Caribbean beaches, great restaurants, casinos and much more. Located off the coast of Venezuela in line with Trinadad, Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba. Now Scott is from Texas and ya’ll know how a Texan can stretch a tale so you have to read between the lines? He started spinning more tales. Like when he filled the gas tank on his Toyota Land Cruiser and it cost him $2. I had to yell “Horse apples Scotty! There ain’t no such thing as gasoline at $.09 a gallon. Don’t tell me that. Your Texas president wouldn’t allow that!”

Then he tells me that a bottle of beer at a beach bar is only $.40 and he and Kasey can go out to dinner at a great Italian restaurant for $20 (with a bottle of wine). I thought Scott might have had a few too many of those forty cent beers? Then this clown tells me that you can buy a nice 3-bed/3-bath house for $40,000 or a nice high-rise condo for $25,000.


“More horse apples Scotty. Stop lying to me!”

Then he tells me that I can have a cute full time maid to clean up my mess for another $4 a day. I told this Texas windbag , I’ll be there Friday! My work buddy, Leo and I needed a vacation and I desperately wanted to prove that Scott was full of hot Texas air so we booked a flight!

OK! So hold onto you wallet! Airfare from Las Vegas is only $530 round trip to Caracas. It cost me another $56 to take a 737 hop to this pearl in the middle of the Caribbean. So, for $590, I get to take two giant steps backward into this supposid third world country. We landed on Margarita Island Venezuela on Friday. The name alone was worth the price of a ticket. Wonder if Jimmy Buffet is here? If not…….Why? This little dot on the map looked pretty good from the air and a whole bunch bigger.

The island is about 40x60 miles with hundreds of white sandy strips called beaches, turquoise water and several big green mountain with scattered villages and towns. I was expecting a dirt runway with a couple guys in camo uniforms carrying machine guns. Cool! I like thrills. Much to my dismay, it was a very nicely appointed, very clean, air-conditioned airport that made many of the US airports look bad.

Scott picked us up in his Land Cruiser. (And with no dingle balls and Oh-ugah horn. Come on Scotty. This is supposed to be third world and we’ve all seen Romancing the Stone!) Scott drove us 6 miles to a very nice hotel in Polamar, a cosmopolitan city of 200,000 with high-rise condos and hotels. I kept looking for the third world? It’s here somewhere? Our hotel Marbellamar was a very nice hotel with open-air lobby, swimming pool, restaurant and bar, parrots, concierge, travel agency and more. Well, I didn’t catch Scott on the car but I sure can get him on this hotel. This place ain’t cheap!

The front desk clerk said a room was 70,000 Bolivar’s (B’s) a night. What? My hand started shaking as I reached for some money. (I had exchanged $100 at the airport with some money-changing guy) So not being familiar with the exchange, I had to do the calculator thing. (We changed our money at the rate of 2200 Bolivar’s to the dollar) The room came to $31. Per person right? No. It was for two people. Stick around……it gets worse!

We spent 3 days at this hotel and then decided to try another so we moved to Katarama Hotel. A smaller hotel with a nicer pool, breakfast was included, pool bar and a larger room with bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room with American TV for 60,000 B’s ($27) a night for two with breakfast. We spent the next 7-days here. If it got any cheaper they would be paying us! We rented a car. Scott took us to El Yaque, which was far from Yuckie. A beautiful sandy beach known for wind surfing, great beach restaurants and girls using dental floss for bathing suits so we stopped for a cold one. A beer was 1000 B’s ($.40) so we had six. I was wondering if any of those girls did any house cleaning? On the way back we needed to get gas for the Avis rental car so we pulled into a gas station where they still give you full service. While a girl washed the windshield and filled the tank I went into the convenience store for a cold beer.

The convenience store is like any 7-11 or Circle K in the States and is very well stocked. The official Venezuelan currency exchange rate is 1920 Bolivar’s to the dollar. You can exchange almost anywhere for 2200 to the dollar. Scott was getting us 2500 to the dollar. So when we paid for the gas, the girl squeezed 2483 Bolivar’s of 91 octane into the tank. About $.99 for a tank of gas! The beer was $500 B’s ($.20) When was the last time you got a tank of gas and a cold beer for under $1.25?

