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
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