Greetings from Ecuador!!!
June 12, 2025
We have just finished up our first six days here and WOW – this group has been out of this world, and that’s an understatement!! Their instant connection is evident through the friendships that are already forming and the passion they bring to every activity! Whether it is the abundance of exhibition behavior we see among these kids, or the way they are able to laugh hysterically together completely unplugged, they are defining and representing everything that Moondance Magic means.
Our first day, we jumped right in. The students were instantly connected and fast friends. All seven girls walked out of customs together, ready to start the journey with new friends. After safely transporting back to the hostel, the group went over expectations and dove into our VERY FIRST Moonup with EGP 1A! After Moonup and learning all about our “B+ Superpowers,” the Leaders of the Day (LODs) were selected for the next day! From the beginning, William was quick to make everyone smile and feel comfortable in a new place. His energy and attitude are unmatched, and it was clear he was going to be a stellar LOD. Let’s just face it, you can’t help but smile when William’s around! Our other LOD was Lila, who was also so quick to make everyone feel welcome and light up any room she’s in-making her the obvious first choice for LOD! Soon after Moonup, we all crashed after a long day of travel, eager for what was to come!
For our first full day, we hopped in a 15-passenger van and headed off to the Papallacta Hot Springs. We jammed out to country music on the way there-this group has some seriously awesome music taste!! When we got there, we went on a short hike to get a better view of the whole valley. We took pictures, joked around, and Will, John, and AB debated college football (GO DAWGS!😁). After we finished up the hike, we headed to cool off in the hot springs pools. While we were there, Lila and Mills enjoyed the extra hot pool, while William was, interestingly enough, partaking in the cold plunge…. The rest of us had so much fun running around and enjoying the beautiful sights. We have loved using Lily’s GoPro for endless pictures and vlogs! Soon after this, we all started to get pretty hungry, so we decided to head to the car to find some lunch. We came across a restaurant that had a choice of fish or chicken. Chapman, Davis, and Thomas all ordered the trout, which everyone else was immediately jealous of! The restaurant also made us the most delicious and refreshing blackberry juice, which we all devoured! It was the best treat after a long morning! We headed back to camp, where we ended up playing soccer for hours on end! John especially had a star moment on the field, showing incredible skill and teamwork. We grabbed a bite to eat and showered while we patiently awaited the arrival of our missing piece – Bailey! He immediately joined with an outstanding attitude, jumping right into the fun while bringing calm and grounded energy to the group. The group would not be the same without him!
We had an early start to Day 3 as we said goodbye to Quito and headed out for a day full of adventure at Cotopaxi National Park. The bus ride to the park was made even better thanks to Elizabeth and Lila, who teamed up with AB to curate an incredible playlist-safe to say it’s one we’ll be listening to for years to come! Shout-out to Elizabeth for the incredible addition of Silver Springs! Our music tastes are full of old souls-we love to see it! Today’s leaders of the day were Mills and Will, who did a great job keeping the energy high and keeping everyone organized. Will was picked as LOD because of his impressive ability to lead with heart and humility-we’re simply all better for it. Mills is one of a kind-especially in the way she keeps us all smiling with her unmatched humor and effortless joy. As LOD, she brought energy, warmth, and the kind of fun that’s contagious in the best way. One of the highlights of the day was horseback riding around the stunning Cotopaxi Volcano. Abbey and Lily ended up with the speediest horses by far, while Louise, AB, Tatum, Thomas, and Mills brought up the rear with horses that were clearly in no rush-maybe enjoying the scenery a little too much! We galloped, laughed, and definitely smiled the whole way, wishing it could have lasted so much longer. After this, we quickly hopped in the bus and headed to Baños, where we patiently awaited another amazing day here in Ecuador!
Our next day was full of laughs and adventure here in Baños! The LODs for today were John and Louise. John is someone who people are naturally gravitated to. He has a kind heart that shows in everything we do. Louise is so uplifting to all of us!! She is hilarious, and also so genuine to her core. These two were the perfect LODs because they collaborated to bring the energy, but also kept everyone motivated throughout a really long day. We started the day with a surprise party bus-music blasting, everyone dancing (Thomas stole the show!), and good energy all around. It was so fun (and needed) to rock out to a little Lady Gaga all together! Abbey got some amazing pictures with the stunning landscape behind her as our party bus rolled through the hills. On our waterfall hike, Chapman and Davis took “refreshing” to a new level by standing directly under the waterfall-definitely a moment we won’t forget! They are always encouraging everyone to live in the moment and capitalize on everything we do. We also visited the famous “Swing at the End of the World” for some incredible fun and views. Louise and Mills win the competition for the best candid pictures, always seeming to find the camera at the perfect time!
