Posts:
By Scott Fugit The instant the question left my lips, I wanted it back. We had been doing so well, having good conversation at a popular Cuenca dinner party, meeting other expats and learning a lot about life in Ecuador. My wife, Dee, and I were chatting it up at one...
I'm regularly asked something along the lines of: "How did you guys end up in Ecuador?" or, "How did you decide on Ecuador?" The question has perplexed me and I have to admit that I struggle to answer it. There was no single factor that tipped the scales toward...
By Dave Nelson Learning Spanish is not limited to the classroom. A couple of weeks ago a taxi driver corrected my pronunciation of the word tranquilo when we were talking about how tranquil Cuenca and its people are. On another occasion, the lesson from the driver...
By Viktoria Vidali For every expat, moving to a foreign land means acclimating to a new culture, defined as "those shared patterns of belief, knowledge, and conduct typical to a particular area of the world." Depending upon your character, adapting to the culture can...
By Susan Burke March Nuts are healthy additions to your diet — as long as you stay clued in to how much you’re eating. Nuts are very high in fat, with some containing as much as 80% of their calories from fat, but the fat is considered “good fat,” the type of fat that...
American-born photographer Thomas Ives has worked for international news and feature magazines for over 38 years. His photo essays and images have appeared in National Geographic, Time, Geo, Stern, Newsweek, Life, Smithsonian, and many others publications. He...
By Susan Burke March Do you approach the holiday season with a feeling of dread, instead of delight? Is it because you fear you’ll throw caution to the wind and, by the time you have the courage to get on the scale in January, you’ll find you’re four or five pounds...
American-born photographer Thomas Ives has worked for international news and feature magazines for over 38 years. His photo essays and images have appeared in National Geographic, Time, Geo, Stern, Newsweek, Life, Smithsonian, and many others publications. He...
By Wendy Jane Carrel Paute is a charming Ecuadorian canton located in the countryside about one hour (18 miles with stops) northeast of Cuenca. You can get there by car or with basic bus service on the Paute or 24 de Septiembre lines from Cuenca's Terminal Terrestre....
By Sylvan Hardy In an August guest column on this website, expat Tom Ashdown explained why he returned to Cuenca after spending two years in Spain and Italy. Like other expat Baby Boomers, Tom had fond memories of Europe from his days as a university student. He...
By Dave Nelson I don't think that bodily ailments are generally a fit subject for exposition. They come on, last a few days or a week or two and with some treatment and/or patience they go away. But, of course, this time it was different. It began October 5 with...
By Wendy Jane Carrel, M.A. Now that the immigration office has transferred from Cuenca to Azogues, never fear. It's actually easy to get there and worth the excursion, especially if you like to explore. If you're car-less (that's me, no car) you can go by taxi for $15...
By Christopher Lux I drove down the dirt roads of the coastal city of Playas looking for a lug nut key for my car tires. I checked all the hardware stores downtown, and then searched outside of town for tire places. Feeling hopeless, I spotted two guys next to a very...
American-born photographer Thomas Ives has worked for international news and feature magazines for over 38 years. His photo essays and images have appeared in National Geographic, Time, Geo, Stern, Newsweek, Life, Smithsonian, and many others publications. He...
By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LD/N, CDE Author's note: Please join me and my colleagues at the upcoming First Latin American Congress on Lifestyle and Health (El Congreso Internacional Hábitos de Vida Saludable) to be held at the Mall del Rio Conference Center,...
Author’s note: This is the fourth and final article for the CuencaHighlife series that shares the scientific discoveries of how changes in lifestyle can reverse coronary heart disease and prostate cancer without drugs or surgery. In this article the author provides...
In the interest of keeping readers informed about events in Cuenca, CuencaHighLife is adding a new daily feature, Jeanne’s Periodico. Jeanne started Periodico two-and-a-half when she realized that many expats were having trouble keeping up with events in Cuenca. “A...
American-born photographer Thomas Ives has worked for international news and feature magazines for over 38 years. His photo essays and images have appeared in National Geographic, Time, Geo, Stern, Newsweek, Life, Smithsonian, and many others publications. He...
By Scott Fugit He began his book, Vagabonding Down the Andes, with a warning to gringo hikers: “Tramping down the Andes is like walking on the ridge of a steep roof, you can slip off one side or the other and slide down to the Pacific or the Amazon.” That was Harry...
By Christopher Lux October 31 is the day of the escudo de armas in Ecuador. In Cuenca, it's the start of the independence day celebrations. It's also the time that Christmas trees, lights, and other decorations begin going up. With so many people from other cultures...
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.
