Expat Life
By Tim Greene For the well-traveled, the idea of retirement abroad can seem an idyll. You pick a place you’ve loved visiting, whether it’s the thrumming avenues of Paris or the sunny strands of Panama or the mountains of Ecuador, and jet off for the perfect permanent vacation. But the fantasy can become less carefree...
By Aude Soichet and Allie Yang The Galapagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean are staggeringly beautiful, volcanic and remote — 600 miles away from Ecuador, the country that owns them. At least 14 islands make up the Galapagos National Park, and a remarkable 97% of the land is off-limits to the public. The park...
By Silvia Ascarelli Bill and Dean Keyes and Chase and Saralee Squires separately say they have found the same retirement spot with perfect weather — temperatures in the upper 60s and low 70s year-round during the day and in the upper 40s at night during the winter (in this case, August and September). Their dream...
By Stephen Vargha Most know a soup kitchen as a place where free food (usually soup and bread) is served to the homeless and destitute without judgment or discrimination. These places are usually run by charitable organizations and staffed by a group of volunteers. Cuenca Soup Kitchen started out that way but has morphed into...
Editor’s note: Long-time expat Dave Nelson died early Friday morning in Cuenca. He was 93. Born in a small town on the Oregon coast, Dave spent most of his professional career as a workers’ comp attorney in Oakland, California representing injured workers. Besides his legal advocacy, he described his job as being a social worker...
By Stephen Vargha A horrifying and tragic experience out in public changed Karla Sánchez’s life. “I was working as a tour guide at the time for Ecuador Direct Roses,” said Karla. “The office was at Plaza Otorongo, and I saw a big police presence across the street at the Tomebamba River.” Wanting to know what...
By Mark Waghorn Vitamins and supplements that countless people take to improve their health are just a waste of money, a new study contends. Researchers from Northwestern University say their health benefits are mainly in the mind and some may even do more harm than good. According to the CDC, nearly six in 10 Americans...
By Stephen Vargha Sofia Palacios’ mother wanted her to be a doctor like her sister. Or even a paramedic like her other sister. Instead, Sofia went into the restaurant business. At first, that was a disappointment for Mom. Today, her mother is very proud of what her daughter has done with Sofy Glocal Cuisine. According...
By Andrew Gregory If you have difficulty standing on one leg, it could be a sign of something more serious than overdoing it at the office summer drinks party. Middle-aged and elderly people who cannot balance on one leg for 10 seconds are almost twice as likely to die within 10 years than those who...
By Stephen Vargha “We will give you idiomART because we don’t want it to be another Gringo joint that is a flash in the pan.” With that statement from the founder Sara Koppler, Sarah Hanenbauer took the gauntlet and ran with it in 2021. The native of Bozeman, Montana had moved to Cuenca in 2009,...
By Tom Ashdown I have seen a number of articles on this website and others that discuss the reasons why people become expats. I have also seen articles about why expats decide to move to other towns in Ecuador or to other countries, and why some of them go back home, usually to the U.S....
By Melissa Kirsch A crowd gathered in Times Square recently for the removal of what the city promoted as New York’s last public pay phone. “End of an Era,” declared the news release headline, even though the era when pay phones played any meaningful role in New Yorkers’ lives certainly ended long ago. One might...
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The Cuenca Dispatch
Week of June 16
Noboa’s Government Moves to End Fuel Gasoline Subsidies, Highlighting Inequities for Low-Income Groups.
Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje Road to Temporarily Close for Pipeline Replacement.
Ecuador to Initiate Construction of $52 Million ‘Bukele-Style’ Prison to Combat Organized Crime.