Cuenca High Life

Cuenca city government has announced that garbage recycling will become mandatory in March. The municipality it will impose fines on users of the city’s waste collection system who do not separate organic, inorganic and plastic waste after Mar. 1. The ordinance establishing the recycli... [More]

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A team of scientists has documented that Yasuní National Park, in the core of the Ecuadorian Amazon, shatters world records for a wide array of plant and animal groups, from amphibians to trees to insects. The authors also conclude that proposed oil development projects represent the ... [More]

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Azuay provincial police chief Fuasto Tamayo has issued his annual pre-Carnival warning to the public: watch out for airbourne water balloons. The balloons are already flying in Cuenca’s historic district, he says, with tourists being favorite targets. Carnival is officially celebrated from F... [More]

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Volcanologists and government officials are keeping a close watch on Tungurahua, in the central Ecuadorian Andes, making plans for evacuations if volcanic activity increases. Scientists and officials gathered at Tungurahua over the weekend to assess the situation. Along with thousands of loc... [More]

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Coming to Ecuador after living in Mexico for several years was a bit of a culinary shock. "Oh my God, I thought, how am I going to live without chilies?" Well, there is an Ecuadorian chili, commonly known as "aji" (accent on the "i"). Even what we knew in Mex... [More]

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Something that Ecuadorian expats learn early is how difficult it is to get accurate information in their adopted country. Anecdotal information, often wildly inaccurate, seems to rule the day for expats and locals alike. Ecuador Fact Checker is an occasional feature of Cuenca ... [More]

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Akelarre (Ah-ka-Lah’-Re): In the Basque region of Spain the name means “meeting of the witches.” In Cuenca, it’s a jewel of a restaurant located in Hotel Inca Real at General Torres 8-40, between Sucre and Simon Bolivar. As you enter the restaurant, just to the left o... [More]

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Cuenca’s holiday festivities continue tonight as 25,000 are expected to observe and participate in the annual Day of the Innocents. The event, highlighted by a parade and performances on Av. Solano, features thousands of men and boys in drag, theatrical and musical acts and various other&nbs... [More]

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For several days last week, Ecuador turned its concern from drought to flooding, as heavy rains in the Andes caused damage in areas north of Quito and near Cuenca. The rains are good news for the country’s power grid, as hydro-electric producing reservoirs filled to levels approaching ... [More]

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One of Ecuador’s most colorful --and bizarre-- traditions, is the year-end burning of the dummies. When the clock ticks over to 2010 on Friday morning, an observer with a good vantage point in Cuenca will behold an other-worldly sight of thousands of burning dummes and a ... [More]

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Ecuador's initiative to protect the climate and the rainforest of Yasuni National Park by leaving its largest oil reserve in the ground will be supported by a new multi-donor trust fund to offset lost oil revenue, Ecuadorian and United Nations officials announced last week in Copenhagen. ... [More]

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Bear with me on this one. First, I’ll tell you about one of my favorite Cuenca restaurants. Then, I’ll tell you about a couple of low-cost eating alternatives interlarded with cautionary tales about how to avoid the “gringo gouge.” I wrap things up with with a rant against&... [More]

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What’s the real story behind Ecuador’s electric power shortage? Will the rolling blackouts get worse before they get better? When will they end? Probably most important: Is this something we will have to live with for years to come? The answers paint a “bad news, good news&... [More]

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Combining Christian and pagan ritual, the sacred and the profane, and the bizarre and traditional, today’s Pase del Nino parade --the Passing of the Child-- is one Cuenca’s most colorful annual traditions. Although the parade is held in many Latin American cities, org... [More]

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The director of Cuenacaire, Rolando Arpi, says that Cuenca’s air quality has held steady in 2009 and has shown slight improvements in some areas despite an increase in the number of vehicles on the roads. Cuencaire, created in 2007 to measure air pollution, maintains two dozen monitori... [More]

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By Penny Ripple Looking for a little elegance with a fabulous meal? Cuatro Rios, which opened in the fall in a beautifully restored colonial at 10-44 Padre Aguirre, half a block from Gran Colombia, is defintely worth checking out. You’ll enter through the main door and go u... [More]

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The World March for Peace and Nonviolence passes through Cuenca on Friday, Dec. 18, on its way to a conclusion in northern Argentina, Jan. 2, and local organizers are asking the community to join in. The march began in New Zealand Oct. 2, and has passed through more than 90 countries. I... [More]

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The government says it may not be able to deliver on its promise to end the rolling electric blackouts after today. In a short statement on Monday, Ecuador’s Electricity Minister Esteban Albornoz said that continuing drought conditions near the country’s largest hydro electric plant at... [More]

