Manta

[pilotguy]

Can anybody enlighten me about Manta, on the coast.  maybe talk by skype?  thanks, joe

[suspirar]

Be careful of armed robberies in some neighborhoods of Manta.

"Manta y Santo Domingo aparecen como dos de las urbes más violentas." :
http://archivo.eluniverso.com/2008/04/07/0001/10/B9D234F9167C48FC89EE24447E1F2D57.aspx

[ubetchaiam]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manta

http://www.rampant-books.com/south_america_travel_tips/t_manta_ecuador.htm

http://www.ecuador.us/manta.htm

[vikki2]

Be careful of armed robberies in some neighborhoods of Manta.

"Manta y Santo Domingo aparecen como dos de las urbes más violentas." :
http://archivo.eluniverso.com/2008/04/07/0001/10/B9D234F9167C48FC89EE24447E1F2D57.aspx

Be careful of armed robberies in every country in some neighborhoods.

My parents just came back form ecuador in search of a new adventure and country to live/retire in.  They asked us (My husband, daughter, baby on the way and I) if we also would like to move to Ecuador.  After searching the whole country they came up with 2 favorite places.  Cuenca and Manta.  As we are all much more interested in being near the water we have settles on Manta.  Manta has dentists, orthodontists, tourism, a big mall, grocery stores, englishh schools, archelogical sites, water sports, scooter rentals.  They went on a tour where they are building a new compound, on the tour there were 25 expatriate couples, 18 purchased.  My parents never had any issues in all of Ecuador with even being threatened with bodily harm, but they were also friendly to the locals who in turn were friendly and guided them along to keeping them safe.  There were kids begginf and my father teased a couple and they loved him and the older locals thought he was great.  So like with ANY country and ANY neighbourhood, be smart, be polite and everything will be fine.

[suspirar]

So like with ANY country and ANY neighbourhood, be smart, be polite and everything will be fine.

I wouldn't go that far. In 2008, I was typing at a computer at an Internet cafe in Guayaquil, minding my own business, and then I started to hear a man shouting. I started seeing people around me lie down on the ground. The whole Internet cafe was being held up by two non-masked men, each with a gun.

The robbers were in some ways nice, even though I didn't think they were nice when one pointed a gun at my face and later put his gun close to the face of an employee of the cyber. They didn't take our credit cards, our ATM cards, our identification, or our coin money. They didn't take our keys. They only took paper money and cellular phones. So I think the key is that if you find yourself in an armed robbery, it's best to cooperate, because the robbers typically don't want to kill. Also, try to hold onto your keys, so that you don't have to sleep in a police station.

There was my American acquaitance who was robbed at gunpoint with her 2 Ecuadorian friends before seeing a play in Quito. There was the German woman who was killed when she returned to her residence and found it being burglarized. What I'm saying is...you can be polite and smart and still be the victim of a violent crime. Statistics show that Ecuador's homicide rate is significantly higher than the homicide rate in the USA, and Manta is more violent than average for Ecuador.

Getting back to Manta...

Also, in 2008, I read an article in the newspaper Extra about a bus robbery gone bad in Manta. Three young men well-armed with guns entered a bus, and said (in Spanish of course), something like, "Everyone, this is a hold up. Pass us your money." One of the passengers was armed with a gun. He shot all three robbers. Two of them died. Fortunately, no one else was hurt. It was a horrific incident for the passengers of the bus, none of whom had done anything to deserve the robbery and its bloody end. According to the article, the robbery occurred in a part of Manta where armed robberies were common.

Still, people say that Manta is a nice city.

[Sinduda]

I wouldn't go that far. In 2008, I was typing at a computer at an Internet cafe in Guayaquil, minding my own business, and then I started to hear a man shouting. I started seeing people around me lie down on the ground. The whole Internet cafe was being held up by two non-masked men, each with a gun.

The robbers were in some ways nice, even though I didn't think they were nice when one pointed a gun at my face and later put his gun close to the face of an employee of the cyber. They didn't take our credit cards, our ATM cards, our identification, or our coin money. They didn't take our keys. They only took paper money and cellular phones. So I think the key is that if you find yourself in an armed robbery, it's best to cooperate, because the robbers typically don't want to kill. Also, try to hold onto your keys, so that you don't have to sleep in a police station.

