ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

The 4 Types of Awesome Expats You'll Meet in Cuenca Ecuador

Updated on August 14, 2012

Cuenca, Ecuador is home to some amazing expats. They're lively, fun, and friendly - and if you don't believe me, just come check it out for yourself.

With nearly 1500 full-time expats, Cuenca's local community is like a closely-knit small town. You can find a social circle to suit almost any temperament and people from all around the world to swap stories with over a beer or hiking trail. However, to make the most of your new life in Cuenca, look for expats from these four groups.

#1 Adventurers

Cuenca is home to some amazing adventurers. These people are always up to something, going here, running there, and trying new things at every turn. Share a moment of conversation with them and you can't help but be inspired to do something new and different in your own life.

Their attitude of "Why Not?" is contagious ... seek them out and catch the spirit as soon as you can.

#2 Young Souls

The young souls in Cuenca know that age is nothing but a number ... and a pretty worthless one at that! They may not be spring chickens, but don't you dare try to write them off as boring old people. Their show's not over yet, not by a long shot.

Talking with these people will make you feel alive again and give you hope for a vibrant life all the way to the final stop. As George Jones so eloquently put it in the unofficial theme song for this group of expats - "My body's old, but it ain't impaired, and I don't need no rocking chair!"

#3 Business Owners

Expat-owned businesses in Cuenca showcase the spirit and personality of their owners. These are people who left everything they knew before to move abroad and start a whole new life - and what's not awesome about that? They took a big risk, and it's working out for them. Talking with this group will fill you with ideas for your own business in Cuenca and remind you that there is no traditional path to success.

Some of the expat owned businesses in Cuenca that I know and love include rental agencies, real estate firms, relocation services, cafes, and bars. Just drop in the Inca Lounge, the Local 5, San Sebas Cafe, California Kitchen, or the Kookaburra Cafe for a taste of what life's like running a business here, and use your insights to get your own international dreams up off the ground.

#4 Writers & Artists

A number of wonderful writers and artists call Cuenca home. Some came to Cuenca as a part of their personal retirement plans, while others feel inspired by Cuenca. Almost all of them provide stimulating and interesting conversation, and many of them produce exceptional work.

For authors, you have everything from nutritional guides to thrillers and mystery. Several of Cuenca's authors meet regularly, and if you're here, you can even attend monthly poetry and chapter readings.

Artists and artisans include noted woodcarvers, jewelry makers, and painters. You'll find photographers here in abundance, given Cuenca's picturesque blend of rivers and mountains. And the longer you stay, the more in-tune you may feel with your own creative side - always a good thing!

Whether you're here to retire in Cuenca or just checking out South American living for a while, be sure to look up some of Cuenca's awesome expats. They're a vibrant contrast to run-of-the-mill travel encounters, and they may just inspire you to do something totally new with your life.

Which of the 4 awesome expat types do you meet most often in Cuenca?

See results
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)