Never! Until today. Scott had gotten me again! I was wondering if girl who pumped our gas, cleans houses? Now I understand why Venezuela has won the Miss World competition more than any other country! They have some beautiful people even if all they wear is dental floss or a gas station uniform. At night, after a wonderful Italian dinner with a bottle of wine for $16, Leo decided to go home and I decided to go to Senor Frog’s. One thing I noticed is Margarita Island is very family oriented. I have never seen so many men out entertaining their daughters! I am really too old for Senor Frogs but I failed to see any age gap.

A beer there was the most I spent anywhere and it was 2000 B’s ($.80). If you like disco’s and loud music, that’s the place. Right next door there are two wonderful outdoor restaurants as well. Very cosmopolitan/European style. By the way, nightlife really starts at midnight and goes until the wee hours of the morning. From there I went to Margaritaville and the band didn’t start until 12 pm. And no, Jimmy Buffet was not there but he would love it.

Coming from Las Vegas, Sin City, the town that never sleeps, I decided to go to the Hilton Casino. I dropped the car off with the valet and stepped inside. The casino, while smaller, was very similar to US casinos. Blackjack, Caribbean Poker, roulette, and tons of slots in a beautiful building on gorgeous grounds. Complimentary cocktails served by beautiful women who I wished cleaned houses. The fun part was playing blackjack with $10,000 bills ($4) After having my fill of cocktails and losing 100,000 Bolivar’s ($40) I decided to call it a night. We also ate lunch at some small no-name beachside restaurant by one of the marinas where Scott took us. It is the kind where you fan the flies away to eat. Guess what? No flies but we met people from around the world there. Most of them live on their boats that they sailed from London, Florida, Georgia and other islands.
What an extremely interesting group. That is why we ate there about five times. Leo had never been outside the United States and had never had fish cooked with the eyeballs, teeth and lips. He was ecstatic and lunch was $8.

Scott took us to Sambil, a local third world mall or should I say third world MEGAMALL! This place was huge and beautiful like Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills with everything that we have in the US and far more.

Hundreds of stores, beautiful tropical restaurants with bridges over water ponds. and a food court to satisfy all your cravings for grease. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, Domino’s and Pizza Hut are here as well as world cuisine. We stuck to local flavor.

There is Venezuela’s version of Home Depot too. Actually, very modern, nicely stocked and almost everything you would need to build or re-model a house. There are other very nice modern shopping centers plus clinics and pharmacies with the same or better prices than Canada or Mexico for prescription drugs. And many you don’t even need a prescription for.
We decided to look at property that you can buy for almost nothing so Scott took us to La Asuncion which is a small clean town about 6-8 miles from Polamar. We looked at a 3-bed/3-bath house in a ¼ acre (1300 sf). One bed/bath was the maid’s quarters off the laundry room. The house had a chain link fenced yard with vines covering most of the fence and a huge playpa roofed patio that served as an outdoor entertainment area. Complete with a huge log table, hammock, TV and outdoor kitchen area.. It was great!

The house had a beam ceiling, 3/3, living room, Spanish tile floors, kitchen, AC, W/D, satellite (Direct TV) phone and needed nothing. Nice neighborhood in a quiet area. Price? $32,000 USD. In Vegas, something similar would be close to $200,000 on a smaller lot.

Leo and I looked at a brand new high-rise condo in Polamar with a two-story underground parking facility with security cameras. A gated high-security community with beautiful grounds and pools(s) weight room, sauna, party room, etc. The condo was 1300 sf with new American appliances (W/D, micro, dishwasher, refrigerator and stove) 2-bed/2-bath, central air, cable, phone and a wonderful view of the ocean and pool(s) from a monster-curved deck. Price? $85,000 USD unfurnished, $100,000 furnished.

