My Books on Amazon
There are 72 blog posts for you to enjoy.
Shushufindi, Ecuador
October 3, 2025
Shushufindi is the cantonal seat of the Shushufindi Canton (county), in Ecuador’s Sucumbíos Province. It sits in the Amazon region on a broad plain along the right bank of the Shushufindi River, at about 260 meters above sea level. The climate is typically tropical, with heavy rainfall and an average temperature around 27 °C. Its name comes from the Cofán language: shushu meaning “puerco sahino” (a type of wild pig) and findi meaning “hummingbird,” reflecting the abundance of both in the region when the area was named. The canton itself was officially created on August 7, 1984, and the date is still celebrated each year as the anniversary of its “cantonization.”
Reference: Wikipedia – Shushufindi
Reference: Shushufindi Alcaldía
Joya de los Sachas, Ecuador
September 30, 2025
Joya de los Sachas, Ecuador - a town in northern Ecuador in the Amazon basin, has a population of, well, don't know. The canton (county) has about 52,000. Sachas is the biggest town in the canton. But there is no data for the town itself separate from the county. The town, my guess, has at least 20,000, based on my experiences throughout South America and visiting around 300 towns/cities. Being in the Amazon it rains frequenty. During my 4 days here, there was one day with no rain. The others had some rain, but what's nice is it never lasts very long - 10, 20 minutes. And from what I saw, it doesn't pour buckets, it's just a steady or light rain. “Sacha” is a word in Kichwa meaning “forest, jungle, wilderness.” So “Joya de los Sachas” loosely means “Jewel of the Forests” (or “of the jungles”).
Reference: Ecuador Lives
El Coca, Ecuador
September 22, 2025
Wedged between three rivers and surrounded by endless green, Coca is a town you don’t stumble into by accident. It’s the Amazon’s launchpad — equal parts oil town, jungle gateway, and riverside pause. Coca is built between these three rivers - the Napo, the Coca, and the Payamino. The city has a population of around 52,000, and was founded as "San Antonio de la Coca," then it was changed to "Puerto Francisco de Orellana," and then again, in 2019, the name was changed to "El Coca." Although the town dates back to the colonial years, it wasn't until the mid-20th century that it started to grow in earnest. That was due to the discovery of nearby oil fields.
Reference: wikipedia
Chicha: The Many Faces of an Andean-Amazonian Drink
September 21, 2025
When you travel through Ecuador and Perú, the word chicha pops up in conversations like it’s one universal drink. But here’s the trick: chicha doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere — and what arrives in your cup (or gourd bowl) might surprise you.
Read MoreLoreto, Ecuador
September 20, 2025
Loreto, a city of about23,000, sits a bit south of the Equator and at the western edge of the Amazon Basin. From Quito, crossing the mountains to go into the Amazon Basin, this is the first "city" you will come to. And it's not a bad little town. The city has a few minor dips and rises, but is mostly flat, sitting at around 330 meters elevation.
Read More
I used to teach English as a foreign language in Barranquilla, Colombia. Now I'm retired and traveling throughout South America.
I'm from Kennewick, Washington, USA. In my previous life, as I call it, I was an IT guy, systems administrator, computer tech, as well as a shipping/receiving guy and also worked as a merchandising guy in a RV/Camping store.