Today we went to BANOS – which means hot springs. This city is a back-packers paradise and we saw many people walking around with climbing gear and of course – backpacks!
We went to the Church of Miracles – Madonnah de Aqua Santa – which was filled with pictures of …. you guessed it………MIRACLES!
Here are some things we will remember about Banos:
….. Eating cuy – guinea pig
…..Trying sugar cane
….. Eating melcocha – candy similar to “salt water taffy” – stretched & pulled on long nails in doorways!
….. Small carvings made out of tagua nuts – knows as “vegetable ivory.”
….. Party pants – in so many colors and stripes
We had a great lunch at a restaurant called Samari. Our meal included potato pancakes called napingachos, an interesting choice of juices and a wonderful dessert of crepes and ice cream.
After a 3-4 hour ride back to Hotel Quito, we settled into our rooms for our last night in Ecuador.
We had dinner on the 7th floor of the Quito Hotel and then prepared for our evening activity!
Leo had everyone fill out a questionnaire to see what we learned while we were in Ecuador.
Liz and Veronica (with help from Arielle) gave out certificates to everyone in the delegation.
Steven handed out and collected all of the People to People evaluation forms.
Everyone had the opportunity to say something about their experience in Ecuador.
Leo thanked everyone for visiting Ecuador and hoped that we come back real soon!
I created a DVD of pictures and videos that were taken during the two amazing weeks that we spent in Ecuador.
Since we were leaving at 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning, some students decided that they wanted to spend the evening with their friends and NOT go to sleep, as there was plenty of time to sleep on the plane.
At the Quito Airport we said goodby to our wonderful Delegation Manager, Leo Silva! He was an integral part of our delegation and one of the reasons that we had such a wonderful adventure in Ecuador.
As our plane approached Miami, everyone in the delegation knew that our journey to South America was almost over. Amid hugs and tears, we began to part our ways. Some students were met in Miami by their parents, others were quickly whisked away to other terminals and 12 of us made our way to the American Airlines terminal as we had a plane to catch to New York!
The scene at the JFK airport was filled with the joy of seeing our families and the tears of knowing that our South American adventure was truly over.
Sharon and I are grateful that we had the opportunity to travel with a wonderful group of young adults We hope that everyone will keep in touch with the friends they have made and remember all of the adventures we participated in while traveling in Ecuador.
Filed under: July 25