There was my American acquaitance who was robbed at gunpoint with her 2 Ecuadorian friends before seeing a play in Quito. There was the German woman who was killed when she returned to her residence and found it being burglarized. What I'm saying is...you can be polite and smart and still be the victim of a violent crime. Statistics show that Ecuador's homicide rate is significantly higher than the homicide rate in the USA, and Manta is more violent than average for Ecuador.

Getting back to Manta...

Also, in 2008, I read an article in the Extra! newspaper about a bus robbery gone bad in Manta. Three young men well-armed with guns entered a bus, and said (in Spanish of course), something like, "Everyone, this is a hold up. Pass us your money." One of the passengers was armed with a gun. He shot all three robbers. Two of them died. Fortunately, no one else was hurt. It was a horrific incident for the passengers of the bus, none of whom had done anything to deserve the robbery and its bloody end. According to the article, the robbery occurred in a part of Manta where armed robberies were common.

Still, people say that Manta is a nice city.

Suspirar...have you decided to become the spokesperson on behalf of the anti chamber of commerce?  The self-appointed Mr. Anti-Ecuador?  I begin to wonder why you spend so much time here when it seems you have only negative things to say and only want to convince people Ecuador is too dangerous to live in. 

I am not a coastal person myself (apart from the generous amount of time I am fortunate enough to spend in the amazing Galapagos), however, I see the appeal of Manta.  It is the only boom town in Ecuador.  As Vikki wrote, "So like with ANY country and ANY neighborhood, be smart, be polite and everything will be fine."

While that may not always be the case in any neighborhood in any country, it sure helps towards the end result of living safely and comfortably.  There are no guarantees, but I am yet to experience anything in all my travels, most of which were me as a single woman traveling alone, that would begin to equate to the doom and gloom scenarios you so consistently share with us. 

Back when you were so insistent on creating a very dangerous image of Cuenca, I believe anyone who lived here debated your belief and we all concluded that it must be safer to live in Cuenca than to visit Cuenca. 

What keeps you here if you find it so bad?  Just curious.

L.

[suspirar]

Hi Sinduda,

I spend a LOT of time reading about Ecuador, because I DO plan to go to Ecuador. I read 4 Ecuadorian online newspapers almost every day, in addition to other sites. Like almost all Latin-American countries, Ecuador is more dangerous than the USA, on average. I've also read numerous real-estate websites in English, which were good sites, but I've seen many paint Ecuador as safe. Or, some will smartly say that Ecuador has less crime than Colombia and Peru, which is probably correct, but it gives a false impression that Ecuador is "safe". It's important to remember that Colombia has a very high homicide rate and Peru has a lot of deceitful hustlers, much more than Ecuador. I would hate for a foreigner to come to Ecuador with his/her guard down, oblivious of the risks.

You're right that tourists are more likely to be victimized by non-tourists. Tourists are out-and-about more, eating at restaurants, using Internet cafes, etc..., and they don't know about dangerous spots.

If a person moves to Ecuador knowing the risks, and accepting the risks, that's okay. However, I wouldn't want someone to go to Ecuador uninformed, under the false impression that it is a "safe" country. I've read more than one grumbling on an internationalliving.com forum from an expat who was unhappy about the crime in Ecuador.

I know that some people go on real-state tours of Ecuador, where they're isolated in hotels and buses with other rich foreigners, instead of really getting to know Ecuador. The real-estate tours of course don't want to mention crime. These rich foreigners often don't understand Spanish enough to read a newspaper or understand the news on TV. Therefore, a newspaper could have a front-page article about crime, but the foreigner wouldn't even be able to read it.

When I think about the Oregonian man who was stabbed in Esmeraldas, the foreigners who were assaulted in Quito, etc...., my morality tells me that it's best to let people know of the dangers. If they want to accept those dangers like I can accept them, that's fine, just as long as they know. Would I want someone to warn me about crime? YES! And yes, I know that a woman was stabbed to death in 2007 in a botched robbery in the city that I plan to move to--Loja. Other tourists, mainly in hostels, informed me of the dangers of Ecuador, and I am grateful to them. It's also in Ecuador's best interest that tourists be prepared to avoid dangers.

Why do I still like Ecuador? Well, the economy in the USA is pretty bad. The USA's deficits and debt worry me. The whole world is bad right now. Mexico has all those murders, and we keep watching about them on TV, with people getting their bodies cut up or dipped in acid. Ecuador isn't as bad as Mexico in that sense. Colombia and Peru have their problems, as I mentioned above. I'm prepared to accept Ecuador as a socialist country; I'm okay with socialism.

