More Yoga in Cotacachi: Begin the New Year With Calm and Centered

Yoga is immensely valuable for balancing all areas of life and connecting to the Source, or what some call God.  Living from that connection brings greater physical and mental health, serenity and acceptance. In addition to the upcoming Anusara Yoga two-day workshop January 17 & 18 with B. J. Galvan, two other forms of yoga [...]

Yoga in Cotacachi: A Subtle Shift in Energy

Daily meditation brings me greater serenity and centeredness, especially needed these days when so much chaos is impacting our world. My meditation is a form of Raja Yoga and Gary and I also practice Hatha Yoga, which focuses on physical movements and is great for releasing stress from the body and keeping us flexible.
We are [...]

Living in Ecuador: Jorge’s Cotacachi Track Meet

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a community event that makes living in Ecuador special.  On Friday night, I received a rather cryptic phone call from Jorge Quilumbaqui, owner and developer of the Primavera II condominiums in Cotacachi.
“Come to the stadium tomorrow,” he said.  “There is a special event taking place.”    I didn’t [...]

Hand-Made Adobe Houses Take Off in Cotacachi

For several months, Colonia El Batan, the hand-made adobe house development located on the outskirts of Cotacachi, sat quietly, without much action, waiting for the first house to be completed.  Yes, it looks good, but let’s wait, the stream of visitors seemed to be saying.
After the first house was delivered to a soon-to-be retired Exxon [...]

The Panama Hat: A Timeless Fashion Statement

Photo: NYTimes, August 7, 2008
The Panama hat continues to be a fashion favorite around the world.

Vanity Fair Magazine has just published its 2008 International Best-Dressed List and Heinrich Furstenberg, one of the winners, looks dapper in his Panama hat, which is blocked in the Havana style.

H.S.H. PRINCE HEINRICH VON UND ZU FÜRSTENBERG, 58-year-old German [...]

A View From the Roof: by Gary Phillips

Last Time It was Time—This Time, It’s Noise

Virtually all Latin Americans have a love affair with noise. Ecuador is no exception. Last week one of our Ecuador vacation rentals was occupied by a couple who came here with some misplaced expectations.
They seemed to have had the idea that Ecuador is like Europe or [...]

The EEUU/Ecuador Connection

I just returned May 15th from a month in EEUU, or Estados Unidos, as the U.S. is known in South America. I thought I’d be hanging out mostly with gringos, but that was not the case. Everywhere I went I kept running into Ecuadorians or people with a connection to South America.

Saturday, April 21. A [...]

Back Home in Ecuador

It’s been a while since my last post on this blog. I’ve been traveling around Ecuador and the United States for almost one full month and it feels great to be back home in Ecuador.
This may sound strange, but I have seen more of the United States during my time as a resident of [...]

Cotacachi: Never a Dull Moment

A recent visitor to Cotacachi remarked that she could never live here because there isn’t anything to do at night. Since I am so busy that I wish each day had 48 more hours, I could only chuckle to myself.
Keeping entertained at night in Cotacachi may seem like a challenge to some. Yes, [...]

Ecuador Beaches

Ecuador is full of beautiful and untouched beaches. This is a picture of Engabao, located in the province of Guayas. Tania and I found this hidden surfing beach last weekend after a wrong turn out of the beach town of Playas.
This is a small fishing town with very little tourism. One small [...]