In the Middle of the World: Ecuador

“You lose sight of things… and when you travel, everything balances out.”

– Daranna Gidel

Traveling can make an everyday task vastly more interesting.

Two Hemispheres at Once

When traveling to Ecuador, one of the ‘must-do’s’ is visiting the country’s name sake–the Equator.  About 20 minutes outside of Quito, you’ll find two sites that claim to house the line that cuts the world in half.  The first site (pictured above) is on government land, and before GSP came along, was considered the Equator.  Flash forward to the days of Garmin, and a new site, that is now the official Equator was found about 40 feet from the original mark. Both sites claim to have the title, and both sites offer a pretty interesting perspective on the world.

Egg Balancing on the Equator

The ‘newer’ Equator is found on a piece of land that is owned by an indigenous tribe.  So not only can you balance an egg on a nail, and witnessing water flushing straight down a drain, you can also see some really interesting artifacts.  My favorite was a real life shrunken head. Seeing both sites of the Equator also gives you an idea of the tension behind the politics of the Ecuadorian government and its indigenous tribes.

Shrunken Head–He Doesn’t Photograph Too Well Anymore

No matter which Equator you’re on, the feeling of straddling two hemispheres at once in pretty incredible.  Walking down the line of the Equator you can ever-so-slightly physically feel the magnetic pull between the two halves of the world. In a weird way, this is a very humbling thing to do, and in a way put’s things into perspective.  When was the last time you really slowed down while walking, took notice of how every step feels, and enjoyed the experience? It’s most likely been a while.  Traveling gives you the opportunity to do something you’ve done millions of times, and analyze it in a new context.