PBH / colombia (travelguide, pictures) / post

Interested in peoples thoughts on the ''Ecuador vs Colombia Expense'' Post

Transcript copied (so far) below.

Is Ecuador a better dollar deal over Colombia?
The Colombian peso strength and the US dollar dip have got me pulling my hair. I've got a trip scheduled for November, flying San Fran into Bogotá (about $650 RT ticket), but I'm thinking about writing it off. Colombia just sounds too expensive for my bottom-line $60 day budget.

So I was survival-thinking about maybe heading straight to Ecuador. I've heard that their economy might be more conducive to US tourists; i.e. that it's cheaper. It sounds like a better deal; but I really don't know for sure, so that's while I'm asking here.

Having to weigh every cost "down to the penny" pretty much sucks and cuts into the overall pleasure. I'd just rather save myself from that miserly feeling that accompanies a "I can't afford it" realization at every juncture, but especially for lodging.

Anyone have any views/opinions about shifting gears to Ecuador? I appreciate your insights.

By wannabe on Jun 17, 2008, 08:26 in Ecuador forum.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
tejasmarcos says on Jun 17, 2008, 17:13: flag

good question. any PBH'ers in Ecuador right now?

we all have wings, but some of us don't know why...

BillBigD says on Jun 17, 2008, 22:19: flag

Probably depends how long you are going for. Airlines tickets are only going up

Buongone says on Jun 17, 2008, 22:25: flag

Check out some of the Blogs they have from the Lonely Planet. Sounded like to me it was cheap. THat's where I'm heading next. Bring the novia ovr from Cali.

toneloc24 says on Jun 17, 2008, 22:44: flag

Quito is the capital. So, much like Bogota, always something to do. However, like Bogota, weather can suck. Quito is approx. 9,000 ft above sea level. The altitude can take a toll on you, if unprepared. You can do a daytrip to the equator, as well as to one of the volcanos. There are several other tourist things to be done.

It is MUCH cheaper for everything, than anywhere in Colombia. For instance, plenty of decent hotels for $25-35/nite in the safer areas of town. Doing the nightscene in Gringolandia is very affordable. Food is very cheap, even with the high tax. The public transportation system is very easy to navigate and cheap. For instance, a bus will run you 25-50 cents. Taxis run you $1-3 to most parts of town. Even from the airport to Gringolandia, only $5. On a $60/day budget you will have money left over the following day.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

bickerss says on Jun 18, 2008, 06:00: edit flag

I like Colombia more, however Ecuador is still great. If you could afford it I would go to Colombia over Ecuador. As for expenses.

Ecuador is substantially cheaper than Colombia - especially if you are on a budget; it wipes colombia off the map. As an eg you can get a hostel private room with Bathroom in the bar / disco area of Quito for 8 usd a night. You can obviously get much cheaper dorms or rooms with out private bathroom. A private room in a hostel for eg in Medellin in the decent area is 60,000 pesos (35 usd) without bathroom.

Beers 1 usd or 1.25 usd in the good bars. try 5 to 7 usd in Colombia.

Eating in Ecaudor plenty of places with 1 USD or 1.25 USD drink / soup, main and desert. Double in Colombia. A 2 course meal in a good restaurant was 6.99 (soup of the day and ribs with vegetables or papas). You are looking at more than double that in Colombia for a comparative restaurant.

Internet in Quito - 30 c an hr in the right cafe. 2000 psos (1.20 usd) in colombia.

Other advantages of Ecuador - for ie in Quito you can party any night you want. Colombia is only Thurs to Sat. It is very easy to organise tourism activities due to the large numbers of backpackers.

Property (as an eg only i know you are not looking for it). 500 to 600 usd in the best areas. Medellin 1600 usd a sq metre. Bogota even more.

On the coat in Ecuador we stayed in a really nice hostel made of bamboo, private room / bathroom three people 12 usd a night (Canoa - walk outside the door onto the beach).

Unfortunately the strength of the peso has eroded Colombia as 'a 'super budget'' holiday destination.

By bickerss on Jun 18, 2008, 06:20 in Friendly Talkzone.

bickerss says on Jun 18, 2008, 06:21:

http://poorbuthappy.com/ecuador/post/is-ecuador-a-better-dollar-deal-o...

link to the post (on the Ecuador branch).

0 funny, 0 helpful.

GregYohn says on Jun 18, 2008, 12:50:

Hola!

You could save money and not visit either place.

I go to Colombia not because of the price!

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

0 funny, 0 helpful.

adrimm says on Jun 18, 2008, 18:19:

Well put Greg.

There may be alternatives, but there are a no substitutes, Ecuador is a whole 'nother country! (imho if money is the only consideration, someplace in Asia would probably be cheapest).

Personally, I think that this is the golden time to see Colombia before it really gets hit by the visiting crowd... and 100,000 COP /day is still an awesome budget for one (more than I travelled with while I was on my own).

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Buongone says on Jun 18, 2008, 20:03:

I live in Alaska. It cost the same to go to Angeles City, PI, or Cali, Colombia.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

toneloc24 says on Jun 19, 2008, 07:28:

The disco area of Quito, Mariscal Sucre (know to locals as "Gringolandia"), is similar to Zona Rosa in Bogota or Poblado in Medellin, but on a smaller scale. It would be am estrato 3-4, in Colombian terms, but much safer. Cops are everywhere. Plenty of cheap hostels in that area, and many foreign backpackers. The area really only consists of approx. 5-10 discos/bars, and several restaurants. On a given weekend night, only a few are actually packed, including Madd and No Bar. During the week, a few bars are open, but none packed.

