Final Update from Ecuador +Galapagos!
July 20, 2024
EGP 3A,
We cannot believe that this is our final trip update. I’m not lying when I say I have tears in my eyes writing this. 3A has been such an incredible group, and George and I feel so blessed to now know them and call them friends. The laughs and memories that we have all shared are unforgettable and I couldn’t have asked for a better group to close out the summer with.
We woke up on Day 11 ready to conquer our hike to the top of the Sierra Negra volcano! Our car ride there was filled with music – our new favorite song is “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake and we couldn’t stop listening to it. We were singing so loud we were practically screaming! We bet our bus driver loved his free concert… We arrived at the volcano and began our climb up to the top. We spent the hike talking and enjoying the good company. We made it to the top of the crater in no time! The view of the crater was absolutely breathtaking. We found out that the crater of the volcano is the second biggest in the world for active volcanos. It was MASSIVE!! We could see where the lava had filled the crater in its 2005 eruption, and one of our guides had even been there when it erupted so told us all about it. We then kept on walking to a second view point. But on the way, we got to try fresh guava from the plants on the side of the trail! So good. Our guide told us that people who try fresh guava in the Galapagos always end up coming back later in life… Galapagos reunion at some point?!? The second view point was even better than the first. We felt like we were on top of the world. There were clouds that were spilling over one side of the crater, making for the most beautiful view we’ve ever seen. We were so in awe, that we all sat in silence for a few minutes just taking in that experience. It was surreal. After our volcano appreciation moment, we headed back down the volcano for lunch.
Our afternoon was free so we got some beach time!! First beach activity: beach volleyball! We did Odd team vs. Even team. We decided to do best out of 3 games. The first game was intense. Drew brought team Odd together, though, hyping everyone up, and led our team to victory! The next game was even more intense, with Hunt serving team Even to victory. That meant that whoever won the third game would be the winner of our little match. Team Odd started off ahead. Claire got in some good hits, that solidified team Odd’s final victory!!!
After beach volleyball was, of course, ocean time. The water was so nice, the perfect temperature! Evan B. spent time trying to body surf the waves with George. We played in the waves and enjoyed the beautiful, crystal clear waters. Amazing! The boys then headed over to play corn hole while the girls got some well deserved rest on the sand. It was the perfect day at the beach.
Next on the agenda for that day was soccer and basketball with the local teams on Isabela! We went in feeling super confident and excited for our upcoming wins. We started by getting to know the other team, before starting our game! We were off to a strong start. Dean was our goalie, and absolutely crushed it! Marin was a star player – she is so good at soccer!! Vivian hyped the team up and was always wanting to sub-in off the bench! Unfortunately, as hard as we tried, and with all of our team spirit, we were defeated. Team Isabela was just too good. We had high hopes for basketball, though! We headed over to the courts to get our second game going. We made sure to put Abby, the “basketball queen” on our starting lineup! She crushed it. Phillips was rocking his Jason Tatum jersey and was playing just like him on the court! We again gave it our all on the court, dripping in sweat, cheering each other on. But we were once again beat by team Isabela! It was okay, though. We had the best time and to close out our night, the team gave us homemade necklaces with different animals that call Isabela home carved into them. We wore them around for the rest of the night like badges of honor!
Dinner that night was beach-front and so good. We all got big glasses of homemade juice and feasted on our dinners, enjoying the view and our second to last night together.
We woke up on the morning of our last day of activities, ready to crush surfing!! We put on our best surfing outfits and headed out to the waves. We split into two groups for surfing, and the first crew headed in the water! The sun was out, it was warm, and the water felt perfect! Blythe was a natural. She caught every wave like a pro! The waves were big, so we were so proud of everyone for their determination! Evan L. did not want to leave the water without catching a wave, and when she did we were so excited!! We’ve never seen a group of people who loved to surf more than this crew. They were all in the water until the very last second. Claire even said it was one of her favorite activities of the whole trip! It was the best way to close out our EGP activities.
