Posts:
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
By Louisa Rogers The other day, opening a bottle of wine with a corkscrew, I wished for the umpteenth time that more U.S wine bottles came with screw tops. So simple! In the U.S., wine bottles with screw tops still have a stigma and are often viewed as cheap and...
By Stephen Vargha There are millions of Americans living abroad, but the exact number is unknown. The United States does not formally count the number of Americans who move to other countries, and it does not require its citizens to register an official place of...
By Kara Godfrey In February 2020, Tori Ann Lyla Hunter was carrying medicines which, despite being prescribed by her doctor in Australia, were illegal in Indonesia. When they were discovered in her luggage at an Indonesian airport she was taken immediately to jail...
By Maureen Santucci Earth Day as a holiday began in 1970 — but here in the Andes of Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, every day is Earth Day, and it has been for centuries! That’s because Pachamama, or Mother Earth, plays an important role in Andean Cosmology. Pachamama is...
By Mark Hatter It’s 3 p.m., the hot, bright equatorial sun still remains high in its descending arch to the western horizon. The wind is calm and the sea smooth as our rigid bottom inflatable (aka RBI or panga) driver Alex, idles the short distance from the Galapagos...
Editor’s note: Although hundreds of Quechuan words have been incorporated into the Spanish spoken in the Andean region of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia (notable examples include achachay for cold, borracho for drunk and chuchaqui for hung over), many others have become...
By Stephen Vargha As the people of Uvalde, Texas mourned, there was little agreement on the root cause of the tragedy or the solution to the staggering average of 321 gun deaths per day in the United States. Dr. Roxane Gay wrote in the New York Times, “Time and again...
By Cynthia Measom The average Social Security benefit in 2022 is $1,657 per month or right under $20,000 per year, according to AARP. If you're planning to live on just your Social Security check as a retiree in the U.S., it will be extremely difficult with only that...
By Katie Benson The Galapagos Islands may be best known for the unique animals that live there and the incredible landscape, but the Galapagos beaches are pretty damn incredible too. In fact, the Galapagos Islands are home to some of the most beautiful beaches in...
By Andrew Miller California residents are fleeing to Portugal and in many cases bringing problems that have made life more difficult for natives, according to the Los Angeles Times report. A story titled "Welcome to Portugal, the new expat haven. Californians, please...
By Slow Train I was eight, maybe nine. I was glued to the TV. On it, in that crazy time before streaming, was a show about someone who had been traveling the world for months. My little mind was blown. I thought people only went on vacation for a few days at a time, a...
By Joshua Summers Outdoor activities and discovering the landscape of Ecuador may be fun things to do when you visit this nation in South America, but traveling to this country without experiencing its unique traditional festivals will not make it as colorful as it...
By Einna Búho Sacred Plant Medicine Ceremonies are a staple in Latin America. You probably have heard or even participated in a Cacao Ceremony or sacred ceremonies with Ayahuasca, the Grandmother, Huachuma, the Grandfather or maybe even Huilco, the Mother Medicine....
By Jan Dynes My mother would be 104 this month if she was still with all of us. Mother's Day always followed just after her birthday. So she is on my mind. Mary Jane Seibertz was born during the Spanish Flu Epidemic in 1918. She brought 3 daughters into this world,...
By Julia Buckley It's time! Travel restrictions are easing, Covid infection rates are settling, you're fully vaccinated, and you're finally thinking about going on vacation. This is the year to make up for the holidays you didn't enjoy over the past two years. You've...
