Last check in from EGP 1B!
June 20, 2024
What an absolutely incredible two weeks! First off, we want to thank all of our students’ parents for entrusting us with their students and allowing us the opportunity to create the incredible memories and relationships that we did. It has been an absolute pleasure to travel to South America with each and every student and watch them grow mentally, physically, and emotionally.
This group has been so special to us, and it has been so much fun to watch all of them create the experience of a lifetime. From a group that started quiet and quaint to a group that never lacked energy and never wanted to go a minute without everyone together. Looking back on what we, as a whole, were able to accomplish puts the biggest smiles on our faces. Let’s not forget all the laughs, love, music, conversations, and people we met along the way.
Our first day spent on the mainland was such a great way for everyone to come out of their shells. Car karaoke kicked us off in the right direction, whether it was a duet of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “Shallow” or Ryan being forced to sing “You’re Welcome” from Disney’s Moana. The Galapagos was where everything clicked. As we call it in Moondance terms, this is where the group started “norming and performing.” The travel days made us rely on each other to maintain positive energy. Immediately off the plane, everybody was so excited. The airport is where we met our guide Favo, who nobody realized at the time would be responsible for so many memories and inside jokes. The wildlife assisted in really allowing everyone’s reality to set in about where they were and what they were doing. The next few days on San Cristobal would be full of adventure and snorkeling. Oh, snorkeling. If there’s one thing that helped us really become closer, it was sharing the experience of the freezing cold water while snorkeling. A couple of great meals later and one moderately bumpy boat ride, and we were on Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz was the turning point. For many, this was where the group dynamic changed from friends to family. The long walks around town or to the beaches brought more profound conversations and “haunted” hotel rooms created one-of-a-kind stories to remember forever. The baby sharks and rooftop stargazing, paired with maybe the best moon-up spot of the whole trip, made the island unforgettable. Our last night in Santa Cruz held a slight shopping spree, so if you notice some kinda awesome pants that your students bring home, that’s where they came from. A rough wake-up and an even rougher sea would bring us to Isabela, which might’ve been the group favorite in terms of islands visited. Isabela held such diversity in both the types of places to see and the wildlife. The trip playlist became curated, and the jokes became funnier. No one wanted to do anything unless everyone else was, nobody wanted to go anywhere without the entire group. A little R&R pushed students to find things to do. Some of the options included a nap by the pool or in the hammock; some students journaled or read; even Luke picked up a book! After a nice last morning spent on the beach, it was back to Santa Cruz where it all started and then off to mainland Ecuador. It was only fitting we’d visit that special rooftop for one more moon-up before we left the islands.
A long travel day was capped off with laughter, games, and pizza, as well as a homemade dessert. The next morning we transferred to Cotopaxi for horseback riding. Experiencing such a beautiful landscape in such a unique way was truly wild. We will always remember the smile on Sam and Luke’s faces as they were racing their horses, as “Freebird” most likely played in their heads. It was great to see the smile on everyone as they embraced the Chagra lifestyle and ran their horses through beautiful rolling hills in the nearby Hacienda. For those that don’t know, a Chagra is an Ecuadorian cowboy! A long bus ride and nap were in everybody’s future as we moved to Baños later that day.
Baños is such an amazing place that hid wonderful views, corner stores, markets, hikes, and restaurants at every turn. Our first night in Baños featured an unreal steakhouse dinner full of 30oz tomahawks, 20oz T-bones, delicious pasta, and some great bruschetta appetizers. After some shopping and exploring, we headed back to our hotel for moon-up and some late-night games and stories shared between the group. Our next day was bliss. Sleeping in before a morning party held on a traditional Chiva to Casa De Árbol was a nice treat. While at Casa De Árbol, everyone was able to swing on the end of the world, test their balance while walking across a log over a koi pond, and get a sneak peek at our next day with a short zip line. From there, we took the Chiva back down part of the mountain to a gorgeous overlook where we decided to get our steps in and have a great hike back down to the city. This hike was filled with stories, questions, and moments that will last a lifetime. Even though it was the second to last day of the trip, it was awe-inspiring to see everyone continue to want to learn more about each other and strengthen the relationships they had created. A taco lunch and town exploration led to the inevitable… ice cream! After a delicious sweet treat, the courtyard of the hotel became home for some shut-eye, reminiscing, and of course more laughs; those never stopped coming! Our last night we held a banquet, which is just our final hoorah as a group. Banquet is a great Moondance tradition where every group puts a little twist on their night; for ours, we decided to cross-dress for our salsa dancing! The boys looked absolutely stunning in their tennis skirts and LuluLemon athleisure, while the girls cleaned up real nice in their camo, baggy shorts, and Howler Bros gear. Ryan was absolutely killing it in his pink top and blue tennis skirt. Talk about being comfortable around a group of people! After outfits were settled, we went and got private salsa dancing lessons outside of Baños. Once everyone started to work up a sweat, we had a great break and got some super cool drinks, including frozen juices, bubble tea, and more. Then back to salsa. Boy was it a workout; we definitely earned our meal, and boy was it good. For our dinner, we had a buffet with chorizo, sausage, pork belly, chicken, steamed veggies, rice, potatoes, corn, salad, and apple pie empanadas for dessert. It was our best meal of the trip and gave us lots of energy for a great dance party where everyone showed their moves off, and Georgia showed everyone how the Macarena is properly done.
