In the middle of the world
Trip Start
Aug 10, 2008
1
4
21
Trip End
Sep 20, 2008
Quito,
Ecuador
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
hotel with ease. It was already 10pm when we got in, so we didn't do a
whole lot other than a quick visit to the cafe next door and then to
bed. Our hotel room is teeny tiny, and the bathroom even teenier, but
it´s very clean and painted a nice sunny yellow. Today we were
up early, breakfast at the hotel (fresh fruit, tea or coffee, juice,
and rolls) and caught the trolley into Old Town to wander around.
Yesterday was the Ecuadorian Independence Day, but since it was a
Sunday, it seemed to be observed today. They closed down the main
square and had military bands and lots of people in uniform, and at
some point the President came out and spoke. There were also police
everywhere, though that seems to be the norm, not just for the
celebrations. They all carry very large guns, which is both reassuring
and a little nerve-wracking at the same time.After lunch we had
booked a tour up to the Equator Monument. It ended up being just the 2
of us on the tour, with a driver and a guide, Daniella. She´s a student
finishing up her senior project. She explained to us (among other
things) on the way up to the monument that there´s currently a
referendum going on in Euador on a rewritten constitution. The
tour actually started at an outlook over an old volcanic crater. It
erupted 10,000 years ago, leaving a huge crater which is now used for
farming. It was beautiful, clouds rolling in over the hills and all.
Then we went to museum at the actual equator line )determined by GPS).
They have some exhibits about the different indigenous tribes in
Ecuador, a series of silly experiments (Coriolis effect, etc) and
handicrafts. We both failed to balance an egg on a nail head (though
Daniella did it), learned the basics behind making shrunken heads, and
tried our hands at blowing darts (I hit but didn´t pierce the cactus,
John succeeded).From there it was on to the original equator
monument. A few hundred years ago the French sent scientists to locate
the equator, and this was the spot they came up with. They were pretty
close, but not quite there. But there´s a large monument as well as a
tourist trap town around it. The highlight is tht they´ll stamp your
passport from the middle of the world.Anyway, we´re both beat,
and we have an early morning tomorrow. We´re off to the Galapagos, so I
don´t expect to update this until we´re back on the 16th. Taken lots of pictures already, but haven´t had a chance to load them so you´ll have to wait.