Good things about Ecuador:

You can live on $500/month. Some parts are SO beautiful. I love the abundance of natural trees. People have trees in their yards instead of big lawns. I love riding on the buses with the music playing, in the heat, with the windows down; the buses in San Diego aren't nearly as fun. Medical school can be far cheaper in Ecuador than most other places. The people in Ecuador are very friendly; it's easy to strike up a conversation with strangers. In the USA I can feel so lonely, unless I go to a bar. In Ecuador, you only need to go to a bus station, park, or sidewalk to find company in the evening. The kids in Ecuador are adorable. I would love to adopt at least one of them. You don't need a car in Ecuador. Your house can look dumpy on the outside (and inside), and no HOA or city will fine you for having an ugly house.

I've heard plenty of good things about Manta too, about it's beauty. Apparently it is a romantic place to go.

[CatS]

Suspirar
You need to stop watching the news.  It obviously affects your perceptions of the world in a very negative way.  There is crime everywhere!  BUT, when you use some common sense and do a little risk analysis, people generally do not become victims of crime.  Let me put this into perspective - right now, if you watch the evening news from Vancouver, Canada, you would think your chances of getting shot are high, as every night there has been another shooting to report.  Actually, your chances of getting shot may be quite good if you are a gang member (currently there is a gang war happening), or if you are buying drugs from a gang member, or if you are soliciting prostitutes from a gang member...   However, as Jo or Jane tourist, you are probably not going to notice anything happening.  Similarly in Mexico there is a drug war going on so if you are a Mexican policeman or involved in the drug trade, you would have an elevated risk of getting killed.  Most Jo & Jane tourists in Mexico don't see any of this either...   
Your reports on Manta crime so far have been either hearsay or from local newspapers.  I think that most people who plan to move to a third world country understand and investigate the country before selling all and making the move.  People do their own risk analysis and having someone constantly yelling "the sky is falling" is not actually as useful as giving culturally specific information on how to stay safe or what is appropriate in particular areas.
 
Now, for something useful...  in Asia, it is common to wear a lot of gold (often families have a lot of their wealth tied up in wearable form) but in Ecuador as in other Latino countries, wearing a lot of gold and jewelery is considered ostentatious and an invitation to thieves. 

Cat

[suspirar]

I am not going to stop watching/reading the news. I think everyone should try to read/watch the news. I have lots of personal crime stories about Ecuador, but they don't have to do with MANTA, so I won't go into them. A great way to practice Spanish is to read the news in Spanish.

...Poor Vikki was only trying to say something nice about Manta, and then all this other distracting stuff was posted. Sorry Vikki!

I don't want to deter people, including Vikki, from posting stuff about Manta. Ecuadorians like to go to Manta for getaways. Internationalliving.com wrote an article raving about Manta. My guidebooks have described Manta favorably. Manta is a popular place for foreigners and Ecuadorians. I'm just saying "be vigilant." I'm NOT saying "Never move to Manta." There is nothing like city-data.com for the cities of Ecuador, unfortunately, so it's hard to get crime statistics on cities.

I encourage people to keep writing about Manta and the coast. The coast hasn't gotten the attention that it deserves on this forum. By looking at this forum, one would think that 90% of foreigners move to Cuenca. That's not the way things really are. A lot of foreigners choose the Ecuadorian coast; many of them prefer the climate of the coast over the highland climate above 2000 msnm.

[Sinduda]

Hi Sinduda,

I spend a LOT of time reading about Ecuador, because I DO plan to go to Ecuador. I read 4 Ecuadorian online newspapers almost every day, in addition to other sites. Like almost all Latin-American countries, Ecuador is more dangerous than the USA, on average. I've also read numerous real-estate websites in English, which were good sites, but I've seen many paint Ecuador as safe. Or, some will smartly say that Ecuador has less crime than Colombia and Peru, which is probably correct, but it gives a false impression that Ecuador is "safe". It's important to remember that Colombia has a very high homicide rate and Peru has a lot of deceitful hustlers, much more than Ecuador. I would hate for a foreigner to come to Ecuador with his/her guard down, oblivious of the risks.

You're right that tourists are more likely to be victimized by non-tourists. Tourists are out-and-about more, eating at restaurants, using Internet cafes, etc..., and they don't know about dangerous spots.

