Papa Jefe (AKA James Whittall)

Call Me Papa

Some years ago – never mind how long precisely – having little or no money in my pocket, and nothing particular to interest me in Canada, I thought I would pack up my arts marketing consultancy and retire with my wife to Ecuador.

Papa Jefe (AKA James Whittall)

Call Me Papa

Some years ago – never mind how long precisely – having little or no money in my pocket, and nothing particular to interest me in Canada, I thought I would pack up my arts marketing consultancy and retire with my wife to Ecuador.

New Stuff

New Stuff

  • 18 April 2024 at 2:29 pm ET5.7 min
    18 April 2024 at 2:29 pm ET

    What is it like to drive in Ecuador, where two-thirds of its motorists purchased their permits from a friend? Let's find out, shall we?

    What is it like to drive in Ecuador, where two-thirds of its motorists purchased their permits from a friend? Let's find out, shall we?

  • 26 March 2024 at 4:49 pm ET4.6 min
    26 March 2024 at 4:49 pm ET

    In Canada and in the United States, the cheap plastic chair is a sure indicator of poverty, and a barometer of bad taste. Not so in Ecuador.

    In Canada and in the United States, the cheap plastic chair is a sure indicator of poverty, and a barometer of bad taste. Not so in Ecuador.

  • 11 February 2024 at 6:06 pm ET6.4 min
    11 February 2024 at 6:06 pm ET

    Self-imposed deadlines in my retirement seem almost absurd. The deeper I involve myself in this new experience, the less I feel like wearing a watch.

    Self-imposed deadlines in my retirement seem almost absurd. The deeper I involve myself in this new experience, the less I feel like wearing a watch.

  • 6 December 2023 at 3:49 pm ET5.9 min
    6 December 2023 at 3:49 pm ET

    We’re different people in Ecuador. Or maybe we’re truer to ourselves in this country; more the individuals we never allowed ourselves to be.

    We’re different people in Ecuador. Or maybe we’re truer to ourselves in this country; more the individuals we never allowed ourselves to be.

A Nasal Tour of the Coast

My neighbour Dennis once described Ecuador to me as a “land of many aromas.” What he meant is that Ecuador smells, in ways to which we are quite unaccustomed.

A Nasal Tour of the Coast

My neighbour Dennis once described Ecuador to me as a “land of many aromas.” What he meant is that Ecuador smells, in ways to which we are quite unaccustomed.