After surfing, we prepped to head to Santa Cruz for banquet night!! We had an easy ferry ride back to Santa Cruz, and when we got off, we headed right out to find the perfect banquet outfits! The boys decided that they all wanted to wear their brand new jerseys to dinner, and the girls were determined to find silly shirts to all wear. We scoured the shops to find the perfect fits, until everyone had an outfit that they loved! We ran back to the hotel to throw them on, had a photo shoot (because we obviously all looked like models), and walked to dinner. We had never felt so confident! We had the best last dinner, chatting about our time together and trying to forget that it was the last night. And then it was everyone’s favorite time of the night…. ICE CREAM! We decided to go back to our favorite ice cream spot in all of Ecuador and the Galapagos and treated ourselves to massive scoops of ice cream. 10/10, we all LOVED IT!
Moonup was a special one that night. We all circled up and shared our favorite parts of our time together. We had lots of mentions of the dolphins that we saw on the boat, and shared so many inside jokes. It was so special having that time to reflect on our two weeks together. It was such a bittersweet moment.
Wow, our last full day was an emotional one. We headed out in the morning for the airport, and listened to all of our favorite songs from the trip on the way. A few tears were shed (most of them were probably mine). This group was so positive about our last full day being a travel day, though, and we really made the most of it together. We hung out as much as we could, not wanting to ever say goodbye!!
We just hugged them all goodbye and sent them on their flight home. It is surreal that this session is over so quickly. While I know George and I are both sad, I think that it being such a hard goodbye means that we all made lasting friendships and memories. We couldn’t have asked for a better group to close out our summer with, and hope that this isn’t the last time we see everyone!
Thank you for blessing us with your people. EGP3A, you guys are the best. We love you!! Be good.
Adios!
George and Bess
Hello from the Galapagos!
July 17, 2024
Friends and fam of EGP 3A, hola from Isabela Island!! We have had many adventures since we last checked in and can’t wait to share them all!!
We finished out our time on San Cristobal Island with our project at a farm in the highlands. We scarfed down some Nutella toast (yum) and hopped in the cars, driving all the way up into the highlands. It was crazy how the weather and scenery changed the higher we drove! It was like entering a whole different island that we had yet to see. So beautiful! So many cows and so many trees! We arrived at the farm and learned all about the goals of sustainable farming on San Cristobal before jumping in and helping out. We got a tour of the farm, which produces all endemic and native plants. Our first stop was to see the chickens! We got to hold the baby chicks, who were only two weeks old. So cute! Everyone was putting them in their pockets to keep them nice and warm. We didn’t want to put them down! We reluctantly put them back in their little chicken coop before heading to see the grown chickens and found out we were allowed to chase them. Let me tell you, this crew got into it. The mud and rain did not stop us from running after those chickens as fast as we could, trying to catch the biggest one. After much chasing, Blythe caught the biggest chicken we’ve ever seen in our lives! It looked like it was half her size and didn’t seem as excited as Blythe was to have been caught. Evan L. also put her all into the chicken chase, which ended in a hilarious spill in the mud. Even though she was covered in mud, she couldn’t stop laughing! Safe to say, we were entertained by the chickens. We then continued our tour of the farm, where we saw guinea pigs and got to pick some coffee beans off the plant! Marin found the most coffee beans of everyone and even tried them. She said they were super sweet! Our next activity at the farm was the least expected: we each got to try a red pepper. The man who runs the farm told us not to worry and that they were actually pretty sweet. About 5 seconds in, we realized that was far from the truth. They were SO SPICY. Everyone was running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to find water, stuffing bananas in our faces, trying anything to get the spice away. Looking back on it now, it was hilarious. One of those painful-in-the-now, funny-in-the-later type situations. Dean said it was spicier than the Ghost Peppers that he grows at home! We couldn’t stop laughing about our reactions to the peppers. Next stop was the cow pasture, where we scooped manure for fertilizer. While not super glamorous, we were so proud of the positivity and excitement this group had to help out. It was awesome to see. We then went and spread fertilizer on some of the coffee plants to help them grow. Claire and Vivian made some sweet vlogs of our farming experience. Funny and educational, be sure to check them out:)). Our time at the farm came to a close with a delicious lunch prepared with things grown there. It was fresh, delicious, and the vibes were immaculate. Great time all around! We then headed back into town for our last few hours on San Cristobal. We loaded up on snacks and walked around town, saying our final farewell to the most beautiful island!
