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Ecuador - July 5, 2023

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Mitad del Mundo (again!) We managed to squeeze in one more outing the day before we left Quito to make the most of our time in Ecuador. After discussing with Rick and David some of their favorite things we did while Richard was climbing, we decided to make the quick day trip to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World City). As I wrote in my previous post back in June, this place is lots of fun and it definitely warranted a return trip! Returning also allowed us time to visit the planetarium, which we missed the last time. Rick and David were also excited to tour the museum (especially the Galapagos exhibit now that we have been) that is inside the monument. Homeward Bound! The next day July 4th, we headed home to Denver. Travel was surprisingly a breeze. There were no lines at the Quito airport. I have to say that the security there is so friendly towards families traveling with children. They didn't make us take out the kids' tablets from their bags and were very helpful overall!
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Ecuador - July 2, 2023

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Papallacta We decided to squeeze in one last day trip before leaving Ecuador. On Saturday we scheduled a tour with Gaby from Tours By Locals to go to the hot springs in Papallacta, about an hour and a half drive from Quito and 13k in elevation. Here we are at a lookout of Laguna Papallacta! We went to Papallacta Hotel and Hot Springs, which was a stunning location. We did not get any pictures at the actual pools because the boys were busy  swimming, jumping, and splashing. All of the pools were different depths and temperatures, ranging from freezing cold water provided by the Papallacta river to pools that were so hot you could only stay in a minute! The heat is provided naturally by the volcanic activity in the area. Here are a few pictures of us post swim! After a few hours of swimming our guide took us on a nature hike through the area. We learned about the local plants and even got a glimpse of the giant organic farm that the hotel uses for it
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Ecuador - June 29, 2023

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Quito Again! After a full day of rest, relaxation, and catching up on a whole lot of laundry, the boys and I were ready to get out and about! This is our last week in Quito (we leave next week on Tuesday), so we are trying to hit any places left on our itinerary.  One place we have passed a hundred times, but had not yet visited was the Vivarium . It is located just a five minute walk from our apartment building. This small museum featured 40 different species of reptiles and amphibians from all around Ecuador. Unfortunately, we could not take pictures inside, but we really enjoyed all of the exhibits. Rick's favorite were the different species of pit vipers and David's favorite were the yellow spotted turtles. Many of the animals here were rescued from animal traffickers and we learned a lot about how to keep animals safe and wild! We walked away with a few souveniers to help support their mission! After we returned home, we picked up Richar
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