Money, "It's a Gas" - What to Bring, When to Tip, How it Works

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The Ecuadorian money train!

Money.  The thing on everyone's mind all of the time when traveling.  Transportation, accommodations, sightseeing, excursions, culinary indulgences, communication, souvenirs - you get the picture.  There are some that say that it is the root of all evil.  Not necessarily.

Here in Ecuador, it is not how much you have, it is how you spend it.  Having money is required, just not as much as what you may be used to at many other destinations.

Ecuador is on the U.S. Dollar.  For citizens of the U.S. that means no exchange rate, which is very convenient for me.  As you know I am a U.S. citizen.  For other countries it means you need only follow the U.S. exchange rate.  I do not know if that is a good thing for you, but it is what it is.  In Ecuador money is important but not so important as to count the pennies.


As a matter of fact, pennies seem to be worthless here.  To the other extreme, unless you are spending a lot of money on something (for example, real estate, automobiles, furniture) $50 and $100 dollar bills are almost never accepted.

Street vendors can't generally change that $20.

If you come here to visit do not bring bills larger than $20's.  Bring a lot of $10's, $5's and $1's. More $1's and $5's than anything.  Even at the malls you will sometimes have issues changing a $20 bill. Do not expect to break out your credit card unless you are at a mall, high end hotel, or a restaurant in a larger city.  Even travelers checks are (allegedly) practically useless.

There are a very few restaurants and hotels that take credit cards in the smaller villages along the coast.  You might find a place or two, but do not count on it. Even some ATM or check cards will not work, depending on where you visit.  If you are a U.S. citizen, you generally need to find ATM's that do not require the new "chip" technology.  They do exist, but you may have to travel to a mall or large shopping district to find one that accepts your ATM/Credit Card.

As I have said before cash is king.  In Quito, Cuenca, Guayaquil, Manta and other larger cities you may be fine.

There are major banks that will change large bills and allow cash advance withdrawals from your credit card.  If you want to venture out and get the real experience, without frustration, carry small bills.

Why a mall or supermarket?  It gets no better than the farmer's market!

Street vendors cannot and sometimes will not even change a $20.  A cab ride in Portoviejo might cost $2.  Try and give them a $20 and you will end up paying exactly that for a $2 trip.  The tiendas might change a $20 if you spend at least $10 or more.  Just be prepared. Things are not expensive here. Food, shopping, and public transportation are all very affordable. Well, the malls are the exception when it comes to clothes and shoes.

The good news?  You do not have to go to the malls.

I am talking about what I know from experience, not from what I have heard.  Credit cards are for high end stuff which is really irrelevant here.  Why?  Because the real experience is outside of the credit card world.  My advice?  Keep your credit cards for extreme emergencies, and just bring cash. Get a money belt if you are worried. In larger cities I am told theft and muggings can be a problem just as in any large city, in any country.  Just watch yourself as you would anywhere.  You will be okay.  Do not advertise your wealth (i.e., expensive watches, jewelry, clothing, flashing your wad of cash).  Just be careful.

Well, if you prefer a mall-

When you get change expect coins.  The U.S. Liberty dollar coins are prevalent.  You will also get back $0.50 pieces (Ecuadorian), $0.25, $0.10, and $0.05 coins (Ecuadorian and U.S.) but no pennies. No pennies unless you are at the malls which also generally means big supermarkets.  You see, Ecuadorian store owners and street vendors tend to round down to avoid pennies.  We tried to spend pennies on the bus.  NOT happening!

Cab fares are a little different.  Discuss fare up front with the driver.  Most taxis will not "meter" if you decide on price up front.  For those of you visiting Crucita, a cab ride to Portoviejo should be no more that $12. Same going back. Manta?  $20.  No tip required.  If they say it is more, say no.  The price will come down.  If it does not take the next cab.  If you do not speak Spanish (or much Spanish) here is what you say to the driver.

"Cuanto cuesta a Portoviejo (or Crucita, or Manta, etc)."  How much to Portoviejo.....


In street markets you should haggle.  It is not impolite.  It is expected.  You may get a resounding no.  Sometimes they will not come down in price. Do not be embarrassed, say "gracias" and walk away.  They may call you back.  They may not.  It is a safe assumption that there is a vendor 10 feet away selling the same thing.  They might deal especially if they were paying attention.  Trust me, they were.

Anything you need in El Centro, Portoviejo.

