An American passes me on the street in Canoa, Ecuador and I say, “hi.” “Just another day,” he says. “All the days are the same any more,” he mumbles with a frown. He is heading to the local gringo bar to drink his boring day away until his mind is numb. He stares at the one-story shacks surrounding him and rules out suicide for the moment. Better to take up the local sport of paragliding.

Not uncommon for the typical retired expatriate living in a foreign country. He owns a house and probably married a local lady half his age.

Stereotyped by the locals as the rich gringo. He is rich here, but most likely living on a modest pension from back home.

Before you decide to jump in with a home purchase in your new found paradise, you better take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself what are you going to do with all your free time. True local friends will be hard to come by, as you will always be the “money target.”

Sand and bugs will be your constant companion and how they love to pester you during the night.

Lets not forget taking the new family out for the shopping sprees that will eventually have you staring at your depleted bank balance. But not to worry, because misery loves company and your buddies at the local gringo bar will drink the days away with you.

But, on the bright side you do have the option of locking the doors and going on a vacation. Sometimes you have to take a vacation from paradise and go see the rest of the world that awaits you outside your cocoon.

That’s what I was thinking as I was walking away from this gentleman. Why wallow in your misery. Pack the family and hit the road.

But the flip side is you do have people that are very happy with their newfound life in paradise. You can live for one third of the price of your home country if you play your hand right.

Beachfront property for a pittance (in some cases.) All the coconuts and bananas that you can eat. Plenty of stray dogs to adopt.

You can’t run away from your problems! It’s true.

And I still believe renting is the way to go.