Sylvan Hardy
By Sylvan Hardy Although it was an instant hit with University of Cuenca students, MeLatte Café in Esquina de las Artes has been discovered by only a handful of expats. MeLatte is the cornerstone of a project to revitalize Esquina de las Artes, an attractive Spanish-sytle commercial center on Av. Doce de Abril and Agustín...
By Sylvan Hardy It is a welcomed but often overlooked phenomenon on the Cuenca restaurant scene, and one that has transformed the experience of eating out over the past five or six years. It goes like this. Ecuadorians leave home, spend years working in U.S., Canadian and European restaurants, then return to Cuenca and open...
By Sylvan Hardy If the Shamuí restaurant, or Shamuico Espai Gastronomica as it is formally known, seems misplaced, you can blame it on a family migration to Spain two decades ago. Located in the proudly indigenous town of Saraguro, 70 miles south of Cuenca, Shamuí gets rave reviews from the few tourists and expats who...
By Sylvan Hardy Although the plan to transition Ecuadorian households from LP gas to more electric usage was announced with great fanfare in August 2013, the government has had little to say about it in recent months. The program was coupled with the announcement that the subsidy of LP gas would end in late 2016,...
By Sylvan Hardy Uruguay has become the only country in the world with legal, regulated, recreational-marijuana sales, the world’s first and only state-run marijuana marketplace. An omnibus marijuana law was passed in 2013, of which two major elements have gone into effect. First, individuals are now allowed to grow up to six plants (17 ounces)...
By Sylvan Hardy Since 2011, Ecuador has spent a greater percentage of its GDP on infrastructure and social programs than any country in the western hemisphere. Although it may maintain that distinction in 2015 since it holds a huge advantage over second-place Canada, the country is almost certain to see major spending cuts. The reason:...
By Sylvan Hardy Although it appears that the final obstacles for Cuenca’s new electric tram system have been overcome, controversy surrounding the project continues. As one city transportation official put it, “The train has left the station, but there are still some angry people who are not onboard.” The last major hurdle for the Tranvía...
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 operative term for the newcomers, which seems to cover the majority of those arriving Cuenca...
When a friend told me recently that there are 4,000 gringos living permanently in Cuenca, I asked where he got his information. “I read it in a blog,” he said. “Who’s blog?” I asked. “I don’t remember,” he answered. My friend had more alarming news to share: gringos are driving up real estate prices in Cuenca. “Did...
Since I moved to Ecuador a dozen years ago, I’ve made a point of visiting my friends in Vilcabamba at least once a year. I was enchanted with this peaceful, isolated valley the first time I saw it in 1998 and even considered settling there until business considerations – I need to be close to...
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