Our ferry ride to Santa Cruz was easy! We all got some well-deserved rest and prepared for our second island on our Galapagos journey! Night one on Santa Cruz was exquisite. We walked around town and bought some sweet souvenirs, so ask for a haul when everyone gets home! We made our way to our new favorite restaurant, Burger House! We loaded up on burgers, finished the meal with milkshakes, and headed back to the hotel to hang out. Our hotel had an awesome rooftop hangout area with a pool, where we all sat and laughed before heading to bed.
Our Santa Cruz adventure started with a visit to the giant tortoises! The bus ride there was full of a cappella. The boys have all started a little group, and their signature song has become “Life Could Be A Dream”. It’s honestly a little shocking how good they are. But then we arrived at the tortoise sanctuary! Abby was so excited – she’d been talking about how much she was looking forward to seeing them all trip! The joy on her face when we saw them was so awesome! We walked around, learning so much about the tortoises, feeling very immersed in Galapagos nature. The tortoises are truly massive. And there were SO many, just roaming around in the wild! Crazy experience. After our walk, we headed to lunch at the sanctuary before heading to Tortuga Bay!
Wow, what a sight Tortuga Bay is. We had a nice walk down the beach to reach the bay. Beautiful blue water, white sand, baby iguanas everywhere. The sun was out and we were READY for some beach time. We reached the bay and it was absolutely incredible. Not only were the views amazing, but the water was calm and just the right temperature. We hung out in the ocean for a bit before getting out for some snacks. We then ventured to the other part of the beach, where we took some pictures and sat down on the beach to hang out. Drew, Phillips, and Hunt commissioned some of the other group members to draw American flags on their backs with sunscreen, which unfortunately did not end up really working, but entertained us all for a while. We never wanted to leave the beach!
That night, we showered up and headed out to sushi! We had the best time together. This group might be the funniest group of people ever. Never a dull moment here!
Day 10 was another great day. We had an early wake-up to head to Isabela Island, the biggest island in the Galapagos! We saw some little baby black-tip sharks on the way out of Santa Cruz, which felt like the best goodbye to such a cool island. We slept the whole way there and when we woke up, we were there! We were greeted by a little penguin on the rocks. Absolutely incredible. We immediately headed to our last snorkel in the Galapagos. A sad moment, the ocean has been so great to us this session! We’ve made some of the best memories in these waters. It was definitely a great one, though, as we got to snorkel through a little channel between the mangroves!
Our afternoon was filled with adventure. First stop: the tortoise breeding center! Lots of tiny baby tortoises. Hard to believe they’ll get so massive. Then, to the beach! We had a blast. We swam, we napped, we talked, we listened to music, everything! The water was so beautiful, and the views (again) were immaculate. We don’t think there’s a bad view anywhere here. Evan B. even enjoyed some soccer on the beach with George (he’s a pro)! We ended our day with sandwiches and hung by the pool of our hotel. It was the best night!
George and I cannot believe that we are already on Day 11 of our trip. It’s flown by. We feel so grateful to be able to close out the summer with this group! Each and every one of these people are so special to us, and the way this group has bonded is truly amazing. They are some of the funniest, kindest, most thoughtful people we know. So thank you for sharing them with us, and we wish we didn’t have to give them back so soon!
Adios for now,
Bess and George
Thank you’s
Claire – Thank you so much for sending me on this amazing trip! I am having so much fun!
