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Miércoles, 9/8/2023 Hola, Todos - Titular - "De 20 pantallas para el monitoreo solo sirven 3" (Only 3 out of the 20 monitoring screens work) - Two serious assaults linked with banks occured in less than a week in Cuenca. In the most recent, $50,000 was stolen in an...
By Garry Vatcher After driving all night, 20 hours in total, we made it to Esmeraldas on Saturday around noon. We took the long way, as we had to make a quick stop in Tulcan. I prefer entering Esmeraldas from Ibarra. The scenery along the road from Ibarra to San...
Creative men and women intuitively know that every artistic pursuit is dependent on three equally essential elements: art, craft, and music. It is worth noting, as well, that one cannot function without the others, just as we cannot function without the shared...
By David Morrill and Deke Castleman What do expats -- especially those from the U.S. -- think about using the U.S. dollar in Ecuador? Not much, frankly, although it's hard to deny that it makes life easier. We don’t have to worry about exchange rates or go through the...
United States passport holders have long traveled throughout most of the world without having to worry about visa applications: American travelers currently have visa-free access to 184 destinations worldwide, according to this year’s Henley Passport Index, which...
Azuay and Cañar Provinces offer plenty of opportunities for adventures sports as well as more mild-mannered tourist pursuits within an hour’s drive of Cuenca. Many of these are off the beaten path, rarely promoted in the popular tourist guides and websites. There are...
By Jeremiah Reardon TNT - The New Theater, the recent addition to Cuenca’s cultural landscape, is hosting "TNT Blast Off", a meet-and-greet fundraiser on Thursday, July 27 from 4:30-6:30 pm. Those who attend will not only be able to meet the people who make up TNT,...
By Stephen Vargha Since the peak of the Covid pandemic in Ecuador, the restaurant scene in Cuenca has exploded. It is not only the number of restaurants, but the new types of restaurants. In the last three years, the choices of ethnic foods have increased. This...
Brain size typically declines with age, but the severity and prevalence of that decline may be related to lower activity levels, higher food consumption, and other evolutionary changes in lifestyle that are common in industrialized societies. An NIA-funded study of...
On the spring of 1974, at the tender age of 21, I had my first encounter with "the light." This encounter came in the form of a Voice which informed me with great authority that I was to radically change the course of my young life. My willingness to follow this...
By Ute Kreplin Among the promised psychological and physical benefits of meditation are the elimination or reduction of stress, anxiety and depression, as well as bipolar disorder, eating disorders, diabetes, substance abuse, chronic pain, blood pressure, cancer,...
By Stacey Colino Doctors don’t usually prescribe spending time in nature to their patients but perhaps they should. A robust body of research shows that being in green spaces — such as parks, woods, forests, mountains, and the like — is beneficial for people’s...
In 1994 Dr. Sherwin Nuland's book, "How We Die", was published. It is a fascinating read on the exact nature of death. This essay is not informed by Dr. Nuland's work. It is more in line with the recently published book by Buddhist nun and Dharma teacher Pema Chodron,...
By John Olson Is it ever too late for love? 80-year-old New Jersey widower Ralph Bellini doesn’t think so. In ACT’s The Last Romance, Ralph spots the attractive Carol in a dog park on one of his daily walks. And the chase is on. Ralph becomes determined to meet Carol,...
By Stephen Vargha The late U.S. Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “I hate paying taxes. But I love the civilization they give me.” Taxes are nothing new for civilizations. The first known taxation took place in Ancient Egypt around 3000-2800 BCE. The...
Editor’s note: This column is the second of a two-part series. To read the part one, click here. On the day Kane Flambures retired, he packed his duffel bag with salty clothes and dragged them down a grungy gangplank to a dumpster where the grease-stained overalls...
By Robbie Lisa Freeman Not long ago, I travelled to Ecuador on a mythic quest to see as much of the country, its natural wonders, and its 1,600+ species of birds as possible over a 28-day trip. In short, to find my Shangri-La, my Utopia, my Garden of Eden! But where...
By Deke Castleman and Sylvan Hardy The concept of punctuality is one distinct example of the differences between the Ecuadorian and North American cultures. Most expats tend to be compulsively prompt and even, by Latin American standards, ridiculously early....
Editor's note: This column is re-posted from February 2021. It is the first of a two-part series by the author. Literature has always been illuminated by constellations of memorable characters. One of my favorite stars is Dean Moriarty, the brilliant, adventurous and...
When you visit the tiendas, mercados, and supermercados of Cuenca for the first time you’ll find a number of fruits that are familiar to North Americans and, for the most part, people all over the world. On the other hand, you'll discover fruit you've never seen...
