Posts:
Although it's only getting started, Ecuador’s rainy season has left 21,089 people seriously affected since early January, with three deaths and 14 injured, according to the latest assessment by the National Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR). Authorities said...
By John Matarese and Emily Hanford-Ostmann Airlines are tightening baggage policies, and travelers are increasingly finding their carry-ons pulled at the gate — sometimes just steps from the plane door. That's what happened to Michael Manning on a recent flight to...
Many people dream of retiring to a tropical paradise where the cost of living is much lower than in the United States. One popular destination for retirees is Cuenca, Ecuador. But how does the cost of living in Cuenca compare to major US cities? Is Ecuador really a...
In 1995, long before Cuenca became a bustling hub for international expats, a quiet but rigorous center for advanced theological —now a leading seminary in Ecuador— training planted its roots in the city. After operating out of rented facilities for its first 15...
Navigating Cuenca’s Healthcare System: A Guide for Expats Cuenca, Ecuador is a popular destination for expats seeking a slower pace of life, lower cost of living, and high-quality healthcare. The city boasts a number of modern hospitals, clinics, and dental offices...
A gang of 10 to 15 men attacked the Iranian Cultural Center in Quito Saturday night, injuring one man and causing several hundreds of dollar of damage. The attack came during evening prayers two days after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, killing...
There is a moment that occasionally intrudes while watching modern television thrillers, a moment not of suspense but of arithmetic, when the viewer, having dutifully followed the betrayals, whispered briefings, and lingering shots of expensive melancholy, suddenly...
In February 2020, our Philadelphia friend, Julia, and her partner led a group of seventeen on a ten-day tour of Ecuador. My wife Belinda arranged for their Cuenca visit to include an Ecuadorian cooking class at Sofy’s Global Cuisine. Julia’s husband, renowned mosaic...
Colombia said Friday that it will raise tariffs on most Ecuadorian imports to 50%, matching Ecuador's increase announced on a day earlier. Diana Morales, Colombia's Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, described the move as "regrettable" but said her country...
After familiar routines lose their pull, many expats experience a kind of open space they did not expect. Daily life still functions. Errands get done. Places remain familiar. Yet something feels unfinished. Unanchored. There is time, but it does not feel settled....
Curious? - (De El Mercurio del martes, 24/2) El MPS inicia una campaña de vacunación contra sarampión (The MPS launches a measles vaccination campaign) - Responding to the warning issued by the Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) about the exponential increase...
By David Gelles Peak oil may be on the horizon. But peak plastic is nowhere in sight. In a new book, “Plastic Inc.,” the journalist Beth Gardiner digs into an industry that mostly flies below the radar but has huge impacts on human health, environmental pollution and...
Curious - (De El Mercurio del lunes, 26/2) Jezdimir Srdan compró casas, vehículos y otros bienes en Cuenca (Jezdimir Srdan bought houses, vehicles and other goods in Cuenca) - Imprisoned Serbian drug lord Jezdimir Srdan was a frequent visitor to Cuenca, owning at...
One of the small advantages of riding in the front seat of a Cuenca taxi, apart from the superior view of traffic misdemeanors and roadside drama, is that the dashboard functions as an unexpectedly reliable indicator of financial evolution. Permits, guardian saints,...
By Chris Hedges During the war in Bosnia, I worked my way through the seven volumes of Marcel Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time.” The novel, populated with 400 characters, was not an escape from the war. The specter of death and the expiring world of La Belle...
Inmates of an entire wing of Litoral Prison in Guayaquil have been transferred to another prison north of the city as a result of high rates of tuberculosis, malnutrition and death. In total, the national prison authority said that 496 prisoners were relocated....
By José Luis Sampietro The dispute currently pitting Ecuador against Colombia, framed as a trade war, is in fact a symptom of something more delicate: it could mark the beginning of the collapse of the practical cooperation needed to govern a border and a regional...
By Eva Cahill For the first time in 180 years, giant tortoises are once again roaming the Galápagos, as 158 were released in Floreana Island this month – which conservationists say will strengthen the island’s land-sea ecosystems. The Floreana juvenile giant tortoises...
The Social Security health care system announced Tuesday that consultations with doctors will be limited to 10 and 20 minutes, depending on medical circumstances. IESS management says the change will allow doctors to see more patients and reduce wait times for...
There is a particular kind of sentence that should cause an adult to sit up straighter, reach for a pencil, and perhaps check that their wallet is still where they left it, and it almost always contains the word “guaranteed”. The Guardian recently ran a sobering piece...
