Posts:
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...
By Christopher Lux It's the perfect crime. The victims are awake, articulate, and appear normal. But they have no control over their decisions and actions and do anything the criminal asks. Victims have regained consciousness to find they've been robbed or raped....
By John Olson Expats come to Cuenca hoping to continue their favorite activities and interests from their previous lives in other countries, but sometimes these activities have a way of drawing them into their new community and finding ways to contribute to their...
By Demian Bio Colombian President Gustavo Petro taunted U.S. counterpart Donald Trump over recent comments about the justification of the country's blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan tankers. "Texas is a territory that was invaded. It wasn't sold. So was California and...
When you are researching a life-changing procedure like All-on-4, it is easy to use the words "best" and "cheapest" interchangeably. But in the world of medical tourism, they are often opposites. The "cheapest" country is a race to the bottom. It's about finding the...
Despite the November referendum defeat of a question to allow establishment of a U.S. miliary base in Ecuador, 20 U.S. Air Force personnel arrived Wednesday in Manta. In a statement, Ecuador’s military command said the U.S. troops' presence was “temporary,” part of a...
By Ashley Rogers People often say curiosity fades as you get older. They’re wrong. Curiosity isn’t something you lose with age. It’s something you stop nourishing. And when you do feed it — at any age — it has a remarkable way of leading you somewhere unexpected. For...
No place is perfect, not even Cuenca. Any publication, blog, or YouTube channel that sells you a problem-free, sun-drenched paradise of $2 lunches and perfect weather is doing you a profound disservice. To truly thrive as an expat, you must go in with your eyes open,...
Cuenca is Ecuador’s fastest growing city and home to the second largest number of foreign residents, a new study shows. The study, conducted by the University of Azuay, the National Office of Census and Statistics and three other organizations reports the city’s...
A field guide for people who just want to pay and get on with lunch. In Cuenca, garbage collection used to be one of those civic services that functioned so smoothly you barely noticed it. The truck came with little green men running behind. The bags on the racks...
If you've experienced the "sticker shock" of a $5,000+ quote for a single dental implant , your next question is obvious: "What is a cheaper alternative?" Yes, there are two primary alternatives to implants that are cheaper upfront. But it's critical to understand the...
By Veronica Pesantes and Charmaine Picard Marking its 40th anniversary, the 17th Bienal de Cuenca, titled The Game, opened on 24 October. Its inauguration coincided with the Art Basel Paris fair on the other side of the Atlantic, but the biennial offers a timely...
“We need an investigation of the Progen contract in Ecuador, not in the United States,” National Assemblyman Alfredo Serrano said Tuesday. His demand followed President Daniel Noboa’s announcement that the government is suing the U.S.-based company for failure to...
Deputy Minister of Energy Javier Subía resigned Tuesday, a week after announcing that the Loma Linda gold mine project was “still alive” and could be resumed in the future. In accepting the resignation, Minister of Energy Inés Manzano's said Subía’s departure is part...
By Anahad O’Connor As you get older, your body will invariably begin to shed muscle. This age-related decline in muscle mass starts at about age 30 and accelerates after you turn 60. It can cause a loss of strength, endurance and mobility. Severe muscle loss in older...
For US, Canadian, and European expats, one of Ecuador's most attractive, stabilizing, and profoundly comforting features has nothing to do with snow-capped mountains or 16th-century cathedrals. It has everything to do with the cash in your wallet. Since the year 2000,...
By Will Douglas Heaven Some disillusionment was inevitable. When OpenAI released a free web app called ChatGPT in late 2022, it changed the course of an entire industry — and several world economies. Millions of people started talking to their computers, and their...
Fifteen prisoners were found dead Saturday and Sunday at Guayaquil’s Litoral Prison and government officials say they are unsure of the causes. Officials said the bodies were recovered in seven of the prison’s 12 pavilions and that autopsies are underway. Long-known...
Week of September 20
Ecuador turns to industrial power cuts to protect Mazar and keep homes from going dark.
Ecuador raises its 2026 growth forecast, but El Niño could spoil the outlook next year.
Cuenca retirees challenge medical and therapy changes at IESS senior center.
