La Semana de Despedidas

Despedida means going away party. When I say ‘the week of going away parties,’ what I actually mean is the two months of going away parties, but for my reputation’s sake, let’s agree that I only partied for the week before the end of the school year.

We had to fulfill Jenny’s bucket list since she is leaving Ecuador and moving on to new places (Salvador de Bahia, Brazil!!) in the month of July. We spent a relaxing weekend in June in Mindo, sinking into some hammocks, jumping off waterfalls, and feasting on brownies made from local cocoa.

The entrance to our hostel in Mindo- La Estancia

Jenny, Laura, and I spent a ton of time together our last week. We cooked epic brunches, we danced ‘til the wee hours of the morning, visited some of our favorite restaurants, and laid around for Girls marathons (awesome HBO show). It was the best possible way to end a school year with a BANG!

Dancing at our favorite bar- El Aguijón

Jenny doing her thing at El Aguijón!

One last dinner at La Naranjilla Mecanica-

My favorite restaurant and art gallery in Quito

Gulping down some microbrew at Turtle’s Head Cumbaya

Went to a concert of our friend’s electronic band- La LOBA

La LOBA rocking out

Curled up in bed for a Girl’s Marathon

Grilling out on my friend’s rooftop on a beautiful Quito night

My last night in town, one of our friends booked a chiva, and I always love me a good chiva, as long as I don’t spend the next day regretting those last couple of shots of canelazo. We tend to make really good decisions on chivas and not regret them at all, such as dancing on poles, trying to hang upside down off the rafters in the ceiling, or attempting to do the limbo while the chiva is whipping around a corner in Old Town.