Quito: Pope Francis arrived in Ecuador to kick off his first South American trip in two years that will also take him to Bolivia and Paraguay and see him highlight the plight of the poor.

The 78-year-old, who hails from Argentina, landed at 2:43 pm yesterday at a blustery Mariscal Sucre international airport in Quito -- it was so windy his skullcap was blown off only seconds after he emerged from his plane.