ECUADOR RAW & REAL
Welcome to Ecuador Raw & Real.
I’m Karman—a Canadian living in Cuenca, Ecuador, surviving with a HeartMate 3 LVAD and sharing life exactly as it happens.
This channel is about the real Ecuador: cost of living, everyday adventures, culture shocks, family life, rescue animals, mechanical-heart survival, depression, rebuilding, and refusing to give up.
Our house includes seven dogs, one cat named Coco, and enough chaos to keep life interesting.
No travel-brochure bullshit. No pretending everything is perfect. You’ll get the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly—and everything in between.
If you believe life is worth fighting for and the truth is worth telling, subscribe and come along for the ride.
No bullshit. No filters. Just real life.
ECUADOR RAW & REAL
Chapter 1: I Woke Up Dead
I woke up dead. At least, that’s how it felt.
One second, I was in a hospital bed in Saskatoon, the kind of place you think exists to keep you alive. The next, the air around me was different — sharp, electric, heavy like a storm about to snap. My heart was hammering over 200 beats per minute, pounding so violently I could feel my teeth rattle. The fluorescent lights hummed like angry hornets overhead, every flicker a threat.
The last thing I remembered was a doctor telling my partner, “He’ll probably be ready to go home later tonight.”
Yeah. Right.
Somewhere between now and then, I’d slipped into another world.
My body felt strapped to a freight train, but my mind was in a carnival funhouse. Walls breathing. Shadows bending in ways they shouldn’t. Voices whispering in tones just low enough to keep me guessing whether they were real. I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or dying, and honestly, both felt possible.
Hours vanished like spilled water. Then the whispers sharpened into orders. The doctors and nurses weren’t here to save me — no, they were planning something else. Something surgical. Something final. My skin prickled. My breath was too fast, too loud, like it was betraying me.
I had to move.
The sheets tangled around my legs like restraints, and I tore them off with the strength of pure adrenaline. My bare feet slapped against the cold tile. The hallway looked endless — too long, too bright, too clean. Somewhere behind me, someone yelled my name. Or maybe it wasn’t my name. Maybe it was a code word.
Security boots pounded closer. Rubber soles squealed on polished floor. A nurse’s voice tried to sound calm: “Karman, stop, you’re okay—” but she wasn’t fooling me. Nobody says “you’re okay” that many times unless you’re not.
I took a sharp corner, almost wiping out on the turn, barreled through a set of double doors into another corridor. Every exit sign glowed red like it was mocking me — you’ll never make it.
Then they were on me. Not gentle. Not patient. Arms around mine, locking me down, forcing me back into a room that stank of antiseptic and panic. Something cold and metallic bit my wrist — a restraint. My heart was a grenade about to blow. My last clear thought before the sedative dragged me under was that this was how they’d kill me.
It wasn’t the first time I’d felt trapped, and it sure as hell wouldn’t be the last
11 months ago | [YT] | 4
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ECUADOR RAW & REAL
1 year ago | [YT] | 5
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ECUADOR RAW & REAL
Ecuador is renowned for its diverse ecosystems, cultural heritage, and attractions such as the Galápagos Islands and the Andes mountains, which draw visitors from around the world. By 2023, the tourism sector has likely been recovering, but for the most accurate and current statistics regarding how much money tourists are bringing to Ecuador in 2023, I recommend checking official sources like Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism or reports from international tourism organizations.
1 year ago | [YT] | 2
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ECUADOR RAW & REAL
All right first of all thank you so much to all the subscribers old and new. This channel has been a work in progress and I’ve had a great time making these videos. I welcome any and pretty much all requests 😁so send em on. Since the garbage video and all the comments it really opened my eyes to a serious issue here in Ecuador 🇪🇨. Check out the comments and thanks for coming along for the ride
All my blessings
Karman
Bien, antes que nada, muchas gracias a todos los suscriptores, tanto antiguos como nuevos. Este canal ha sido un trabajo en progreso y me lo he pasado genial haciendo estos videos. Acepto casi todas las solicitudes 😁, así que envíenlas. Desde el video basura y todos los comentarios, realmente me abrió los ojos a un problema grave aquí en Ecuador 🇪🇨. Revisen los comentarios y gracias por acompañarnos.
¡Bendiciones!
Karman
1 year ago | [YT] | 8
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ECUADOR RAW & REAL
Renting in Ecuador
1 year ago | [YT] | 4
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ECUADOR RAW & REAL
This is Carlo’s and I’m stoked to have sat down beside him one day and talk 4 hours. Turns out he’s super gifted when it comes to artwork. @EcuadorRawandReal Ecuador Raw and Real will team up with Carlo’s to bring you…. The awesome viewer (subscribers) an upfront and personal experience with the streets and people of Manta Ecuador 🇪🇨
Only will you find this type of content here on Ecuador 🇪🇨 Raw&Real.
Yes Carlos also speaks English 😃
3 years ago | [YT] | 5
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ECUADOR RAW & REAL
Carnival Manta EC. Raw & Real
3 years ago | [YT] | 10
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