Posts:
By Garry Vatcher The Value added tax (VAT) or IVA refund for seniors is one benefit that stirs up much debate and emotion within the expat community. Some consider it a benefit they are entitled to while others feel the money should be left in government coffers to...
By Stephen Vargha Many are familiar with the refrain from Gomer Pyle. The fictional character in the town of Mayberry was played by Jim Nabors and was a regular of The Andy Griffith Show. "Sur-prise, sur-prise, sur-prise!" Gomer said it all of the time. And many...
By Sylvan Hardy and Deke Castleman More than any other destination for North American expats, Cuenca has laid claim to the word "gringo." There are gringo nights, gringo meet-ups, Gringolandia, gringo invasions and, not to mention Gringo Post and the defunct Gringo...
By Jeremiah Reardon Maestro Bolivar Sarmiento Regalado recently underwent surgery. I met Bolivar at Casa del Alfarero Cultural Center in barrio Convencion 45 where he gave me free guitar lessons over eight months. Up to a half dozen guitar students came for lessons,...
By Hugh Robert Don't look now, but there's a whole new generation of restaurant customers coming. As the Baby Boomer generation begins to "age out" of the restaurant market, a new demographic, Generation Z, is replacing them. Boomers, whose affluence as well as sheer...
By Queen Mary University of London staff New findings reveal that the body undergoes significant, systematic changes across multiple organs during prolonged periods of fasting. The results demonstrate evidence of health benefits beyond weight loss, but also show that...
The World Food Travel Association, an organization promoting culinary tourism, has added Cuenca to its Culinary Capitals network. Cuenca is the first city in Latin America named to the network. Ecuadorians recognize Cuenca as the food capital of Ecuador. And while the...
By Stephen Vargha Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France had the famous Dutch painter. Cuenca has Diego Sánchez. “I love van Gogh and Rembrandt,” said Sánchez. “I love to show the spirit if the people of Cuenca.” Sánchez, 47, is a self-taught impressionist artist. The...
By MikeTrebilcock With cobble-stone streets, colonial architecture, tree-lined parks, and historic churches, this quaint, overseas gem just beckons visitors to explore on foot. Cuenca is clearly meant for walking. Not only is the temperature a perfect cool for...
My recent Amigos Falsos article about the pit and pratfalls of false cognates unleased a landslide of comments and funny examples of more awkward expat Spanglish errors. A person called Wonder Woman reminds us that tercero y trasero are easily confused. The first...
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series. Part 2 posts February 26. Chatty Anglophones learning Spanish often make the acquaintance of amigos falsos, false cognates or words that sound the same but have different meanings. In addition to near-miss...
One of the many pleasures of living near Paute is the heartfelt encouragement the city’s Office of the Mayor offers to participate in the many celebrations that sugar-coat the calendar. This generosity of spirit encourages those who might otherwise feel left behind to...
By Stephen Vargha Thia Megia, the Filipino-American singer and television actress, once said, “You’re never too young for something you really want to do, never too young to go after your passion. The age doesn’t matter at all. If it’s something you want to do, it...
An innovative Art Exhibition at idiomART February 15 to March 1 tells the story of Cuenca’s shelter dogs and the humans who love them. Cuenca is invited to attend the opening reception of the exhibit on Thursday, February 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. with Wine to the Rescue...
By John Olson and David A. McTier Neil Simon was indisputably the most successful and prolific playwright for the Broadway stage in the 20th Century. As a lifelong New Yorker, most of his plays were set in the “Big Apple” and Simon appears to have had a love-hate...
By Jeri Clausing Not long after I posted my first picture from Quito on Facebook, the comment I was expecting came in: "Isn't Ecuador blowing up right now?" Hardly, I thought, slightly amused as I sat in my room in the historical Casa Gangotena hotel here, listening...
The drive from the high valley of Paute to the sprawling beaches of Ecuador’s central coast takes all day. We left a little after dawn and arrived just in time to order a celebratory cocktail as our fatigue and the blinding heat of the afternoon faded into the...
By Garnett Stewart Last week, in a public open-air market in Centro, the salesperson sneezed three times on her produce without trying to control her secretions. I respectfully asked her to wash her face and hands. I begged her to protect everyone's health. I asked...
By Chris Kenning At her house in Ecuador’s third largest city, its colonial buildings framed by the Andes mountains, LaRahna Hughes’ phone buzzed repeatedly with messages from relatives and friends back in the United States. Are you OK? Are you getting out of the...
Most people visiting Peru or Ecuador for the first time quickly realize that the rich indigenous heritage makes the countries what they are today. Particularly in the Andes, a prime reason for many visits is to connect with, and learn about indigenous traditions --...
