Ecuador: Galapagos & Andean Service Adventure 2025
June 28, 2025
Today was a long travel day! In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and went to the airport. At the airport we got new boarding passes and got through the busy Houston security. Before boarding everyone got drinks and snacks! We then boarded and had a relaxing 5 hour flight to Quito.
We arrived in Quito in the late afternoon. We got through a long line in customs and got our bags from the bagage claim and met Fabricio before driving to a small cafe for dinner.
For dinner we had amazing homemade empanadas and fruit juice made from guanábana and blackberry. The family running the restaurant were very friendly. After dinner we got to the hotel, found room assignments, had a quick Ecuador orientation and went to bed.
By: Boden
June 29, 2025
Hola from Ecuador day 2!
Today was full of fun adventures, bonding bus rides and four course lunches. During these we got to know each other, and form new connections. We started day 2 by waking up at 7:00am for our breakfast of fruits, eggs and a croissant. We then hopped on the bus and headed to our first destination, Pichincha volcano. We took a breathtaking ride up the side of a HUGE green gorgeous luscious mountain of trees. BUT… the mountain was in fact NOT a mountain at all. When we got we got to the top we discovered, the Lucious gorgeous mountain of trees, was a VOLCANO! After this SHOCKING realization we found it a great idea to hike to the top of said volcano. On the way of this breathtaking (literally) hike we were greeted by two beautiful fluffy clouds. But they were not clouds! They were… ALPACAS! These creatures were wearing authentic regalia full of vibrant threads and colors. At the top of the hike we found two swings – one thrilling, the other exhilarating, both intimidating-for they were hanging OFF of said volcano. After risking our lives, and breaking our comfort zone barriers, we hiked back down, hopped in the bus, and headed to our next destination, El Mitad del Mundo. This location is the center of the world with a latitude of 00°00’00”. We were lead through this incredible destination by a tour guide who taught us many things including the indigenous cultures and their customs; and the life of the Amazon. We also learned about how incredible this point on earth really is. After this, we headed to lunch at El Patio. This was an incredible experience where we ate food that was 40-70% cultivated in their garden right outside the building. During this meal, we were given 4 courses. Starting with a delicious soup, then a fresh garden salad, an elevated chicken and fries, and last but not least, a flavorful ice cream topped with rich dark chocolate and figs. Our next destination brought us to the downtown city of Quito. There we explored the Neo Gothic Cathedral and the Basilica. We then left Quito and headed back to our hostel. Once we got to our hostel, we had some down time and then had dinner of hamburgers, fries, and sodas! We discussed and created our group contract with our hopes and aspirations for our trip to come. New adventures await us to tomorrow as we step into the community where we will spend the next five nights with our homestay families.
Peace out boom Shaka laka hasta mañana!
XOXO Mac and Margaux 😉
June 30, 2025
Hola!!!! Somos Camila y Sophie!
This morning, we woke up bright and early in our hostel and packed our bags for the busy day we had ahead. We enjoyed a breakfast of bread, scrambled eggs and a fruit and yogurt bowl (we are well fed here!). Then we said goodbye to the hostel and hopped on our magic school bus to travel to one of the largest street artisan markets in South America where we had the chance to haggle en Español with the artisans themselves. I, Camila, was able to haggle the price of a pure silver bracelet from $28 to $15 with my haggling rizz. I, Sophie, on the other hand, have negative Ecuadorian haggling rizz since my French skills surprisingly have little influence in this country. But don’t worry, I am actively practicing mi Español y estoy mejorando. Thanks to mis amigas I was able to purchase dos bracelets para $5. Poppy if you’re reading this you should be proud! I was also gifted a bracelet with an S bead from Sam so I’m building a stacked wrist. The market had clothing, jewelry, ponchos, and other handcrafts including a FC Barcelona Jersey with a cactus Jack sponsor on it.
After shopping, we went to a volcano cráter lake and hiked to a hermosa mirador. The altitude really got to us on the hike and we found ourselves quickly out of breath. After that, we took the bus to the La Calera comunidad where we had a PLENTIFUL lunch (way more than Sophie could take, pero era muy delicioso). After lunch we played a game of soccer with the host mommies and their children. Again the altitude hit us hard! Then we came back to the community house and were designated to our host familias and we shared a piece of cake and introduced ourselves.
Camila and I are together with a family that has two cute young kids and dogs as well. Camila does all the talking for me. After we got to our house, we went through the backyard to another home that had a soccer field and we played soccer with a group of little boys, who were mucho better than us. We returned for dinner and we enjoyed pork, guacamole, rice, and potatoes. Then we winded down by playing Uno, escondido (hide and seek), and teaching the kids how to play Spot it. We were so tired after our long day but so excited to start working tomorrow.