For Day 5, we eagerly adventured to the zip lining and rock climbing portion of our trip. Our LODs for the day were Chapman and Elizabeth. Elizabeth has been a lifesaver and constant friend to all-always helping leaders, checking in on others, and making sure everyone feels included. (Also… ask her about Nick Saban when she gets home!) We’re so lucky to have her here and she is a fantastic leader. She has such a bright future and we are so proud of her! Chapman is a natural born leader-always acting without having to be asked twice. He has this natural ability to bring people together which made him an incredible LOD. We had the best time ziplining through the caves and rivers in Baños, and we keep saying we constantly see new beauty and perfection all over this country. These activities were definitely not for the weak-they required determination, commitment, and support from peers. A special shoutout to Louise for conquering her fears and climbing almost 100m up, despite her fear of heights. We knew she could do it, and we are so proud of her for sticking with it. We ended the day with a long bus ride back to Quito, where we immediately jumped off the bus to play soccer and hop in the pool before heading to the Galapagos tomorrow! Huge nugs to this group for having the best attitude, despite a few wrong turns and alternative routes, they continued to persevere and remain excited for what was to come!
Yesterday, we woke up BRIGHT AND EARLY to head to the Galapagos! We were AMPED and so ready to start this next leg of our trip. When we got to the airport, John found some fantastic bathing suit shorts with iguanas that he will be absolutely rocking. Lily enjoyed some ramen on the plane, while Lila ordered a Red Bull to pump her up for what was to come. When we got on the island, we were greeted immediately by Diego and Sebastian, our guides for this section of the trip! The first thing they told us was that “there are no problems on the island, just situations,” which is something that stuck with all of us throughout the day. We enjoyed some delicious pizza and Mango juice for lunch, which Bailey particularly loved. Once we finished lunch, we headed to the hostel to change quickly before going snorkeling! We arrived at La Loberia and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon surrounded by sea lions. WHAT A LIFE! Abbey especially enjoyed checking them out. Huge nugs to Louise for getting a fire video on her GoPro that we also ran into! We have so many talented photographers to capture all of our moments! The abundance of wildlife and great energy is infectious here! Once we got back to the hostel, William, Davis, Chapman, John, Thomas, Bailey, and Will had the most intense game of pool, while AB, Elizabeth, Lila, Louise, Mills, Abbey, Tatum, and Lily jammed out to Taylor Swift and Toby Keith – what a great combo! We decided we simply needed ice cream, because who doesn’t? We ran next door and shared a couple pints of chocolate ice cream. We ended the night with our wonderful LODs, Abbey and Bailey, closing us out with a Moonup and the hopes of another amazing day.
All of this goes to say that every single person in the group contributes something unique yet so crucial to the dynamic. From the endless games of Empire to the heartfelt Moonups, this group’s instant connection is something so special and one that we definitely won’t take for granted. All of us can’t seem to wrap our heads around the fact that every single day gets better and better – but it is the truth! Talk with you soon!! Wishing you all well from the Galapagos 🐢☀️ We never want to come home!!!
Sending our love,
AB + Thomas
Shoutouts!
Yo, what up mom and dad and Witt, hope it’s going good in Charlotte, all good here these places are really cool, anyways see you soon – Davis
Hey guys I’m having a lot of fun here, we just traveled to Galapagos yesterday which we are doing a lot of snorkeling at. Love y’all hope you are able to hold down the fort. – William
Love ya! Say hi to both b’s for me, miss y’all!! – Tatum
Hi! Having a blast I miss y’all ❤️ – Mills
Having so much fun! I miss y’all so much, say hey to the fam and Charles!! – Lily
Having a blast. Miss and love y’all! – Chapman
Having a great time everything has been super fun. Love you – Will
I’m having so so much fun!! I can’t wait to tell y’all all about it! Love y’all so so so much!!🩷 – Elizabeth
I miss you so much!! See you soon❤️ – Abbey
Hey y’all!!! I love y’all more than life and am having SO MUCH FUN! can’t wait to see y’all!! – Lila
Having fun, can’t wait to see y’all🩷 – John
Having fun! Don’t want to come home! Love ya – Bailey
Hi Mom and Dad! Love you guys so much and I miss you!! Having the best time ❤️ – Louise
The Adventure Begins!
June 7, 2025
Hello Ecuador + the Galapagos Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Ecuador! The group is so excited to start their adventure together!
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
