Page 2 of 3 Crime in Ecuador
Travelers' checks are the safest way to carry the bulk of your money, because they are harder for criminals to cash, and can be replaced if stolen. Pick-pockets were not a problem in Ecuador for us and we never heard of anyone having money or valuables stolen.
Although we never had an encounter, some fellow travelers recommended carrying $20-50 to bribe police officers looking to scam tourists. A Canadian tourist told us about getting arrested on trumped up charges, so he offered to take the guards out for dinner, where they ate and drank. At the end of the night, he put 50 USD on the table, and walked out of the restaurant. As in many Latin American countries, corruption is the norm. Police and officials do not get paid enough to support their families, so this kind of corruption is sanctioned.
Most people in Ecuador have few possessions and there would be nothing worth taking if they were to be robbed. The very small upper class, however, generally live in walled estates that either have bars on the windows or guards at the entrance. The same is true for businesses where very often you will see bars on the windows and rented security guards with machine guns at the door. It is surprising that there are not more incidents involving these guards as they are just kids hired to hold guns with very little training and essentially a license to kill if they feel it is necessary.
Quito, Ecuador Airport
There are two international airports in Ecuador, one in Quito and the other in the Southern city of Guayaquil. The two main choices from the U.S. are American through Miami or Continental through Houston. Arriving is fairly simple. The airport in Quito is fairly small and the process involves waiting in line to talk to an immigration official, who will give you a tourist card and stamp your passport. Then you pick up your luggage, and continue on to customs. We were not stopped at all in customs although we had fairly large backpacks. Exiting the airport can be an adventure, as there is always a crowd of people along the wire cage you have to walk through to the exit waiting for arriving passengers. Taxis wait just outside the exit to take you into town.
Departing Ecuador is an exercise in patience, as it is extremely crowded, and there is one very long line to get up to the airline counters. Arrive several hours prior to flying as you will wait in this line for at least two of them. There is a 20 USD departure tax when leaving Ecuador, and if you pay this in USD, you can do so at the airline counter. After getting past the airline counter, the line involves several security checks where baggage is checked and passengers are interrogated and sometimes frisked. At one point, the line diverges into citizens and foreigners, with stronger security measures for the foreigner line.
With minutes to spare, we were eventually allowed to walk out onto the tarmac and board the plane. Despite all of the lines and checks, our plane landed and took off pretty much on time.
Calling and Telephones in Ecuador
In order to call long distance, you need to go to an EMETEL or IETEL office. These are the national phone companies and there is an office in almost every town. We found the office and the task of calling the U.S. was relatively easy. You just need to give the phone number you wish to call and the amount of time you wish to purchase to the front desk. It's very important to accurately estimate the amount of time you'll need to talk before you pay. More than once, I was cut off mid sentence and had to wait 20 minutes to reestablish a connection.
It costs 5 USD for 3 minutes to the United States. A slightly more expensive option is to call from some of the tourist hotels and restaurants which have better hours, but cost considerably more (around 8 USD for 3 minutes). Local calls are significantly cheaper and can be made from the phone company offices, most hotels or the rare phone booth, although this usually requires having a calling card and the local access code.