International Living Daily Postcards

The town of San Ramón is a perfect little grid, its church spires towering above the surrounding buildings. It has many of the amenities you’d expect from a proper city, including a cultural center and a few small museums and galleries...

Toucans and macaws glide around the lush jungle canopy and scores of monkeys parade through the overhanging branches. Neon-green and electric-blue butterflies of preposterous sizes flit across gurgling streams, while waterfalls drop into deep pools. Welcome to one of my favorites among Ecuador’s secret spots…a place hidden in the east of the country, where indigenous shamans still perform timeless rituals and a small number of adventurous expats have found new lives surrounded by nature.

When I bought my new apartment in 2012, I was ecstatic that it didn’t have wall-to-wall carpeting. Instead, the floors were covered in beautiful, sleek, 24-inch-square, cream-colored, porcelain tiles. Having lived in the New England area of the U.S. my whole life, this was going to be a welcomed change. I realized that this is Read more...: Why I Waited Six Years to Buy a Vacuum Cleaner in Medellín

Hi. This is Steve LePoidevin coming to you from the north coast of Peru. I've been International Living's Peru correspondent now for about three years, and I've recently been asked to answer a few questions about living here...

We were attracted to the seaside city because of the quaint, Old World vibe, copious expat residency options, and the 300 days of sun each year. While we found all of that, what we truly stayed for was the friendly community, rich artistic culture, beautiful park cafés, and relaxed lifestyle. It’s like living in a village with all the conveniences of a big city.