This morning we visited Parque Aventura San Martin for some zip lining and rock climbing through an incredible canyon. The first zip line was described by some as “the coolest zip line they’ve ever been on.” I think most would agree, except for Lizzy, who, as per usual, was more than ecstatic to get out of her comfort zone and be the first to try something and lead the way for the group. She always did it with a smile on her face! After the zip line, we traveled across a swinging and bouncing bridge that I think pushed most people out of their comfort zone. The rock climbing was an intense climb on the face of a 100m ravine. This was one of the most intense and uncomfortable parts of our trip… special shoutout to Ann Reid, who, even after sharing her fear of heights, persevered and scaled the entire wall! After the climb, we all got to sit and catch our breath before another short zip line to our finishing point. This zip line was meant for a duo, and we had great laughs, pictures, and stories from it. Some pairs went down like Superman/woman, some played rock-paper-scissors, and some got stuck… cough cough Ryan and Mason. After a short nap, we had lunch at a famous Ecuadorian fast food joint called “Super Pollo.” After our final long bus ride full of reminiscing good times and hugs shared by Molly, Wansley, and Myers all the way back… we arrived at the Quito airport, all sentimental, excited to get home but not ready to leave, and let’s not forget hungry… shoutout to Holmes for finishing not only his regular pizza but also his entire dessert pizza before the flight! Also, big fat stanky nugs to our final LODs Sarah and Mason for leading a much-needed and sentimental moon-up in the Quito airport!
This group has embodied what it means to be a part of Moondance: creating everlasting relationships and meeting new people, trying new things, becoming vulnerable, and finding comfort in the uncomfortable. We are so proud of this group and cannot wait to stay in touch and see where life takes them because we are sure that they can go anywhere they want. This has been such an incredible group of people in such an incredible place. Everyone always says it’s the people that make the place, but when the place is as cool as Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, it just makes everything that much better. Good luck to each and every student in your future endeavors. We are so certain that you will go far. Parents, once again, thank you again for putting your trust in Moondance. #EGP1B4LIFE
-Martin and Elizabeth
Hola from the Mainland!
June 18, 2024
We have arrived in Quito today after a long day of travel. We’ve had an extremely packed last few days but are all looking forward to our activities that we have planned in Mainland Ecuador! Yay!!!!
After the last trip update we played soccer and basketball with the local youth teams on Isabela. This was such a rewarding experience and time for us to create many new friendships and also work off all of the delicious meals we’ve been having:). Holmes left our guide, Favo, speechless with his soccer skills while Molly took charge as our center midfielder for the night. After a rough start, Moondance’s very own “Hammerheads” were able to complete the comeback of the year against the Isabela locals teams “The Scorpions.” The teams were extremely excited to have us out. Lizzy exemplified great leadership for the rest of the group and made so many new friends with the locals. The basketball game did not go as well… maybe it was lack of numbers, maybe it was lack of skill. Nonetheless, although the team fell short, Ann Reid gained constant buckets with Sam running our point guard and setting us up for success on both the offensive and defensive side of things. It was amazing to watch the bond between the teams grow through the night. The kids gave each of us a necklace made by a local artist which no one has taken off yet. Such a special memento. The night ended with another delicious dinner and a great moon up on the beach. 11 out of 10 day!!!