Abby – Thank you Mom and Dad for giving me this amazing trip! Have had so much fun!
Vivian – Thank you so much for sending me on this Moondance trip! It has been the most life changing experience!! I’m having so much fun, see you soon <3
Evan L. – Thank you so much for sending me on this amazing experience! It has been so much fun! I love y’all and can’t wait to see y’all!
Marin – Thank you so much for letting me go on this trip and giving me all these opportunities. Y’all are the best. Love you so much.
Hunt – Thank y’all so much for sending me on this trip! I’ve met many cool people and have seen many fun things! Love y’all so much!
Evan B. – Dear Mom and Dad thank you for sending me on this trip. I am having a lot of fun and can’t wait to see you. Love – Evan
Dean – Dear Mom and Dad, thank you so much for sending me on this Moondance trip. I’ve had so much fun and have had many life changing experiences. I love you guys so much! Love – Dean
Blythe – Dear Mom and Dad, thank you so much for sending me on this trip. I have had the best time and have met so many great people. Love y’all so much. Love, Blythe
Drew – Dear Mom and Dad, thank you so much for sending me on this Moondance trip. I had a great time and am very grateful for this opportunity. Love you, Drew
Phillips – Thank you guys so much for sending me on this awesome trip. I am very grateful for this amazing experience. Love you, Phillips
Making Great Memories in Ecuador + the Galapagos!
July 14, 2024
Hello EGP 3A families!! We have had the BEST first week. We couldn’t ask for a better group to finish out this summer with. From the mountains of mainland Ecuador, to the beautiful beaches of San Cristobal in the Galapagos, George and I feel blessed to spend our last few weeks in this magical place with this group. Thank you for sharing them with us!!
Our group arrived on night one and immediately hit it off. We spent the whole first night playing card games and devouring pizza. We had our first Moonup where the group shared what brought them on this Moondance trip. We knew from night one that the next two weeks would be unforgettable!!
Our first morning arrived, and we headed out the door for our day of adventures! Our first stop – the hummingbird sanctuary! We listened to some of our favorite songs on the bus ride there, and got pumped up to see some wildlife! The hummingbird sanctuary was SO cool. We got to see so many different types of birds – hummingbirds with long tails, short tails, all the different colors! We got to walk down from the sanctuary to the river after learning about the birds. It was like a whole different world! From the hummingbird sanctuary, we travelled to Papallacta Hot Springs. The pools are heated naturally from the volcano nearby! Picture the perfect weather for a hot pool, surrounded by beautiful green mountains. It was honestly perfect, and the group got to really bond and get to know each other. We all shared our spirit animals with each other while relaxing in the water. Everyone also decided to try the freezing cold plunge – it’s supposed to make the hot spring feel better! We had some brave souls – it was FREEZING! After our hot springs adventure, we treated ourselves to a nice traditional lunch of empanadas, rice, chicken, and fries! YUM! The perfect meal to welcome us into Ecuador! After lunch, we headed back to Hosteria San Carlos where we had some pool time and then competed in a big game of soccer! We assigned everyone a number, one through eleven (for counting off purposes for the next two weeks), and split the teams between evens and odds. Our game was intense… we were head to head for the first little bit, with George as the goalie for team even and Bess as the goalie for team odd. It didn’t take long for team odd to get in the lead…. And then win by a landslide!! The game was so fun – everyone was into it. After our big game, we decided to treat ourselves to a second night of pizza (yum again). We walked to a cute little pizza place and shared food fun and fun stories. Our after dinner entertainment, though, was really one for the books. We got into an hours-long riddle party. We went through almost every riddle under the sun. Andrew and Hunt were especially into the games! He wouldn’t rest until he figured out every single one, and kept asking for more! Black Magic was definitely a favorite, and had the whole group laughing. It was one of the best nights, and it really felt like we were starting to become a little family!
