Posts:
According to Quora Digest, the southern hemisphere houses 12.2% of the world’s population. I was aware of this prior to moving to Ecuador; it was one of several determining factors that propelled my decision to move here. When I arrived, I quickly learned that the...
By Bob Itami Chimborazo Volcano (‘Taita’ or father by the indigenous people of the area) is the highest mountain in Ecuador at 6268 meters (20,564 feet) and the summit is the furthest point from the center of the earth. Chimborazo is within the Reserva de Producción...
By Ted Kyle Brush your teeth, wash your hands, take a shower. These are all good, healthy ways to clean up. Dietary cleansing and detox rituals? Not so much. So it’s surprising to see the Washington Post making itself a platform to promote a pseudoscience sugar detox...
A couple of years ago, while in the far reaches of Ecuador’s northern coast, I found something out. I had known to never fully trust any map since I was a scout. But I didn’t know the inherent differences in a “lighthouse,” as the term is used along the Atlantic...
By Jeff Van Pelt I lost my German Shepherd, Klaus, at 11 years from a neurological disorder. Any dog owner knows that is like losing a child and a best friend at the same time. Klaus was my camping and cabin buddy in the mountains of Virginia (USA). The Blue Ridge...
By R.S. Gompertz Puno, Peru isn’t pretending to be a tourist town. Puno is a hard-scrabble brick and rebar town hunched like a red condor above Lake Titicaca. The town has a provisional, unfinished frontier outpost feel to it. Puno is not the place to visit for art...
By B.J. Miller As a hospice and palliative medicine physician, my job is to help reduce suffering. At the end of life, that job becomes especially intense when time is short, when machines and data seem to be taking over, and so many intense emotions surround a body...
Dear Readers, It’s been noticeably cool of late, cold enough for the Canadians and Yankees who live here to agree on something, a rarity unto itself. The mornings are often crystal clear. Bracing even. Beautifully woven alpaca shawls of every hue are luxuriously...
By Susan Burke March Imagine having a three-year-old child and suddenly being told you need to become an expert in diabetes management — and your child’s survival depends on your managing their food, testing their blood sugar, and administering insulin injections...
If you’ve had an infection that required you to take antibiotics, you may have suffered diarrhea, a common side effect. After all, antibiotics eliminate the bad bacteria, but also ‘good’ bacteria, which scientists say cause an imbalance that may lead to gastric...
By Syvester Grahame The restaurant scene in Cuenca seems as changeable as the weather. What was once the "new hot new spot" is already a fleeting memory. The lights are off and the stove is cold. The Pepper Mill, although it received good reviews, is already gone....
By Bob Itami One of the great advantages of living in Cuenca is the close proximity to Cajas National Park. There are many fantastic day hikes in the park and with proper clothing and equipment, you can enjoy one of the great alpine ecosystems in the Ecuadorian Andes....
I read an entry in Gringo Post the other day. Here it is. We will be flying into Guayaquil. We are bringing our older dog of nearly 15 years and our 2nd dog of nearly nine years. We are looking for transport from Guayaquil to Cuenca via Santa Isabel and Giron because...
According to MayoClinic.org, detoxification (detox) diets are popular, but there is little evidence that they eliminate toxins from your body. But, evidence never stopped hoaxers from marketing products as “amazing”, and “miraculous,” and it appears there is a growing...
By Jeff Van Pelt People love to debate how much crime there is in their town, whether it is getting worse, and where it is the worst. A more profitable enterprise is to look at how to avoid being the target of crime wherever you are. The information in this article...
My German grandfather once told me, “On revient toujours à son premier amour.” I understood just enough French to know what he meant was “the first cut is the deepest.” France was my first major country crush. I had seen other countries before — fooled around a bit...
Author's note: This is one of an occasional series detailing the challenges and aspirations of rural Ecuadorians and the importance of preserving their villages tucked in the hollows and perched on the ridges of the high Andes. By the way, some of you may remember --...
By Eileen Stellefson Myers I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Costa Rica where I enjoyed The Rainforest Chocolate Tour in La Fortuna de Carlos. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), I know about the nutritional value of dark chocolate. But this farm...
Editor’s note: Michelle’s Foods of The Americas series continues with Part II on squash, the noblest of vegetables. To read Part I, click here, and stay tuned for Part III! By Michelle Bakeman Squash originated in the Americas and was one of the earliest cultivated...
By Margaret Winter The Jazz Society Café, now in its seventh year, serves up world-class live jazz four nights a week in the heart of the historic center. The club is a magnet for jazz lovers from Cuenca and for tourists from around the world. Fans come back again...
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.
