Hi Expat

21/03/2025

The Waoranis: Guardians of the Amazon Jungle 🌳🌍

Ecuador is a country with rich cultural and natural diversity, home to indigenous communities with fascinating histories. Among them, the Waoranis stand out for their close connection to the Amazon jungle, their resistance to external contact, and their fight to preserve their culture.

An Ancestral People 🏞️

The Waoranis live in Ecuador's Amazon region, in the provinces of Pastaza, Orellana, and Napo. Traditionally, they have been a nomadic people, hunters and gatherers, with a profound knowledge of the jungle, which they consider their home and source of life. Their language, wao terero, is unique and doesn't belong to any known language family.

Worldview and Way of Life 🌱

For the Waoranis, nature is full of spirits, and every living being has significance in their worldview. They are experts in the use of medicinal plants and make blowguns with poisoned darts for hunting. Their social organization is based on small family communities that move according to the needs of the jungle.

Challenges and Threats 🚧

Over the decades, the Waoranis have faced threats like oil expansion, deforestation, and contact with the modern world. While some have adopted external customs, others fight to maintain their independence. Groups like the Tagaeri and Taromenane have chosen voluntary isolation and are protected by Ecuadorian laws.

Responsible Tourism and Living Culture 🛶

For those wishing to learn more about the Waoranis in a respectful way, there are community tourism projects where they share their culture, teach about the jungle, and showcase their way of living. These initiatives not only offer an authentic experience for visitors but also contribute to the community’s economy and the preservation of the environment.

The Waoranis are more than an indigenous people; they are the guardians of the Amazon and possess invaluable ancestral knowledge. Their story is a reminder of the importance of protecting native cultures and the balance of nature in Ecuador. 🌿✨

Soon, we’ll be back with new editions of HI EXPAT. Stay tuned!

15/06/2023

WHAT THE HECK.UADOR

This is a well-written article about the shocking immersion into a new culture for Expats in Ecuador. This is a must-read article for everyone...

By Peter Stromberg
14-plus years of experience living in Ecuador as an Expat.

By Peter Stomberg If you've lived abroad long enough, you know the type. They just can't seem to figure out their new environment. Bless their hearts. They seemingly go against the grain as if they are trying to transform their new country into the country they've left behind. As they pile on mistak...

08/11/2022

Attention - IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Manta and Portoviejo Civil Register offices are officially authorized to issue cédulas for temporary and permanent residence visa holder, starting today Nov 7th - 2022

Great news, you don´t have to go to Guayaquil anymore to get your cédulas.

13/10/2022

🐢 GIVEAWAY ALERT ✈️

Because we want to know what are your favorite local businesses, and we know how much you love to travel, we would like to offer you a chance to win a trip to Galapagos as courtesy from HiExpat, the most popular magazine among Ecuador's Expat community.

🐢 GIVEAWAY ALERT ✈️

HiExpat magazine rewards the loyalty of our subscribers 😀 with a special giveaway and grand prize 🤩

▪️1 ROUND TRIP TO GALAPAGOS SPONSORED BY HIEXPAT

How to win? Super easy 😉

1. Follow our page Hi Expat ✅
2. Like this post 👍🏼
3. Tag 1 friend in each comment (NO fake users, NO celebrities, NO companies, this person must follow the pages mentioned above) 🌟
4. You can participate as many times as you want, the more you participate the more chances you have to win 🥳

Winners will be verified if they have completed all the requirements.

Good luck and thanks for supporting HiExpat!!!!

Last date to enter: November 15th, 2022 ⚠️ The winner will be announced on: November 15th, 2022 🎊

09/09/2022

Hi Expat August - September Edition is Here!

Our 9th edition has arrived and the entire production, editing, and design team is very grateful to all our readers for their support. We work our hardest to deliver the best quality magazine and our specialized content month after month to the North American expatriate community residing in Ecuador.



This month we have prepared a commemorative edition of Hi Expat, honoring the 213th year of independence in Ecuador, which gave Quito its name as the "Light of the Americas." In this edition we recap the history and people that helped us form the country we know today.