Day 3 was horseback riding in Cotopaxi National Park! I think it’s safe to say that it was a hit. We packed our bags that morning, loaded the bus, and drove to see the tallest active volcano in the world. There’s only one word for that first look at Cotopaxi: breathtaking. There’s snow covering the top, and we even got to see it releasing volcanic gas! Absolutely crazy. Riding was an absolute blast. We bundled up in our ponchos, looking amazing, and traveled into the park on our horses. Drew was especially into it, naming his horse “Big Bessy,” and wouldn’t stop talking about her for days after!! Cotopaxi is one of the most beautiful places we’ve been – volcanos surrounding us, a stream that makes it look like it’s out of a fairy tale, and the most beautiful rolling hills. We all couldn’t stop talking about how much fun we had.
We hopped on the bus after horseback riding to head to Baños, but made a quick stop at everyone’s new favorite spot: SUPER POLLO! Truly a must-have for those traveling to Ecuador. I think it’s safe to say that everyone loved their chicken nuggets and fries. We then hit the road again for our final leg of the road trip to Baños. That post-Super Pollo bus nap hits DIFFERENT!
Night one in Baños was spent at a rooftop restaurant with some good food, and lots of card games. We got super into the game “Spoons” while waiting for our food to come out. Lots of laughs here! But we couldn’t end the night there. We went to get ice cream, but the place we went to had ice cream with cheese! Marin was the ice cream’s biggest fan and kept raving about how good it was!
The morning of day 4, we woke up to a yummy breakfast of waffles, fruit and eggs. We walked outside, expecting our normal bus to take us to the activities of the day, but instead were greeted by a Chiva! The open-aired bus blasted our favorite songs as we headed up the mountain to see some sick views. Our first stop was an insane lookout over the whole town of Baños. We were on top of the world! We then hopped back in the Chiva and headed to the swing off the edge of the world! We enjoyed cheese empanadas and the swing and a little zip line! It was perfect.
We spent the afternoon exploring Baños, getting some souvenirs, and enjoying each other’s company!
That night was SO fun! We headed to Parque Aventura for salsa lessons! We learned all of the steps, and everyone looked like complete naturals. Phillips showed up to the lessons decked out in new sunglasses, a funky hat, and a brand-new jersey. He had a whole new vibe!! We danced our hearts out before our final competition where we crowned the salsa king and salsa queen: Dean and Blythe!! They absolutely crushed salsa dancing and looked like professionals doing their victory salsa! We were then treated to a buffet feast of everything we could ever want!! Meats, veggies, potatoes, plantains, empanadas! We finished our night out with a dance party before heading to bed to get ready for our last day in mainland Ecuador!
We finished out our time on the mainland with Parque Aventura’s zip lining! Our first zip line went straight across the river. We flew across and into a little canyon with the river roaring below! It was surreal. We then traversed across the river again on a little ladder, which led to a climbing section before finishing on one more zip line. Our adrenaline was working overtime! It was crazy!!
We then headed back to Quito to get ready for our flight to the Galápagos Islands! Our night in Quito was filled with more soccer, volleyball, and a great last dinner.
The morning of day 6 was filled with anticipation for the Islands. We were ready for some sun and the beach!! Abby was especially excited, and got the group hype for the next section of our journey together! Our travel day was a breeze with this crew. We braved the early wake-up to head to the airport and before we knew it, we were in San Cristobal, the political capital of the Galápagos Islands! The first step off the plane onto the tarmac brought instant smiles. The sun was out, and the Galapagos were welcoming us!
We celebrated our arrival with a pizza party (arguably the best pizza ever). We then went to pick up our snorkel gear for our first snorkel of the trip! We saw so many sea lions on our walk. They are everywhere!!!
Our first snorkel was AWESOME!! We almost immediately saw a sea turtle. And then, sea lions!! They are so playful. It feels like they want to be best friends with us. We couldn’t get enough of them! One was playing with a buoy and it was so cute!! Evan L. And Claire get props for being the last ones out of the water – they loved being out there and spent the last few minutes making some awesome vlogs, so stay tuned for those!!!
