Posts:
A business coalition is urging the government to impose restrictions on the 4x4 package delivery system, claiming it has become an unregulated import route for goods that compete unfairly with Ecuadorian industry and retail outlets. ¡Mucho Mejor Ecuador! says the...
Going to the dentist in Cuenca is a bit like entering a lottery where all the prizes involve sitting with your mouth open while a stranger stares into it — but it’s still better than doing it in the United States. Prices are lower, the equipment may be newer, and if...
One of the more curious subspecies of expats is the small but noisy contingent that is utterly obsessed with the price of things; more specifically, they are obsessed with the notion that they are being over-charged by Ecuadorians and that other expats are complicit...
Diego (not his real name) arrived at the bus station nearly an hour before the 5 a.m. scheduled departure. He was too nervous to sleep. His entire family joined him, but only as far as the edge of the floodlit parking lot, and then only long enough to offer a few...
Lessons from the private sector can help us manage our families in a more business-like manner. The formula is simple: Business is deliberate. Deliberate is effective. Deliberate + Effective = Defective. The first step toward more business-like parenting is to look in...
Somewhere in Cuenca, there’s a perfectly painted pedestrian crossing. Maybe two. They are decorative, symbolic, and approximately as binding as a pinky promise at a kindergarten birthday party. You, a sensible foreigner raised on fairy tales of driver courtesy and...
By Jeremiah Reardon Living on my own in New York City, at age nineteen, I yearned to see the world. When I finished the 1965 spring semester as a night business student, my boss in finance fired me from my job at Otis Elevator’s International Division. With such a...
By Ellie Muir Skype has seen it all. High-pressure job interviews. Awkward transatlantic family gatherings. Long-distance love affairs (and breakups). Many of our big life events have been bookended by Skype’s bouncy dial tone and its end-call notification that...
By Stephen Vargha “I’m nervous,” said Amaru Zapata. “I’ve never done anything like this before.” Not many have. Roughly 40,000, of which the U.S. has approximately half, have experienced what Zapata was about to do on April 26. It was his first solo show: “Re-Defining...
I regularly commute from a tiny village overlooking the Paute River to Cuenca, enjoying the moment when it's time to climb aboard the tranvía for the easy trip from the bus terminal to El Centro or beyond. The trip is quiet, takes but a moment, and is a great example...
By Lachlan Brown Growing up without social media means your worldview is untouched by likes, shares, or viral trends. Instead, it’s shaped by direct experiences, personal interactions, and self-reflection. As someone who belongs to the generation before the social...
By Jack Davis In a former career, I worked in computer systems analysis (now known as IT). I was an early adopter, setting up AppleTalk networks and communications systems and some of the first shared high-resolution remote printing sites for a university-based...
Within a six-block radius of San Sebastian Plaza are two saddlers, at least five furniture makers, a knot of tailors, a sprinkle of goldsmiths, a colorful stained-glass studio, a thriving farmers market, more bakeries than I can count, and twice as many restaurants as...
Editor's note: See the author's previous article, Survey shows an ‘approaching tsunami’ of demand for expat assisted health care Cuenca; Can it be met? By Harry Watkins I was shopping at Coral, in the Batan Shopping Center the other day, when I saw a 70s something...
Editor's note: For those who want to sample Cuenca's traditional Easter soup, the Cuenca Markets Directorate is sponsoring a “fanesca tour” of city markets on Wednesday, April 16. Soup will be served at the city’s six largest markets beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the 4 de...
By Jeremiah Reardon A year ago, I rehearsed on guitar the songs I’d play for a live appearance on GM 7 Digital Radio in Azogues. The station broadcasts exclusively on its internet Facebook platform, where listeners can watch both live and recorded events. What led to...
By Tobi Amidor Although bread gets shunned by many, choosing the right type of bread can have positive effects on your gut. Of course, the opposite can possibly be true as well. Here is a rundown of five surprising side effects bread has on your gut. It can improve...
By Arianna Huffington Don’t die. That’s the simple mission statement of Bryan Johnson, tech entrepreneur and subject of the recently released Netflix documentary Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever. Johnson is not alone in his mission to extend his life as...
I watched quietly as the swollen Paute River carted away dirt, stones, and scoured human debris from our recent historic rainstorm. It is a potent reminder that when absorbed in their enthusiasm, the gods of Fertility and Loss will occasionally flood whole villages...
By Chase Squires Anyone who’s felt stuck in a rut and dealt with a disapproving parent, a distracted spouse, a midlife crisis, and the urge to tear up a Disney store can relate. Sometimes even a comfortable life can feel a little ... overwhelming. Then toss in a...
Week of September 20
Ecuador turns to industrial power cuts to protect Mazar and keep homes from going dark.
Ecuador raises its 2026 growth forecast, but El Niño could spoil the outlook next year.
Cuenca retirees challenge medical and therapy changes at IESS senior center.
