Guatemala

[Sumbitch]

Ecuador shares a cost of living comparable to Thailand with a preferable climate, IMNSHFO. Have been to Quito a number of times. Some stats: from Climate of Ecuador - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The weather in Quito is consistent to that of a subtropical highland climate. The city has a fairly constant cool climate due to its elevation. The average temperature during the day is 66 °F (18.9 °C), which generally falls to an average of 50 °F (10 °C) at night.

From Cost Of Living Comparison Between Thailand And Ecuador. According to the Web site, this comparison was last updated 15 May 2015 and the data used in the comparison came from the previous 18 months:

Consumer Prices in Ecuador are 3.70% higher than in Thailand
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Ecuador are 0.72% higher than in Thailand
Rent Prices in Ecuador are 8.76% lower than in Thailand
Restaurant Prices in Ecuador are 18.95% higher than in Thailand
Groceries Prices in Ecuador are 5.78% lower than in Thailand
Local Purchasing Power in Ecuador is 18.63% lower than in Thailand

The girls are beautiful and love to party and are very, very easy going. The place was a lot cheaper before 2000, when Ecuador had its own currency. The currency now is the USD.

[Latindancer]

and golf was limited as well

Hrrmph ! Damned savages !

[Lancelot]

Lance, great pics and thread. Now that you have been to a few countries, are there any that you would consider spending more time in? Latin America has been my plan B for many years and my needs would be geared more toward cost of living, scenery and attitude of the natives.

Enjoy the rest of your trip an take plenty of pics.

Thanks buddy.

So far the place I enjoyed most was Panajachel, Guatemala. GREAT climate and low cost of living. My least favorite places were Costa Rica and Panama.

I didn't see enough of Columbia, I flew from Panama City to Bogota, then south to Cali and crossed into Ecuador by land. Colombia -what I saw of it- had decent infrastructure and a low cost of living.

I'm behind on posting pics, pain in the keister to upload from Photo Bucket. Ecuador had some surprisingly good roads, they seem to be intent on improving their infrastructure.

[Exit Strategy]

I have a English - Spanish dictionary on my smart phone

Google translate is great, but the killer is they need relatively fast online connection (which in itself is not a problem if you have been before and have active SIM card and can just activate Internet package on airport). My advice would be to purchase (good) offline dictionary to countries you are going to visit. Maybe neighbouting ones too, you never know what...

ooking forward to the bus trip today, 160 degree recline, wifi and meal. Looks like business class in some airlines. I have even seen a couple of bus lines that advertise 180 lie flat 'Cama" seats

Why is it like these said "2nd world" countries are in some respect "1st world". Have you travelled by bus in europe?

[rickschoppers]

Lance, great pics and thread. Now that you have been to a few countries, are there any that you would consider spending more time in? Latin America has been my plan B for many years and my needs would be geared more toward cost of living, scenery and attitude of the natives.

Enjoy the rest of your trip an take plenty of pics.

Thanks buddy.

So far the place I enjoyed most was Panajachel, Guatemala. GREAT climate and low cost of living. My least favorite places were Costa Rica and Panama.

I didn't see enough of Columbia, I flew from Panama City to Bogota, then south to Cali and crossed into Ecuador by land. Colombia -what I saw of it- had decent infrastructure and a low cost of living.

I'm behind on posting pics, pain in the keister to upload from Photo Bucket. Ecuador had some surprisingly good roads, they seem to be intent on improving their infrastructure.

Interesting, since Panama was number one on my list only from what I have read and heard from others. What did you not like about it?

[stroller]

Have you travelled by bus in europe?

Only in poland and hungary, shit places with shit bus services.

[Exit Strategy]

Have you travelled by bus in europe?

Only in poland and hungary, shit places with shit bus services.

Last time I travelled by bus in europe, there was no wifi, no leg room, no food, no personal monitor with movies, music and apps but the cost was far higher than in developed countries, the first world. Which is a bit strange because it should be exactly the opposite.

[Lancelot]

I have a English - Spanish dictionary on my smart phone

Google translate is great, but the killer is they need relatively fast online connection (which in itself is not a problem if you have been before and have active SIM card and can just activate Internet package on airport). My advice would be to purchase (good) offline dictionary to countries you are going to visit. Maybe neighbouting ones too, you never know what...

ooking forward to the bus trip today, 160 degree recline, wifi and meal. Looks like business class in some airlines. I have even seen a couple of bus lines that advertise 180 lie flat 'Cama" seats

Why is it like these said "2nd world" countries are in some respect "1st world". Have you travelled by bus in europe?

I can use my dictionary app off line. Forget the name, it was a freebie from Google Store.

