Posts:
By Ariana Eunjung Cha They arrive in cheerful bottles with names that sound like promises — Daily Brain Boost, Brain Drive, Brain guard+. And Americans, in turn, spend billions of dollars each year chasing the idea of a sharper mind. This is the logic of the moment:...
By Gavin Voss and Steven Dudley It was time for after-school pickup at the San Francisco de Asís elementary school in downtown Guayaquil one recent afternoon when someone slotted pamphlets beneath the windshield wipers of the school’s minibuses. The message was...
By Ashley Rogers There’s something about living abroad that changes the way you experience certain days — and Mother’s Day is one of them. It’s not that the meaning disappears. In many ways, it deepens. But instead of a shared meal or a familiar embrace, the day often...
By Jeremiah Reardon In preparation for the arrival from New Mexico of Belinda’s brother Arnold Owens and his wife Deborah Van Buren to Cuenca, my wife and I had painted our outdoor patio. With the help of our mechanic Julio, and using Sherwin-Williams paint, the...
By Tim Brinkhof One night, while backpacking in Guatemala, I was woken up by a pain in my leg. Nearly bumping my head against the upper bunk of the hostel bed, I pulled away the blanket only to find nothing. Confused, I tried going back to sleep, but couldn’t. The...
Ecuador will pay $860 million than it receives from the International Monetary Fund in 2026, according to the National Fiscal Policy Observatory. “Debt payments to the IMF will total $1.61 billion this year while the government will receive $750 million in new loans,...
The National Traffic Agency (ANT) said Monday that it has cancelled more than 3,000 professional driver's licenses it claims were fraudulently issued. The agency says it expects to suspend “many thousands more” licenses, including non-professional licenses. The...
There is a popular belief that running a casino must be the easiest business in the world. After all, the games are rigged in your favor. Not secretly, not dishonestly, but mathematically, openly, and with great precision. Take roulette. In its European form, there is...
Amsterdam, a city known for its tolerance of some drugs and sex work, has become the first capital city in the world to ban meat and fossil fuels from public advertisements. The effort aims to discourage people from spending money on products linked to high carbon...
Hungry? - (De El Mercurio del domingo, 4/5) El arte de unas buenas costillas (The art of some good ribs) - A few days ago, The Rib Company opened a branch at the corner of Federico Proaño y Remigio Tamariz, with a Texan proposal focused on the idea of eating with your...
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered investigators to determine whether explosives used in a deadly bombing on the Pan-American Highway entered Colombia from Ecuador, adding a cross-border dimension to one of the country's worst civilian attacks in decades....
If you spend enough time observing relationships abroad, you may begin to notice something that is not always visible at first. Some relationships are easy to enter. They feel natural. They develop without much friction. They fit the moment people are in. However,...
By Simar Bajaj Hearty, basic and cheap, oats have been eaten for centuries. And now, they’re a staple of wellness culture — for good reason. Oats are a “balanced food” with a good amount of protein, relatively little fat and a variety of vitamins and minerals, said...
An average family of four in Ecuador lives on $520 a month, according to the Ecuadorian Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC). In the United States, based on the U.S. Census service, that four-member family has an income of $4,950 a month. The difference in the...
By Bob Berwyn The Pacific Ocean is a giant climate cauldron, with a powerful heat engine that affects storms, fisheries and rainfall patterns half a world away, and scientists are watching closely to see if it’s about to boil over. Their projections suggest the...
I had been living in Cuenca for four months when I submitted my first story to CuencaHighLife. That was 10 years ago; the best 10 years of my life. The fascinating culture of celebrations requiring both prayer and parades still thrills me. I was captivated by the...
My father ran an antiques business in England in the 1960s, which was a time when the nation collectively decided that the contents of its attics might be worth more than the houses themselves, a belief encouraged by a small industry of books with titles that sounded...
Friday's International Labor Day marches in Quito, Cuenca and Guayaquil continued a long tradition of protesting government policies and demanding the ouster of the president. An estimated 12,000 marched in Quito while 2,000 to 3,000 joined marches in Cuenca and...
By Liam Higgins When expats dream of retiring in Cuenca, the vision usually includes strolling along the cobblestone paths of the Tomebamba River, enjoying the spring-like weather, exploring the historic center, and stretching their retirement dollars in a beautiful...
Bored? - (De El Mercurio del jueves, 30/4) Feria de la Chicha y de Bebidas Tradicionales (Feria of Chicha and Traditional Beverages) - The canton of Paute is preparing to experience a day of tradition, flavor, and culture with the Feria de la Chicha y Bebidas...
