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By Steven Dudley It was around 3 p.m. on July 19 when a young man stumbled into a small billiards hall in the coastal city of General Villamil Playas in southern Ecuador. Inside, a group of long-time friends was having a reunion. But the young man had a different...
One of the most profound and liberating shifts for North Americans moving to Ecuador is in healthcare financing. The costs in the private system are so remarkably low that many expats—even those in good health—choose to "self-insure". This doesn't mean they go without...
A lightning strike Wednesday afternoon destroyed part of the Christ the King monument located on Cullca Hill, north of Cuenca’s historic district. The strike, which occurred during an intense thunderstorm, sent masonry and marble fragments flying as far as 50 meters...
by Mark A. Mahoney, Ph.D., R.D.N. As our society (as well as other Nations) continue to have significant issues related to basic kindness and civility amongst groups of citizens we should all focus more on the overall benefits that may occur if we just take time to...
Editor's note: This is the first of a four-part series about Married at First Sight, the international reality television show. The show originated in Denmark in 2013 and now has franchises in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. I never meant to...
By Marianna Parraga and Dave Sherwood Cuba's imports of crude and fuel in the first 10 months of the year fell more than a third compared with the same period of 2024 as key allies Mexico and Venezuela slashed supplies, according to shipping data and documents seen by...
The phrase "dental tourism" can sound complicated and abstract. What does the journey actually look like, day by day? The "best" dental tourism isn't just a procedure; it's a seamless, curated, and stress-free experience from start to finish. We've perfected this...
A heartwarming rescue effort from Quito, Ecuador, is going viral after a dog trapped in thick, spilled tar was saved by first responders and civilians on November 13. The situation unfolded when a tanker truck overturned, releasing an enormous amount of tar onto the...
Beyond a brief concession statement, President Daniel Noboa has given no indication of how he will respond to Sunday’s crushing referendum defeat. “Because of the magnitude of the loss, it is critical that he react immediately, to lay out a new approach to...
There are moments in Cuenca when you discover something that feels like a secret. A simple household discovery that makes you wonder why the rest of the world has not caught on. My latest discovery is cacao. The real stuff. The kind that comes in rough blocks or bags...
By César Rodríguez-Garavito and Robert Macfarlane High in the Ecuadorean Andes is a cloud forest that is home to hundreds of endangered, extraordinary creatures, many of which seem to have wandered straight out of the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch — among them the...
If the IESS (public) system is a story of frustrating compromises, the private healthcare system is the "good news" article. This is the system that expats are actually talking about when they praise Ecuadorian healthcare. For those seeking "consistently higher...
Hungry? - (de El Mercurio del domingo, 16/11) El nuevo epicentro gastronómico en Cuenca (The new gastronomic epicenter in Cuenca) - New food businesses in the El Vado sector have succeeded in conquering the palates of diners. Aji Dulce is located on Calle de la Cruz y...
By Anahad O’Connor Your body is made of protein. It’s a fundamental building block of your bones, skin and muscles. If you exercise regularly, especially if you lift weights, you’re going to need extra protein in your diet to help you build and maintain muscle. Eating...
If you sit long enough in a café near Parque Calderón, you can watch an entire story unfold about expat life in Cuenca. One table hums with newcomers comparing apartment rents and favorite bakeries. Another hosts the veterans, trading tales of how things “used to be.”...
The search for affordable dental implants is a global one. When a single implant in the United States can cost between $3,000 and $5,000 , it's understandable why patients are looking abroad for a solution. If the only factor is the absolute lowest price, a few...
Ecuadorian voters rejected all four of President Daniel Noboa’s referendum questions in Sunday’s election. As of midnight, the “no" vote was winning by broad margins on three questions to amend the current constitution and on a fourth question that would convene a...
By Steven Barrie-Anthony For the vast majority of my psychotherapy patients, the gravitational pull of phones and social media alters the most important aspects of who they are, their relationships with others and how they move through the world. This is true for most...
The Americans have finally done it. After more than two centuries, the last US penny is rolling off the line, and the mint workers in Philadelphia are putting away the stamping machines for good. Perhaps they will reappear on E-bay and eventually be exported to China...
The U.S. announced Friday it is exempting foods like bananas, beef and coffee from its sweeping country-by-country tariffs, as the government grapples with cost-of-living frustrations and quickly rising prices for imported agricultural products. The new exemption...
