Quito and the Equator

Quito. Too big, too many people,  too much everything. We stayed just the night to catch our flight the next day. We spent most of the day at the equator line. True, it’s imaginary but I’ve just always wanted to put my feet on it.

The beautiful Volcan Cayumbe in the background.

We went to the real equator. There’s another place that claims to be on the equator but it is not . That place demonstrates a bunch of tricks and deceptions about the Coriolis effect but it’s all staged. The number of tour busses that disgorge people is astounding we heard. But we went to the real equator, the one determined by science, the Quitsato Sundial, and practically had the place to ourselves. We got a great explanation of the science behind the place, took some photos, and had a $2 lunch at a roadside place. I’m also proud to say that we did the trip independently using city and local busses. You can get a tour out here for $60 but we did it for $3.25 round trip. We learned to navigate the Quito city bus system on the fly, by asking fellow passengers, the driver, and the transit police for help and directions. It was great. 

Back in Quito with a few more hours to kill, we walked around to the main churches, took in our last Latin American vibe, and had a tasty last meal of an empanada, tamal, and a bolon. Washed down with my favorite Inca Kola, it was a great ending.