Quito, Ecuador - the middle of the world

For many years I've always wanted to visit Quito, the highest capital in the world. It's such a historic city that I actually planned to visit there with my friend Michele. I never had a chance to go then but I'm now lucky I can go with Noy.

I met a pilot from Delta Airlines who happily gave us a guided tour of the final approach to the airport, advising us of when we are about to bank left or right. But what was good about Larry is that his Spanish was perfect! and so we engaged in a three and four way conversation with a new Chilean mother who had a cute three week old baby.


When we arrived at Quitos shiny new airport (only a week old), we were met by our host for the day, Dario.


Dario, originally from Quiito, spent twelve years in France workings at a hospital. He decided to come back and support his parents in the family business of running a guesthouse. Seven years have passed and ther lovely home is now a 16 room place for visitors to sty and enjoy some lovely home cooked food.


On hand, his parents were there to help us speak better Spanish! and his dad in particular - a well known artist in the area, proudly showed off his work.


After a very good sleep Dario took us on a trip to the equator and a collapsed volcanic crator now habitted by farmers.


The drive there allowed us to see more of the city, outside from the old district. It's a city that like many others is very busy. Cars hecticly vere in and out of each other, flashing lights if the person in front is going too slow.  It is a place that feels like there is no speed limit. This makes the journey exciting as Dario navigates the maze and the craze of Qutios commuters.


The crator


My first stop was the crator. Formed over many many years ago, the collapsed volcano now harbours the most beautiful of scenery. Now a popular tourist attraction in Quito, the visitor centre provides a lofty view over the landscape onto many beautiful farms managed by Ecuadors older residents.























The real Equator







I say the real equator because for centuries it was believed the equator was 200m for the actual position confirmed by GPS. Now this is no criticism.  To think that all those years ago, people were able to calculate the position of the middle of the earth - really incredible.


Well the site of the real equator is a must visit. I would describe the place as very ecological (in the look and feel), but also there are activites and information that really is engaging and fun to do.


One example is observing the way the water goes down the plug hole on either side of the equator. Another is how, travelling along the line, you can actually lose your sense of balance. But my personal favourite is trying to balance an egg on the head of a pin (very difficult; Noy was the only one with patience and skill to do it!).
















The Famous Equator


Of course we walked the short 200m to the famous equator location. Way more popular than the actual location, in fact a whole tourist resort was built around it, with lots of shops and restersunts. A small museums and planetarium were there but the place was pretty run down.