Mitad Del Mundo

Our first week in Ecuador has been QUITO an experience. Our spanish grows by leaps and bounds. We are constantly confronted by words from the dizzying array of signs, the pushy shopkeepers, and not to mention the unrelenting inn keepers. It is a long ardous process that in all reality will take a year to complete and that is if I maintain my original zest and desire to become "bi-lingual".
Witha self-assuradness that only Americans can possess we (the three amigos) decided to make a trip to the middle of the earth or the Equatorial line, known better as Mitad del Mundo. We hopped aboard a bus and headed out to the main bus station as detailed in the " Lonely Planet" guide book. After a few confussing moments of missed busses, and wrong stops we boarded the correct bus and headed the 40 kilometers to the line. As we traveled north from the city all of Quito was spread before us. The small squatt buildings seemed to be jockeying for position on the valley floors. Most building were single or doubles and what they lack in structurally integrity they make up for in charicter. A bright array of Yellows, oranges, and blues were speckled throughout the city. The clean cookie cutter houses of Denver became a distant memory as we wound through the barios, slowing to let stray dogs saunter across the streets or let an elderly Indigina amble in front of the bus.
The bus itself seemed to mimic the colorful city through wich we traveled. While the driver swerved like a drunk 16 year old through the Quito country side his friend would travel throughout the bus collecting money from the patrons and insure that we were comfortable. I was able to put my spanish to use as a young lady sat beside me with a live but docile Chicken. After much stammering , handgestures, and repitition I learned that she lived nearby village and had bought the chicken for four dollars.
A good 50 minutes later we shuffled off the bus onto the dusty stop and headed to the Mitad Del Mundo entrance. We payed the two dollar charge and were ushered into the large park. A giant yellow line ran down the middle and at one end was a giant Museum and sculpture proclaiming that this was the equator. After a few quick pictures we were off to the real Mitad del Mundo. Apparently, after the invention of GPS it was discovered that the equatorial line was in fact 300 meters from the statue. We took a dirt trail some 300 meters and were greated by an exceptional museum, scientific experiment, and guide. The three of us choose to take the tour in Spanish rather than English and were rewarded with headaches some 30 minutes later. We learned of the various indigenous people of the region and of all there unique customes such as shrunken heads, and that the males use to tie their miembres (penises) pointing up winding string around their waists to keep it snuggly in place. I asked for some string but was denied. The tour concluded with some very interesting experiments. First we gatherered around as our 5´2´´ guide informed us that the line has some very perplexing powers which she would demonstrate to us . A reluctant volunteer was told to clasp his hands together overhead and stand several feet from the line. Our tour guide then reached up and was unable to move his arms downward. The volunteer than moved to the line and this time the guide was able to easily push his arms down. Next we addressed the swirling water myth. A large basin full of wated was drained on either side of the line so that we could witness the clockwise and counter-clockwise swirl. Sure enough when the basin was on the line the water went straight down. The tour ended with egg balancing done on the head of the nail. Overall, we were impressed and glad that we had chosen to travel the 300 meters.

Quito, Ecuador