El Presidente, La Compañía, El Teleférico

Today we walked around the Old Town area of Quito. We visited the house of Presidente Rafael Correa. It was amazing how close we were! We were even able to see him during the changing of the guard ceremony.

We also visited the church of La Compañía de Jesús. Everything is covered in gold on the inside.

Next, we went up el Teleférico de Quito, which is basically a gondola that takes you up the side of a mountain called Pichincha.

Laura and I decided to go on a little hike at the top of the mountain - great idea at 4100 meters or 2.55 miles above sea level. We about died when we finally reached the top. It was definitely worth the view though.

And somewhere in between all of the fun, we were attacked by pigeons.

In Pharmacy News...

Dengue - NSAIDS ONLY AVAILABLE BY PRESCRIPTION


Dengue is an increasing problem in Ecuador and other topical countries. It is a virus that causes a "flu-like" syndrome, as well as a more serious hemorrhagic/ "shock-like" syndrome. Treatment is supportive only and focuses on maintaining fluids, fever and pain control. NSAIDS are contraindicated for the treatment for dengue, because the drop in platelets may cause an increased risk of bleeding and death.

On March 16th, the Ministry of Public Health in Ecuador announced that it would ban OTC sales of NSAIDS, such as ibuprofen and naproxen. NSAIDS are now only available by prescription. The reason for the ban is two-fold:

1. NSAIDS may block the early detection of dengue and result in postponed treatment, which increases the mortality rate
2. NSAIDS may increase the risk of serious bleeds

 Que interesante!

Basílica del Voto Nacional

Sunday in Quito is rather quite as many businesses are closed. They even close down one lane of the city for bicycles, called ciclopaseo. It is extremely hilly here and the altitude is nearly twice as high as Denver! While I would love to ride my bike through Quito, I cannot image how difficult it would be. 

Our last stop of the day was la Basílica del Voto Nacional.

Having been to France and Italy, I have seen quite a few churches. The Basilica in Quito is the most exciting and terrifying church I have ever visited. In order to reach the top of the towers you must climb sets of stairs. However, they are not typical stairs. They are rod iron rungs that are spaced unevenly and have enough space for a small person to fall through. Thank goodness I am not scared of heights.   

Buena noche!

La Mitad del Mundo

Today, we woke up fairly early and ate breakfast at our hotel/hostel, which Christina prepared for us. I was able to try papaya juice for the first time. Then Paco picked us up and we headed off to visit La Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World), which is where the equator crosses through Ecuador.

Our first stop was to visit a crater formed from volcanoes. It was gorgeous and very peaceful. 

There is a pueblito in the middle of the crater where farming takes place.

Next, we headed off to the monument of La Mitad del Mundo.

Fun Fact: The monument shown above, built by the French, is 300 meters off from the true equator. So the sign is not exactly true that we are in both hemispheres at once.

We were also were able to see some cuy cooking. While we keep guinea pigs as pets in America, the Ecuadorians enjoy consuming them. Paco assured us that they are very good!

After visiting La Mitad del Mundo, we went to eat lunch at a shopping mall in Quito. It was complete with a KFC, Subway and Sabarro, but we opted for the Chinese food.

Saludos de Ecuador

Hola! We made it to Ecuador! It was a long day of traveling, which began at 3:00am on Friday and ended when we arrived in Ecuador at 7:20pm Friday night. It gets dark very early in Quito - by about 6:30pm everything is completely dark. We were greeted by Paco at the airport. Paco works for a company called Quito Eterno and works closely with UK to plan logistics for our medical brigades. He invited us to a gathering Friday night and we met many students from North Carolina, Italy and Ecuador. Our hotel/hostel is called Otavalo Huasi II. It is run by a lovely woman named Christina. After nearly 24 hours with no sleep we slept very well!

One Week

Hello to my family and friends! I will be traveling to Ecuador one week from tomorrow. In an effort to keep everyone up-to-date on all of my experiences in Ecuador I have decided to keep a blog. I hope you all enjoy reading about my 6 weeks in Ecuador! Please feel free to leave me comments - I would love to hear about what is happening at home.

Right now, I am just focusing on finishing up my last 3 final exams EVER for school and packing. We are only allowed one checked bag for 6 WEEKS - this is going to be a challenge.

Interesting items on my list of things to pack:

• Toilet Paper
• Malaria Prophylaxis
• Ciprofloxacin for Traveler's Diarrhea!!!
• Lots of sunscreen 
• Bug Spray 
• Rain Gear

Adiós for now,

Katy