In Vegas this condo would be $400,000 easy. Then we looked at an older two-story penthouse, 3-bed/3-bath, den, W/D, window AC, cable, phone, and security-gated grounds with pool. Price? Asking $32,000 The kitchen needed about $2000 worth of tile work done. Scotty had gotten me again! Unbelievable property for unbelievable prices.

Beautiful homes for the price of a small mobile. Maybe you don’t want to buy? You can rent a nice apartment for $100 a month. You can rent a very nice security gated apartment for $200 and for $300 you will have the penthouse.

So maybe rent for a year?

If you are 65 or over the airlines have a “senior discount” with round trip airfare from Caracas to Miami for only $125. Miami is only 3.5 hours away. And they are adding a direct flight from Margarita to Miami early 2005 which will make the time even shorter.

I am still trying to find a downside to Margarita Island. I mentally went through food, clothing, utilities, medical, rent/purchase, cars, TV, and all I could come up with was bowling? Then I remembered that I saw a beautiful bowling alley at one of the shopping centers.

Bottom line is, Scott took one look and moved completely. Leo has never been outside the United States. He took a look and has his house on the market and will be moving by June of 05 when his SS starts. Hopefully, I will be there sooner.

One thing I do know is that I can live very comfortably on SS in Venezuela. And the other thing I know is that I would rather be sitting on a beach having a cold beer or fishing, rather than asking people if they would like “paper or plastic”.

Another thing I have to point out is we were getting 2500 Bolivar’s to the dollar and the official rate is 1920 (which fluctuates) so our dollar automatically is worth more. We needed to exchange some money, we cashed in $400 and got 1,000,000 Bolivar’s.

One million of anything can, and will, go a long ways. And it did. For 50,000 B’s a day you can live comfortably and $800 a month on SS is 1,536,000 Bolivar’s at the official exchange rate. At $800 in the US, you will be pushing a shopping cart and eating cat food out of a can.

Leo and I figure that if the whole economy falls apart, which isn’t likely because Venezuela has a lot of oil, we have two choices. Move a couple islands over where tourists have been coming for decades or come back to the US and find a shopping cart on our Social Security.

And that Scott! One thing is, I will never doubt him again and another thing is that bag of hot Texas air has made a complete liar out of me cause nobody is going to believe me, without going there.

If you have any questions, you might want to e-mail Scott at discovermargaritaisland@yahoo.com as he really helped me (and you don’t have to read between the lines) or e-mail me as I am going through the moving process. I would be glad to help.

To contact Karl Click Here karl_ike@hotmail.com

VILCABAMBA ECUADOR

Federal Obligations exceed world GDP

Does $65.5 trillion terrify anyone yet?

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February 13, 2009
11:35 pm Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

As the Obama administration pushes through Congress its $800 billion deficit-spending economic stimulus plan, the American public is largely unaware that the true deficit of the federal government already is measured in trillions of dollars, and in fact its $65.5 trillion in total obligations exceeds the gross domestic product of the world.

The total U.S. obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits to be paid in the future, effectively have placed the U.S. government in bankruptcy, even before new continuing social welfare obligation embedded in the massive spending plan are taken into account.

The real 2008 federal budget deficit was $5.1 trillion, not the $455 billion previously reported by the Congressional Budget Office, according to the "2008 Financial Report of the United States Government" as released by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

The difference between the $455 billion "official" budget deficit numbers and the $5.1 trillion budget deficit cited by "2008 Financial Report of the United States Government" is that the official budget deficit is calculated on a cash basis, where all tax receipts, including Social Security tax receipts, are used to pay government liabilities as they occur.

But the numbers in the 2008 report are calculated on a GAAP basis ("Generally Accepted Accounting Practices") that include year-for-year changes in the net present value of unfunded liabilities in social insurance programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Under cash accounting, the government makes no provision for future Social Security and Medicare benefits in the year in which those benefits accrue.

