The EQUATOR

Before we left Quito, we made our way to the museum at the middle of the earth. I felt like a kid again as we witnessed some things that were truly amazing at the museum. First off, we were introduced to an indigenous tribe and their customs and the structures they lived in. Tracey informed us that the homes our families live in consist of much the same. Further, we saw an actual shrunken head from the days when this tribe decapitated important people after they were dead or the heads of their enemies. The members of the tribe would wear the heads around their necks as mementos! No thanks! Further, we saw some guinea pigs in the hut and we were told that if they made a lot of noise this was an indicator of a bad omen or spirit among the group. Fortunately, they made no obscene noises and it made me feel good that our group does not consist of any serial killers or madmen! Last, our tour guide had us walk to a red line that is literally the line that separates the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern Hemisphere. She poured water down a sink in the middle and the water rushed straight down into a bucket. Then, she took the sink to the Northern Hemisphere side and the water ran down the sink counterclockwise! And, as expected, the water ran clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Last, we each had a chance to balance an actual egg on a small nail in the middle of the world. The egg should be able to balance as the gravitational pull of the earth is much less at this special place. Some people were unsuccessful in balancing the egg but I luckily got the egg to balance. I must mention that it did not take me much time either! Those of us who successfully balanced the egg were awarded with stamped diplomas recognizing this great feat. My friend Kathryn and I joked that we should have received honors given the length of time it took us as well as accounting for the fact that our nail was the hardest to balance the egg on. Overall, a great little side trip and it was amazing to see how another example of our mysterious world. After the museum we made our way to Otavalo to meet our host families and start our six week tour of duty!