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"When I took my driver’s test in Athens, I got marked down ten points for not having both hands on the wheel, in these roads you have to switch gears constantly," Mario Grijalva smiles as he maneuvers the 4x4 Sport Utility Vehicle around a tight curve. To the right, mud; to the left: a cliff drops off into the Amazon Basin.

Traveling another hour, we reached Puerto Misahualli and boarded a motor race canoe led by guide Pablo Barragan. We traveled three more hours downstream through the Napo river, reaching the Yachana Lodge in the Mondaña area at dusk. The lodge specializes in ecotourism and is located 100 meters from the Mondaña clinic, where students spent several hours the next few days studying tropical illnesses and diseases.

Second-year medical student Joel Anders (left) and graduate student Jaime Costales, outside the Stadler Richter Hospital in Archidona.

Thom Schultz and Mario Grijalva present Sister Sanga with medicine purchased through student fundraising. "Getting sick is a luxury because medicine and healthcare are so hard to get. Prevention and education is the best approach," said Sister Sanga.

After traveling five hours to reach Puerto Misahualli, students boarded a motor race canoe led by guide Pablo Barragan and traveled three more hours to reach Yachana Lodge in Mondaña.