Our last morning in Isabela we took time to get a surf lesson from David, another connection to our guide service. Georgia caught the first wave and rode it all the way on to the beach, and Sarah blew away everybody with her natural surfer girl skills and constant desire to push herself and stay in the cold water for more waves. She was a pro!!!! Luke took time off from the surfing at the start to be turned into a beautiful mermaid with the help of some members of the group. The conditions were rough, but the group pushed through and were all hanging ten by the end of the session. Surfing did us all a huge favor by tiring everyone out before our afternoon boat ride to Santa Cruz. Even with all of us siding with exhaustion, Myers continued to prove how great she was by asking questions and initiating conversation between the group and always offering the leaders a helping hand. Wansley displayed an incredible knack to always compliment the energy of the rest of the group and seems to always have a smile on her face, a story to tell, and a positive outlook on life. The way that each individual member of our group compliments each other is so awesome to experience. Even with a tiring boat ride, the kids stayed up late bonding, asking deep questions, and playing fun games under the stars at our hostel in Santa Cruz.
Today we transferred from the Galapagos back to mainland Ecuador before we begin our last few days of exploring in mainland. It was a long day of travel that felt short due to great airplane naps and Ryan, who continues to prove his immense sense of humor and keeps the energy so high and has everyone laughing, even through the most dull moments. We wrapped up the day with homemade mini market desert cheffed up by Molly and a very, very silly game of charades. Mason’s competitive spirit came out strong during our game where his great drawing of a marine iguana led his team to victory during the tie breaker. We leave tomorrow morning to go horseback riding in the Cotopaxi before ending our South American stay in Baños.
Happy Father’s Day as well to all of the wonderful Moondance fathers, each students has written a short memo for their dad attached below:
Happy birthday/Father’s Day Dad! I’m sorry I’m missing your birthday, but I’m having so much fun in Ecuador + Galapagos(and I bringing you a surprise back home)! I love you guys and can’t wait to meet you in Cham!- Georgia
Happy Father’s Day Dad! I love you thank you for all you do! Can’t wait to see y’all! We are having so much fun I can’t wait to come home and tell y’all all about it!- Sarah
Happy Father’s Day dad! I love you so much thank you for everything I hope you have a great day I miss you thank you for the opportunity’s you give me this trip has been so fun don’t worry I have been wearing all my sunscreen but I am still trying to get tan! tell everybody I said hi and that I love them can’t wait to see you in a few days!!- Ann Reid
Hey dad! Happy Father’s Day! I hope you had a great day with the family and had a good dinner. Say hi to Franklin and make sure he knows I’m thinking of him and missing him. We are writing this the day we got back from the Galapagos and it was amazing. We saw sea lions sitting in every corner and a bunch of 150 year old giant tortoises. Make sure you say hello to the whole family for me! Everything’s good here and can’t wait to see y’all at the beach in a few days!- Holmes
Happy Father’s Day Dad! I miss you so much I love you and thank you for sending me on this trip. I’m having so much fun here and I can’t wait to see you and the family.- Luke
Happy Father’s Day and Birthday Dad!! I love and miss you so much! I’m having so much fun but I can’t wait to give y’all a big hug! I hope you had a big burger today on the porch! Give the dogs a kiss for me!!- Molly
Happy Father’s Day Dad!! I hope all is well with fez and that he is so much bigger than when I left. I am having so much fun in Ecuador, we just left the Galapagos and it was some of the most fun I think I’ve ever had. Anyways I’m exited to see you in 4 days. Love and miss you!- Ryan
Happy Father’s Day Dad!! I love you so much and I can’t wait to see you. I hope the fam treated you well today and you had a lot of good food. I’m having so much fun and I’m looking forward to coming home and playing golf with you, so carve out some time. Tell mom whit and fin I miss them too. Love you!- Wans
Happy Fathers Day!! I miss you so much, I hope you had the best day. I can’t wait to give you your gift! I’m having so much fun, it will be depressing to leave but I’m exited to tell you all about it! Tell lulu I love her if she is awake! I love you and can’t wait to see y’all!- Lizzy
Happy Padre day! I hope you had an awesome day and can’t wait to see you! You’re the best dad and ready to tell you so much. How are Romeo and Timmy, I’ve been thinking about them so much (obviously). Tell the fam I said hi!! I love you so much!- Myers
Happy Father’s Day! Hope you had a great day and you and mom had a good time can’t wait to see you.- Mason
Happy Fathers Day Dad! Hope it’s treating you well. The trip has been super fun, and I miss the family. Thanks for sending me. Hope you had a good boat day with Mary and BoBo. Love you gang!- Sammy
Time has been flying by. We are trying to hold on to every second before the trip ends. These are some special kids. ¡Adios!
