A new US Embassy security alert in Quito (April 21, 2026) follows President Daniel Noboa’s announcement of a 15-day curfew in multiple provinces and cantons across Ecuador. In this video, I break down the curfew dates (May 3–18) and hours (11 PM–5 AM), what travelers should know about airport exceptions, increased checkpoints, and why you should monitor official Ecuadorian updates and consider enrolling in STEP for email alerts.

I also share something more personal: how I’ve been using ChatGPT (“Darby”) to genuinely improve my day-to-day life as a retiree in Manta—building small apps, summarizing emails, generating YouTube metadata, and even helping me learn to focus and read more effectively. If you’re an expat in Ecuador and curious about practical, non-hype ways to use AI, reach out and I’ll show you what’s worked for me.

Links to know:
STEP - https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/smart-traveler-enrollment-program.html

Facebook - Manta and Manabi Expats and Amigos - https://www.facebook.com/groups/323275021650751/

My Channel Video Index - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-f4Wv3uBMulCX9OK6oNqS5a9wrS84cbUBYXzoq24JNA/edit?usp=sharing

My Google Docs document of useful information
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ArNRtsdqfleE1-l9r1yKrh-XyzksSIwj0MMyb09L0ro/edit?usp=sharing

My checklist for moving to Ecuador - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ySNcEa6_ffaKutXgMdlhdwAoD46lkwqKvd_H7DlEYGY/edit?usp=sharing

Remember this folks.
A country might look good on paper, or on a YouTube video, but what about the “Chemistry” between you, the individual and the country and culture as a whole?
This is something we can’t know in advance. We can only make our move, dive in and test the waters…….and see how it goes.

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