The first edition of Expats in Ecuador: Life in Cuenca, published in February 2013, provides an overview of moving to and living in Cuenca: the big-pic¬ture perspective, the context of adopting a Cuenca expatriate lifestyle more than the content on how to navigate through day-to-day life. That book casts a wide net, examining the issues new expats confront, capturing the feeling of living in Cuenca, and recommending a mindset that stands recent arrivals in good stead as they adapt to a new life in a new country. We do all that in this book, the second edition, as well. However, Life in Cuenca First Edition was written just as our website was launched in November 2012. A year later, GringoTree.com is the largest English-language site in Ecuador. We’ve published upwards of 7,000 daily notices on Cuenca’s expat-community bulletin board, 1,000 Q&As with more than 5,000 responses, 600 recommendations with 800 comments, 500 Business Directory listings, and more than 300 Cuenca and Ecuador news stories. Plus, we’ve conducted a dozen surveys on important expat issues. Thus, Life in Cuenca Second Edition drills deep into a number of practical concerns facing expats in Ecuador. We authors have benefited from the questions asked by hundreds of prospective expatriates and the answers provided by hundreds more current expats in Cuenca, based on their experiences, expertise, and wisdom. And now readers can benefit from them too.For example, what’s involved in getting a driver’s license and buying a car? (And you’re sure to be surprised by the answer to the question of whether making a left turn on red is legal.) How hard is it to bring pets to Ecuador? What is “reverse ugly Americanism” and how does it impact expats, especially newcomers? Where are the best Ecuadorian, American, Peruvian, and seafood restaurants? When and where do the best cultural events take place? In what everyday ways do colonial history and a civil-law system impact expats? What do hundreds of gringos say about crime, health insurance, Spanish, cultural sensitivity, cost of living, and visas? How do you avoid bank failures (such as the spectacular collapse of a local credit union in June 2013)?In Life in Cuenca Second Edition, we’ve endeavored to express our deepest impressions of, convictions about, and knowledge of Cuenca. With this book, current expats will recognize themselves (for better or worse) and future expats will have a running start when they arrive.