Love you fam! Vous me manquez beaucoup! – Sophieee
Love you and miss u so much!!!
Camila<3
July 1, 2025
Today was a thrilling experiencia with our homestay family as our first day staying in La Calera. We started this aventure at 7:30 sharp and ate a delicious breakfast of eggs, bread and Jam, and plantain.
After speedrunning our morning routine, we headed down to el comedor, the dining hall, to start our morning of manual labor.
However, before said work started, we got to experience a powerful cleanssing ritual lead by a native Quichuan shamaness llamada Mamá Rosita. We stood around a flower circle and were cleansed by the smoke of herbs and palo santo while she chanted tradicional ancestral songs.
After the ritual, we started our first day of community service. This included carpentry to build a playground for the local youth, painting the walls of the community center, and cleaning old tires to repurpose as planters. We put in almost 4 hours of dedicated work before we rested for a delicious Lunch.
The meal started with a potato soup accompanied by beans, this was followed by a large plate of carne, guacamole, y papas suaves, accompanied by a refreshing tomato juice. The meal ended with flavorful tree tomatoes que explotaron jugosamente en la boca.
After lunch we returned to our home stay families to rest and clean up for la fiesta de IntiRaymi! The girls were dressed in traditional quichuan outfits. It was the woman’s festival that evening so the men didn’t dress up, as their portion was the night before. We all bussed to Cotacachi plaza where there were a few thousand Ecuadorians dancing pateada to give thanks to la Pachamama (Mother Earth) for a good harvest.
Prior to joining the festival, we visited a local leather workshop, cuero, where we learned about the process of making leather from start to finish. We then quickly joined the parade of dancers and did a full rotation around the plaza. We stopped for a fresh squeezed mandarin juice sold by a loca food vender, on everybody soul we could drink five of those back to back!
By then, dusk had begun to fall upon us as the sun regressed behind the mountains and the moon arose from valley across, as the shadows turned into night. We all took the bus back to La Calera, had a quick debrief and reflection of our experiences that day, and returned to our host families for a freshly cooked dinner with homegrown ingredients. This consisted of an appetizer of sopa , soft and flavorful pollo, and a side of quinoa cooked with vegetables from the garden. After our bellies were satisfechos, some friends came over to play Uno, a homestay gift to our family, and played with our homestay brother. We then traveled to the house of other Global Works students and explored the village, guided by Justin, our 13 year old homestay brother. We returned to our respective houses at 10 so we could get a good nights rest for the upcoming plentiful day.
-Roen y Diego
July 2, 2025
Buenos noches from Socrates and Plato!
Today we woke up with our host family to eggs, and bread with cheese and jam. We also had tea and juice, how delectable! We started off our work with painting tires with very creative designs. Woohooo!! Some of us built a playground for local children. Others painted goal posts and other people painted walls. After that we had a good lunch with celery soup. We went back to home stays and chilled for a while for a nice siesta. We then walked over to a leather shop called Calzado SM. The guy at the leather shop named Germán was very kind and makes his own very good quality leather products and he let us in the workshop and gave us a good opportunity. We made cool wallets by hand and worked very hard for multiple hours. We then went home and rested and went to sleep. Tomorrow we continue our work in hopes to finish every project!
-Carlos & Sam
July 3, 2025
We woke up early in the morning and had delicious breakfasts (courtesy of our homestay parents). For most of us, the breakfast consisted of eggs and assorted fruits. We walked down the streets of the town to get to the place where we did our service.
Once we arrived, we rolled tires down the hill (carrying was harder) and painted more tires and the walls, while Roen laid down concrete at the workbench. Margaux, Mac, Charlotte, and Isabelle painted a mural on the outside wall. Everyone pitched in to dig holes and plant flowers inside the tires. Afterwards we stopped for lunch to have soup, chicken, and pineapple juice.
After our service we arrived back to our homestay families and some of us played game with the kids like soccer or throwing a frisbee. Afterwards we prepared to go to our dream-catcher workshop.
At our dreamcatcher workshop we were each given a metal ring to wrap our leather around. After we glued our leather to the ring we used strands made from bull intestine, which were surprisingly smooth and straw-like, to create the main net inside of the frame. Afterwards we added extra leather to aid us in attaching the beads and feathers.
With our dreamcatchers done we slammed down some dinner and headed to the cultural festival night, with clothes provided by our homestay parents. We played games, had fun, and danced for the rest of the night.
