Expat Life

Editor’s note: This is the fifth of an eight-part series by writer / photographer Brian Buckner about hiking in the Cuenca area. To read the earlier installments, see the links at the bottom of the article. By Brian Buckner Transportation, as identified here, refers to the manner in which you get to the point where...

By Robert Bradley The blur of last minute chores blinked past me like an old newsreel complete with flashbulbs and jittery scenes where everything looks like it is going to shake right off the film. I packed and repacked, included a three month supply of prescription medicine, essential reading material, and I bought new shoes....

Editor’s note: This is the fourth of an eight-part series by writer / photographer Brian Buckner about hiking in the Cuenca area. To read the first and second installments, click here and here and here. By Brian Buckner My experience may be simple but I really like the people of Ecuador. It’s a big part...

As reported in the Harvard Health Letter, deciphering media stories on diet and nutrition can be challenging.  Writers may report on a single preliminary story as if it’s a conclusive finding, or highlight one to gain some quick “clicks” just because it contradicts current health recommendations. This week I’m detailing three recent diet/nutrition stories that...

By Louis Bourgeois Nearing the end of my first six months of life in Cuenca, I was ready to look for a country house to rent. I had decided to live in a pueblo on the west side of Cuenca, up in the hills above the basin. In my morning walks along the Rio Tomebamba...

The wiry Páramo brushed against the stiff fabric of my rain pants, causing a soft rasping sound. I had been hiking alone at 12,500 feet for a couple of hours. Partly cloudy skies and the magic of Tambo Siberia had lured me into the southern Caja’s, a rugged area that’s part of South America’s central...

By Robert Bradley This graceful Andean city, with its towering colonial architecture and centuries old mercados, pulsing with vigor and energy, provides a current that energizes, enchants and engages. It is a vibrant city adorned with a patina rich in texture. It is also a young city. The squeaks and squeals of children are heard...

We all want to eat more naturally, and it would appear that the sweetener stevia, sourced from a plant, fits the bill. But, is it as natural as all that? First, a few facts about stevia fro­­m the Global Stevia Institute: Indigenous South Americans discovered stevia and chewed the leaves for the sweet taste. In...

By Michael Littmann With all the nasty fighting and name-calling by gringos offering their “expert opinions” of IESS’ new pricing structure in the CuencaHighLife comments section, I am somewhat surprised that no one has made reference to the quality of health care provided by the system. In my “expert” opinion, it is garbage. I came...

Guillermo had never liked being told what to do. He only liked doing the telling. All who knew him knew this about him. If they didn’t, then they came to know his rage, as poisonous and swift as any Mamba bite. When he was little, his mamá had grated on him with her shrill voice...