We enjoyed a sunset dinner and chowed down on some fresh sea food. So good!! The vibes were high. This crew knows how to laugh. Everyone then spent the night playing cards and hanging out before getting ready for our next full day!
When we say day 7 might be one of the best days of our lives, we mean it. We woke up early to get ready for our first snorkel and hike. We hopped on a nice boat that took us out to a little island off of San Cristobal! It was full of frigates, blue-footed-boobies, and sea lions! I think it’s safe to say that we all loved the blue-footed-boobies. We saw some of the males competing for the females’ attentions, and it had to have been a highlight! It was like watching a reality show, except with birds that don’t talk. We had some good laughs. We then saw the cutest little sea lions, and lots of little baby birds! And baby iguanas! So many animals, you wouldn’t believe. We then hopped in the water for some snorkeling. What started off with a normal snorkel ended with us swimming with at least five or six sea lions. They were so curious about us, and were playing all around us. They seemed to follow us wherever we went! They were swimming next to lots of fish, sea turtles, and even a sting ray! It was one of the crazier, most fun snorkels EVER!
One of the most special parts of the trip was the boat ride back. The captain of our boat thought that he spotted a humpback whale in front of us, but as we got closer we realized it was a dolphin. And then another one, and another one. Soon, it seemed like there had to be at least a thousand dolphins surrounding our boat. They were jumping, playing, swimming in our boat’s wake. We were all in disbelief. There was a rainbow above, and it was just one of those moments in life that you can’t believe are real. We were all smiling so wide. Our snorkel after lunch was another great one! We saw lots of sea lions again, they just love us!
Dinner was incredible. We headed out after our day of activities to our cooking class! We made some amazing food. Vivian absolutely crushed the ceviche – she was in charge of “cooking” it with the lime and did a fantastic job! We also had cheese empanadas (a big hit), guacamole, and plantains. Evan B. told us he hates bananas and was hesitant to try the plantains because they looked so much like them, but tried it and said they were surprisingly okay!! The group kept cheering him on, so props to Evan for trying them! We had to finish out the night with ice cream, of course! The best end to the best day.
Thank you so much for sharing this group with us! We couldn’t ask for a better group of people to close out the summer with. We can’t believe we are already a week in, and are doing everything we can to make time slow down!!
Adios for now,
George and Bess
Shoutouts:
Vivian – Hey mom and dad!! I am having so much fun! My favorite part of the trip was horseback riding and snorkeling! I miss you guys so much!
Evan L. – Hi mom and dad!! Miss y’all so much but I’m having so much fun with all the activities and new friends. Love y’all!
Marin – Hi!! Having the best time on my trip! I loved the snorkeling and we saw much much! I miss you guys so much. So many new friends!
Blythe – Hey guys! Miss y’all so much and am having so much fun! We saw so many sea lions. Love y’all!
Claire – Hi! Hope y’all are having fun on your trip. I’m having so much fun snorkeling and horseback riding. Miss y’all <3.
Abby – Hey fam! I miss y’all but I’m having the best time! We’ve seen so many sea lions and sea turtles! I love y’all and I will see y’all so soon.
Drew – Hi! I hope y’all are well. I am having a blast. I miss you guys. Love, Drew
Phillips – Hello mom and dad. I miss you guys but I am having a blast. I love sea lions. From, Phillips
Hunt – Hey mom and dad. I saw a massive sea lion. I am having a blast and miss y’all very much. See y’all soon. Love, Hunt.
Evan B. – Hey mom and dad having a great time but miss you guys. Got to play soccer and see sea lions!
Dean – hi mom and dad. I miss you guys but I’m having a great time. Give Marley kisses for me. Love, Dean.
Safe Arrival in Quito!
July 8, 2024
Hello Ecuador + Galapagos Families!
We heard from our leaders last night that all the students have landed safely in Quito and the group is headed to their first activity! The trip is off to a great start and we can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure.
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next two 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
