Posts:
The painter, David Williams, arrived in Cuenca in 2015 after suffering a debilitating condition that all but claimed his eyesight. This condition would be devastating for anyone, but for a visual artist it is life altering. He credits two significant factors that...
By Silvia Marchetti Buying an abandoned home in a tiny, depopulated Italian village is something that many travelers will have mulled over, especially given the vast number of bargain house schemes launched in the European country over the past few years. After CNN...
I was having another fluky day tootling around El Centro. As I wandered along Calle Larga towards Inglesia Todos Santos, I realized with regret that it has been two years since I last set foot in the restaurant right across the street, Sunrise Cafe. I also realized...
By Sarah Jackson It's no secret that the pandemic has wrought havoc on our mental health. From social isolation to grieving loved ones lost to COVID-19, many people have struggled with their mental well-being over the past year and a half. "Already, there was an unmet...
I’ve been granted a gift greater than any vast fortune; I’m in love with the most marvelous woman ever. She is alluring, smarter than I am by a country mile, is extraordinarily kind, consistently generous towards others, deeply reflective, and enjoys a spiritual...
By Linda Pressly and Esperanza Escribano Squatting has a long history in Spain, often fuelled by high rates of homelessness. But there is now a darker phenomenon too -- squatters who demand a "ransom" before they will leave a property. And this has led to the rise of...
Ecuador’s Ministry of Health reports that nationwide the number of hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19 are at the lowest levels since March 2020, when the pandemic was declared. Health officials in Cuenca and Azuay Province say their numbers reflect those at the...
I’d like to share it with you a little test suggested by W.S. Merwin… Blindfold yourself with some suitable object. If time permits remain still for a moment. You may feel one or more of your senses begin to swim back toward you in the darkness. Meanwhile, have...
Author's note: On the morning of March,16 2020, Ecuador closed its doors, forcing visitors to shelter in place. As a result, Peter Schramm, owner and manager of Izhcayluma Eco-Resort, near Vilcabamba, Ecuador, became the de-facto governor of an island state...
By David Morrill One of the great pleasures that many expats discover in Ecuador is art collecting. Even those who were not collectors back home take up the habit, smitten by the quality, variety, and sheer emotional force of the talent in this small Andean country....
By Oscar Holland Homesteads dotting a pastoral landscape, families living by lamplight and men in straw hats riding horse-drawn carriages -- the scenes in Jake Michaels' photographs could easily depict bygone times in the American Midwest. But not only do his pictures...
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...
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...
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...
By Adam Gebb The raging rate of human population growth and the demand for ever-higher standards of living are destroying what remains of the natural world. Rainforests seen by some as empty places to get resources actually hold millions of species that are enormously...
By Jonathan Look Living your retirement abroad can be an immensely rewarding experience. I know; I've been doing it since I left my U.S. home, at 50, three years ago to begin my early retirement traveling around the world. But there are four things to keep in mind...
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, ...
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....
By Michael Rosenbaum, MD and George Bray, MD In 1962, the noted physiologist Edwin Astwood, MD, PhD, wrote "Obesity is a disorder which, like venereal disease, is blamed upon the patient. The finding that treatment doesn't work is ascribed to lack of fortitude." At...
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...
Week of September 20
Ecuador turns to industrial power cuts to protect Mazar and keep homes from going dark.
Ecuador raises its 2026 growth forecast, but El Niño could spoil the outlook next year.
Cuenca retirees challenge medical and therapy changes at IESS senior center.