Case in point, I was trying to purchase fresh tuna (atun).  Beautiful, fresh fish. The vendor said "ocho! ($8)".  I said "ocho? ummm...". He said, "Siete." ($7).  I just shook my head.  "Seis ($6)!  Seis!"  He said.  "Si, bueno." I said.  A 10 pound tuna, filleted in front of me for $6.  

Now, a handshake, sort of.  He puts out a fist, I grab his arm just below the elbow and shake.  No fish hands!  This is how it is done.

Notice there was no $6.14?  They round down.  It is easier and you don't have to carry around those pesky pennies.  More important, THEY do not have to.  At the same time my wife bought 70 limes (limons) for a $1 from a different vendor.  Going to outdoor markets and vendors is better for another reason.  No tax.  If you are not Ecuadorian you pay more for everything taxable in a supermarket. Not so on the street.

You might want to take one home.  Credit cards not accepted.

You can have quite a day in the Manabi province for under $20, meals and all. You can have quite a day for under $10 if you are so inclined.

Tipping is a bit tricky.  U.S. citizens are used to tipping for all kinds of services. Taxis, skycaps, waiters and waitresses, stylists, parking attendants, bag boys, gas station attendants.  Okay, not gas station attendants.  They went the way of the dodo in the U.S. No so here.  Full service.

So what should you tip for these services here?  Believe me when I say you will want to tip too much. It is ingrained.  Do not do it.  To begin with it may be considered insulting.  You also contribute to driving up the economy.  That will not help the people of Ecuador in the long run.  Respect the economy.  If someone sees you giving a big tip you could become a target for a pickpockets or muggers.  It does not endear you to anyone.  You are just being flashy and uncouth.

Coco vendors.  No credit.  Cash only!

These rules of thumb have been confirmed by our local Ecuadorian friends and work for us very well:

Taxis - No tip is required or expected. If they help you with bags or something $0.50 to $1.00 is considered generous.  If they tried to make you pay more than you should have and you had to haggle, no tip at all.

Skycaps - $0.25 per bag. Let them load or unload everything.

Wait staff - No tip is required or expected.  There is no gratuity percentage.  If you receive great service it is OK.  Give it directly to the server. No more than $1.00.  $2.00 if you received exceptional service.

Stylists, Barbers, manicure/pedicurists - It depends. Manicure/pedicurist will come to you for $10.  I should think no more than $1.00.

Parking attendants - No tip.

Bag boys - $0.25 per cart.  Let them load and unload everything.

Private drivers - They are available here and very convenient.  We used one for about twelve hours when we first arrived.  He drove to Guayaquil from Crucita to pick us up and bring us back to Crucita.  He waited for over two hours at the airport for us because our flight was delayed three times.  Our cost was $150.  We tipped him $25 and were told it was appropriate.

$15 for new feet on the street!  Kick it!

Pretty easy after all right?  It is hard.  Do not give in to the temptation.  You are not helping by giving any more.  I think most other Ex Pats would agree, not to put words in anyone else's mouths.

One last thing.  I spoke about muggers and pickpockets. It is no different than travelling anywhere else or even being careful in your own town.  Do just that. Be careful and protect yourself as if you were home.

There is nothing to be scared of here.  The country and its people are wonderful and amazing. Tonight marks the beginning of a four day long holiday. Carnival.  We are looking forward to a very wonderful and crazy time.  Do not worry.  You will be part of it too.  Stay tuned. Chao!

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Tamera's Take: Gilligan's Island, Cats and Holidays

Tamera's Take is about being here.
Are you ready?  I am.

One day in a public speaking class at NYU, the professor had students compose an impromptu one-minute speech on this topic:  If you were stranded on a desert island, what one item would you like to have?  Sherwood Schwartz was a student in that class, and the question so intrigued him that it remained lodged in the back of his mind for many years.

Who is Sherwood Schwartz?  Sherwood Schwartz was a famed television producer and Emmy Award winning screenwriter, best known for Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch.

Bamboo House

I grew up with both of those shows.  With the exception of the "Hawaii Bound" episode, The Brady Bunch has nothing to do with being in Ecuador - nothing that I can think of anyway.   On the other hand, Gilligan's Island seems pretty close to home.

Ecuador and Jacksonville are on the same Longitude

We are not stranded on a deserted island.  But at times it feels like we are on an island.

