Robert Bradley

The sky thinks it has a squabble of seagulls in its sight, but then quickly realizes that this is not the coast and that these are not seabirds; this is Paute, and what is flying is a single cloud, born high in the Andes, discharged in the night, and drifting downwind from the cloud factory. The...

The painter, David Williams, arrived in Cuenca in 2015 after suffering a debilitating condition that all but claimed his eyesight. This condition would be devastating for anyone, but for a visual artist it is life altering. He credits two significant factors that helped him to accept his fate and...

I was having another fluky day tootling around El Centro.  As I wandered along Calle Larga towards Inglesia Todos Santos, I realized with regret that it has been two years since I last set foot in the restaurant right across the street, Sunrise Cafe. I also realized that I had never set foot in...

I’ve been granted a gift greater than any vast fortune; I’m in love with the most marvelous woman ever. She is alluring, smarter than I am by a country mile, is extraordinarily kind, consistently generous towards others, deeply reflective, and enjoys a spiritual awareness that is refreshing and...

I’d like to share it with you a little test suggested by W.S. Merwin… Blindfold yourself with some suitable object. If time permits remain still for a moment. You may feel one or more of your senses begin to swim back toward you in the darkness. Meanwhile, have someone arrange the food items used...

Author's note: On the morning of March,16 2020, Ecuador closed its doors, forcing visitors to shelter in place. As a result, Peter Schramm, owner and manager of Izhcayluma Eco-Resort, near Vilcabamba, Ecuador, became the de-facto governor of an island state responsible for the lives of 32...

Author's note: The news of the earliest days of the corona 19 pandemic was well recorded by the press in Ecuador’s three major cities: the chaos in Guayaquil, the anger in Quito, and the somber acceptance in Cuenca. However, it was in the villages and small towns where the disease's impact was...

Scattered among the many sublime features of Cuenca is a multitude of fine restaurants which are inviting guests once again. The range is expansive. There are a few places that encourage men to wear a sportscoat, or at least a well-pressed shirt and fine trousers,  semi-casual eveningwear for...

There are angels who live among us that we often do not recognize. I, for one, was taught that angels wear flowing white robes with cutouts for their wings and ample wiggle room to accommodate the agility required to play the harp or toot a brass horn. However, I now know better -- a couple of...

I recently visited Claudio Alberto Soriano Vitorino, perhaps the most famed artist in Cuenca’s expat community. We met in his studio at IdiomArt. It was readily apparent that his sanctuary is not a gallery; it is a launchpad for the formidable creative energy that reflects his distinctive style of...