Posts:
On the desktop of my computer is a picture of my son walking through the courtyard of a Cuenca apartment building. It was taken a week before his fifth birthday. Everything in the picture reminds me of our time in Cuenca — the plants, the architecture, the beautiful...
By Jim Smith Beyond the thrill of exploring new landscapes and traditions, you might find the prospect of opening a small business in your new home both enticing and rewarding. Whether driven by a passion, a lifelong dream, or the desire to integrate more deeply into...
By John Olson Azuay Community Theater will close its 2023-24 season of six plays with the award-winning Pulitzer Prize finalist dramatic comedy The Waverly Gallery, by the Academy award winning screenwriter and playwright Kenneth Lonergan. ACT’s Bob Fry is directing...
By Sarah Barrell Travel in August is all about being canny. It’s a prime time to be in Europe but you need to be nimble to avoid the crowds and escalating prices across the Med and beaches radiating beyond. It's worth thinking of alternatives if you want more than a...
By Tatyana Woodall For those looking to learn a new language, the process can feel daunting, especially as an adult. It’s long been thought that the earlier you learn new skills, the easier they are to pick up. The idea that age can play a huge role in a person’s...
By Jonathan Look One of the biggest goals of my career as an air traffic controller was having a worry-free retirement. I envisioned a comfortable place where I could lie back and watch the world pass by; where I could live not only without work, but without...
An English speaker has much to learn about the Spanish language when moving to Ecuador. But the foreign native Spanish speaker does, too. Case in point: I moved here from Argentina, and although I’m fluent, the local language still threw up a few trip hazards. For...
By Jim Smith Cuenca Circle of Friends is a Facebook group dedicated to creating a supportive and engaging community for expats living in Cuenca, Ecuador. With an impressive membership of 1,800 and a growth rate of 100 new members per month since its inception in...
By Danielle Friedman We’ve all encountered that person who comes back from the gym or a run seemingly high on life. In fact, scientists say that even a single bout of exercise can alter your neurochemistry in ways that create feelings of hope, calm, connection and a...
Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series about Cuenca’s Mariscal La Mar Airport. By Stephen Vargha The runway. This may be the most talked about subject in the expat community. It certainly gets a lot of traffic on Facebook. “The airport’s budget was...
Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series about Cuenca's Mariscal La Mar Airport. By Stephen Vargha Cuenca has a long history of aviation that began on November 4, 1920, when Italian pilot Elia Liut landed his small twin-engine plane at the Jericó field,...
By John McWhorter English speakers know that their language is odd. So do people saddled with learning it non-natively. The oddity that we all perceive most readily is its spelling, which is indeed a nightmare. In countries where English isn’t spoken, there is no such...
By Jeff Van Pelt Why should you strive to give exceptional customer service? Why not just good? I will focus mainly on restaurants, but this advice applies to most kinds of businesses. And lest I be accused of being negative about Ecuador, I point out that I first...
By the Cleveland Clinic Let’s face it: Added sugar really isn’t great for your health. An occasional indulgence is understandable. Added sugars are pervasive in our food supply, and a life of over-restriction and denial isn’t sustainable or realistic for a lot of...
Editor’s note: The following is a sample of Cuencano opinions about English-speaking expats living in Cuenca. They were compiled by University of Cuenca graduate student Silvia Lara for a research project about immigration. The comments were translated into English by...
By Renee Onque Supplements, superfoods, and health hacks are advertised constantly to those looking to live a long, healthy life, but focusing on just those quick solutions is not very effective, according to leading longevity researcher Dan Buettner. On a recent...
For most people, taking a vacation and going to the dentist are mutually incompatible prospects. After all, the thought of sitting in a dentist’s chair with a drill in your month isn’t quite as appealing as sitting on a tropical beach sipping a piña colada. Adam...
By Michael Littmann If you have been reading CHL and other gringo publications over the past few months you will have read about the corruption and mismanagement within the Cuenca Social Security (IESS) hospital, Jose Carrasco Arteaga, and the members of the expat...
By Simone Cannon de Bastardo Although the Galapagos Islands, Atacama and Torres del Paine National Parks are well known among travelers from North America, most people don’t know that there are more than 300 other beautiful national parks, protected sanctuaries and...
By Tamara Hardingham-Gill When Ruth Harrison and Dan Phillips relocated from the US to Ecuador two years ago, their main goal was to enjoy a peaceful retirement. Just as the couple – who have chosen to use pseudonyms for this article – were settling into a new chapter...
Week of August 23
Ecuador’s economy grew 2% during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to new Banco Central del Ecuador data.
Cuenca gets a prime view of next week’s deep partial lunar eclipse.
Ecuador’s economy grows 2% in the first half of 2026.