If a person moves to Ecuador knowing the risks, and accepting the risks, that's okay. However, I wouldn't want someone to go to Ecuador uninformed, under the false impression that it is a "safe" country. I've read more than one grumbling on an internationalliving.com forum from an expat who was unhappy about the crime in Ecuador.

I know that some people go on real-state tours of Ecuador, where they're isolated in hotels and buses with other rich foreigners, instead of really getting to know Ecuador. The real-estate tours of course don't want to mention crime. These rich foreigners often don't understand Spanish enough to read a newspaper or understand the news on TV. Therefore, a newspaper could have a front-page article about crime, but the foreigner wouldn't even be able to read it.

When I think about the Oregonian man who was stabbed in Esmeraldas, the foreigners who were assaulted in Quito, etc...., my morality tells me that it's best to let people know of the dangers. If they want to accept those dangers like I can accept them, that's fine, just as long as they know. Would I want someone to warn me about crime? YES! And yes, I know that a woman was stabbed to death in 2007 in a botched robbery in the city that I plan to move to--Loja. Other tourists, mainly in hostels, informed me of the dangers of Ecuador, and I am grateful to them. It's also in Ecuador's best interest that tourists be prepared to avoid dangers.

Why do I still like Ecuador? Well, the economy in the USA is pretty bad. The USA's deficits and debt worry me. The whole world is bad right now. Mexico has all those murders, and we keep watching about them on TV, with people getting their bodies cut up or dipped in acid. Ecuador isn't as bad as Mexico in that sense. Colombia and Peru have their problems, as I mentioned above. I'm prepared to accept Ecuador as a socialist country; I'm okay with socialism.

Good things about Ecuador:

You can live on $400/month. Some parts are SO beautiful. I love the abundance of natural trees. People have trees in their yards instead of big lawns. I love riding on the buses with the music playing, in the heat, with the windows down; the buses in San Diego aren't nearly as fun. Medical school can be far cheaper in Ecuador than most other places. The people in Ecuador are very friendly; it's easy to strike up a conversation with strangers. In the USA I can feel so lonely, unless I go to a bar. In Ecuador, you only need to go to a bus station, park, or sidewalk to find company in the evening. The kids in Ecuador are adorable. I would love to adopt at least one of them. You don't need a car in Ecuador. Your house can look dumpy on the outside (and inside), and no HOA or city will fine you for having an ugly house.

I've heard plenty of good things about Manta too, about it's beauty. Apparently it is a romantic place to go.

Thanks for that response.  I could not agree with you more about people becoming informed and making informed decisions.  I'm not sure of why you think Ecuador is more dangerous in the US, but then again, I lived in NYC most of my adult life.  When I left the south to move up there, the comments were interesting.  It was as though I had a death wish as crime was surely oozing out of every nook and cranny in the infested streets of New York City as far as many southerners were concerned.  I heard about a lot of crime there, only once in all those years saw someone pull a knife on someone else, but it was in Nashville, TN where my home was twice broken into.  So, go figure.

So inform and warn is healthy as long as it's not out of balance and the sole message, imho.  Where are all these trees, btw? LOL..I can't stand the loud music on hot buses, but could not agree more about how friendly the Ecuadorian people are. 

L.

[buckey]

Hi, new to the forum.  International Living  had a blurb about Manta last week that said it had the largest, most organised expat population in Ecuador.  I usually take what they say with a little skepticism but that surprised me.  I did see some stats on homicide rates in the Americas a couple of months ago.  Statisticly it is more dangerous in Ecuador with homicides at 25 per 100,000 if I remember right.  I believe Chile was best at 3.5 per 100,000, better than the States.  It's my understanding that outside of Quito the mountain region of Ecuador is safer than the lowlands.  All things considered, even with a higher rate it doesn't mean Ecuador is prohibitively dangerous.   Alot of those killings are crimes of passion.  It's maybe more common to settle an insult violently than in some other places.  So the advice to be always friendly and polite is very sound!  And use common sense.  I'm looking at Cuenca, definitely prefer that climate and scenery, and it's just an amazing looking city!

[buckey]

Went back and checked those stats.  South America overall is 25.9, Ecuador is 16.9, the U.S. is 5.5  I think and Chile is the safest country in Latin America at 1.9.  Google homicide rates south america to find the list on Wikipedia. 

[wwwman]

Suspirar:

I am a little confused.  In one post you say that you are "planning to go to Ecuador" and in another you say that you were in Guayaquil!  Have you ever been to Ecuador? 

Thanks