Parasites, Infections, Oh No!

Living in a third world country, you can't expect that your body is going to remain in the same perfect, healthy shape. New foods and a whole new diet is what you will experience. With that being said, not everything is as disinfected as it is in the states. For starters, you cannot drink the tap water here in Ecuador. The tap water is not filtered and is filled with bacteria that can make you very sick. You must buy water to drink or boil your water (which sometimes can tasty funky). There will be times where you will get sick and have diarrhea or vomiting close to twenty times a day. You know you have a bug! You may never know what causes the bug (it can be anything) but it is important to get treated before the situation gets worse. 


Other than gaining a little weight here in Ecuador I have remained pretty healthy! This is until last week. I began having sharp pains (knife stabbing, strong pains) in my upper abdomen. I was using the bathroom from 4-5 times every 2 hours. Oh no! I have a parasite, a worm, Hepatitis A, all of these thoughts were crossing my mind. I decided to take a trip to Clinica del Sol. Now, here in Ecuador they apparently like to inject you with all sorts of things through shots and Iv's before even telling what type of bug you have. I was injected with 3 different Iv's in the clinic. I was freaking out, I am not used to all these needles going into my arm when I don't even know what is wrong with me! Anyways, I immediately felt better. Whatever it was they gave me must have been a miracle. I am currently now taking medication for 7 days to detox my body in case I did have some type of parasite or infection. Phew! 


So the point of this short story is, you will get sick when you travel but it is not as bad as it seems! It is just another cultural experience living in a foreign county that you learn from (at least that is the way you need to think about it)!

Mom Takes on Ecuador

I know it has been a while since a good and thoughtful blog so here it goes!

The week finally came; Mom was on her way to Ecuador! She did not know I was picking her up in Quito at the airport. It was a big surprise. Our adventures began in Quito. I booked a nice hotel near the Mariscal called Hotel Fuente de Piedra. It was fantastic. First real moment my mom had in Ecuador was trying to book tickets back to Manta. I had forgotten it was Semana Santa here in Ecuador and therefore we could not get a flight back to Manta for 2 days. No worries! I knew Quito well enough to keep us busy. We began by taking the tram to the Teleferico where you get the amazing view of Quito as well as volcanoes. We drank Canalazos and walked around for a bit. It was misty 

and cold so we headed back to town. 

We then made our way to Centro Historico. We toured churches and mom really got to know the culture and architecture. We had a light snack (fruit & whipped ice-cream) and then experienced a local bus ride back to the Mariscal. Mom was amazed by the people who got on and off and by the people who would stand over your shoulder and play their guitars expecting money. We stopped at the Jorge Washington market. This market has about 9-10 aisles of the SAME stuff. But mom didn’t think so. We went through each and every aisle as I helped mom shop. It was her first market experience, so I didn’t mind. We grabbed lunch at my favorite restaurant, Aladdin’s. I introduced mom to Sharwarma and Falafel. We drank a few beers and headed back to the hotel. Mom began to feel the altitude and got very sick. So we stayed in for the night and relaxed.

                 

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We woke up early to explore Mitad del Mundo, (Half of the World) which is the equator line.  We were able to stand in two different hemispheres! Took many pictures and again, shopped in the markets. We ate a well-known Ecuadorian lunch: locro de queso (a type of soup) along with trout! Delicious!

                          

                    

We were now ready for the coast. We arrived in Manta pretty late night so we decided to unpack and hang out. Mom was not too thrilled about my new apartment but she definitely warmed up to the point she did not want to leave. We spent a few days in Manta going to the beach, meeting my friends, my family, and doing various things. My head began to spin talking Spanish and English every second!

   

I took mom to Montecristi, a nearby town very popular for it’s Panama hats. I like Montecrisiti. Everything is handmade and it’s a nice area to walk around and explire a little. You get to experience the different people as well.

Our next adventure was to Puerto Lopez, a small beach town near Manta. We took the bus. It was close to 3 hours on a bus but it was fun, being Mom’s first bus travel. We stayed at Nantu Hosteria on the beach. Ate at the Whale Café and simmered ourselves down on the sand to watch the gorgeous sunset. We held each other’s hand and in the other were a Mango Beach and a Mojito! No one else I would rather be with to watch a sunset like the one we saw but with, mom!

                              

The next morning we woke up early and jumped on a boat to Isla de la Plata also known as the “poor” man’s Galapagos. The boat ride was about an hour long to this silver island. We were served fresh fruit on the boat and we chatted with new friends from all over the world. When we arrived we sun blocked our skin and hiked up the mountain. It was a difficult but well worth hike. The views of the island were amazing and let’s not forget the extraordinary blue-footed boobies. These birds are tropical and rare and only found in various locations. They have blue beaks and blue feet! The interesting thing is they are not born with blue feet. They are born all white and as they grow older their feet turn blue. Cool to think about, huh? After the hike and hundreds of photos we hopped back on the boat and ate lunch. They served tuna sandwiches along with more fresh fruit. We stopped at a nearby location on the island to have an opportunity to snorkel. Mom’s first time snorkeling, you can only imagine. It was a blast!

                                                                         

               

   

Mom taking on Ecuador was coming to an end. We traveled back to Manta and said our goodbyes to the city, people, and the beach. I believe mom did well being her first time in a foreign country. I am sure she loved it as much as I love it here now!

Ama la Vida!