Location: Quito

Today we had a late start- breakfast at 8:00. After finishing breakfast, we packed up our things and departed for the airport, saying goodbye to the beautiful town of Puerto Ayora and the picturesque waters of the Galapagos. On our hour-long bus ride back to the airport we all tried to soak up the ever-fleeting beauty of the Enchanted Islands. Upon arriving back to Quito after a full day of travel, we found that our hosts had a surprise for us. They had decorated our dining room with red, white, and blue balloons and ribbons. They fired up the grill and cooked us cheeseburgers and fries, served with bottles of Coke. For dessert, we got to roast marshmallows on the grill, the highlight of our day (except for Taylor; the highlight of her day was walking through airport security while eating a popsicle).  As we were eating our food, fireworks started going off nearby. We decided they were a special celebration for us. As the last leg of our trip winds down to an end, we are sad to have to say goodbye to all of our new friends, but we are all happy to have had the once in a lifetime experiences with our new-found friends.