Keep in mind that Quito only has a population of approx. 1.5 million. While it's the capital, it's not the biggest city in the country.

Girl-related, the quantity of physically desirable Ecuadorian ladies isn't as plentiful as Colombia, but it's not as bad there as some would think. Some of them can hold their own anywhere in the world. While they are friendly, they may not be as approachable and as easily bedded as some Colombian ladies, esp. if you're a foreigner with little Spanish.

As Bickers stated, things are much cheaper in the old city. Hotels/hostels for $4-8/nite. However, more dangerous as well, esp. at night when there isn't as much security, but a lot of poor, desperate dudes. Think Centro in Medellin or Candelaria in Bogota. Also, at night, not much (bars/restaurants/stores) is open.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

0 funny, 0 helpful.

GregYohn says on Jun 19, 2008, 07:37:

Hola!

I did that Phillipines thing already!

You can not keep the flame of the relationship going when your boss wants you to work. Leave from JFK Friday night at 11 PM. Get to MNL at Sunday at 10 AM, but get to the Provinces on Monday morning. Return flight means sit in MNL 1 day, and return a day later. That means 5 days travel for 1 day visit. The telephone calls cost so much more too!

Now, I leave by 6:30 AM at JFK and get to Cali by 1:00 PM of the same day! The flight costs less also to Colombia. My telephone calls are FREE. Sure San Miguel beer and Tanduay Rum are cheaper than Colombian beer and wine, but really they are like cousins. Both sell green mangoes with lime and salt on the street!

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

0 funny, 0 helpful.

toneloc24 says on Jun 19, 2008, 07:44:

Docwilliam - I went to the Philippines last year. It's not all it's cracked up to be, esp. after a 19-20 hr journey each way. Manila is a congested, corrupted dump. Cebu is okay. Boracay is a couple's place, pretty boring if you're not. Angeles City is a cleaner version of Sosua, where almost every girl is morally questionable. Sad to say, but very true. Besides bar-hopping, there is absolutely nothing really to do there. Let's not even talk about Mindanao, or Davao City.

The beautiful woman thing in reality is nothing like you'd think. The maybe-five-foot tall, 75-90 lbs. girl with big teeth ain't for me. And THAT is really the average Filipina.

If you're going on business, by all means, do your best to enjoy. However, it would be an expensive trip if you're just going to satisfy your curiosity. I'd go with Latin America (Brasil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, even Venezuela) before thinking of going back to the Philipines. The cost savings aren't all they supposedly are cracked up to be.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

0 funny, 0 helpful.

someguy says on Jun 19, 2008, 09:35:

Dude, just guessing here but judging by the pissy remarks of GregYohn and adrimm, I'll go out on a limb and guess they are not "friends" of yours.

I've been to the Philippines (2 months). Went all around. Nasty, dirty place. Filipinas do not compare favorably with curvaceous Latinas IMHO. Used to shake my head in disbelief at the 60-plus-year-old dudes trailing behind their "small packaged" Filipina wife who was usually pushing a baby carriage and accompanied by an entourage of in laws--and no one paying attention in the least to the poor slob. Can you say, "I'm a walking wallet?"

To me, the most redeeming aspects of the Philippines were the cheap, cold San Miguel beer and the very friendly, pro-USA locals. I went there chasing good beaches, but never found a decent one that wasn't litter infested or just plain grotty or stinky. (But in all fairness, I unfortunately wasn't able to make it to Palawan. I'm sure that would have been pristine.) The extent of poverty and filth there was surreal--just heart-tugging. Horrible food in the Philippines--got hep A from eating. Only time I was ever sick in backpacking. I never was quite sure what I was chomping down on.

Thank you very much, but I'll take Latin America.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

tasco66 says on Jun 19, 2008, 10:13:

What I don’t like about Ecuador is the two-tier pricing system. Foreigners pay a lot more for certain services (mainly transportation and hotels) than locals do. They call it the 'gringo tax'

Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation!

0 funny, 0 helpful.

toneloc24 says on Jun 19, 2008, 12:21:

Several countries have a touron tax. If I'm correct, in Ecuador, there is an 18% tax for restaurants. However, that applies to everyone, not just gringos. It didn't bother me, since 18% of a $3-4 meal isn't much to worry about. There is a tax applied on Colombian purchases as well. Check your receipts.

The worst example of touron fleecing that I've seen in my travels is in the DR, where they actually have 2 similar menus, but with different prices for locals and tourons. Then there's the $10 idiot gringo "tourist card" that upon entry into the country, the tourist only has in his possession for less than 1 minute after purchasing it.

I can't speak for other hotels, but the place I stay in Quito is $25/night for one person, $34 for two people. Everyone pays the same price.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

0 funny, 0 helpful.

houstongal says on Jun 19, 2008, 15:04:

Someguy - I agree with your assessment of the Philippines. I was there in May for almost the entire month. Too bad you didn't make it to Palawan. It is pristine and incredibly beautiful. Crystal blue calm waters, no air pollution, white sand beaches, and lots of fish swim with.

Check out my travel blog and you'll see photos of what you missed. The link is on my profile.

Culture is language and language is culture - Dr. Annamaria Napolitano

0 funny, 0 helpful.