½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

So, Cuenca Expats, how are visa-seekers without cars supposed to make the multiple trips from Cuenca to the Ministry office in Azogues?

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia, you always continue to amaze me.

This is a huge slap in the face of expats wanting to live and spend their money in Ecuador. I'm going to try the switch over to a 9-V Professional visa, just to avoid the yearly CD renewal thing.

It will involve (I'm sure) way too many trips to Azoguez to "fetch rocks". I'm just about ready to give up and go find a country that want's people to move and live there.

The FAO says, 10 applications per day... that's 300 per month... 3,600 per year. What are the statistics for Azoguez?

The other thing the article pointed out was that Azoguez has the largest staff... Why would that be?

Sounds political to me, and that is exactly what I left to come here... perhaps, time for a move :-)

symo

We're hoping Ecuador won't lose our man Symington, especially since he's already come up with the professional-visa-switch strategy.

I'm pretty sure he was wearing that straight-jacket even before the Ministry announced this Azogues nuttiness.

While he's pondering his fate, I'm hoping he'll let us know his transportation strategy for making a trek to Azogues.

As I recall, he's prone to running any major plans past his wife, so maybe she can help maintain as much sanity as can be mustered this time around.

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia, I will never leave Ecuador before you take the hair off and I release myself from the jacket and we sit across the table sipping way too much Rum.

Trust me, I will post a play-by-play of how this change of visa goes, including the best transportation things I find.

The "wife"... alas, you are a servant... you are totally correct... and I've found that it's a good idea to let her be totally correct... always (even when she's wrong) 

Me? ¡Es lo que es, no?

That's shocking. Cccmedia do you have a link to the announcement of this change?

Shall we speculate as to why such a nonsensical visa processing change was made?

gardener1 wrote:

That's shocking. Cccmedia do you have a link to the announcement of this change?

At the moment it's one of the headlines on the welcome page at

cccmedia in Quito

gardener1 wrote:

Shall we speculate as to why such a nonsensical visa processing change was made?

Of course.  This is ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ.  Let Speculation Ring.

Symo got the ball rolling with his comment about politics being involved, although he was a bit vague on that point.

cccmedia in Quito

rsymington wrote:

The "wife"... alas, you are a servant... you are totally correct... and I've found that it's a good idea to let her be totally correct...

¿Es lo que es, no?

Symo's understandably upset over this Azogues deal.  So I'm hoping he meant savant.

cccmedia in Quito

And now.. a few more facts about Azogues, Ecuador .. now that Cuenca Expats may be adding it to their travel itineraries...

1.  Azogues is the capital of Cañar province.

2.  It has 40,000 residents (Wikipedia).

3.  According to Wikipedia, it is spelled Azogues, not Azoguez, the latter being the spelling in the Cuenca Highlife report.  I have edited/changed the spelling in my earlier posts since I believe Wiki spelled it right:  there's an actual Spanish word on which the city's name is probably based.

4.Ìý Azogue is the Spanish word for mercury or quicksilver.

cccmedia in Quito

Gracias all……..just another example of how quickly change comes here in Ecuador…….
Although it may prove not as convenient for some, it would seem not much of a difficulty…….
Heck, down here in Señor Elvis's favorite city, the drive to the Minesterio was about 40 minutes and then you had to hope to find a spot to park…….

AMDG wrote:

Gracias all……..just another example of how quickly change comes here in Ecuador…….
Although it may prove not as convenient for some, it would seem not much of a difficulty…….
Heck, down here in Señor Elvis's favorite city, the drive to the Ministerio was about 40 minutes and then you had to hope to find a spot to park…….

If you have a car the trip to Azogues is doable...my neighbor has his clinic in Azogues.  Bus is/will be a huge inconvenience in terms of time, costs and frustration of any return trips....which may be why it is in Azogues.  Or an attempt to pump some money into the local economy.  Who knows.

News of the move was in the local papers here in Cuenca.  An immigration lawyer who was interviewed said he had no idea why the change.

What's the one-way taxi fare from the center of Cuenca to the visa-office in Azogues?

