Health

When we first made our plans to come to Ecuador, we asked our North Carolina doctor what we should do about potential altitude sickness. He recommended some expensive pills to take to ward off any side effects of arriving and staying at altitudes above 8000 feet. We were all rather surprised when we felt no effect of the altitude except some shortness of breath when we climbed stairs. We never used any of the pills and feel like we have adjusted to mountain living quite well. We have even been up to around 12,000 feet in the Cajas National Park though we did not do anything strenuous while up there. It was cold, however, and we needed to wear jackets and sweaters which is a real oddity here on the equator. Cuenca has a half dozen outdoor staircases that you climb to get from the river area up to the level of town. These stairs can be up to 100 steps each and it is fun to watch a family of Mom, Pop and a couple of kids race up to the top. We generally take a moment to rest half way up and are not surprised to see others doing the same thing. Then there are the futball players who are absolutely amazing. At this altitude, they race back and forth on the playing field seeming not to ever be out of breath. They must have the lung capacity of an elephant.
Even with the unregulated diesel fumes from the trucks and busses, the air here is clear and dry. Humidity is low and the temperature stays relatively constant. Around the second of December, a friend told us that he had seen a report saying that the temperature reached 81 degrees that day, a thirty year record high. We remark often that the temperature in Cuenca is near perfect, never too hot and never too cold. It is very special to read reports about severe weather in the States and look out the window in mid-winter at people walking by in T-shirts and jeans and flowers constantly in bloom. The weather may well be our favorite thing about Cuenca.