天美麻豆

norviato1 wrote:

Sounds dismal. What would you suggest, body armor?

Some precautions are don鈥檛 withdraw large sums of cash like one of the victims did. Large amounts of cash attract attention, and criminals apparently think it鈥檚 obvious when people are carrying briefcases and backpacks.

The second precaution is - if confronted by criminals then refrain from resisting. Some may think this is passive, but what do murdered victims have in common?

They resisted. Money is replaceable, life isn鈥檛.

Another precaution is to stay away from certain areas that are prone to bad things happening. One example is Portugal and 6 de diciembre. In front of Pichincha bank, that鈥檚 where one victim was murdered. From last years crime thread, I posted about an armed robbery that shocked the nation. It also happened in that same corner.

In 2016, I posted about a car that crashed against a pole at that same corner with CSI police units at the scene. I didn鈥檛 see what happened, the rest was speculation.

That corner, right there, bad things happen. And I鈥檓 glad I moved out of that area despite it being one of the most affluent areas in the city. The only thing that interests me there now is Megamaxi, but I limited going there.

Other precautions is to not withdraw money from ATMS that are located outside of a bank (on the street) or easily seen from the street. Go inside a mall, withdraw money, walking around, drink coffee, do some shopping or whatever and then leave.

Be conscious of your surroundings, be aware of who may be watching or monitoring your actions.

To be continued鈥�..

norviato1 wrote:

Wow, is living in Ecuador worth all that trouble?

Personally, I love Ecuador despite all its faults. Health wise, it has been nice to me considering I suffered from environmental asthma in previous countries. Social life is nice too and the best part about Ecuador. Then there is the natural beauty, next week I鈥檓 driving to the coast which is only 5 hours away. And the food is great too, for lunch I just ordered Seco de Chivo and Sancocho for $8.50. Home cooked food delivered to my doorstep. Ecuador makes things so easy.

Crime is a negative that I have adapted to and continue to adapt to. For example, taking some of the precautions that I previously mentioned. Always parking in secure parking areas. Not leaving my drinks unattended. Avoiding some areas of the city. Quito is a big city and with it comes crime, unfortunately.

So for me, Ecuador is well worth it. But it鈥檚 a personal decision that each potential expat has to consider.

fluffyhappybear wrote:

Is crime like this all over Ecuador or are some parts safer than others? What about Cuenca - is it safe? Can you use your mobile phone in public or will that make you a target for mugging? What about if it is a luxury phone such as Samsung or iPhone?

Definitely not, my post was all about Quito. Cuenca is one of the safest cities in Ecuador. As for using a mobile phone, I have an Iphone and use it freely on public streets with the exception of centro hist贸rico. There i'll use it only at cafes or to take pictures at popular public squares where there is a ton of police presence.

fluffyhappybear wrote:

That's great to know that Cuenca is safe. So centro hist贸rico is the only place to be careful? Thanks!

Yes Cuenca is much safer than Quito. My reference for centro hist贸rico was also about Quito.

When you arrive in Cuenca and start making friends and acquaintances, you'll start to know which areas, streets are best to avoid.

norviato1 wrote:

I recently read that a Russian tourist was stabbed to death in front of his girlfriend because he resisted the robbery. This took place in the Centro Hist贸rico in Quito. Don鈥檛 know if it was daytime or not.
El Tiempo a Cuenca newspaper reported that a Canadian expat was found dead in his El Centro apartment. Hopefully it was from natural causes. Forensics were investigating the cause. Haven鈥檛 heard anything else.

I posted about this murder in my first post. It happened around 8 PM, in a shady staircase area just outside of centro hist贸rico in La Tola. Tenants were quoted in newspaper articles as stating that screams of help were common from those stairs. They said that students were often the victims as they are easy prey for malhechores.

The tourist was murdered by 3 Ecuadorian thugs and a Venezuelan.聽 Walking around at 8 PM in that area is crazy, especially when carrying a fancy touristy camera. I get uncomfortable as soon as the sun sets in that area or about 6:30.

norviato1 wrote:

In my area I can go to Walmart at 2am and nothing happens.
It would take some adjustment to stay inside after dark.
Thanks for the details on the murder, I didn鈥檛 know exactly where it happened and the circumstances.
I can leave my camera, wrist watch, cellphone at home to avoid robberies but going to the bank sounds like a challenge not knowing if someone is following to rob me. Plus I鈥檝e been told that it鈥檚 mostly a cash society and credit cards are not always accepted. I鈥檒l see what happens when I鈥檓 there.

