Hello all,
After Otavalo we spent two nights in Quito. During our free day we shopped for costumes for our final night of the program and had some free time to explore. It was a very rainy afternoon so we went to the movies dressed in our onesies and ate dinner at our favorite place, Community Hostel. Then we headed for the Galapagos, what an epic week it has been!
Upon arriving in Baltra we worked our way to Isabela Island with three buses and two boats. Once we arrived we drove up to the highlands where we were greeted by our tents set up on a beautiful farm with a pool and trampoline! We spent the first two days volunteering on the farm in the mornings and chopping down ferns with machetes. We had a blast and got super sweaty! Tess and Clarissa also shoveled a lot of dirt. In the afternoons we had downtime, played some games of unstable unicorns, jumped in the pool, and had an epic time using the water balloons Clarissa had been carrying with her throughout the program!
Day 3 we got to hike up to a volcano and see the crater as well as to a smaller volcano. It was about 10 miles which was no joke given the direct sun and humidity but it was so beautiful! After, we headed into the town of Puerto Vilamil and went straight to the beach! We played 500 with the ball Thomas had with him and enjoyed being in the ocean.
The next day we had a packed day! We went on a 9 mile bike ride in the morning along the beach to the Wall of Tears, where we learned about the history of the island. We then went snorkeling and saw so much neat sea life! After lunch, we headed out to go surfing which Tommy planned and organized with our guide. It was so fun to see everyone learning and Kyle and Tommy helping teach those who had never gone before.
Yesterday we went to the tortoise breading center in the morning and then had a bit of free time after lunch before we got back on a 2-hour ferry ride back to Santa Cruz. Once we arrived we had a few hours to explore the big town and buy last minute souveniers. We then had a great dinner and then went up to the terrace above the pool at our hotel and did part of our closing ceremony! Some folks jumped in the pool before heading to bed.
This morning Ben, Clarissa and Bailey woke up at 5:30 to try and catch the sunrise at the beach and go for one last swim in the Galapagos! After breakfast, we headed to check out the Charles Darwin Research Center and got to see another type of tortoise! Then we sadly headed to the airport.
Throughout the days we saw sea lions, seals, a few sharks near the pier, three types of tortious, two types of iguanas, many lizards and birds, some beautiful fish, a sea turtle and so much more!
We are planning on having an epic final feast at Community Hostel (they are putting on a special meal for us) dressed in the costumes we bought back in Quito! We will have a night filled with fun, actives, and a closing circle to celebrate our time together over the last 10 weeks!
While we are sad to leave everyone we are so excited for you to get to see your students soon and hear their amazing stories in person!
Sending love to you all,
SAM (written by Bailey)
