Any Ecuadorians on this board? I wanna visit for two weeks with my gf in April/May this year (she's Japanese). We plan on hitting up Quito, Cotopaxi, Banos, Guayaquil and The Galapagos.
I kept reading that mugging and armed robberies are common even in broad daylight and you should take extra care in places that are visited by tourists. Are those stories true or exaggerated?
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Ooooh nooooo
I bet it's her idea.
w-what? Is it worse than Brazil?
nah, completely mine. Also made the itinerary for us
>austrian nerd
>settles for asian gf
always
If you want serious answers, take this thread to /trv/
Gil, you know it’s not worse than Brazil
ive been there but i never got anything took away. The difference between latam and europe is that they will use violence over there so yeah, just be careful, dont risk it. Dont hang around with a camera on your neck and checking your phone all the time. Avoid that and always keep an eye on yoru surroundings. You will be fine.
I watched a documentary about farmeros in Latin America in the banana industry that touched base on banana republic violence and agricultural exploitation
bananalandmovie.org
But in it there was a section that focused on Ecuador and how there's basically foster homes overflowing with kids with birth defects because of how toxic the areas near the banana fields are.
Can any batos de Ecuador confirm if this is a really wide spread issue or just localized to a small amount of farming communities?
>Are those stories true or exaggerated?
Exaggerated
Let me elaborate. Ecuador is the 2nd safest country in South America and it is at the same level of the US in terms of safety. If you are afraid of going there, you basically shouldn’t leave Europe in the first place.
thanks lads, I'm usually good at not standing out even in shady places but I was afraid how that will be with my gf
No worries, are you staying at a hostel? If so. Your greater risk comes from other first world travelers who could possibly steal your shit or harass your gf if you don’t take measures. I’ve been to Ecuador and it is packed with backpackers from Europe and North America, so you won’t stand out that much
probably only near Cotopaxi and maybe Banos, rest should be airbnbs
the tourist areas are probably the safest parts because they are protected so that people feel like coming back and giving more money. like northern quito(mitad del mundo), montañita and stuff.
however you'll probably be landing in guayaquil which is more dangerous. don't take your phone out, technology is sold at a huge markup in latam and you can be mugged or pickpocketed. my mom had a situation where a lady tried to steal her watch from off of her and my cousin had a knife pulled on him in the back of the bus and was mugged for his phone so definitely try to not do that. Anyways watch out for petty stuff like that.
use a disposable camera and buy a flipphone (international data must be expensive anyways)
that's all my advice.
t. i have a birth certificate from ecuador
Ecuadooooooooooooooooor is cute.
hmm, I'm a bit concerned since I do travel photography and also some vlogging. So I'll be walking around with my camera bag that includes some (semi) expensive gear. Will I stand out more if I attach a lock to it?
Hmm, I say lock it. And try to vlog in hotel rooms, inside your car* or in tourist areas. Definitely don't go out in the street with a selfie stick or anything like that. Unless you're at a big international tourist attraction.
*Oh yeah, you should definitely have vehicle accommodations. There's like one train in the country and you can't rely on buses too much.
oh well, both of us don't have a driver's license. I think the only bus ride we need to take tho is from Banos to Guayaquil
>oh well, both of us don't have a driver's license.
>taking the bus in a third world country as an obvious foreigner
No offense hawara, but are just really uninformed or genuinely dumb
buses didn't seem that dangerous, as long as you keep your belongings on you. My biggest concerns were street robbery