By Liam and Max
July 4, 2025
Today was our final day in La Calera. We started the day by having breakfast at our homes with our families. Then we all made our way to the comedor and quickly got started on making a traditional meal called Pachamanca We all put on our Rupay Restaurant matching aprons and hats and got to work. Everyone worked together making it, some of us cut up veggies for a delicious salsa, wrapped veggies, fruits and meats in cabbage and different kinds of big leaves, husking corn, everyone doing their part to make this amazing meal. Once we finished preparing we started putting the food in a deep hole lined with large leaves and used very hot rocks from the fire to layer into the food so it would cook. Once it was filled we made a barrier of stone bricks and leaves to protect the food from the dirt that goes on top.
Then we went to the soccer field and played for around 3 hours while the food cooked. The little kids were team captains, it was gatos vs perros, after lots of playing perros won! Then it was time to go back to the comedor to reveal our lunch. We worked together to pull the food from the ground for it to be organized inside. When it was ready everyone lined up to fill their plate, it was an amazing lunch! After lunch we went to make jewelry, some of us made pendant necklaces and some of us made bracelets. We all went home to rest and help our families prepare food for our big and final dinner at the comedor. When we all arrived Isa led a salsa class before we set up for dinner. Once everything was set, everyone put what they brought on the table and everyone lined up with plates to get some of everything. We all ate at one long table and had an amazing time. To end the night with appreciation everyone said something sentimental to their families and received a hand made bag and some kind words. Lastly everyone went around the fire and had s’mores and lots of smiles.
By Charlotte
July 5, 2025
¡Hola, somos Dora! This morning we woke up early to eat breakfast and say our final goodbyes to our lovely Quichua mamás y familias. We all piled on the bus with excitement in going to the hot springs! Tragically, our majestic bus driver, Carlos, could not drive there as heavy rains in the amazons caused recent mudslides and hindered the camino there. Benjamin, Isa, and Fabricio scrambled to make a new itinerary for the day. This included driving back to “la Plaza de Ponchos” in Otavalo, one of the biggest artisan markets in South America, visiting a local artisan chocolate factory, and driving to a scenic viewpoint. We started our two hour crusade with music and the lovely sound of Sam talking ten decibles louder than needed. We finally made it to the artisan market but this time it was Saturday and there were WAY more vendors. This influx included more people selling jewelry, crafts, instruments, clothes and lots of people selling food that we did not buy. The core of the market was the same as before so we spent our time roaming the nearby side streets. Our second stop was Yumbos chocolate in the historical district of Quito, silly enough it was the same plaza we were at on day 1. We got an extensive lesson on Ecuadorian chocolate lead by a not short Ecuadorian with luscious hair and a nose piercing. Funny enough, due to our schedule change, our trip leader Isa planned a scrumptious lunch right before our chocolate tour. Safe to say we were the biggest, the largest we’ve ever been. And with this size we lost our desires for cocoa in the shape of squares but it was very yummers so we indulged anyways. On top of this, Camila decided it was a good day to have her birthday so we had brownies and cake as well. After they ripened us up it was time to say goodbyes to our attractive chocolate man who had a charming and intriguing accent that resembled Gru from Despicable Me.
Surprisingly, bus driver Carlos was late due to city traffic for the first time so had to sit on the curb like a bunch of happy bums as we took pictures of Diego’s sunglasses as the locals took pictures of us. When our king Carlos arrived we rejoiced and hopped on his big autobús. The journey to the scenic viewpoint was scenic itself but nothing could compare to this giant stone woman perched on top of the hill, la protectora de Quito – San Panecillo. This is where the locals could really tell that we were touristas. We had drones recording us, and we smiled like silly geese while we had a photo shoot together in front of the historic statue. Our stop here was longer than intended because on top of Benjamin and Fabricio wanting to take pictures from every angle, some of our cadets wandered off to get some of their own pictures. Once our mission was achieved we spent the next 2 hours listening to our epic group playlist of the strangest assortment of artists which included, Asap rocky, Bob Marley, Fleetwood Mac, and Dire Straits who unfortunately never appeared because the playlist was rigged. It didn’t matter anyways since someone who we’ve mentioned before was louder than the music itself. Even after raising the volume multiple times. Once we arrived to what felt like the middle of nowhere, we were greeted by a hotel that was conveniently close to the airport. It’s crazy how things like this keep on happening, it’s almost like we have trip coordinators. After settling into our luxurious suite with 5 beds and tv that had someone’s Netflix account named Jimmy, we had juice with a side of dinner with a side cake because Camila was randomly born on this day which so happened to be the day of our chocolate tour. To burn off all these calories, we played the most strenuous sport – pool. We started off strong but our quality diminished when we started playing doubles with Diego and Liam who had both claimed they had played before. Knowing that we had to wake up at 4:30 the next day, we had the bright idea of watching the last two episodes of Squid Game season 3. We went to bed at a not-so-reasonable midnight and surprisingly we were okay in the morning and watched Wimbledon with Boden.
