Hey, Edd here. I want to share with you my recent experience renewing my Ecuador driver’s license.

Those of you who have been following us for a while may be wondering, “Wait a minute. I thought you didn’t have a car. Why in the heck do you need a driver’s license?”

You’re right. We sold Cynthia’s car before moving to Cuenca 14 years ago (I had already sold mine), and used the proceeds to pay for the container that brought our furnishings to Ecuador—a win-win transaction of the highest degree.

Since then we have chosen addresses where we can walk to pretty much everything required for daily life. Currently, within 10 minutes from our home is a supermarket, gym, yoga studio, and a wide choice of dining options.

For any other destinations we take Cuenca's light rail system (17 cents per ride for seniors) or use an app on our phone to summon a taxi (fares from $1.50 to $2.50 depending on the distance). Buses are also available but not as...

Cynthia:  Well, this has certainly been an eventful few days at Casa Staton. Last week we renewed our U.S. passports and this week you had to renew your Ecuadorian driver’s license. As we reported, the passports were a breeze. Why don’t you tell our readers about your license adventures?

Edd:  I’m thinking “journey” better describes the process of getting a license renewed. But since we have no car here let me first explain why in the heck I have a local driver’s license in the first place.

Confession time:  I let my U.S. license expire years ago. Oops. Since I still needed to be able to drive (and sometimes rent a car) when we were in the States, getting a license in Ecuador was an easy solution.

C:  It wasn’t that easy. You had to sit in class for two weeks to “learn” how to drive in Ecuador!

E:  Yeah, there was that. And five years later I was back at that same driving school, because the first step in...