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Gold prospecting=searching for gold, while gold mining=physical mining of gold. After 4 months of exploration, I have found a productive area and we are starting production in a week.
I have been a hobbiest prospector in Alaska for 20 years off and on, and just in the last year decided to do it full time. It is much more difficult in a 3rd world country though, but that is how I like it.
I spent a year teaching English at a university in Guayaquil and rented a room with 2 meals (breakfast & lunch) with a family. I had a very good experience there and was able to learn quite a bit of Spanish (as the family members where I lived didn't speak English). I also got to visit Cuenca, Riobamba, Playas, Quito and the Galapagos Islands during my stay. The cost of living when I was there was quite cheap compared to the USA (this was in the late 1990s).
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Weird you say Ecuador get's 'passed up', I thought it was one of the most visited in South America? If I could only visit only country in South America it would be Peru or Ecuador, precisely because as Tiger Beer said it is a microcosm of South America.
Weird you say Ecuador get's 'passed up', I thought it was one of the most visited in South America? If I could only visit only country in South America it would be Peru or Ecuador, precisely because as Tiger Beer said it is a microcosm of South America.
I wondered the same.. esp since the Galapagos is such a draw.
For me, passed up in South America would include Paraguay, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and possibly portions of Bolivia and Uruguay.
I wouldn't think Ecuador is on the 'passed up' list.
I still love it. Many parts of the country aren't as 3rd world as most think. Cost of living is a fraction of what you would pay in basically all 50 states.
For a whopping $80.00 a month, I rent a room from a little old lady, and in this room we have a nice modern kitchen, as well as hot water. I have my own room with a private bath.
You can basically live on about $750.00 a month, though I only pay about $600.00 and this includes 3 meals a day eating out. This is in an expat populated town with inflated prices. You can probably live on $400-500.00 in a village setting.
Ecuador is a great place to learn Spanish due to the language being fairly pure, with little accent compared to many other Spanish speaking countries.
I am a gold prospector and with the remoteness and unexplored nature of the country, I love it. Many people work online and get paid from the states.
Crime can be a problem and I did have a really bad assault, but it was due to my guard being down. Keep your guard up, use common sense and crime should be minimal. This could have happened anywhere in the world and I am just thankful for being alive.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
You say how cheap it is. But that's because you use Dollars, and you probably get Dollars. How are you being compensated? Money from the U.S.? Of course, then it's very cheap by U.S. standards. But I doubt the locals will agree with you, since they are being compensated by local standards. I think this has to be mentioned. You can probably live on 200 bucks a month in Africa. Or maybe even less. 100 Dollars might get you almost a house in some parts. But, then again, they also only earn 1 Dollar or so a day, or maybe even less.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alaskan_Adventurer
Hey there. Vilcabamba is just an area I live in part of the time, while where I prospect is a few hundred kms away. This just increases the security. Vilcabamba is definitely a gringo haven, and is growing like crazy due to all the turmoil in the world. If you are spiritual, it is probably the place for you. For those wondering, Vilcabamba is far southern Ecuador, not far from the Peruvian border. It is quite the adventure just getting to this tiny town.
Agreed on how Ecuador seems to be passed up. If you have a short time in South America, it should be your starting point. You have the beaches, the mountains, the amazon as well as the Galapagos islands all within a relatively small area of the world. As Tiger mentioned, definitely a microcism of South America. As far as prospecting is concerned, the gold is here. The laws can be tricky due to them changing frequently. Easier to stay small scale and remote over a larger concession. Very interesting though.
If you only ever visit one country in South America it should be Ecuador. As has been said it includes the three great regions of SA: the coast, Andes and Amazon.
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But, then again, they also only earn 1 Dollar or so a day, or maybe even less.