"As bad as 2008 was, the $455 billion budget deficit on a cash basis and the $5.1 trillion federal budget deficit on a GAAP accounting basis does not reflect any significant money [from] the financial bailout or Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, which was approved after the close of the fiscal year," economist John Williams, who publishes the Internet website Shadow Government Statistics, told WND.

Find out what's behind the chaos at the White House, in the No. 1 best-seller "Obama Nation"

"The Congressional Budget Office estimated the fiscal year 2009 budget deficit as being $1.2 trillion on a cash basis and that was before taking into consideration the full costs of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, before the cost of the Obama nearly $800 billion economic stimulus plan, or the cost of the second $350 billion in TARP funds, as well as all current bailouts being contemplated by the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve," he said.

"The federal government's deficit is hemorrhaging at a pace which threatens the viability of the financial system," Williams added. "The popularly reported 2009 [deficit] will clearly exceed $2 trillion on a cash basis and that full amount has to be funded by Treasury borrowing.

"It's not likely this will happen without the Federal Reserve acting as lender of last resort for the Treasury by buying Treasury debt and monetizing the debt," he said.

"Monetizing the debt" is a term used to signify that the Federal Reserve will be required simply to print cash to meet the Treasury debt obligations, acting in this capacity only because the Treasury cannot sell the huge of amount debt elsewhere.

The Treasury has been largely dependent upon foreign buyers, principally China and Japan and other major holders of U.S. dollar foreign exchange reserves, including OPEC buyers purchasing U.S. debt through London.

"The appetite of foreign buyers to purchase continued trillions of U.S. debt has become more questionable as the world has witnessed the rapid deterioration of the U.S. fiscal condition in the current financial crisis," Williams noted.

"Truthfully," Williams pointed out, "there is no Social Security 'lock-box.' There are no funds held in reserve today for Social Security and Medicare obligations that are earned each year. It's only a matter of time until the public realizes that the government is truly bankrupt and no taxes are being held in reserve to pay in the future the Social Security and Medicare benefits taxpayers are earning today."

Calculations from the "2008 Financial Report of the United States Government" also show that the GAAP negative net worth of the federal government has increased to $59.3 trillion while the total federal obligations under GAAP accounting now total $65.5 trillion.

The $65.5 trillion total federal obligations under GAAP accounting not only now exceed four times the U.S. gross domestic product, or GDP, the $65.5 trillion deficit exceeds total world GDP.

"In the seven years of GAAP reporting, we have seen an annual average deficit in excess of $4 trillion, which could not be possibly covered by any form of taxation," Williams argued.

"Shy of the government severely slashing social welfare programs, federal deficits of this magnitude are beyond any hope of containment, government or otherwise," he said.

"Put simply, there is no way the government can possibly pay for the level of social welfare benefits the federal government has promised unless the government simply prints cash and debases the currency, which the government will increasingly be doing this year," Williams said, explaining in more detail why he feels the government is now in the process of monetizing the federal debt.

"Social Security and Medicare must be shown as liabilities on the federal balance sheet in the year they accrue according to GAAP accounting," Williams argues. "To do otherwise is irresponsible, nothing more than an attempt to hide the painful truth from the American public. The public has a right to know just how bad off the federal government budget deficit situation really is, especially since the situation is rapidly spinning out of control.

"The federal government is bankrupt," Williams told WND. "In a post-Enron world, if the federal government were a corporation such as General Motors, the president and senior Treasury officers would be in federal penitentiary."

ECUADOR REAL ESTATE

Cotacachi Real Estate For Sale

BY GARY SCOTT

Cotacachi and Ecuador real estate prices are on becoming higher. Construction material, cement, steel and wood have been skyrocketing in cost. Plus new duties imposed on imports such as pipe are raising material costs.

Our recent Cotacachi real estate tour looked at a number of Prima Vera II - to IV condos for sale from $46,500 to $54,500. Here is one of the four new Prima Vera blocks. This is Prima Vera III.

Bulding costs have forced the developer to raise prices on each building. The units are identical but each block has a higher price.

Here are the prices now for these Prima Vera units.

