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What to
Bring to Ecuador
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by Linda
McFarlin
When moving to Ecuador, you can bring whatever you like, short of those
items that are illegal, if you are willing to pay the price of shipping
and endure the hassles involved. There are many shipping
services
available, including postal services, air or sea freight, even services
that will handle shipping and delivery of your luggage when flying so
that you can travel unencumbered.
Generally I find the following items either hard-to-get,
disproportionately expensive, unattainable or of poor quality in
Ecuador, so I suggest that when you move to Ecuador, you bring your own:
Quality
sheets. Many of the sheets in Ecuador are of a
low thread
count, rough-textured and aren’t wide enough to tuck under on
the
sides. However, I am now finding a few good quality sheets, 400 thread
count, at better shops in big cities and also at Una Idea, an
Atuntaqui-based bedding store.
Good table
lamps and floor lamps are especially hard to
find.
Good ones are expensive. Very nice lamps can be found in
limited
supply and styles at Ashleys, an American-based furniture store in
Quito. You can order lamps but shipping takes up to
3
months.
Antiques are
not readily available. I have been told several
times that Ecuadorians either keep furniture in the family, or burn it,
not appreciating its value! Antique prices in the
few shops
I have found are increasing.
American
name-brand food products are finding their way into larger
Ecuadorian grocery stores, but many are not available. You
can
find things like Hunts catsup and tomato paste, Betty Crocker cake and
muffin mixes, Del Monte and Old El Paso canned goods and Doritos at
groceries like Supermaxi.
Kitchen
gadgets and utensils can be more expensive than
you’d expect and not of very good
quality.
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I
strongly
recommend that you bring your own pots and pans, even
though moving to
Ecuador with a suitcase full of metal is unwieldy! While we
did
recently find waterless cookware, it was very expensive. Most
cookware is aluminum and thin.
You
won’t find outlet malls in Ecuador.
Specialty shops
like Ralph Lauren or Tommy Hilfiger are found in better malls in large
cities. Fashions are not as current as in Europe or North
America, so bring your favorite clothes with you. Prices for
better clothing tend to be high and sales are rare. Many
complain
that Ecuadorian shoes and boots are uncomfortable to wear and I have
found this true.
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Only
basic spices are available except in large cities.
Bring English
language books, cookbooks and magazines. Supply
here is very limited.
Videos--Most
movie CDs, are illegally-reproduced and of poor
quality. They can be purchased for $1-2 and may or may not
play
properly or be audible. However, you can often get first-run
CDs
before they come out in theaters in the states! Just because
the
movie’s label says they are in English, doesn’t
mean they
are, so have the salesperson play a minute or two of the movie so you
can check it out.
Some expats
are bringing decorative and household items from their
home
countries because the quality and styles are more to their taste than
what is offered in Ecuador.
What
to Buy with Confidence in Ecuador
Once you are living in Ecuador, buy the following products locally:
Good quality
furniture. Some furniture makers in Ecuador are
expert at producing copies from pictures. Have your own
designs
reproduced. Especially in the wood-carving town of San
Antonio de
Ibarra, you can find well-made wood furniture, sculptures, mirror
frames and decorative items at good prices. Don’t
forget to
bargain!
Bedding, such
as pillows, mattresses, even pillow top mattresses,
mattress covers, blankets and bedspreads or duvet covers.
Hilana
is a shop that makes excellent blankets, bedspreads, shawls
and
clothing from wool and cotton in natural colors.. Their two
stores are in Quito and Otavalo.
Fybeca is a
chain of pharmacies that carry most everything you could
want in the way of pharmaceuticals and health products, personal
hygiene products, - and some decorative items. In smaller
pharmacies, you can get your prescriptions refilled without a
prescription at significantly lower prices than in the U.S.
Appease your
craving for Starbucks or Caribou Coffee since coffee shops
carrying frappachinos, lattes and expressos are springing up.
Ecuador is a coffee drinkers’ paradise with many specialty
organic coffees at $3 to $5 per pound. The Intag
coffee is
especially robust and acid-free!
Don’t
forget that Panama hats are actually made in Ecuador.
Cuenca, especially, has several factories and stores that sell high
quality Panama hats and purses.
Since you cannot bring anything but new vehicles to Ecuador and
shipping is expensive, you may want to purchase a new or used vehicle
here, although they are also a little more expensive than
in the
U.S. New cars are 20-25% higher than in
the states.
While good
computers, printers and electronic equipment can be bought
in Ecuador, we suggest that it is better to purchase those things in
the U.S. where the selection is greater and prices are
somewhat
better. We found a computer expert in Ibarra who sells
Compaq’s at a price comparable to the U.S. But you
do have
to shop around. The larger stores charge 25-30% more than the
smaller local shops.
Tools are
available at Kywi, which is comparable to Ace Hardware The
quality is good.
Beg If Necessary!
I have met many creative people who find ways to have all the comforts
of home and products they are accustomed to, even things that are
hard-to-get in Ecuador. I, myself, am not above asking, even
begging, friends, relatives, complete strangers, to bring me those
special spices I need for Cajun file gumbos or Thai curries or my Aveda
hair products.
What female can live without her favorite hair coloring, (this is NOT
an
admission that I dye my hair!), shampoos and cosmetics? Bring
‘em with you or have someone bring them for you!
Please use this form to share the names of stores and locations
carrying hard-to-find items or to update any shopping information that
would be helpful for those moving to Ecuador.
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