Hola!
June 14, 2024
Hello from EGP B!!!!!!Where do we begin… The trip has been full of adventures and surprises. Everyone is full of energy and gotten along incredibly well. Each student brings such a different aspect to our group that meshes so well and we’ve created so many once-in-a-lifetime experiences. You might notice everyone coming back with some new accessories thanks to Molly for teaching everyone how to make and tie friendship bracelets. Thanks Molly! The trip has been great so far though, the Galapagos has presented us with so many opportunities and allowed us to really embrace a different kind of life and culture.
We’ve had so much fun as a group and it’s been awesome to watch how everyone has grown already. From the first day where Ann Reid and Sarah provided us with a great car karaoke to American Kids by Kenny Chesney. It was a hit. The hot springs and hummingbird sanctuary was a great time to begin their friendships. Since that day, Mason has kept nothing but smiles on his everyone’s faces throughout the trip and let’s not forget the countless jokes that keep everyone on their feet from Ryan :). We transferred to the Galapagos the day after where immediately off the plane we saw all sorts of wildlife, from iguanas to pelicans and of course countless sea lions. We spent the first few days snorkeling swimming with this amazing wildlife. Myers blew everyone away during our snorkeling activities with her diving abilities. Everyone was so impressed on how long she could hold her breath!!! The sea lions are so cute and would come swim up to us very interested in what we were doing. Our guide has been so great and led tours around the surrounding beaches and islands to see some of the more rare Galapagos animals like lava lizards, frigate birds, blue-footed boobys, and marine iguanas! It was breathtaking. Before leaving for Santa Cruz, we stopped by the Galakiwi Outfitters office to make some traditional ceviche, empanadas, and very sugary watermelon juice. Holmes surprised everyone with his cooking skills during our preparation. Definitely a future chef! The food has been top shelf and we’ve gone to bed every night fat and happy. Our last activity on San Cristobal was part of the cultural immersion by completing some work on a farm in the highlands. Lizzy was so excited to do all the work and kept such great vibes and was extremely eager even when some of the work was a little out of the ordinary… aka scooping cow poop. Per usual, our group got into this activity and smiled and laughed the whole time.
After a few days of boat rides, water activities and exploring San Cristobal we took a ferry to Santa Cruz where Sam and Luke ran down the beach to be the first to our spot at Tortuga Bay and proved that our group will not never run out of energy and that they have plenty to share, to which I think everyone is extremely grateful for, especially after an early morning boat ride. Our chill beach afternoon was very much needed. The beach was incredible and we were actually fortunate enough to see a baby hammered shark! We then made many drip castles with the perfect sand consistency and had many dmc’s (deep meaningful conversations). Wansley led a wonderful moonup the last night in Santa Cruz that really solidified how awesome our group is!! After a quick trip to Santa Cruz we have now arrived in Isabela where we’ll spend the next night before traveling back to Santa Cruz and then mainland Ecuador. Our LODs Georgia and Sarah helped push the group through the morning as we hiked the Sierra Negra Volcano as a group, this morning. Sarah found the perfect milk carton cow while leading our group down the mountain. The view was so cool especially as the clouds started to roll over the vast volcano. Later today we will play soccer with and against some of the locals. Wish us luck!!! Luckily we have Holmes and Georgia who play on their high schools soccer teams. Tomorrow we’ll be surfing before heading back to Santa Cruz where we will catch our flight back to the mainland for the second half of our trip. Elizabeth and I are so excited to continue to watch everyone grow and create such great friendships within the group as well as the group as a whole. This group is AWESOME!!! We are both so lucky to spend two weeks with your great kids.
Safe Arrival in Quito!
June 8, 2024
Hello Ecuador + Galapagos Families!
We heard from our leaders overnight that all of the students arrived safely in Quito and their trip is off to a great start! We are so excited to hear more stories from their adventures over the next few weeks!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