Prima Vera II

Prima Vera IV & V

Prima Vera IV & V

There are 13 units left here at the old prices. Learn here how to view the pricing and receive a 2% discount on the purchase as an Ecuador Living subscriber.

While viewing these condos we talked to American owner Bill Daily about the cost of living in Cotacachi. He and his wife live in a Prima Vera III first floor unit.

Here is Bill and his wife Jo.

This is their condo…with a comfortable view balcony

Two bedrooms.

One bedroom is used as an office…

plus a full kitchen.

Here is their living room.

We asked Bill about utility costs and he told us that property taxes were $38…a year.

Propane is $2.50 for 20 gallon bottle for cooking, heating and hot water. They use about $5…a month.

Water is $6 a month, electricity $20 a month….broadband $49…condo fees $100…so in all there basics are about $185 a month.

Until next message, good living wherever you are.

Gary

Ecuador Cost of Living. The $700 solution.

BY GARY SCOTT

Ecuador’s cost of living is low.

This is a great day to look at Ecuador coastal cost of living because our friends Larry & Shirley Humphrey just moved into their new condo at Vistazul! They are the first residents there.

Here they are at Palmazul, their club house, (133 steps from their condo) using the broadband. Eventually they’ll have broadband in the condos but the units are not yet completed (completion of the last units is scheduled for November 2009).

Since Merri and I are only part timers in Ecuador, I continually ask readers who have moved full time about Ecuador’s cost of living.

Recently our message entitled Cotacachi Cost of Living showed how Bill & Joe Daily live in Cotacachi on about $700 a month.

Another message Cotacachi House and Condo Rentals shows how Lee and Peggy Carper live for even less.

So I was not surprised when I spoke with Larry and Shirley that they told me it was costing them about $700 a month to live (without rent). Their comment was, “we receive over $2,000 from our Canadian pension, live on $700 and save the rest.”

We could call $700… the Ecuador cost of living solution!

Yet low cost living is not even near the biggest benefit of living in Ecuador quoted to me by residents here. A more relaxed lifestyle is often number one.

I could not agree more. Here I am with Ma in the Pamazul front yard… working hard.

I am thinking.

Other times I take my lap top and enjoy the benefits of a broadband global business by working from my balcony… with this view… and the sea breeze… the warn sun and sound of the waves.

Usually I quit working though for the sunset. Here is one sunset shot I took from one of our Vistazul condos.

These condos are now available for rent.

Good health comes in as a reason to live in Ecuador as well. Everyone walks more… eats fresher food. A great article on Ecuador beach restaurants shows why.

Larry and Shirley are from Calgary and had a successful jewelry business there but the pace of life was ruining their health. Since arriving at Vistaazul, Shirley has seen her weight drop 20 pounds and is completely off all the medications she needed when she lived up north. Both tell me they feel so much better… so much more relaxed… filled with energy again.

Merri and I watch them enjoy playing in this surf every day.

Some times alone.

Some times with the local kids.

Some times with just the pelicans and sometimes…

on this totally empty beach.

Style in Ecuador construction also offers some wonderful little things that one would never get in a condo up north… like this window trim.

Each unit has its own special wood carving in the window.

Gardening is another. Here is one block of the Vistazul condos. They look a bit bleak now but not for long.

Here are some of the flowers you see around Vistazul.

So many shapes…

sizes…

colors…

smells.

Plus, I just received this note from Kjetil Haugan.

Gary, thanks..I just got back from Galapagos where we had a small party launching our newest Galapagos cruise ship, the M/C Nina..we have our first cruise tomorrow.

Shirley and Larry moved into their condo yesterday!

We hired a Botanical Phd to design and plant the whole project..he started today.

We have 5 units of the seven nits you recently wrote about left but I will keep at least 2 of them for some clients that reserved up the hill and have not decided yet what to do. This means we have only 3 units left to sell..and a couple of people are almost ready to make deposits..I do expect some fallout from the people who made deposits but anyway it looks very good. I have also negotiated a couple more cash sales from people who wanted to buy. Regards, Kjetil

This means that there may only be one condo unit left with the free Galapagos trip offer. Get details from Kjetil at kjetil@haugancruises.com

Until next message may your cost of living be low , relaxed and healthy as well.

