Arriving back in Quito has proven to be less than terrible. Our first full day back, we set off on a half day tour of the Mitad del Mundo, or the middle of the world. As it turns out, Ecuador translates to “equator”, and the equator or middle of the world runs right through the country. The equator crosses through over 15 countries in the world; however, Ecuador is considered the middle of the world because it is the highest point that the equator crosses through. We took a bus an hour north of Quito to see the popular “Middle of the World” monument, and then made our way to the museum, where we had a chance to walk the equator, take a photo being in both hemispheres at one time, and see gravity in action. Our guide poured water through a sink like contraption right on the equator, and we watched as the water poured straight down. Then, we moved the tub to the northern hemisphere and then down to the southern hemisphere, watching the water move in opposing directions down the the drain in either hemisphere. It was pretty neat to see the water move in a different direction a mere 6 feet apart on either side of the equator. I had tried to see if this theory was true when in Australia by watching which direction the water went down the toilet; apparently, this doesn’t work though because toilets are manufactured and the water can be sent down in whichever direction is best for the plumbing of the house you’re in.
We spent the afternoon relaxing at my parents hotel, and I watched the Olympics while working out in the hotel gym, overlooking the pool. After being so busy in the Galapagos, it was nice to have a “normal” afternoon and to have some time for a little R&R. Being that my parents travel on a much larger budget than I do, it has been really nice to take advantage of their luxuries, and zipping over to their nice hotel from our neighbouring hostel has been a really nice treat.
The following day, we got up early and headed out to Cotopaxi National Park. Ecuador has 7 volcanoes that are over 5,000 meters tall, and this area is known as the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Cotopaxi is one of the most popular and most beautiful of these volcanoes. Towering at approximately 5,900 meters above sea level, this giant cone volcano is picture perfect…. when the clouds aren’t there. Unfortunately, the clouds covered the top part of the volcano for most of our tour, and we were only able to see part of the glacier capped top. Despite not being able to snap the perfect photo of Cotopaxi, we had a lovely time exploring the area and learning about the flora and fauna of the area. Being that we were 4,200 meters above sea level , there wasn’t much growing. The land is bare of trees, and has only a few endemic flowers, plants, and birds. We wandered the area a bit, walking slowly due to the elevation, as well as enjoyed some cocoa tea to help us acclimatize, before heading down to a local Hacienda for lunch. As it turned out, the Hacienda was a beautiful ranch that used to be owned by Inca royalty. We were toured through the luxurious living room, chapel, and courtyard before sitting down to eat in a dining room that had an old fashioned chandelier hanging from the roof, and stone walls on all 4 sides. I felt as though I had been transported back in time hundreds of years to eat with the royalty. It was pretty neat! After lunch, we had the pleasure of feeding the llamas that live on the ranch, before heading back to Quito. I was pretty shocked by how aggressively they ate the carrots we fed them, and also by how big their teeth were.
I spent the entire bus ride back napping (apparently altitude makes me tired), and after relaxing for a couple of hours, we headed out for a nice Ecuadorian dinner. Ryan and I enjoyed ceviche, a yucca empanada, and had our first tamale since being in South America, all of which were delicious. We were serenaded by an Ecuadorian band while eating, and it was a perfect end to a nice day.
My Love Affair with Travel 