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I used to carry an Alien Registration card. That isn’t a metaphor, or a bit of nostalgic whimsy. It was a real laminated rectangle issued by the United States government, tucked into my wallet for years, identifying me as a resident alien. It even had my fingerprint...
By Jim Smith Cuenca has long attracted retirees from North America and Europe with its pleasant climate, walkable streets, quality health care, and lower cost of living. But a growing number of these retirees are not just here to relax. Many are part of a growing...
The Cuenca Municipal Council on Friday night voted to repeal the Ordinance Controlling and Sanctioning the Use and Occupation of Land. The 11 to five vote will be reconsidered in a second debate before it becomes final. The vote followed Mayor Cristian Zamora’s...
By Deke Castleman and David Morrill Most foreign visitors start their first tour of Cuenca at Parque Calderón and many expats pass through the park on a daily basis. Despite the recent restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the park remains full of people, the...
Start of Inti Raymi at the Ingapirca complex - The Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural (INPC) presented the agenda for the Inti Raymi festivities at the Complejo Arqueológico Ingapira which starts with a walk on the Qhapaq Ñan this Friday at 6:00. Friday, 20/6...
By Sylvan Hardy It’s Corpus Christi week in Cuenca. For most expats, the celebration, or Sentenario as it is sometimes called, means nightly fireworks and candy sales in Parque Calderon and an assortment of craft fairs and concerts for the next seven days. The...
The Fabulous Cadillacs play Cuenca -- As part of their 40th anniversary world tour, the legendary Argentine band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs will perform in Cuenca Thursday, June 19, at the Alejandro Serrano Aguilar Stadium. The group is best-known for its 1980s hits Mal...
Big changes are planned for Cuenca’s botanical gardens, located at the confluence of the Yanuncay and Tarqui rivers. Work begins this month on a climate-controlled tropical plant dome that will display what biologists describe as the “full range of Amazon and lowland...
Opening a bank account in Ecuador used to be one of those bureaucratic escapades involving proof of address, proof of existence, and possibly a note from your grandmother. But things have loosened up, at least at Banco de Pichincha. I walked in with my resident's...
President Daniel Noboa has renewed the state of emergency in Quito and seven provinces for 30 days. The extension is necessary, he said, due to “continuing violent activity” by transnational criminal organizations. "The ultimate objective of this action is to...
Cuenca universities will celebrate an academic and cultural 'Raymi': Cuenca will be the site of "El Raymi de las Universidades y Diversidades" from the 16 to 21 June. The events will be at various venues and include talks about ancestral knowledge, traditional...
The government is considering adding more questions to the referendum that would allow foreign military facilities in the country. Among the issues being considered for inclusion are measures that would increase penalties for violent crimes, tighten firearms controls...
The Guagua Pichincha volcano, 12 kilometers west of Quito, is showing signs of reactivation. The Geophysical Institute reported Saturday that an eruption is not imminent, but that “general indicators” show increased activity in recent weeks and months. “The current...
I’ve lived in Cuenca long enough to know that numbers — especially when it comes to expats — are more art than science. Depending on whom you ask, there are either 2,000 foreigners living here, or 12,000, or a million and two if you include the ones who only come out...
A pickup truck joy ride down the recently renovated Francisco Sojos Jaramillo escalinata by a drunken lawyer has sparked outrage from Cuenca officials. “This careless act will not be tolerated, and we intend to seek criminal charges against the driver and owner of the...
By Scott Levine More twists and turns than a drive through the Cajas! Usually when couples disagree, they slam a door, drop a few F-bombs, maybe toss a platter or two. But rarely does one party decide that the correct solution is … murder! In ACT’s newest production,...
The Tranvía is Cuenca’s sleek, quiet, gliding answer to traffic and taxis — and also one of the few things in town that regularly runs on time. It stretches like a silver thread from the Industrial Park in the northwest to the southern suburb of Río Tarqui, passing...
Cuenca’s main bus terminal on Av. España will be replaced by two new terminals, the city announced last week. Municipal Projects Director Romeo Moncayo said the new terminals, located in Narancay and on Av. del Migrante, will open in about three years. According to...
By Mark Daffey We're 3600 metres above sea level and for reasons unexplained, there's a canoe on the lawn outside the Chilcabamba Mountain Lodge where I'm booked to stay the next two nights. As incongruous as that sounds, even a boat so far from water fails to steal...
In Cuenca, pharmacies are like bus stops. There’s always another one just down the street — and sometimes three or four clustered together like gossiping hens. It’s not uncommon to see five within sight of each other, each offering the same range of off-brand...
