CuencaHighLife

Ecuador fights pharmaceutical companies to protect native medicinal knowledge from ‘biopiracy’

April 11th, 2024

By Rick Johnson Almost unknown outside of the pages academic intellectual property journals, biopiracy is a major challenge for Ecuador’s Institute of Intellectual Property (IEPI). The IEPI is charged with […]

Cuenca is the ‘walkingest’ city in Ecuador, the national census bureau reports

March 30th, 2024

According to Ecuador’s census bureau, Cuencanos walk more than residents of any other of Ecuador’s five largest cities. The National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) says that 7.7% of […]

Smartphone addiction: How ‘too much of a good thing’ is leading us to a cultural crisis

March 30th, 2024

By James A. Roberts How many times a day do you check your smartphone? According to a recent survey, the typical American checks once every 6½ minutes, or approximately 150 […]

Think it’s hard for expats adjusting to Ecuador? Here’s what it’s like for a foreigner in the U.S.

March 27th, 2024

By Ruth Margolis When you move abroad, you expect some bureaucratic befuddlement. You’re setting up from scratch in a country whose systems and procedures you don’t know. But for Brits, […]

Peruvian leaders push for end to ‘cat barbecues,’ say they are a throwback to Spanish colonial rituals

March 2nd, 2024

A Peruvian congressman has joined animal rights activists in their effort to stop the consumption of barbecued cats at an annual religious festival. The activists say at least 100 cats […]

Quito’s ‘Old Town’ should be on your vacation list; It’s the largest historic district is Latin America

February 21st, 2024

By Eliot Stein Cloud-high in the Andes and hemmed in by the snow-capped peaks of two active volcanoes, few cities have as dramatic a setting as Quito. The Ecuadorian capital’s 16th-century […]

Why does the United States government treat its expatriates so badly?

December 9th, 2023

By Roger Livingston Several months ago I attended the Japan Day fair at the city museum on Benigno Malo and talked to one of the Japanese-Ecuadorian vendors. He told me […]

Lost in translation: The value of incomprehensibility in communicating in different languages

December 5th, 2023

By Edward Gibson About 20 per cent of the United States population (65 million out of 330 million people) are non-native speakers of English. Speaking multiple languages has advantages – […]

The wild cards of history: Climate change and disease led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire

December 1st, 2023

By Kyle Harper At some time or another, every historian of Rome has been asked to say where we are, today, on Rome’s cycle of decline. Historians might squirm at […]

Safety tips for women expats: Don’t be paranoid but take extra precautions in your adopted home

November 30th, 2023

Women who move abroad sometimes face safety concerns they did not necessarily have to deal with at home. Going for a walk alone or wearing your usual attire may suddenly […]

Government program helps small producers get products on Supermaxi and Coral shelves

November 29th, 2023

The government wants to get the products of small farmers and manufacturers on the shelves of Ecuador’s largest supermarkets. To achieve the goal, Ecuador’s Superintendency of Market Control hosts monthly […]

More countries are requiring health insurance for foreign residents and toursits

November 24th, 2023

By Ellis Rouchelle If you’re considering moving to another country to work or retire — even if you’re just planning a vacation abroad — be sure you understand the health […]