Your not in Kansas anymore.. LOL
You can minimize problems by being careful. Dress like the locals. I try to take money at a mall ATM and never leave immediately after. If I need more funds than one withdrawal I will often take one withdraw and then shop for a while and take a second later, exc. Don't bring attention to yourself by spending lots of time at the ATM. Get the money in your pocket as fast as you can so people dont see it. Many times ATMs have a security guard standing near the ATMs so you mainly have to worry about being a victim after you leave. Go have lunch after your done. Don't take lots of cash and then head right out the door. It's too easy for someone to follow you that way. I have been doing this for years and never had any problem. It is a cash society but more and more places take credit cards. Especially if you go into a mall you will find most do.

Frank52 wrote:

Thanks for the info.聽 聽I am studying various places. Sure I would prefer beachfront but I am openminded.

Just one question if I may.聽 You mentioned you came the 2 years ago and then you mentioned having a girfriend there. What are the possibilities of meeting a lady friend there? Is it feasible? Is it worthed?聽 I am of Italian origin and I believe our cultures are somewhat close.

it's totally off topic in this thread, but Ecuadorians use dating websites just like the rest of the world. I don't know what the current hot sites are because I am off the market. however, my girlfriend used to be my business contact, so i met her in a different situation.

I find Ecuadorians to be sweet, warm, affectionate people with big hearts and deep beliefs.聽 Ecuadorians, in general, seem to be a little quieter and traditional than their neighboring Colombians.

I get more flirty looks and big smiles from more women here than I ever did in the USA, which is a big ego boost, considering i am a middle-aged dude with 20kg to lose. alas, i am spoken for!聽

but speaking of crime, my girlfriend has a gringo friend in his late sixties living in Guayaquil. He often gets mixed up with women in their 30s who are quite affectionate-- but also seem to do a great con job of draining his wallet with bottomless pits of need and pity

norviato1 wrote:

In my area I can go to Walmart at 2am and nothing happens.
It would take some adjustment to stay inside after dark.

I also enjoy the night but as one mayoral candidate, Paola Vintimilla, said, 鈥淨uito is like a cemetery after 2 AM.鈥� She wants to make Quito open 24/7 by adding more cops and making public transport 24/7.

Considering that, I regularly stay out until 1:00 AM on weekends. Last night I came home around 12:30 AM, and throughout the night had a lovely time with a friend without personal safety concern.

Drove to the valley then back to city to hang out. The only challenge was finding secure parking, first went to one place and they were full. Then went to another, and they were full but were willing to accommodate if I left the keys, I don鈥檛 think so.

Then finally negotiated a deal with a security guard who watched over customers cars in front of a restaurant. Initially, he said the parking spots were only for restaurant customers, so I told him please and that I鈥檒l give him $5 for 3 hours. So, all was good.

The reality is 80% of cars are stolen off the street parking. Almost all that are broken into to steal whatever are also ones that are parked on the street.

So, it鈥檚 secure parking or nothing.

Expats and residents just have to be aware of security, whether personal safety or belongings. If I had to sacrifice the night, then I wouldn鈥檛 live here.

vsimple wrote:

norviato1 wrote:

In my area I can go to Walmart at 2am and nothing happens.
It would take some adjustment to stay inside after dark.

...
Expats and residents just have to be aware of security, whether personal safety or belongings. If I had to sacrifice the night, then I wouldn鈥檛 live here.

Same here. I love going out at night.

At this point, I've spent multiple late nights out in Guayaquil (where I live), Quito, Banos, Montanita, Puerto Lopez, Cuenca, and Ambato. I never felt threatened or suspicious.

聽 But I'm careful, as I said before. I always carry less than $40 cash on me (plus around $10 in dollar coins). I carry a photocopy of my passport in my wallet and my ohio's drivers license if I need ID. I keep only one credit card on me, where the other 2 bank cards and passport stay securely at home in their hiding place. If I were the unfortunate victim of a crime, my losses will be limited. i also have traveler's insurance to mitigate loss and give me additional peace of mind. But here's the thing-- i practice the same things back home in the states!

norviato1 wrote:

If you鈥檙e a resident of Ecuador aren鈥檛 you supposed to have a c茅dula? Certainly that would replace your passport and Ohio license?

