CuencaHighLife
By Phillip Martin When we arrive in Ecuador from northern climes it gradually dawns on us that sunrise and sunset come at just about the same time every day, all year long. While we almost universally enjoy the moderate, year round climate this brings us, some of us miss those long summer evenings; however I...
By Laura Geggel A basketball-player-size, two-faced wooden idol that allegedly escaped destruction by the Spanish conquistadors is real — but it may not be quite what people suspected. The statue is even older than thought, and was probably worshipped by the people who came before the Inca. And belying the grisly lore that surrounds it,...
By Liam Higgins A British anthropologist says he has finally found the Amazon giants he has been looking for. Although Russell Dement says the tribe of giants has almost certainly died out, he and a team of German researchers have excavated two settlements in the Ecuador and Peru Amazon region and found a half dozen...
By Robert Bradley Officially, tomorrow is the 214th anniversary of Ecuador’s Independence Day, but is it really? That was the day when the so-called Ecuadorian Sovereign Junta formed to oppose Spanish rule. Or, was the real Independence Day the first meeting of the Congress of Deputies that decreed independence on December 11, 1812? Or, was...
An English speaker has much to learn about the Spanish language when moving to Ecuador. But the foreign native Spanish speaker does, too. Case in point: I moved here from Argentina, and although I’m fluent, the local language still threw up a few trip hazards. For example, the word winter, or invierno. Folks here equate...
By John McWhorter English speakers know that their language is odd. So do people saddled with learning it non-natively. The oddity that we all perceive most readily is its spelling, which is indeed a nightmare. In countries where English isn’t spoken, there is no such thing as a ‘spelling bee’ competition. For a normal language,...
By Hal Cousins A team of scientists has documented that Yasuní National Park, in the core of the Ecuadorian Amazon, shatters world records for a wide array of plant and animal groups, from amphibians to trees to insects. The authors also conclude that proposed oil development projects represent the greatest threat to Yasuní and its...
Editor’s note: The following is a sample of Cuencano opinions about English-speaking expats living in Cuenca. They were compiled by University of Cuenca graduate student Silvia Lara for a research project about immigration. The comments were translated into English by Carlos Fernando Flores. “I lived in the U.S. for 27 years and appreciate the way...
By Simone Cannon de Bastardo Although the Galapagos Islands, Atacama and Torres del Paine National Parks are well known among travelers from North America, most people don’t know that there are more than 300 other beautiful national parks, protected sanctuaries and nature reserves in South America. Some are more accessible than others, some are quite...
By Rob Picheta “I don’t want to be a flat Earther,” David Weiss says, his voice weary as he reflects on his personal awakening. “Would you wake up in the morning and want everyone to think you’re an idiot?” But Weiss is a flat Earther. Ever since he tried and failed to find proof of...
By Rashmi J. Dalai Long before glitz and glamour came to accompany corporate packages and overseas retirements, Ernest Hemingway likened expats to addicts: “You’ve lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake foreign standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed with sex. You spend all your time talking, not...
By Martin Simmons On a recent visit to Loja Province, a man and his wife described a home invasion they had suffered earlier this year. Although the couple lost a television, cell phones and several hundred dollars in cash, they were unhurt except for bruises they received from being tied up. When I asked them...
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The Cuenca Dispatch
Week of September 08
Expert Warns: Ecuador May Face Extended Blackouts Without Immediate Action.
President Noboa Highlights Need for Legislative Support in Manabí Amid Key Infrastructure Deliveries.
Travel time between Guayaquil and Cuenca could be reduced by at least one hour with a new highway.