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia wrote:

rsymington wrote:

The "wife"... alas, you are a servant... you are totally correct... and I've found that it's a good idea to let her be totally correct...

¿Es lo que es, no?

Symo's understandably upset over this Azogues deal.  So I'm hoping he meant savant.

cccmedia in Quito

You are correct!! I can't spell in multiple languages :-)

symo

Maybe Azogues will get some traction as a placer to retire.

Considering 3 years ago you had to go to Guayaquil or Quito, going to Azogues isn't a huge incovenience for new immigrants to Cuenca

cccmedia wrote:

What's the one-way taxi fare from the center of Cuenca to the visa-office in Azogues?

cccmedia in Quito

Around $10.00 one way

Nards Barley wrote:

Maybe Azogues will get some traction as a placer to retire.

Considering 3 years ago you had to go to Guayaquil or Quito, going to Azogues isn't a huge incovenience for new immigrants to Cuenca

Nards, you know I love reading your posts, but alas, I think I was not clear in my disappointment.

I know and appreciate what all you "ole timers" had to go through to get visas, either from Guayaquil, or Quito. It must have been very trying. However, this is really not the same and you are correct that going to Azoques is not a huge inconvenience. However the only way this can really be an equal scenario would be if the Guayaquil (or Quito) office stopped issuing visas and told everyone to go to Cuenca once the new office was put in place.

The trip to Azoques is not the point. I don't care about the trip. I'm retired... I live in Ecuador... I have nothing but time to do whatever, whenever. In fact I'm kind of excited about the trip. I've mostly explored towards the West, and this will give a an opportunity to see some new places in this wonderful country.

My disappointment and the point I wanted to make is the reduction of government services to the larger number of people utilizing those services seems... weird. It would be interesting to learn the number of government employees that have been relocated to Azoques or other Ministerio offices, or discharged due to the lessened load on the Cuenca office.

Just anecdotal, but, I renewed my CD for my 9-II visa last month. It took 3 trips to the Ministerio (one of which was to secure a document from the bank issuing the CD that when I asked the bank, they had no clue what the Ministerio was asking for). This was not a new visa. This was not a renewal of a visa. This was the renewal of a CD for transfer to Banco Central. A procedure that should be able to be accomplished in a day. All my documents were correct and in order, I had the new CD, all I needed was the letter from the Ministerio telling Banco Central to take possession of the new CD. Again, all of it should have taken a day... not the 15 days it ended up taking.

If this change expedites services and reduces the apparent need for "just anyone" making policy regarding "required" documents, then I will be the first to applaud the change. If it is just more of the same, then, what the heck... I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride :-)

See ya on the bus :-)

Well, apparently Symo can look forward to making plenty of trips to the new Azogues office in late 2016.

The contact information for that office has just been published....

Ministerio de Relaciones Extranjeras
Avenida 16 de Abril y Babahoyo
Azogues
Tel.  593 7 407 5942

source:

cccmedia in Quito

For the carless of Cuenca, the taxi fare to Azogues is $15 to $20, which is more than Quito0819 was figuring.

The alternative is taking a bus there.  It's a 40-minute ride costing two bucks.

You'll find the Azogues buses at the "central" bus station on the east side of Cuenca near the airport.  There are two bus lines which offer service to Azogues about every half hour in the daytime.

The bus lets you off in Azogues at the bottom of a hill on the west side of town.  You can walk from there, but that's not recommended for retirees who prefer not to climb hills at 8,260-foot altitude.   Take a taxi instead, especially if Azogues is new to you.

As long as you're in Azogues, consider a touristy side trip to nearby Ingapirca, an ancient palace and shamanic ritual site -- the oldest Incan ruins in La República.

If your spouse is waiting at the ministry, you might want to stroll over to the town's custom tailor -- Luis Morocho of Figurin.

