Expat Life

By Bruce Cook In January, 2020 I made a proposal to the Historical and Heritage Areas of the Canton of supplying Memorial Benches to the city. The proposal was well received and we proceeded to locate 72 appropriate sites for placement. The director then forwarded a letter of recommendation for approval of the project to...

Author’s note: The news of the earliest days of the corona 19 pandemic was well recorded by the press in Ecuador’s three major cities: the chaos in Guayaquil, the anger in Quito, and the somber acceptance in Cuenca. However, it was in the villages and small towns where the disease’s impact was most profound.  This...

By Stephen Vargha “I need a place for expats and Cuencanos to meet,” said Rosana Malo. The owner of a rather unique place was trying to explain why she opened Flora Caffe, on the northwest corner Plaza del Otorongo. “This is a place for all of us to get together. My vision is to provide...

Scattered among the many sublime features of Cuenca is a multitude of fine restaurants which are inviting guests once again. The range is expansive. There are a few places that encourage men to wear a sportscoat, or at least a well-pressed shirt and fine trousers,  semi-casual eveningwear for women is considered appropriate; a few others...

By Jeremiah Reardon I slipped in black mud on Taitachugo, a mountain in El Cajas National Park. Retreating from a climb to 3600 meter (11,800 feet) altitude with friends, I had lost my footing on a trail trod by alpacas, llamas and horses as confirmed by their scat. Instantly I recalled a spill taken by...

There are angels who live among us that we often do not recognize. I, for one, was taught that angels wear flowing white robes with cutouts for their wings and ample wiggle room to accommodate the agility required to play the harp or toot a brass horn. However, I now know better — a couple...

By Sylvan Hardy and Deke Castleman Children pick up language easily. Their nervous systems make new neural connections at lightning speeds. Computer simulations of neural activity in the early years of life look like all the cars in Los Angeles squeezed onto the Indianapolis Speedway racing at 200 miles an hour. Indeed, babies’ brains are...