Day 15: Mindo to Chicago
Today may be our last day in Ecuador, but it’s the first day we don’t have to do a darn thing until after noon! Conveniently, check out from Las Terrazas is also at noon, so we slept in until the sun woke us up and had a leisurely breakfast.
Speaking of breakfast, we finally figured out the perfect breakfast order. Always start with coffee and yogurt and granola. But then, order the authentic hot chocolate drink and the homemade bread along with the scrambled eggs — in order to make a delicious egg sandwich. Too bad it’s our last day. Pro tip, also order a second pot of hot chocolate to go.
Perfect breakfast
We heard reflecting pools were in the news lately
After breakfast, we finished packing all of our bags into their travel-ready mode — gaining further appreciation for our super-light Galapagos packing mode. Shortly after noon, we said goodbye to Las Terrazas de Dana and met Santiago who drove us to a nearby butterfly farm. A butterfly expert told us about the life cycles of butterflies. We saw all the stages from egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly. We then went into the butterfly garden where there were tons of butterflies flying around and snacking on flowers.
Hanging with the butterflies
Owl Eyed Butterfly camouflage
Sharing flowers
We took some time to admire all the different kinds of butterflies and flowers. We also were told how to get them to land on you. Dab your finger on the fruit, and then hold it close to them.
Adding to Matt’s Disney Princess status
Employees were trying to catch a bird that got trapped in the garden
Hey, Jo gets princess status too
We were about to leave the garden when Santiago called us to come outside. He spotted yellow-throated toucans hanging around and calling out in a nearby tree. Mission accomplished A great end to our time in Mindo.
We hear you, Toucan…
…And we see you!
From the butterfly farm, we continued along the windy road back towards Quito. Surprisingly, Jo only slept for part of it. We stopped at Mitad Del Mundo, a monument and museum complex that is located at 0 degrees latitude – aka. “The Middle of the World.” There is also a park area (bouncy-house castles) with stores nearby, and as a bonus these days, a giant monitor set up to watch the World Cup games.
Street-side vendors and World Cup fans
Middle of the Earth Monument
In the museum, we learned how explorers and scientists from the 1700s used triangulation, stars, and mapping to figure out the curvature of the earth, and thereby locate the equator. Ecuador was uniquely suited for this endeavor because it’s one of the few locations on the equator with mountainous terrain. But, it turns out they were slightly off. The monument is technically about 300 meters from the actual geographic equator, but hey, for the 1700s they did a pretty good job.
Santiago explains triangulation, vantage points, and the Avenue of Volcanoes
Latitude Zero
The monument itself also has stores on the inside, with stairs to the top featuring more information about Ecuador’s history. Of course, we went up there.
View from the top of the monument
The monument
One local is very unimpressed with Santiago’s ability to balance an egg at the equator
In unrelated news, the lightning port on Matt’s (apparently ancient) iPhone 14, stopped working — claiming there was water inside the port, which is not true, but then again, it’s REALLY humid in the Cloud Forest, so who knows. As a result, following our visit to the Middle of the Earth Monument, we went on a side quest to find a magnetic charger that would not require plugging in the phone.
Santiago suggested the mall we passed on the outskirts of Quito. Since it’s Saturday, the mall was crowded. But we managed to get a good parking spot. After wondering around for a bit looking for an electronics store (hey, is that Radio Shack?!?!), we were navigate to a store called Smart Buy. With a helpful sales associate, the mission was a success and Matt’s phone was functional again.
Rainbow greets us at the Quito airport
We arrived at the airport just after 6:00 pm, and said farewell to Santiago. Since we’re not allowed to check in until three hours before flight (which would be around 9:30 pm), we went across the street to the Airport Center. It’s on the other side of the drop off lanes, and is part of the airport. We found a restaurant where we could charge our electronics, order some food and drinks, and most importantly, watch the Ecuador World Cup game.
Bye, Santiago! Thanks for everything!
Worlds’s second best trilogy
Watching our second Ecuador World Cup game with the locals was fun. But, turns out we might be bad luck. Since becoming Ecuador World Cup fans, the team has failed to score a single goal. At least they didn’t lose this time, as they battled to a 0-0 tie. Progress! (But I don’t think they are gonna advance out of group play)
0-0 Tie!!!!
Once we were able to check in, we dropped off our bags, cleared security, and passed thru customs. We then located what might be the best Priority Pass lounge we’ve ever accessed. The bartender crafted of the best Amaretto Sours we’ve ever tasted.
Amazing lounge, but what kind of scam requires so many card readers? lol
Our flight from Quito to Houston departed at 12:35 am as scheduled and everything was smooth. We successfully slept for most of the fight as intended (in order to not be too sleep deprived tomorrow). The extra legroom we had the exit row was worth the upgrade.
Mostly to not be annoyed by other passengers
The last leg of our journey from Houston to Chicago was delayed a couple hours due to weather, but, if there was ever a good time for a flight delay, it’s on the final flight of a trip when you are in no hurry. Turns out domestic United flights don’t feel as special when they are not part of a Hub Run Marathon. With a quick train ride and bus ride back home, we have another awesome trip in the books.
