Books about living or retiring in Ecuador

Author: Nicholas Crowder

I love to write and I really like to put words down about Ecuador. Much of my adult life has been spent studying this tiny emerald country. When I first visited in 1980, there was really only one or two books that covered traveling there. I did find a number of books that touched on the culture which fascinated me but, most were quite old. Also, there was not a lot of scholarly work in the early 1980’s about Ecuador.

I was fortunate enough to write three editions of Culture Shock! Ecuador and believe it was one of the first modern era books that offered detailed information on many aspects of living there and the culture. The Gringo invasion over the last five to ten years has brought forth a whole new crop of authors writing about aspects of retirement and living in Ecuador. Some of them are very good and some are average. However, all shed some light on the challenge of living in Ecuador and have some value for a prospective expatriate.

In the current group available I have selected three, yes including my own that I feel should be part of any research for those considering living or retiring in Ecuador. All three of these have different strong points that should be considered by a prospective expat and share a lot of valuable information.

1.Living and Retiring in Cuenca: 101 Questions Answered [Kindle Edition]
Connie Pombo (Author)

Ms. Pombo’s story is unique in that she has written significantly about a number o topics including surviving cancer and made the bold move with her husband to seek adventure in Ecuador after her children were raised. She also had previous experience living overseas in Italy which would equip almost anyone for the intricacies of culture shock in Ecuador.

Here is another book some may enjoy by Connie: Trading Ashes for Roses: From Pain to Passion .

2. Our Ecuador Retirement…The First 8 Months

Donald Murray Sr. is another expatriate writer and I like the Sr. on his name because it makes him sound older than me. He also lived in Alaska and has created quite a following with his down home magic with words in sharing his experience of moving to Ecuador with his wife “Pocket Babe”. His homespun humor makes me think he may be related to Tom Bodett the spokesperson for Motel 6 who always says in the the advertisements “We’ll Leave the Light On For You”. Mr Bodett has also lived in Alaska.

You may enjoy another book of Donald Murray Sr. also available on Kindle called: Notes From Geezerville

3. 100 Points to Consider Before Moving or Retiring in Ecuador

Nicholas Crowder fell in love with Ecuador when he was twelve years old and he heard a radio broadcast transmitting from atop the Andes. Then he fell in love with an Ecuadorian flower on his first trip in 1980, and married her. Mr. Crowder believes that Ecuador has an amazing cultural diversity along with its geographic beauty and works hard at sharing the cultural uniqueness with the world.