³§´Ç³Ü°ù³¦±ð²õ:Ìý and Gringos Abroad

Can't wait to get a look at the sights of Azogues?  There's a link at the Cuenca Highlife site to the Gringos Abroad photo gallery of the Cañar province city.

cccmedia in Quito

Well, if that is a headache for the expats living in Cuenca to have to drive 18 miles to get your paperwork done... I feel so sorry for you. If you want convenience then you might want to go back home.

kaleokids wrote:

Well, if that is a headache for the expats living in Cuenca to have to drive 18 miles to get your paperwork done... I feel so sorry for you. If you want convenience then you might want to go back home.

Well, that would be kind of nonsensical, now wouldn't it. Then it would be a 4,400 mile trip one-way to Azogues and a lot more than $15-20.00, but thanks for the input 

That proves my point in the thinking, now doesn't it?

Buses run every thirty minutes.

Why is it a "slap in the face?" It is a governmental decision and nothing more. I'm sure there was no discussion about "screwing the expats" when the decision was being made. If it is a problem for us then it is something to consider when thinking about moving to Cuenca.

golferfred wrote:

Why is it a "slap in the face?" It is a governmental decision and nothing more. I'm sure there was no discussion about "screwing the expats" when the decision was being made. If it is a problem for us then it is something to consider when thinking about moving to Cuenca.

"Slap in the face..." was hyperbole. I too doubt there was any discussion about "screwing the expats", and you're right... it is just a governmental decision and nothing more and we'll simply have to deal with it. I've seen plenty of those in the EEUU too

I just had a nice conversation over coffee with a lady who is on her way to Azogues this morning to do some visa "stuff". She said that she has made quite a few trips there due to other issues, which could not be handled in Cuenca. She also made it sound like there will still be "rock fetching" involved, but ¿Es lo que es, no? She also said that it's a pretty easy trip and not a lot of hassle.

Here is the URL for the Google Maps showing where it is. It looks to be about 1 - 1 1/2 km from the bus station, but getting a taxi from the bus station should be easy. There's also some pictures of the building at the Google Maps link.



Just might have to check that tailor out when I go there for my visa change in the not too distant future.

rsymington wrote:

Just anecdotal, but, I renewed my CD for my 9-II visa last month. It took 3 trips to the Ministerio (one of which was to secure a document from the bank issuing the CD that when I asked the bank, they had no clue what the Ministerio was asking for). This was not a new visa. This was not a renewal of a visa. This was the renewal of a CD for transfer to Banco Central. A procedure that should be able to be accomplished in a day. All my documents were correct and in order, I had the new CD, all I needed was the letter from the Ministerio telling Banco Central to take possession of the new CD. Again, all of it should have taken a day... not the 15 days it ended up taking.

I guess my plan to have my CD for 2 years worked in my favor. At least next year I won't have to bother with this trip (and possibly multiples).

I don't mean to hijack this thread but wanted to ask "rsymington" a question regarding his investment CD and did not know how else to do this whereby the information would be available for others to peruse.

From what you have said I assume you did not have to first take the original CD document out of Banco Central before getting the new CD document. Is that correct?

The reason I ask is that I ran into a problem when I did the renewal earlier this year. In my case, I wanted to remove the money I had invested at Pichincha and move it to JEP. Pichincha was paying 5.5% interest; whereas, JEP is paying me 8.5%. [ASIDE: I could have got 9% if I had taken it for one year, but I did not want the hassle of the renewal so I took it for 2 years. My landlord says he is getting 9.5% from JEP. He says you have to negotiate.] Pichincha told me I would have to obtain the original CD document from Banco Central. Banco Central told me I would have to get a letter form the Ministerio before I could get the CD document released. The Ministerio said I could not do this as there would be nothing to support my visa. After asking how I could make this change I was able to talk to a lawyer at the Ministerio who told me that they would give me a letter that stated that I had 7 days to return the new CD document to the Ministerio. If I failed to do this I would be deported. I was able to get it done. So, there was quite a bit of running around that took place. It worked out in my favor that the Ministerio had not yet been moved; otherwise, this would have been quite costly and/or inconvenient (i.e., multiple trips to the Ministerio). It took 4 trips to the Ministerio to complete the whole process.

MikeGB wrote:

I guess my plan to have my CD for 2 years worked in my favor. At least next year I won't have to bother with this trip (and possibly multiples).

