I always have a little bit of dread, I will admit, whenever I find myself arriving in a new country. Given my understanding of how Americans are perceived in different parts of the world, I often make the mistake of assuming how an entire population will think of my fellow compatriots and I by the attitudes of their respective presidents. Ecuador, led by Rafael Correa since 2007, has aligned itself with the Bolivarian/socialist side of South America, and has been critical of the United States in recent years. Part of me always expects a sort of grilling when I arrive in places such as these, and I ensure that my Spanish (or, in Brazil, Portuguese) is in tip-top shape before traveling, to make sure I don't get caught in any typical gringo horror stories.
Nonetheless, after about three simple questions at the Quito airport immigration desk, I found myself welcomed into the country with no issue. After finding my bag, I found my friend Jenny, and off we went into the city. One thing, however, that I forgot to mention: as I discovered an ATM in the airport, I quickly remembered that Ecuador is, to my great relief, dollarized. What I mean by that is that Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar for purchases, making it very easy for me to estimate the true cost of something. Anyways, I quickly pulled out $50 and joined Jenny and her mom to head to their house. Jenny and her family have a cozy but very nice house in a gated community, about a stone's throw from the United States Embassy. After having a few hamburgers and talking a little too much about the wonders of Heinz ketchup (had to put a Pittsburgh reference in my trip somewhere), I dozed off to sleep with little issue.
The next day, Friday, was to be a jam-packed one. Together with Jenny's brother Vinny, we set out in the morning to discover la Mitad del Mundo, or the Middle of the World. This park/complex, just a few kilometers north of Quito, is known for, well, giving tourists the ability to stand on both hemispheres at the same time, I suppose. I assure you all, however, that it was much more complicated than that. The Ecuadorians constructed a very pretty monument, shown below, and the area features shops, restaurants, tours and the like.
If you pay close attention, however, you will note that this particular Mitad is not the real one: in fact, this Mitad was calculated something like 300 years ago, and geographers have discovered that it was quite imprecise, to the tune of about 250 meters. Therefore, after visiting the park for a little while, Jenny informed me that we would need to visit another park to see the actual Middle of the World. That park is called Inti - Ñan, or "The Way of the Sun." There, for about $4, you can have a guided tour of the outdoor "museum," in which the person will show you different characteristics of the local indigenous people, as well as do different activities that explain the uniqueness of being on the world's equator.
The nifty red line pictured above denotes the geographic equator of our Earth, in case you can't read the Spanish on the sign. With Jenny and Vinny, I participated in the various activities that the course had to offer, including walking the line with my eyes closed (your body shakes uncontrollably trying to balance), and balancing an egg on a nail. I was certainly skeptical of the latter: with the size of an egg, and the surface area of the top of a nail, I figured it was near-impossible. Nonetheless, after one Peruvian and one Colombian balanced the egg without issue, and the tour guide announcing that the Americans were trailing the Peruvians and Colombians by a score of 1-1-0, I gave in to peer pressure. Taking the egg in both hands, and with great care, I balanced the egg in about five seconds flat. We were fortunate, apparently, to be at the Middle of the World near the day of the Spring Equinox, as it made a lot of the magnetic imbalances go away for a short period of time. If anyone doubts my balancing prowess, by the way, they can look at the nifty certificate I received from the guide at the end of the tour.
Having conquered the egg, we proceeded back to Quito to try our luck at the Telefériqo, Quito's cable car that takes you about 1,500 meters above the city to get a good view. Unfortunately, as with most days in March in the capital, it was cloudy. Therefore, the pictures were not so good at the top, but I still got a great view of the city, and Jenny and Vinny pointed out some interesting things to see. I wisely brought a coat along, as the top of the mountain proved to be a bit cold as well. I'm guessing it was around 50 degrees, or about 10 degrees Celsius.
As I said that I would present Ecuador in parts, I will leave the rest of my trip to two more, hopefully over the next two days. I still have to talk about the uniqueness of Quito itself, as well as a moonlit walk through Quito's Centro Histórico and a jaunt through an indigenous market in Otavalo. Keep posted!
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