I am not a full-time resident yet. I have my own business which is online, which allows me to do the digital nomad thing. I have been staying at my girlfriend's apartment in Guayaquil part-time聽 since 2017.聽

I just got my tourist visa extended for another 90 days a couple of weeks ago.

norviato1 wrote:

Wow, it鈥檚 shocking, what can we do?

Yes, the resurgence of express kidnappings is quite concerning. Family and friends visit regularly and now I have to give extra attention to their transportation needs while they are here.

But your question 鈥淲hat can we do?鈥�, is the right question聽 because we can do something to avoid being victims of this sort of crime.

First, we have to realize that taxis are the prevalent way in which a person is express-kidnapped.

What can we do to avoid expressing kidnappings?

1. Minimize taking taxis off the street especially at night.

2. Use taxi apps, these are safer because taxi, driver and passenger information is available. There is evidence like a paper-trail of聽 the fare. Furthermore, some of the apps require that the taxista submit a police-certificate.

3. Use a trusted taxi cooperativa because similar to taxi-apps, evidence of the fare is available as the cooperativa office records details of the fare. You can store phone numbers of trusted cooperativas and have them readily available on your phone.

4. Use designated cooperativas at shopping centers, some of these places will actually record the information of taxi and passenger in a ledger. Quicentro for instance as there is an employee who records fare info for the cooperativa near (TGIF)

In conclusion, make it a habit to use taxis in which evidence of the fare could be available to authorities. When there is such accountability, the risk of being express-kidnapped is limited because the drivers know there is a record of the fare.

lebowski888 wrote:

On the other hand, I'm seeing less crime reported in Guayaquil, but I'm not really tracking it closely, so I could be wrong.

That鈥檚 good to hear but can only be verified with numbers. In Quito,. And so far this year assaults and violent robberies have increased 5.59% from the same period in 2018 (Jan and Feb) to same period this year. IMO, there is usually a parallel in the trend of crime between Quito and Guayaquil.

vsimple wrote:

lebowski888 wrote:

On the other hand, I'm seeing less crime reported in Guayaquil, but I'm not really tracking it closely, so I could be wrong.

That鈥檚 good to hear but can only be verified with numbers. In Quito,. And so far this year assaults and violent robberies have increased 5.59% from the same period in 2018 (Jan and Feb) to same period this year. IMO, there is usually a parallel in the trend of crime between Quito and Guayaquil.

Thanks for getting the data. And thus why I hedged my point of view.

Also, BigBrad makes a good point about population growth.

Hopefully this is a blip and the crime rate will turn lower soon

Bigbrad2008 wrote:

Thanks for providing details on crime rate rise. What was the population increase (including those from Venezuela). If the population estimates increased by the same amount, then the crime rate remained exactly the same but the report got more notice by fake news. And is an increase in 5% a likely real increase or just background noise due to poor reporting mechanisms. A big grain of salt for me.

I think monitoring the statistical trend in crime is important as it helps us know what is happening. For instance, a decade ago there were many express kidnappings per month. In Quito for instance that number . Then over time express kidnappings became very rare, to the point where they were practically non-existent in the capital.

This year, however, their frequency is increasing each month, with 3 in April alone. So where is this trend going? Are we going back to the days where express kidnappings were a normal occurrence.

lebowski888 wrote:

vsimple wrote:

lebowski888 wrote:

On the other hand, I'm seeing less crime reported in Guayaquil, but I'm not really tracking it closely, so I could be wrong.

That鈥檚 good to hear but can only be verified with numbers. In Quito,. And so far this year assaults and violent robberies have increased 5.59% from the same period in 2018 (Jan and Feb) to same period this year. IMO, there is usually a parallel in the trend of crime between Quito and Guayaquil.

Thanks for getting the data. And thus why I hedged my point of view.

Also, BigBrad makes a good point about population growth.

Hopefully this is a blip and the crime rate will turn lower soon

Yes, hopefully.

The good news is that the murder rate remains low at and practically unchanged from 2017 (actually 3 less murders in 2018). The only other country in Latin America with a lessor homicide rate is Chile.

It's easy to forget that Ecuador's murder rate was once 22 per 100,000.

BTW, the average for Latin America is 19.3