This last weekend Keith and I went to a Labor Day party and ended up doing an impromptu interview on a live podcast show called Dogma Debate. Our friend, Darrel Ray, thinks it is utterly cool that we have worked at the South Pole and that we took his books (The God Virus, Sex and…
Have you read my earlier WDS posts? Click here to read Part 1 from July 9 and 10. Click here to read Part 2 from July 11. Click here to read Part 3 from July 12. This is the fourth and final in my series of WDS notes. If you missed WDS, I hope you…
Have you read my earlier WDS posts? Click here to read Part 1 from July 9 and 10. Click here to read Part 2 from July 11. Sunday, July 12, began much like the previous day, with a long line snaking up the side of “The Schnitz” (as Portlanders affectionately call the Arlene Schnitzer Concert…
(Did you miss my first WDS post? Click here to see Part 1.) By the time I arrived at the Arlene Schnitzer Hall for the Main Stage event at 8:10 or so on Saturday morning, July 11th, the line already snaked up and down the block from the front doors to the South Park Blocks…
I just returned from the most amazing weekend I’ve experienced in several years: the 2015 World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon. I enjoyed five intense days of workshops, inspirational speakers, and world-record-breaking activities. What is the World Domination Summit, you ask? It isn’t the sinister gathering that the title implies. Instead, WDS seeks to answer…
One of the best things about Loja, Ecuador is the great hiking opportunities nearby. Here are some photos from Podocarpus National Park, in the section closest to Loja. Enjoy!
I appreciate learning about local foods from the perspective of fellow vegetarians. While Ecuador and Loja have many unique meat-based dishes, since I cannot eat those I want to know the options for vegetarians such as myself. Incidentally, I am not a vegan even though I feel better on a vegan diet. I try to…
My book, Live Like a Local in Loja, shares many stories of our experience living in this beautiful southern Ecuadorian city. In it I did my best to provide an accurate description of what to expect. I also included helpful resources and advice for successful integration into the community, for anyone interested in living there…
People commonly ask about the cost of living in Loja, Ecuador. How much does food cost there? Going to the market each week was a treasure hunt for both of us—a constant discovery of new foods and affordable prices. Today I’ll share a few weeks of typical expenses at the local weekly open-air market, where…
Not long before we were scheduled to leave Loja, I found a group on Facebook called “LojAventura”—a large group of adventurers who went on hiking trips around the province of Loja. They advertised an upcoming hiking trip to Amaluza and Yacuri National Park for the celebration of World Water Day—March 22nd, 2014. In order to…
On March 18th last year we decided to take the bus up to Saraguro, since we’d heard a lot about this town and its indigenous people by the same name. We left Loja early and settled into the front seat of the bus (cost: $1.75 each), where we enjoyed completely amazing views the whole way….
It didn’t matter so much to Keith since he’s not a big fan of live music performances, but one of the reasons I was so interested in Loja was because I love live music—especially symphony music—and Loja happens to be the music capital of Ecuador. When I found out that Loja had its own symphony…