On Sunday (6/23), we purchased a local paper ("El Universo") and went through the apartment listings trying to find a furnished apartment in a good neighborhood. We had been told that the Urdesa neighborhood was a safe place and that many other expats lived there, so that was our target. We found three apartments that were listed as furnished for around $300/mo, so those were our targets.
On Monday, we met up with Sierra and Daniel. Sierra is our facilitator's daughter and Daniel is a taxi driver. Since Daniel speaks little English (and our Spanish is pretty poor still), Sierra was along to act as an interpreter. Daniel, being a native Ecuadorian, would handle all of the negotiations and make sure that we got a fair price if we found a suitable apartment. Daniel also made all of the phone calls and talked to the lessors for us.
We drove to the first Urdesa apartment and quickly found out what $300/mo will get. The apartment was on a quiet street, but that's where the positives end. It had no kitchen appliances, furnishings meant a bed and chair, and very few of the lights even had light bulbs. It did have a suicide shower, however, that looked like it might live up to it's name! We thanked the lady for her time and moved on.
After a couple of swing-and-miss chances, Sierra found us the ideal place! (Shameless plug: http://elpatiosuites.com) Not only is it in a good neighborhood (La Fae), it came complete with all of the household goods and appliances we would need:
Number nine, number nine...
Living area/kitchen
Bedroom and our constant companions (the lockers)
This place is perfect for the two of us. It costs $600/mo plus electric (about $25/mo) and includes high-speed wifi. Security deposit is $200.
It's also in a great location. There are many tiendas (small shops) nearby as well as a local bakery and a shop that roasts chickens. (One of the tiendas has bananas for five cents a piece!) There are also two shopping malls that are a $3 cab ride away. One (Policentro) is an ordinary middle-class mall with a SuperMaxi grocery store and many electronics shops. The other (San Marino) is more upscale with a movie theater and many jewelry shops (even a Rolex store!).
Moving from the hotel to the apartment was a bit of a challenge. Emily and Sierra stayed at the apartment while Daniel and I went back to the hotel. Daniel parked (illegally) in front of the hotel while I carried the lockers down. After bringing down the first three lockers, Daniel was getting a little nervous. The transit police kept telling him to move, but he kept explaining that I was bringing more items. As I brought down the next locker, he asked, "No mas?". No, I said, "Tres mas". (We repeated that conversation with every item.) By the time I brought the last suitcase down, he was very relieved to be able to move away from the glare of the Policia Transito.
Once the taxi was full with the first load, Daniel drove it over to the apartment to unload while I finished packing up the rest of the hotel room. (Yes, we had complete trust that he wouldn't drive off with our things. I kept the laptops and paperwork with me at all times, however. Clothes can be replaced.)
Daniel returned for the second (last) pick up, this time requiring only two trips from the hotel room to the taxi. I thanked the reception staff at the Manso hotel for a wonderful stay; this is a genuinely great place to stay. With the last bags in the cab, Daniel and I returned to the apartment.
Emily, Sierra and the housekeeper Narcissa had already carried all of the heavy stuff up to the room, so the rest of the items (backpacks, cooler, etc.) were a piece of cake.
After a trip to SuperMaxi to buy some groceries, Emily and I settled in for the night. We'll be more than happy to spend the next six weeks here while our applications are being processed.
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