Squid game season 3 is not worth watching.
Happy Birthday Camila.
We miss you, chocolate man.
By Carlos and Roen
July 6, 2025
We arose bright and early at 4:30 in the morning. While many were tired, some were wide awake eager to start the day! After our morning routines, we hopped on the bus with our magestic bus driver Carlos. It was a short and sleepy drive to the airport. We safely made it through security and headed to Amazonía Café para comprar empanadas y café. Once we boarded our 4 hour flight to the Galapagos, we started doing henna, coloring, and reading to pass the time. After some turbulence, we made it to the Galapagos and exited the plane with the many other Hawaiian t shirt-wearing tourists. We then took a bus to a ferry, took a boat, then another bus to explore the Tortuga resort. The tortugas danced to the sound of our lovely guide, Patos’, voice. As we learned about these turtles, we had a lunch of pesto pasta. Then we departed from this beautiful species to go to a lava tunnel. Finally, we ended the night with a lil pool time and dinner, and clocked out at 9.
We are looking forward to our next 5 days in the Galápagos.
Deuces,
Heather and Diego
July 7, 2025
Hi gang. Coming to you live from an empty hot tub on the roof of our hotel, it’s Sophie and Max here and we back at it again. This morning, at the ripe hour of 6am we all waddled out of our rooms into our hotel’s beautiful dining room where we indulged in a breakfast that was filling for some, questionable for others. Sophie had three mini croissants and a fourth of a waffle with WAYYY too much marmalade (feeling like #paddington) and Max was in his hospital era with his regal chalice of strawberry (?) jello and French toast sponge (?) sweet tofu square (??) we don’t know. After breakfast, we loaded our stuff onto a bus to catch ferry number one! So close! Even though the bus ride was only five minutes when we got there there were about 500 other people in the same line that we wanted to be in which is #Tragic but it’s OK because change is part of the plan. So we stood there and waited in the line at 6:15 AM and the line moved pretty fast. We ended up getting on water taxi number one at like 7:15 AM. The way the suitcases were balanced on the edge of the boat made us all anxious that they were going to fly into the water and become fish food. #LooksLikeI’mGoingForASwim
That taxi took us all to another boat that we got on and that boat was quite the adventure. We sat in the cargo hold of this fast boat for two hours while the waves chopped and sliced the boat while we just sat there. Most of us fell asleep. Then we got on the second water taxi. Then we finally got our legs back on land and got on a bus to go to our hotel on beautiful Isabela Island. #Let’sGoToTheBeach.
Once we oiled up with sunscreen, we made our way to the beach and some of us swam, some of us did not swim, but we all had a great time and did not get burnt. Then we came back to the hotel for a delicious lunch and an even more memorable playlist. The kitchen was playing TikTok alternative hits. Anyways, after that we went to a turtle breeding center. Believe me when I say this was a breeding center. We went to the end of the beach to start our walk to la Mura de las Lágrimas. On this walk, we saw some turtles, iguanas and mangroves, and after a long time we made it to the wall of tears. You can look it up, but it’s very sad. The walk was satisfying and many of us ended up running part of it. Then we got back on the bus and came back to our hotel to chill for a bit before dinner. I took a nice shower and listened to some RÜFÜS DU SOL. Max stopped by to get some string to start a new bracelet because he got bored of his first one. Anyways we went to dinner and Max and I sat together. Max got the octopus and I got a burger. We both got jugo de maracuyá. Everyone ate pizza or other things and we all shared à lobster because it’s in season. OK gang, it’s getting late and we have a big day tomorrow so while we’d love to stay and chat, we gotta go to bed.
Your favorite frenchies (Sophie et max) signing off!!
À DEMAIN!!!