Gary

Gary Swensen - My life in Ecuador

FREEDOM

You say that you don’t have enough Money to retire?
We have huge mortgages and stress to pay those mortgages. Other people tell you that you need millions of dollars to retire.
We think that we are locked into living inside the USA until the day we die.
IT´S A LIE! We (Americans) have been brainwashed into thinking that we have to have a brand new huge house. Two new SUV’s, Every toy known to man, with huge mortgages and stress to make those payments until we are 80 years old….This is not freedom.
The truth is that a person can retire much sooner then they are led to believe. I for one am living proof that it can be done. And I live wherever I like!
One way is to sell all of the things that create stress in your life, and buy a sailboat as I did in the mid 90s and travel the pacific. Or you can keep all or most of your stuff and retire in a place where things cost much less than the USA.
While I was cruising the Pacific from 98 to 02, I spent 1 year and a half in Mexico, a year in Central America, and a year and a half in South America and the French Polynesian Islands of the South Pacific. In that 4 year period I spent 5 months in the Small country of Ecuador. Its climate, beaches, mountains, and mostly its people are what took hold of me, and hasn’t let go. I fell in love with the place and its people. I sold my boat after crossing the Pacific to Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora, and returned to the place that I had fallen in love with to live.
I have been here for over 7 years now. Have a beautiful Ecuadorian wife with which I have been married for almost 6 years, and a 2 ½ year old boy. We live on a beautiful 10 mile long beach with a sea that is warm, people that are friendly, and fresh foods every day. Wow, what a difference all these things make in the stress level….

One of the things about the lifestyle that I have here, is that even a person on social security, can live like a king! For example. We have a very nice house, with a guest house, a caretakers house, garage, shop, pickelball court, swim pool, all on a half acre right on the beach. My taxes are $32 per year! My electric bill for the entire property is around $20 per month! We cook with propane, and the exchangeable 10 gallon bottles are $1.60. Yes, that is $1.60 for the whole 10 gallon bottle exchange, not $1.60 per gallon! We eat out quite often, and a huge lunch of fresh fish, shrimp, chicken or beef, with fresh soups, rice, salad, menestra, and a fresh fruit juice, is $1 to $1.50! A quart of beer is .60 cents. Fillet mignon is $1.80 per lb. We make hamburger and stew with it! Fresh shrimp and fish from the fisherman on my beach is $1.00 per lb.!
When traveling, we go on the 1st class busses called ejecutivos (executive) that run $1 per hour of travel. A nice clean hotel runs between $5 to $15 per night per person.
Basically my family and I with our house paid for, live here very very well, including travel, eating out, hotels, paying the caretaker, electric, etc etc. for less than $700 per month! Others live on much less. By the way, the caretaker does everything from painting the house to taking care of our extensive flower and plant gardens, and lawn, to maintaining and building whatever pops up for $45 per week.
The cost of labor here is low. A maestro (journeyman type) is around $15 a day, and a laborer is around $7 per day. Building costs are also very low depending of course, on how lavish you want to build it. I have a small Polynesian style house that I built for my caretaker that is around 500 Square feet, and finished nicely for $2000. Yes that is two thousand dollars.
By the way, the currency here is Ecuador is the United States dollar! It is very easy to access your money from the states from cash machines. I use bill pay on my bank account in the states, or pay pal to send money to whomever I want in the states. My credit card bill is automatically withdrawn from my bank account and air miles credited at the same time. It is all so easy to do. We do have a home in the states. It has 6 tires and a motor so that we can live wherever we want when we want. We put insurance on it when we are there and cancel when we are not. We have no telephone bill, no house insurance, and no car insurance, except when we are there in the U.S.A. NO BILLS!
Here in Ecuador, we have pay as you go cell phones, wireless internet, DirecTV, a car that we use for local trips, and that is about it.
We work on things when we want, we play in the waves, we walk almost every afternoon on the beach with little Archie, walk into town and have lunch and or dinner when we don’t feel like cooking, and we enjoy evening sunsets from the terrace or beach. There is a town close by called Bahia De Caraquez that has some cultural things, theater, an international marina ( that Mercy and I started a few years ago) high-rise condos, etc.
A few friends with sail boats here from the states have purchased penthouse condos with views of the ocean and river, for $30k to $70k. The same thing in California would be millions, and we have a warm ocean!
It is very easy here to get a retirement visa, and costs around $800. It allows you to come and go as you please. You only need to show proof of income of $700 per month or more to qualify. There are also other types of visas which don’t require income verification, but do require an investment.
Anyway, back to the main subject of retirement. The truth is that you DO NOT NEED to have millions of dollars to retire. You do need to have the desire to change your life and maybe live in paradise, do a little planning, and make the decision when you are ready.
There are many foreigners here that live full time, and many that come to 2nd homes here for vacations. Some that lives here part time and then goes home to work a few months and then live here comfortably for the rest of the year.
I have a neighbor here that has a small hotel and they go to the states and drive long haul truck for 2 months and make 20k and then come and live here for the other 10 months on the $ that they made, and the extra they put into their construction and upgrade their hotel. They watch their money and live comfortably. What do you need millions of dollars for anyway? To have your kids fight over it when you’re gone? To go to court and try and protect it from all the people who want to sue you for it….. The real truth is that it isn’t worth it. Do something that you love to do, go somewhere with your wife or husband and family, and enjoy time, not be stressed out about it. Do it while you have your health, and your bones aren’t fragile…
I am reminding you to enjoy your life, whether you are retired or not. And that there are options available. Have a plan on how you can achieve your financial goals, and work toward those goals. Part of that is becoming debt free. I am here to tell you that it can be done. Wow, what a concept…. Debt free. Now that is freedom!
Gary, Mercy, and little Archie