I don't mean to hijack this thread but wanted to ask "rsymington" a question regarding his investment CD and did not know how else to do this whereby the information would be available for others to peruse.

From what you have said I assume you did not have to first take the original CD document out of Banco Central before getting the new CD document. Is that correct?

The reason I ask is that I ran into a problem when I did the renewal earlier this year. In my case, I wanted to remove the money I had invested at Pichincha and move it to JEP. Pichincha was paying 5.5% interest; whereas, JEP is paying me 8.5%. [ASIDE: I could have got 9% if I had taken it for one year, but I did not want the hassle of the renewal so I took it for 2 years. My landlord says he is getting 9.5% from JEP. He says you have to negotiate.] Pichincha told me I would have to obtain the original CD document from Banco Central. Banco Central told me I would have to get a letter form the Ministerio before I could get the CD document released. The Ministerio said I could not do this as there would be nothing to support my visa. After asking how I could make this change I was able to talk to a lawyer at the Ministerio who told me that they would give me a letter that stated that I had 7 days to return the new CD document to the Ministerio. If I failed to do this I would be deported. I was able to get it done. So, there was quite a bit of running around that took place. It worked out in my favor that the Ministerio had not yet been moved; otherwise, this would have been quite costly and/or inconvenient (i.e., multiple trips to the Ministerio). It took 4 trips to the Ministerio to complete the whole process.

If necessary a moderator will move these to another thread. You are correct MikeGB, I was only renewing the CD and not trying to move it to a new bank, so I did not have to return the original to Banco Bolivariano until it was released by Banco Central. That was purportedly why the "certification from the bank" was required. To attest that I did not take physical possession of the money. I just wish they would have let the banks know about this "new" requirement Luckily the Section Manager of the visa section was at the desk when I brought the "certification" that was rejected back to the Ministerio, because he asked if I had a copy of the expiring CD. Which since I now carry multiple copies of every piece of paper in my apartment when I go to the Ministerio, pulled it right out. He looked that it expired on 7 Oct and the new CD issued on 7 Oct, so he accepted that and all was well... just by a stroke of luck.

Banco Bolivariano is paying me 6.75%, so I just don't have the "gumption" to go for that extra 1.75% ($450 +/-) to change banks

The "4 trips to the Ministerio" thing you mention is the "rock fetching" part that will be the bother. Glad to hear you were able to work you way through the system and get everything accomplished in the allotted time.

symo

cccmedia wrote:

For the carless of Cuenca, the taxi fare to Azogues is $15 to $20, which is more than Quito0819 was figuring.cccmedia in Quito

My cost of $10 was based on the scientific method of just asking somebody in the neighborhood.  The answer was probably based on a swag.  With the price for rides over seven kms going into effect, it may be even more.

quito0819 wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

For the carless of Cuenca, the taxi fare to Azogues is $15 to $20, which is more than Quito0819 was figuring.cccmedia in Quito

My cost of $10 was based on the scientific method of just asking somebody in the neighborhood.  The answer was probably based on a swag.  With the price for rides over seven kms going into effect, it may be even more.

As an engineer, I can certainly appreciate the use of SWAG's

MikeGB wrote:

The Ministerio said I could not do this as there would be nothing to support my visa. After asking how I could make this change I was able to talk to a lawyer at the Ministerio who told me that they would give me a letter that stated that I had 7 days to return the new CD document to the Ministerio. If I failed to do this I would be deported. I was able to get it done....

It took 4 trips to the Ministerio to complete the whole process.

Wow !

This is a great post, and proof positive why Rule #2 for Expats in Ecuador should be followed...

Avoid contact with the Ecuadorian bureaucracy whenever possible.

cccmedia in Quito



Rule #1 has something to do with not buying real estate in the first year, if I recall correctly.

rsymington wrote:

Just might have to check that tailor out when I go there for my visa change in the not too distant future.

Good.  I think a wardrobe upgrade is overdue in your case, Symo. 

Consider something offering more comfort and flexibility than your usual outfit.

cccmedia in Quito