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With more than seven years of experience under its belt, Bertuchis can justify the claim of being one of the best Italian restaurants in Cuenca. Owner and chef, Nelson, spent 15 years in the U.S. as a restaurateur and returned to Ecuador with the experience necessary to open and run an establishme... [More]

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A shaman blows a bull's horn on festival day and pivots to clouds of burning incense in a purification ceremony, all shot on video. The snapshot of native American life in Latacunga, opens "Nukanchik Yuyay," a twice-daily newscast in Quechua, the language spoken by millions of ... [More]

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Cuenca recorded its highest temperature in 30 years Thursday, when the thermometer hit 27.5 Celsius or 81 Fahrenheit. The city’s all-time high temperature, 29.5 celsius or 85 Fahrenheit, was recorded in November 1979. Marcelo Narvaez of the meteorology station at Cuenca’s Ma... [More]

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Torrential rain has washed away the blood where the family fell under a hail of wooden spears. But memories of what happened this summer are still fresh in the minds of those who live and work here. At first the security guard inside the perimeter fence of the oil drilling station is nerv... [More]

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Cuenca is revising rules to protect historic buildings and will have a new comprehensive plan in place by summer 2010, according to officials. Mayor Paul Granda says that because of weak and poorly enforced ordinances, a number of buildings that should have been protected have been demolishe... [More]

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Tucked away in downtown Paute, Corvel (Simon Bolivar 8-37 y Lumtur) is a charming little restaurant that lives up to its motto, “The art of good service.” Not only does it offer comfortable seating, both indoors and on the terrace and patio areas, but it contains a museum of indi... [More]

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I have been intending to write about La Parrilla de Hector (formerly Mama Cuchara) for several weeks but I have a problem. Each time I go there I have so much fun I forget to ask my questions and to take notes. Finally, I have my act together ... at least as far as telling you about La Parr... [More]

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CUENCA DIGEST
Cuenca garbage recycling becomes mandatory in March

Ecuador's Yasuni National Park is one of most biodiverse areas on earth, according to recent scientific studies

Watch out for the water balloons!: Carnival is coming and the 'the little devils' are armed and dangerous

Officials keep close tabs on Tungurahua and say a major volcanic eruption is possible; evacuation plans readied

CUENCA EATS WITH SUMANA
Checking out the local chilies and the comida tipica scene

ECUADOR FACT CHECKER
Tracking down accurate population figures for major cities

DINING WITH PENNY
Akelarre Restaurant at Hotel Inca Real serves up European atmosphere with great food

Thousands of men and boys in drag highlight Cuenca’s Day of the Innocents celebration tonight on Av. Solano

CUENCA DIGEST
Flooding replaces drought as top concern; electric rationing eases as hyrdo-electric reservoirs fill

Ecuadorian tradition, the New Year's Eve burning of the año viejo dummies, clears the slate for a better 2010

Effort to protect Ecuador's rain forest from oil exploration to be supported by multi-national trust fund

CUENCA EATS WITH SUMANA
Creta serves up top-notch international fare ... and some commentary on the luxury tax and the 'gringo gouge'

EADON CHARTRES
It’s ‘bad news, good news’ with Ecuador’s energy crisis

Today's 'Passing of the Child' parade mixes the sacred and the profane and highlights Cuenca's Christmas season

CUENCA DIGEST
Despite increase in number of vehicles, Cuenca air quality holds steady in 2009; use of cleaner diesel fuel credited

DINING WITH PENNY
Cuatro Rios on Padre Aguirre adds a touch of elegance and great food to Cuenca's restaurant roster

World March for Peace and Nonviolence visits Cuenca on Friday; March concludes in Argentina in January

Government may renege on promise to end blackouts as drought persists; Paute reservoir level continues to drop

CUENCA EATS WITH SUMANA
If you're in an Italian mood, Bertuchis is hard to beat

Ecuador's first Quechuan language television station aims to keep ancient traditions alive

CUENCA DIGEST
A hot day in Cuenca: the mercury hits 81F, 27.5C, on Thursday, the highest temperature in 30 years

In Ecuador's Amazon jungle, oil production exacts a heavy toll on people as well as the environment

New plan to protect Cuenca's historic buildings is in the works; officials say it will be in place by summer 2010

DINING WITH PENNY
The next time you visit Paute, be sure to sample the great food and service at Corvel

CUENCA EATS WITH SUMANA
Argentinian grill, La Parrilla de Hector, is great fun despite some flaws; micro brewery opens in the historic district