Shell

You might think Shell means the thing one finds at the beach and you’d be right, but it also is the name of a town in the Ecuadorian rainforest. This is where I was the past few days. The name Shell actually comes from the oil company Shell, as they set up the first settlement on the present day site years and years ago.

I was in town to attend a tropical disease conference being given by two of the professors I work with and to then get to know the Hospital Vozandes Shell (run by HCJB – a missionary group that started in Ecuador in the 30’s and is now all over the world, I have an earlier blog with more info on them a ways back).




(Theo and I in front of the Hospital Vozandes-Shell)


The conference was great, a far larger turnout than expected but everyone managed to cram in. Dr. Guevara talked about Chagas disease in Pastaza province while Dr. Calvopina discussed Leishmaniasis in all of Ecuador – focusing on the more rare but severe subtype known as mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (aka MCL, and is only found in the non-coastal rainforests of Ecuador). There was even a patient with MCL on hand to come forward (I felt horrible for the poor guy, it was like a zoo exhibit) to show the docs what to look for and afterward how to properly take a sample from the dermis to look for the amastigote form of Leshmania under a microscope.




(A view from the back of the packed conference room.)


After the talks the two doctors headed out while Theo (lab compatriot), Jessica (fellow fulbrighter doing a bio project who joined us for the trip) and I remained behind to check out the hospital and town in more detail the next day. The morning started with a hunt for breakfast. We wandered into one small panaderia just in time to see a mountain of fresh bread being pulled out of the oven. Our decision of where to eat was a no contest; I think I ate 5 of the utterly delicious “pancitos.”




(Minutes fresh bread for breakfast, yum!)


From there we headed up to meet a doctor Theo knows well in order to get to know the hospital better. Unfortunately, he hadn’t arrived back from a Quito trip yet so we didn’t spend long there. Theo took us on an excursion to find the old hospital site, which was successful, but the real excitement came on the trip back. Walking along the road, I heard someone call out to us in English and wheeled around in surprise. Across the road a middle age man beckoned us over. After a bit of chatting we found out he was semi-retired missionary by the name of Richard Michael (my father’s and my first names combined) who now flies people into remote villages in the rainforest. He showed us his plane sitting behind the house, with a strip of pavement directly connecting him to the airstrip. We ate fresh citrus and chatted about our individual paths leading to all meeting up in that sunny afternoon. One of those experiences that demonstrate you can never expect the next turn in the road, especially in Ecuador:)




(Ricardo's plane and a backside view of his house)


From there we wandered through the town, eventually finding the local soccer field with a game in action. The approaching rain clouds that had failed to chase off the sun made for a striking image. The contrast of the well lit field and the dark sky was amazing.




(The soccer field, mere minutes before a downpour. )


After the rain we explored some of the rainforest around the cabins we were staying in. We worked our way down to a stream where Theo found a vine for swinging out over the water! Good fun:)




(Me swinging!)


So, not the trip I had pictured in my mind but still a great experience!