Farewell to the Flora and a Night in Quito
Our final morning on the Flora started in the dining room where we shared one last breakfast before heading to the ship’s lounge to wait for our tender back to Baltra where we will all catch our flight back to Quito.
Before we departed, our entire group was invited for a final mimosa toast with Captain Patricio and the senior officers of the Flora. We got to chat with the captain and the officers one last time and tell them how much we enjoyed our journey through the Galápagos Islands with them.
After our toast we headed back to the lounge to wait for our tender.
Everyone who works on the Flora has made this trip a spectacular one. All but 2 of the staff are native Ecuadorian and many are from the Galapagos. You can tell the pride they have in their country and the beautiful, pristine Galapagos Archipelago. Many staff knew each of us by name and everyone was always looking out to see how they could make the trip more enjoyable one for each of the guests. The captain was often found greeting guests as they returned from excursions and was always happy to stop and talk when you ran into him. The staff truly made the experience extra-ordinary.
Everyone was a bit sad that our time together was quickly coming to and end but we all have great memories and photos. As we headed down the steps to check out and get our life-jackets one last time, many of the staff and all of the officers where there to say goodbye to everyone.
Back on Balta we boarded a bus back to the airport where we waited for our charter flight back to Quito. As we waited for our flight we had an opportunity to do some final shopping of Galapagos handcrafts.
The flight back to Quito was uneventful. At the baggage claim we said goodbye to Kellie and Johanna from our group who were going on to the trip extension that will take them to Peru where they will travel to Machu Picchu. I look forward to seeing all of their photos. The rest of our group took s short bus ride to a nearby hotel where we can get a day’s rest before heading home tomorrow night.
The trip was wonderful as was getting to share it with a wonderful group of people. They all made the trip extra special. It was a joy to be able to travel again with Tracy, Bill, Louise, Mark, Karen, Karen, Kathy, Robin and Mack. And it was special meeting new friends, Kellie and Johanna who we’ve never traveled with before , but hope we get to again.
I’m sure the great memories from this trip will stay with all of us forever.