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By Carolina Mella The military patrol tasked with guarding the mega-prison known as Encuentro — one of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa’s most ambitious projects in the coastal province of Santa Elena — skidded along the dusty road. At least six soldiers and police...
When it comes to replacing missing teeth, "most affordable" can mean two different things: the cheapest option today, or the option that costs the least over your lifetime. Let's break down the options from "most affordable" (cheapest upfront) to "best value"...
President Daniel Noboa’s popularity continues to decline, according to a survey by Consultora Opinion Publica. In its December poll of 10 South American presidents, Noboa ranked seventh, with a positive rating of 39.4%, down 3.1% from the November poll. Following his...
Editor’s note: Ever wonder what Cuenca was like a 112 years ago? The following is an excerpt from "Vagabonding Down the Andes" by Harry A. Franck. Published in 1917, the book is a travelogue of the author’s 1912-1913 journey, mostly by foot, from Panama to Buenos...
In my recent column about IVA refunds as they relate to expatriate retirees, I knew perfectly well that the comments section would not be a place of tame consensus. Topics that mix money, morality, and Ecuador have a reliable way of flushing out worldviews, and this...
In January 2024, Ecuador was thrust into the international spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The headlines were terrifying. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, the notorious gang leader known as "Fito," vanished from his prison cell. In what was clearly a coordinated and...
By Sylvan Hardy A crowd of 100,000 will line the streets and crowd the balconies of Calle Simon Bolivar today to watch Cuenca’s Christmas Eve parade, the Pase del Niño, or the Passing of the Child. In addition to onlookers, the event will feature 30,000 participants,...
Spend enough time in cafés around Cuenca and a quiet pattern starts to appear. It does not announce itself or come with rules or signs. Instead, it unfolds through habit, comfort, and time. This is what many expats slowly recognize as the café divide in Cuenca. At...
By Pedro Camacho The United States confirmed on Wednesday the temporary deployment of Air Force personnel to the Ecuadorian coastal city of Manta as part of a joint operation with Ecuador's military aimed at combating what Washington describes as narco-terrorism in...
The "best" country for dental work depends entirely on what you need. The world of dental tourism is highly specialized, with different countries building reputations for different types of care. Before you book a flight, it's essential to understand the financial...
An Ecuadorian court on Monday sentenced eleven soldiers to 34 years and eight months in prison for the forced disappearance of four boys who were illegally detained in December 2024 in Guayaquil. The boys' bullet-riddled bodies were found burned a week later. Five...
The President of Ecuador's Judicial Council, Mario Godoy, has been summoned to appear before the National Assembly by the end of the year. The summons follows the release of audio tapes in which the head of the Pichincha judicial office is heard pressuring another...
As yet another year comes to an end on planet Earth, there are mornings when I sit with a cup of Tuti instant coffee or yerba mate and try to make sense of the IRS's rules for retirement. It’s like reading hieroglyphics written by accountants. The older I get, the...
It is the first question every prospective expat asks, and, more pointedly, the first one their concerned family members ask: "But is Ecuador safe?" This question is almost always followed by a link to an alarming headline. And in 2024 and 2025, those headlines have...
The new variant, called A/H3N2 K, which was first identified in Australia and New Zealand in August, has now been detected in over 30 countries. “Current epidemiological data do not indicate a major increase in disease severity, although this genetic shift marks a...
The Health Ministry reports Ecuador’s first case of the new flu variant A(H3N2) K, also known as the “super flu.” A ministry spokesman said the case was identified in a “southern province” but did not specify the exact location. The ministry said it expects the case...
Bored?- 50 "viudas" en competencia (50 “widows” in race) - The tradition of the Año Viejo will live on in a different way in Cuenca next miercoles, 31/12, in the La Gloria barrio (av. Loja) <the northern end of the barrio is at San Roque according to a quick Google...
By Daryl Austin If you’ve ever blamed a lousy night’s rest on stress, room temperature, or your mattress, you might be overlooking the smallest — and arguably most influential — piece of your sleep setup: your pillow. It may look like a basic rectangle of fluff, but...
By Ana Cristina Alvarado Between March and May 2025, at least eight children from the Achuar Indigenous community died of leptospirosis in the southern Ecuadorian Amazon. The disease is preventable with access to safe drinking water and timely treatment. But these two...
Ecuador’s IVA refund system for senior residents is legally clear, administratively uneven, and morally awkward, leaving expatriate retirees to negotiate not just receipts and deadlines, but their own sense of fairness, belonging, and proportion. There are two broad...
