MiddleAgedKen wrote:She also failed to reflect that if things go pear-shaped in Ecuador, her family is going to have an immense bulls-eye on it.
Theres a fair number of retirement comunities in South America aimed squarely at Americans, because you can live like a rockstar on a typical ss check. These places are hands off to the local narcos, because they know bad things happening to gringos invite unwanted attention. That said, the average large city in SA has a murder rate that makes Detroit look like a paragon of safety.
Frankly, if you're gonna go down there, go to uruguay, as its mostly white (better chance of blending in) has little interest for the drug trade, has been relatively stable economically (for South America, at least), and is a popular destination for retirees, so theres an expat community.