This Sunday I found myself with a bit of a split personality disorder. On the one hand I would have loved to stay home and eat a kilo of Manjar de Leche (my version of Ben&Jerry's) to get over the void left by Kamila's absence (she left on Saturday.) On the other hand, I was still in Ecuador, and there are places to go and things to see! So, early that morning we set out for Mitad del Mundo. I figured going to the middle of the world was only appropriate given my split personality. The tourist attraction at Mitad del Mundo is a monument built in the 1980s that marks the location of the Equator. It's a pretty cool place, with a 10 meter tall monument, museums, lines marking the cardinal directions, and plenty of kitschy tourist shops. The museums were pretty enjoyable, and from the top of the monument we got an amazing view of Cotopaxi and Cayambe. I was able to get a classic picture with one foot in the Northern and one in the Southern Hemisphere, there's just one problem... Mitad del Mundo is not actually at the Equator. Yep that's right, back in the 1980s some lazy architects and landscapers didn't take the proper time to meet with geographer's to confirm the location of the monument. Luckily they were close; the actual Equator (verified by GPS) is about 240 meters north of the monument, and you can go visit a different museum there dedicated to the history of the indigenous Ecuadorian tribes and the science of the Equator. To be honest, the real middle of the world museum is much cooler than the big monument. They have a very cool guided tour of the outdoor museum, filled with interesting history and science experiments to prove that this is the actual location of the Equator. And there's just something about knowing that you're actually right on the division between the Northern and Southern hemisphere's that makes the whole experience way more interesting. I got another picture, that I much prefer, with one foot in each hemisphere, and this one I can be sure is genuine. Note: for anyone who is curious, yes water dose spin different directions based on what hemisphere you are in... We did an experiment with a tub of water placed on the Equator, where there was no vortex; then on each side, where the vortex spun in a different direction. I have videos of this that I might upload to flickr, it just takes forever to upload videos so that might not be for a little bit.
On our way home from Mitad del Mundo we stopped in the Old Town of Quito to do a little self guided walking tour of some of the architecture and cathedrals there. In short, it was a really cool walk. We got to see several plaza's and old government buildings with colonial style architecture. The Arabic influences were noticeable, and the preservation was outstanding. But the most enjoyable part was getting to see all of the amazing cathedrals. I've never been one for church, but I have to admit that I wouldn't mind spending a couple of hours listening to a priest go on about Jesus if it meant I got to sit in these churches. They really are outstanding, and the couple pictures that I got do not do them justice (I guess you'll just have to come see them for yourselves, too bad.) One in particular is something everyone should see: The Compania de Jesus is supposedly the richest church in the world. On their information it says that every square centimeter of the inside is covered with 24 carot gold leaf. I was only able to snap one picture before they told me "NO PHOTOS!" but I've provided a link to some pictures so you can get an idea of what it's like (
Here). It's so breathtaking I actually thought about taking more pictures anyways, but I was afraid some old nun would come up and whack my knuckles with a ruler.
In other news I'm pretty sure that I've picked up some bichos during my stay. For those of you not familiar with the word "bichos" let me just say that I will no longer be traveling alone. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I will be bringing some friends home with me, friends that I'm sure my doctor would not be very happy to meet.
Here are a few pictures from the day:
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| Me at the fake Mitad del Mundo |
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| The view of Cotopaxi from the top of the monument |
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| The view of Cayambe from the top of the monument |
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| Me at the real Equator, one foot in the North, one in the South |
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| I believe this is the Monestario de San Fransisco |
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| The only picture I got of the Compania de Jesus |
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| Inside the Monestario de San Fransisco |
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| Look closely in the background to see the Virgin of Quito perched atop the city |
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| A close up of the Virgin (or so she says.. I don't buy it. With wings like that you can't keep the boys away.) |
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