Blog

ALWAYS FREE “Pozo Millonario Ticket” from Attorney Sara Chaca’s “Ecuador Visas” office at EVERY APPOINTMENT!

Jul 4, 2022

Yes indeed, Attorney Sara Chaca (“Ecuador Visas”) and her fully English speaking staff is ‘Paying it Forward’ by providing a 100% TOTALLY FREE ($0.00) ALWAYS FREE Pozo Millonario Ticket provided to EACH INDIVIDUAL EXPAT @ EVERY single scheduled appointment WITHOUT exception for ANY Expat that has an appointment with her or any member of her staff from Monday to Friday (EACH business day) no matter what the specific theme of interest is, directly at her/their downtown office that’s so very conveniently located right at Calle Larga 6-16 & Hermano Miguel. Email Attorney Sara Chaca at sara@ecuadorvisas.com so as to schedule your ALWAYS COMPLIMENTARY ($0.00) appointment regarding ANY Visa, Passport, Notarization, Marriage/Divorce, Legal, Insurance, Driver License or even Citizenship related matter, right here in the center of Cuenca!! Website: www.ecuadorvisas.com Email: sara@ecuadorvisas.com Phone: 099-296-2065 (Ecuador) OR 1-800-655-1581 (USA) Physical Address: Calle Larga 6-16 & Hermano Miguel (2 story office building with balcony that shows directly above it the words “Ecuador Visas”)

Strike costs Ecuador 1.99 million barrels of oil sales; Production should reach 90% of normal this week

Jul 3, 2022

More than two weeks of indigenous protests in Ecuador caused state-run oil company Petroecuador to lose 1.99 million barrels of oil production, the company said on Friday, adding that it expects to reach 90% of pre-crisis output in the next week. Protests erupted in...

Cuenca cleans up, restores and restocks

Jul 2, 2022

Cuenca was busy Friday clearing and cleaning roads while hundreds of supply trucks, some of them stuck behind roadblocks for two weeks, rolled into town. Markets and stores were busy refilling shelves that had been left empty by the 18-day indigenous strike and LP gas...

Some thoughts on my 90th birthday and how I came to live a better life in Cuenca

Jul 1, 2022

Editor's note: Long-time expat Dave Nelson died early Friday morning in Cuenca. He was 93. Born in a small town on the Oregon coast, Dave spent most of his professional career as a workers' comp attorney in Oakland, California representing injured workers. Besides his...

End of strike celebrations are underway but many are unhappy with terms of the agreement

Jul 1, 2022

Although celebrations of the end of the indigenous strike will continue through the weekend strike leaders and the government understand the agreement signed Thursday afternoon is far from satisfactory. “On many points, we do not agree with the government,” Conaie...

Public hospitals take drug inventory; Egg and chicken sales devastated by strike; Street artists decorate the walls; Symphony plays Beethoven and Debussy

Jul 1, 2022

Jueves, 30/6/2022 Hola, Todos - Actividades - Director invitado para recital de la Sinfónica (Guest conductor for Symphony recital ) - The OSC will perform a concert Friday a las 20:00 in the Teatro de la Casa de la Cultura. It will be directed by Yury Sobolev and...

Conaie ends strike after government agrees to 5-cent gasoline price reduction and other concessions

Jun 30, 2022

The 18-day anti-government strike is over. At a 12:15 p.m. press conference, President of the Episcopal Catholic Conference of Ecuador, Luis Cabrera, announced that an agreement had been reached between the government and Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities. The...

Lasso declares state of emergency for Azuay and three other provinces; Cuenca enjoys a peaceful day

Jun 30, 2022

President Guillermo Lasso has placed Azuay and three other provinces under a 30-day state of emergency as a result of indigenous strike disruptions and violence. The emergency rules, issued late Wednesday for Azuay, Imbabura, Sucumbíos and Orellana Provinces, include...

LP gas trucks arrive, distributors look to normalize service; Zoo animals need food; City to apply fines for blocked streets; Art for migrants; Covid cases rise

Jun 30, 2022

Miércoles, 29/6/2022 Hola, Todos - Actividades - Al migrar, el arte es terapia (When migrating, art is therapy) - There has been an art therapy program run by Marinés Cardoso for migrants in Cuenca. 24 artists and foreigners worked together for 3 weeks to explore the...

