CuencaHighLife
By Lev Golinkin Thirty years ago, on November 9, the world was stunned to see ordinary Germans tear down the Berlin Wall, the dreaded symbol of totalitarianism. Seemingly overnight, Communist regimes across Eastern Europe dissolved; two years later, the Soviet Union itself ceased to exist. Today, those images of men and women chiseling away the...
By Kathy Cohen Whenever we return to the U.S. after living two years in Cuenca and the last eight on on a mountainside above Vilcabamba — an Ecuadorian pueblo of just 5,000 people — we feel like the Beverly Hillbillies or the Rip Van Winkles. We see unidentifiable products and overhear conversations that make no...
In a survey conducted by the Swedish company EF (Education First) Cuenca ranks second behind Quito for English language proficiency. The survey was taken among high school and university students but its administrators say that it also represents English usage in the community at large. In notes that accompany the survey results, EF says that...
By Kathleen Peddicord My daughter Kaitlin, age 8 at the time, cried herself to sleep every night during our first year living in Waterford, Ireland. Kaitlin was fiercely opposed to the idea of leaving her grandmother, her cousins, her friends, and her school in Baltimore behind, and she made sure we were painfully aware of...
Bolivian President Evo Morales resigned Sunday amid growing opposition after an international audit found the results of last month’s election could not be validated due to “serious irregularities.” Morales said he was stepping down “for the good of the country,” which has been roiled by protests in the days following the October 20 election. Three...
Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has said he will call a new election after international monitors questioned the validity of his victory last month. The Organization of American States (OAS), which monitored the elections, called for the result to be annulled. Morales’ announcement comes after weeks of anti-government protests over reported irregularities and fraud. The president,...
A tragic tale of murder, kidnapping and human trafficking ended Thursday morning in Cuenca with the arrest of two women in the Miraflores neighborhood. The arrests of Maryuri Alexandra G. and Yomayra Mercedes Ch. on charges of human trafficking of a 10-day-old baby boy followed the Wednesday murder of the baby’s mother in Guayaquil. According...
Where are you from? I’m never quite sure how to answer this question. In my experience, North Americans tend to move around more than others, but rarely is anyone asking for my life’s story when they ask where I’m from. Do I respond with where I was born, where I grew up, where I live...
By Jorge Ramos There is a rage brewing in Latin America. Aware that they don’t live in real democracies, the people of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia are taking to the streets. In Chile, Ecuador and Haiti, citizens are angry about social inequality and the lack of economic opportunity. Meanwhile, Argentina’s government is turning back to...
By Katy Watson I have one particularly large wrinkle between my eyebrows I put down to scowling while living in Mexico in my 20s, trying to ward off the hisses and catcalls in the street. There was one day, though, when I dropped the scowl and chose another tactic. A scorching summer afternoon, I had...
A three-judge National Court panel rejected an appeal by the attorneys for former president Rafael Correa and five other ex-officials in the so-called Sobornos 2012-2016 — or Bribes 2012-206 – case that would have allowed the defendants to avoid pretrial detention. In the case, Correa and the others are charged with accepting bribes, illicit association...
By Mitch Anderson In July, a court in Ecuador issued a ruling with profound implications for the urgent fight to save the imperiled Amazon rainforest. The decision effectively blocked a planned government oil auction that threatened half-a-million acres of some of the world’s most biodiverse primary rainforest. The broad outlines of the situation are sadly...
Dani News
Hogar Esperanza News
Puerto Cayo Property News
Amazon eco lodge News
The Cuenca Dispatch
Week of September 29
Cuenca’s Deluge: Rains Bring Relief and Risks After Prolonged Drought.
Government’s Decision to Relocate CELEC Headquarters Sparks Local Backlash.
Eight years and counting…
How to Receive Amazon Orders in Ecuador for Just $5 with the New ‘Flat Rate’.
Tosa Blue Mountain News
Fund Grace News
