Posts:
When I was young I spent a year with a team of artists and anthropologists documenting the Inuit culture of western Alaska. One of our autumn trips was to a remote inlet to record a seal hunt. It was late September. When the weather unexpectedly turned snotty we...
By Lief Simon Living or doing business in another country, how should you handle requests for a little something on the side to help grease the wheels? A friend, a businessman in Ecuador, told me about a survey carried out in that country a few years ago. That survey...
By Bruce Wilson This is just my experience and my opinions so take them as that. Just read and contemplate it. I've had a feeling for a long time that the pandemic had mostly petered out. In September 2020 in Machala, I asked the front door guards at the mall and a...
Folks occasionally write to me when they are considering moving to Ecuador from Canada, or the U.S. This is largely due to my writing commentary for CuencaHighLife....
For all the prophecies of doom about the outcome of Sunday’s election, the changes that will follow are likely to be relatively minor no matter who wins. Most of the dire forecasts come from right-wing and centrist editorialists and commentators. At their most...
I enjoy the lift that a freshly cut vase of flowers imparts to its environment. All flowers are enjoyable in the sense they elevate my mood. I enjoy the almost imperceptibly delicate to somewhat heavy perfumes they emit. Then, there are the shapes and the colors that...
By Reginald Williams When someone picks your pocket and pilfers your cell phone, at first you panic. Then you are exposed to feelings of discouragement and vulnerability. You feel disheartened and helpless. Then finally, you accept that there’s nothing to do except...
Cuenca street artists who enjoy painting large-scale pieces are familiar with El Vado. Bajada del Vado is famed for the often dramatic street art climbing the steep draw, some crumbling even more rapidly than the wall they use as a canvas. The plazoleta itself, a...
By Julia Buckley How many of us have been sitting at home, seen a dreamy picture of a foreign country, and started planning our life there? That'd be a lot. But how many of us have actually gone ahead, bought a property and planned that future life -- without setting...
--Sponsored post-- Mexico City is notorious for its air pollution. But you have to weigh the pros and cons of any city, including this one. When many people think of Mexico City, they think of traffic congestion and air pollution. That’s an unfortunate image...
By Dan Diamond, Lena H. Sun and Isaac Stanley-Becker The Biden administration and private companies are working to develop a standard way of handling credentials — often referred to as “vaccine passports” — that would allow Americans to prove they have been vaccinated...
By John Lockett Some British expats are "deliberately" ignoring strict rules to leave Spain despite new laws meaning those who decide to live "under the radar" could face deportation or fines. They have been accused of "burying their heads in the sand" even though the...
I don’t recall writing a business story that didn’t include coffee or food and this one is no different. This time the tale takes an unexpected turn to detail how a couple succeeded in replenishing a portion of a diminishing well that is essential to us all. All...
The first time I ever “brushed up against” Ecuador was before I had ever conceived of living here. The experience was one of happenstance. It ignited an interest, an itch, that was satisfied in Edie and I moving to the southern hemisphere. Let me tell you how it...
By Julia Buckley Tourists sprawled over sidewalks, garbage piled up in the streets, and thousands-strong lines to enter museums. Overtourism feels a long time ago now, but the after effects are still being felt in Italian cities, where locals have been squeezed out by...
By Simon Shuster The Biden administration issued an open threat on March 8 to several Russian media outlets. Over the last few months, the U.S. had been monitoring their campaign of “disinformation” about COVID-19 vaccines, and it now intended to push back “with every...
By Erin Colton-Enberg I have have the same fears and anxieties I had before moving to Colombia five years ago. But now, it's off to France. While the thought of moving to Europe, even France, has always been a romantic dream for many, it never had been in my plans....
By Sylvan Hardy and Deke Castleman Many expats who follow Ecuador court trials are confused. Why are judges making the decision of guilt or innocence? Where's the jury? Don't the defendants deserve a judgement by their peers? They don't know that Ecuadorian justice,...
By Cheyenne Buckingham If someone asked you what is your favorite condiment, do you know what you would say? For many, hot sauce is likely at the top of the list. Aside from having to pour a glass of milk to cool down your mouth after eating several chicken wings that...
By Mamie Hunter As the world ground to a halt last March, many travelers expected to be globetrotting again in a few months time. Here we are just over a year later. But with the rapid development of effective vaccines and increased distribution of those life-saving...
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.
