Posts:
Recently, a reader asked me to peel back the latest nutrition advice on eggs. In particular, he requested some clarity on conflicting advice for people with diabetes. Let’s get crackin’! Dietary Cholesterol vs. Blood Cholesterol Following years of research and input...
Editor’s note: This is the fifth of an eight-part series by writer / photographer Brian Buckner about hiking in the Cuenca area. To read the earlier installments, see the links at the bottom of the article. By Brian Buckner Transportation, as identified here, refers...
By Robert Bradley The blur of last minute chores blinked past me like an old newsreel complete with flashbulbs and jittery scenes where everything looks like it is going to shake right off the film. I packed and repacked, included a three month supply of prescription...
Editor’s note: This is the fourth of an eight-part series by writer / photographer Brian Buckner about hiking in the Cuenca area. To read the first and second installments, click here and here and here. By Brian Buckner My experience may be simple but I really like...
As reported in the Harvard Health Letter, deciphering media stories on diet and nutrition can be challenging. Writers may report on a single preliminary story as if it’s a conclusive finding, or highlight one to gain some quick “clicks” just because it contradicts...
By Louis Bourgeois Nearing the end of my first six months of life in Cuenca, I was ready to look for a country house to rent. I had decided to live in a pueblo on the west side of Cuenca, up in the hills above the basin. In my morning walks along the Rio Tomebamba I...
The wiry Páramo brushed against the stiff fabric of my rain pants, causing a soft rasping sound. I had been hiking alone at 12,500 feet for a couple of hours. Partly cloudy skies and the magic of Tambo Siberia had lured me into the southern Caja’s, a rugged area...
By Robert Bradley This graceful Andean city, with its towering colonial architecture and centuries old mercados, pulsing with vigor and energy, provides a current that energizes, enchants and engages. It is a vibrant city adorned with a patina rich in texture. It is...
We all want to eat more naturally, and it would appear that the sweetener stevia, sourced from a plant, fits the bill. But, is it as natural as all that? First, a few facts about stevia from the Global Stevia Institute: Indigenous South Americans discovered stevia...
By Michael Littmann With all the nasty fighting and name-calling by gringos offering their "expert opinions" of IESS' new pricing structure in the CuencaHighLife comments section, I am somewhat surprised that no one has made reference to the quality of health care...
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. __________________
Week of August 23
Ecuador’s economy grew 2% during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to new Banco Central del Ecuador data.
Cuenca gets a prime view of next week’s deep partial lunar eclipse.
Ecuador’s economy grows 2% in the first half of 2026.
