Day four: Riobambas-- August 25

Last night we traveled back south to Quito, and when we woke up we continued south to Riobambas. We passed many snow-capped volcanos and we stopped at a hacienda from the 1600s where French and German scientists stayed. There, we had a hot drink and were treated to a little traditional concert. A few hours later, we stopped at another hacienda to eat a traditional lunch and to learn about the textiles that they make there.

Unfortunately, for the past few days my stomach has not been too happy about all the new food, and I had a pretty bad reaction after lunch (think blacking out and puking my guts out😷). They took very good care of me with natural medicines: they gave me herbs to smell, a special tea to drink, and I got a traditional cleansing-- a much nicer version of what Julian had got yesterday. The hospitality was amazing. After another reaction about an hour later, I was taken to an emergency clinic and had 4/5 symptoms of appendicitis. I came to Ecuador for an adventure, and that was definitely what I was getting! Thank goodness, after a few tests the doctors concluded that it wasn't appendicitis, but rather a reaction to different bacteria than I'm used to in the food. It was difficult to understand the doctor's Spanish with all the medical vocabulary, but our orientation tour guide, Pedro, took very good care of me. Everyone in the group was so helpful and caring through all of this and I am so blessed to be in this journey with them!