Wendy Jane Carrel

By Wendy Jane Carrel While conducting research on continuing care and end-of-life options for older adults in Ecuador, I have witnessed the unexpected deaths of many North American expats. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned. If you want to save your family and other loved ones considerable grief, it is important to understand...
By Wendy Jane Carrel I have returned from the province of Zamora-Chinchipe in the Amazon region where it is humid every day of the year. It is located in the southeastern part of Ecuador and straddles the Andes province of Loja and the Peruvian Amazon border. Zamora Province is shaman country, an agricultural center, and a...
By Wendy Jane Carrel Paute is a charming Ecuadorian canton located in the countryside about one hour (18 miles with stops) northeast of Cuenca. You can get there by car or with basic bus service on the Paute or 24 de Septiembre lines from Cuenca’s Terminal Terrestre. The bus cost is $.75 each way. Expect...
By Wendy Jane Carrel, M.A. Now that the immigration office has transferred from Cuenca to Azogues, never fear. It’s actually easy to get there and worth the excursion, especially if you like to explore. If you’re car-less (that’s me, no car) you can go by taxi for $15 to $20 depending on the driver. Ask...
Wendy Jane Carrel On December 2, 1826, a baby girl was born on Calle de la Flor Baja in the neighborhood of San Martin, Madrid, Spain and named Bibiana Antonia Manuela Torres Acosta. As the story is told, above her bed was a painting of the Virgin Mary, to whom she prayed every day as...
By Wendy Jane Carrel I first met Sor (Sister) Patricia of the Hermanitas de la Caridad (Sisters of Charity) four years ago. I was conducting site visits of Ecuadorian assisted living homes. She was (and still is) the “coordinadora” in charge of 64 older adults – abandoned with no income, or low income. She astounded...
By Wendy Jane Carrel Cuenca, aside from being a UNESCO Heritage Site with beautiful colonial buildings and a unique history, offers unexpected and pleasant surprises if you’ve lived here a while. What you’ve probably read or know is that this is a city of 600,000 (including urban parishes) at an elevation of 8,400 feet, nestled...
By Wendy Jane Carrel FASEC (Fundacion al Servicio del Enfermo de Cancer/Foundation Serving Those Ill with Cancer), together with Care Partners International of Washington state, and the University of San Francisco, Quito, hosted a palliative care training session in Spanish for five days, April 20 – 24, the first in a series of four trainings...
By Wendy Jane Carrel Mayor Marcelo Cabrera, his wife, city dignitaries, employees, and approximately 150 seniors were present Sunday morning, April 19, as Cabrera inaugurated one of Cuenca’s special projects, the “first free public senior center” also known at El Hogar del Abuelos (Home of the Grandparents). The center, located in the El Vergel neighborhood...
By Wendy Jane Carrel Moving to Ecuador? Already here and planning another move? Below are 12 housing recommendations with an eye to long-term health and safety no matter your age. These guidelines are not just Ecuador or Cuenca specific, but for wherever you choose to live. Choose a home or building with easy access, concrete...
By Wendy Jane Carrel From Paris to Muscat, and Guadalajara to Zanzibar, I’ve enjoyed finding my first meal of the day. When I visited Cuenca 20 years ago, and then again on my return three years ago, the choice was simple, either my place of lodging or other hotels. No log cabin breakfasts, breakfast in...

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The Cuenca Dispatch

Week of March 17

Banks and Cooperatives will pay almost $200 million in taxes to fund the internal armed conflict.

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Illegal mining advances uncontrolled in the Ecuadorian Amazon and threatens protected areas and indigenous communities.

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Foreign Minister Sommerfeld refutes the notion of ‘bukelization’ in Ecuador’s fight against organized crime.

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