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Guillermo had never liked being told what to do. He only liked doing the telling. All who knew him knew this about him. If they didn’t, then they came to know his rage, as poisonous and swift as any Mamba bite. When he was little, his mamá had grated on him with her...
On a recent Sunday I was on my usual walk along the Rio Tomebamba when I was stopped by three young people, characteristically nervous. Sure enough, they were college students wanting or, perhaps having to, interview a gringo for a class assignment. The young woman's...
By Robert Bradley Cuenca is a musical city. Within a five block radius of my home there are two saddlers, at least three cabinetmakers, a couple tailors, a few jewelers, a thriving farmers market, more bakeries than I can count and twice as many restaurants. People...
Our friends from Quebec City, a town not known for its long, leisurely summers, don’t ever put away their gas grill. Come rain, sun, snow, or ice (there’s a LOT of ice in Quebec City!) they’re grilling. Like many folks, they crave the taste of foods cooked over an...
By Louis Bourgeois The bird which best represents North America, and the national bird of the U.S., is the eagle. The bird which best represents Andean South America, and the national bird of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile, is the condor. There is a saying among...
Mario sells cotton candy in the streets of El Centro, Cuenca, just like his father had. The business had been one for poor men with poor families even then. Lately, things seemed to get even harder as the days and weeks wore on to months and years. No one in...
By Robert Bradley Riley was my trusted companion for sixteen years. He was a big dog, an Airedale Terrier, who sagged the scales at nearly one hundred pounds. He wasn't real smart but he was real good looking. July 1st is the anniversary of his passing. Calling Riley...
It had been dark in there for almost a year but I was used to it. I was almost six years old and my home in the dusty shed was lonely but tolerably comfortable. With a little straw on the floor and a sliver of sun creeping in under the door during the afternoons it...
Joint pain is a common symptom of a many of diseases. Osteoarthritis is joint inflammation that results from cartilage degeneration and could be caused by trauma, such as a sports injury, or from repetitive stress. Anyone from a barber to a pianist to a dancer can be...
Photos and text by Robert Bradley What joy there is in watching kids. Goony and playful and sweet good times with friends. __________________
By Miriam Drake As a professional artist, my career started with crayons and napkins and evolved into oil painting classes when I was 12. Our small Saturday morning studio group painted still-lifes and live models. I was the youngest in the class, and with the least...
When you go on vacation, do you leave your “diet” at home? When you hear the word “diet” do you automatically think, “weight loss”? Words matter, and how you interpret diet can definitely make a difference in how you manage your weight, and ultimately, your health....
(Author's note: I wrote this story and took the photograph sixteen months ago after being in Ecuador for only a few weeks.) Seventy feet below where I live in Cuenca is a school. In the morning, the children come very early, about 6:30. They attend in three shifts,...
I apologize in advance for the rant but today I’m just fed up. Sometimes I can’t help myself. From least worst to worst worst foods ever manufactured, here are the four manufactured foods that have no place in a healthy diet. #4: Ramen noodles Recently, while...
When meeting with new clients, I always ask them to fill out a questionnaire that details some important facts, including past medical history, and diet and activity history. My new client ‘Don’ was seeing me for weight loss: he had high blood pressure and borderline...
I had seen her around El Centro a few times. It was usually east of Calle Hermano Miguel and north of Calle Simon Bolivar. She looked pretty beat down. I kept thinking about her, worrying about her well-being, wondering about her life here in Cuenca. Sometimes I don’t...
I think I am up to writing another note – it's about time, I tell myself. I see in my January note that I was coming out of my funk but it took two months for the next note and now another three months have gone by. The thought and intent would pop up from time to...
You are what you eat, but sometimes no matter how well you eat, you may experience heartburn. What is the difference between heartburn and GERD? Like so many other diseases, health experts link GERD (gastroesophageal reflux) in part to diet, but most certainly the...
By Rob Gray In an effort at Gran Roca farm to grow the Best Food Ever, we have set a high bar in committing to the goal of sustainable, year around production of world class food for consumption here in Ecuador. We have taken much of our guidance from the teachings of...
Text and photos by John Keeble It's easy to blow hot and cold about Ecuador – they are both fantastic. And, if you are energetic enough, you can catch both in a day: the equatorial heat of the deserted beaches and the chill of the Andes. I took the slow way, enjoying...
