On a hill above Cotacachi, at a bend in the road overlooking an impossibly green valley, someone has painted a sign on a post. It says “Dios esta aqui.” God is here. No matter what your religious beliefs, this place makes you believe in a higher power.
In Havana, the Cubans are waiting. Waiting in line for a bus, waiting for an ice cream, waiting to use the food-ration cards at the bodega, waiting for the street lights to come on—which they don’t. If you are young and Cuban, you hang out on the street with your friends waiting for morning. And of course, everyone is waiting for the U.S. to lift the trade embargo…and that won’t happen any time soon.
From finely crafted furniture to silver jewelry...pounded-tin trinkets...handmade guitars...multi-colored textiles...thick wool rugs...and intricately detailed leather bags, jackets and boots...you’ll find it all in Mexico.
“I searched for years for the perfect place at the right price. I wanted a place on the beach that I could afford,” says Adele Aguirre. “For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to speak Spanish and to be in a Spanish-speaking environment. But every time I found something, everyone else had found it, too, and prices had gone up.
The theme to Green Acres is one of my favorite songs. And nothing makes me want to belt it out more than standing high on a mountain top with rich, green fertile land “spreadin’ out so far and wide” below.
For a decade now, I’ve been telling anyone who will listen about SkyAuction.com, the online travel auction site. Thanks to SkyAuction, I’ve enjoyed a long list of inexpensive vacations.
In 2000, Marvin Golden convinced his wife Barbara to take a work sabbatical. Just for a year, he told her. His plan was to travel through the U.S. and to Mexico.
Here at International Living, we always recommend you rent before you buy. You have no way of knowing if a city or town is right for you until you’ve spent about six months there.
I’ve been in hot water in so many countries now that I’ve lost count. I’m talking of hot thermal waters, of course. There’s no better way to soothe an aching muscle or take the chill off. And there’s no better place for a long, hot soak than in a series of mineral-water pools carved into the side of a volcano.
The flight from Quito left just after sunrise. Like most Andean mornings, a sheer, silky haze rose from the tarmac, and wisps of clouds covered the mountains beyond. As the plane gained altitude, we left the high-rise condos and traffic of cosmopolitan Quito behind and looked forward to the view we’d see next.