5 dental students from Scotland and 3 interns combined efforts with dentists and doctors from Charity Anywhere to provide dental care to El Patronato San José, in central Quito. 28 patients were given dental treatment.

Day 1:- Arrived at Quito airport late Monday night. Received a warm welcome from Dr Zambrano and the other volunteers, and were taken to our accommodation, the House of Good. We found the House of Good to be very welcoming, comfortable and a friendly place to stay.

Day 2:- Following a rest after our travels, Dr Zambrano's son Juan escorted us to the old town where we were introduced to Dr Zambrano's family and had a chance to explore part of the old town. Our agenda for the proceeding 10 days was arranged. We were enthusiastic at the prospect of working in various locations in Ecuador .

Day 3:- It's our first day working with Dr Zambrano and his team on the mobile dental clinic. We spent four hours treating patients, giving us time to adapt to the new dental equipment and surroundings. We where surprised by the efficiency of the team in setting up and cleaning of the mobile surgery. Communication with patients proved slightly difficult, however translators were on hand to help. After a fun first day treating patients we were very excited about forthcoming days.

Day 4:- We had an early start this morning to travel to Otavalo, a quaint town in the north of Ecuador . We set up the equipment in the community centre and got to work. Patients were very grateful for the care we provided for them. We found that the equipment we had was very different from what we work with at home, and as a result our problem solving skills were put to the test.

Day 5:- We set up the surgery again in the same community centre. As we were becoming more familiar with our surroundings, our confidence was growing and we were becoming more efficient with our work. The patients were again very friendly and grateful for the work we were doing. We treated many patients, with a wide variety of fluoride treatment, scaling, extractions and fillings. We found working with this small community very rewarding. At the end of the day we packed all the equipment back into the trucks to be taken back to Quito .

Day 6 & 7:- Over the next few days we stayed in Otavalo, exploring some of the local area on bikes and wondering around the Indian market. We also had a shot at rock climbing and abseiling before heading back to Quito .

Day 8 & 9:- The Zambrano family were moving all of their medical and dental supply's from one floor to another, so over the next two days we were assisting them. This involved a bit of heavy lifting. We often had lunch with the Zambrano's and they made us feel like part of the family.

Day 10:- early in the morning we set off for a small community, Tulcan, near the Columbian border. We set up in a school building, which was very basic and did not have any electricity, therefore, we had to steal some from the main supply, which was not very reliable but again this put our problem solving skills to the test.

Day 11:- This was our second day in Tulcan and our last working with Charity Anywhere. We set up in another school building. Patients, as with everywhere in Ecuador that we treated with, were very friendly and very thankful for our help. Local people in Tulcan prepared lunch, which was lovely, for the team on both days we worked. Working made us build up an appetite, so we were very grateful!

Day 12:- As we had finished working we went for a swim and for a bit of shopping. At night Dr Zambrano took us out for a goodbye dinner at a lovely traditional Ecuadorian restaurant.

Day 13:- Leaving early, Dr Zambrano kindly picked us up at the House of Good to take us to the airport to start our journey home.

On a whole, our time in Ecuador was very enjoyable and rewarding. We gained many new skills, improved on existing ones and most memorably experienced another countries' way of life.