Ecuador, Mitad del Mundo

Now, the first time I visited Ecuador years ago I admit that I skipped a visit to the equator—it seemed a little forced at the time.

However, having now officially “visited” the equator, I can say two things:
1. It is somewhat touristy
2. It is, nevertheless, kinda cool

And so I suppose no visit to Ecuador would be complete without a visit to the place where the middle of the world was declared in 1736. The equator, the widest part of the world, crosses only 7 countries. One of them, perhaps not surprisingly, is Ecuador.

The museum at the Mitad del Mundo strives to prove the power of the equator through a bunch of experiments which each visitor is walked through. Yes, the Coriolis Effect does indeed make water drain counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere, clockwise in the southern hemisphere, and pretty much straight down on the equator. Yes, centrifugal forces at the equator allow you to easily balance an egg on a nail (we have the certificates to prove it!). And best of all, yes you do weigh less at the equator…at last, a workable solution for that pesky travel weight gain!

Our only equator disappointment was in the weather…while the sun does shine directly down (i.e. no shadows), the 2800m altitude means it’s still pretty darn cold!