I’ve written a lot about Loja as a potential place to live. It’s the main focus of my book on Loja, and will continue to be a major focus in the second edition of the book. But what about the city and province of Loja as a destination for travelers? I’ve explored this theme in…
When I found out we would be returning to Loja (unexpectedly, see 2016 Holiday Letter), I downloaded The Visa Chase and Other Fun Stories of Ecuador, by Diana Cevallos to my Kindle. Diana is an expat from the United States who has been living in Ecuador since 2011 and in Loja since 2012. She spent…
The bright yellow house down in the green jungle valley below beckoned us. We were in Baños, one of the most popular tourist towns in Ecuador, walking up a dirt road off the tourist radar, beyond all the hostels, tour companies, and restaurants and into the surrounding farmlands. We had recently left our beloved Loja…
I’ve recently heard from a couple different African American readers of my book, one of whom asked me about racial issues in Ecuador. I’d like to share our correspondence so that others who have similar questions will have an answer. I hope it helps someone! My reader wrote… “While you mentioned a great many things…
What makes Cuenca such a magnet for expats? Although most of my Ecuador posts and my book are about Loja, where we lived in 2014, Cuenca is by far the more popular choice among expats. I think there are several good reasons for this. We spent nearly a week in Cuenca (though I was out…
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…