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The buzz among a certain segment of Cuenca's English-speaking expat community is that the latest of arrivals of gringos are an impoverished, rude, and boorish lot, insulting our Cuencano hosts and ignoring the collective wisdom of the expat establishment. The...
The Ecuadorian ministry charged with protecting intellectual property, the Instituto de Propiedad Intelectual (IEPI), is working with the national assembly to prepare legislation that would protect traditional medicinal plant knowledge used by Amazonian tribes such as...
I'm so proud of my bright and shiny new Philips Norelco Aquatec electric shaver. You know, it has a patented skin-protection system, with precision dual pivot-flex-and-float lift-and-cut heads, Babe! I can use it anywhere—at the...
Cuenca’s Parque de la Madre reopened Friday night with a bash and a blast, a concert and fireworks, and the the fun continued Saturday as thousands turned out to check out the new facilities. Ecuador’s top singing act, Juan Fernando Velesco, performed for...
“Welcome to space, Ecuador. Welcome to heaven, Pegasus,” was the way Ecuador’s first astronaut Ronnie Nader described the launch of the country’s first satellite Thursday night. Officially named NEE-01 Pegaso, the small satellite –or nano...
Ecuador’s National Institute of Meteorolgoy says a jet stream “anomoly” is directing cool, dry air to Ecuador from southern Peru, causing unseasonable cool mornings and warm afternoons in the Cuenca area. According to the institute’s...
After several delays, including one last week, Cuenca’s Parque de la Madre reopens this weekend with three days of festivities. Popular Quito singer Juan Fernando Velesco presents a concert Friday night that will be followed by fireworks. A Saturday open house...
After a decade of steady growth, Ecuador’s airline industry recorded a drop in the number of passengers on domestic flights in 2012, according to figures from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The number of air travel passengers fell 6% over the...
Organizers of Friday’s “Pedal Cuenca” International Bike Day event were overwhelmed by the turnout, estimated between 9,000 and 10,000, as local police were forced to call in reserves to assist in redirecting taffic. Based on last year’s...
In a visit to Spain, Italy and Germay last week, President Rafael Correa met with Ecuadorians who have moved out of the country over the past two decades. “I would like for you to consider coming home,” he told a crowd in Italy. “We need you.”...
New renovation plans for Cuenca’s San Francisco Plaza are drawing criticism from vendors who currently operate businesses in the area. The plans call for a landscaped open public plaza with businesses relocated to commercial space below street level. Currently,...
Editor's note: North Americans are not the only foreigners living in Cuenca. In fact, immigration authorities report that there are almost twice as many non-Ecuadorian Latin Americans living in the city as U.S. and Canadians. The largest group, with about 2,300,...
After years with no reported sightings, two Cuenca ecologists say they are following three condors in the mountains near Cuenca. Fausto Cardoso and Gustavo Landívar say they spotted the nest last year on a hiking trip and have been watching the family of the...
Ecuador will send its first domestically produced satellite into orbit in late April from a launch centre in China, according to President Rafael Correa. "At the end of the month, the first Ecuadorian satellite will be launched, not a satellite bought from...
The famous indigenous outdoor market in the town of Otavalo, a two-hour drive north of Quito, is one of the best places to buy Andean art, crafts, textiles and indigenous jewelry in Ecuador. But if you're visiting Ecuador and your trip is limited to Cuenca and...
Cuenca’s foundation celebration went into high gear on Thursday as parades, crafts shows, food fairs, concerts and fireworks marked the 456th observation of the day the Spanish founded the city. The celebration continues through the weekend. City officials...
Defending the government’s decision to auction parcels of Amazonian jungle for oil exploration, President Rafael Correa said that country must use its national resources to advance education, health care and infrastructure projects. Several indigenous tribes...
The Galapagos Islands, colonial cities, the Amazon jungle, and beach resorts are not the only reason that foreigners visit Ecuador. Tourism officials say the fastest growing attraction may be the country’s dental care. Although it is hard to nail down accurate...
Cuenca’s water quality has again been rated the best in Ecuador according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC). The quality was rated 4.63 on INEC’s five point scale based on samples taken in June 2012 and subsequent analysis....
In a post on its “Americas Views” blog, the Economist magazine reports that Quito’s new airport at Tababela "does not make the cut" as an international airport. Although the blog notes that the airport runway and control tower are among the...