Yeah, I've been on European busses, but it was 1972

[Lancelot]

Interesting, since Panama was number one on my list only from what I have read and heard from others. What did you not like about it?

Don't let my opinion put you off if Panama is your choice.

I was in Panama for only 9 days, all of which were in Panama City, but I found it to be the most expensive country I visited in Central America. On the other hand the infrastructure was the best I encountered in CA, so you get what you pay for.

Mostly I didn't care for the people, found many of them to be surly and unfriendly. English was spoken by many of the locals in Panama City, so getting by with no Spanish would be less of a problem than other CA countries.

Perhaps if I had seen more of the country I would have a different opinion.

YMMV...

[Lancelot]

Beautiful Ecuador! View from the bus, heading south from the Colombia - Ecuador border. Very easy land crossing, no requests for money, no onward ticket BS and 90 days on arrival!

The closer I got to Quito (10,000 feet elevation), the more painful it was to breathe. Pissed me off, I thought I was in better shape, Ha!

Next morning I woke up feeling fine, just need to let my body acclimate.

[BobR]

The hombres here seem to prefer a naked bike, street fighter style. Two popular brands are Mahindra and Pulsar, both Indian brands. Single cylinder, air cooled and low technology carburetor fuel systems. I haven't seen many step throughs or automatics. The Indian bikes are probably popular because they are cheaper. Money is hard to come by for a Mayan boy...



For the major brands, Yamaha and Suzuki, respectively, seem to have the most market share, Honda is a distant third. A Yamaha FZ16, 160cc would set you back about $2,630, according to a brochure I was given.

Man, I sure miss my CBR250...

The rest of the World rides these nice small motorcycles that are as fast as small cars, only Americans think a motorcycle needs to weigh 800 pounds and have a 4 cylinder engine.

After a lovely trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico last month, I've been looking south of the USA (but Mexico is still a war zone). What's the nightlife like in Guatemala?

[rickschoppers]

Puero Vallarta is too touristy and not a real representation of what Mexico is like. Kinda like judging Thailand by Pattaya or Phuket. You need to get away from the tourists and spend some time in sleepy little fishing villages or smaller resort towns like San Blas or Ixtapa.

I used to spend most of my time in small towns in Mexico that had good surf and fishing before the tourist boom. Now those quaint little villages are getting harder to find, but well worth the hunt.

[Exit Strategy]

Second that.

Beautiful Ecuador! View from the bus, heading south from the Colombia - Ecuador border. Very easy land crossing, no requests for money, no onward ticket BS and 90 days on arrival!

The closer I got to Quito (10,000 feet elevation), the more painful it was to breathe. Pissed me off, I thought I was in better shape, Ha!

Next morning I woke up feeling fine, just need to let my body acclimate.

[Exit Strategy]

weird double post...

[Lancelot]

The rest of the World rides these nice small motorcycles that are as fast as small cars, only Americans think a motorcycle needs to weigh 800 pounds and have a 4 cylinder engine.

Very observant there Bob- I've NEVER seen a European on a big bike

[stroller]

Just curious: how can you tell which continent a rider comes from when they wizz past?

[Lancelot]

^ Now Stroller, it's a long time until Christmas -and if you're a good boy- Santa just might bring you the brain you have always coveted.

On the other hand, you've been a moron for so long that your body would certainly reject any attempt to improve your intelligence.

Sorry Buddy

[stroller]

Why the personal insults in response to a question?

Maybe you realise by now how silly your earlier statement was.

[Lancelot]

^ Why are you trolling?

And you actually believe only people from the USA ride big bikes?

Now who is silly

[stroller]

And you actually believe only people from the USA ride big bikes?

What have you been smoking?

You're the one who claims to have never seen a European on a big bike, not me.

[Lancelot]

You buddy Bob makes a comment that only Americans "think a motorcycle needs to weigh 800 pounds..." and you jump in to impress us with your bull shit. My original observation was that Indian bikes are popular, probably because of the cost.

Some morons add nothing positive to forums and only participate to take the discussion negative.

You and Bobby can dish it out, but cry like a baby when you get some of your own medicine.

[rickschoppers]

Lance, that is about a one year come back. How are your travels coming along?

[Lancelot]

Riding in the Philippines now. I've done the Bataan Death March (most of it) and the Banaue rice terraces in northern Luzon.

[beerlaodrinker]

Excellent bump from a great thread. Hope you can take the time to bang up a few pics and a travel report. I for one would be interested. Bring it on lance.

[Lancelot]

The rest of the World rides these nice small motorcycles that are as fast as small cars, only Americans think a motorcycle needs to weigh 800 pounds and have a 4 cylinder engine.

Only a moron like Bob would publicly demonstrate his ignorance with the above post