A couple years ago, Deke got swept up in a growing movement of Baby Boomers migrating to foreign lands. He moved to Cuenca, Ecuador, the hottest expatriation destination in Latin America.
"At the time," he tells us, "I was one of perhaps 500 other expats. Today, I'm one of nearly 3,000."
A linguist at heart, he determined to learn Spanish, enrolled in an immersion language school, and spent 250 hours in the classroom, plus countless more during and since, practicing with everyone he comes in contact with, especially, he says, cab drivers.
"The transportation system here is great -- frequent buses that go all over the city and suburbs -- for a total fare of 25 cents. Thousands of taxis also run around town and take you anywhere for $2. Being a frugal-traveler type, if I'm spending an extra $1.75 for a ride, I'm damn sure I'm getting a one-on-one language lesson out of it."
Perhaps inevitably, after working on the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, LasVegasAdvisor.com, and Huntington Press books for 20 years, Deke got involved in an Advisor-like website, GringoTree.com.
"We don't do a Question of the Day, but we do provide a Q&A format for current and prospective expats. We also conduct bi-weekly surveys on expatriation issues, such as the cost of living in Ecuador, which is among the most economical in the world, safety and security, Spanish, demographics, and the like. We post announcements of events, activities, and performances, along with classified ads from people seeking or providing products and services to the gringo community. We run stories on culture, travel, history, language, and news. And we send out a daily e-letter to nearly 7,000 subscribers. If anyone's interested, it's all at GringoTree.com.
"By the way," he adds, "the term 'gringo' isn't derogatory in South America, like it is in Central America and, especially, Mexico. Here, it's just a synonym for foreigner."
GringoTree also has a book-publishing program, headed up by HP's long-time editor. The "Expats in Ecuador" series now has three titles: Life in Cuenca, The Special Foods of Cuenca (which is free to new e-letter subscribers), and Cuenca's Top Ten Attractions. Upcoming titles include How to Learn Spanish, Visas and Immigration, Real Estate and Rentals, Tech for Expats, and Health Care in Ecuador.
Deke says, "Cuenca reminds me of Las Vegas before the downturn in two major ways. First, business and construction are booming here, supported primarily by Ecuadorians returning from North America and Europe with money earned there during the good times.
"Second, done right, you can live here unbelievably cheaply. Fixed-menu lunches are $2.50. A big filet mignon dinner is $7. A visit to the dentist for x-rays, cleaning, and an exam is $25 -- and the dentist speaks English. I live quite comfortably, spending in a year what I spent in a month in the States.
"It's not paradise by any stretch of the imagination. Like anywhere, living in Ecuador has major challenges. For example, no coupons! But for a fabulous adventure at pennies on the dollar, Cuenca is, without a doubt, the nuts."
If you'd like to contact Deke, you can email him at [email protected].
For those of you who are newcomers to our site, in addition to his role as LVA and HP editor, Deke was a long-time major contributor to Question of the Day, prior to his departure, and is also the author of our "confessions of a high-roller host" best-seller, Whale Hunt in the Desert.
