Day 8.5: Hasta la próxima, Quito

After we returned from our amazing outing to Mindo, it was time for our last supper in Quito. During dinner, Lenin had the kids reflect on their week in South America, what were they surprised about, what they liked, etc.... What fascinating to listen to these wise teenagers 'get it.'  I was one proud teacher.  They then surprised Lenin with a song, Stand by Me, which brought down the house...along with a flood of tears - teachers & students alike. We then made Lenin an honorary Iowan, dressing him in green.
The bus ride to the airport was a bit of a struggle, many emotions flowing but it just goes to show how quickly you can bond with your travel mates, teachers, and a tour director. The kids really came together like a small family..yes, we had our ups & downs, but they really pulled together, had each others backs, and took care of each other. Way to go, parents!  You have some pretty awesome kids & I thank you for sharing them with me for the week!
So, as we close this travel chapter, I feel there will be more chapters for many of these Roamin' Spartans and it will be fun to see where the world takes them.

To my kids - thanks for making #19 such a memorable trip!

Hugs to you all!!

Señorita :)

Camera thieves

Day 9:  We made it home safe & sound!  We had a late flight Sunday at 11:30pm.  Arrived in Atlanta at 5:20 am.  4 hours later we boarded our flight to Moline, arriving home to ice and COLD - blech! But many loving family members were awaiting our arrival, so it's all goo!

Day 10:  Everyone at school -yeah - a bit tired, but I still got my hugs in today!  Good to see all their faces!  More adventures to come, I know it!

Day 8: Mindo

Day 8 had us saying good-bye to the Florida group as they had a midday flight. Our flight wasn't until 11:30pm, so we arranged an excursion outside of Quito.  We traveled to the cloud forest town of Mindo, 2 hrs out of Quito.

Our first stop was a hummingbird sanctuary.   Out of the 300+ different types of hummingbirds in the world, over 130 have been seen here.  They're hard to take pics of as they move super fast!!

 We got lucky and some toucans stopped by for some bananas.

Our next stop was a butterfly sanctuary where we told how to pick up & hold butterflies.  There were hundreds of them in a variety of colors.

My awesome chaperones!!

After the hummingbirds & butterflies, we headed for lunch. We branched out from what we've been eating (lots of rice!) and went for pizza!!  Delish!

 Our local guide for the day, Diego, serenaded us at lunch.  

Seems like all our guides on this trip are musically inclined. :)

Thanks Diego for taking such good care of my kids!!  Thanks to Lenin for arranging the entire day!

Day 7: Otavalo and Cotacachi

Day 7 took us out of Quito to a lower elevation and the towns of Otavalo and Cotacahi.

 Along the way, we stopped at this gorgeous overlook of the lake & the volcano in the background.

Otavalo is known for it's Saturday market.  The kids had 2 hrs to add to the Ecuadorian economy...and they did a nice job doing so, all while working on their bargaining skills and practicing their Spanish numbers.

We then headed to Cotacachi, a town known for it's leather. At lunch a majority of us braved it and tried Guinea pig (cuy).  The videos are hilarious.  Mainly tasted like fatty dark meat chicken.

Grabbing some coffee with our Tour Director, Lenin. 

After returning back to Quito, there was a concert in the square near our hotel. 

Tomorrow is our last day in Quito. We don't leave until late, so we have a whole entire day to enjoy Ecuador!  :)

Day 6: Back to the mainland we go...eventually...

On our last day in the Galapagos, Lenin took us to another part of the island to watch sunrise.

We originally planned to watch it from the tunnels formed from volcanic rock, but the park ranger was a bit late that morning opening the gate, so we did the best we could.  Back to the hotel, shower, pack, breakfast, and back on the bus we went.

On our way to the ferry port, we did a quick stop at the Twin Craters, two sink holes.  Here's a pic of my Roamin' Spartans.

All along the trip, we were paired up with 23 people from south Florida, so we had to take a whole group picture of "Lenin's Family."

This is out last glimpse of Galapagos wildlife prior to leaving this amazing place.  We are extremely grateful we were able to see this exotic locale.
So, off on the ferry we went, to the bus, to the airport...and to only have our flight delayed 6+ hours. So, we had a grand ol' time exploring the expansive airport of Baltra, before finally boarding. On a positive note, our plane went directly to Quito, so no pit stop.
Our hotel got changed on us in Quito, and the upgrade was quite appreciated by the kids!  They had suites with kitchens, living room, multiple bathrooms...luxury!!
Late night dinner at 11pm and off to bed we went.

Day 5: San Cristobal Island

Today's boat excursion took us to the Island of San Cristobal.  It was another 2.5 hrs on the boat...dramamine is becoming our best friend!  Different boat & different captain & guide, so we did some exploring along the way.

For example, we spotted this blue-footed boobie hanging out on the rocks.

As we pulled away from Santa Fe Island, a pod of dolphins popped up out of nowhere and started playing with the boat.  The kids were suuuuuuper excited!  The captain slowed down and let the kids out on the front of the boat so they could get a close up view, take pics & videos.  Once I get those from the kids, I'll have to add them.  Love those surprise animal sightings!!!

After a fairly smooth boat ride, we arrived at San Cristobal, hopped on a bus, and off to explore we went.  We stopped in the Loberia area, saw some sea lions, and the kids got to do some snorkeling & swimming while there.

We grabbed some delicious lunch (including popcorn soup!!), and went to see the tourist info center and learn about the history a bit of the Galapagos. Some of the group then went on a hike, and the rest went down to the beach for one last swim.

This picture above is us getting ready to board our boat back to Santa Cruz Island.  Notice all the smiling, happy faces.  Little did we know what was in-store for us.  This was, by far, THE WORST boat ride EVER!  Although, according to our Tour Director, it's normal in the summer.  It was the bumpiest ride imaginable.  The people sitting outside on the back got drenched.  We had to move 3 kids in and 5 kids out due to motion sickness.  Had a few barfers, and quite a few pale kids.  Needless to say, we're over boats.

After we got back, the kids had a little downtime before dinner, so I took some souvenir shopping. After dinner, our awesome Tour Director, Lenin, took us down to the docks to look for animals at night, and then play the kids some music.

Lenin is a super talented singer & musician,  and the kids were mesmerized by his music.  Come to find out, he even has an album coming out soon!

Tomorrow we sadly leave these glorious islands and head back to the mainland...which means another long travel day...sigh...