Posts:
By Susan Burke March Chef Paúl Abril spent a number of years working in restaurants after graduating from the University of Cuenca’s Culinary Arts program, three of them in a Japanese restaurant. But like so many entrepreneurs with a passion he decided to strike out...
By Susan Burke March Bad news for Cuenca can be good news for travelers. It was discouraging news when we heard of the recent plan to close Cuenca’s Mariscal La Mar Airport…again. As reported recently in CuencaHighLife.com, the next runway-resurfacing project will...
By Susan Burke March According to National Geographic, dogs have accompanied humans for more than 10,000 years, and are probably the first domesticated animal. Besides the companionship that owning a dog brings to your life, dog owners tend to be healthier than the...
By Susan Burke March If you’ve not yet visited Vilcabamba, now is the time. While Cuenca’s weather reflects the few degrees cooler temperatures during these “winter” months (June, July and August), in Vilcabamba, it’s eternal spring. Located at 5,000 feet elevation,...
By Susan Burke March We take our feet for granted. They’re always secondary when we’re considering what to wear. We buy shoes to go with the suit or dress, instead of the other way around. It’s always “from your head to your toes”, when really, without our feet, we’re...
Ouch! Not again! Canker sores are such a painful bother — bad ones can interfere with your ability to eat, and even compromise your health. Wouldn’t it be great if you never had to deal with one again? Canker sores are small, shallow lesions that develop on the soft...
Women are as old as they feel and men are old when they lose their feelings. — Mae West While in general, dietary guidelines encompass all adults, there’s a divergence when it comes to the nutrition and health of men and women. And so, in honor of Father’s Day this...
Who says that “fast food” has to be “bad food”? You’ll get it fast at Subway, the most popular fast food chain in the world, but their motto “Eat Fresh” describes it best. Since the opening of the first franchised store 42 years ago, Subway has been ranked top fast...
By David Morrill and Greg Medeiros Health care and health insurance options for Ecuador expats changed dramatically at the beginning of 2014 when the government allowed legal residents to join the country’s Social Security (IESS) health care program for a monthly fee....
By Susan Burke March Are you sick of rain? Want some warmer weather? Looking for lush green mountains, great food, friendly people or just some TLC? Only a few driving hours south of Cuenca — an hour south of Loja — is the lovely Madre Tierra Eco-Resort, a...
By Susan Burke March Cuenca may seem like a city of almuerzos serving pollo, cerdo, y arroz, arroz, arroz, (chicken, pork, and rice, rice, rice!) so the opening of the charming Vegetable Bar on Paseo 3 de Noviembre signals a significant and positive change for the...
By Susan Burke March As AnimalPlanet.com reports, there are a number of proven health benefits associated with pet ownership, including physical, mental and emotional improvements, from enhancing social skills to decreasing a person’s risk for heart attack. According...
By Susan Burke March Ahhhhh, a facial. Finally! I’d been putting off my quarterly facial because my favorite “facialista” had to return to the States, leaving many of her regular clients feeling … well, at loose ends. However, before she left she recommended Bienestar...
A recent appeal for information in a favorite expat e-Newsletter got my attention. An unsuspecting reader posted a simple query: “Do we need proof of current yellow fever and typhoid vaccinations to enter Ecuador from Columbia?" (No). This simple question escalated...
By Susan Burke March Physical Therapy (PT) as we know it today, dates back to ancient times. Physicians like Hippocrates and later Galen are believed to have been the first practitioners of physical therapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques...
By Susan Burke March The holiday season is upon us, and this year you’re aiming to find some special gifts for some special loved ones. Gifts that show you care — that no one else will have, and one that is sure to remind the recipient of you. If you haven’t visited...
By Susan Burke March, MEd, RDN, LDN, CDE My “routine surgery” had turned into a nightmare. For three years prior to relocating to Cuenca in September 2014, I’d been plagued by a Morton’s neuroma in my right foot. Morton's neuroma is a condition characterized by the...
By Susan Burke March, MSEd, RDN, LDN, CDE It’s no wonder that the Apartamentos Otorongo’s occupancy rate averages 80 percent, where most other hotels in Cuenca average about 40 percent. Theirs is a home-away-from-home for travelers, and they host many repeat...
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...
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...
