Expat Life

By Susan Burke March Your smile may be the most important part of a first impression, and it’s said you never have a second chance to make a good first […]

By David Fagerlie Recently, I attended a presentation about the work of a nonprofit organization that was held after hours at a local restaurant. I paid a fee to attend […]

Walking. It’s my favorite way to get to know a place. I’ve come to love my new city and find new delights in it every day. On foot.  While I […]

What is allopathic medicine, and why do some people throw that term around so insultingly? Wikipedia reports that German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) invented the term “allopathy”. He conjoined allos […]

By Rob Gray There’s a lot more to growing the best food ever than you think, more than can be covered in a single article. So, in this article I […]

If I were to enter a contest to see who has the highest risk for skin cancer, I might win. Thumbs down. My risk factors include: Lighter natural skin color; […]

In Ecuador, they are everywhere. In Cuenca, it is no different. I live by Parque Calderon, about a block away. This is considered the epicenter of the city by all […]

By Sandra Block Americans who live abroad have an unusual and costly problem: Financial institutions are reluctant to take their money. But with a new account created by the State […]

My morning routine includes listening to podcasts from a variety of NPR radio shows as I walk on the Tomebamba. Yesterday, I was in stitches listening to the food safety […]

By Rob Gray Before coming to Ecuador, I had put together a rather detailed plan to do a commercial permaculture farm that benefited from the integration of raising both plants […]

By Doug Hansen A growing number of travelers from around the world have begun an exodus to a tiny town in southern Ecuador —Vilcabamba— that sits tucked away in a […]

Juicing. It seems like an ideal way to lose weight and get healthy, right?  After all, you’ve seen that babe holding a glass of juice, a tape measure conspicuously draped […]

We had been on the road for twelve days and Big Red’s odometer reading indicated we had already covered 4,300 miles of road. Some was desert sand, some gravel, some […]

The days leading up to Easter in Ecuador has a very exciting vibe. We were just in Quito, and throughout that big city and here in Cuenca, all the mercados […]

Alms is a word seldom used today. It is better relegated to another era, many of us might think. However, set against a backdrop of poverty, it is a word […]

Editor’s note: The following is a letter from David Derby to Mayor Marcelo Cabrera on the subject of graffiti in Cuenca. David, a visitor from the U.S, met and spoke […]

On February 19 we had a presidential election which brings to mind a number of observations. In Ecuador, at age 16, you are eligible to vote; from age 18-65 voting […]

By Iimay Ho When the Muslim ban was announced last month, I was with my family during the Lunar New Year holiday practicing ritual, honoring ancestors, and eating dozens of […]

By Ernie Millard When traveling to Ecuador tourists are usually satisfied with their superficial experiences with the people and their destinations. However, when relocating, and becoming a resident here, the […]

People are people no matter where you go. Even though some customs, languages, skin colors, dress and religions are different, we are the same. We enter and leave this world […]