Cuenca High Life

One of Latin America’s most colorful -- and bizarre -- traditions is the year-end burning of the dummies. When the clock ticks over to 2012 on Saturday night, an observer with a good vantage point in Cuenca will behold an other-worldly sight of thousands of burning d... [More]

As announced on Gringo Tree, the big fundraising event of the holiday season is the Christmas Gold for Children Gringo Team Challenge. Each $5 donation, delivered in person to DiBacco Restaurante (Tarqui between Simon Bolivar and Gran Colombia), will purchase a Navidad gift for local children at L... [More]

Reposted report from 2010 Setenario celebration. The 2011 edition kicks off Thursday, June 23. Check local newspapers for events schedule. “In the U.S., this would be illegal,” John Schnelling told a friend standing next to him Thursday night in Cuenca’s Calderon ... [More]

 “Is it as cheap to live in Ecuador as they say?” The question came from an English friend but it’s one I’m asked fairly often. What he's referring to are the claims made by a number of publishers and web services, particularly International Living, Gary... [More]

Since I moved to Ecuador a dozen years ago, I’ve made a point of visiting my friends in Vilcabamba at least once a year. I was enchanted with this peaceful, isolated valley the first time I saw it in 1998 and even considered settling there until business considerations – I need to be c... [More]

Deportivo Cuenca made history Thursday night defeating football powerhouse Boca Juniors at Alejandro Serrano Aguilar Stadium. The 1 – 0 victory before a packed  house of 25,000 marked the first time an Ecuadorian team has defeated the Argentinians, considered by many to be the top team ... [More]

Lan Ecuador Airlines announced it will begin in-country service to Cuenca in early May. Eduardo Ramirez, executive director of the Cuenca airport authority said a start-up date will be announced by early April. Meanwhile, Aero Cuenca, a new airline, has received authorization to provide Quit... [More]

Cuenca old-timers will tell you that Carnival is not what it used to be. They’ll also tell you that it’s not as bloody, either. “It has always been fun,” says Patricio Sanchez, “but years ago it was also a time when people settled grudges and there were many fig... [More]

U.S.-based developers have announced plans for what they are calling “a first of its kind residential community in Cuenca.” Daryl Lassiter, project spokeman for Cuenca Casas, said that community will be designed to appeal to both foreigners and local residents. “The concept... [More]

Like other major art centers, Cuenca has always depended on outsiders to enrich its heritage. One recent contributor, Liza Gafitanu Wheeler, caught the town's attention in February with a presentation of mosaic glass art at the Interamerican Center for Popular Art... [More]

One of the best sources for travel tips, especially for discovering  off-the-beaten-path jewels, are travel blogs. The following is an entry posted earlier this year in Nancy and Chuck Watson’s blog. The Watsons have homes in Cuenca and in Washington state, where their children and gran... [More]