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, to the North, East and South of Crucita is a crescent of mountains.  The village of Crucita is directly on the Pacific coast, and the adjacent farms are located between the village and the mountains.

The entire area is very tropical, even the farm-land.  The coconut trees are endless.

Ecuadorians drink Agua de Coco (in the U.S. we call it coconut milk) directly from coconuts with a straw, then scoop out the coconut with a spoon. Restaurants simply cut off the top of a coconut with the husk on, then in goes the straw.  Cold agua de coco is sold by the bag.

Watch out for falling coconuts!

When I was a kid I remember bugging my mom over and over until she finally relented and bought me a coconut from the grocery store.

For those of you who were in Jacksonville during the 1970's, you may remember a store called Pantry Pride.

It had already been shelled from the husk.  I had no idea how to open it.  This was not going to deter me.  I took a hammer and screwdriver from my dad's work bench, and began the task of beating this poor coconut.

My goal was to puncture a hole so I could get the coconut milk first.

This did not go well, for me or the coconut.



Many varieties of Bamboo (Caña de Bambu) are grown here in abundance and used by almost every family, in one way or another.  Caña is used to make furniture, fishing rods, fences, and even houses. There are many uses for coconuts in addition to a source of food and beverage.  Coconut husk is a fiber that can be used to make rope, rugs and fabric.  Coconut shells are a source of charcoal and can be burned as fuel.  They can also be used to send messages.

JFK used this as a paperweight on his desk in the Oval Office. 

In a dugout canoe, Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana of the Solomon Islands, located the U.S. crew of PT-109 on August 5, 1943.  The crew had been stranded for three days on an inhabited island of the South Pacific after being hit by an enemy destroyer, and presumed dead.  In command of that crew was Lt. John F. Kennedy.

Kumana and Gasa worked with the Coastwatchers, a network of agents based across the Pacific islands during WWII, tasked with keeping an eye on the enemy and reporting back to Allied forces.
Kennedy knew he somehow needed to get a message back to base if a rescue was to be organised, so he wrote a message on a coconut and gave it to Kumana and Gasa to return to a Coastwatchers station 35 miles (55 km) away.

Paper Stars

Tonight is Christmas Eve.

This is our first Christmas in Ecuador.  This means we will not be able to spend the holidays with our family and friends back in the states.  I know this is not easy for them. It is not easy for us.

We did our Christmas shopping online for the family, made phone calls through Skype Phone, and plan to video call our family tonight through Skype on our laptop.

Most of our neighbors have decorated artificial Christmas trees.  Next to their trees, they set up very beautiful Nativity scenes.  We do not have a Christmas tree or a Nativity scene.  After two trips to the Hipermarket last week, we still could not find any Christmas lights.  I was resolved to have some type of decorations, knowing that I would plan better for next year.


We have paper stars all over the second floor of our house.  It looks more like Cinco de Mayo than Christmas, but decorations are decorations.

Two days ago, after I made all those paper stars, we found lights (luces) in the little tienda around the corner from our house. They had decorations too. But those colorful paper stars have started to grow on me.

At least now we know where to buy lights and decorations.

Fiesta de Navidad!

As I am writing this I can hear a lot of festive music, including music I recognize from the states. The children have a holiday from school - today and tomorrow.  There are little parties being held all throughout the neighborhood.

Christmas Eve is when Ecuadorians celebrate Christmas.  The families gather all day for festivities, then open their presents at midnight.

I am not sure what will happen on Christmas Day.  I will find out tomorrow.



Jason and I were lucky enough to be part of a Christmas party on December 21.  Our friend Tamy and her husband Jared have a Fiesta de Navidad at their home for the children of the farmers in her parish - just outside the town of Portoviejo.  Tamy raises money and organizes this event every year by herself, and on the day of the fiesta (party) family and friends volunteer to help.  There was a lot of work involved.

Feliz Navidad!

Many of these children will not receive any presents on Christmas, except for the ones they received at this party.

There were over 250 children attending the party, along with a very entertaining clown who also acted as the MC (master of ceremonies),  Santa Claus, and the very famous well-loved Peppa Pig & his brother George!

Volunteering at this party was probably the best Christmas present we could have received.

Well, it is time for me to bake some cookies.

To all of our friends, family, and to everyone else who reads our blog,

Merry Christmas & Feliz Navidad!


Good Kittie!

Kodak gets his Christmas bath!  

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