Plus 3 Ecuador has officially wrapped up, but that doesn’t mean that our last day was uneventful. As always, the group gathered bright and early for our last breakfast together before turning in our lodge room keys and heading on the bus to head on back to the Quito airport. Now you see, the bus ride to the Quito airport from our lodge was going to be around 4-5 hours, but we, since we enjoyed each other’s company immensely, decided to stop at every single attraction known to man on the way there.

We started off strong with the famous cloud forest that Skip, Rick, and other past members of the trip hyped up. It was worth the hype! It was so pretty and made for some good photo opportunities. We only stopped and walked the trail briefly before going on the bus and heading to a hummingbird sanctuary an hour away. Instead of engaging with the hummingbirds, I found more pleasure hanging out with the dog that lived on the property, who may have been the cutest creature known to man. She and I became best friends immediately and unfortunately had to be separated when we left, but oh man, she was the best.

After the hummingbird sanctuary, the crew and I walked down the road to visit a waterfall where we ended up chucking small rocks at big rocks for a solid half an hour. We are very easily entertained individuals. After already completing three sights, we got on the bus again and drove to a gas station with the coolest view ever and loaded up on snacks. I was rocking a knock-off Little Debbie and a miniature Coke and was overjoyed with my decisions. Our last stop before the airport was this restaurant that was surrounded by wildlife. There were cows and alpacas, and fish, and on top of that, there was the most gorgeous sight that brought everything together. After a few people went to the restaurant, I went back on the bus to take a nap as I was cold and tired.

Finally, it was time to venture towards the airport, which we got to relatively quickly. We all settled down after eating the world’s worst KFC and played Uno to pass the time. The security line was long and tiring; however, we all got to our gate half an hour before boarding and spent those minutes just enjoying each other’s company. We boarded, I slept on the plane, I got off the plane, and before I knew it, I was in the States once again. The next few hours went by in a flash, and there I was. Sitting on a plane home to Philly, watching Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, and reminiscing on the past 2 weeks. They were fun, they were challenging, they were rewarding, they were irreplaceable. They were the best two weeks of my life, and I was so lucky to have the experiences I had with the people I had. After a heartfelt goodbye to all the members on the trip, I began my one-hour ride home to Kutztown. A ride has never felt so quick in my life. Ecuador has made me a travel expert, and I am forever grateful.