Category Archives: Ecuador

Ecuador is our first Latin love, our second home, and in our humble opinion, the most amazing country on the face of the earth.

Authentic Ecuadorian Viche

This is the true, original recipe for shrimp “Viche”, a superlative seafood soup found only in the Ecuadorian province of Manabi, on the Pacific coast of South America. Although this version uses fresh shrimp, it is also made with crab, … Continue reading

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Manta Diary 3: Why are we here?

Ah, Manta. A jewel by the sea, combining (almost) all that I love about modern South America: an alternative reality to the Northern half of the continent, retaining that unique American robust and irreverent forward motion yet somehow sedate, private, … Continue reading

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The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of the Queen of the Highway

Although not a big country, Ecuador features sizable sections of the three main ecosystems found in South America: the dry coastal plain, the towering Andes mountains, and the vast Amazon jungle.  The roads connecting these environments are among the most … Continue reading

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Manta Diary post 2

This morning it was still dark outside when I awoke to the sound of a downpour on a tin roof next door, and the smell of a fresh rain rinsing off the dry dust that habitually covers this sunny resort … Continue reading

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Dowbrigade South Online Again

After a week on the road, we are setting up shop in a lovely little apartment, three blocks from the beach in the midsized city (pop. 200,000) of Manta, Ecuador. We should be reachable here for the next 5 months, … Continue reading

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High in the Andes, Time Stops

When one returns to a city after 33 years, one expects some changes and surprises. When the Dowbrigade pulled into scenic Cuenca, Ecuador after a spectacular 3-hour van ride up into the Andes Mountains from Guayaquil, the biggest surprise was … Continue reading

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A Frog in our Throat

A FROG that constantly changes colour is being worshipped as a GOD in India.Hundreds of curious followers flock to Reji Kumar’s home every day to pray and ask for miracles. Now one of the country’s top zoologists plans to study … Continue reading

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Santa Norma Blesses Us All

This Christmas, Norma Moreira and her husband are sharing their home with 45 wise men. Moreira, who immigrated to the United States from Ecuador in 1996, has been acquiring Nativity scenes for the past two decades. With her collection now … Continue reading

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From the Eruption Zone

Boy, have we ever gotten behind in our postings. But, thats what vacations are for, we guess. Currently in Baños, Ecuador, nested in the skirts of Mt. Tunguragua, an active vocano which is currently acting up; booming and smoking and … Continue reading

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Dowbrigade Back on the Beat

It’s finally over, the semester that wouldn’t end. It started, if memory serves, on May 29, with a class of Business Professionals meeting in a weird wired classroom near the Business School, and ended this afternoon with a farewell lunch … Continue reading

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Real Hot Baths

QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano is emitting its loudest and most frequent explosions since it rumbled back to life nearly seven years ago after eight decades of inactivity, scientists said. The volcano registered 133 explosions of vapor and gas … Continue reading

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