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Although Carnival continues through Tuesday, Sunday was the centerpiece of the five-day festival in most of Ecuador. Celebrations in Cuenca, Paute, Gualaceo, Sigsig and other nearby towns, featured costume parades, native dances and plenty of food. The highlight in every venue, though, seeme... [More]

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The following is an invitation extended to all Bristish citizens living in the Cuenca area to attend a meeting to be held Feb. 24 at Café Eucalyptus on Calle Gran Colombia. Dear British Community in Cuenca: The British Ambassador, Linda Cross, and we would like... [More]

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Cuenca city government has announced that garbage recycling will become mandatory in March. The municipality it will impose fines on users of the city’s waste collection system who do not separate organic, inorganic and plastic waste after Mar. 1. The ordinance establishing the recycli... [More]

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A team of scientists has documented that Yasuní National Park, in the core of the Ecuadorian Amazon, shatters world records for a wide array of plant and animal groups, from amphibians to trees to insects. The authors also conclude that proposed oil development projects represent the ... [More]

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Azuay provincial police chief Fuasto Tamayo has issued his annual pre-Carnival warning to the public: watch out for airbourne water balloons. The balloons are already flying in Cuenca’s historic district, he says, with tourists being favorite targets. Carnival is officially celebrated from F... [More]

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Volcanologists and government officials are keeping a close watch on Tungurahua, in the central Ecuadorian Andes, making plans for evacuations if volcanic activity increases. Scientists and officials gathered at Tungurahua over the weekend to assess the situation. Along with thousands of loc... [More]

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Something that Ecuadorian expats learn early is how difficult it is to get accurate information in their adopted country. Anecdotal information, often wildly inaccurate, seems to rule the day for expats and locals alike. Ecuador Fact Checker is an occasional feature of Cuenca ... [More]

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For several days last week, Ecuador turned its concern from drought to flooding, as heavy rains in the Andes caused damage in areas north of Quito and near Cuenca. The rains are good news for the country’s power grid, as hydro-electric producing reservoirs filled to levels approaching ... [More]

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One of Ecuador’s most colorful --and bizarre-- traditions, is the year-end burning of the dummies. When the clock ticks over to 2010 on Friday morning, an observer with a good vantage point in Cuenca will behold an other-worldly sight of thousands of burning dummes and a ... [More]

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Ecuador's initiative to protect the climate and the rainforest of Yasuni National Park by leaving its largest oil reserve in the ground will be supported by a new multi-donor trust fund to offset lost oil revenue, Ecuadorian and United Nations officials announced last week in Copenhagen. ... [More]

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The World March for Peace and Nonviolence passes through Cuenca on Friday, Dec. 18, on its way to a conclusion in northern Argentina, Jan. 2, and local organizers are asking the community to join in. The march began in New Zealand Oct. 2, and has passed through more than 90 countries. I... [More]

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The government says it may not be able to deliver on its promise to end the rolling electric blackouts after today. In a short statement on Monday, Ecuador’s Electricity Minister Esteban Albornoz said that continuing drought conditions near the country’s largest hydro electric plant at... [More]

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Cuenca recorded its highest temperature in 30 years Thursday, when the thermometer hit 27.5 Celsius or 81 Fahrenheit. The city’s all-time high temperature, 29.5 celsius or 85 Fahrenheit, was recorded in November 1979. Marcelo Narvaez of the meteorology station at Cuenca’s Ma... [More]

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Torrential rain has washed away the blood where the family fell under a hail of wooden spears. But memories of what happened this summer are still fresh in the minds of those who live and work here. At first the security guard inside the perimeter fence of the oil drilling station is nerv... [More]

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Cuenca is revising rules to protect historic buildings and will have a new comprehensive plan in place by summer 2010, according to officials. Mayor Paul Granda says that because of weak and poorly enforced ordinances, a number of buildings that should have been protected have been demolishe... [More]

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How do Cuenca and Quito compare? It's a question in the minds of many foreigners considering relocating to Ecuador. The short –and probably the best-- response is, ‘come down and see for yourself.’ There are, however, similarities and differences that the pros... [More]

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Latin America has long enticed budget-oriented travelers with its low prices, and as the global economic crisis lingers, the bargains are increasingly tempting — especially when it comes to a luxury vacation. Meals are often half the cost of their European counterparts, hotels are gene... [More]