By Sophie and Max
July 8, 2025
Hola from Campo Duro! In the morning we woke up to some scrumptious eggs, fruit, and yogurt. After our great breakfast we got on our bus and had a relaxing 20 minute ride to the snorkeling place. At the snorkeling place we got on a boat and looked at blue-footed boobies, iguanas, and sea lions before getting off the boat to get a tour of the iguana’s habitat. As we visited the iguanas home, our tour guide, Carmen, told us pretty much everything you need to know about iguanas. After the tour, we began snorkeling, and when we were snorkeling we saw so many incredible animals like turtles, sharks, sea urchins, and many different types of fish. After snorkeling we went back to the hotel to shower and pack for Campo Duro. After showering and packing for about two hours, we boarded the bus and began the drive to Campo Duro. When we arrived, the friendly staff greeted us with amazing chicken, rice, and lentils. After lunch we had free time and most of us relaxed on the hammocks. We then did team building games like capture the flag, tug of war, and a little bit of frisbee. After that we had some more of free time and most of us relaxed or played frisbee. For dinner we had some great shrimp, rice, and vegetables. It’s getting really late now and we have a 4 hour hike tomorrow. Signing off.
By Boden
June 9, 2025
Good morning, today was a day of various changes. In the morning we woke up in our cozy tents. All of us ate our breakfast and prepared for a hike. Although, due to the rain we were unable to do our previously planned volcano walk. Change is part of the plan! As an alternative we went to the caves. They were majestic with a special mix of lush greenery and dark rock areas. After our cave walk, we came back to our hotel la laguna which we stayed in before camping. We consumed our packed lunch that we would’ve had with our hike before heading to the nearby beach. The sun and water were warm as some swam amongst the waves and others chilled to nap or read on the sand. For dinner we went into town and went to La Casa Del Asado. We got to order off of the full menu tonight and there were so many delicious options; some were meat with fries, ceviche, and mucho more. After our delicious meal, we got ice cream and fed a dog that was waiting for his owner to come back. Back at the hotel some of us watched a movie and now it is time for bed.
By Liam
June 10, 2025
Hola! We have returned to Santa Cruz Island! We made it this morning after a bumpy boat ride back that caused some of us to lose our dinners. We then strolled to breakfast and tried an Ecuadorian dish called bolón verde, made of plantains, cheese, and seafood sauce. Then we made it back to our hotel that we were at earlier in our journey. Everyone crashed on their beds to later go to lunch. We walked to a local restaurant and had the option to eat tuna and rice or a chicken paella. We quickly stopped by the hotel to change into our suits and get on the bus. At the end of the bus ride we learned we had a mile long walk to the iconic beach of Tortuga Bay! But we were running out of time. Once we finally made it to the beach we got told that we could only be there for 5 minutes because the park was closing. Thankfully we were able to be there for longer than that but due to a bit of miscommunication with the local guide, we ended up heading back soon, but not before leaving our mark. We ended up writing in the sand and admiring the view; Some of us even saw a small shark at the edge of the water. After we made it back off the trail, the bus took us back to the hotel. We were bummed we couldn’t swim cause of rip tides in the area, but we still enjoyed the lukewarm tub and pool. Ending the night with a delicious dinner at the hotel, pool games, and an ice cream run.
Sad but excited to go home soon
Pasta manzana 😉
By Charlotte and Camila
June 11th, 2025
Good morning and HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARGAUX!! Today we woke up to a delicious hotel buffet breakfast, a 17th birthday, and our last but best day ahead of us. We packed our day packs, swim suits on, sunscreen in hand, and smiles on our faces. We took a quick bus ride and arrived at the docs where we took another boat out to a.. YACHT! Everyone was very excited as we explored around and laid out on the front of the boat. Our first stop was a stunning beach with bright blue water, white sand, and colorful shells. We laid out on the beach, did beach walks collecting shells and coral, and also did some snorkeling with turtles, and colorful fish. This beach was the perfect stop as it was just us and the beautiful views in front of us.
We loaded back into the yacht and set off to our next destination. On the way we ate lunch in the boat, which was delicious fruits and veggies, fresh fish, rice and potatoes. Next, we went snorkeling. We all put on goggles, and flippers not looking our finest, but feeling our best. We got into a small boat which took us close to the reef and from there we snorkeled around enjoying the blue water. While snorkeling we saw many colorful fish, a shark, and some turtles. As we got back into the main boat we felt tired but happy. Our last stop was a final beach where we got to see seals. We listed to music, applied sunscreen, (some of us) and did some tanning and burning. We ended our time on the boat with a toast, and a celebration of our last day. We headed back to the hotel with smiles, fun, and happy faces. Today couldn’t get any better.
But oh wait! It did! We all got dressed up and ready for our final dinner together. Before hand we explored town doing some final shopping and enjoying each others company. As we walked We saw artisan markets, cultural dances, and so many stuffed animals. We went to dinner which was a nice restaurant near the water where we all celebrated Margauxs birthday. After dinner we had a little birthday piñata and cake. Today was such a special and memorable last day that we will all never forget. Adiós Galapagos! You will be missed, but we look forward to coming home to our families!
Goodnight!
-Mac