Strike talks to restart with the Catholic church as moderator; Ground rules are yet to be determined

Jun 30, 2022

Government Minister Francisco Jiménez announced late Wednesday that President Guillermo Lasso has agreed to a proposal by the Catholic Church to resume negotiations with indigenous organizations to end the 18-day-old anti-government strike. "In order to restore...

Colombian ‘truth commission’ recommends major changes to the country’s drug policy

Jun 29, 2022

Colombian leaders must recognize how drug trafficking has penetrated the country’s culture, economy and politics and how the global war on drugs is driving its internal armed conflict, Colombia’s truth commission said on Tuesday in a long-awaited report. The...

Conaie wants talks to continue, attacks Lasso’s decision to end them; Lasso survives impeachment vote; Many restaurants close; New supplies arrive

Jun 29, 2022

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador leadership said it was “shocked” by President Guillermo Lasso’s Tuesday decision to break off negotiations. “Despite this insult, we remain willing to continue the dialog for the purpose of reaching a...

Strike closes many city businesses, workers fired; Pleas to allow passage of supply trucks; Local towns join protests; Industrial production is paralyzed

Jun 29, 2022

Martes, 28/6/2022 Hola, Todos - Titular - Cuenca, "acorralada"; esperanza en diálogo (Cuenca, "cornered"; hope in dialogue) - See today's (Tuesday) articles in CHL for the story. <Just about everything in the paper today is about the strike and the rest is public...

Lasso ends talks with Conaie following ambush of truck convoy, claims Iza has no credibility

Jun 28, 2022

President Guillermo Lasso abruptly ended talks with the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities Tuesday afternoon, blasting Conaie leader Leonidas Iza for “promoting his own political agenda” and ignoring the needs of the indigenous people. Lasso’s decision followed...

Ecuador could suspend all oil production by Wednesday as a result of protests and road blocks

Jun 28, 2022

Ecuador could suspend oil production in 48 hours if the nationwide indigenous protests and road blockades continue, the Ministry of Energy and Mines said Monday. The hydrocarbon sector was adversely affected by road blockades and the seizure of oil wells in the...

Cuenca faces traffic gridlock Tuesday as transport sector joins strike; Monday protests turn violent

Jun 28, 2022

If you own car, keep it in the garage today. That was the advice of Cuenca taxi, bus and truck owners who plan to block city streets from a 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. “It will very difficult to navigate the city Tuesday since the entire transport sector will show its solidarity...

Program aims at Azuay’s plague of violence against women; Professional drivers union graduates 300; Sevilla de Oro remembers victims of 1917 landslide

Jun 28, 2022

Lunes, 27/6/2022 Hola, Todos - I will be taking a summer break from translating starting next week. Thursday's post will be the last one until early September. Titular - Cuenca, aislada; salud en peligro (Cuenca, isolated; health at risk) - See today's (Monday)...

Conaie and government continue talks to end strike; Fuel costs dominate Monday’s negotiations

Jun 27, 2022

In the first day of negotiations between the government and the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, the price of low-octane gasoline and diesel fuel dominated the agenda. Conaie President Leonidas Iza is asking for an additional 40-cent reduction in...

Mayor pleads for end of strike, says Cuenca ‘lives are at risk’; Stalled supply convoy could roll today

Jun 27, 2022

Cuenca Mayor Pedro Palacios pleaded with the government and indigenous leaders Sunday night to resolve the nationwide strike. “In Cuenca, we are in an unsustainable situation, a situation where we live in almost complete isolation,” he said. “We demand urgent action...

Cuenca’s GRACE foundation offers assistance to displaced Venezuelans and the occasional expat too

Jun 27, 2022

By Stephen Vargha A horrifying and tragic experience out in public changed Karla Sánchez’s life. “I was working as a tour guide at the time for Ecuador Direct Roses,” said Karla. “The office was at Plaza Otorongo, and I saw a big police presence across the street at...