Contact Gary at gary@ecuadoredg.com

The Difference Between Pipe Dreams and Reality is the Amount of Effort You Put Into It...Dream Big

I recently took a trip to Ecuador. The sole purpose was to investigate the lifestyle and business opportunities in this very unique country. My interest had been piqued by reading the huge amount of information on Ecuador by Gary Scott along with some others. Gary Scott and his wife Merri have lived a very unique and varied life. World travelers, explorers, writers & entrepreneurs. They have lived and worked in Ecuador for many years and written extensively in Gary’s e-zine/ blog and offer themed tours in this country that highlight the real estate and business opportunities for North Americans and Europeans.

Ecuador is a small country, the size of Nevada, with a population of approximately 11 million. The Pacific coast has fantastic unspoiled beaches and myriad real estate opportunities. The highlands (6-10,ooo feet elevation) offer some of the most consistent weather, breathtaking mountain backgrounds and like the coast - great real estate and business opportunities. Many North Americans & Europeans are discovering this great country. They are finding that they can escape the high cost of living in their native countries and live a very fulfilled & much less expensive life in Ecuador. I tend to compare Ecuador now to Costa Rica - twenty years ago. However, I believe that Ecuador has some distinct advantages over CR. No hurricanes or tropical storms, many different micro climates which allow you live in “eternal spring” like environments year round or coastal living without the intense tropical heat and humidity.

I found many things to like about Ecuador. I will be returning in 2009 to investigate this country further. This subject highlights one of the goals of Boomer's Life which is to discover other countries which would allow boomers to live comfortably on their savings and/or social security. I certainly believe this is not only achievable, but I met many in Ecuador that were doing just this. They were living better, healthier & more prosperous lives than they ever could hope to live in their former countries without the government intervention, taxes and bureaucracy.

Food is approximately 1/6 the cost of North America, gasoline is $1.50 per gallon. Did I mention that Ecuador is a “dollarized” economy? Yes, that’s right - they use the U.S. Dollar as their currency. More later…