Today was our last day in mainland Ecuador! We all spent the morning packing up our suitcases and preparing for the long bus ride back to Quito. I packed up quick and walked down to the patio by the pool for a quick once over to make sure I didn’t forget anything from last night. I didn’t notice anything of mine, but I did find Cristiana’s bracelet and David’s hat. Both were happy to be reunited with their belongings!
After a light breakfast of croissants and pineapple chunks, I loaded my bag on the bus and waited for Esteban’s group announcement! He shared with us a final optional activity for full body massages at a local spa. While every single other person decided to go the spa for a few hours of relaxation, I opted to enjoy one last jaunt around the city of Banos. I wasn’t ready to leave just yet!!
With 3 hours to spend before the bus would take us back to Quito, I wandered towards the downtown streets of Banos to do a little last minute souvenir shopping and exploration. Walking around, I saw some cool graffiti and patterned sidewalks on my way to get some ice cream from the highly recommended Tutto Freddo! After finishing my refreshing snack, I noticed a waterfall tucked in the back of the city along one of the cliffs rising up from the valley and decided to check it out! While not as massive as the other roaring falls we encountered during the trip, it was a welcome sight within the city!
I ended up getting lunch from Fucking Bueno Burger and as expected it was fucking bueno!! Just before I headed back to the hotel to hop on the bus, I saw a wall painted with Banos Bendito e Inmortal which translates to Banos, blessed and immortal which I felt was quite fitting after my experiences there. At the moment I snapped a photo of the sentiment, a dog ran past and photobombed my picture! Something about that just made me burst out laughing. I had a wonderful walk back to the bus where I awaited my rested and relaxed friends!
As everyone scurried onto the bus like commuters at a subway station, I wondered how relaxing those massages actually were?! But soon enough we were on our way and Estaban chimed in with another announcement as we headed for Quito. Although most of us would be continuing onwards to the Galapagos, this would be our last bus ride with Samantha W, Chelsea, Samantha M, Alexandra, and Brandon.
Esteban began by recounting the trip highlights starting with the first day in Quito which I missed because of the Wilmington Catastrophe… He then quickly moved onto the mishaps of the second day with a couple misplaced bags and my whole flight delay debacle before moving on to some of the more adventurous trip activities. I hadn’t thought my arrival was such a key moment, but it was kinda nice to be name-dropped in the trip recap. As he reviewed our activities one by one, the memories of each came flooding back as we momentarily relived our experiences! We had been there for a week and I had already nearly forgotten all about rafting on the river and hiking through the jungle. Perhaps last night’s party was finally catching up to me… or maybe a few days in Banos will do that to you?! Either way, spending a moment to reflect on what we had all been through was nothing short of a bonding experience of its own.
After reliving the memories of our wondrous time in Ecuador, it was time for bus games! Esteban started us off with some Ecuador trivia and gave out some cool trinkets as prizes for correct answers. Afterwards, we played a game which I don’t believe had a name. Esteban split the group into two teams: left side of the bus and right of the bus. He then would name an object and each team had to find one and have everyone touch the item before handing it off to Esteban before the other team could. It started off pretty simple with things like a water bottle, a hat, and sunscreen but things escalated pretty quickly and before we knew it, we were passing around things like chewed gum, a condom, and a bra. Left side bus team reigned supreme by the end! After that, the rest of the bus ride slowed down a bit as some of us played some card games until we arrived in Quito!
Back at the hotel we started in (Hostal De La Mancha), we said goodbye to our bus driver Fernando. Then we went out to an all you can eat sushi restaurant to say goodbye to the 5 friends who would not be joining us for the Galapagos. By dinner’s end we were all teary-eyed and bloated. As we left the restaurant, the rain came crashing down. It was time to call it a night…
No Regrets: The Only Way To Live 