In addition, we have our usual restaurant recommendations, important information about the naturalization process for expats, and several other articles written by our expat collaborators. We are thankful for all our contributors who have decided to share their life in Ecuador and inspire others to do the same.

We hope you enjoy the contents of this eighth edition of HiExpat magazine. Each person on this wonderful team has given their best to make this a reality:

Download the online version in this link:
https://www.hi-expat.com/editions?utm_campaign=3f385fec-77e5-490a-85e2-5bfca670c87b&utm_source=so&utm_medium=lp
A special thanks to our entire team:


Editorial - Mark Bradbury -
Food Column - Rolanda Stinson-
Immigration News - Marcos Chiluisa-
Insurance News - Carlos Ramirez
History Column - Carolina Segarra
Kids by kids - Juan Francisco Carrasco
Ecuador Living Column - Ted Klubinski
History Column - Nefi Lara
Health Column - Alex Asanza
History Column - Karen Betancourt
History Column - Yamel Cedeño
History Column - Ronal Intriago
Ecuador Adventure - Peter Stromberg
Ecuador Living - Manabi Market
History Column - Julio Merchan
Ecuador Living - Julie Harper



Art Director & Design- Gabriela Lamboglia -
Main Editor - Kaitlin Comfort -
Magazine Assistant - Romina Cuvi -

03/09/2022

Las bellas mujeres de Manabí hicieron acto de presencia.

Muchas gracias a todos los asistentes al festival Red, White and Boozed, pasamos una tarde increíble con una fiesta tradicional norteamericana, mucha cerveza artesanal, música en vivo y la mejor comida a cargo de nuestros queridos auspiciantes.

Cerramos con broche de oro con una fiesta bajo las luces de los fuegos artificales.

02/09/2022

Una belleza de foto!

Muchas gracias a todos los asistentes al festival Red, White and Boozed, pasamos una tarde increíble con una fiesta tradicional norteamericana, mucha cerveza artesanal, música en vivo y la mejor comida a cargo de nuestros queridos auspiciantes.

Cerramos con broche de oro con una fiesta bajo las luces de los fuegos artificales.

01/09/2022

ex·plore
/ikˈsplôr/
travel in or through (an unfamiliar country or area) in order to learn about or familiarize oneself with it.

HI EXPAT is the voice of the Expat Community. We speak directly to the politicians and people in power here to make them aware that we are both an economic force, and a growing force. Each month we will feature the results of an interview with one of these decision-makers, and tell you their responses.

They will listen to us if we are one voice!

31/08/2022

life·style
/ˈlīfˌstīl/
the way in which a person or group lives.

HI EXPAT is the voice of the Expat Community. We speak directly to the politicians and people in power here to make them aware that we are both an economic force, and a growing force. Each month we will feature the results of an interview with one of these decision-makers, and tell you their responses.

They will listen to us if we are one voice!

30/08/2022

Sus caras los dicen todo!

Muchas gracias a todos los asistentes al festival Red, White and Boozed, pasamos una tarde increíble con una fiesta tradicional norteamericana, mucha cerveza artesanal, música en vivo y la mejor comida a cargo de nuestros queridos auspiciantes.

Cerramos con broche de oro con una fiesta bajo las luces de los fuegos artificales.

29/08/2022

Muchas gracias por la diversión!

Muchas gracias a todos los asistentes al festival Red, White and Boozed, pasamos una tarde increíble con una fiesta tradicional norteamericana, mucha cerveza artesanal, música en vivo y la mejor comida a cargo de nuestros queridos auspiciantes.

Cerramos con broche de oro con una fiesta bajo las luces de los fuegos artificales.

28/08/2022

Así es, el que no baila no come!

Muchas gracias a todos los asistentes al festival Red, White and Boozed, pasamos una tarde increíble con una fiesta tradicional norteamericana, mucha cerveza artesanal, música en vivo y la mejor comida a cargo de nuestros queridos auspiciantes.

Cerramos con broche de oro con una fiesta bajo las luces de los fuegos artificales.