Posts:
By Graciela Quinde Business is down 70 percent at Luca Pallanca’s El Centro pizza restaurant since coronavirus health emergency restrictions began in March. The crisis forced him to close his dining room at Pizza y Focaccia La Matriz, at the corner of Presidente...
By Jenny Taitz In this emotional equivalent to an ultramarathon, it’s key to have some stress-reducing strategies available that work quickly and efficiently to help you hit the reset button. Here’s why: Struggling with chronic worry gets in the way of effectively...
The planet is approaching 1.5 degrees of global warming that only a decade ago scientists didn't expect to see until the middle of the century. At the European Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), researchers worry that the focus on the Covid-19 pandemic has...
By Ed Cara Baby boomers are experiencing a sharper drop in cognitive function as they age, relative to previous generations, according to a recent study. The findings not only suggest that boomers will be more likely to develop conditions like dementia than past...
By Miriam Drake Those of you who read my book, “Expat Medical Emergency Preparation Manual” are aware of our need as expats living in Cuenca and in other parts of Ecuador to form and develop what I call Care Communities or Contact Groups. These groups are essential...
Ecuador is one of a very few countries in the world which currently allows travelers from the U.S. to enter the country, and even here, there is a mandatory 14-day quarantine. However, if you are over 65 and can show a recent clean Covid test, you are permitted to...
By Tamar Lapin British scientists have determined that there are six different “types” of Covid-19 distinguished by specific clusters of symptoms — which could help in the treatment of the deadly contagion. The study, conducted by King’s College London, analyzed data...
I have been pondering this essay for quite some time, well before the current global crisis began. I have been living in paradise for the past 18 months, and I have witnessed quite an interesting phenomenon during this time. Those who have come to visit our eco resort...
It was late afternoon and a green-tinged storm of the nastiest type was brewing in the Southwest part of the Gulf. We were caught out. My lifelong friend was at the helm. Captain John Holbrook Hardy III held the little 28’ Mako 254 steady on a zig-zag track through...
Two of the world's top infectious disease experts presented a sobering look at the battle still to come against Covid-19. Their message, conveyed during a recent CNBC event, was encapsulated in related views on how much of a difference a coronavirus vaccine can make...
By Miriam Drake During your residency in Cuenca, there will be times when you are sick for a day or two. It could happen that you are ill for a longer period of time or your illness is so severe that you can’t get out of bed, walk down the hallway, prepare something...
By Miriam Drake When you are not feeling well and need medical attention in Ecuador, it’s probably not the best time to learn how to use IESS or the private healthcare systems here. There are good doctors in the IESS system, but you need to know who they are and how...
By Alice Chaummers Is this weird or what? The pandemia thing, I mean. What’s so lousy about it is that it’s gone on for so long and there’s no end in sight. We’re used to disasters, natural and man-made, that have some sort of sequence -- like a beginning, a middle...
Eggs are a dietary staple in Ecuador. They provide a simple, nourishing, inexpensive, tasty morsel all in its own neat little package, albeit fragile. And, conveniently, they are found everywhere. Edie’s favorite, as well as mine, is the quail egg. Their cream colored...
By Alexi Cohan Many recovered coronavirus patients can struggle with lingering fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain long after they have beaten the deadly virus, which worsens their quality of life, a recent study found. “We know that the reason Covid can be so...
Editor's note: This the second in a series, Medical Emergencies and End of Life in Cuenca. To read part 1, click here. By Miriam Drake As the caregiver for my stroke surviving husband, I learned as we went along how things work or don’t in Cuenca. Here are a few good...
By Jessica Craig I've been stranded in Kenya since March, trying to get a "repatriation" flight to return home to the United States. I was finally able to book a flight but I'm still not sure I'll be able to board at the scheduled departure time – a week from...
By Jaime Moreno Do you know what is the difference between politics and science? Our understanding is that science requires evidence, coping with uncertainty, weighting efficacy and safety. Whereas politics aspires for certainty, resulting in a true fight between the...
By Miriam Drake It is challenging, anywhere in the world to care for a husband whose health has deteriorated to the point that he cannot speak, one side of the body is completely paralyzed, and he has no sensations in his core. In Cuenca, Ecuador it is beyond...
By Jan Dynes Blessed was I to grow up with fine literature at my fingertips in Nana's Chippendale desk. It stood polished and majestic and yet also oozed dust motes of past brilliance from long deceased poets, playwrights and novelists, dripping of a more romantic and...
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.
