That Is the Way of European Whites

(Texas, United States)

First I would like to say that I'm considering Cuenca as my retirement destination. It looks like a beautiful country and I'm looking forward to lazy walks, cultural sounds, tastes and smell of a beautiful city such as Cuenca.

What follows may sound racist, but believe me that is not my intent. Only to point out that if world history has shown us anything it's that where people of European descent land the crops/flowers die and the earth becomes infertile and crime rises.

North Americans take something that is naturally beautiful, something that is provided for all by Mother Nature. They stake claim to it and then put a high priced tag on the view. This is what's wrong with the US today. Which is why I was looking somewhere else to retire.

I don't have hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars for retirement. And by the time I'm ready to move to Cuenca, the cost of living there will be the same as living in the States. This is what I don't like about America and Americans: they are GREEDY!

Right now I'm learning all I can about Cuencans, the culture and the language. I WANT to assimilate into the culture and FIT IN, NOT stand out as a "gringo." I want to drink in the sights, smells and sounds of Ecuador.

I just hope that in the next five years there will still be all of that to experience before any more "gringos" flocking to this Paradise Haven corrupt it for the rest of us who want Ecuador to stay just as it is (or was 3 years ago). Just my two cents on the matter.