Retire in Ecuador and Travel for Free

From Kathleen Peddicord, who emails me to entice me to get involved with her subscription newsletter. Six emails this month, already. Yet, packed with fasccinating information about going abroad. Especially, as choices to live, overseas, for awhile or for a long while. Or, simply to invest in real estate abroad. So, among the latest: 

Free Summer Vacation?

Did you know that a small group of "insiders" are using one strange loophole to travel the world for pennies on the dollar? Or for free?

One man, from Cleveland, used this loophole to spend more than a week on the beach in Spain. 

It didn't cost him a dime. Hotel, airfare, food, drinks were all free...he did pay for souvenirs though. The video at the link below explains his secret...

Click here to travel for free this summer...

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Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

We made a sharp turn off a small country road into the brush and started to climb. After a brief pause to shift into four-wheel-drive, we continued climbing through fields of lemons, bananas, and finally sugar cane. The road narrowed and then disappeared as we entered a clearing at the top of the mountain. 

The Land Cruiser crawled over a deep bed of discarded sugar cane stalks, and we pulled to a stop in front of an old open-sided, tin-roofed building that housed an ancient cane press powered by an antique Briggs and Stratton engine. 

Just behind this enclosure we could see the tell-tale wisp of wood smoke indicating the presence of a "still" just out of sight. 

An old man was back at the still, tending a wood fire under a used 55-gallon oil drum as a clear, anise-scented Mallorca sugar cane liquor dripped from the other end. We all gathered on wooden stools around the still and sampled the hot cane liquor as it dripped from the copper tubing.

This was why I came to Ecuador. 

Sure, the cost of living here is low, no question, but, living in Ecuador, my wife and I enjoyed so much more than super-low costs. 

When I retired abroad, I wanted to have a rich and interesting life wherever I chose to settle. I wanted to travel and explore.

In this regard, I can tell you from personal experience, you won't beat Ecuador. It's not only rich with adventure travel opportunities, but it's also one of the world's most economical places to travel.

Gasoline in Ecuador is only US$1.48 per gallon. Hotels are inexpensive, and public transportation is available to every corner of this diverse country. I've explored the Andean highlands from top to bottom, from the woodcrafters of San Antonio to the leather crafters of Cotacachi, the guitar makers of San Bartolomé, and even the cane liquor stills of El Oro. 

I've traveled from the high, snow-capped peaks in the north to the hidden Valley of Longevity in the south. 

I've lived the wonders of the Amazon rain forest with an indigenous tribe and explored brilliant, secret beaches far from the tourist trail in the Galapagos Islands. 

When you retire to Ecuador, this world will be at your doorstep. Take it from me. Retire in Ecuador, and you won't have to settle for afternoons of playing checkers on the square. 

Unless, of course, that's the lifestyle you're after. In that case, I can recommend some great outdoor cafes in Cuenca...

Lee Harrison

Editor's Note: Lee Harrison, who called Cuenca, Ecuador, home for four years, will co-host this year's Live and Invest in Ecuador Conference in Quito Sept. 17–19.

Register now to take advantage of Early Bird and other important discounts. Full details are here.

Viggo via Jeffrey

• Peter Gustafson Dang, y'all, and Jeffrey Duke Patterson got this via Viggo. I mean, if it's connected to Viggo, it's just gotta be good. I mean, hangs with Frodo, then, hangs out with Omar Sharif, that's cool !

  6 hrs · Like
• 

  Jeffrey Duke Patterson Yeah Peter, Viggo's more than just a pretty face. Oscar-nominated actor, equestrian, published writer and poet, renowned artist and sculptor, who's work has been used in some of his movies, at the request of the directors. When it came to doing the Lord Of The Rings movies, he gave his teenage son his agent's number. And told him, "Call my agent and YOU decide if I'm going to do these movies or not". And at that time, he became the biggest heart throb in the world to females, from ages 10 to 90! Throughout his film career, he's gained a particular reputation. If it's asked who the nicest person is on a movie set, the answer is always the same. Viggo. He bought the horses that he rode in both LOTR trilogy and "Hidalgo". I remember first seeing him in the mid-eighties movie "Witness" I don't even think he had a line. Or he might've had one, but it was in Amish. But, I remember thinking that we would see a lot more of that guy in the future. And I'll be damned. I was right. I had a memorable encounter with Viggo at SXSW in...2009? He was in town promoting the screening of "The Road". I think I asked him if the movie was every bit as dark and depressing as the novel, written by Cormac McCarthy. He said he was a fan of Cormac McCarthy. He read the script, but went back and read the novel again, before he agreed to do the movie. But, we talked very little shop. I told him if he was in town long enough, to check out some of Austin's art museums. I told him I knew he was a very educated art lover, and I wouldn't have recommended them if they were crap! Haha. And he laughed. We talked a bit about the galleries and museums in Dallas and Houston. He didn't know Houston was known for its art museums until that very trip. He said that someday, he wanted to spend two to three weeks, with just a roadmap, and drive around Texas. He loved the mystique and the history of it. I joked with him and told him if he were to do such a thing, not to do it in a white 1970 Dodge Challenger. That would just draw attention and speeding tickets! And of course, that was a small reference to a movie he'd made. He groaned a little. But, he said it was fun working on a movie where the car was really the STAR of the whole thing. He didn't understand "car guys" or "gear heads" too much, until he made that movie. And he said at his request to the director, that he be allowed to do as much of his own driving as he could, without stunt drivers. He said he never knew how much fun it could be, hotrodding around in an old Muscle Car, with no regard or compliance with the law. He became addicted to it, and completely understood after that why some of his friends were such big car guys. He's not a collector, but he did end up with one of the nice Challengers that they used in the movie. He did say he rarely drives it, just because he doesn't trust himself in it! Anyways, a truly interesting, talented and generous man. He had asked what I did, and I told him. He asked where I was performing, as he'd like to get out and catch some live music. But, I had to tell him I wasn't performing at the festival that year. But, we talked a good 30 to 45 minutes in a conference room that overlooked Lake Austin. Most people wouldn't do that. But, I didn't treat him like a celebrity, and he sure as hell didn't act like one. Just another guy I got in a conversation with, that turned out to be every bit as nice, as cool, and intelligent as I'd always heard...if not more. So, you can say I'm a fan or admirer of Viggo's work. But for many reasons, and not solely on his acting. A fascinating man.