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Although it is true that one of the major perks for living in Ecuador is high quality, low cost health care, finding it requires some due diligence. Where you choose to live can also have a lot to do with the quality of care you receive. With the right choices, you will receive personal atte... [More]

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The Azuay Province Chamber of Tourism of Azuay has embarked on a five month campaign of special events to promote local tourism. Events will include music and dance presentations, special greetings for travelers arriving at Cuenca’s airport and walking tours of the city. According to J... [More]

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Azuay Province governor Leonardo Berrezueta is putting a bulls eye on illegal lenders he says are gouging consumers. Known as chulqueros, the black market lenders charge between 3% and 10% interest a month. “These lenders feed on the distress of the people are no better than coyotes,&r... [More]

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Cuenca’s newest hostal is open for business in the city’s Barranco district, across Calle Tres de Noviembre from Rio Tomebamba. Formerly housing the Chilean consulate and an interior design shop, the Villa Nova Inn offers 12 renovated guest rooms and such ser... [More]

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Patricio Matute is building his dream house in the Ecuadorian Andean mountains near Cuenca, thanks in part to the 10 years he spent working at a boat canvas factory in Ronkonkoma, New York. The two-story, Swiss-chalet-style house will have a swimming pool, a soccer field and an outdoor kitchen she... [More]

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Interested in checking out two of Ecuador’s most popular areas for foreign investors and expatriates -- the south coast and the Andean colonial city of Cuenca? TransAndean Trading Company and Ecuador Properties have announced dates for their October real estate tours. The South Coast tour ru... [More]

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Cuenca, Quito and Guayaquil and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism are teaming up to develop a five-year tourism marketing plan. The goal, according to the ministry, is to achieve annual tourism growth of 16% by 2014. Growth in the past five years has averaged 10%, although some areas of the count... [More]

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Cuenca’s Public Works Department is launching an all-out assault on the city’s historic cobblestone streets. “For too long, we have resorted to patch-work fixes and these simply do hold up,” says Bolivar Alban, new public works director. “From now on, we will work fro... [More]

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Craziness highlights Carnival as water and foam fights break out everywhere; gringos fight back in Quingeo

Calling all Brits! Britain’s ambassador to Ecuador visits Cuenca Feb. 24 and wants to meet British citizens

CUENCA DIGEST
Cuenca garbage recycling becomes mandatory in March

Ecuador's Yasuni National Park is one of most biodiverse areas on earth, according to recent scientific studies

Watch out for the water balloons!: Carnival is coming and the 'the little devils' are armed and dangerous

Officials keep close tabs on Tungurahua and say a major volcanic eruption is possible; evacuation plans readied

ECUADOR FACT CHECKER
Tracking down accurate population figures for major cities

CUENCA DIGEST
Flooding replaces drought as top concern; electric rationing eases as hyrdo-electric reservoirs fill

Ecuadorian tradition, the New Year's Eve burning of the año viejo dummies, clears the slate for a better 2010

Effort to protect Ecuador's rain forest from oil exploration to be supported by multi-national trust fund

World March for Peace and Nonviolence visits Cuenca on Friday; March concludes in Argentina in January

Government may renege on promise to end blackouts as drought persists; Paute reservoir level continues to drop

CUENCA DIGEST
A hot day in Cuenca: the mercury hits 81F, 27.5C, on Thursday, the highest temperature in 30 years

In Ecuador's Amazon jungle, oil production exacts a heavy toll on people as well as the environment

New plan to protect Cuenca's historic buildings is in the works; officials say it will be in place by summer 2010

Quito vs. Cuenca: Checking the similarities and differences of Ecuador’s top colonial choices for expats

Low costs are attracting travelers and retirees to Latin America; Ecuador is becoming a top destination

With the right choices, medical care is excellent in Ecuador; Cuenca is one of the top three centers

CUENCA DIGEST
Tourism program will offer concerts and local tours

CUENCA DIGEST
Governor targets local ‘chulqueros,’ aka loan sharks

CUENCA DIGEST
New Barranco hostal, Villa Nova Inn, is the product of an expat – Cuencana partnership

Cuenca and Azuay Province popular with Ecuadorians returning from the U.S. to build their dream homes

Popular expat destinations, Cuenca and South Coast, to be featured in October real estate tours

National tourism marketing campaign to push Cuenca; officials estimate future growth at 20% per year

CUENCA DIGEST
Cobblestones forever! Cuenca's new public works director says future repairs will be made to last